Nine Chapters of Strange Cases

Chapter 86 See you again in the outer hall
The two walked along the waterway for an unknown period of time, until the water level rose again and there was no road ahead.

Without hesitation, Zhou Zhao and Su Changying took a deep breath and entered the water. They swam forward with the current and gradually rose to the surface. This time, it didn't take long before their heads surfaced, and the surroundings suddenly opened up.

The moonlight from the sky spilled onto the river, sparkling like a dazzling Milky Way.

Occasionally, you can hear a few frog croaks.

Zhou Zhao took a deep breath, leaped into the air, and landed on the shore. She turned around, and Xuanwu Gate was right in front of her.

She wiped her face, shaking off the water droplets clinging to her eyelashes. The night breeze brought a chill to her body.

Su Changying moved her hand, then awkwardly put it behind her back. "Come with me."

Seeing that he wasn't going to Xuanwu Gate but instead heading towards the nearby grove, Zhou Zhao was a little puzzled. However, she didn't pry into it. Instead, she said, "How's your finger? You need to get the wood shavings out as soon as possible. Where did you send Ah Huang?"

As Zhou Zhao spoke, before Su Changying could answer, he answered himself, "At the roasted mutton shop owner's wife?"

Su Changying wasn't surprised that Zhou Zhao had guessed correctly. He nodded and said, "I'm fine. It's just a splinter. I'm not afraid of pain. Ah Huang is indeed there."

As he spoke, he lightly touched the ground and flew into the canopy of one of the large trees, retrieved a package from inside, and handed it to Zhou Zhao.

"You have suffered internal injuries and cannot afford to catch a cold. Here are some robes; go and change first."

Zhou Zhao didn't refuse; she wasn't made of iron, and she would feel pain if she got injured.

I remember one year on the Lantern Festival, she sprained her ankle and made a fuss, asking Su Changying to carry her out to watch people perform iron flower stunts. When she returned home that night, her brother Zhou Yan was already waiting with medicated oil. Her second sister Zhou Wan rolled her eyes at her and mocked her. Her eldest sister rolled up her sleeves and started rubbing her ankle, making her scream "Living Yama!"
After Su Changying and Zhou Yan left, she never cried out in pain again.

Zhou Zhao thought for a moment, then found a tall rock in the forest, took the bundle, squatted down, and opened it.

Inside was a set of ordinary black robes, along with a small white medicine bottle and a small silver ingot. This was most likely what Su Changying used to easily change his identity. Even if he possessed the art of disguise to change his face, he didn't know any magical arts, let alone the ability to alter his clothes.

Zhou Zhao quickly applied the medicine, changed her clothes, and casually twisted her wet hair, tying it behind her head.

Su Changying stood with his back to her, looking up at something. While she was changing her clothes, he also changed out of his red robe and into the same black clothes as Zhou Zhao.

“You still have shackles on your feet and you are injured. I will carry you into the city.”

Hearing Zhou Zhao's footsteps, Su Changying turned around. He looked at Zhou Zhao's pale face and couldn't help but make a suggestion.

Zhou Zhao shook his head. "I can manage on my own. Let's not delay and go find Ah Huang right away."

Su Changying did not force him. He nodded and started walking at the same time as Zhou Zhao. The two of them were like two eagles in the night, and in an instant they flew over the high walls of Tianying City and sneaked into the city.

……

The two floors above ground of the roasted mutton shop were pitch black, but the secret room underground was full of people.

Li He, the leader of the Vermilion Bird Hall, glared angrily at Zhou Zhao, his face flushed. "Zhou Zhao, your identity has been exposed. You are actually a spy sent by the imperial court to Tianying City. What do you mean by tying us up in sacks?"

"You really have a lot of nerve. Aren't you afraid we'll tell the city lord and have you all wiped out?"

He had temporarily submitted to Zhou Zhao's tyranny earlier because, firstly, Cheng Yuyuan and Yan Junyu were on Zhou Zhao's side, and secondly, he and Zhan Guang were seriously injured by the Gu worms.

Things are different now. His injuries have almost completely healed, while Zhou Zhao has become Qin Tianying's target. Seeing no one respond, Zhuque Hall angrily swept his gaze across Cheng Yuyuan and Yan Junyu's faces, finally settling on Baihu Hall Master Zhan Guang. "Zhan Guang, you agree, right?"

The White Tiger Hall Master remained silent, watching Zhou Zhao as if waiting for her to speak.

Zhou Zhao observed their behavior and smiled contemptuously, "Li He, you've actually managed to survive until now."

"I don't need to repeat how you got here, do I? What gives you the audacity to shout like this?"

Li He was speechless, his face turning from red to blue and then purple. "You! I can't beat you! But..."

Zhou Zhao shook his head. "Those who can't win have no right to say 'but.' Moreover, I called you here not to force you to submit to the imperial court and oppose Qin Tianying, but to save your lives."

As Zhou Zhao spoke, he looked at the White Tiger Hall Master and said, "Zhan Guang, you should have guessed it by now. Tianji took the Six Paths Heavenly Book and wants to use us as sacrifices to seek immortality."

"So, now that Qin Tianying has obtained the Six Heavenly Books, who will he use as a sacrifice to seek immortality? The entire Tianying City is the altar, and tomorrow will be the death date that Qin Tianying has chosen for you."

As Zhou Zhao spoke, he pointed to the iron shackles still on his legs, then rolled up his sleeves, revealing the scars on his wrists.

Zhan Guang and Li He both changed their expressions upon seeing this.

They all knew how skilled Zhou Zhao was in martial arts, yet even someone as skilled as Zhou Zhao had once been captured and handcuffed.

"Within the inner city of Tianying City, there are seven mechanical pillars, exactly the same as those in the Xu residence. Once the mechanisms are activated, Tianying City will collapse and everyone will surely die. Each hall master in the inner hall is a sacrifice prepared by Qin Tianying."

Zhou Zhao's words were so shocking that those who were unaware of the situation were all filled with disbelief.

Zhou Zhao's gaze fell on Yan Junyu with the little tiger teeth. She pointed to the iron shackles on his feet and said, "Try to cut them and see if you can get them off."

Yan Junyu pursed his lips into a thin line, revealing only the tip of his canine tooth. He didn't speak, but drew his long sword and slashed at the black iron shackles on Zhou Zhao's feet. The shackles didn't budge, leaving not even a mark.

He opened his eyes wide in surprise, "Sister Zhao, are we some kind of born sacrificial bodies? How come Xu Qifang chose us, and now Qin Tianying has chosen us too?"

As he spoke, he stuck out his tongue helplessly and clicked his tongue twice. "He probably tied you up in a cave in Tianying Mountain. My aunt goes there to patrol almost every night. You cut off one of Tian Shu's arms, and she's still unconscious. She probably won't be able to be sacrificed."

"Although Qin Tianying hasn't said anything yet, since you've escaped and he can't find you, there's a high chance he'll choose me."

As Yan Junyu spoke, he patted his chest fearfully, "I'll do whatever you say. Not only will I listen to you, but Yuheng will listen to you too."

Yan Junyu didn't explain in detail, but smiled, revealing his cute little tiger teeth.

As he spoke, he turned around and looked at Zhan Guang and Li He, "I advise you all to listen to Zhou Zhao, otherwise you won't even know how you died."

The surroundings were completely silent. Li He looked at Zhan Guang but received no response, and his heart began to race.

Qin Tianying killed more than forty members of his family. Tian Shu gave birth to his son, but he still had to be sacrificed. He was capable of such a thing.

"But if we don't become sacrifices and are captured by the court, we'll die anyway, so why waste our energy?"

Li He pondered this and asked the question that was on the minds of everyone in Tianying City.

They are criminals to begin with, and if they are caught, they will most likely be sentenced to beheading. So why bother?
If you run away, you'll be caught by the authorities; if you don't run away, you'll be sacrificed in blood. Either way, you're doomed.