Midnight Bell 6
When Xiao Congzhi led Madam Xu through the corridor to the front hall, Xie Mowen and the others were having tea and snacks with Wanyue. Seeing them coming, Xie Mowen quickly got up to greet them.
"What did you say?" Xie Mowen asked curiously.
Xiao Congzhi pulled Xie Mowen's hand and slipped it into his sleeve, letting him touch what he had shown to Madam Xu. Xie Mowen understood; the emperor above all others could naturally resolve all worries. Just as he was about to make a joke, he saw Xiao Congzhi's serious expression, revealing an unyielding anger, and immediately sensed something was wrong.
Wan Yue was quite surprised that Xiao Congzhi could actually persuade Madam Xu, because she had tried to persuade her countless times, but Madam Xu stubbornly refused to speak.
Ji Buyu and the others also noticed Xiao Congzhi's expression, and immediately put down their melon seeds and snacks, and sat up straighter.
Xiao Congzhi had Xu sit next to Wanyue and smiled reassuringly at her.
Xu was in good spirits. After politely addressing her as "sister-in-law," she was about to speak when Wan Yue stopped her.
"You've already taken a big step by coming here; leave the rest to me."
"Sister-in-law..."
Wan Yue raised her hand to stop Madam Xu from continuing, and instead instructed the maid behind her, "Go and call the master here."
"Sister-in-law!" Madam Xu exclaimed anxiously. Although she knew that Chen Yu would find out sooner or later, it was still too sudden.
Wan Yue gently patted Xu Shi's hand and explained, "You only know one side of the story. If you're scared, go to my room and rest for a while."
Ms. Xu paused for a moment, then shook her head firmly.
Chen Yu arrived quickly, but when he saw everyone in the hall, he was completely bewildered. When his gaze fell on Xie Mowen, he even tried to hide behind Wan Yue in fear.
"Alright, now that everyone's here, I'll begin." Wan Yue, seated at the head of the table, nodded to Xie Mowen and began to speak...
What Wan Yue said first was the same as what Xu told Xiao Congzhi. After she finished speaking, Chen Yu's eyes widened and he jumped up, looking at his wife in disbelief: "You kept such a big thing from me."
Xiao Congzhi and Xie Mowen exchanged a silent glance, and they roughly understood why Xie Mowen had given up on bringing Wanyue back to the Demonic Sect two years ago. Chen Yu had no doubt about the truth of such a big matter.
Wan Yue pulled Chen Yu's sleeve and dragged him back to his chair, explaining to everyone, "Whether or not to inform everyone about this matter is entirely up to Cong Yun to decide."
Congyun was Xu's given name. From the moment the conversation started, Wanyue stopped referring to her younger brother and sister-in-law.
“After I learned about this, I did some investigation,” Wan Yue continued. “Chen Yuan is good at disguising himself and certainly doesn’t want to expose this matter and ruin his own reputation. Therefore, he doesn’t dare to go too far with Cong Yun.”
Jiang Xu slammed his fist on the table in anger: "This isn't going too far!"
Yang Yanshu hurriedly stopped Jiang Xu, even though his eyes were also filled with anger.
Wan Yue wasn't angry. She said, "After leaving the Chen residence, Chen Yuan became even more unscrupulous. From what I've found out, he killed two courtesans in his bed."
Chen Yu pulled Wan Yue's hand, his breathing becoming heavier, filled with surprise and uncertainty.
“He bribed the brothel madam, who not only refused to make a fuss, but if you asked her, she would definitely deny it. So, I had people dig up those two corpses.”
Ji Buyu was taken aback; he had never expected that the mistress of the Chen family would possess such extraordinary bearing.
"I won't go into the details of the body and the cause of death. Chen Yuan's methods were cruel and rare in the world. I had it all recorded and documented, and the coroner signed and sealed it. It can be presented as evidence in court later." Wan Yue sighed. "Cong Yun is unwilling to mention Chen Yuan's matter, and the madam, as the victim, also denies it. All I can do is prepare all of this so that I can use it when needed."
Xu Congyun had never imagined there was such a deep secret behind this, and tears welled up in her eyes. She said haltingly, "If I had known that other women had perished, I would never have..."
“This is not your fault.” Wan Yue smiled gently at Xu Congyun. “Although I don’t know how Young Hero Xiao could make you understand, I have always hoped that you would take this step, not for others, but for yourself.”
Xu Congyun sniffed and took his words to heart.
Chen Yu lowered his head and remained silent. He took his wife's hand and held it in his arms. After thinking for a moment, he said in front of everyone, "I knew nothing about Chen Yuan's matter, which is my dereliction of duty. Now that this has come to light, there will be many things to deal with. But the most important thing is, Miss Xu, do you need me to divorce you on behalf of my brother?"
Xu Congyun stared at Chen Yu in shock, speechless for a moment. Wan Yue then said, "This matter will be discussed after you young heroes have left..."
Chen Yu, however, said, "This matter is the most urgent."
Xu Congyun realized what was happening, forced herself to regain her composure, and said, "Thank you for your trouble."
Chen Yu forced a smile: "I'll prepare the divorce papers. In that case, I have a favor to ask..." Chen Yu looked at Xie Mowen and called out, "Xie..."
Wan Yue quickly tugged at Chen Yu and said in a flustered voice, "We should thank Young Hero Mo for coming here, but it was Young Hero Xiao who persuaded Cong Yun."
Chen Yu realized what was happening and quickly turned to Xiao Congzhi, saying, "I wonder if Young Hero Xiao could escort Miss Xu back to Jiangnan? It would be my pleasure to make the trip myself, but I'm afraid I won't be able to get away for a while because of Chen Yuan's matter."
Xiao Congzhi was startled by Chen Yu's near-spoiling of "Master Xie," and replied somewhat uncomfortably, "After the Mid-Autumn Festival, I was planning to set off for Jiangnan, and I can escort Miss Xu on her journey."
"Thank you for your help." Chen Yu bowed respectfully. After resolving the most urgent matter, Chen Yu continued, "You have come today to investigate the case of Chen Yuan's death. Although we now know about my brother's actions, neither Miss Xu nor the madam would have committed murder."
Xiao Congzhi and the others exchanged glances, realizing that this was the crux of their predicament.
“I have a direction,” Wan Yue said. “Chen Yuan visited Tingfeng Pavilion several times before he died.”
"Listening Wind Pavilion?"
"To the outside, it's a teahouse, but the things it does are no different from those in a brothel. It's just a more elegant and secluded brothel."
"Then let's go take a look!" Jiang Xu stood up, looking rather impatient.
Yang Yanshu also got up. They knew enough about what was going on at the Chen residence. The rest were just family matters, and they shouldn't have stayed any longer.
Xiao Congzhi tugged at Xie Mowen, who first glared at Chen Yu, then looked at Wan Yue: "Thank you."
Wan Yue smiled and nodded.
After leaving the Chen residence, Xie Mowen said, "Let's not go to Tingfeng Pavilion yet."
Jiang Xu was puzzled, but humbly asked, "Why?"
"Right now, we've only found out that there are hidden stories behind the two deaths, both related to matters between men and women. But what about the others? Whether Tingfeng Pavilion is the root of everything or just an ordinary brothel, we can't draw any conclusions yet."
Yang Yanshu asked, "Does Young Master Mo mean that we should first investigate whether there are similar hidden circumstances surrounding the remaining twenty-two deaths?"
"Twenty-one," Xie Mowen replied. "Since the last Kunlun disciple has been with the Demonic Sect all along, he must be difficult to find. Now that we have a direction, we can focus more on women during the investigation. If we really can't find anything, it doesn't matter. We need more cases to corroborate our speculations, not all of them."
Yang Yanshu nodded in understanding.
Jiang Xu wasn't quite sure what was going on, but he was willing to trust Xie Mowen and go investigate the case first.
Ji Buyu gave Xie Mowen a meaningful look, and finally nodded, saying, "I understand. This matter is too urgent. I will send my men out to investigate."
Xiao Congzhi reminded him, "Have Young Hero Yun keep an eye on things as well."
After Ji Buyu left with Yang Yanshu and Jiang Xu, only Xiao Congzhi and Xie Mowen remained. Xiao Congzhi noticed that Xie Mowen's expression was not good, so he reached out and squeezed Xie Mowen's fingers.
Xie Mowen leaned closer to Xiao Congzhi, pressing him tightly against him before asking in a deep voice, "Judging from Dong Jing's character, is he the same as Liu Jin and Chen Yuan?"
Xiao Congzhi slowly shook his head.
At present, the case of the midnight bell has made some progress, but the death of Dong Jing stands in the middle, making this case still shrouded in mystery.
With a direction for the investigation, the case progressed rapidly, thanks in large part to the fact that underworld figures were unconventional in their investigations and had a variety of methods. In just one day, they had uncovered most of the facts.
Everyone sat in a private room at a restaurant not far from Tingfeng Pavilion, discussing the news.
Ji Buyu: "In short, our speculation is largely correct."
Yang Yanshu nodded: "All the deceased we could find had secrets about their relationships with men."
Jiang Xu: "Tingfeng Pavilion has appeared more than once."
“This world is truly strange,” Yang Yanshu sighed. “Students who have studied hard for years trick their younger sisters into warming their beds for comfort, while honest and simple farmers tease the widow next door who is a full twelve years younger than them.”
Jiang Xu spat and cursed, "And that traveler, what traveler! He frequents brothels and brothels, not only freeloading but also swindling money from people."
"I've read the autopsy reports of the two courtesans murdered by Chen Yuan, and I wish I could gouge my own eyes out. How could there be such a ruthless person who disregards human life!" Ji Buyu slammed his fist on the table.
"What's hateful is that this wasn't even the worst case. The first victim had a strange fetish for raping pregnant women. He kept over thirty women outside like pigs, raping each of them until they became pregnant and then causing miscarriages. Even if they were lucky enough to give birth, he would sell the children for money."
"What!" Jiang Xu slammed his hand on the table and stood up. They had acted separately, and he had no idea that the worst had happened this badly. His eyes widened in anger. "Such a thing has happened! More than thirty women have gone missing in Anling and no one knew about it?"
Yang Yanshu clenched his fist and slammed it on the table, saying angrily, "Those women were all abducted from other places, and they were all from good families. I only found out about this because that wicked man's wife was willing to speak up, saying that she suspected her husband of keeping mistresses outside, but who knew that once she went into that mansion..."
Yang Yanshu roughly wiped his face and said with difficulty, "I'm afraid I'll never forget that scene in my life."
The cramped courtyard and the cramped, shabby room housed more than thirty women dressed in thin clothes, most of whom were heavily pregnant, and all of them looked lifeless.
"The wicked man's wife fainted on the spot. When she woke up, she said she was willing to help those women return to their homeland, but their lives had already been ruined!!"
Xiao Congzhi closed his eyes, his body trembling slightly with anger. Xie Mowen gently half-embraced Xiao Congzhi from behind. He knew that Xiao Congzhi felt guilty... On the land of Shengchao, it was the responsibility of the law and the responsibility of the monarch for his people to suffer such inhuman treatment.
Xiao Congzhi wasn't the only one furious. They shared what they had found, and after a long exchange of information, everyone was enraged. It took them almost half an hour to calm down enough to talk.
"If you ask me, what's the point of investigating! These dead people all deserved to die. If it really was the work of the Demonic Cult, then I'll support the Demonic Cult. If not, then we're ridding the people of a scourge!" Jiang Xu was filled with passion. If he could, he would love to become sworn brothers with the mastermind behind this.
Yang Yanshu was relatively calmer: "If it weren't for Young Master Mo uncovering these suspicious points, we wouldn't have found out any of this."
“Yes, yes!” Jiang Xu echoed, “This time we are very grateful for Young Master Mo’s guidance. We had been asking the man about him before, but to no avail.”
“In traditional Chinese society, men are responsible for external affairs and women for internal affairs. We have overlooked the voice of women.” Ji Buyu’s brows were furrowed with weariness as he leaned back in his chair and sighed.
Yang Yanshu: "After this incident, I truly admire Young Master Mo. In the Liu family, he was the first to notice something amiss with the maid."
"Everyone," Xie Mowen said at the right moment, "Just call me Mo Huan. I was just having a flash of inspiration that day, and I don't deserve your praise."
"Hey! Brother Mo!" Jiang Xu patted Xie Mowen on the back and said, "It feels so unfamiliar to call you by your name."
The atmosphere warmed up considerably with the flattery and small talk, so Xiao Congzhi asked, "When shall we go and explore Tingfeng Pavilion?"
Jiang Xu asked, puzzled, "Why go? I think it would be better to keep that person here to continue fighting evil."
“But what about Dong Jing?” Xiao Congzhi asked. “What did Dong Jing do wrong?”
Jiang Xu said, "You can know a person's face but not their heart. We don't know if Dong Jing has another side. Besides, he left Kunlun for seven years. It's understandable that his personality would change drastically while he was in the Demonic Sect."
"Impossible!" Xie Mowen blurted out without thinking. Facing the doubtful gazes of the crowd, he didn't bother to make excuses and simply said, "We must go to Tingfeng Pavilion, and I have a plan."
Yang Yanshu, trying to smooth things over, quickly said, "I'd like to hear the details."
“If we go in directly, we might not get the desired result, but if we pretend to be evildoers, they are very likely to approach us.”
"Absolutely not!" This time it was Xiao Congzhi's turn to categorically deny it. "We still don't know the perpetrator's method of killing. If it's an unstoppable method, then this move is far too dangerous!"
Jiang Xu nodded in agreement: "Yes, Brother Mo, there's really no need to take the risk."
Yang Yanshu also said, "This is indeed too risky."
Ji Buyu shook his head in disapproval.
Xie Mowen narrowed his eyes. He could disregard what others thought, but if Xiao Congzhi stopped him, he could not be stubborn.
"Let's talk in private." Xie Mowen pulled Xiao Congzhi outside.
The two found a secluded spot, and Xie Mowen finally spoke, first calling out softly, "Follow him."
Xiao Congzhi said with a serious expression: "I know that the more we find out, the more it proves that Dong Jing was killed by mistake, but it is indeed extremely dangerous."
Before Xie Mowen could say anything in rebuttal, Xiao Congzhi covered his mouth first.
“Chen Yan came by today. They asked Xiao Hua about the details of that night. Xiao Hua heard Dong Jing scream and immediately got up to go to Dong Jing’s room. By then, Dong Jing had already disappeared. Xie Mowen is an elite member of my Royal Shadow Division. The mastermind behind this was able to abduct someone silently and instantly in such an environment.”
"Congzhi..." Xie Mowen pulled down Xiao Congzhi's hand, leaned forward and touched Xiao Congzhi's forehead to make him relax. "The interference spell had little effect on me. On the day of the incident on the Meridian Bridge, I clearly saw the face of the woman who brought Dongjing's body onto the bridge."
Xiao Congzhi: !!!
"I'll go into Tingfeng Pavilion in a bit. As soon as I see that person, I'll make my move. Both Liu Jin and Chen Yuan have been to Tingfeng Pavilion more than once. I think no matter what methods the other party uses, it won't be something that can be done in one go."
"Xie Mowen..." Xiao Congzhi was still reluctant, but he knew what was important and that he had to seize this opportunity.
"Don't worry, trust your husband, okay?"
Xiao Congzhi slapped Xie Mowen hard for joking around at this critical moment, reluctantly biting Xie Mowen's lip, but eventually gave in.
Back in the private room, Xie Mowen spoke first: "Brother Xiao has agreed to my proposal, so we should head to Tingfeng Pavilion now."
"What? How could this be... Brother Xiao?" Yang Yanshu looked at Xiao Congzhi, his face full of confusion.
Xiao Congzhi was still pondering how to respond when a familiar voice came from not far away.
"Let me go!"
The newcomer was none other than Dong Jing's senior brother, Ji Zhou of the Kunlun Sect. He walked quickly and stopped in front of Xie Mowen, panting heavily, but his expression was firm: "Dong Jing is my Kunlun disciple and my junior brother. It is only right that I take this risk."
According to Xie Mowen, only he could take this risk, and no one else knew what the woman looked like, so he bluntly and ruthlessly refused: "No, your martial arts are too poor."
Ji Zhou had a bellyful of reasons stuck in his throat. He looked at Ji Buyu and then at Xiao Congzhi, at a loss for what to do.
"Young Master Mo, it has to be you." Yun Shaocheng walked slowly behind Ji Zhou. "I tried to persuade him earlier, but I couldn't. I didn't expect that with just one word from Young Master Mo, I wouldn't need to persuade him anymore."
"What?" Yang Yanshu asked, "Does Brother Ji share the same thoughts as Brother Mo?"
“Isn’t that right? Ji Zhou kept telling me that Dong Jing isn’t that kind of child, and that he must catch the culprit and clear Dong Jing’s name.”
“Now that I’m not entirely innocent,” Ji Buyu said leisurely.
"Anyway, there's no time to lose, let's set off now." Xie Mowen didn't want to delay things too long, so he pulled Xiao Congzhi and walked towards the door, saying as they walked, "We'll go in together in a bit. You guys sit where you can see me, and when I make my move, you all rush in at once."
Yang Yanshu didn't understand: "How do you know who to target?"
Xie Mowen hadn't come up with an excuse yet, so he simply remained silent. In any case, a fight was inevitable on this trip, and everyone here was a master of the martial arts world, so there was no way to hide it from them.
He was at peace with it, while Yun Shaocheng was so distressed that he rubbed his forehead. Ji Buyu hurriedly made an excuse: "This... Brother Mo may... uh, have other, yes, other clues."
Xiao Congzhi chuckled, but didn't help, and quickly left with Xie Mowen.
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