Nine Chapters of Strange Cases

Chapter 238 Return Trip from the Island
"There is something I should tell you: Master Qi of Tianji Hall in Tianying City died at my hands. After his death, I took over the position of Hall Master."

Gongsun Yi's breathing became heavier as he looked at the boy named Ahuang, who was wearing a bamboo hat, standing not far away.

The flagstone in front of him had been overturned, revealing a huge mud pit.

The beetles under the bluestone slab seemed to have had their quilt abruptly ripped off, crawling around restlessly like aconite flies. They stepped over the corpses of the Gu worms scattered on the ground, their bodies covered with the yellow powder sprinkled by the boy named Ah Huang.

He finally understood why Ah Huang could so easily break his Gu worm.

He and Master Qi of Tianji Hall are of the same lineage, sharing the same origin. Zhou Zhao killed Master Qi and took the position of Master of Tianji Hall, so the secrets of their lineage must already be in the hands of this young man named Ahuang.

So even if he didn't say anything, the boy named Ah Huang could still concoct the medicine and find those people one by one in Chang'an City.

He has entered a dead end.

He's going to die, how can those people live on?

Gongsun Yi pursed his lips, a decision forming in his eyes. "It was Fang Qi, the parent of Micheng, who found me and asked me to do these things."

Fangqi?

Zhou Zhao instantly recalled what the manager of Duobao Pavilion had said: Duobao Pavilion sold the Evil-Repelling Pearls through the connections of the yamen runner Wang Duo, with the local officials of the Lost City endorsing them.

She had long harbored suspicions about the local officials of the Lost City.

After all, they turned such a huge serial disappearance case into a "fog ghost" scam to make money.

Such a large island in the middle of the lake, even if powerful outsiders can't find it, how could these local bullies not know about it?
Why would Fang Qi, a mere local official, want to control the powerful and influential people in the capital?

Clearly, he was just like Gongsun Yi before him, merely a figurehead wielding a knife.

"Fang Qi found me and gave me a large sum of money. My only responsibility was to lead people hunting and then use witchcraft on every guest who came to the island."

The guests were all arranged by Fang Qi, and so far, he hasn't asked me to activate the Gu worms. Beyond that, I know nothing more.

As Gongsun Yi spoke, he glanced at Su Changying with lingering fear, "However, just a few days ago, I suddenly received orders from Fang Qi to rob a batch of tribute goods..."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhao looked at Su Changying.

This must be the reason why Su Changying infiltrated the island.

Han Ze had told her before that Su Changying had led the Northern Army to the Lost City in order to investigate the stolen tribute.

They suspected there were rebels near the Lost City.

Rebels!

As Zhou Zhao pondered this, her spirits lifted, and she exchanged a glance with Su Changying, both of them looking solemn.

Su Changying gave Zhou Zhao a reassuring look and immediately walked towards the Northern Army soldiers.

Zhou Zhao didn't look at him, but continued to ask, "Who were you poisoned with the Gu? Is there a list?"

Seeing that Gongsun Yi remained silent, Zhou Zhao twitched her toes, and the dead red Gu worms on the ground were crushed into a pool of blood by her foot.

"Yes! The tallest building near the dungeon is where I live. In the lattice of the bed on the second floor, there is a silk scroll with a list of people who have been infected by the Gu worms, which I secretly wrote down. It also lists who else participated in the hunt."

Fang Qi is ruthless and vicious; the common people can't fight against the officials. I was worried that if I knew too much, they would silence me later, so I left behind this evidence to save my life.

Zhou Zhao remembered the portrait Wei Ruo had given her; who would complain about having too much evidence?
As she was thinking, she saw Liu Huang leap off to retrieve the evidence. "Did Fang Qi mention why he wanted to rob the tribute? This isn't the first time the tribute has passed through the Lost City. What's so special about this batch? Where did you send it after you robbed it?"

Gongsun Yi shook his head upon hearing Zhou Zhao's question. "I don't know. Fang Qi arranged it this way, so I did it. After the tribute was stolen, it was first transported to the island. Then, that very night, Fang Qi arranged for a ship to come and move the goods away. As for where they were moved to, I don't know."

"So much treasure, you didn't take it? You didn't open it and look inside?"

Gongsun Yi shook his head. "Fang Qi repeatedly instructed that it must not be opened. Because it is a tribute item, the box is sealed, so I didn't touch it."

Zhou Zhao narrowed his eyes at Gongsun Yi, "You came from the palace?"

Gongsun Yi was a eunuch.

Where did these eunuchs come from outside the palace gates?

Gongsun Yi's face turned ashen with rage. "Zhou Zhao, why didn't you have someone stab you to death! I castrated myself; I didn't want to be a man!"

Zhou Zhao was genuinely surprised this time...

The Northern Army was large and moved quickly. In no time, Su Changying had finished making arrangements and the soldiers began to board the ship one after another.

Zhou Zhao looked at Su Changying standing at the bow of the boat, lightly touched the ground with her feet, floated over, and landed on his left. Liu Huang silently landed beside Zhou Zhao and handed her the roll of names he had received.

Su Changying smelled the fragrance around her, then turned to look at Zhou Zhao beside her. The wind on the lake was strong, making her hair ribbon fly up.

Because of his injuries, Zhou Zhao's face was extremely pale, and his lips were completely bloodless.

Su Changying gently draped a red cloak over Zhou Zhao's shoulders. "Zhao Zhao, watch me and A Huang from now on. Go to the cabin. There's bound to be a fierce battle soon. We're not the only ones who will see the smoke signals on the island. Fang Qi will most likely resort to desperate measures."

If we leave the Lost City alive and return to Chang'an, it will inevitably unleash a reign of terror.

The Northern army came here to quell the rebellion.

The fog of the city hides more than just a decadent island; it harbors a far greater ambition!

Zhou Zhao did not object and walked towards the cabin.

The moment I entered the cabin, my limbs felt warm. I didn't know where Su Changying had gotten the boat from, but there was a small couch inside. Beside the couch was a small charcoal brazier with a roaring fire inside. A familiar figure was kneeling there, carefully poking at the embers in the brazier.

"Wei Ruo?"

Wei Ruo turned to look at Zhou Zhao, "Yes, Marquis Lu arranged for me to change your dressing. Thank you, Zhou Zhao."

Zhou Zhao's expression softened instantly. She sat down on the small couch beside her. "I should be thanking you. Your evidence was very useful. If you have any plans for the future, or if you need any help, you can let me know."

She admired Wei Ruo.

Many girls like scumbags, and many people have their innocence ruined and are driven to despair, but very few are like Wei Ruo who insists on turning a dead end into a way out.

Wei Ruo smiled and said, "I won't refuse. I really need your help."

She hesitated for a moment, then said, "Could we tell the outside world that Wei Ruo is dead? In my current state, I can't go back to the Wei family. You should understand, to them, it would be better for Wei Ruo to be dead than alive."

I want to change my name, register as a female resident, and live a good life from now on.

Zhou Zhao looked into Wei Ruo's eyes and softly said, "Okay."

Wei Ruo felt much more relaxed. She poured hot water into a copper basin and picked up gauze and wound medicine. "Let me apply the medicine for you."