Nine Chapters of Strange Cases

Chapter 72 Husband and Wife Killing Each Other
Qin Tianying suspected her of having an affair with Su Changying.

Zhou Zhao thought about it and nodded without hesitation.

“That’s right. The pink sleeping potion is the secret recipe of Yingge, the second leader of the Xuanwu Hall’s Heavenly Maiden Village. Yingge was captured by Zhao Yizhou before, and judging from today’s situation, she has probably already betrayed us.”

As she spoke, she looked behind Qin Tianying. At that moment, the remaining leaders of the Seven Inner Halls also rushed over upon hearing the news.

Qin Tianying stroked his beard with a smile, then looked at Zhou Zhao with kind eyes, and then at Yan Junyu.

"Yao Guang's martial arts are outstanding, so it's not surprising that he was able to escape alive. However, it's true that you can't judge a book by its cover, and heroes often emerge from among the young."

As he spoke, he raised his hand and gently patted Su Changying's shoulder. "Yaoguang, everyone says you are the number one expert in the inner hall. In my opinion, Hall Master Zhou may not be inferior to you. There's no better time than now. Why don't you two have a match right here? Swords have no eyes, but stop when blood is drawn. What do you say?"

As Zhou Zhao listened, he pulled out his Green Fish Dagger from his sleeve.

Su Changying, on the other side, also raised the sword in her hand.

Zhou Zhao glanced at Qin Tianying out of the corner of his eye and saw that Qin Tianying still had a smile on his face, but he was as cold as a clay figure.

His skin smiled, but his eyes were like those of a venomous snake.

Zhou Zhao understood his plan almost instantly. He suspected that she and Su Changying had poisoned the weapons to impersonate Qi Ming and kill Tianxuan.

If that's the case, then there must still be some residue on their weapons that can't be completely removed.

The poison was extremely potent, causing immediate death upon contact with blood. If she and Su Changying pretended to fight but dared not harm each other, it meant they were accomplices; if they actually fought, even a scratch would result in instant death. To ensure they could not escape, Qin Tianying specifically emphasized stopping the poison upon contact with blood.

He was truly suspicious by nature and had a plan that never failed him.

As Zhou Zhao thought about it, her eyes changed, and she moved so fast that she was almost left as a blur. With lightning speed, she grabbed the dagger and stabbed it towards Su Changying's neck. Her first move was to kill her husband, showing no mercy whatsoever.

Su Changying, on the other side, showed no weakness. With a cold face and slightly pursed lips, he wielded his long sword like a silver snake in the darkness, swiftly thrusting three times towards Zhou Zhao's heart.

The expressions of the several hall masters who were watching all changed.

Originally, it was thought that the Master of Yaoguang Hall was already a madman with a bloodthirsty mind, but now another person who is no less than him has come to Tianying City.

Indeed, almost everyone in this city is evil, but many people are forced to commit murder.

Even the most wicked would tremble at the sight of two people who, without any prior grudge, come up and take lives.

Just as their hearts trembled, Su Changying and Zhou Zhao simultaneously dodged the vital attacks.

The dagger and the longsword clashed twelve times in mid-air before separating, sparks flying.

Both men were dressed in black robes, and those with poor martial arts skills could only distinguish them by the mourning cloth tied around Zhou Zhao's hair. In their exchange, neither man used a single defensive move; instead, every strike was aimed at the other's vital points.

Just then, the two of them suddenly stopped.

Only then did everyone see clearly that Su Changying's longsword was pressed against Zhou Zhao's neck, slashing her throat and drawing blood that dripped onto his sword. A slight movement to the side, and Zhou Zhao's head would be severed.

Zhou Zhao's dagger was plunged directly into the center of Su Changying's forehead, pressed against the mask.

"Zhou Zhao, you've lost!" Tian Shu said with a contemptuous smile, his gaze involuntarily falling on Zhou Zhao's chest again.

As soon as she finished speaking, a cracking sound rang out, and the mask that Yao Guangtang Master had never taken off cracked and fell directly to the ground.

A scarlet dot appeared between his eyebrows, and blood flowed down, leaving two streaks on his face.

If that dagger had moved even a fraction further forward, Master Yaoguang would have had his forehead pierced and his brains splattered. All around was silent, save for the sound of the night wind.

Looking at the familiar yet unfamiliar face in front of her, Zhou Zhao felt a surge of emotions. She was certain that this was Su Changying's face.

Before his disappearance, Su Changying was a spirited young Marquis of Lu, with his eyes always upturned and full of passion and fearlessness, like molten lava. But the person in front of him now had a cold and stern face, without any expression. His eyes showed no joy or sorrow, like a dormant volcano or an endless abyss.

But no matter how it changes, it's still Su Changying.

Zhou Zhao thought to himself, taking deep breaths to make sure he didn't give himself away.

She pulled the dagger out of Su Changying's brow, and almost simultaneously Su Changying sheathed his sword. The two said at the same time, "Thank you for your kind offer."

Standing in the shadows, Qin Tianying suddenly burst into laughter, "Truly, every generation produces its own talented individuals. What merit do I, Qin Tianying, possess to have so many fierce generals under my command?"

"Tianxuan is dead, and Qiming has betrayed us. The Tianji Hall cannot be left vacant. In my opinion, only Zhou Zhao can fill this position and satisfy everyone. What do you all think?"

Zhou Zhao's face lit up with joy, and he bowed to Qin Tianying, saying, "Thank you, City Lord."

Her lips curled up slightly. Very good, she passed!

So what if Qin Tianying's plans were flawless? When it comes to crimes, no one is more thorough than her, a seasoned criminal with experience in countless cases.

Good people are hard to fathom.

But the bad guys were all within her predictions.

Su Changying's longsword was not poisoned, so he stabbed Tianxuan from behind to kill him. The poison on her Green Fish Dagger was applied to the side of the blade, not the tip. The poison was extracted by Liu Huang from Cheng Dong's corpse and was extremely potent.

Qin Tianying was naturally suspicious. To verify whether they were traitors, it was simple to check if their weapons were poisoned.

Su Changying's face was covered by a mask. She controlled her strength and only stabbed the tip of the dagger in. She bled but was not seriously injured.

Moreover, to ensure absolute safety and to guard against the people of Tianji Hall, she and Su Changying had taken the antidote prepared by Liu Huang in advance.

Sure enough, I passed.

Thinking it over, Zhou Zhao took out a handkerchief from his sleeve and haphazardly wrapped it around his bleeding neck.

She's really having a run of bad luck this year. Her neck has been injured countless times in such a short period of time. Could it be that her cause of death on July 15th is a broken neck or a slit throat? It's just so unlucky, making her seem incredibly useless.

Once the crowd recovered from their shock, they joined in the agreement.

Only Tian Shu kept staring at Su Changying's face, his eyes not even blinking.

As Zhou Zhao watched, she couldn't help but follow Su Changying's gaze to look at her profile. Goodness, the phrase "good waist and beautiful face" from Yan Junyu immediately popped into her mind! She didn't know if her waist was good or not, but her beauty was definitely real.

"Lord, if I defeat one of the seven inner hall masters, can I take her position? If so, I would like to fight against Hall Master Yuheng."

Zhou Zhao was taken aback and turned to look at Yan Junyu. His long sword was already drawn and pointed directly at Yuheng's location. Yuheng's face was ashen, and he looked completely different from the relaxed state he had been at the mountaintop that morning.

Her lips trembled slightly as she drew her longsword from her waist. "How did you end up here?"

Yan Junyu grinned, showing off his little tiger teeth. His big eyes blinked. "Of course I came to see you! Auntie is still as easy to find as she was when she was little!"

(End of this chapter)