“Hold on!”
Zhong Li’s carriage was moving with the crowd exiting the city. Just as it was their turn, the carriages of two strangers ahead of them were stopped by the guards at the city gate.
A moment later, the heart-wrenching cries of a woman could be heard.
Zhong Li couldn’t resist lifting the curtain again to check.
She saw two guards roughly pulling a woman out of her carriage by her hair. They then entered the carriage and kicked out the two men inside.
“Sir, what have we done? We merely wish to leave Liaocheng, why is that not allowed?” one of the young men asked, his face filled with dissatisfaction and confusion.
The guard remained silent, instead pulling a portrait from his embrace and examining it against the man’s face.
The man realized what was happening and said, “This doesn’t look like me either. This person is so handsome, while I am just ordinary…”
“Why all the nonsense!” the guard retorted impatiently, kicking the man.
“Ah!” The man, weak, fell sprawling.
“Take them away!” the guard commanded his subordinates without preamble.
The older man reacted quickly, stepping forward and pulling a silver ingot from his embrace to stuff into the guard’s hand. “Sir, please be merciful. My son wishes to seek treatment in Jincheng, and besides, the three of us do not resemble the person in your drawing. Please let us pass.”
The guard weighed the silver in his hand, let out a cold laugh, and tapped the carriage. “Though they don’t look alike, where did this carriage come from?” httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
The man looked bewildered.
“To tell you the truth, this carriage’s style is missing from the residence of Judge Qi. We suspect you have a connection with Judge Qi, therefore you cannot leave.” After speaking, the guard pocketed the silver and waved his hand, and the three were taken away just like that.
The cries of injustice from the common folk still echoed around them. Zhong Li looked at the carriages that were also taken away, her heart filled with apprehension.
Fortunately, she had been thorough and changed carriages, otherwise, she would have ended up like that family just now.
“Hold on!”
Soon it was Zhong Li’s carriage’s turn. As usual, the guard took out the portrait to inspect and asked, “Where are you going?”
Lin Jin wiped his white beard and said obsequiously, “Going to Jinzhou to visit relatives.”
“Oh, and who is inside?” the guard asked again.
Just as Lin Jin was about to answer, Zhong Li had already lifted the curtain to respond, “My, my, I wondered who was being so fierce. It turns out to be the officer.”
As she spoke, she didn’t forget to draw an embroidered handkerchief from her embrace and wave it back and forth.
Guards liked women who were fawning and flirtatious, but that was limited to beautiful ones. Zhong Li, being so plump and having a mole like a matchmaker’s, was a turn-off for anyone who looked at her.
“Ugh!” the guard gagged and said, “Who else is inside besides you?”
Zhong Li glanced at the man lying on the couch, then pulled the carriage curtain aside with her backhand. “Do you officers want to come in and take a look?”
The guard frowned, slightly confused.
Zhong Li winked at the guard and said, “My husband is not only ugly, but he’s also sickly and impotent. He’s no good in that department, how about you, officer…”
As she spoke, she reached out to pull the guard into the carriage.
Startled by her action, the guard retreated repeatedly. He glanced at the carriage again and then said to the subordinate behind him, “Let them pass, let them pass!”
The subordinates immediately opened the gate.
To allay any lingering doubts, Zhong Li decided to go all out. She placed her hands on her hips and leaned half of her body out of the carriage, exclaiming, “Oh dear, it hasn’t even been fully inspected yet, Officer… why are you like this?”
The guard gave her a disgusted look, suppressing his urge to vomit, and proceeded to inspect the next carriage.
Zhong Li’s carriage had already passed through the city gate. As if still not satisfied, she continued to shout loudly, attracting the attention of many people.
Until the carriage began to speed along the official road, Zhong Li was about to pull herself back in when a low chuckle sounded from within the carriage.
“What, not playing dead anymore? I thought you were going to sleep until Yuxian like this,” Zhong Li sat back in her seat and began to tear off the false skin on her face, glancing askance at the man lying opposite, whose chest heaved with great regularity, and said coldly.
Lu Wuxie propped himself up and sat up from the couch, looking up and down at the woman’s attire opposite him. “I can still faintly hear the guard’s gagging sounds.”
Zhong Li raised an eyebrow and casually picked up a bronze mirror from the table, handing it to Lu Wuxie. “Take a good look at yourself, the ugliest man in Jincheng.”
Lu Wuxie looked at his reflection in the mirror, his brow twitching a few times. “Your skill in making facial prosthetics is becoming more and more masterful, Li’er.”
Zhong Li glared at him and continued with her work.
“Speaking of which,” Lu Wuxie also began to peel off the false skin from his face. “I’ve troubled you, Li’er, this time.”
As he spoke, he recalled how Zhong Li had acted contrary to her usual self at the city gate, fawning over the short guard. His brows couldn’t help but furrow. If the case of the Divine Maiden was over, and he could still find that little soldier, he would definitely send him home to farm.
“It’s not trouble,” Zhong Li said, after finishing with the things on her face, her expression slightly darkening. “It’s just that thinking of Qi Lei’s family, whose bodies were hung on the city wall, makes me feel suffocated.”
Upon hearing this, the smile on Lu Wuxie’s face also faded.
Although he was lying in bed, he was somewhat aware of what was happening outside. Moreover, the medicine had taken effect before they left the city. When he woke up, he happened to see the gruesome scene outside the carriage window, and he was extremely angry.
Zhong Li poured two cups of clear water, handing one to Lu Wuxie and the other to Lin Jin, who was still driving outside. “Tell me, what happened during the past half month when you were out of contact?”
Lu Wuxie drank the water in his hand, mused for a moment, and said, “Li’er, you shouldn’t have come, actually.”
Zhong Li remained silent, only lowering her gaze to wait for his next words.
Lu Wuxie took a deep breath. “A month ago, it was also the second month after I took up my post in Liaocheng.
A missing person case occurred in the northern suburbs of Liaocheng. The youngest daughter of a farming family had disappeared. Initially, I sent A Wu to handle it, as the case seemed uncomplicated based on the case files.
Who would have thought that the very next day, A Wu found me and said something had happened. The entire farming family had been silenced. It was then that I realized this case was not simple, so I took A Wu and began a secret investigation. Do you know what I discovered?”
Zhong Li shook her head. She didn’t know, but she could vaguely guess it must be something terrifying. Otherwise, Lu Wuxie would have told her earlier. This way, he likely didn’t want her to be involved.
“I saw… a sacrifice.”
“A sacrifice?” Zhong Li was first confused, then quickly reacted. “You mean the sacrifices of the Divine Maiden Sect?”
Lu Wuxie nodded heavily.
Zhong Li thought of the female corpse hanging on the south wall of Jincheng, and felt her breath becoming difficult.
“And then? And then you were…” she pressed.
Lu Wuxie nodded. “Yes, Liaocheng is the lifeline of Jincheng. With the precedent of Zuo Teng, I never trusted the officials here. Therefore, I handled many things personally.
After I discovered the Divine Maiden Sect, A Wu and I were very careful and cautious. However, paper cannot wrap fire. Coupled with the deep-rooted networks here, they had long since infiltrated our ranks. After half a month, they discovered me.”
Upon hearing this, Zhong Li recalled what she had heard about Lu Wuxie in Liaocheng. It seemed that Governor Chang’s so-called banquet was nothing more than a specially prepared Hongmen banquet for him.
As for Lu Wuxie.
She looked at him deeply. To avoid exposing herself, she had no choice but to brace herself and accept the invitation, allowing Governor Chang to succeed.
“Then what about A Wu?” she asked.