Nine Chapters of Strange Cases

Chapter 47 Reunion with a Thousand Faces
"Cheng Yuyuan will no longer stop you. You can leave Tianying City on your own now."

Zhou Zhao looked helplessly at Xie Ling, who was following her like a tail.

Good heavens, to her left stood Liu Huang, his face hidden by a straw hat and carrying an autopsy kit, and to her right stood the infamous pretty boy Xie Lao Si, holding a strange red umbrella…

Doesn't she have any shame in publicly acknowledging her new position as the third-in-command and secretly vying for the position of chief of the stronghold?
Seeing these two, who can still say that Zhou Zhao is a normal person?
Xie Ling shook his head. "Once I enter Tianying City, my reputation will be tarnished, and going back would only cause trouble for my family."

"Xie Ling is not very talented, but in the future I would like to learn autopsy and case investigation from Miss Zhou and Brother A Huang."

“You’re new here and have no one to rely on. Although I’m not very capable, I’m absolutely loyal to you, Miss. I see that Brother Huang doesn’t like dealing with people. There are some things he can’t do, but I can do them for you, as long as they’re not illegal things like murder or arson.”

Zhou Zhao's lips twitched. Who said Xie Laosi was honest and kind? Didn't he hit the nail on the head at a glance?

Han Dashan is a fence-sitter; he may be useful, but he's not as reliable as Xie Ling.

“You deny it to the death, but who knew you had joined Tianying? Who knew you were not innocent? Your father is wrong. You are the most suitable person I have ever met to be a local official. You should not waste your life in a place like Tianying City.”

Although Xie Ling is reliable, he has a battlefield that is more suitable for him.

Xie Ling remained silent, only staring at Zhou Zhao, every strand of his hair radiating stubbornness.

Zhou Zhao looked helpless. Xie Laosi had persisted in Cheng Nan's case for so many years; he was clearly a stubborn person who wouldn't listen to advice.

She raised her hand and stood up. "Go find Ah Huang a place where he can perform an autopsy and examine Cheng Dong. I'm going out for a bit."

Xie Ling's face lit up with joy, and he nodded emphatically, "I have somewhere to go!"

After Zhou Zhao finished speaking, he didn't dare to look at Liu Huang's resentful little eyes. He moved his feet and ran out quickly, almost disappearing into the crowd in a few steps.

The area around Xuanwu Gate became increasingly chaotic. Given the major incident at Tiandou Village the previous night, many people from various villages had come to watch the spectacle. Tianying City was full of hot-tempered individuals; if you stepped on my foot, I'd slap you in the face; if you messed up my hair, I'd chop off your hand…

Everywhere you go, there's a lively atmosphere.

Zhou Zhao wandered around for a bit before casually entering the roasted mutton shop. It was still early, not the time for drinking and eating meat, and there wasn't a single customer in the shop.

As the weather gets warmer, the lady of the house wore a white robe with light purple patterns today, looking exceptionally fresh and pretty, like a secluded orchid in a valley.

Hearing Zhou Zhao's footsteps as she entered the shop, the proprietress didn't even lift her eyelids. "You had just entered Tiandou Village when I came yesterday, and today you're the third leader. In ten days, this little temple in Tianying City won't have room for you, young lady."

Zhou Zhao smiled at the landlady, revealing his neat white teeth.

"If this temple can accommodate even a celestial being like you, my sister, how could it not accommodate someone like me?"

The landlady looked up and glared at Zhou Zhao. "You smooth talker! The sheep haven't been slaughtered yet, but we have steamed buns. Just eat a couple of bites with some hot water. We still need to clean this room. Go upstairs to the room from yesterday!"

“There’s a guest having breakfast inside. He can’t finish it all. You can take some from inside as my treat.”

After the landlady finished speaking, she didn't feel at all that she was being impolite or rude to the guests, and continued calculating the bill with a few quick taps.

All the doors to the private rooms on the second floor were closed. Zhou Zhao pushed the door open and went in, following his memory of yesterday.

The small table was already laden with food, not just steamed buns as the landlady had said. There were also two bowls of steaming mutton soup, one topped with vibrant green cilantro and the other sprinkled with chopped scallions. Next to the steamed buns were several small dishes of pickled vegetables.

Zhou Zhao stared at the bowl of mutton soup without any cilantro for a moment, then sat down opposite Qian with a blank expression.

This man had been there for who knows how long. He was sitting half-reclined at the table, holding a wine cup in his hand, which clearly contained wine, not tea.

His hair was casually draped over his shoulders, looking somewhat damp, with a tuft loosely tied back with a ribbon. Even with a casual glance, Zhou Zhao could vaguely see fine droplets of water clinging to his collarbone beneath his clothes. Anyone who saw it would surely exclaim, "He's a feast for the eyes!"

"You're incredibly good at predicting things! You knew exactly where I'd come from, and you even knew I never add cilantro to my mutton soup? You're really something else!"

Qianmian raised an eyebrow, picked up the wine pot on the table, and poured a bowl for Zhou Zhao. "With such a grand spectacle as the Heavenly Battle, of course I had to come and watch. In the past, only others watched me; today, it's finally my turn to watch others. I didn't know which kind you preferred, so I ordered two bowls for you to choose from first, as a courtesy from a senior."

Zhou Zhao stared into Qianmian's eyes, his gaze unwavering and devoid of any particular emotion.

Those eyes were incredibly deep, and you couldn't see the bottom at all.

"I thought I was arrogant enough, but I am far inferior to my senior."

Zhou Zhao unceremoniously picked up the bowl of mutton soup in front of him and took a big gulp. The mutton was sliced ​​thinly and tasted incredibly tender.

"If you slice the radish into thin slices and stew it with mutton, it will be incredibly delicious. I only got into a fight, which is not as interesting as your rumors. I wonder if you came to the outer city to meet Little Bell from the Heavenly Maiden Village, or to see the rumored Little Lover."

A rare look of bewilderment appeared in Qianmian's emotionless eyes. "What? You don't recognize me?"

He picked up his wine cup, clinked it with Zhou Zhao's, and then took a small sip. "Yesterday I thought you were joking when you said you'd destroy the twelve outer strongholds first, but you actually meant it. Zhou Zhao, the mission they gave you, they wouldn't be to destroy Tianying City, would they?"

Zhou Zhao observed Qianmian without making a sound, just as Qianmian was observing her.

It seems that this task is not included in the Thousand Faces task.

It seems that Zhou Zhao's mission really does include such a thing, which is simply a fantasy.

Their eyes met, and their minds were racing.

Qianmian lowered his voice as he spoke, "Have you ever heard of the 'Six Paths Heavenly Book'?"

"Yes, he wants it." The Six Paths Heavenly Book? Zhang Ran didn't tell her anything about the Six Paths Heavenly Book. He only said it was a box engraved with the Six Paths of Reincarnation. Zhou Zhao cursed inwardly for Zhang Ran's treachery in leaving things half-said.

Qianmian gave Zhou Zhao a deep look, then suddenly leaned over and whispered in Zhou Zhao's ear.

Her slightly wavy long hair brushed against Zhou Zhao's cheeks, making her feel a little itchy.

"On July 15th, Qin Tianying will have a guest visiting him. I have learned that the guest is a master of mechanical arts. I guess Qin Tianying wants that person to help him open the box and take out the 'Six Paths Heavenly Book' inside."

Qianmian was extremely close to Zhou Zhao; she could easily remove his mask with a simple gesture.

Zhou Zhao thought this way and did this.

But just as her hand was about a fist's height above the table, Qianmian sat back down, reverting to her previous nonchalant demeanor.

His hair brushed against Zhou Zhao's hand, carrying a cool, wet sensation.

"We don't have much time left. We can act together, what do you think, Zhou Zhao?"

Zhou Zhao snapped out of his daze, picked up the wine bowl on the table, and took a big gulp.

July 15th, isn't that exactly the date of her death?
As she pondered this, she saw the Thousand Faces opposite her gently lift his mask and remove it from his face.

A familiar face appeared before her.