Nine Chapters of Strange Cases

Chapter 66 You are Zhou Zhao
"Let Tianxuan and Yaoguang go, with Zhou Zhao leading the way. They will meet outside Xuanwu Gate at 3:45 PM tonight."

Qin Tianying shook his head, rejecting the old man's suggestion. He looked kindly at Zhou Zhao and said, "Young people are strong and healthy, so let them be night owls. We old folks live longer by working at sunrise and resting at sunset."

As he spoke, he waved his hand dismissively, leaving no room for argument.

"Tianxuan, stay behind. The rest of you, go down the mountain first."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhao imitated Qianmian beside him, stood up, cupped his hands in greeting, and pretended to be a mere pretender.

Just as she was about to turn and leave, she suddenly heard a sweet voice behind her, "I've heard that the youngest daughter of the Zhou family, the Minister of Justice in Chang'an, is named Zhou Zhao. I wonder if Master Zhou is from Chang'an? And which Zhao is she?"

Zhou Zhao's heart tightened. She looked in the direction of the sound and immediately met a pair of bright, fox-like eyes.

It was the Jade Balance Hall Master who had been muttering to herself earlier. When Zhou Zhao looked at her, she winked at him teasingly.

"Zhao is from Wuling and has never been to Chang'an in his life. There have been no male heirs in the family for many years. My elder sister is named Zhou Pan, and I was named Zhou Zhao... Zhao Cai Jin Bao, Zhao Ding Tou Ren. If my father has no sons, I will also have to find a son-in-law. The head of Yuheng Hall suddenly mentioned the Court of Justice, and the sound of a mouse hearing a cat meow startled me..."

Upon hearing this, Yuheng chuckled.

"What crime have you committed at such a young age? Who have you killed?"

She's familiar with this problem!

Zhou Zhao answered with ease, "The husband my father found for me is really not good-looking."

Yuheng laughed again, "You and I are quite compatible. The husband my father found for me was also quite ugly. It's really great that you are the head of Xuanwu Hall. In the past, Ye Xuan would choose ugly people who resembled him for the monthly offerings on the first day of each month."

"Now that you're here, I'm completely at ease. I like women with beautiful figures and good figures, like Yao Guang..."

As soon as she finished speaking, a leaf flew towards her cheek. Yuheng chuckled, moved swiftly, and bit the leaf. She blinked and said, "I will cherish this gift from Hall Master Yaoguang."

As she spoke, she turned around and stuck out her tongue at Qin Tianying, "Lord, please don't be angry, we'll leave now!"

Qin Tianying waved his hand, his face still smiling, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.

The group left the farmhouse courtyard and did not cause any further trouble.

Yuheng continued to whisper with Kaiyang, ignoring Zhou Zhao completely, as if their earlier probing and congeniality were nothing but an illusion.

They continued down the mountain path until they reached the foot of the mountain, where only Qianmian, Liu Huang, and Zhou Zhao remained.

Zhou Zhao did not stop or greet Qianmian separately. She took Liu Huang directly back to Ye Xuan's Xuanwu Hall, let Liu Huang choose a room to rest in, and then went to the study and went straight into the underground cave.

Zhou Zhao took out the map that Qianmian had given her when she first arrived in Tianying City, found the direction of Yaoguang Hall, and followed a tunnel in that direction.

Tianying City wasn't large; after walking for a short while, the road ended.

Zhou Zhao placed her hand on the stone wall in front of her and felt a gentle breeze blowing from the edge. She put her ear close to the wall and could faintly hear voices coming from the other side.

As she suspected, there were underground altars not only in the outer city but also in the inner city. The mountain of Tianying Mountain was most likely hollow, but the two were separated. If she rashly opened the mechanism, she would be caught red-handed.

Zhou Zhao thought for a moment, then his eyes flickered. He took a nearby passageway, walked to the end, and saw a staircase leading upwards.

She cautiously approached, trying not to make a sound, and neared the entrance to the tunnel, still heard no noise. Zhou Zhao thought for a moment, then gently touched a barely noticeable protrusion on the wall, and the secret chamber suddenly opened. Gripping her Green Fish Dagger, Zhou Zhao leaped up, and the tunnel door closed again.

This was actually an ordinary residential house.

Zhou Zhao seemed to be deep in thought. Instead of rushing up, she picked up a charred wooden stick and quickly began to add details to the map. After finishing, she marked this place with several of Ye Xuan's hall master residences.

After finishing the drawing, she tucked the map into her bosom, listened carefully to the sounds outside, and then cautiously opened the door and went out.

There was no one in the courtyard. The fallen leaves from several autumns had not been swept away and were piled up in a thick layer, carrying a rotten smell. Standing in the courtyard, one could see Tianying City right next to them by looking up.

Zhou Zhao's eyes flickered, and he vanished from his spot in a flash. When he reappeared, he was already at the corner of Yaoguang Hall.

She wasn't in a hurry. She looked around and listened to the wall, but didn't hear any suspicious sounds. When Qianmian entered Yaoguang Hall earlier, she had noticed that although the place was called Yaoguang Hall, it wasn't all in one place.

There is a separate courtyard on the left, while on the right there are rows and rows of houses.

It's almost identical to the layout of their Tiandou Village.

After entering, turn left directly, which is where you enter.

Zhou Zhao thought for a moment, her eyes flickered, and she lightly leaped in. Just as her feet were about to land, her pupils suddenly contracted. She saw a masked person leaning against the wall, as if they had been waiting for her for a long time.

Zhou Zhao panicked, her breathing became erratic, and she thought to herself, "This is bad! Am I going to fall to the ground and ruin my lifelong reputation?"

But then the masked, thousand-faced man moved his arm and pulled her down into his arms.

Zhou Zhao was momentarily at a loss. She grabbed his sleeve, and when she turned around, she immediately broke free and jumped to the ground.

"How did you know I was coming?"

“You came to the inner hall once, and since then you’ve come here as if it were your own home, coming and going whenever you want. If you don’t cause some trouble, you’re not Zhou Zhao. Oh, you’re Zhao as in Zhaodi. Yuheng is Qin Tianying’s confidante. She was testing you on Qin Tianying’s behalf just now.”

When he first met Yuheng, she also tested him.

Zhou Zhao waved her hand in front of her nose. Even though Qianmian wasn't wearing any perfume, she inexplicably felt as if a fragrance had just entered her nose.

"You dare to come in broad daylight? That's a bit too bold," Qianmian said in a low voice, his empty hands behind his back.

Zhou Zhao was an untrained person, and such a person would be too unexpected to act as a spy. Ever since she came to Tianying City, his heart has never been at ease.

Zhou Zhao scoffed, "Don't tell me you've already massacred Yaoguang and this place is still a united front. Then you've been wasting your time in Tianying all this time."

As she spoke, she looked around and saw the pear tree in the courtyard. Her body stiffened, and the sarcastic words she had prepared earlier seemed to get stuck in her throat like a chicken bone, and she couldn't say them no matter what.

Zhou Zhao walked over somewhat blankly. She stood under the pear tree and reached out to touch the scratches on the tree. These scratches didn't look very old; they must have been carved not long ago. However, judging from their height, they were almost exactly the same height as the scratches on the tree in the Court of Justice.

The bottom line is from when she was nine years old.

After the war ended and Chang'an was rebuilt from the ashes, Zhou Buhai led them to plant trees in the Court of Justice. She planted a pear tree on the road leading to the mortuary. She leaned against the tree, and Su Changying, holding a long sword, carved the first mark according to her height.