Imperial Treasure-Chapter 1017 - 608: Zheng Long

"But since you need to change clothes, are you planning to join me in the investigation?"

"No, the clothes are wet, so I need to change."

"..."

Sui Yi was quick to change clothes. In no time, she was ready. Fu Junnuo saw and mocked, "Are you a man? It’s obvious you’re a woman dressed as a man!"

"Don’t move."

This woman was indeed somewhat ruthless. If Gong Jiu and others were here, they would see their revered "Master Sui" in her hands quickly transformed into an ordinary swordsman with a little beard, sallow skin, and small pimples, wearing a plain blue robe. They’d probably fail to recognize her at first glance.

"Being too good-looking is not always a blessing. This should be enough. You know how to change the voice, right? Just use inner strength to lower the throat and even Yuwen Huaji’s spies won’t be able to track you."

Fu Junnuo spoke sternly, quite satisfied with her own handiwork.

Sui Yi glanced at herself in the mirror, noticing her changed skin and how she donned thick gloves made from Hu people’s leather armor—a traditional and formal attire.

"Yes, I know."

This person’s face-changing technique was indeed astonishing.

"Let’s go."

Both were decisive types; once disguised, they immediately left.

After Xie Jun left, he changed clothes and hid, quickly blending into the city as a small merchant, then returned to an ordinary house, wrote a letter inside, entered the backyard, opened the pigeon cage, and took out the pigeons...

--------

It’s unclear how long they traveled.

Sui Yi saw the sunlight, and both leaped out, appearing in a dense forest.

This was at the western outskirts. They had bypassed the lakeside blockade and walked down a secluded path. Soon, they arrived outside the city gate and followed the river upwards, reaching a teahouse three miles outside the city.

"I need to enter the city; let’s part ways here."

"Farewell."

Sui Yi watched Fu Junnuo leaves without looking back, coincidentally as a troop of armored riders approached her.

Neither Sui Yi nor Fu Junnuo paid them any mind and simply passed by.

Raising dust, Sui Yi bought a lean horse with two silver coins, mounted it, and rode upstream.

Sui Yi spent some time investigating upstream, even submerged a few times, but found nothing.

"It’s not linked to the water? Could it be the lotus area in the city?"

At dusk, Sui Yi rode back into the city, now a seemingly ordinary swordsman. Although the city was under lockdown, they allowed entries, not exits.

Because it was mealtime, Sui Yi saw the bustling Yuhang street as soon as she entered.

Having not eaten all day, she found a restaurant.

Just took a few bites.

"Hey, have you heard? The rebels killed the entire Zheng Long family’s wine merchant; they even colluded with those from Dali Temple."

"Truly, times have changed..."

"Who knows, that Yuwen Huaji..."

"Hush, do you want to die?"

These whispers were mostly from ordinary folk, while high-minded talks of indignation came from martial arts heroes.

Sui Yi ate alone, listening, but not paying much attention.

Until...

"Have you heard? Lord Fu is actually a rebel."

"Impossible! He’s a good official!"

"Why not? The government office has already sealed his residence!"...

"No one knows where he is now."

After finishing her meal, Sui Yi paid and rode to the lotus area where she first appeared.

It was dusky, sparsely populated. She stood by the lake for a long time, then sighed.

The water was not deep; Magnetic Sensation probed underwater but found nothing at all.

There’s no need to dive in.

"No traces at all. Seems the chance of returning is slim; I’ll have to seek Cangwu’s whereabouts through other clues."

Just as Sui Yi was about to leave, she suddenly saw a group of imperial soldiers riding quickly down the path.

They seemed headed towards the Yamen...

Sui Yi frowned.

At that moment, on a high mountain outside Yuhang, atop a precipice.

A woman in red raised her hand, and a homing pigeon landed on her fingertip. She took off the missive, which contained text, explanations, and drawings.

The drawing vividly illustrated Fu Junnuo and Yuchi Zheng’s moves in their duel.

"This looks like Fu Cailin’s sword style from Goryeo; this Fu Zhuo must be his little disciple Fu Junnuo. As for this seemingly Cihang disciple... it’s not Shi Feixuan? Could Cihang have other members?"

"I certainly need to meet them."

----------

In the dead of night.

The morgue of the Yamen was eerily quiet under the night sky.

Almost dead silent.

The wind blew, the window lifted, and a shadow silently slipped in through the window. Fu Junnuo landed softly on the ground, glanced around, and ignored the numerous corpses, heading straight to a white cloth.

She lifted with her finger, revealing numerous scattered corpse remnants.

They were already starting to rot.

No preservation effort whatsoever.

Fu Junnuo couldn’t bear it and laid the cloth back down.

As the cloth fell.

She drew her sword, the sword sheath flew out, stabbing into the dark shadow lurking.

Puff!

The sword sheath was caught.

She focused her eyes; it was a swordsman.

"Why are you here?"

"Finished the task, found some free time to come by."

Sui Yi stepped forward, once again lifting the white cloth, casually sweeping her gaze over the livers...

Swish.

The white cloth fell back down.

She said, "It is indeed twelve people’s worth, but one of the bodies shows significantly more decomposition than the other eleven. It must have been killed later and placed in the wine jar afterward. Moreover, this person’s fingers are rough, the palms have calluses, and there are wood splinters embedded, indicating he was a carpenter."

Fu Junnuo: "The carpenter who replaced the flooring? Killed by the employer to silence him, then used as a substitute corpse?"

"And this person... must be Zheng Long!"

"Or possibly Zheng Long concealed himself under another identity. When enemies came looking for him and couldn’t find him, they killed his family and disguised as Zheng Long, openly searching the house but found nothing."

Fu Junnuo’s conjecture seemed quite plausible.

The fake Zheng Long had been dealing with Cao Sheng and others, then vanished; he truly was the murderer.

"Go find Cao Sheng; this person has been in contact with him, so there should be clues."

Fu Zhuo was about to jump ship when suddenly!

Outside, fires erupted!

Fu Junnuo looked at Sui Yi, who frowned slightly, "Before I came, I saw the imperial army heading this way."

"Yuwen Huaji? Probably not, he wouldn’t need to go to such lengths."

"It’s that person?"

"Hmm, he’s been watching us, hasn’t he?"

Sui Yi said, grabbing Fu Junnuo, "This way."

Before she arrived, she had already checked the deployment of these soldiers, naturally knowing where they could slip through.

The two of them exited through the morgue’s back door and swiftly flew out along the left path. Even though imperial soldiers were as close as seven or eight meters away, they failed to notice them due to their rapid movement technique.

--------

Cao Sheng’s home was a rather run-down little building. Strangely enough, this red-topped merchant of Yuhang lived in such an ordinary place.

Sui Yi knocked on the door.

The door opened, and Cao Sheng saw a rather ordinary swordsman standing in the doorway.

"Cao Sheng?"

"That’s me, and you are...?"

"I’m looking to buy a house."

Hearing it was business, Cao Sheng quickly invited Sui Yi inside.

He offered a seat and made tea.

Sui Yi sat down calmly, and Cao Sheng asked with a smiling face, "What kind of house are you looking to buy?"

"One without twelve dismembered bodies."

Cao Sheng was startled, then expressed astonishment and some irritation, "Have you also believed those people’s nonsense? Really, only that house had issues; everything else I’ve handled is fine... Rest assured, if you’re uneasy, you’re welcome to leave at any time."

Saying this, he motioned as if to see her out.

"I am at ease," Sui Yi said softly.

Cao Sheng sat back down, calming his temper, about to say something...

"As long as you aren’t dismembering corpses and submerging them in wine jars."

Cao Sheng saw the swordsman’s face flicker in the candlelight.

"I don’t know what you mean."

"I’m not some murderer, sir. If you’re on a chivalrous mission, you’d do better to find those rebels, or perhaps that female ghost..."

"Although perhaps that female ghost has already come to me."

Cao Sheng’s expression was somewhat cloudy, his gaze piercingly fixed on Sui Yi.

"Miss Sui, you’ve come to the wrong place."

He wore a smile.

His gaze was just like what had been seen underwater.

Suddenly.

Footsteps echoed behind him.

Then...

Crash!

A large bag was placed before him.

With a cold expression, Fu Junnuo pointed to the dark red bag on the floor.

"Twelve heads."

"All here."

"Why behead them all? Because one among them isn’t dead. To conceal the identity of the substituted corpse, you have to remove all the heads."

"When Sui Yi went underwater, you only had time to retrieve the twelve heads but failed to take away that bag of bones. But that’s alright; what can be learned from those bones anyway? The heads are what truly matter."

"You returned to your old den with these twelve heads, placing them in the basement where you felt most secure."

"You’re the one who killed Zheng’s family, also the one who sent secret messages to Yuwen Huaji. Cao Sheng, who are you really?"

Fu Junnuo looked at him, fingers hooked on the sword.

Cao Sheng’s facial muscles twitched, then he went completely calm, smiling, "As expected of Master Fu Zhuo... Impressive. But you two coming here... is just to find Zheng Long for Yang Su’s treasure, isn’t it? I’m the same as you."

Sui Yi was about to drink tea, hesitated upon hearing this.

"No, probably not the same."

"After all, the eleven others aren’t our family."

"And there’s too much poison in your tea; it’s too strong."

Saying this slowly, Sui Yi poured the tea Cao Sheng had given her onto the ground.

The floor hissed.

"Even a tiger doesn’t eat its cubs."

"Zheng Long, I’m here... merely to kill you."

Sui Yi also hooked her fingers on Demon Que, her left hand, and the Beak of the Golden Crow exuded a cold aura. (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to give recommendation votes, monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)