Nine Chapters of Strange Cases

Chapter 198 Backhand Eye Gouge
Su Changying stroked the hilt of the sword at her waist as she walked through the long, deep alley.

A light drizzle began to fall again, and a dark cloud covered the sky, making it seem as if the sky had darkened instantly. There were far fewer pedestrians on the streets.

Raindrops fell on Su Changying's eyelashes, condensing into tiny water droplets.

He didn't raise his eyes or make eye contact with anyone, but with just one glance, some people were terrified because he couldn't suppress his murderous aura, leaving behind the absurd legend of the Rainy Day Killer. It must have been difficult for Lord Zhou of the Court of Judicial Review.

As the sound of the raindrops grew louder, his steps quickened, and he gradually became one with the rain.

A fisherman wearing a straw raincoat and a bamboo hat was passing through the alley carrying a fish basket when he suddenly saw a blur, as if a ghostly figure had passed by. He turned his head sharply, but all he saw was a curtain of rain and an almost invisible phantom.

"A ghost! A ghost... I saw a ghost in broad daylight!"

The fisherman cried out in alarm, his hand slipped, and the fish basket fell to the ground, where several palm-sized crucian carp thrashed about.

"My fish, my fish!"

Su Changying didn't know whether his efforts to avoid it had frightened a passerby. At this moment, he was already standing on the bank of the East River, in the small courtyard opposite the Star-Picking Tower.

The marks he left in the dungeon have been erased, and apart from him and Zhou Zhao, no one else knows that he was ever here.

The training ground was empty, the dungeon door was open, and the rain washed away the bloody past.

"Why are you so late?" Su Changying looked at a pillar in the corridor and said with some dissatisfaction.

"My godfather ordered me to kill Zhou Zhao, which is why I'm a little late," a young man suddenly appeared from behind the pillar. He was wearing night clothes to cover his face, and his clothes were soaked by the rain, so his robes clung to his body, making him look very strange in broad daylight.

As the young man spoke, he raised his hand, which was wrapped in a white cloth.

Because of the violent movements, bright red blood seeped through the white cloth, but the man didn't care at all, as if this was just an ordinary occurrence for him.

"Thousand Faces, you're too ruthless. I almost died by your sword just now."

Su Changying remained unmoved. "Yinhuan, do you think we can fool him if we don't fight to the death?"

Yin Huan curled her lip. "Yin Yan was captured by Zhou Zhao, and I'm his new eyes and ears to keep an eye on you. Do I really want to kill Zhou Zhao? Even if I could beat her, I might not be able to beat you. And given his personality, he definitely wouldn't send just me alone."

“You can’t beat Zhou Zhao,” Su Changying said confidently.

With a silver ring stuck in her throat, she had a thousand curses in her heart, but she didn't know where to begin.

His lips moved, then he fell silent.

He had heard of Thousand Faces long ago. He was the number one master of disguise, the top expert under his adoptive father, and a double agent planted in the imperial spy camp. At that time, he was ordered by his adoptive father to kill someone in Daidi, but he was caught off guard and almost lost his life.

At that time, he was lying on the ground, barely breathing. The sky seemed to have a hole in it, and the rain had turned the ground into a muddy mess, just like the lives of these people, which were utterly rotten.

Although a voice in his head kept telling him that they were all loyal to Prince Yu and obeyed their adoptive father's orders.

But he never understood why he should be loyal to someone weaker than himself; it was like eating chicken ribs—it was utterly uninspiring.

He couldn't understand it, he couldn't swallow his anger, he couldn't close his eyes, and that's when Su Changying appeared.

One man, one sword, and a field of enemy corpses.

As he approached, he tossed a pill into his mouth—a truly bitter pill! More bitter than bile mixed with gentian root. In that instant, Silver Ring defied the voice in his head; he decisively abandoned the chicken rib and chose the chicken leg.

He, Yin Huan, should pledge allegiance to the most capable fighter in the world.

He disliked his father, except for his godfather.

From then on, he became the eyes and ears of a thousand faces placed beside his adoptive father.

"Didn't you tell your men to wipe them out along with Zhou Zhao? Yin Fang has to take care of the little blind man, so he has fewer people to use. He's been calling on me more often lately. We can't contact each other directly like before. Everyone only knows his name but never sees him."

Images from the past flashed through Yin Huan's mind, but she kept talking about things.

No one would have expected that they would meet here.

However, his adoptive father was inherently suspicious and wished he could place an informant in the household of every subordinate he raised. When undertaking a task, he would always send two people at the same time: one to lead the operation openly, and the other to finish off any mishaps that might occur.

In this situation, they cannot both disappear for too long at the same time.

"Regarding the Zhang Ran case you asked me to investigate, as far as I know, it wasn't one of our people who did it. At least, none of the people I know have received this murder warrant."

"Did you make any special discoveries while you were with him?" Su Changying asked again.

Silver Ring shook her head. "No, he's very careful."

Su Changying didn't say much, but silently recalled the faint scent of ink he had smelled on that person. Although it was very faint, he still managed to detect it keenly.

This was the first time he had obtained such a special clue from that person.

why?

Why does he smell of ink today?
“I’ll be keeping an eye on him,” Yin Huan hesitated for a moment, then said, “Killing Zhou Zhao this time is a test for you, and also a test for me. Tell me, if we work together today, can we kill him?”

Su Changying was silent for a moment, then shook her head. "No, his martial arts are superior to Qin Tianying's. Don't act rashly. Find out his identity and find the spies he planted."

Yin Huan nodded heavily. He looked up at the sky; the rain was still falling. "Then, I will have an identity that belongs to me. The name Yin Huan is really awful; it sounds like a poisonous snake hiding in a gutter."

Su Changying gave a soft "hmm," and said, "If you want, you can go home."

Yin Huan's expression shifted slightly. Home?
He waved his hand, "Forget it, I don't like my father. It's not good to kill one father and then find another one for myself."

Su Changying didn't say much. People like them, even if they used to have a home, they don't anymore.

Just like him, the Luhou Mansion is no longer his home.

Fortunately, he had Zhou Zhao.

"Did you arrange Dai Changming's suicide? Where did the money go?"

Yin Huan shook her head. "It wasn't me. I didn't speak to him. After the incident today, I went to see it. Dai Changming's estate is connected to the East River, which reminded me of something. There are so many people in this place who need to eat and drink. In the past, there were pleasure boats that delivered money over every month."

They're all half-ounce coins, five-zhu coins, brand new. Sometimes they're still warm to the touch.

They were all escorted here by Yin Fang. You haven't met Yin Fang; she speaks softly and is skilled with a scalpel. She looks young, and even the little blind boy calls her "sister," but I always felt she was more than she seemed.