From a tuberculosis patient to a martial arts master

After Zhu Hong and his entourage left the pleasure boat, they headed back to the government office.

"Zhu Hong, I really don't understand."

Gu Shu followed beside him, holding back all the way, but finally couldn't hold it in any longer: "Just now on the pleasure boat, you were drawing your sword and bluffing, so why are you suddenly saying you've investigated?"

Zhu Hong's lips curled up, revealing a sly smile.

"Brother Gu, haste makes waste." He lowered his voice and said mysteriously, "Some things are better investigated secretly than asked openly. Let's go back and rest first. I'm afraid we'll have to trouble you all to go out with us again tonight."

"Are you going again tonight?"

Gu Shu was taken aback, but seeing Zhu Hong's confident demeanor, she didn't ask any more questions and nodded, "Okay, I'll do as you say, I'll be there whenever you call!"

He spurred his horse and galloped down.

They returned to the yamen shortly afterward.

Zhu Hong thought to himself that he needed to find out what was going to happen that night from Wang Zhenshan first, so that he would have a better understanding of the situation.

Just as we turned the corner of the barbarian gate on the west side of the yamen, we saw several constables in official uniforms pushing a wooden cart, covering their noses, their faces showing disgust as if they had seen flies in a latrine.

"Stop dawdling, the smell is too strong!"

They couldn't stop complaining.

Among the crowd, a tall, burly man stood out—it was Shi Dunzi. Pushing his cart, he continued his tirade, "Those bastards, they're fucking scum!" He spat, expressing his deep dissatisfaction.

"I'll live a few more years."

I've never seen anything so utterly depraved!

Zhu Hong paused, and upon seeing the cart carrying the corpse, a sudden chill ran through him. "Could it be the body of that Young Master Liu?"

I racked my brains and spent a lot of time analyzing it.

Could it be that everything is wrong...?

He was planning to disguise himself and spy on the body that night, but now that's settled. If the body is found, he'll feed it to the dogs.

"Shi Dunzi!"

Zhu Hong called out and quickly went to meet him.

Shi Dunzi stopped pushing his cart, turned around, and his eyes lit up immediately: "Hey, Zhu Hong?" He strode forward, raised his hand, and slapped Zhu Hong on the shoulder, making the man stagger.

"I'm so glad to finally see you."

Where have they been all these days!

"Just got back from the rift valley outside the city, took care of some errands," Zhu Hong replied casually, his eyes glancing at the cart.

"What's on this truck?"

Before Shi Dunzi could reply, Gu Shu followed and met the leader, Xiao Jia.

That Xiao Jia's surname is Yan, and he is a member of Jin Buhuan's group.

Seeing that Gu Shu was standing behind the boy who was talking to the stone pillar, he couldn't help but ask, "Gu Shu, who is this?"

"Zhu Hong, a rising star."

Gu Shuhan smiled and said, "This time, he will lead us in investigating the Liu family case."

Upon hearing this, Yan Cheng's suspicions deepened: "Where did this unknown young man come from? At such a young age, he is already above Gu Shu?" However, it was inconvenient to ask further in public, so he cupped his hands in greeting as a formality.

Zhu Hong returned the greeting, but without bothering with formalities, he brought up the topic back to the cart.

"May I ask...?"

What's on this truck?

"It's that young master Liu, Liu Wenyuan." Yan Cheng couldn't hide his pride as he waved his hand, "Sorry everyone, let Class Four take the credit for this first."

Gu Shu was stunned and quickly asked:

"Where did you find it?"

"We got incredibly lucky," Stone Drum interrupted, his booming voice ringing in everyone's ears. "Today, while we were guarding the North Gate, a merchant cart from outside the city passed by, and the smell was so awful it made you want to vomit." He scratched his head and chuckled.

"So we stopped them to investigate."

Guess what?

The body of Young Master Liu is hidden in the back of the cart!

"Brought in from outside the city?" Gu Shu's eyes widened in disbelief. "How is this possible? We've searched the city from top to bottom and couldn't find it. How did it come from outside the city?"

"Who says it isn't? It's really weird."

Shi Dunzi's eyes widened: "Those people transporting the corpses, seeing they'd been exposed, simply killed themselves." He shook his head, still shaken.

"However, this strange matter is not our responsibility."

"I've finished my work, who cares!"

Seeing that Shi Dunzi had spoken too quickly and blurted everything out, Yan Cheng was on the verge of tears, thinking, "I've already said everything, what am I supposed to say? Who's whose older brother is this?"

But he was too exhausted to say anything more.

Who could blame him? He was the most trusted confidant of Constable Jin, and recently, with the help of the Blood Marrow Strengthening Paste, he had broken through to the Lesser Completion of the Flesh Refining Realm.

Their position is now difficult to shake.

Zhu Hong had no interest in the strange matter. However, upon hearing that the body of Young Master Liu had been found, he couldn't help but sigh, "Well, all that work for nothing."

A bitter feeling welled up in his heart.

Not long ago, he felt like he was Di Renjie, but now he's become a laughing stock.

Congratulations!

Zhu Hong cupped his hands in greeting and said, "I won't keep you any longer." With that, he turned to leave with his men.

But he had only taken two steps.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of a sleeve hanging down beside the cart.

Although the sleeves were covered in dust and filth, they could still be vaguely discerned as being made of moon-white silk satin, with some patterns woven on them, resembling theatrical costumes.

A strange unease crept into Zhu Hong's heart.

"Wait a minute."

He turned and walked closer to Yan Cheng, saying, "Yan Xiaojia, may I take a look?"

"Just look."

Yan Cheng didn't care and waved his hand, "It has to be sent there anyway."

Zhu Hong nodded, slowly reached out, and grasped the white cloth covering the body. But when his fingers touched the rough fabric, he suddenly hesitated to lift it.

I can't explain why, I just don't want to see it.

They paused for a while.

Zhu Hong suddenly pulled back the white cloth and placed two corpses side by side:

A male corpse was found with its face completely disfigured.

The other body was that of a woman, dressed in tattered clothes and covered in wounds.

Seeing this, the constable behind him couldn't help but curse, "This... he's a real beast!"

Zhu Hong seemed not to hear, but stared down at the female corpse, his whole body frozen. Although the woman's face was a bloody mess, unrecognizable, he could still vaguely recognize her from the tattered strips of her palace dress.

Bai Xiuying.

The signboard of the painted boat.

On that brightly lit painted boat, she wore a moon-white gown, her face veiled by flowing sleeves, and sang "The Palace of Eternal Life."

He thought to himself that the girl had a really nice voice.

But at this moment:

His body was covered in whip marks and bruises, still wearing that theatrical robe, torn to shreds. His hands were bent at bizarre angles, all ten fingers severed. Below, a chill ran down one's spine—his genitals…

Zhu Hong's face turned deathly pale instantly, and his body went limp.

Gu Shu quickly helped him up: "Zhu Hong, are you alright?"

Zhu Hong remained silent.

He just stared at that face, as if he were in a daze.

My mind was racing, sometimes filled with the flickering lights of the painted boats, sometimes with the line: "Whose new makeup rivals that of the languid, delicate swallow?"

It was all the scene from that day and night.

And she would never forget that as she turned to leave, leaning against the railing, biting her lip, and calling out:

"grown ups!"

He was immediately stopped by Jiang Jingtang's words and dared not say anything more.

he knows.

She was so afraid, so desperate to beg him, but in the end she only asked one question: "What is your name, sir?"

He was deceiving himself, saying, "For a woman like me, adrift like duckweed, being able to attach herself to a powerful figure might not be a bad way to get back on her feet."

Everything.

Always look towards the light.

……

For some reason, my eyes welled up with tears when I made the decision.

"you……"

Zhu Hong's lips trembled slightly, his voice so low it was almost inaudible: "Why didn't you kneel down and beg me back then?"