Chapter 403 - Chapter 403: Uncovering the Deception

Chapter 403: Uncovering the Deception

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

In a room above the gambling den, “Jiu” approached a middle-aged man, who was deeply engrossed in playing chess with himself. Bowing, he announced, “Master, the goods have been delivered by the other party.”

Dressed in a refined grey and silver robe, the man spoke unhurriedly, “Let’s wait a bit longer. No rush.”

“Jiu” obediently responded, “Yes, Master,” and moved to the window. He stealthily opened a crack to observe Chu Qingzhi and her group.

Chu Qingzhi, upon entering the black market, had released her spiritual consciousness, enveloping the entire place. She was monitoring everyone, and “Jiu’s” every move didn’t escape her notice.

They are here!

She sent a voice transmission to Tang Jinghong.

Tang Jinghong, subtly moving closer to her, advised, “Let’s watch and see how things unfold.”

Chu Qingzhi agreed.

Chu Xujin, experiencing the city for the first time, found everything fascinating. His eyes darted everywhere, taking in all the sights.

The black market was indeed worthy of its reputation.

Ge Lihua, seeing his excitement, whispered, “We can explore after this business is done. The market runs till dawn.”

Chu Xujin looked away in embarrassment and agreed. “Okay.”

As they waited, Chu Qingzhi, feeling a bit bored, pulled Tang Jinghong to a stone bench at the back, keen on catching up with the latest news from the capital.

The first thing Chu Qingzhi wanted to know was about Prince Rui. “Jinghong, tell me about Prince Rui.”

Tang Jinghong told Chu Qingzhi about Prince Rui…

Prince Rui, the former Emperor’s full brother, was seventh in line and revered. However, being a premature baby, he was frail and passed away at the age of thirty.

He had one main wife and five concubines.

Only his main wife bore him a son, while the others remained childless.

In his final days, Prince Rui, ever kind-hearted, granted generous wealth to his childless concubines and dismissed them from the house.

However, one concubine, Madam Xin, chose to stay.

After Prince Rui died, the main wife had her son to accompany her. She was also in charge of the finances of the residence, so she turned a blind eye to Madam Xin and pretended she didn’t exist.

Prince Rui, in his dying moments, left Madam Xin a considerable fortune to reward her loyalty to him, enough for a lifetime of extravagance.

To Chu Qingzhi, this seemed quite unremarkable.

She pondered, “Where would the assassins working for Madam Xin come from? Even with money, she couldn’t recruit so many high-level assassins.”

Tang Jinghong admitted, “I’ve never paid much attention to Madam Xin, so I’m not sure. I’ll have someone look into it.”

“Ok,” Chu Qingzhi then voiced another concern, “Also, it’s strange that Madam Xin, despite being infatuated with Lu Ziming, still stayed in Prince Rui’s mansion. There must be a reason.”

Speaking of Lu Ziming, Tang Jinghong recalled a secret message, “Chu Qingzhi, Lu Ziming has arrived in the capital.”

Chu Qingzhi was surprised. “So soon?”

Tang Jinghong said, “I learned this just before setting off from the capital. He’s already here, and his first stop was Madam Xin’s place. Quite odd.”

Chu Qingzhi said, “The two of them are already ambiguous. Now that Lu Ziming is doing this, it’s obvious that there’s something fishy.”

Tang Jinghong said, “I’ve already sent someone to secretly monitor him. Let’s wait and see.”

Chu Qingzhi said, “Ok.”

Chu Qingzhi asked Tang Jinghong many questions about the capital.

After a while, her attention was caught by a passerby with the character “Yun” embroidered on his cloak.

She tapped Tang Jinghong’s hand, “Jinghong, have you found any leads on ‘Yun’?”

Tang Jinghong furrowed his brows, “I’ve dispatched people to investigate in both the capital and the eastern border. No clues in the capital yet, and no news from the eastern border.”

Chu Qingzhi said, “The clues are delivered to your door now.”

Tang Jinghong asked, “What do you mean?”

Chu Qingzhi said, “I’ll tell you later.”

Chu Qingzhi’s divine sense locked onto the person with the word “Yun” on the cloak. She first observed what the other party was planning to do. At the same time, her divine sense searched all the people with the word “Yun” on the cloak in the black market.

Chu Qingzhi’s divine sense was brought into the human trafficking area.

In the black market, people of unknown origins were often trafficked. Once inside, their cries for help went unheard. If they died, their bodies were simply discarded, unburied and forgotten – a pitiful fate.

After entering the black market, that person chose a 13 or 14-year-old girl.

The girl was covered in dirt and her face was sallow and thin. However, if one looked carefully, they could tell that she was the daughter of a rich family. She looked good and seemed to have been kidnapped by human traffickers.

The young girl was bought by that person for ten taels of silver. Then, she was brought to a room and asked to take a shower and change her clothes.

The girl did not dare to disobey. She was afraid of being beaten up. She had been beaten up countless times all the way here.

After taking a shower, the man looked at the girl in satisfaction. Then, he carried her to the next room and threw her onto the bed.

Seeing this, Chu Qingzhi could not sit back and do nothing. “Jinghong, I’ll be back soon.”

Before Tang Jinghong could answer, Chu Qingzhi was already gone.

She sneaked into the room through the window and used a bell, empowered with spiritual energy, to emit mesmerizing sound waves, instantly entrancing the man. This bell, which she had conveniently picked up from a stall, helped her avoid causing a commotion.

That person’s eyes widened. He stood rooted to the ground in a daze, looking like he had lost his soul.

The frightened girl ran to Chu Qingzhi, hiding behind her like a deer escaping a hunter.

Chu Qingzhi gently patted her back, comforting, “It’s okay now.”

The girl, trembling and tearful, thanked her, “Thank you, brother, for saving me…”

Chu Qingzhi soothed, “Don’t cry. You’re safe now.”

After calming the girl, Chu Qingzhi knocked her out. She needed to interrogate the man, and it wasn’t suitable for the girl to hear.

She placed the girl on the bed and sat by the bed to ask questions.

Under the bell’s influence, the man revealed he was “Jiu’s” subordinate, here to assist with receiving goods.

However, for some reason, “Jiu” had yet to act.

Growing restless, Qian Junjie decided to vent his frustration by purchasing a girl.

Further questioning revealed the meaning of “Yun” – an underground force in the eastern border, with an unidentified leader, but certainly someone from the eastern border..