Volume 1, Chapter 7: A Startling Dream in Crane City (4)
Section Four: Unending Hatred
Upon hearing this, Xiao Zuo's face turned cold, and Gong Feicui jumped up: "Sister Qiansu, what are you saying!"
I stared at Xiao Zuo and spoke each word slowly: "I said, the murderer who killed Mr. Baili is none other than Young Master Xiao Zuo!"
Xiao Zuo stood there stunned for a long time, then suddenly burst into laughter: "Fine, fine, you say I'm the murderer... where's the evidence?"
"If I had evidence, why would I have let you remain hidden until now?" My heart was filled with bitterness, and my voice trembled even more. "Early on, after the Yellow River shipwreck, I found it strange. Who was Du Sanniang? How could you have captured her so easily? And since you captured her, why didn't you kill her or force her to reveal her mastermind? Instead, you let her escape. That's one reason. Before Du Sanniang left, she left behind a bracelet, which I kept close to my body, but it mysteriously disappeared. Then, it mysteriously fell out of the young lady's new clothes... When Yu Cui brought the new clothes that day, I happened to meet you on the stairs. If you didn't steal the bracelet and then secretly put it back, who else could it be?"
Xiao Zuo remained expressionless, but Gong Feicui's face paled, her eyes flickering as if she wanted to speak but hesitated. I took in their expressions, my sneer deepening: "We're allies. If you want that bracelet, just say so, why wouldn't I give it to you? But why did you steal it? Why!"
Gong Feicui finally couldn't help but say, "That bracelet is indeed..."
As soon as he said those words, Xiao Zuo's expression changed drastically. He reached out and grabbed her arm as if to stop her, but she easily broke free.
Gong Feicui smiled at him, then turned to me and said, "Xiao Zuo suspected there was something wrong with the bracelet, so he took it to the Dragon King for appraisal. The reason he didn't make a fuss was because he was afraid there was a traitor among us and didn't want to alert the enemy. I know about this, Sister Qiansu, please don't wrong him."
Xiao Zuo let out a soft sigh, lightly patting his forehead with his backhand, looking helpless. I glanced at him coldly and said, "Oh, really? A traitor? It seems Young Master Xiao and I are really on the same page. But I wonder what the Dragon King has identified this time?"
Gong Feicui said, "There is a mechanism inside the bracelet that can hide a hidden strip, but it's empty."
“Miss,” I turned to her and asked with unusual seriousness, “Miss, you saw the bracelet beforehand, could you tell there was a mechanism inside?”
Gong Feicui was stunned.
"That's just an ordinary twisted silver bracelet. Neither you nor I could see anything unusual about it. How did Xiao Zuo figure it out?"
“This…” Gong Feicui bit her lip, “That’s why he took it to the Dragon King because he couldn’t tell either.”
"That's even stranger. Was the young lady present when the Dragon King opened the bracelet? Did she see the hidden compartment inside with her own eyes?"
Gong Feicui was stunned again: "I... wasn't there, but..."
"Since the young lady wasn't present at the time, how could she know that Xiao Zuo hadn't taken the contents of the bracelet?"
Gong Feicui stood there, stunned, her expression growing increasingly complex, like a pebble thrown into a lake, creating ripples. I knew she was wavering, so I immediately looked at Xiao Zuo and pressed, "So the bracelet really was stolen by you? Why did you try to stop Miss from telling anyone? Because you knew she wouldn't suspect you, but I would, right?"
Xiao Zuo let out a sigh of relief, his previously astonished expression suddenly relaxing. He said lazily, "If that's what you want to say, there's nothing I can do. I did take the bracelet, but to call me the murderer based solely on that is ridiculous, isn't it?"
I smiled sarcastically and said, "Since I dare to say that you are the murderer, there must be more than just these two suspicious points."
Gong Feicui raised her eyes, and her gaze held a bewilderment and helplessness I had never seen before. My heart stirred, and I felt a pang of pity: "Young Miss, at this moment, would you rather not know the truth?" Actually, I didn't want to either. If there were any other choice, I wouldn't want things to turn out like this… But! I can't, I can't let Baili Chenfeng die in vain, absolutely not!
I gritted my teeth, walked to the bedside, and said, "Young Master Xiao, please tell me, who is he?"
Xiao Zuo's gaze narrowed sharply when he saw Baili Chenfeng's corpse, and he murmured, "He was my friend..."
“Friend?” I interrupted him with a cold laugh: “Fine, let’s assume he’s your friend for now. But what about his identity?”
"The number one swordsman in Baili City."
"Is that all?" I gently stroked Baili Chenfeng's ever-present sword. The sword remained, but the man was dead... A surge of hatred welled up within me, and I said sharply, "If I'm not mistaken, he was still the heir to the next Baili City Lord, wasn't he?"
Xiao Zuo's eyes flashed, as if he had seen through the meaning of my words. He stared at me intently and said in a hoarse voice, "You overheard my conversation with Chen Feng?"
"It wasn't eavesdropping, you just couldn't control your volume." I said shrilly, "Young Master Xiao is usually so calm, what made you so angry? Baili Chenfeng respects you as a friend, what made him so agitated? The Baili City envoy rushed over, saying that there was chaos in the city, and the four elders were each supporting their own and fighting for the position of city lord. Then you two had a fight. Isn't that related to the struggle for the position of city lord?"
His pupils began to contract.
A hush fell over the room. Of the six people, two stared in disbelief, one remained silent, one had tears in his eyes, and the other lay on the bed, his hands and feet cold, no longer breathing. As for me, I took a deep breath, trying my best to calm myself down. At this moment, I needed to seize control. I needed to unravel this complex situation, to ensure that Xiao Zuo had nowhere to escape!
"And please tell me, Young Master Xiao, who are you?"
Xiao Zuo remained silent. Gong Feicui stared at him nervously, but also did not utter a word.
I raised an eyebrow and said, "What, Young Master Xiao, are you afraid to speak? If you won't speak, I will. You're from Baili City!"
Before he could react, I continued, "First, Baili City has always been shrouded in mystery. Why was the route for this trip set by you, this so-called 'outsider,' instead of Baili Chenfeng himself? Second, if you're not from Baili City, how would you know that Baili Chenfeng is also a religious follower? Neither Miss nor I knew that! Third, just yesterday, Miss and I overheard you arguing about Baili City. Xiao Zuo, how do you explain all this?"
Xiao Zuo remained silent, while Gong Feicui's face paled even more.
"In my opinion, Young Master Xiao is probably more than just a disciple of the city! Everyone knows that Baili Wenming has never married and has only one adopted son who is arrogant and unruly, and immune to all poisons. During the Thunderbolt Hall's ambush, everyone except the young lady with the Transformation Lock and Baili Chenfeng who took the antidote beforehand collapsed. Why are you, Young Master Xiao, unharmed? How could you possibly escape the Purple Fragrance Slow just by staying by my side? You lied to me! Everyone in the martial world says you are a good-for-nothing spendthrift, but along the way, I have seen that your martial arts and wisdom are outstanding, not at all like the rumors. So, why are you pretending? Why are you portraying yourself as the number one spendthrift and dissolute person in the world? What is your purpose?"
My tone grew increasingly intense, each word ringing with conviction. Given the room's limited space, my final question seemed to resonate throughout the entire world—but what was it all for? What was it?
Now that things have come to a head, there's no need to hold back anymore. I immediately voiced all my suspicions: "Afterwards, I pondered deeply and finally realized that the reason you went to such lengths and insisted on killing Baili Chenfeng was because you wanted to become the new city lord of Baili City, because you are the legendary adopted son of the city lord!"
Xiao Zuo flinched, finally showing some reaction. I knew this was an absolutely crucial moment; one slip could give him an opportunity to turn the tide. Therefore, I couldn't allow him even the slightest opening. Xiao Zuo, oh Xiao Zuo, no one can play tricks on me, not before, and not ever again!
“The fact that Baili Chenfeng obeys your every command shows that your status in Baili City is higher than his. And in Baili City, besides the City Lord Baili Wenming, only one person is higher than him, and that is the City Lord’s adopted son. With Baili Wenming dead, he has become your strongest rival for the position of City Lord, so he had to die. Miss, you shouldn’t have forgotten what he said when he argued with Baili Chenfeng yesterday, right?” I looked at the bloodless Gong Feicui and repeated those words with unusual coldness and cruelty, “He said—so you should disappear as soon as possible. With me, that’s enough.”
Gong Feicui closed her eyes in pain.
I looked at Xiao Zuo: "Did you say that? Did I hear you correctly? Am I making false accusations against you?"
Xiao Zuo's gaze was fixed on Gong Feicui, a complex mix of helplessness, pity, sadness, and grief in his eyes. It was no wonder that even the usually proud and aloof Miss Gong had fallen for this man. Unfortunately, of all people, she had to fall for him!
I knelt down beside Baili Chenfeng, staring at the wound between his brows, and tears welled up in my eyes. He was dead... dead... dead...
So that nightmare I had was real. After that goodbye, we really did meet again in the afterlife! Chenfeng, I won't let you die in vain, I will never let you die in vain!