That wretched vixen has disguised herself as my wife!

Chen Sha nodded.

In fact, for a nobody like Shunju, informants rarely report anything in detail to him.

At most, a few words would be tucked into the lengthy letter.

"Shun Chong, a member of a collateral branch of the Shun family, took over a shop three days ago, which was looted and vandalized at night."

"Shun Chong, a member of a collateral branch of the Shun family, went from pawnshop to pawnshop but failed to raise the money."

"The wife of Shun Chong, a member of a collateral branch of the Shun family, has been ill for a long time and her condition has worsened."

"Shun Chong sent more than ten letters to the Shun family, but received no reply."

"..."

As Chen Sha recalled this point, he felt as if a precipice had appeared in his memory.

Since then, the name Shunju seems to have never appeared in any of the informants' reports.

"Could it be that he took his wife and daughter and ran away to seek medical treatment elsewhere?"

Xie Yunqi bit his lip, still clinging to a last glimmer of hope.

Lu Zhao clenched his fist and slammed it hard on the ground:

"His wife is already terminally ill; how could she withstand the arduous journey! The Shun family has discarded her like a used tool, abandoning her to her death—they are truly wicked!"

"Is there any news about him since then?"

Jiang Jingming turned his head to look outside the building. The gradually gathering dark clouds obscured the moon, and a chilly feeling pervaded the night air.

"No."

Chen Sha also put down his wine glass, his tone indifferent, revealing no emotion.

"..."

A faint gust of wind passed between the fingers of the group holding their wine glasses.

After a long pause, Wen Fuxiao finally spoke slowly:

“You are all still young and cannot bear to hear such stories, but I have heard far too many. The Shun family has always treated those they have abandoned in this way.”

"Master Wen, do you know what happened to them in the end?"

Xie Yunqi got up anxiously, grabbed his sleeve and asked urgently.

Even with a bad feeling, she still hoped that the story would take a turn for the better in the end.

Looking into her eyes, Wen Fuxiao felt a pang of pity and sighed deeply.

"According to the records in the city, Shunzhong, his wife and daughters all perished in a fire at night."

"..."

Although he had already guessed this ending, Jiang Jingming still felt a jolt in his heart when it was actually said.

This world is truly a bitter cup of wine, and everyone is struggling in it.

"Jingming, you said, it would be great if ghosts really existed in the world."

Xie Yunqi sat down again, and from Jiang Jingming's perspective, he could see her lowered eyelashes glistening with moisture.

The young lady has always been timid and afraid of ghosts. When they first met, she was so frightened by the rumors of man-eating ghosts on the street that she dared not sleep.

But she now genuinely believes that if ghosts and karma truly exist, perhaps there wouldn't be so many heartbreaking stories in the world.

No.

Jiang Jingming turned to the side, bent his fingers, and wiped away her tears.

"Look, there are no ghosts in the world. Didn't the Shun family end up like this?"

Only after he said that did Xie Yunqi realize that the Shun family had been wiped out, and the saying that evil deeds would be punished was being proven true for the first time.

"That's right! Then why are we still looking for the murderer? We shouldn't call her a witch! She killed so many evil people, she should be a chivalrous heroine!"

"No matter the reason, murder and the extermination of an entire family are heinous crimes. Others may cheer with satisfaction, but it is not acceptable to us. Young Miss, you have been running wild outside for so long, have you already forgotten the rules of the Divine Capital Guard?"

Chen Sha's expression turned serious, and he shook his head to stop her.

"I can't forget, I can't forget! The mirror hangs in the sky, and I burn myself."

Xie Yunqi rolled his eyes, clearly annoyed.

"I copied this thing a thousand times, if not a thousand, when I was a kid! Isn't it tedious!"

"Alright, alright, she's just a little girl. Do you think she'll listen to all this high-sounding advice?"

Seeing that the two were about to start arguing again, Wen Fuxiao stepped in to smooth things over.

"You, Vice Envoy Chen, weren't you once young and impetuous? What's the point of getting angry with a child?"

"..."

These words successfully silenced Chen Sha, who simply drank his wine in silence.

Jiang Jingming chuckled to himself as he looked at Xie Yunqi's sullen expression, and after a while, he steered the conversation back to the main topic.

"Although Shunshige is not involved in the massacre, according to you two, there are many other cases like Shunshige's. So, is it possible that someone among them possesses the ability to wipe out the Shun family?"

"To be honest, it's not entirely impossible, but the probability is not high."

Chen Sha shook his head, realizing he had been a bit careless with Wenxinzui wine, and the more he drank, the slower his reactions became.

"Since they are members of the Shun family, the skills they can practice must be from the same school. If we use their methods against them, it's hard to imagine anyone being able to kill a grandmaster like the Shun family's patriarch."

"I'd like to confirm with Vice Envoy Chen again. Did all the Shun family members die in the same way? Were they all cut by sharp weapons?"

Jiang Jingming recalled this point and asked the question again.

"Yes. Everything recorded in the files is true. Chief Secretary Wen must have told you about it a long time ago."

At this point, Chen Sha couldn't help but let out a sarcastic snort.

"A death consistent with murder committed using puppetry techniques?"

"conform to."

Chen Sha nodded, then added:

"However, the puppets also use ordinary swords, so we can't tell anything from how they died."

"If someone skillfully uses Gu poison to manipulate certain experts at the ancestral worship banquet beforehand, and then suddenly attacks to kill them, could they achieve the annihilation of an entire family?"

Jiang Jingming stroked his chin and laid out his speculations.

"Gu techniques are far too mysterious to us in Zhongzhou. I don't know much about them, but if such Gu really exists, then perhaps it is indeed possible to achieve this."

Chen Sha's lack of surprise at the matter of the Gu worms indicates that he had known about it for some time.

"There may be no Gu that can manipulate people's minds at all times, but there are many Gu that can arouse murderous intent and cause people to lose their minds."

Fang Zhiyi's voice rang out, and Jiang Jingming turned around to find that she had gotten up and was standing by the railing at some point.

She held a glass of wine in her hand, her white dress fluttering, exuding a sense of composure as if she were there to admire the moon tonight.

How do you know so much?

Chen Sha narrowed his eyes, his expression wary.

Fang Zhiyi smiled gently, not looking at him, but raising an eyebrow slightly at Jiang Jingming.

Jiang Jingming coughed lightly, then explained on her behalf:

“Vice Envoy Chen, you may not know this, but the method used by Tingpu Manor to cultivate Gu worms comes from the Ghost Doctor.”

"Of course I know."

Chen Sha frowned, feeling that he was questioning his intelligence work:

"I also know that the cooperation between Ghost Doctor and Tingpu Manor is not limited to this. They have reached another deal. However, Ghost Doctor suddenly disappeared two years ago, and the Shun family even sent many people to inquire about his whereabouts."

"Any other deals?"

Jiang Jingming and Fang Zhiyi exchanged a glance. She simply smiled and shrugged, indicating that she didn't know either.

"I don't know."

Chen Sha shook his head. This transaction seemed to be even more secretive than the Gu technique. Both the Ghost Doctor and the Shun family kept it a closely guarded secret.

"What does this have to do with her knowing so much about Gu worms?"

Chen Sha's gaze toward Fang Zhiyi remained wary and inquisitive.

Actually, he didn't have a good impression of any of the young lady's friends.

The boy named Jingming looked harmless and answered all questions with an open and honest demeanor, but the more he acted this way, the more Chen Sha felt that he was hiding many secrets.

The maid Aqing who followed him was also like that. How could a maid from an ordinary family learn such ruthless knife skills?

She doesn't look like a maid at all; she looks like an assassin.

And this girl in white named Fang Zhiyi is even more suspicious. Such a girl shouldn't be the type who suddenly appears in front of you out of nowhere.

If she shows up, it means she definitely has ulterior motives, and you have already fallen into her trap.

This was the intuition Chen Sha had cultivated over many years of traversing criminal cases, and it had never been wrong.

"Actually, she is the daughter of the Ghost Doctor."

Jiang Jingming scratched his face and revealed the secret, which was no longer a secret.

"???"

For a moment, Chen Sha and Wen Fuxiao stared wide-eyed in shock.

"The Ghost Doctor has a daughter???"

“We were also surprised when we found out about this, but if you had seen her using acupuncture to save people, you would no longer have any doubts about it.”

Jiang Jingming helplessly shrugged.

That's true. Even if what Fang Zhiyi said to them was false, and even if she was a superb actress, her medical skills couldn't be faked.

Chen Sha and Wen Fuxiao both stood up and paced back and forth, clearly needing more time to process this explosive news.

After all, the Ghost Doctor's whereabouts are elusive, and only a very few people in the martial arts world have seen his true face, including the learned scholar Wen Fuzi and the powerful Deputy Envoy of the Divine Capital Guard.

Therefore, it is still quite shocking that such a graceful "daughter of the ghost doctor" suddenly appears before everyone's eyes.

"Miss Fang, I'd like to ask about that rumored village infected with the plague..."

Wen Fuxiao rubbed her hands together and asked curiously.

"fake."

Fang Zhiyi answered with a smile.

"The enlightened master of that city of lights..."

Chen Sha couldn't help but ask.

He had frequent dealings with Longyin Temple and had always wanted to know the ins and outs of this matter.

After all, the rumor that "martial arts should end but life should not" is really intriguing, but the monks in the Zen temple are tight-lipped about it and refuse to say a word about it.

Every time Chen Sha asked a few more questions, the monks would inevitably start chanting scriptures incessantly, which was incredibly annoying.

"fake."

Fang Zhiyi's smile widened.

"..."

So Wen Fuxiao and Chen Sha sat down dejectedly and clinked glasses with each other.

Chapter 129 Moonlight Flows, Reflecting Three People

Seeing how well the two men seemed to get along, Xie Yunqi pointed at their noses and angrily berated them:

"Hey, hey, hey, it seems you two listen to storytelling quite often! I wonder who lectured me, saying that all I do is listen to these vulgar tales, that they're not fit for refined tastes!"

"Master Wen! Aren't you supposed to be oblivious to everything else and only focused on studying the classics?"

"Chen Sha! Didn't you say that these storytellers are all just empty talkers who cheat fools out of their tea money?!"