Aunt Cui’s nails dug into her palms.
She was about to speak when Qi Buyan, unhurried, said, “The owner of that Water Jade Pendant is likely the murderer of Princess Luoyan’s brother and sister-in-law. Could that be you?”
Aunt Cui’s eyes widened. She had lived in Chang’an for over a decade and had heard of Princess Luoyan’s brother and sister-in-law, knowing they were friends of Liu Yan. When they died unexpectedly, she had comforted him.
Liu Yan had been deeply saddened.
That was the first time Aunt Cui saw him cry.
The night of their deaths, Liu Yan had silently wept at her side, and Aunt Cui, feeling helpless, could only stay by his side, offering continuous comfort.
A man who wept for his friends’ deaths couldn’t possibly be their killer.
Aunt Cui recently remembered the flawed Water Jade Pendant belonged to Liu Yan. She had seen him wear it once a long time ago but hadn’t seen it since. Now, she realized it must have been lost.
She could understand why Liu Yan might send someone to kill Qi Buyan and his companions, who were openly auctioning the bracelet, thinking it was related to the bracelet.
She had been investigating the reason, and now, Qi Buyan’s words struck her.
Aunt Cui didn’t want to believe it.
She couldn’t believe this was the truth.
Unconsciously, she glanced at Ah Xuan, whose neck was now a bloody mess. Ah Xuan avoided her gaze, and Aunt Cui staggered as if struck by lightning, seeing him evade her look.
Qi Buyan tightened the silk thread. “You still haven’t answered me. Why did you try to kill us?”
“Was it just because the Water Jade Pendant was in our possession? You said you were its owner. Does that mean you’re also the murderer of Princess Luoyan’s brother and sister-in-law?”
Ah Xuan remained silent.
He Sui’an didn’t think it was him.
Qi Buyan was not in a hurry. “If you won’t speak, I’ll have to use a Gu on you.”
Some Gu insects could make people tell the truth, but they required the controller to expend effort to control the Gu inside the person, which could destabilize the controller’s energy. Hence, they weren’t used casually.
But Qi Buyan didn’t care. As long as he got what he wanted, it was enough.
Aunt Cui’s palms were bleeding from her grip.
Ah Xuan wouldn’t give Qi Buyan the chance to use a Gu on him. He would never betray Liu Yan. He tried to bite his tongue, but with a swift motion, Qi Buyan dislocated his jaw.
Qi Buyan dislocated his jaw with a smile, as if performing a routine task.
With his jaw dislocated, Ah Xuan couldn’t bite his tongue. The pain twisted his face, rendering him unable to speak, only uttering a few indistinct sounds.
He Sui’an felt a shiver run through her heart, reflexively touching her own jaw.
Aunt Cui couldn’t bear it any longer.
She had refrained from intervening because they were in the wrong. Aunt Cui acted based on facts, but she couldn’t watch Ah Xuan suffer for Liu Yan, who didn’t even truly care about him.
Aunt Cui wanted to confirm one crucial thing: whether Liu Yan had indeed murdered his friends—Princess Luoyan’s brother and sister-in-law.
In truth, she didn’t need confirmation.
Ah Xuan’s evasion of her gaze showed his guilt, indicating Liu Yan had committed such an inhumane act and had even involved him.
Liu Yan, who could kill his closest friends, might also kill her.
Aunt Cui remained clear-headed.
What disappointed her most was that she had repeatedly told Liu Yan not to involve Ah Xuan in those dirty deeds, yet he kept sending the boy she had raised as her own son to kill.
Each of these incidents contributed to the cold tone in Aunt Cui’s voice: “I’ll tell you who the true owner of the Water Jade Pendant is. It’s not him, and it’s not me. It’s…”
*
In a secluded alley in Chang’an.
Recently exhausted, Su Yang had been resting her head on her desk when she was awakened by shouting outside.
Zhong Kong was knocking on the door, saying that her father, Su Ruilin, had sent a family letter. Missing her family, Su Yang got up, opened the door, and took the letter.
Having been in Chang’an for some time, Su Yang had sent a letter home, and this was the first reply from Su Ruilin. Zhong Kong called it a family letter, and she assumed it was a greeting.
Opening it, Su Yang was stunned.
It wasn’t a greeting.
In the letter, Su Ruilin wrote that after Su Yang left Fengling Town, he pulled himself together and took his trusted men to excavate the collapsed tomb of Prince Yan. After a long effort, he discovered a secret known to very few.
No one could ever again create the Longevity Gu because the bloodworms needed for it were unique. Hundreds of years ago, Prince Yan Wuheng had used them up, so it was impossible to make another.
Yan Luoxu was Yan Wuheng’s closest sister, so she must have known this too.
Without the bloodworms, the Longevity Gu could transform into another extremely special type of Gu. As soon as Su Ruilin learned this secret, he wrote to Su Yang in Chang’an to inform her.
“Princess, what’s wrong?”
Zhong Kong noticed her troubled expression.
Su Yang didn’t answer. After reading the letter’s contents, her fingers trembled, almost dropping the letter.
It turned out their initial investigation had been misdirected. The person who took Yan Luoxu wasn’t trying to create the Longevity Gu but this extremely special type of Gu. The person wanted to use this Gu to…
Insanity.
This was sheer madness.
The person behind this was defying the natural order. The letter slipped from Su Yang’s fingers.
Zhong Kong supported her. “Princess, what did the letter say?” He bent down to pick it up, but Su Yang held his hand, “I need to see the Emperor. I need to see the Emperor immediately.”
Zhong Kong, having never seen Su Yang so distressed, was alarmed. “Princess, we came to Chang’an in secret to investigate the Longevity Gu. Why do you suddenly need to see the Emperor?”
Su Yang had no time to explain.
She turned back to her room to write a petition for an audience with the Emperor. Seeing the Emperor wasn’t easy. As a princess, Su Yang could send a petition to the palace and wait for the Emperor’s summons.
It had to be done quickly.
While writing the petition, her hand trembled. She slammed her hand against the corner of the table to steady it, bruising her hand in the process. Zhong Kong watched anxiously.
After finishing the letter, Su Yang stamped it with her seal and asked Zhong Kong to send it to the palace immediately. Zhong Kong hesitated, “Princess…”
She snapped, “Go quickly.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
*
He Sui’an went to the Qi Palace Pavilion.
Princess Luoyan received their signal, knowing they had made progress. Excited, she arrived within half an hour.
When Princess Luoyan reached the Qi Palace Pavilion, Qi Buyan was leaning against the pavilion’s railing, watching the fish in the pond. He Sui’an sat on a bench, staring blankly at the blue sky.
“Have you found out who the murderer is?” Princess Luoyan ran into the pavilion, holding her skirt.
He Sui’an held a handwritten letter from Aunt Cui, which confirmed that the Water Jade Pendant belonged to Liu Yan. Many in Chang’an knew Aunt Cui was Liu Yan’s confidante, including Princess Luoyan.
She handed Aunt Cui’s letter to Princess Luoyan, hesitating slightly. “We have discovered the true owner of the Water Jade Pendant.”
Princess Luoyan, while opening the letter, anxiously asked, “Who?”
“Prince Liu Yan,” He Sui’an said.
Zhi Mo covered her mouth in shock. Princess Luoyan’s hands froze as she looked up, “What did you say? I think I misheard.”
He Sui’an suddenly felt reluctant to repeat it. She had seen Princess Luoyan and Prince Liu Yan together on the street before, their relationship seemingly very close, like father and daughter.
Qi Buyan repeated for He Sui’an, “Prince Liu Yan.”
Zhi Mo looked at her princess with pain.
“Evidence,” Princess Luoyan’s voice trembled, “My uncle likes wearing jade ornaments, but many in Chang’an do. How can you prove it?”
She paused and asked, “How can you prove that the Water Jade Pendant belongs to my uncle?”
He Sui’an gestured for Princess Luoyan to look at the letter. “I forgot to mention, this letter was written by Aunt Cui, the owner of the largest auction house in Chang’an.”
Aunt Cui?
Liu Yan had never married and only had one confidante. He had once mentioned to Princess Luoyan that they had known each other for over a decade and that he would formally marry her someday, but not yet.
Princess Luoyan had asked why not now, given his age and the expectation to settle down. Liu Yan had just smiled, saying the timing wasn’t right.
Remembering this, she tightened her grip on the letter, her eyes reddening. “Even if the Water Jade Pendant is my uncle’s, someone might be framing him. You still can’t be sure he’s the murderer.”
Qi Buyan shifted his gaze from the fish to her.
He showed little emotion.
Like a cold-blooded snake.
He said, “I understand. We came here to tell you who the true owner of the Water Jade Pendant is. As for whether your uncle is the murderer, I have a way to confirm it.”
“Once I confirm it, I will claim the reward I desire from you.”
Princess Luoyan steadied her emotions. “Fine. You can leave now. I want to read this letter alone.”
He Sui’an and Qi Buyan left the Qi Palace Pavilion and returned to their inn.
Business at the inn seemed to have picked up. She saw new guests checking in, and the innkeeper and staff were busy. He Sui’an didn’t disturb them and went straight upstairs to her room.
The day’s events were overwhelming, and He Sui’an needed time to process them.
She lay on the bed, lost in thought.
Qi Buyan, as usual, was feeding his Gu insects.
The sound of the insects eating filled the room. Initially, He Sui’an had found these sounds disturbing, but she had grown accustomed to them over time. Now, she could even fall asleep to them.
On the way back to the inn, He Sui’an asked Qi Buyan when he planned to confirm if Prince Liu Yan was indeed the murderer of Princess Luoyan’s family.
Qi Buyan said it would be within the next couple of days.
Once confirmed, he would claim Princess Luoyan’s millennium-old red jade as his reward. Then he would leave Chang’an with He Sui’an and return to Tianshui Village in Miaojiang.
After Qi Buyan finished feeding all his poisonous insects, He Sui’an was already asleep.
He washed his hands and walked over to her, gently brushing the hair from her face. He watched her for a long time, realizing that he seemed to be spending more and more time looking at her.
Their previous intimacy no longer satisfied him. He wanted something deeper.
How could it be possible?
Qi Buyan left the bed, found the book, and began flipping through it page by page. Most of it was things they had already done. When he reached the last page, his fingers paused, as if he had seen something unbelievable.
The boy’s eyelashes fluttered slightly.
His part could enter He Sui’an’s part like slender fingers.
They would be completely connected.
