Nine Chapters of Strange Cases

Chapter 74 The Divine Thief Tianquan
“Let’s go ask Changying who killed Brother Yan back then.”

As Liu Huang spoke, he clenched his fist, his bones cracking. His cheeks flushed red, and he was just waiting for Su Changying to say a name so he could rush out and tear the person who killed Zhou Yan to pieces.

Zhou Zhao sighed softly, "He has lost his memory and remembers nothing."

“I suspect that the murderer who kidnapped him used some special means, such as the magical technique of disguise, to artificially erase Su Changying’s memory.”

Although she didn't know what kind of method it was, the world is full of wonders. She had seen the death forecast that Su Changying burned from the future, so who could say that there wasn't such a strange method?
The flush on Liu Huang's face faded, his eyes were red, and he murmured, "It's good that he's alive, it's good that he's found."

As he spoke, he squatted down against the wall, clutching his clothes tightly, and fell silent.

Zhou Zhao didn't say anything more, silently squatted down next to Liu Huang, and began to carefully clean the dagger.

Although she and Su Changying had just escaped a calamity, who knew if Qin Tianying might return to test her again? Besides, the poison on that dagger was far too potent; what if she were to have the worst luck on the fifteenth of July and accidentally cut herself? Wouldn't that be an incredibly unjust death?

The room was very quiet, except for the occasional sound of a lamp flame crackling.

Zhou Zhao felt it was almost done, so he stuck the bluefish dagger into the water lily tank next to him. The little koi carp inside saw the novel object, swam over curiously, smacked their lips, circled the dagger once, and then hopped away.

Zhou Zhao nodded in satisfaction, then looked up at the window where the first rays of morning sunlight streamed in.

She walked to the window, letting the breeze caress her face, then turned to look at Liu Huang, "Ah Huang, let's go, we're taking Elder Ye's fake coffin up the mountain."

Ye Xuan's body had long been hidden in the underground cave, placed together with his brothers. The body in the coffin that was currently in the open was a corpse that Ye Bai had obtained from somewhere.

The Xuanwu Gate was shrouded in white at dawn. Han Dashan and Zhang Ling'er led the way, wailing as they went. Zhou Zhao, dressed in mourning clothes, rode a tall horse with a blank expression. Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced around and caught sight of Su Changying standing in the crowd.

Because his true appearance has already been revealed, he is not wearing a mask today, and the scabbed area between his eyebrows has already scabbed over.

Perhaps it was his striking good looks that drew many glances at him, or perhaps it was his coldness that kept everyone watching from afar without approaching.

Zhou Zhao glanced at him indifferently before looking away, and for some reason she had a feeling that the tables had turned.

Su Changying was at the funeral earlier, and she was standing in the crowd.

Su Changying is now standing in the crowd; she is attending a funeral.

Han Dashan's cries were as deafening as ever. Zhou Zhao's thoughts were already soaring. She was about to become the head of Tianji Hall. Did she have to hold another funeral for that old man Qi who had turned into blood mist? Tianying City was really her nemesis. She was getting used to funerals.

I wonder if Zhou Buhai is trembling with fear and scolding her right now: My son is so filial! He even uses other people as practice subjects for the funeral!
They left the city, buried the person, and when they returned, everyone tacitly removed their mourning clothes. Han Dashan, who had cried as loudly as before, was now laughing as loudly as he had. His mouth stretched to his ears as he stood in front of the roasted lamb shop, cupping his hands in greeting to everyone.

"Brothers! Today is a great day for Hall Master Zhou to be promoted to Inner Hall Master, Chief Cheng to Hall Master, and for me, Old Han, to be promoted to Chief..."

Zhou Zhao, leading Liu Huang, watched from around the corner, shaking his head with amusement.

She led Liu Huang around as if on a leisurely stroll, and after confirming that no one was following them, they went to the house where Su Changying had met her before.

Three familiar faces were already seated at the table in the room. Su Changying sat in the main seat, with the old man Tianquan and Xu Yuan, the acting head of Tianxuan Hall, on either side.

Zhou Zhao nodded to the three of them and sat down.

Tian Quan remained indifferent, while Xu Yuan, having risked his life together with Zhou Zhao in the previous night, smiled familiarly at him.

"Everything is as you predicted, Yao Guang. Last night, your mission failed. After returning to the city, Qin Tianying found me and asked me to steal the tortoise shell."

After Zhou Zhao and Liu Huang entered the room and sat down, Old Man Tianquan lowered his voice and spoke first, "You told me before that there might be something special inside Tianying Mountain. I secretly investigated and it is true. The four people that Qin Tianying trusted before, Tian Shu, Tian Xuan, Tian Ji and Yu Heng, would go in pairs and patrol underground every night."

"Now that Tianxuan and Tianji are both dead, given Qin Tianying's suspicious nature, I'm afraid he won't completely trust Tianshu and Yuheng."

"I suspect that retrieving the tortoise shell was a test he gave me. If I successfully completed the task, I would be assigned to the night patrol team."

As Tianquan spoke, he looked at Zhou Zhao with suspicion, "Is there really such a tortoise shell? I used to be a master thief. Not to mention that I have all the treasures in the world in my mind, I know all the most precious treasures like the back of my hand. I've been to Yuyang, and I've never heard of any treasures there."

Zhou Zhao glanced at Su Changying, who nodded slightly.

"No wonder you've been in Tianying City for so long and still haven't gained his trust... The tortoise shell exists, but Tianji has kept it hidden away."

As Zhou Zhao spoke, she placed the tortoise shell she had taken from the center of the seventh stone pillar on the table. Because it had been soaked in blood, the tortoise shell looked deep red, carrying an ominous and eerie feeling.

Zhou Zhao pushed the tortoise shell in front of Tian Quan, saying, "Your mission is complete."

As she spoke, her eyes flickered, and she added, "Including you, there are only three of us. Tonight you will be on a mission, and Tian Shu and Yu Heng will definitely be on duty. You will definitely be on duty tomorrow. If possible, try to be on duty with Yu Heng. I guess she is too busy to care about anything underground right now."

Su Changying's eyes flickered. "You think Yan Junyu didn't come to join Yuheng? I was just about to say that Yan Junyu was also present when you killed Tianji. He is an uncertain variable."

If Yan Junyu and Yuheng are related and report this matter to Qin Tianying, then Zhou Zhao would be blatantly lying.

Zhou Zhao shook his head. "No."

“At that time, I looked at Yuheng carefully. She was obviously guilty and afraid, and she had murderous intent towards Yan Junyu. Although Yan Junyu was young, he was very good at pretending to be weak. At that time, he was hanging in mid-air with a rope around his neck, and he held on for a long time without dying.”

"After I rescued him, his voice didn't even become hoarse, and he became the leader of the Azure Dragon Hall that very night. He came to Tianying City specifically to kill Yuheng."

"If it were just about finding relatives, it would be simple to announce one's family and shout from the boundary between the inner and outer city using internal energy. Yuheng would naturally come out to greet him, but he didn't do that. Although I don't know why he changed his mind at the last minute, he and Yuheng are not of the same mind."

As Zhou Zhao spoke, he looked at Su Changying and said, "I know about the case of the Yan family in Nanyang. The Yan family's daughter killed the head of the Yan family at the time and stole the Yan family's treasure, the Tianyan Sword. Originally, if the people didn't report it, the officials wouldn't investigate, and martial arts families didn't deal with the imperial court."

“But Yuheng not only killed her grandfather, but also her fiancé. Her fiancé was from Chang’an and held an official position.”

This is why Yuheng knew that the youngest daughter of the Zhou family, the Minister of Justice, was named Zhou Zhao.

Because she had been to Chang'an.