Nine Chapters of Strange Cases

Chapter 279 I Can't Bear to Hurt You

Thunder roared, as if it would shatter heaven and earth and everything in it.

Large raindrops pounded on the ground, raising a steaming, earthy smell of summer.

Zhou Zhao ran wildly, the wind whistling against her face, her ears filled with the sound of her own heavy breathing and the pounding of her heart like a war drum.

She was still running in the courtyard, but the scene in the library seemed to appear before her eyes.

The aroma of ink and books wafted through the air, and Princess Changyang gently pushed open the door to the library.

She came alone; her carriage and guards were left at the side gate of the back alley.

"Zhang Ran".

Princess Changyang lifted the hem of her skirt and stepped over the threshold. She had just come from the banquet and was still wearing her rather formal attire. She was already very beautiful, and the shimmering brocade draped over her made her look like a fairy descended from the heavens.

She came at Zhang Ran's invitation.

"Zhang Ran?"

The first floor of the library was empty; there was no one there. Changyang could only hear the echo of her voice.

Zhou Yan bent down in the basement and picked up the food box that was spread out on the ground.

The food box wasn't even closed, and it contained various leftover candied fruits and pastries. In the short time the person had been gone, bold ants had already started rushing over, drawn by the smell.

The lacquer work on the lid of the food box was exceptionally beautiful. In the very center of the lid was an auspicious camellia pattern, which was the mark of Princess Changyang's residence.

This is the food that Fan Lishen brought. He and Zhou Zhao are both still very childlike and are at the age where they crave sweets.

"Found it. Zhao Zhao was right. If this food box had stayed here, who knows how many snakes, insects, and rodents it would have attracted to the library..."

As Zhou Yan spoke, he closed the lid of the food box and lifted it up.

He straightened up and looked at Su Changying, who was standing to the side with his arms crossed, waiting for him. He made a shushing gesture and then pointed upwards.

"Zhang Ran?" Princess Changyang's voice came from above.

Suddenly, a noise came from behind her. Princess Changyang turned around sharply and shouted, "Who's there!"

Before she could see clearly, she felt a chill on her neck; a dagger was pressed against her neck.

Zhou Zhao looked at the scene before her, it all seemed so close, yet she couldn't reach it no matter how hard she ran.

"Run!" Zhou Zhao ran frantically, and the scene in front of her disappeared in an instant. She saw the half-open door of the library ahead.

A strong smell of blood wafted over.

Zhou Zhao kicked open the door of the library and rushed inside. When he saw the scene inside, his pupils shrank. Princess Changyang was nailed to the bookshelf, and blood was still flowing from her wounds.

The basement door was opened... and a loud thud came from inside.

Am I still too late?

Without stopping, Zhou Zhao leaped into the underground library, not even having time to climb the stairs.

Hurry up, hurry up!

elder brother!

Save my brother!
Zhou Zhao landed suddenly, twisting her ankle. A sharp pain shot through her, but she didn't have time to pay attention to it.

She looked closely and saw a masked man in black standing behind Zhou Yan. He stood in the shadow of the bookshelf, with only half of a green hairpin visible in his hair.

He held a sword to Zhou Yan's neck.

"elder brother!"

"Zhaozhao! Run!"

Zhou Zhao leaped up suddenly, but the man in the shadows flicked his wrist and slashed at Zhou Yan's neck without hesitation. "Brother!"

As Zhou Zhao approached, the blood gushing from his drawn sword splashed directly onto her face, burning hot as if to scald a hole in her soul.

The food box was overturned on the ground, and the delicious snacks she had just been praising were now scattered everywhere, stained with Zhou Yan's blood.

"Brother! I'm going to kill you!"

Zhou Zhao's eyes were bloodshot. Was it too late?

If only she could be a little faster, then her brother wouldn't have died, she could have held the murderer back and let her brother escape.

It's all her fault for being so carefree and irresponsible, spending all her time causing trouble instead of practicing martial arts properly...

If she practiced martial arts a little harder, could she run faster and save her brother?
"I want you to die!"

As if possessed, Zhou Zhao suddenly gripped the dagger in his hand and stabbed it directly at the person in the darkness.

She wants the man who killed Zhou Yan dead!

She couldn't wait for herself to grow up, couldn't wait for justice to come and catch the murderer so that the law could punish him; she just wanted him to die right now!
Kill for life!
She wants him dead!

Zhou Zhao thought for a moment, then plunged the dagger directly into the man's neck...

The anticipated confrontation did not occur. The Green Fish Dagger pierced the opponent's shoulder without any resistance. Zhou Zhao tried to pull out the dagger, but felt a tightness behind her. The man in black opposite her pulled her into his arms, as if he wanted to merge her into his very bones.

The force of the hug caused the dagger to pierce deeper.

A muffled groan came from the person opposite, and Zhou Zhao froze on the spot.

She struggled to pull out the dagger, when she heard Su Changying's familiar voice from above.

“Zhaozhao, it’s not your fault. Zhou Yan’s death is not your fault. The one who is wrong is me. I shouldn’t have returned to Chang’an before killing my adoptive father, putting you in such a dangerous situation. Zhaozhao, it was never you who killed your brother. Blame me. I didn’t protect him properly at the time.”

Zhou Zhao felt a sudden change in his vision; the library had vanished, and Zhou Yan's body was gone as well.

The person opposite was still wearing a black robe, but he had no mask on his face and no jade hairpin on his head.

The person standing opposite was Su Changying.

Zhou Zhao snapped out of her daze, abruptly shoved Su Changying away, and anxiously looked at his wound, "Are you stupid...?"

Before Zhou Zhao could finish saying the word "foolish," he felt a warm sensation on his lips.

Her mind went blank, and she completely stopped thinking.

Just as she froze on the spot, almost forgetting to breathe, Su Changying released her and reached out to touch the top of her head.

Zhou Zhao looked at the dagger stuck in his body, her voice nasal, "Why didn't you avoid it? I was trapped in an illusion, thinking you were the murderer who killed my brother."

Su Changying lowered her head slightly and looked at Zhou Zhao in front of her. "I know that the more pain you feel, the faster you will wake up."

He couldn't bear to hurt Zhou Zhao.

Although Silver Ring's moves inflict heavy damage on the enemy, they are old-fashioned and bloody, but effective.

As Su Changying spoke, she reached out and wiped away the tears on Zhou Zhao's face.

Zhou Zhao then belatedly realized that her face was covered in tears.

“Zhou Zhao, Zhou Yan’s death is not your fault. He was just like any other victim, who encountered a guilty criminal.”

I was a military general, and Zhou Yan was a civil official. I failed to protect him. If you want to blame yourself, you should blame me first.

Zhou Zhao pursed her lips. She knew this principle all too well, but every time her grandmother scolded her and she saw her father and mother looking dejected, she couldn't help but think to herself again and again that if only she hadn't made them go back to get that food box that day.

There are no "what ifs" in this world...

This incident became a deep-seated hurdle in her heart that she could never overcome.