Jiang Shouzhong remained silent for a while, then spoke indifferently, "People are bound by rules. If they want to live, they must exist within these rules; this, I understand.
But after all, rules are lifeless, especially for soone like you, who has lived a lifeti abiding by rules. Deep down, you must certainly despise them. I believe you will speak up; you just need a reason to do so."
Cheng laughed, looking at Jiang Shouzhong and said, "You’re a very interesting young man. No wonder you have two beauties by your side."
Jiang Shouzhong said nothing, quietly waiting for the other party to state their terms.
After pondering for a mont, Cheng said, "How about this? I’ll ask you two questions. If you can answer them, I’ll cooperate with you."
"Fine," Jiang Shouzhong nodded lightly.
Cheng said, "The first question is one I’ve contemplated for half my life. Many have answered, but none have satisfied —tell , how many faces does a person have?"
How many faces does a person have?
Li Nanshuang, who was straightforward, said, "Of course, just one, after all, a person has only one face."
Ran Qingchen frowned but did not speak.
It was a very philosophical and vague question. Everyone disguises themselves, wears masks, so it’s difficult to say how many faces a person has.
Jiang Shouzhong spoke softly, "Confucianism has the saying ’a gentleman alters thrice,’ Taoism discusses the transformation from ’one to two,’ and the Buddhist Sect talks of the ’original face.’ Everyone can have different faces, but ultimately, it boils down to three realms of faces.
The first is the external face, in which you must constantly disguise and change yourself to survive in the world of myriad creatures. The second is the self, or the most truthful heart. The third is the true self, transcending everything, rging with the Tao, no longer concerning oneself with so-called faces."
After hearing Jiang Shouzhong’s response, Cheng smiled, "That’s a clever answer."
Jiang Shouzhong also smiled, "But at least it was correct, wasn’t it?"
Cheng nodded, then continued with the second question, "How many face-changing masks am I wearing?"
Ran Qingchen and Li Nanshuang’s expressions changed.
Jiang Mo was, after all, no expert in face-changing; how could he possibly discern at a glance how many masks were worn.
Moreover, if the old man applied them himself, his masks were surely the best in the world, least likely to be detected.
This second question was clearly a deliberate challenge.
Jiang Shouzhong scrutinized the other party’s face for a long while, then gave an answer, "Three."
Cheng smiled faintly, "Ask whatever you want to know."
Both won were astonished.
Could it be correct?
How had Jiang Mo figured it out?
Jiang Shouzhong posed his question, "I want to know who took a portrait of mine to have you create a face-changing mask. If Mr. Cheng does not know his na, could you perhaps describe his appearance?"
"I don’t know his na, nor do I know his true face, because he wore a monkey mask," Cheng spoke slowly.
"Actually, the best disguise for a person is to cover the face. Even though a face-changing mask adheres to the bone structure, no matter how exquisite, it can’t hide the bone shape, so covering the face is the best thod, like this young lady," Cheng pointed to Li Nanshuang, who was wearing a bamboo hat.
Jiang Shouzhong’s brow furrowed tightly as he asked, "Other than the monkey mask, did he have any other distinguishing features?"
Cheng said, "Yes, his right pinky finger was missing. Additionally, he carried a certain scent on him, one I’ve slled on soone before, resembling a unique spice from Jinse Pavilion called Soul-enticing Fragrance."
Missing right pinky finger...
Jiang Shouzhong’s eyes flashed as he thought to himself, "It seems that it’s this monkey-masked person wearing his face-changing mask who killed Murong Shuo."
Who could this person be?
As for Jinse Pavilion, Jiang Shouzhong had heard of the place—it was one of Qingzhou’s pleasure districts.
It used to be known as one of the "Two Beauties of Qingzhou" along with ngyao Pavilion.
Since the massacre at ngyao Pavilion, Jinse Pavilion had risen to prominence as the pri entertainnt venue for Qingzhou’s elite.
It seed the next direction for the investigation would have to include Jinse Pavilion.
Looking for soone wearing a monkey mask.
Jiang Shouzhong bowed and expressed his gratitude, "Thank you, Mr. Cheng. I will not disturb you any further, farewell."
Jiang Shouzhong departed with the two won.
...
Upon reaching the streets, they found them deserted in the deep night.
"I didn’t expect it to involve Jinse Pavilion, a place frequented by many Qingzhou nobles for leisure, and I’ve heard the owner behind it is very wealthy and influential," Ran Qingchen said, her expression worried.
Jiang Shouzhong laughed, "There’s nothing to worry about. Even Shan Dongchuan has beco an enemy; it’s not unusual for a more formidable one to appear.
For now, it seems Shan Dongchuan copied my portrait, then went to the Xu Family to intimidate Xu Wenqing into being his pawn. Afterward, he handed these over to soone wearing a monkey mask to carry out the framing and murder.
At the mont, we’ve gained another clue to investigate. That’s a good thing."
Ran Qingchen nodded her head lightly.
In any case, the investigation had yielded results.
"By the way, Qingchen, how did you figure out the old man was wearing three masks?" Li Nanshuang asked curiously.
Ran Qingchen too looked curiously at her husband, her eyes shining brightly.
The longer she spent with her husband, the more she realized how formidable he really was.
This made her proud, yet also slightly vexed.
Previously, she was too stubborn and short-sighted. If she had recognized her husband’s talents sooner, she wouldn’t have ended up in the current situation.
Jiang Shouzhong said with a smile, "I guessed."
"What?"
Both won were stunned.
Seeing that he didn’t seem to be lying, both won were speechless. Li Nanshuang exclaid, "Do smart people always have good luck? To guess correctly like this."
But Jiang Shouzhong shook his head, "I guessed wrong."
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