Geschichte über einen Ehemanndiebstahl

Kapitel 46

Chapter Seventeen: Sulking and Falling into the Lake

Zhan Yun frowned slightly and asked gently, "Chen'er, is there something you're hiding from us?"

Duan Chen was taken aback, a slight hesitation appearing between his brows. He glanced at Zhan Yun but remained silent. All three were perceptive individuals, and they immediately sensed something was amiss from Duan Chen's expression. Zhou Yufei leaned against the bedpost, swinging his legs back and forth, and casually remarked, "Since you predicted Li Lingke would intervene, you must know just how much he was involved in the events of the past few days." As he spoke, he narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing Duan Chen: "And what's wrong with your chin? Did Li Lingke force you?"

On the way back, he applied some ointment he carried with him, and the redness and swelling on Duan Chen's chin had mostly subsided, leaving only a faint bruise. Since the room was only dimly lit with two lamps on, the mark was barely noticeable unless one got very close. Zhou Yufei had seen it when he handed Duan Chen tea, but with everyone present, it wasn't convenient to ask.

Later, when the three left, Xiao Changqing was the last to leave. He tugged at Duan Chen's sleeve, smiled, and slipped her a jar of ointment. He then put a finger to his lips in a shushing gesture, indicating that she didn't need to refuse. Zhan Yun and the others naturally saw this. However, Zhao Ting and Zhan Yun knew what was going on, so they pretended not to see anything. But Zhou Yufei was capable of saying the most infuriating things, so as soon as the three left, he blurted out the question without any restraint.

Duan Chen was pondering how to explain things to the three of them when he heard Zhou Yufei's last sentence, and his eyes instantly turned cold. Seeing Duan Chen's expression, Zhou Yufei raised an eyebrow, glanced at the other two, and involuntarily shrank back, chuckling awkwardly, "Just pretend I didn't ask. Let's get back to business, business is important!"

Zhan Yun smiled faintly and nodded slightly, seemingly in approval. Zhou Yufei couldn't help but swallow hard, thinking to himself, "Oh no!" He was already struggling to beat Zhao Ting; if Zhan Yun joined in, he'd probably be walking out of this room on his back.

Zhao Ting narrowed his eyes and glanced at Zhou Yufei, then turned to Duan Chen: "What did Li Linke say to you?"

There was no point in hiding it. Duan Chen walked to the table and sat down, then picked up the teapot to pour tea. Zhou Yufei leaped from the bed, took the teapot from Duan Chen, and smiled rather obsequiously: "The water's gone, I'll do it, I'll do it." As he turned to the stove to add water, he gave Zhao Ting a resentful look, as if to say, "Young Prince, please be magnanimous and let me off this time! If you and Xingzhi attacked together, no one could withstand it!"

Zhao Ting and Zhan Yun also found seats and sat down. Duan Chen glanced at the two of them and said softly, "I asked him if he used a whip to strangle Lou Yueru and, after she died, transported the body back to the room and re-tied it to the bedside with the Thunder God Whip. He didn't deny it."

Zhao Ting frowned and asked, "Why didn't you just ask if he killed her?" When Liu Yichen was here, Duan Chen had mentioned what would happen if Lou Yueru wasn't killed by those two people today. Liu Yichen's first thought was Li Lingke. Although Duan Chen denied it then, it was clear Liu Yichen didn't quite believe him, and he seemed preoccupied when he left. However, Zhao Ting and Zhan Yun knew very well that when Duan Chen said no regarding the case, it was definitely not true. If she was unsure, she would honestly say she wasn't sure. She could only keep quiet, but what she said was always the truth.

Duan Chen glanced at Zhao Ting indifferently and said honestly, "Because I can only be sure that he did those two things."

The three were somewhat surprised to hear this. Zhan Yun smiled gently and asked, "What do you mean?"

“Li Lingke is arrogant and conceited, and he acts arbitrarily. Even if he didn’t do something, he won’t bother to explain. But if he did do it, he will never deny it.” Duan Chen pondered for a moment, then said softly, “Last time I asked him if he was the person in the cabin in the plum grove this morning. He didn’t deny it. Also, the layout of Lou Yueru’s room is quite interesting.”

As he spoke, Duan Chen looked up at the two people sitting opposite him: "At the time, I only thought that the murderer was very meticulous. Apart from the four rows of footprints outside the back window, there were almost no flaws. But now I think that this person is not just meticulous, but brilliant."

Zhan Yun suddenly remembered what Duan Chen had once said: "Every step we take now is exactly what the murderer wanted. What we know is what he deliberately revealed to us." His hand tightened on his folding fan, and he frowned, saying, "You mean, he left footprints in the snow intentionally?"

“That makes some sense!” Zhou Yufei poured himself a cup of tea, his face solemn and deliberately deep. “If we follow those footprints, we’ll find our way to the plum grove, right? Once we get there, we’ll see drag marks and bloodstains in the snow, and we’ll know that Miss Lou died there. If the murderer really wanted to get away with it, they could have destroyed all the evidence before we got there. That way, even if we had a suspicion, we wouldn’t be able to prove it.”

Duan Chen nodded; that was exactly what he meant. Talking to these three was effortless; he didn't need to explain things step by step in detail.

"Such an ingenious layout could only have been created by Li Linke," Zhao Ting said in a deep voice, his expression displeased.

"It's all just speculation; there's no evidence. All we can confirm right now is that he was once in that plum grove." Duan Chen took a sip of tea and said slowly, "However, I think if he really killed Lou Yue, then there's absolutely no need for such a complicated process."

"Or, is he trying to frame someone?" Zhou Yufei boldly proposed a hypothesis.

Duan Chen shook his head slightly: "I think he's trying to tell us something with this action."

"Chen'er, why were you so certain that Li Lingge would make a move tonight?" Zhan Yun's expression was as gentle as ever, but only he knew how long he had hesitated before asking this question, and how tense his body was when he finally uttered it.

Duan Chen frowned, a hint of displeasure on his face. After a long silence, he said softly, "I'm an outsider in this matter. He's targeting the martial arts figures in the manor. Whether I live or die has no impact on the overall situation. Therefore, he won't harm me first." The three people opposite him couldn't help but change their expressions slightly upon hearing this. Zhao Ting's face darkened, Zhan Yun sighed, and Zhou Yufei raised one eyebrow high. Although what he said was true, who talks about themselves like that! Asking about my life right off the bat—there's no restraint whatsoever.

Duan Chen, seemingly oblivious to the expressions on the three men's faces, continued, "Besides, he and my master were very close back then. Saving my life isn't a loss for him." There was another point Duan Chen didn't mention. The man seemed to find himself quite amusing. For someone like him, interesting people and events always linger a little longer.

Zhan Yun understood why Duan Chen was reluctant to answer this question. These past two days, her emotions had clearly fluctuated greatly whenever her master's affairs were mentioned. But some things really needed to be clarified. Just as Zhan Yun was about to speak, Zhao Ting spoke first: "Do you know who poisoned you?"

Duan Chen smiled slightly, put down her cup, and stood up: "It's late." Having lived for so many years and experienced so much, Duan Chen gradually understood that some things are best left in the past. If you try to understand everything, it will only hurt everyone. As long as that person doesn't make a move again, she will let it go.

Just as Duan Chen entered the house and was about to lock the door, Zhan Yun chased after him again. Annoyed, Duan Chen gripped the door, signaling him to speak quickly. Unexpectedly, Zhan Yun smiled slightly and uttered a shocking statement: "Tonight, it's still me."

Duan Chen was so shocked by his words that he couldn't speak for a long time. After recovering, he pulled back his hand and foot and was about to close the door, but the other person stuck his foot between the two doors, then slid in and squeezed in. His forehead almost touched the other person's chin. Duan Chen took two steps back, his cheeks flushed slightly with anger: "You, you get out!"

Zhan Yun walked to the table and sat down cross-legged, looking at Duan Chen with a smile in her crescent-shaped eyes: "Go to sleep. I won't disturb you."

Duan Chen was speechless, and since he wasn't good at arguing, he could only glare coldly at the person who was smiling so gently and freely, his voice even colder and harder than usual: "Get out!"

Zhan Yun wasn't angry. She still smiled gently, but her voice was even softer: "We're doing this for your safety."

“He won’t be coming tonight,” Duan Chen said coldly.

“Another person died last night,” Zhan Yun calmly stated the fact.

Duan Chen's expression grew even more somber: "I've already said, he won't kill me."

Zhan Yun's smile also faded: "But he bullied you."

Duan Chen was speechless, his lips pressed tightly together. Just as he was thinking about how to get rid of this person, he heard a deep voice from the doorway: "Chen'er." Turning around, he saw Zhao Ting standing outside the door with a burning gaze. Duan Chen felt a wave of dizziness and his body trembled with anger. He took two steps forward and slammed the door shut, bolting it. Then, with a cold face, he walked back to the bedside, took off his shoes, sat on the bed, lowered the curtains, and leaned against the headboard, sulking.

Outside the door, Zhao Ting lowered his eyes, his thin lips pressed tightly together, and stiffly turned around, walking towards his room. Behind him, Zhou Yufei stepped forward and put his arm around Zhao Ting's shoulder, looking like close buddies, and sighed deeply with a pained expression: "Zhengping, this is where you went wrong! Playing rock-paper-scissors with that kid Xingzhi was just asking for trouble, wasn't it? Have you forgotten who his mother is? She was the 'Free-spirited Lady' Jing Ruchu, who once dominated the seven streets of Jiangnan! Rock-paper-scissors, dice, pitch-pot, dominoes—his mother only lost once in her life, and then she married our Uncle Zhan, have you forgotten?"

Zhao Ting stopped and slowly turned his head, his deep eyes fixed on Zhou Yufei. The courtyard was bathed in the tranquil light of the moonlit snow, and Zhou Yufei felt a chill run down his spine under the young prince's gaze. His arm, which had been hanging behind the prince's neck, unconsciously slid down: "Wh-what's wrong?"

Zhao Ting curled one corner of his mouth into a sinister smile, grabbed Zhou Yufei by the collar and dragged him out of the courtyard. Once outside the courtyard wall, he punched Zhou Yufei in the face, his fist landing squarely on the young master's prized peach blossom eyes, while muttering a curse: "Damn it! Why didn't you say so sooner!"

Inside the room, Zhan Yun listened to the commotion outside, her smile deepening, and she sighed softly, "Don't be angry. Go to sleep."

Duan Chen was utterly fed up with these two. Hearing their words, he knew they could even sense his presence perfectly, which made him feel even more suffocated. Having been through so much all day, he was truly exhausted. So, he tried to move as quietly as possible, took off his clothes, let his hair down, and lay down with his back to the edge of the bed. Slowly closing his eyes, Duan Chen pursed his lips in a fit of pique. Once he solved the case and got the painting, he would immediately return to the mountain and never see those three again in his life!

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The next day, until evening, there was no movement from the manor. People from various sects and families left one after another. Liu Yichen stood at the main gate, bowing and apologizing to each of them, offering them wine, books, and pastries. Inviting people to the old manor lord's sixtieth birthday banquet to enjoy plum blossoms and wine was originally a joyous occasion, but now several people had died or been injured, and Liu's niece had also tragically perished. The damage to Wanliu Manor's reputation was a minor matter; the enmity between Jiangnan and Jiangbei was far greater. As the young master of the manor, Liu Yichen naturally bore the blame. Coupled with the loss of loved ones, the successive blows of the past few days had made him increasingly thin, and his spirits were inevitably somewhat broken.

The manor wasn't particularly large, but it wasn't small either. For several days, Liu Yichen had been leading a search party, but they hadn't found a trace of Li Linge. All day, aside from seeing off the guests, Liu Yichen, along with Zuo Xin, Xiao Changqing, and Zhan Yun, had been walking around the manor, hoping to find some clue. In truth, this approach, akin to searching for a needle in a haystack, wasn't very effective, but it was better than waiting to die. After all, the Caiwei Axe should still be in his possession, and he could use it again at any time.

As evening approached, a cold wind brushed against my face, seemingly carrying a faint mist. The moon on the horizon was hidden behind the clouds, occasionally peeking out a corner of its hazy, dark yellow light, suggesting that another heavy snowfall was imminent.

Duan Chen and the others were looking around in a courtyard when suddenly a figure flashed by. Zhan Yun and Zhao Ting chased after it side by side. Zhou Yufei stood there, frowning as he watched the two figures disappear into the distance, then turned to Duan Chen with a smirk: "I've never seen those two run so fast before."