Nine Chapters of Strange Cases

Chapter 156 The Mole is You
As soon as Zhou Zhao finished speaking, he and Su Changying moved at the same time.

The two charged forward like arrows released from a bow. Zhou Zhao leaped into the air, performing a somersault to dodge the second handful of soybeans thrown by the old woman. With a flick of her wrist, two coffin nails flew out, each aimed at one of the two men.

The goatee tried to dodge, but the coffin nails had already torn his arm, revealing the Northern army uniform inside.

Seeing that Zhou Zhaotong and Su Changying were about to reach him, he didn't care about anything else and jumped onto the roof. Zhou Zhaotong and Su Changying brushed past each other in tacit agreement, and two coffin nails shot towards the goatee, exposing his entire back to the half-faced old woman's eyes.

Two coffin nails shot directly towards the back of Goat Beard's legs, one on the left and one on the right.

The goatee groaned, dodging with his right leg but being struck in the left, which sent him crashing to his knees on the roof, crushing the tiles.

He stood up, wanting to continue his escape, but was horrified to find that the coffin nails Zhou Zhao had shot had pierced through his knee, rendering him completely immobile.

He slowly turned his head, and Zhou Zhao was already in front of him. Suddenly, the man with the goatee revealed a strange smile, and with a sudden burst of strength...

I didn't put in any effort...

He stared wide-eyed in disbelief at the person in front of him!

Zhou Zhao actually removed his jaw!
Now he can't stop drooling!

Zhou Zhao looked at him with a hint of disgust, "Your young master Yu is utterly useless. These days, how come the only way for a spy or assassin to die is to poison themselves with poison hidden in their mouth? You could just slit your own throat with a sword!"

"If you shout 'Young Master Yu' as you slit your throat, perhaps in the underworld your deceased former emperor father will still grant you permission to continue kneeling and kowtowing to him."

Enraged, Goatbeck ignored the excruciating pain in his mouth and pulled a dagger from his sleeve, lunging at Zhou Zhao.

As Zhou Zhao watched, he slowly flicked his wrist, and the Green Fish Dagger pierced the neck of the goat-bearded man, causing blood to gush out instantly.

Goatee's body stiffened, and he felt a sharp pain in his wrist. When he came to his senses, the dagger in his hand had already fallen to the ground.

Zhou Zhao picked up the dagger that the goatee had dropped and stabbed it directly into his mouth.

Goatbeck was terrified and closed his eyes in fear, but the death he imagined did not come. The dagger pierced his mouth, but instead pulled out the wax pill containing poison that he was about to bite into.

Zhou Zhao threw the dagger on the ground with disgust, then reached out and pressed the pressure point on Goat Beard's head, and then slammed his knee into Goat Beard's chin, flipping him over onto the roof like a turtle.

The goatee instantly flew into a rage, and he angrily opened his mouth and said, "A scholar can be killed but not humiliated."

“Your Zhou clan were also important officials of the previous dynasty. His Majesty trusted you greatly and entrusted the laws of the country to your clan. Instead of being grateful for His Majesty's kindness, you have pledged allegiance to the new ruler. What right do you have to humiliate Gongzi Yu? You traitor!”

As he spoke, he was surprised to find that Zhou Zhao had reattached his jaw, and he could speak again.

Zhou Zhao looked at him, patted the goatee on his face with the dagger, and suddenly reached out and yanked the goatee out.

"Ah!" A scream rang out.

Zhou Zhao rubbed his ears, took a step back, looked at the beard in his hand, and couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement. "Zhu Li, my law, Zhou Zhao's law, is not His Majesty's law, but the law of all the people under heaven! In a little while, I will send you to my father, and you will repeat these words to him ten thousand times. I've been wanting to scold him lately, but as a daughter, it's not easy for me to speak up. I'll rely on you to scold him for me!"

As Zhou Zhao spoke, he shook his head, his gaze toward the goatee becoming exceptionally sharp.

"You provoked me first. You should remember the Shanming Changyang case. I, Zhou Zhao, will bring you all to justice without exception and make you pay for your crimes in blood."

Goat Beard belatedly realized what was happening and was filled with terror. "What did you call me? How did you know..."

Zhou Zhao had just clearly called him Zhu Li.

"How do I know you are Zhu Li? Because your disguise skills are really bad, just like your martial arts skills."

Zhu Li was speechless.

"It's still early. The hibiscus cakes at Furonglou have just come out of the oven, and the diners have just sat down. How could a diner come out alone at that time? That restaurant sells wine and flowers, and serves snacks."

Those who go there are usually ladies and young women, or at the very least, dissolute playboys like Han Ze, because they want to buy these things to please the girls.

Zhu Li's expression changed.

Zhou Zhao glanced out of the corner of his eye and saw that the Northern Army had arrived after hearing the news and had completely surrounded the alley. He then continued to look at the person in front of him.

“You look like a soldier. You walk with the steps of a military general but have the beard of a scholar. You also walk with large, fast strides, which is definitely not the scholar you want to pretend to be. Moreover, because the time interval was too short, your disguise was not very detailed. Your face is as white as snow, but your hands are not only the dark hands of a military general, but also calluses from martial arts training.”

Han Ze was raised with the utmost care and privilege. He would rub his hands with mutton fat every day, and he liked to use incense. While the fragrance might not be far-reaching, it was definitely pungent to the touch.

Seeing the disbelief on Zhu Li's face, Zhou Zhao continued, "You came from Furong Tower to see Hua Niang, but you didn't even buy a single pastry from Furong Tower. Instead, you went to great lengths to buy a bunch of random things in the West Market."

On the surface, it was a flawless disguise, but in reality, it was full of holes.

As Zhou Zhao spoke, he looked at the person in front of him, "Moreover, ever since I learned about this kind of disguise technique, I have started to memorize the skulls of the people around me. Skin appearance is easy to change, fat and thin are different, but bone structure is impossible. Your disguise technique only changes the skin appearance, but the bone structure remains unchanged."

Zhu Li opened her mouth wide in surprise, "So in your eyes, we're all just skulls?"

He paused for a moment, then said, "From the moment I tipped them off, I knew this day would come sooner or later, but I didn't expect it to come so soon. Zhou Zhao, you don't need to ask me anything. We each serve our own masters, and I will never betray my lord."

As he spoke, he suddenly looked up at Zhou Zhao, "So the murderer in the pigsty case has nothing to do with Young Master Yu at all. You were using me as bait? At three quarters past 9 PM, knowing the location, it was all a setup against me?"

“You said that to me and Han Ze on purpose. You’ve been suspecting us for a long time.”

Zhou Zhao looked at the person in front of him quietly. "That's right. Su Changying came to Chang'an using your identity. It was something you deliberately arranged."

Zhu Li shook her head. "No, it was just a coincidence."