Nine Chapters of Strange Cases

Chapter 386 The Pursuit Was Prepared in Advance
As soon as she got closer, she smelled a strong stench of blood.

A bloody hole appeared in Commander Huo's chest, and blood kept flowing down.

Zhou Zhao subconsciously glanced at Su Changying, his chest feeling fine...

Her gaze shifted downwards, and she noticed that Su Changying also had a wound on her abdomen, her robes soaked with blood, the color of which had darkened.

"Zhaozhao, I'm fine, don't worry."

As Su Changying spoke, the attacks with her long sword became increasingly fierce.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhao's heart was not at ease. She lightly touched the ground with her foot, used the strength of a nearby tree, flipped in the air, and landed directly behind Commander Huo.

"I underestimated your abilities; so many of you couldn't stop a single civil official from the Court of Justice."

Zhou Zhao thrust the dagger toward Grand Commandant Huo, but the man before him was like a slippery eel, easily dodging the attack.

He is strong!
Zhou Zhao was alarmed. Although she knew that Grand Commandant Huo held great military power and was a meritorious official who had fought alongside His Majesty to conquer the country, it would not be an exaggeration to call him unparalleled in wisdom and courage.

But she hadn't expected that his martial arts skills were also this strong.

It can be said that Commander Huo was one of the three most skilled martial artists they encountered, the other two being Li Huaishan and Qin Tianying.

Zhou Zhao thought about it and felt a pang of sadness.

No wonder she was destined to die young. The three strongest old monsters in the world were all her enemies. If she didn't die, who would?

"Zhou Zhao, how did you determine that it was me and not the Marquis of Huaiyang?"
He clearly also has the Golden Lion Seal, and his childhood experiences are almost identical to mine. Not to mention, I also arranged for Jiang Yan to be involved…”

Jiang Yan's identity was not faked; she was indeed a dancer kept in the mansion of the Marquis of Huaiyang's wife's nephew, and later became his concubine.

Commander Huo dodged Zhou Zhao's new attack and couldn't help but ask a question.

Now that things have come to this, how could he not know that his chances of survival are slim?
But he couldn't understand how Zhou Zhao, without any concrete evidence, could choose between him and the Marquis of Huaiyang and conclude that he was the murderer.

"Because he is the Minister of Justice, if he wants to slow me down, he doesn't need to drag Fan Lishen into it at all. He only needs to assign me another mission like the one in Tianying City, and I will have to stay away from Chang'an for several months."

As an official of the Court of Judicial Review, she never considered resorting to violence unless absolutely necessary.

She was diligently searching for evidence, hoping that the Shanming Changyang case could be brought to light and that the murderer would die under the executioner's blade.

Until she has identified the person and found evidence, as an official of the Court of Judicial Review, she will not refuse any case that needs her help.

Because she always remembered her original aspiration.

Zhou Yan is not the only victim in this world; she went to the Court of Justice for the sake of "heavenly justice".

"No one knows better than the Marquis of Huaiyang that this case won't hold me back for long, at most a day. In such a short time, what kind of upheaval could he, a civil official without military power, possibly cause? He doesn't have the ability to rebel in such a short period of time."

His Majesty is not afraid of the person who killed Zhou Yan; he is afraid of the person who can easily discover the secret of the succession.

A traitor hiding right beside him, whom he was unaware of.

If she were the emperor, having such a venomous snake lurking by her side would keep her up at night.

Even though the imperial edict was written by His Majesty himself, he disliked the Crown Prince, was wary of the Empress's excessive power, and worried that the Great Qi Dynasty would one day change its name and become the Empress's family's domain.

But this high position can only be given by him, not taken away.

Even if the person he wants to give it to is the same person he robbed, that won't work.

Therefore, the only way for the mastermind behind Zhou Yan's murder to break the deadlock is through treason.

“Even if you arranged for 90% of the truth and 10% falsehood in the Fan Lishen case, a falsehood is still a falsehood, and it will be exposed as soon as it is spoken.”

As Zhou Zhao spoke, he exchanged a glance with Su Changying, and three coffin nails flew straight toward Grand Commandant Huo's left shoulder. Seeing the coffin nails coming, he instinctively dodged to the right, and Su Changying's longsword, which had been waiting for the opportunity, pierced through Grand Commandant Huo's arm.

His usually calm face finally changed color.

He realized that Zhou Zhao and Su Changying worked together brilliantly, and the two of them were far more powerful together than fighting alone.

Su Changying possessed profound internal strength and unparalleled swordsmanship.

Zhou Zhao, on the other hand, was clever and resourceful. She killed people as if she were solving a case. She had already planned three stabs before stabbing someone, and even calculated the opponent's dodging movements.

Commander Huo felt that in Zhou Zhao's eyes, they were no different from corpses.

She was familiar with every fatal wound, knew how to kill with a single blow, and how to inflict maximum damage with minimal effort.

Commander Huo glanced towards the West Palace, where a vast array of Southern Army soldiers, layer upon layer, stood waiting to support the emperor.

With a flick of his finger, two pink pills shot out and exploded on the ground.

Pink sleeping pills flew everywhere, obstructing the view.

Zhou Zhao and the other two had all witnessed the power of this thing in Tianying City, so they quickly covered their mouths and noses and held their breath.

By the time the pink sleeping potion landed, Grand Commandant Huo and the white-haired, golden-haired old woman had already vanished without a trace.

Zhou Zhao curled the corners of his mouth. This is the same old trick again!
As she thought about it, she looked down at the ground. Both Commander Huo and the old Jin man were injured, and blood dripped onto the ground, leaving traces. Moreover, the pink sleeping potion not only landed on their clothes, but also on their shoes and bodies.

More importantly, she was prepared.

"This way!"

It's not just Commander Huo who resorts to underhanded tactics!
As Zhou Zhao spoke, following the guidance of the red Gu worm, he leaped lightly and chased after it in one direction.

When she was poking around like that, was she gossiping with Grand Commandant Huo?
They lost track of her that night, and she still regrets it to this day. How could she possibly make the same mistake a second time?

When chasing someone, how can you do without the little Gu worms in the blood mist of the Lost City!

Zhou Zhao and his two companions sped along the road, and sure enough, they soon spotted the backs of Grand Commandant Huo and his companion.

Sensing footsteps behind him, the white-haired golden man turned around and threw three coin darts, then increased his speed.

"They want to leave the palace."

Zhou Zhao said in a deep voice, "The rebels have now been wiped out."

If the Northern and Southern armies were to free up their hands, even a single spit from each of them could drown Grand Commandant Huo and that old Jurchen woman.

Zhou Zhao grew increasingly alarmed as he chased after him; Huo Taiwei's lightness skill was truly exceptional.

In terms of movement alone, neither Qin Tianying nor Li Huaishan can compare to him.

Thinking it over, she took a deep breath, quickened her pace, and then flicked her wrist, sending the two people and three coffin nails in front of her flying back.

The white-haired golden man came to an abrupt halt on the rooftop, holding his cane horizontally. "You go first, I'll cover your retreat."

As she spoke, a fierce glint appeared on her face as she blocked Zhou Zhao and the other two.

“Ah Zhao, go after him with your long spear; I'll stay here.”

As Ah Huang spoke, he went straight to meet the white-haired golden man.

Zhou Zhao and Su Changying exchanged a glance, and without hesitation, they chased after Commandant Huo.

(End of this chapter)