Nine Chapters of Strange Cases

Chapter 358 Assassination Probe
Seeing Zhou Zhao's eager expression, Su Changying couldn't help but reach out and gently rub the top of her head.

Zhou Zhao looked around and, seeing no one passing by, slapped Su Changying's hand away. "I'm not a three-year-old child. This is the Court of Justice. Touching my head makes me seem very unreliable!"

Su Changying chuckled and withdrew her hand, which had been slapped red.

"Zhao Zhao is so adorable, I couldn't resist. Is there anyone in this world more reliable than Lord Zhou of the Court of Justice?"

Zhou Zhao's cheeks flushed slightly, and she glared at Su Changying. "Then remember to hold back."

Su Changying laughed again.

Seeing him smile, Zhou Zhao felt a little annoyed and reached out to punch him, but when she looked up, she saw Su Changying's expectant eyes.

She immediately withdrew her hand. She felt that ever since she told the man in front of her that she couldn't live without him, he seemed to have taken a reassuring pill and was no longer the taciturn and insecure Su Changying. Instead, he had become more and more unrestrained...

Now, it seems like her hitting him isn't a punishment, but rather a reward?
She cleared her throat.

"Firstly, we'll investigate their backgrounds to see who can match the young master; secondly, we'll test their martial arts skills so that both sides can act as witnesses and avoid any mistakes."

Witness testimony cannot be completely trusted because people not only lie, but also experience memory biases.

Although she believed Xu Yun was telling the truth, she still needed to carefully verify it.

……

The starry sky is exceptionally bright tonight, and the white Milky Way is clearly visible.

Zhou Zhao lay on the roof, her gaze involuntarily falling on Su Changying's arm beside her. They were very close, their arms almost touching, and she could feel the heat emanating from the person next to her through their night clothes.

Come to think of it, she and Su Changying had done this kind of rooftop climbing activity many times since she was a child.

At first, she was young and her light-body skills were not yet fully developed. She would get caught red-handed once or twice out of ten times while watching the excitement.

The worst time was when he went to spy on Pei Jue, the young master of the Grand Commandant at the time. Back then, there were rumors all over Chang'an that Pei Jue was a wolf demon who would transform under the moon at night and grow two heads.

At that time, the court was in turmoil, and the Grand Commandant was replaced more frequently than her father, Zhou Buhai, changed his socks.

She had absolutely no sense of awe.

It was summer, and she was lying down watching the excitement when she suddenly felt a chill on her leg. A snake, which she didn't know where it came from, had coiled around her leg. Caught off guard, she was startled and jumped down, landing right on Pei Jue's face.

She was so frightened that the snake almost died of fright and bit Pei Jue on the face.

She didn't see the werewolf transformation, but was beaten so badly by Zhou Buhai that she screamed like a banshee!

No, to be precise, Su Changying was beaten, and she was wailing and howling on the side!
Zhou Zhao thought for a moment, then reached out and touched the familiar rooftop, pulling himself out of his thoughts.

This was her second visit to the Marquis of Huaiyang's residence. The last time she came, she scared the sparrow so badly that it lost all its feathers!

Just then, a voice came from below, "Father, I don't want to marry the princess, I want to marry Zhou Zhao."

Zhou Zhao was taken aback and looked at Su Changying beside him. It was Zhao Yizhou's voice.

"You want to marry Zhou Zhao, just like I want to marry His Majesty. It's impossible! Your mother went to the palace to inquire. You think the princess is not beautiful and is stupid, and the princess thinks you are weak and docile... But who cares what you think?"

Zhou Zhao pricked up his ears; it was the Marquis of Huaiyang speaking. Zhao Yizhou remained silent for a long time. The Marquis of Huaiyang sighed softly, "I also want peace and tranquility in my family, unlike your grandparents, who were a miserable couple their whole lives. I don't want my descendants to suffer the hardships my father endured in his youth."

That's why I married your mother, and I always put her first and kept her in my heart. That's how we have such a good life now.

But I have a good life, while you have a bad one!

His Majesty dotes on the princess and wants to choose the best young man in Chang'an for her. If not you, would he choose Han Ze?

As the Marquis of Huaiyang spoke, he sighed again.

"Yi Zhou, you are an ambitious person who wants to do great things. Don't get bogged down in personal feelings."

If Zhou Zhao has feelings for you, and you want to fight for him, your father will absolutely not stop you. But it's just wishful thinking on your part. You can't disobey the imperial decree, and you can't defeat Su Changying.

Yi Zhou, it's too late! Even if you start practicing martial arts seriously now, you still won't be able to catch up...

Zhou Zhao's lips twitched as she listened. She secretly glanced at Su Changying, and her eyes met his gaze.

Su Changying's gaze was deep, her eyes carrying an indescribable meaning.

A series of thumping sounds came from below, clearly indicating that Zhao Yizhou had been angered and left, leaving only the Marquis of Huaiyang in the courtyard.

Su Changying made a gesture to Zhou Zhao, who nodded and peered down.

Marquis Huaiyang shook his head and turned to walk towards the study in the courtyard. It was quiet there, and he did not see any servants. Obviously, that was why the father and son spoke so presumptuously behind closed doors.

As Zhou Zhao was thinking, he saw Su Changying leap lightly, her long sword piercing directly towards the Marquis of Huaiyang's back.

Marquis Huaiyang rolled on the spot and drew his long sword from his waist. He turned around and was immediately faced with a "ghost mask".

His pupils contracted sharply, and he thrust his longsword forward without hesitation. "Who are you, daring not to show your true face, playing tricks here!"

Su Changying ignored him, her sword intent flowing continuously as she relentlessly thrust towards the Marquis of Huaiyang.

Zhou Zhao observed intently from the rooftop, drawing conclusions in his mind.

If a real fight broke out, the Marquis of Huaiyang would be no match for her and Su Changying. However, he clearly possessed a distinct martial arts style, indicating that he was not the weak and scholarly official he appeared to be. It was evident that he had previously sought out someone to learn martial arts seriously and possessed the skills of a child prodigy, making him quite remarkable among the scions of aristocratic families.

Furthermore, his sword was quite extraordinary; it could be described as a weapon capable of cutting through a hair with a single blow.

With the help of this powerful tool, his original skill level of five or six points has increased to seven or eight points.

Just then, Su Changying unleashed a sword strike. The Marquis of Huaiyang dodged the attack with a quick movement, leaving a bloody gash on the edge of his left arm. The Marquis of Huaiyang's expression grew increasingly grave. Suddenly, the longsword in his hand split into two, and he thrust them straight at Su Changying.

Just as the sword was about to pierce Su Changying's chest, a hint of joy flashed in the eyes of the Marquis of Huaiyang. But at the very moment the sword was about to strike, the person in front of him vanished without a trace.

The Marquis of Huaiyang suddenly felt empty space in front of him. Without stopping, he thrust his two swords straight into the wooden pillar in front of the corridor, and the swords went straight in.

Marquis Huaiyang sensed something was wrong and abruptly raised his hand to draw his sword, but the sword failed to come out.

I heard a jumble of footsteps behind me.

The Marquis of Huaiyang turned around abruptly and saw Zhao Yizhou and his guards who had rushed over after hearing the fighting. He looked at the roof with a deep gaze. The moonlight shone down and made the roof look like it was covered with a layer of icing sugar, but it was empty. There was no trace of the assassin.