Nine Chapters of Strange Cases

Chapter 159 Your Godfather is Incredibly Ugly

She felt as if her heart had been ripped open and thrown into the street, leaving all her hidden and dark thoughts exposed.

Yin Yan then said with certainty, "You are a monster."

Zhou Zhao ignored her, her eyes flickered, and she continued to ask Yin Yan, "What kind of child did your illicit elder have..."

Yin Yan's heart clenched, but she didn't get to hear Zhou Zhao's second half of the sentence. She was stunned for a moment, then suddenly chuckled, "No, you're not a monster. You can't guess anymore, can you?"

Her tone was even more certain than when she had previously called Zhou Zhao a monster.

Zhou Zhao raised an eyebrow. "So you've never seen your godfather's true face. Looks like he's a coward hiding behind a mask. Have you ever thought about what if he had toad eyes, a bulbous nose, and sausage lips, and the wrinkles on his face could trap flies when he looked up..."

Yin Yan's face grew increasingly grim with each word Zhou Zhao uttered.

“What if your godfather is Xue Taipu? After all, you’ve never met him.”

Yin Yan felt as if she had been struck by lightning in the dark and gloomy dungeon.

Xue Taipu was known to everyone in Chang'an, after all, he was the ugliest person in the entire court.

How to put it? If you look at his facial features separately, each one is ugly. But if you put all the features together on his face, it's even uglier.

The legendary face flashed into Yin Yan's mind, and she shook her head wildly in terror!
"You're talking nonsense! Zhou Zhao, go to hell! You, you, you... Your godfather is definitely not Xue Taipu, he clearly..."

Yin Yan swallowed back the words that were on the tip of her tongue.

"That was close, I almost fell for your trick again. I won't say another word from now on, or you'll make me suffer a terrible death! What can you do to me if I don't speak?"

Zhou Zhao tapped the forbidden area with his finger thoughtfully, "Hmm, it seems your godfather is quite handsome even with his face covered."

As she spoke, she winked at Yin Yan, "Look at you, why are you so hesitant? You've already told me everything you know... Oh, right, after you said you wouldn't say another word, or you'd die a horrible death, you said nine words... How could you curse yourself so cruelly? Even if you're a nine-lives cat demon, you'd still die a horrible death!"

As Zhou Zhao finished speaking, a rather insincere expression of sympathy appeared on his face.

"Ah! Zhou Zhao! Go to hell!"

Silver Goose gripped the bars of the prison door and screamed hysterically!
Zhou Zhao ignored her and looked in the direction they came from, where he heard familiar footsteps.

A straw hat floated over eerily, as if it were floating in the air.

"Ah Huang, you've come at the right time. Zhu Li is in your hands now. His disguise skills are lacking; I saw through him at a glance. Come and see if there's any way to remove the disguise. Look, there's a difference in color between his face and neck. Can we follow the dividing line and peel off the fake face?"

Or perhaps we could use strong liquor, or some herbs that can cause skin ulceration, to see if we can break down the fake face so we can peel it off... If all else fails, I'll resort to torture.”

Liu Huang's eyes grew brighter and brighter, while Zhu Li's panic intensified.

“But I’ve only ever skinned corpses…and I’ve only ever prepared medicine on dead people…Although I would never kill a living person, but…” Liu Huang said, hesitating.

Zhou Zhao reached out and patted his shoulder, "Ah Huang, be bold! Didn't you do an excellent job saving the drowning person at the Star-Picking Tower? He even praised you! Practice makes perfect. If this disguise technique can be broken... tomorrow at the morning court, please ask His Majesty to have the officials wash their faces with the medicinal water..."

"Wouldn't all the demons and monsters reveal themselves on the spot then?!" Liu Huang imagined such a lively scene, and instantly felt full of energy!
He stared intently at Zhu Li lying on the ground, squatted down in front of him, and decisively reached out to grab Zhu Li's face.

Zhu Li screamed, but found that the pain he had imagined did not come. Liu Huang lifted him up as easily as if he were a vegetable basket.

“I’ve already dissected the pig, and I didn’t find anything special in its stomach and intestines, only some broken bones that couldn’t be pieced back together. Also, I examined the hand bones carefully; the deceased’s index finger was originally missing a section.”

I found a relatively large piece of bone inside the pig's abdomen, which should be the deceased's leg bone. There were obvious signs of a fracture healing on it. He must have had it set by a skilled bone setter; judging from the healing, it must have been about three years ago.

Zhou Zhao nodded to Liu Huang, letting him take Zhu Li away.

She turned her head and took one last look at Yin Yan, who was somewhat dazed in the prison cell. "If you recall any details about your godfather, you can ask the jailer to call me. You are a human being, not a Gu worm. No one should be treated like a pig or sheep, locked in a cage, forced to fight with others to survive."

Your adoptive father did not treat you as human beings, nor did he ever trust you. Just like the dynasty he wanted to restore, he was cruel and tyrannical.

Judging by your age, you've certainly experienced oppressive rule. How many souls perished on the Grand Canal? How many cries echoed in the brothels and taverns? How many innocent people did your adoptive father kill? You know all too well! You've witnessed the fate of Tianying City.”

Seeing that Yin Yan remained unmoved, Zhou Zhao's eyes flickered, and he continued, "Don't you want to know who your godfather is before you die? What does he look like? Don't you want to know what he likes, what he has been through, and what he thinks about every day? Don't you want him to remember your name for all eternity?"

Yin Yan looked up at Zhou Zhao with a complicated expression.

Her lips parted, but she didn't say anything.

“Find him, and you will know everything.”

Yin Yan hurriedly lowered her head, not daring to meet Zhou Zhao's gaze. She knew she was being seduced, but she was still shamefully tempted.

Her adoptive father could absolutely not be Xue Taipu!
Her beloved could never be that ugly old man, Xue Taipu!

As Zhou Zhao spoke, she flicked her sleeves, put her hands behind her back, and walked out. It wasn't that she didn't want to continue questioning Yin Yan and Zhu Li; she had already figured it out. The person behind the scenes was extremely cautious and had never shown himself in public. Neither the owner of the roast lamb shop nor Zhu Li, who had studied disguise and was practically the second Su Changying in the Northern Army, had ever seen his true face.

They called that man their godfather and respected him immensely.

Getting them to confess wasn't easy, so she tried a different approach.

Now she knows that the murderer in the Shanming Changyang case is very likely her adoptive father. Judging from his figure, he must be quite handsome, and he usually wears a mask to hide his true identity.

She was a very patient hunter. She deliberately exaggerated her ability to detect disguises in front of Zhu Li, using herself as bait. Those people's prized skills absolutely couldn't be countered by someone like her; someone had already tried to kill her during the Star-Picking Tower collapse case.

This time, wouldn't that person be even more eager to come knocking?

The bait has been laid, and she's just waiting for the fish to bite.

Zhou Zhao pondered this as he walked out of the Tingwei Temple gate and headed towards the left courtyard. Li Youdao was fast asleep there, looking as stiff as if he were dead. Chen Jiyuan, tears welling in his eyes, huddled in a corner, still threading a needle to sew insoles…

Xu Jin sat beside him with his legs crossed, staring at him like a wealthy landlord, occasionally popping a grape into his mouth.

What a pathetic sight! Chen Jiyuan!
Zhou Zhao thought to himself, then called out, "Chen Jiyuan!"