Shen Lixue was startled: "Are you sure?"
"Your Highness, I am absolutely certain that this corpse is not Su Lie!" Zi Mo picked up the charred arm and pointed to the several pieces of hand bones, saying:
“Su Lie was highly skilled in martial arts, and his joints were much thicker than the average person’s. Before he died, he was poisoned. Although the poison did not take effect, his bones should have been faintly black. But look at this hand bone. The joints are only slightly thicker. It belongs to a martial artist with low skill. The bones are white, no different from those of a normal person. This is definitely not Su Lie’s corpse!”
The person wearing Su Lie's clothes and wielding Su Lie's sword is not Su Lie. There is only one possibility: "Su Lie is still alive. He escaped using the Golden Cicada Shedding Its Shell technique!"
An explosion and a fire at the Su residence led everyone to believe that Su Lie was dead and that no one would pursue him anymore. They thought he had escaped and could live freely.
Dongfang Heng left the small house and walked into the burned-down Su residence, strolling slowly as if taking a walk: "The city gates have been opened, and there's no need for strict checks anymore. Su Lie must have already left the city!"
Shen Lixue narrowed her eyes slightly: "I saw that explosion very clearly, and the person who was fighting Dongfang Zhan was indeed killed in the explosion." In other words, the man who was fighting Dongfang Zhan was not Su Lie from the beginning.
Dongfang Zhan is very clever. After exchanging so many blows with the imposter, it's impossible that he couldn't tell that it was fake. The fact that he calmly and ruthlessly killed him suggests only one possibility: he was helping Su Lie escape unscathed.
Su Lie is a criminal, so keeping him disguised as a bodyguard and protecting him closely is indeed very secure, but unforeseen circumstances cannot be ruled out. As clever as Dongfang Zhan is, he has already come up with a contingency plan. As long as Su Lie's identity is exposed, Su Lie will return to the mansion and set fire to the mansion, erasing everything related to him.
And those stray arrows were meant to pin all the blame on Su Lie, clear Dongfang Zhan's name, and then have Su Lie change his identity and continue to do evil for him. Haha, those two are really clever.
"Dongfang Zhan is seriously injured and unconscious. Su Lie appeared by his side as a secret guard. The Emperor still has doubts about him. However, without evidence, he cannot be punished!" Dongfang Heng said calmly as he walked into the room where Su Lie had lived and carefully examined the strips of charred cloth fluttering in the wind.
"Dongfang Zhan and Su Lie are intertwined; if one suffers, the other suffers; if one prospers, the other prospers. If Su Lie lives a carefree life, Dongfang Zhan will also escape justice. Only when Su Lie is arrested will Dongfang Zhan be brought to justice!"
Shen Lixue frowned. Su Lie had already escaped from the capital. Where were they going to catch him?
Feeling depressed, she kicked aside a piece of broken tile with her embroidered shoes, revealing a small patch of light red soil. Confused, she muttered to herself, "Isn't soil supposed to be charred black or yellow after being burned? Why is this light red?"
“Light red soil?” Dongfang Heng’s gaze sharpened, and he turned around abruptly. The small patch of soil at Shen Lixue’s feet had a unique color: “This is not scorched soil, but light red soil unique to a mountain.”
Shen Lixue's eyes lit up: "Which mountain?"
"Fire Yin Mountain!"
Huoyin Mountain is over a hundred miles from the capital. The fact that soil from there appeared in Su Lie's room indicates that Su Lie had been there. The area around that mountain is sparsely populated and is indeed a good place to hide.
Zi Mo hurried over and reported, "Your Highness, Your Highness, Prince Zhan has arrived!"
Despite suffering severe internal injuries, Dongfang Zhan was able to wake up so quickly; he's no ordinary person.
Shen Lixue glanced to the side and saw Dongfang Zhan slowly walking over, supported by a guard. His handsome face was deathly pale, his lips were also pale, his eyes were tired, and he was walking unsteadily, like a patient who had suffered a serious illness and was very weak.
"Prince An, Li Xue, have you found any useful clues?" Dongfang Zhan walked into the ruins, coughed a few times, and asked softly.
"Not yet!" Shen Lixue raised the corners of her mouth slightly, looking at him with a half-smile. In order to make the play more realistic, he deliberately suffered such a serious injury. He was really ruthless to himself.
Having just woken up, instead of resting properly at his residence, he rushed to the Su residence. Was he afraid that she and Dongfang Heng would find out some clues?
"No clues!" Dongfang Zhan's tone was somewhat disappointed, but his eyes shone almost imperceptibly. The Su family mansion had been completely destroyed, and in full view of everyone, the Su family had fired privately made arrows. He had captured Su Lie and was seriously injured, almost losing his life. Who would still suspect that he was the mastermind behind it all?
"Dongfang Heng, I told you long ago that I didn't kill Dongfang Xun, but you never believed me. Now you believe me!" Dongfang Zhan's lips curled into a smug, eerie smile. Su Lie died with all the charges against him, but he could clear his name and restore his innocence.
Dongfang Heng could only believe that Dongfang Xun was killed by Su Lie. Even though he was resentful, there was nothing he could do about it.
Dongfang Heng gave him a cold look, said nothing, his eyes flashing with icy coldness.
"Prince Zhan is injured, please go back to your residence and rest!" Shen Lixue knew that Dongfang Zhan was provoking Dongfang Heng again, so she coldly gave him the order to leave.
"Su Lie is dead, and the affairs of the Su family have come to an end. You have been busy for a long time, so why don't you go back to your residence and rest?" Dongfang Zhan looked at Shen Lixue with gentle eyes and a soft voice, full of concern.
Dongfang Xun's death is a funeral for the Holy King's Mansion. No matter how much Dongfang Heng likes Shen Lixue, he cannot marry her in the short term. He has plenty of time to pursue Shen Lixue.
"Li Xue and I have things to do and will not be returning to the manor for the time being!" Dongfang Heng said coldly, grabbed Chen Li Xue's wrist, and strode forward, bypassing Dongfang Zhan.
Dongfang Zhan's gaze sharpened: "Where are you going?"
"Go do your business!" Dongfang Heng strode forward, answering coldly without turning his head, the gust of wind he stirred up causing his clothes to flutter and his dark hair to flow.
Dongfang Zhan frowned. Such a rush meant something was definitely not simple. Su Lie had just died, and Qingyan Capital was in the midst of a turbulent period. Dongfang Heng was cunning and treacherous; he had to be careful. "I will accompany you!"
"Your Highness, you are injured and should not overexert yourself!" a guard beside you said urgently.
Dongfang Zhan gave him a cold glare, and the guards immediately fell silent, gently supporting Dongfang Zhan as they walked steadily forward.
Hearing the footsteps behind him, sometimes light and sometimes heavy, Dongfang Heng's lips curled into a graceful smile. Dongfang Zhan had indeed fallen for it.
Dongfang Heng and Shen Lixue left the city in a carriage and quickly traveled along the official road, with a large number of guards following closely behind the carriage.
Dongfang Zhan was seriously injured and unable to ride a horse. He was alone in a carriage. The carriage was moving very steadily, but because of his serious injuries, even a slight bump would make him feel extremely uncomfortable. The journey was bumpy, making him dizzy and causing him a sharp pain in his chest, as if he were being pricked by needles.
Taking a deep breath, he lifted the carriage curtain and looked at the guards galloping on horseback on both sides. A very ominous premonition rose in his heart. What exactly did Dongfang Heng want to do?
The carriage sped faster and faster, taking them further and further from the capital, gradually entering a desolate land. Looking at the increasingly familiar scenery, Dongfang Zhan was greatly alarmed. Why had Dongfang Heng brought people here? Had he discovered something?
"Screech!" The carriage, which was moving at high speed, suddenly stopped. Dongfang Zhan was distracted for a moment and lost his balance. His slender body fell straight forward, and his forehead hit the carriage wall hard. It burned with pain, and he saw stars.
Dongfang Heng's voice rang out from outside the carriage: "Your Highness, this is it!"
Dongfang Zhan glared hatefully at the car wall. If he hadn't been injured, he wouldn't be in such a sorry state!
He endured the pain, lifted the curtain, and stepped down from the carriage. Looking at the familiar scenery, he was greatly alarmed, but remained outwardly calm: "Dongfang Heng, Imperial Brother, what are you going to do?"
Looking at the light red particles on the mountain, Dongfang Heng said coldly, "Su Lie is not dead. He is hiding here. This king and the crown prince will bring men to capture him!"
Dongfang Zhan was horrified. He secretly gave the guard a wink, but on the surface he looked nonchalant: "Su Lie's body was blown to pieces, how could he not be dead!"
Several bodyguards appeared out of thin air and whispered a few words to Dongfang Heng. His gaze sharpened, and a faint scent of pine resin wafted through the air. In an instant, he appeared in front of Dongfang Zhan, and his jade-like fingers moved with lightning speed, quickly striking the major acupoints around his body.
Dongfang Zhan was shocked. His eyes narrowed, and he raised his hand to block. He was seriously injured and could only use up three-tenths of his inner strength. His all-out block was easily broken by Dongfang Heng, who pressed several major acupoints on his body: "Dongfang Heng, have you imprisoned me?"