As ntioned before, Jiang Shouzhong always found it difficult to see through a woman like We Zhaodi, just like Ye from Anhe Village.
From being a concubine of a wealthy family to a widow raising her daughter alone, then marrying a man as unsophisticated as Zhang Yunwu... Each Chapter of her life required her to adapt and to seek stability.
Her character was very sensitive, full of doubt, and also very insecure.
That was why she had misunderstandings with her husband before, which led to a murder case.
Jiang Shouzhong always kept his distance from such a woman.
Now that he knew the content of the dreams would beco reality, he grew even more suspicious of her.
He recalled what Li Nanshuang had previously said about We Zhaodi.
[Steadfast in spirit]
The steadfastness here ans ruthless.
To delve deeper into We Zhaodi’s mindset when she killed Ge Dasheng, Jiang Shouzhong took Lu Renjia early the next morning to Wufeng Temple to reinvestigate the old murder scene.
The already dilapidated Daoist temple was rendered even more in disrepair after Ran Qingchen and Qu Hongling’s fight.
With the previous murder adding to its history, the muddy street outside the seldom-visited temple grew even more deserted and eerily quiet, casting a somber mood over the area.
Jia sat on the threshold, looking gloomily at the few straggles of foxtail grass squashed into the mud.
He rubbed his stubbled face vigorously and turned to look at the handso man sitting under the damaged deity statues, seemingly deep in thought, and could not help but say, "Is it going to work or not? If it’s not working, we should ask the Wenxin Departnt for help and let them investigate."
Jia thought Jiang Shouzhong was there to investigate the heart-stealing demon case.
Jiang Shouzhong replied irritably, "Can this case be handled by others now?"
"But dragging it out isn’t helping either. If not, we just bla that rabbit demon and close the case. Things can’t keep dragging on like this; the chief definitely won’t be able to protect Zhang and his sister-in-law."
Lu Renjia sighed heavily.
Jiang Shouzhong silently tapped his fingers on his thigh, staring dazedly at the ruined altar.
Suddenly, Lu Renjia turned and asked, "Do you think the higher-ups will re-investigate that demon case from over half a year ago? The rabbit demon who should have been killed by Zhang reappeared; such an oversight could lead to significant problems."
Jiang Shouzhong shook his head, "I don’t know."
After a mont of silence, Jiang Shouzhong said, "Re-investigating would an trouble for us. More precisely, for Zhang."
Lu Renjia wasn’t foolish and spoke in a lowered voice, "That bottle of Demon Energy?"
Jiang Shouzhong pursed his lips, feeling a heavy burden inside.
A while later, Zhang Yunwu, carrying an axe, appeared at the temple.
Seeing the limping, simple-minded man, Lu Renjia glared and scolded, "What the hell are you doing here instead of recuperating at ho?"
Zhang Yunwu scratched his head and laughed naively, "I couldn’t sit still at ho, and I was a bit worried about you guys."
"You’re truly blockheaded, should be at ho looking after your wife. Sooner or later soone will snatch your sister-in-law away."
Lu Renjia cursed.
Zhang Yunwu did not dare disturb Jiang Shouzhong, so he too sat on the threshold like Lu Renjia. His bulky fra was like a small mountain, blocking out so of the light and making the already dark Daoist temple seem even more ghostly.
"I trust Zhaodi."
Zhang Yunwu grinned naively.
Lu Renjia pouted and leaned on the door fra, napping lazily.
He’d drunk too much the previous day, felt totally drained and his back ached; he didn’t sleep well at all that night, and was especially groggy.
Moreover, he was planning to help Qing Niang scrub the outhouse at the Spring Rain Building that afternoon.
Feeling a bit cold, Jiang Shouzhong rubbed his arms, squeezed in between the two n, and casually asked, "Speaking of which, the chief asked you to have a frank talk with We Zhaodi last ti, so did you two talk?"
Afraid of encroaching on Jiang Shouzhong, Zhang Yunwu tried to curl up against the door fra, instinctively scratched his head, and then shook his head.
"You didn’t talk?"
Jiang Shouzhong frowned and turned to the rugged man with dark skin, "Then what did you do, just stare at each other?"
Zhang Yunwu blushed and after a long silence he mumbled, "I don’t know how to talk."
So insensitive to romance.
How could such a man attract a woman?
Jiang Shouzhong sighed softly.
Looking at the side profile of the big,tanned man, he asked softly, "Zhang, if one day you find out about We Zhaodi..."
Jiang Shouzhong eventually did not voice that hypothetical.
He propped his face in his hands and murmured in a voice only he could hear, "If there really is such a day, I’ll choose to stand by and watch."
——
The Zhang Family.
Inside Ms Zhang’s sleeping quarters.
As usual, We Zhaodi brought in the prepared dicinal soup.
Seeing her mother-in-law’s increasingly gaunt appearance, We Zhaodi sighed softly, wiped the old woman’s lips with a handkerchief, and was just about to feed her the dicine when the room suddenly darkened, and a light breeze swept through.
The woman’s apricot eyes widened in terror.
A man in his forties dressed in a pale blue robe had appeared silently in front of the sickbed, as quietly as a ghost.
It was none other than Shen Shengyuan, the protector of the Sky Demon Sect.
Ever since learning that the vial of Netherworld Demon Qi might have been acquired by the sa three Liushan Division agents who fought with Xi’er, Shen Shengyuan had been tracking it down, finally tracing it to Zhang Yunwu’s ho.
We Zhaodi tried to scream but found herself unable to move.
Nor could she make a sound.
"Don’t be afraid, I won’t hurt you,"
Shen Shengyuan said, trying his best to sound comforting, "I just want to ask you so questions."
The woman’s face was filled with fear, turning pale.
Shen Shengyuan glanced at Ms. Zhang on the sickbed and asked, "So days ago, your husband and his colleagues encountered a demon that lost a vial of Demon Energy. Did your husband or those two colleagues see it?"
We Zhaodi shook her head frantically, her delicate body trembling.
However, despite her efforts to appear uninford, her subtle expressions still betrayed her inner emotions.
"You’ve seen it, haven’t you?"
Shen Shengyuan waved his hand gently, lifting the restriction on the woman, and staring at her, he said, "Tell , where is that vial of Demon Energy?"
We Zhaodi wanted to shake her head again but saw the eerie red glow in the man’s eyes.
The next mont, her eyes beca vacant.
She was like a soulless puppet.
Her expression numb, We Zhaodi answered, "I put that vial of Demon Energy in my mother-in-law’s dicinal soup, and she drank it. Later, Mr. Li dispersed the Demon Energy inside her, so it’s gone now."
As soon as she finished speaking, We Zhaodi ca to her senses and looked at the man in horror.
"Your mother-in-law drank it?"
Shen Shengyuan’s face showed surprise, his brows furrowing tightly.
He shifted his gaze toward Ms. Zhang and shook his head slightly, "Your mother-in-law did indeed consu Demon Energy, but it was just ordinary Demon Energy. The vial I’m looking for cannot be removed once consud."
Just as Shen Shengyuan was about to examine the elderly woman’s body in detail, his expression changed, and he cursed under his breath, "This Zhao Wuxiu is really lingering like a bad spirit!"
We Zhaodi’s vision blurred for a mont, and the mysterious man had vanished without a trace.
Regaining her senses, she rushed out of the house wanting to shout for help, but as she reached the courtyard gate, she nearly bumped into a figure outside.
"Be careful."
A hand steadied her shoulder.
Looking up, We Zhaodi saw a pair of charming peach blossom eyes that were as enchanting as peach blossoms in spring water, captivating the soul.
"Are you alright, sister-in-law?"
The handso young man nad Jiang Qing looked at her with concern.
The woman’s cheeks turned red, and she quickly stepped back two paces.
Then rembering the mysterious person from before, she hastily asked, "Did you see anyone leave just now?"
Jiang Qing was taken aback and shook his head, "No, I didn’t."
We Zhaodi felt uneasy.
Jiang Qing took out an exquisite sandalwood box and smiled, saying:
"When I went for a business deal, soone gave a set of costics from Yunyan Pavilion, but I’m a man and have no use for them. Then I thought of you, sister-in-law, with your natural beauty; it would suit you perfectly."
"No need, no need, such a precious gift should be kept for the won in your family,"
We Zhaodi waved her hands in refusal.
Yunyan Pavilion’s costics from the Capital were famously precious, beyond the reach of common won.
"Please take it, sister-in-law. It’s also trouble to carry around,"
Jiang Qing pushed it into her arms while self-deprecatingly saying, "It might not be as good as what your brother buys for you, but make do with it, sister."
Hearing this, the woman couldn’t help but be startled.
Looking at the costics, her eyes dimd. Since getting married, Wu had never bought her a single box of costics.
The man, noticing the change in her expression, smiled slightly at the corners of his mouth.
However, in the next instant, the woman pushed it back.
"I’m sorry, please take the costics back," she said.
The man’s smile froze.
Seeing the woman’s resolute attitude, Jiang Qing inwardly sighed:
"This woman is a bit of a challenge. It’s a pity I can’t wait forever; the county office is investigating too thoroughly. If it cos to it, I’ll have to resort to using drugs."
...
[Author’s note: Don’t be anxious, the net is about to be closed. All the setups from earlier, what you thought were just scattered words, will co together. The story should have gone to subscription by now, as it’s more satisfying to read the climax of tens of thousands of words in one go. Unfortunately, it didn’t make it onto Sanjiang, and we were just a bit short of followers, so I had to extend the new book period and split the writing into parts. Brothers, I ask for your support, not knowing if we can get on Sanjiang next week.]
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