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Join the ServerA voice from outside the door, as cold and sharp as a blade of ice, instantly pierced the sorrow within the room.
Liu Ruyan appeared in the doorway, clad in practical attire with her hand resting on the hilt of her sword.
Her expression was a mask of frost.
“Just as the Town Magistrate predicted.”
She strode into the room, her gaze sweeping over the kneeling Miao Beisang, then flitting past Su Qinghan leaning on the table and a wary Lu Hongzhuang, a mocking smile touching her lips.
“His Excellency said long ago that the missing Luo Li’s movements were suspicious, and that she was likely colluding with the cat demon.”
“He dispatched me to investigate her former residence, and it appears his judgment was flawless.”
Liu Ruyan’s gaze finally settled on Miao Beisang, who wore Luo Li’s face.
“A cat demon posing as Luo Li… She certainly kept herself hidden, playing the part of the quiet, unassuming woman who wanted nothing to do with the world.”
“I almost believed her act of noble detachment.”
“It turns out they were just a nest of vipers all along!”
“You lie!” Miao Beisang shot her head up, her face smeared with tears, but her voice was sharp with rage.
“She isn’t that kind of person!”
“She’s better than any of you!”
“She was just… she was just so lonely!”
“She wanted to be a good exorcist, and she wanted to be your friend!”
“Silence!”
Liu Ruyan cut her off, her face a mask of undisguised disgust.
“I won’t listen to a single word from a demon!”
“Speaking of which, why are you two here?”
Her accusation was now directed at Lu Hongzhuang and Su Qinghan.
Su Qinghan, however, paid her no mind.
Instead, she slowly lifted her head, her gaze drifting through a crack in the dilapidated roof to the night sky beyond.
“The moon is so full tonight.”
“…”
Lu Hongzhuang was beside herself with anxiety, jabbing Su Qinghan fiercely in the ribs with her elbow.
“Hey! Don’t just stand there!” she hissed, the words practically forced through clenched teeth.
“Are you going to leave this mess to me?”
“You know I’m terrible at this!”
Only then did Su Qinghan lazily draw her gaze back to Liu Ruyan, offering a casual shrug.
“It’s just as you see.”
“We were investigating the case, stumbled upon a clue here, and came in to have a look.”
Liu Ruyan was unconvinced, her cold stare fixed on Lu Hongzhuang.
“Lu Hongzhuang, look at the kind of shady friends you keep!”
“Is this what they teach you?”
“To be sneaky and try to steal all the credit?”
“Do you have any respect for me as your senior sister at all?”
“She’s not!” Lu Hongzhuang retorted instinctively.
The moment the words left her mouth, she felt a firm, powerful sensation on her rear.
Smack!
Su Qinghan had slapped her, and now stood with her hands on her hips, looking as if she were thoroughly enjoying the drama.
“Tell her louder!”
“What kind of person am I, Su Qinghan?”
Lu Hongzhuang froze solid.
A rush of hot blood surged to her head.
She whipped her head around, glaring daggers at Su Qinghan from the corner of her eye.
Then, turning back to Liu Ruyan, she forced a stiff smile.
“Senior Sister, I think you’re right.”
“She is a shady friend.”
With that, she tilted her head again, whispering to Su Qinghan through gritted teeth in a voice only they could hear.
“When this is over, you’re dead.”
Seeing Lu Hongzhuang’s apparent surrender, Liu Ruyan’s expression softened slightly as she reached for Miao Beisang’s arm.
“In that case, I’ll take her back to the Division for interrogation.”
“Wait.”
Su Qinghan raised a hand, halting her movement.
Liu Ruyan frowned at her.
“After we left the inn, a few more people in town must have died, correct?” Su Qinghan asked, her tone flat.
“Including the previous ones, that makes five in total, right?”
Liu Ruyan’s frown deepened.
“That’s right.”
“I went looking for you, only to find you weren’t at the inn.”
“Well, there you have it,” Su Qinghan said, gesturing with an open hand toward the kneeling Miao Beisang.
“This little cat demon has been in our sight ever since we found her.”
“She hardly has the ability to be in two places at once.”
“So, why don’t we hear what new information she has to offer?”
“It might prove helpful to the case, don’t you think?”
Liu Ruyan fell silent.
Su Qinghan’s logic was clear and irrefutable.
If the killer was someone else, this cat demon was the only living witness.
She mulled it over for a moment before finally releasing her grip, commanding Miao Beisang coldly.
“Then tell us everything you know, from beginning to end!”
“If there’s a single false word…”
“There was a man in an official’s uniform…”
Miao Beisang had just begun, a glimmer of relief still in her eyes.
The next instant.
An impossibly fast gleam of sword light burst from the doorway without warning!
It moved faster than anyone could react, a silver bolt of lightning that sliced cleanly through the air.
Pfft!
A spray of blood erupted.
Miao Beisang’s voice died in her throat.
Her head flew high into the air, the expression of someone about to reveal the truth frozen on her face, before landing heavily on the dusty floor and rolling to a stop.
The headless body swayed for a moment before collapsing.
FWOOSH!
A plume of eerie blue demon fire erupted from the corpse, instantly engulfing it.
In the doorway, a middle-aged man in an official’s robe, holding a longsword, slowly sheathed his weapon.
It was none other than the Town Magistrate of Greenstone Town, Wu Que.
His expression was placid, his voice sonorous, as if stating a simple fact.
“This demon was spouting nonsense to confuse us.”
“Her words cannot be trusted!”
“She must have had an accomplice—surely the traitor Luo Li, who escaped in the chaos!”
And with that, the matter was settled.
From within Su Qinghan’s sleeve, a small paper-cut doll silently broke in two, crumbling into a pinch of ash that trickled away.
Her face remained impassive as she reached out and patted the shoulder of Lu Hongzhuang, who stood frozen, utterly terrified by the sudden turn of events.
“Let’s go.”
“There’s nothing for us here anymore.”
Her tone was perfectly calm, without a single ripple of emotion.
“What are you spacing out for?”
“Carry me.”
“Huh?”
“Oh… oh!”
Lu Hongzhuang’s mind was still a complete blank, but her body moved on instinct, squatting down to hoist Su Qinghan onto her back.
She carried Su Qinghan out, her steps unsteady.
As they passed Town Magistrate Wu Que, the man continued on his way but leaned in, whispering in a sinister, low voice only Su Qinghan could hear.
“You’re sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong.”
“Sometimes, knowing too much is not a blessing.”
His voice was filled with undisguised warning and killing intent.
Lying on Lu Hongzhuang’s back, Su Qinghan didn’t even lift an eyelid.
She simply gave a slight shrug, an indifferent gesture that made Wu Que’s eye twitch.
After they had left, the cool night wind on her face finally began to clear Lu Hongzhuang’s muddled head.
She carried Su Qinghan, her steps still a bit wobbly, her mind buzzing with the image of that impossible sword flash and the demonic fire that had roared to life.
“Hey, aren’t you scared?” Lu Hongzhuang finally broke the silence, her voice hoarse.
“That guy… he killed her right in front of us.”
“Was the cat demon talking about the Town Magistrate?!”
He was the Town Magistrate!
An official appointed by the imperial court!
Su Qinghan remained quiet on her back, as still as if she had fallen asleep.
Only after they had walked a considerable distance, leaving the house far behind, did she gently pat Lu Hongzhuang’s shoulder.
“Scared?” Su Qinghan’s voice was soft.
“Now is not the time to be scared.”
Her tone had shifted, shedding its former lazy, drama-loving quality.
A gravity she had never shown before laced her words.
“We need to leave Greenstone Town.”
“Immediately.”
Lu Hongzhuang froze, instinctively retorting, “Leave?”
“Now?”
“The town gates closed long ago, and the whole town is under lockdown.”
“How are we supposed to get out?”
“We climb the wall,” Su Qinghan answered, her voice simple, direct, and utterly devoid of hesitation.
You think this chapter was thrilling? Wait until you read Looking For My Child's Father! Click here to discover the next big twist!
Read : Looking For My Child's Father
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