Nine Chapters of Strange Cases

Chapter 64 First Steps into the Inner Hall
"If I tell you, will you believe me, Zhou Zhao?"

Zhou Zhao remained silent, her head bowed, her eyes falling on Qianmian's sleeves. Beneath this layer of dark brocade, there were red dots just like hers.

If we had only just met, why would things have come to this?

If they were old acquaintances, why would it be limited to just this?
She didn't speak to Qianmian again, and strode towards the passageway leading to Ye Xuan's study. Liu Huang slightly raised his bamboo hat, glanced at Qianmian, and then quickly lowered it again, jogging to catch up with Zhou Zhao.

Qianmian stood still, silently watching the two figures disappear into the distance.

He placed one hand on the other. If Zhou Zhao were here, he would surely notice that the place where his fingers touched was the red dot.

……

When they emerged from the underground chamber, the eastern dawn illuminated the sky, dimming the still-shining Big Dipper.

The koi in the water lily tank were splashing and blowing bubbles, as if they were frightened by the wailing from the front yard.

Zhou Zhao caught a glimpse of the hemp mourning clothes draped to the side, reached out and pulled them on, her eyes reddening the moment she looked up.

She quickened her pace and arrived at the mourning hall.

Ye Bai acted swiftly, and yellow hemp cloth was hung and white banners were raised throughout the entire hall master's mansion.

In the center of the Xuanwu Hall, where meetings were held, stood a large black lacquered coffin. Han Dashan led four shirtless young men dressed in mourning clothes, wailing and lamenting, "May the Hall Master ascend to immortality, bringing blessings to the Yellow Springs, may he enjoy eternal life and boundless good fortune!"

He cried with snot and tears streaming down his face, and danced a bizarre dance while racking his brains to memorize the good words he knew.

Zhou Zhao was even worried that his next line would be "May your happiness be as boundless as the Eastern Sea and your longevity as enduring as the Southern Mountain."

Just as Han Dashan couldn't think of the next word, a beautiful young girl in white jumped out, ringing a bell. Behind her followed a group of stunningly beautiful girls, who jumped up and down while crying. Their mournful and heartbreaking voices made Zhou Zhao's nose tingle.

Indeed, those who can set up honey traps to specifically deceive wealthy young men are all skilled at feigning sincerity.

It would be better if they didn't keep casting flirtatious glances at each other every now and then, otherwise Zhou Zhao would always feel like Ye Xuan was visiting a brothel in a mourning hall.

With Qianmian gone, she was experiencing her father's death for the first time in Tianying City, and she really couldn't figure out if this was a funeral unique to this place.

Zhou Zhao went inside and offered incense at the memorial tablet. Zhang Miaoshou, who was kneeling below, couldn't help but look up at her. She saw the Xuanwu Token hanging at her waist and Ye Bai following respectfully behind her. She couldn't help but feel regretful.

Good heavens! I should have sent more gold yesterday.

After offering incense, Zhou Zhao turned around and looked at Han Dashan, who was panting heavily beside him. "Huang Sanbai was killed last night, and Tianxu is now leaderless. Han Dashan, you have shown great filial piety to the hall master. From today onwards, you are the leader of Tianxu Village."

Han Dashan suddenly looked up and saw a huge pie! It was so big it made his ancestors see stars!

"Sister Zhao!"

Han Dashan was incredibly excited. Sister Zhao's thighs were even thicker than Tianying Mountain's! How did he manage to hug her so tightly?! His future...

Zhou Zhao felt a chill run down her spine from his gaze. Her funeral on the 15th didn't need these rote "filial sons and virtuous grandsons" reciting lines!
Thinking it over, she kept a straight face and didn't give Han Dashan any chance to take advantage of her. She nodded to Ye Bai, led Liu Huang out of the mourning hall, and stopped when they reached the corner. Before three seconds had passed, Xie Ling rushed over.

"Master!" Xie Ling looked up in surprise. "You were waiting for me? I can still follow Master Ah Huang..."

Liu Huang felt a chill run down his spine, took a step away from Xie Laosi, and stood on the other side of Zhou Zhao.

Zhou Zhao's ears twitched slightly. Finding no one eavesdropping, he lowered his voice and said, "I have something here that only you can do. Start investigating from Tiandou Village and try to find out the origins of everyone in the city. If someone has been convicted and fled, what is their crime?"

"If you are wronged here, what is the injustice? Have you done anything wrong in this city? Try to finish before the fifteenth of July, then I will have a great use for you."

Xie Ling is an upright man who upholds the law and reason. There is no need for such a person to be buried forever because of the Cheng Yuyuan case.

On the fifteenth of July, Xie Ling left the city to present the book to Zhao Yizhou, which would surely lead to a bright future for him, making their acquaintance worthwhile.

"Especially those who didn't join the Outer Twelve Villages, could you possibly do that?"

Xie Ling gave Zhou Zhao a deep look and nodded seriously, "I can."

He had lived in Tianying City for many years and had his own methods. He was no good at fighting, but he was good at gathering information.

As Zhou Zhao spoke, she didn't linger too long for Xie Ling. Although it had only recently that they had steamed bones, examined the corpse, and resolved the misunderstanding between Xie Ling and Cheng Yuyuan, her time was simply too tight, too tight to stop, and she had to keep moving forward...

Liu Huang followed silently behind Zhou Zhao, and seeing that she didn't treat him the same way she had treated Xie Ling, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

The two walked towards the inner hall until they reached the foot of Tianying Mountain, where they finally stopped.

"Who goes there? No one is allowed to trespass into the inner city!"

Zhou Zhao took the Xuanwu Hall Master's token from his waist and said to the guard, "Zhou Zhao, the new Master of Xuanwu Hall, has important matters to report to the City Lord in the inner hall."

Seeing that Zhou Zhao looked young, the guard couldn't help but glance at her several times, and examined the token over and over before returning it to her.

"Master Zhou, follow the mountain path upwards to reach the City Lord's Mansion. Do not wander aimlessly along the way, lest you stray into some inappropriate place and cause a misunderstanding."

Zhou Zhao nodded and walked past the sentry post toward the inner city.

The entire inner city is just one mountain, Tianying Mountain.

Standing at the foot of the mountain and looking up, you see a stone staircase that seems to connect with the sky.

Zhou Zhao raised her right hand, extending her thumb and forefinger to measure the distance. She was only this short distance away from destroying Tianying City.

"Ah Huang, let's go up the mountain."

The steps are lined with pines, cypresses, locust trees, and willows. On summer mornings, birds chirp and insects hum, and occasionally a squirrel leaps across the stone steps. If it weren't for the strange stone sculpture with a broken arm and a limp that can be seen from a distance in the grass, Zhou Zhao would almost think she was on a spring outing in the outskirts of Beijing.

After walking a few steps, Zhou Zhao stopped.

She turned her head to look to the right of the stone steps, where she could vaguely see a courtyard with the words "Yao Guang" engraved on the plaque above the door.

Qianmian should have returned here by now, and has become the head of Yaoguang Hall instead of Zhu Li.

Unlike the bustling scene outside the city, the number of people in the inner seven halls was small, and each of them was an elite with outstanding skills. They had been traveling for so long without encountering a single person.

Zhou Zhao thought about it, then turned around and tried to climb up.

The mountain wasn't as high as I'd imagined. Stepping onto the last step, a simple farmhouse came into view. Behind the fence, an old man with a white beard, dressed in a white undergarment, was diligently practicing his boxing techniques.

His punches were slow, like a gentle spring breeze.

However, Zhou Zhao could see the terrifying power contained within it. If a punch were to land on her, it would immediately injure her internal organs, making her incurable by medicine.

Zhou Zhao felt a chill run down his spine. Could this person in front of him be Qin Tianying, the city lord of Tianying City?

She sat silently on a large blue stone to the side, waiting for the old man to finish practicing his boxing.