Nine Chapters of Strange Cases

Chapter 225 Chen Jiyuan Disappears

The shopkeeper glanced furtively at Zhou Zhao, then at the broadsword in Liu Huang's hand.

He was filled with remorse.

All the managers of Duobaoge had heard of the Six Masters of Chang'an. The young master had personally given orders that whoever came to Duobaoge, they should be treated as he had been, and should be given the full support they could. This was especially true for Zhou Zhao, otherwise, if anything happened, they would be begging for mercy.

But Micheng is a small place, and these people have never visited it before.

He couldn't help but underestimate him a bit.

To everyone's surprise, the young master's claim of crying and begging for mercy was not because he had offended a distinguished guest and the master would beat him up, making him cry and beg for mercy.

Instead, she could make this ruthless man cry and beg for mercy on her own.

"Master Qi said that this Gu worm was raised by his fellow disciple, Qi Lian. However, Qi Lian died long ago, and they parted ways long ago. We don't know how many direct disciples Qi Lian had. We don't know anything else."

Li Youzhi came to our place twice. The first time was to inquire about the death of the cloth merchant, because he died in front of our shop. We had been questioned by the government before, but the fog was too thick, so we couldn't see clearly. We just saw a cloud of red fog explode.

The second time was before he was murdered. He came to us and asked if there were any brothels or brothels in the city.

Brothels?

Zhou Zhao frowned. "Was He Tingshi by his side at the time?"

The shopkeeper thought for a moment and said, "He was there the first time, but not the second time. Li Youzhi came in and asked a question, and I mentioned a few famous ones. He didn't ask any more questions and hurriedly left. At that time, I hid the red worm in the elegant room, so I don't know if there was any movement."

The shopkeeper looked at Zhou Zhao as he spoke, and added, "Young Master Zhou, I have told you everything I know. Please forgive any offense I may have caused today. If there is anything that requires the assistance of our Treasure Pavilion, I will do my utmost."

Zhou Zhao glanced at him. "What's your informant in the county government called?"

"Call him Wang Duo."

"Do you think the people will believe you just because you say the Evil-Repelling Bead is effective? They don't know anything about insects, and they have no way of proving whether your thing is effective or not. Who endorsed you in the Lost City? Was it the officials of the Lost City? Was it Wang Duo who made the connection? Did you spread the rumor about the Fog Ghost together?"

Outsiders didn't know it wasn't some kind of ghostly fog, but rather a man-made disaster, since Li Youzhi had already died on the spot. How could the authorities not know?
However, they let the rumors about the Fog Ghost spread, and when new disappearances occurred, they didn't report them to the Court of Justice. They also didn't investigate the cases seriously, allowing the Treasure Pavilion to make a fortune from it. It's impossible to say that they didn't benefit from it.

The shopkeeper felt his back suddenly soaked with sweat. He glanced at Tao Tingshi and Chen Jiyuan behind Zhou Zhao, then bit his lip and remained silent.

Zhou Zhao did not press the matter further; the shopkeeper's silence spoke volumes.

She was right.

She glanced at the wooden box in her hand; it was physical evidence.

Why did Li Youzhi suddenly ask about brothels and entertainment venues?

The competition was crucial to his promotion, and there was a time limit. He was also being watched by He Tingshi at all times. He must be crazy to think about going to brothels for pleasure at that crucial moment.

So why did he suddenly inquire about this issue from Duobaoge?

Zhou Zhao put the small wooden box into his sleeve pocket and then left the multi-treasure pavilion.

The fog outside had not yet dissipated. The moment she lifted the heavy curtain of the display cabinet and stepped out, she suddenly felt a weight on her feet. Looking down, she saw a cute big yellow dog blocking her way, one of its front paws on her boot.

Seeing Zhou Zhao looking at it, it opened its big, watery eyes, pretended to be nonchalant, moved its paw away, brushed its tail against Zhou Zhao's robe, and then ran away in a flash. Zhou Zhao looked at the dirty paw print left on his foot and didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Suddenly, Zhou Zhao's expression changed. She felt the red worms in the small wooden box in her sleeve pocket begin to stir restlessly.

"Ah Huang, follow that dog."

As Zhou Zhao spoke, he lightly touched the ground with his feet and plunged into the thick fog, disappearing from sight in an instant.

Liu Huang, not wanting to be left behind, followed closely behind.

Chen Jiyuan and Tao Shangshan looked at each other.

"Lord Tao, shall we two pursue them?" Chen Jiyuan asked timidly.

Tao Shangshan shook his head. "Let's go back to the inn and lie down and wait. Can you catch up with us, or can I? We're not even as good as dogs."

As he spoke, he walked towards the Banyan Tree Inn. He had only taken three steps when he suddenly heard a cry of alarm, "Blood Mist!"

Tao Shangshan's heart skipped a beat, and he turned his head sharply to look over. He saw that the thick fog behind him had turned into a red cloud, and then quickly dissipated.

It was deserted; there wasn't a soul in sight, and Chen Jiyuan was nowhere to be seen!
Tao Shangshan's pupils contracted sharply, and he stretched out his hand, but there was nothing in front of him. He hurriedly searched around and shouted, "Chen Jiyuan, Chen Jiyuan!"

Chen Jiyuan has disappeared.

Like those who had disappeared before, he was swallowed up by the blood mist and vanished without a trace.

Tao Shangshan stood in the thick fog, surrounded by a vast expanse of white. He stood frozen in place, his ears perked up. He wondered if he would be the next person to be enveloped in the red fog. Was this a ploy to lure the tiger away from the mountain, or had Zhou Zhao, who had been chasing after him, also encountered danger?

Zhou Zhao and Liu Huang, who were speeding ahead, were unaware of what was happening behind them.

Although the thick fog obscured their vision, the two were skilled in martial arts and their senses were a hundred times more acute than others, allowing them to follow the dog's footsteps.

"The dog stopped!"

Zhou Zhao said, and she and Liu Huang took a step forward and stopped.

Suddenly, a pack of dogs appeared in the fog-shrouded streets. They were all huddled together, about seven or eight in number, each one yellow and looking exactly alike. The dog that had stepped on her foot earlier blended in, completely obscured by the fog.

As if sensing the murderous aura emanating from Zhou Zhaotong and Liu Huang, the pack of dogs bared their teeth at the two, each looking fierce and menacing.

It seemed as if it would pounce on Zhou Zhao in the blink of an eye and bite off his neck.

Just as the two sides were locked in a stalemate, Zhou Zhao flicked her wrist slightly, and copper coins were already sandwiched between all ten fingers. But before she could make a move, the yellow dogs suddenly scattered and instantly darted into the alley.

Zhou Zhao and Liu Huang rushed forward, secretly thinking that something was wrong.

They were newcomers to the city and unfamiliar with the maze. They hadn't expected there to be so many alleys. The dogs, which looked almost identical, scattered and disappeared into the alleys. Even if she and Liu Huang were separated, it wouldn't be enough to catch them.

"Ah Zhao, should we continue the pursuit?"

Zhou Zhao shook his head and gave Liu Huang a look. "I'm not chasing them anymore. I'm being watched. After that dog got close to me, the Gu worms became noticeably more active. I guess they've marked the person they've chosen."

No wonder the death prophecy said she would die in the Lost City; it truly is a place rife with bloodshed and turmoil.