Función clerical

Capítulo 54

Her entry point was extremely precise, instantly sealing his throat, causing blood to splatter.

Shen Zhili tossed aside the dagger, her lips trembling, "It's alright, don't think about it anymore."

...She was terrified. In his entire life, Shen Zhili had only saved people and never killed anyone, but...she didn't want Hua Jiuye to bear the pain of possibly killing her father.

If she has to take responsibility, then she should end it.

Looking up, Hua Jiuye stared at her as if he had lost his soul.

Shen Zhili paused for a moment, wiped the blood off her body, and smiled at him: "It's alright, it's all over."

Hanako murmured, "It's over..."

Just as Shen Zhili was about to speak, Hua Jiuye suddenly hugged her tightly, tears streaming down his face without warning. In that instant, he cried like a child.

Shen Zhili was taken aback again, then relaxed and hugged him back.

Chapters 4 and 5

Hua Jiuye's vulnerability didn't last long. In just a moment, he pushed Shen Zhili away, stood up, and walked out without looking back.

After wiping away the tear stains, her expression returned to normal, except for a slight redness at the corner of her eye.

Shen Zhili did not chase after him; leaving him alone at this time might not be a bad thing.

Just as I was about to go out, I heard a gurgling sound in my ear.

The man lying on the ground was still alive; Hua Jiuye's dagger had only cut his throat, but it wasn't fatal.

However, excessive blood loss means death is not far off.

As Shen Zhili approached, the man grabbed her sleeve, his throat bobbing as if he wanted to say something. Finally, he dipped his finger in the blood on the ground and wrote two large characters.

Help me.

Then he took out a package from his pocket and handed it to Shen Zhili, his eyes full of pleading.

Shen Zhili sighed, knowing that her maternal instincts had kicked in again.

After working for half a day to pull the person back from the brink of death, Shen Zhili finally had time to look at what the person had given him, which was a scroll wrapped in rather old packaging.

It wasn't large; inside was an imperial edict and several thin sheets of paper, written in fine brushstrokes, with several people's signatures and handprints at the bottom.

After reading it, Shen Zhili gasped.

It's unbelievable...

The dungeons of the Gu King's Palace and the Southern Frontier Royal Palace are not located in the same place.

Shen Zhili held the paper in her hand and went to find Qingxing. Upon hearing this, Qingxing said to her, "It's nothing. The Gu King's Palace has always been indifferent to worldly affairs and has never paid any attention to the royal family of the Southern Frontier. I'll just send some people to go with you."

Nodding, Shen Zhili thanked him, but then turned back with some confusion: "Why haven't I seen your house today..."

Qingxing scratched her head: "Commander Lei is here, he's gone to take refuge..."

Does Su Chenche still need to hide?

Shen Zhili's doubts were clearly written on her face.

Qingxing sighed, "Valley Master Shen, if you've heard of the Twelve Nights, you should know that the Twelve Nights are divided into four halls and one department. You both know the Flower Hall Master Zhai Feng and me. She specializes in money, power, and beauty, while I am in charge of gathering intelligence and passing on information. The Thunder and Rain Halls also have their own responsibilities. And this last department is the secret unit of the Twelve Nights, which is in charge of supervising punishments... No matter what, we wouldn't dare disobey Young Master's orders, but Commander Lei has no such restriction. Every time he sees Young Master, the first thing he does is to attack with weapons and beat him to death..."

Shen Zhili: "I admire you so much..."

Qingxing sighed again: "Commander Lei and the young master are childhood sweethearts, they've suffered far more than we have..."

Shen Zhili: "...I understand."

Seeing that Qingxing was about to launch into a long speech, Shen Zhili stopped her in time, saying, "Sect Leader Qing, there's no need to talk about things that need to be discussed at length now. Could you please have someone take me to the Gu King's Palace first?"

Before she even stepped out the door, Qingxing suddenly called out as if she had remembered something, "Valley Master Shen..."

Shen Zhili: "What is it?"

Qingxing suddenly started stammering, seemingly struggling.

Shen Zhili was in a hurry to leave: "Master Qing, if you can't remember now, let's talk about it another day."

Qingxing: "No need, I'll tell you now..." His eyes looked at Shen Zhili, revealing a strange emotion, like, sympathy?

Shen Zhili was puzzled. What was there for me to sympathize with?

"Valley Master Shen, Commander Lei wishes to see you. He has some matters concerning the young master that he would like to discuss with you."

What about Su Chenche?

"This is no big deal," Shen Zhili smiled and said, "I understand. I'll go see Commander Lei when I get back."

Qingxing watched Shen Zhili walk away silently, thinking with a bitter expression, "This kind of stern role should really be left to Commander Lei."

******************************************************************************

The Gu King Palace was almost completely destroyed by Hua Jiuye last time, and it has not been rebuilt yet.

With mixed feelings, Shen Zhili walked in. Compared to the Southern Border Royal Palace, the defenses of the Gu King's Palace were extremely weak.

He instructed Su Chenche's men to knock one of them unconscious, and after finding out that Ge Chui was currently conducting research in the Hundred Gu Hall, he headed towards the dungeon.

Upon entering, a rotten and sour stench filled the air.

Before they even reached the cell, they heard a hoarse, unpleasant voice: "Little girl, what brings you here again?"

Shen Zhili: "How did you know it was me?"

The man said, "I can smell the medicine on you from a long distance, of course I know."

Shen Zhili took a deep breath: "You really don't remember... who you are at all? What if I tell you who you are..."

The man, gripping the railing, suddenly exclaimed excitedly, "Do you know who I am?"

The hand holding the paper tightened.

She knew, she definitely knew, but... was this person really the former king of Southern Xinjiang, Hua Jiuye's father?

Shen Zhili pursed her lips and said, "Can you rescue him?"

The man in black behind him said with some distress, "We probably can't get our hands on this black iron, but there's a keyhole on it. If we could get the key..."

The man leaned back and chuckled, "Young lady, I appreciate your kindness... but..."

Shen Zhili clenched her fist and said resolutely, "I will get you out."

Regardless of whether this person is Hua Jiuye's biological father or not, if she had to choose, she would rather believe that this is Hua Jiuye's father.

The Hundred Gu Hall is located at the deepest part of the entire Gu King Hall.

The guards were clearly much stronger than those outside, and a direct confrontation would likely be a fierce battle. After a moment's thought, Shen Zhili stopped at the door and called out loudly, "Lord Gechui! Could you please come out for a moment? I need to speak with you!"

The man in black robes: "..."

This method worked very well; before long, Ge Chui strolled out from inside with an air of nonchalance.

He glanced at Shen Zhili, his expression still expressionless, and began with the same opening line: "Where is Hua Jiuye?"

...He's really persistent.

Shen Zhili: "Lord Gechui, can I make a deal with you? I want to exchange that person in the dungeon for you, anything is fine... Of course, if it's inconvenient..."

Gechui: "There's nothing inconvenient about it. The royal family of Southern Xinjiang has nothing to do with me. There's only one thing I want to exchange."

Unexpectedly, Kabuki was surprisingly easy to talk to. Before he could finish his remark, Kabuki continued, "I want the Gu Emperor."

Shen Zhili was startled and reflexively thought of Hua Jiuye.

But Hua Jiuye said... the dozens of Gu poisons in his body were suppressed by the Gu Emperor, and once the Gu Emperor was lost...

"I'll switch with you."

Shen Zhili turned her head in surprise and saw that Hua Jiuye had changed into a new dress, leaning against the railing with her long legs outstretched, and she smiled coldly.

He repeated Shen Zhili's words: "I'll trade the Gu King for the people in the dungeon."

Shen Zhili: "Senior brother, what are you doing here?"

A snake's head emerged from behind Hua Jiuye. Hua Jiuye gently stroked the snake's head: "Come take my snake away, and while you're at it, make a deal with him..."

Shen Zhili panicked: "Don't be impulsive! What will you do if you give the Gu Emperor to him?"

Hua Jiuye raised an eyebrow: "What can we do? We'll just have to give it to them."

Shen Zhili: "Then your Gu poison... Hua Jiuye, I finally managed to save your life! Your life is mine! How could you just casually..."

Hua Jiuye raised his hand, and a silver tael flew in a parabola and hit Shen Zhili on the head.

"You idiot, what's going on in your pig brain?"

The blow to her head caused Shen Zhili to clutch her head, only to discover that what had rolled onto the ground was actually a tael of silver!

Throw silver at her! Are you kidding me?!

Is this what silver is used for?!

You bastard! You spendthrift!

Shen Zhili silently bent down to pick up the silver, while Hua Jiuye had already kicked something wrapped in a straw mat to Gechui: "The Gu King is fresh and hot. It has only been dead for less than twelve hours. The Gu Emperor should still be alive. Just find a host to parasitize."

A corner of the straw mat was lifted, revealing the precious crown of the King of Southern Xinjiang.

Shen Zhili then remembered... Hua Jiuye wasn't the only one with the Gu Emperor; the Southern King also had one in his body.

Gechui saw a flicker of excitement cross his ashen face.

Then he bent down to untie the straw mat, took out a dagger from his pocket, and began to work on the corpse. Before long, he showed a satisfied smile and then casually tossed a string of silver keys over.

After taking the key, Hua Jiuye walked towards the dungeon without saying a word.

Shen Zhili probed: "Hua Jiuye... why... why did you save the people in the dungeon..."

Hua Jiuye paused for a moment, then said calmly, "He has that jade pendant. It's the jade pendant my mother kept close to her heart. The only people in this world who can recognize it are me and..."

Shen Zhili breathed a sigh of relief; thankfully, he didn't know yet...

If Hanako knew, she would be sad.

He used to love bragging to her, saying how beautiful his mother was, a thousand times, ten thousand times more beautiful than her, this ugly duckling. Then he would talk about how heroic and extraordinary his father was, how intelligent and wise, describing him in such vivid and exaggerated way that it was like a god descending to earth. In the end, he concluded that his father was even more of a master than his own master.

now……

Shen Zhili silently watched as Hua Jiuye used the key to unlock the chains. The man exclaimed in surprise, "You guys actually got the key! How could Gechui..."