Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
"She... what should we do about that woman?"
As I calmed down, my concern shifted to the safety of others in the Jade Balance Bureau.
Currently, there are over forty people registered under the name Jade Balance Bureau, and this number continues to grow. The affairs of the Jade Balance Bureau are overseen by Bai Qianfan in Yongzhou Prefecture, and I wonder how much information Mirror Gate has already gathered about us.
From the perspective of "capture the ringleader first," the most dangerous person right now is probably Governor Bai Qianfan.
"I have sent someone to urgently inform Brother Qianfan in Chang'an overnight, urging him to strengthen his defenses. Although the people from Mirror Gate are highly skilled, the court also has its strong figures. I believe he will have his own arrangements, so Zhenzhen need not worry too much."
He tried to reassure me not to be overly concerned, but beneath his smile lay an undeniable gravity that I could easily see through.
This was merely the prelude to an impending great battle, and with the enemy hidden while we were exposed, it was quite alarming that even Nie Qiuyuan, who had been with Mirror Gate all along, did not know what their leader Rong Fu looked like. Wasn't that a terrible situation?
So I couldn't help but silently blame Grandmaster Dahei. You, a person of exceptional intelligence who has built a righteous team and maintained order for years, have allowed chaos to unfold right under your nose. Are you truly wise or foolish?
This Master possesses keen insight into the logical relationships between things but lacks even the most basic vigilance regarding interpersonal relationships. This person is simply beyond common sense; it’s a tangled mess just thinking about it. But I suppose his spirit wouldn’t care how others judge him; he’s likely off happily playing chess with someone right now.
Thus, I decided to exercise a bit of my exclusive privilege.
The resources at my disposal are as follows: Nie Qiuyuan specifically selected a reliable individual from Shadow of the Night to secretly follow and protect me. When we first met, Qiu had him remove his mask for me to see and informed me that his codename was "Maniacal Laughter," one of the best fighters in Shadow of the Night.
Later on, Maniacal Laughter and I established several secret signals known only to us, using modern vocabulary like airplane, cannon, and Iron Man doll, which made him break into a sweat trying to remember them. I have a whistle; when I blow it, he appears before me.
However, we agreed that if Nie Qiuyuan is by my side, he does not need to accompany me for protection since it is unnecessary. But recently, Qiu has hardly been by my side at all, making Maniacal Laughter's task quite easy.
Another resource came when Luo Dachun sent someone to contact me privately and provided me with a master map of Snowfall Villa's contact points across the country. When I saw this map, I was terrified; it was top secret. Knowing I lacked the ability to keep this map safe from prying eyes, I memorized it in front of the envoy and then returned it.
So now, as long as I wish, I can contact Snowfall Villa at any time and request their assistance—this is the privilege Luo Dachun granted me.
I pondered repeatedly and decided to do something behind Nie Qiuyuan's back. I resolved to have Maniacal Laughter contact Snowfall Villa and inform them of the location where Ruo Chanjuan was buried, asking them to quietly excavate her body for toxicological analysis.
After all, the only ones I could think of who had the capability to do this were Snowfall Villa. They had mastered the antidote for Ren Pingsheng's poison, which was good; in times of necessity, we would have an extra layer of support.
That woman wouldn’t hate me for digging up her body again, would she? After all, it was her own wish. But even if she did hate me, it didn’t matter; I simply didn’t care.
"Zhenzhen, it's late, and after such an incident, you're probably tired. So stop thinking about it; get some sleep and forget everything. We need to rise early tomorrow to visit Lord Sima."
"Sima?" I was taken aback. "He Xue Ting? Why are we visiting him?"
Qiu picked me up effortlessly and gently placed me on the bed, removing my shoes and socks.
"Just lie down and sleep; I'll tell you in the morning."
Outside was quiet, the night dark, a temporary peace enveloping us.
I nestled in Qiu's embrace, feeling the warmth of his body. With my eyes closed, I found it hard to fall asleep for a long time.
Was I doubting Sima He Sir from Suzhou? There was no reason for that! What was Qiu really thinking?
I drifted into a dream at some point, unsure whether it was a dream or reality. The haunting sound of heart-wrenching sorrow echoed in my ears, singing mournfully: "Love Is Poison! Love Is Poison..."
In a daze, I felt myself standing atop a vast mountain peak. It was clearly June in summer, yet snowflakes floated down like goose feathers. Below me lay an abyss so deep that it seemed endless; the snowflakes danced and swirled, blurring everything into a mysterious void that seemed to connect to another world.
Suddenly, I felt cold and fearful as if something had abruptly hollowed out my heart, igniting an impulse to leap off the precipice.
In my daze, I felt someone holding me tightly. Was it Qiu? What was happening?
I looked up just as a tear fell and struck my cheek with a soft "plop."
"Isn't that Luo Dachun? What is he doing here?"
"Forget it. You promised to forget."
"What about Qiu? Where is Nie Qiuyuan?!" The ominous feeling in my heart surged as I grabbed his collar tightly.
Luo Dachun's expression was sorrowful as he pointed to the deep valley beneath us.
"Down there..."
Qiu, down there? Below?
Suddenly, it felt like I had known this all along. How could I have forgotten? Qiu is dead; my Qiu is gone forever, and I will never see him again. He never even had the chance to find a way to the first century, so I can never meet him again.
He no longer exists in this world. What does this mean? What kind of conspiracy is this world playing against me? Who is laughing at me? Mocking me?!
Hatred suddenly spread within me, and I felt a massive black Giant Demon forming inside my body, rapidly expanding. My body began to crack from my shoulders, tearing apart as a pitch-black giant claw emerged from within. My body was being ripped into pieces, intense pain coursed through me, accompanied by a woman's voice wailing mournfully in my ear.
"Love Is Poison! Love Is Poison... Drink the poison of love, and eventually, you too will become a Vengeful Spirit..."
The pain was overwhelming; I looked up at the sky and let out a piercing howl.
"Zhenzhen! Zhenzhen!" Someone shook me urgently, calling out in desperation.
I suddenly opened my eyes; it was still dark outside, but candles had been lit in the room.
The man beside me held me close, his face very near. When I finally recognized that face, tears instantly blurred my vision.
It was my Qiu! My Qiu! He is here!
I held him tightly, so tightly that I could feel my heart racing. I heard myself crying out, telling him that if he died, I wouldn’t be able to live either; I just couldn’t go on.
“Zhenzhen, it’s just a nightmare. What’s wrong? Don’t be afraid, don’t cry.”
It was him, my Qiu, his voice!
“Pinch me, just a little harder, let me know if this is a dream!” I touched his face, sobbing as I pleaded with him, even though my fingers could already feel his warmth.
Without hesitation, he lowered his head and sealed my lips with his.
We lingered in that embrace for a long time. Eventually, I woke up, believing that everything that had just happened was merely a nightmare.
But the scene felt so real; the fear rising in my heart could not dissipate. Day after day, I thought about it, and night after night, I dreamed about it. The events of the day had amplified my long-standing fear of losing Qiu. Wasn’t it true that he initially refused to accept me because his life was always at risk?
Back then, I had boldly thought, what does it matter? If we love each other, then so be it; I would share life and death with you. But now, the mere thought of him possibly dying was something I couldn’t bear.
“Don’t worry; I won’t be in any danger, Zhenzhen. With you here, how could I bear to die? We still have so much to do together. You’ll have to bear children for me and we’ll laugh together as we watch our grandchildren grow. Zhenzhen, do you prefer boys or girls?”
“Ugh, what are you talking about!” His words successfully diverted my attention and even made me blush.
“Tsk tsk, we’re already married; why are you still blushing? Zhenzhen, answer me.”
“Well, I think I’d like a boy who looks like you…” I said shyly.
“But I want a girl! Zhenzhen, then we’ll just have to work hard; we’ll have a boy first and then a girl. Hmm, having more is also good.” My idol pulled me back onto the pillow. “How about we try right now?”
“Stop it…” I pushed away his hands that were reaching for my chest, but a hint of worry suddenly crept into my mind. After marriage, the frequency of these ‘tries’… was getting a bit too high. What if I actually got pregnant? With the impending battle ahead and being the useless person that I am, if I ended up pregnant too—what a disaster that would be.
Qiu held me close in his arms and gently patted me like a child.
“Zhenzhen, fate will protect us. You must believe, believe that we will grow old together.”
We held each other in silence, realizing that it would be difficult to fall asleep anytime soon.
“Why does Ming want to find He Xue Ting?” I brought up the topic. It would help pass the time and distract me, and I was genuinely curious.
Qiu brushed my hair aside and answered casually, “It’s just a feeling. I think we should check on how his wife is doing.”
“Does it have anything to do with the Serial Murder Case in Suzhou? What are the odds that the first group of people we encounter in Suzhou includes the murderer? And He Xue Ting certainly doesn’t seem like a psychopathic killer!”
I had many questions about this and fired them off in rapid succession.
The handsome man smiled and said, “It’s just a feeling. You’ve mentioned that once we gather all the information, we ultimately need to create a portrait of the murderer. That’s also just a feeling.”
So, after analyzing the existing information, he had drawn a mental image of the criminal that coincidentally matched He Xue Ting? How could that be possible?
At this moment, I couldn’t even form an image of the murderer in my mind. The picture of this murderer was akin to that of Jack the Ripper in my thoughts. Even if I tried to sketch one out, it would be worlds apart from the handsome, melancholic, young Lord Sima of Suzhou.
Comment 0 Comment Count