Nine Chapters of Strange Cases

Chapter 163 The Murderer is Right Before Our Eyes

Su Youde's face was covered in snot and tears. He almost collapsed and knelt down, crawling towards Zhou Zhao's feet and grabbing her robe.

"Help me, help me, I really don't want to die!"

Zhou Zhao looked at him quietly, unmoved.

Although there's a saying that everyone has to look out for themselves, she was certain that Xie Linniang, who had been chosen by the other nine and driven to a dead end, didn't want to die either.

Even on her way to the underworld, she kept turning back to look at it.

Concerned about the orphans she had sheltered under her wings, she died quietly in a dark and secluded room before she could even say a proper goodbye to them.

"Xie Linniang doesn't want to die either, and she wants someone to save her."

As Zhou Zhao spoke, his gaze suddenly fell on Qian Fang, who was standing to the side. Her eyes were exceptionally clear, as if she had seen through everything.

The moment Qian Fang unexpectedly met that gaze, she quickly looked away and lowered her head to wipe away her tears with a handkerchief.

“Su Youde, instead of begging me, you should beg Qian Fang. After all, she must be very pleased to see you so terrified!” Zhou Zhao said, reaching out to grab Qian Fang’s chin and forcing her to look up and meet his gaze.

Qian Fang looked shocked, her eyes filled with confusion and astonishment. "Young Master Zhou, what are you saying? I don't understand."

As she spoke, she suddenly felt a sharp pain in both cheeks. Zhou Zhao's hands were like iron clamps, pinching her until she was in excruciating pain. "Young Master Zhou, are you saying that I am the murderer's inside man? How is that possible? Why would I do such a thing? I am just an ordinary woman. Where would I have met such a vicious criminal?"

If I were an inside agent, why would I come to the Court of Justice with Su Youde? Wouldn't that be like walking into a trap?

Zhou Zhao's sudden turn of events stunned everyone present.

Min Zangzhi's wolf-hair brush fell to the ground, striking the bamboo slip with a thud.

Su Youde, standing to the side, forgot to howl. He was as if he had been petrified, his mouth agape as if he could swallow Chen Jiyuan whole.

Chen Jiyuan, who rushed to hear the case, was so shocked that his eyes almost popped out of his head. He clung to the door frame and covered his mouth tightly, afraid that he would make a sound.

Recently, in order to make his portrayal of a woman more convincing, he secretly practiced screaming, and the sound was so shrill that he himself dared not listen to it!
"Of course, you're admiring your own masterpiece. In the secret chamber, you see those people struggling in vain like ants, watching them lose their humanity, forced to kill their own kind, turning into demonic beings."

And watching them being mocked, killed, and thrown into the pigsty to be eaten clean, you must feel very smug, right?

So smug you want to come to the Court of Judicial Review to see how the investigating officials are at their wits' end… Your smugness is truly impossible to hide!

As Zhou Zhao spoke, he applied even more force with his hand.

Qian Fang's eyes were brimming with tears, and everyone who saw her would say she was pitiful. "Young Master Zhou, what are you saying? I don't understand. How could I be that kind of person?"

Su Youde, who was standing to the side, came to his senses and nodded repeatedly upon hearing this. "Lord Zhou, is there some mistake? Qian Fang is just as terrified as I am..."

Zhou Zhao clicked his tongue twice. "Haven't you noticed yet? The order in which you said those seven dead people died is exactly the same as the order in which they died."

As Zhou Zhao spoke, his gaze toward Qian Fang became exceptionally sharp. "The order of death of these seven victims was something I pieced together from the statements of the seventeen people from those three families after I had taken their testimonies."

Even those three families themselves might not know the truth. Besides myself and my colleagues at the Court of Judicial Review, the only others who know are the murderer and his accomplice.

When Qian Fang recalled everyone who participated in the locked-room murder scene, why did she recall them all in the exact order of their deaths?
"You witnessed their deaths firsthand, so the memories are vivid. Just now, Su Youde was too terrified to speak clearly, but you recounted their stories as if they were second nature. When you mentioned those people just now, you were essentially recalling how they died, weren't you?"

Qian Fang was stunned. Her tears were still wet in her eyes, but she smiled charmingly.

The person is still the same person, the face is still the same face, yet it seems as if they have completely become a different person.

There was no trace of fear or confusion in those eyes; all that remained was interest and smugness.

As Zhou Zhao watched, he tightened his grip even more, as if he wanted to crush Qian Fang completely.

Qian Fang cried out in pain, but still laughed, "Haha! Little Zhou, you're quite something! It's all my fault for being too excited and letting it slip! A bunch of inhuman murderers, their greatest use in this life is to please me before they die!"

As she spoke, she tried to turn her head to look at Su Youde, who looked as if he had been struck by lightning.

But he found himself restrained by Zhou Zhao and unable to move at all.

Her eyes flickered as she glanced at Su Youde kneeling at her feet, and she laughed with smug confidence. "He who kills will be killed. Let me tell you a secret: if the ten of you don't kill each other, the door to the secret chamber will open at the appointed time, and you will all be able to leave safely!"

As Qian Fang spoke, her expression became frantic with excitement. She suddenly opened her eyes and clicked her tongue twice at Su Youde.

"Who killed you? You yourselves! Humans are truly pathetic, so selfish and self-serving!"

Su Youde clutched his head in disbelief, then charged frantically at Qian Fang, yelling, "Impossible! Impossible! You're lying to me! You're lying to me!"

Qian Fang laughed even louder, "Now that things have come to this, why would I lie to you?"

Su Youde lunged forward and punched Qian Fang in the stomach. Qian Fang cried out in pain, her smile instantly freezing on her face. She looked at Zhou Zhao in disbelief.

"Lord Zhou, how could you allow someone to beat me up in the Court of Justice? Aren't you a good official?"

Zhou Zhao blinked. "Of course I'm a good official, but I'm just always busy."

No, you clearly still have one free hand and two free legs.

Seeing that his first strike had succeeded, Su Youde wanted to strike again, but Zhou Zhao glanced at him, and he forcefully pulled his fist back.

Seeing this, Qian Fang became smug again.

Zhou Zhao loosened his grip, and Qian Fang giggled. Ignoring the finger marks on her face, she said smugly, "What should we do, Lord Zhou? I didn't kill him at all! Qian Liu gave the body to that pig farmer to dispose of. I was just an insider and didn't get involved."

Does the Court of Justice have any grounds to arrest me? Oh, right, when they killed Xie Linniang, I was too scared to step forward and didn't participate!

As she spoke, she arrogantly moved closer to Zhou Zhao's face, "Young Master Zhou, what crime is committed by the Great Qi Law for failing to rescue someone in distress?"

As she spoke, she pulled her hand back and continued to giggle. She reached up and touched the corner of her mouth. "Lord Zhou, it's no use you finding me. I'm a good person. If you're so capable, go ahead and catch the murderer!"

Zhou Zhao looked at Qian Fang coldly, as if she were looking at a clown.

"Stop clucking, or someone who doesn't know better will think a hen has laid an egg."