Untouchable Lovers-Chapter 160 - 143 Princess, Not a Princess
Chapter 160 -143 Princess, Not a Princess
After negotiating with the temple’s guardian monks, Chu Yu, Yue Jiefei, and Amman entered Jianchusi. The bodies of several monks who had been killed by the assassin were neatly arranged side by side on the ground in the main courtyard, with a few monks standing beside them, their faces pale and their voices low and uneasy as they discussed among themselves.
Chu Yu instructed Yue Jiefei to examine the bodies and then inquired about the situation from the monks nearby. According to the monks who witnessed the assassin’s killings, the assassin was entirely cloaked in black attire, with a broad-brimmed hat on his head and a piece of black satin covering the lower half of his face beneath the hat, completely concealing his features. However, each time the assassin swung his sword, a chilling, sharp, and prolonged shriek was emitted, reminiscent of the cry of a crane.
“It’s definitely He Jue,” Chu Yu confirmed after asking questions. After Yue Jiefei finished examining the bodies, he returned to Chu Yu’s side and took out a handkerchief to wipe the blood from his fingertips, “The bodies that were left behind bear his signature method of killing, a direct thrust to the throat, deadly with a single sword strike, executed with cruel and vicious precision. Furthermore, He Jue has a well-known trait: the piercing shriek his sword emits when he strikes swiftly, similar to the cry of a crane, which is also the origin of his nickname.”
Chu Yu nodded and said, “In that case, the assassin is undoubtedly He Jue.” But why would he want to kill Jiran? Was it a coincidence that the person he wanted to kill was the same person she was looking for, or is there any connection between her search for Jiran and him?
He Jue? How could it be He Jue?
What does he have to do with Wang Yizhi’s Jiran? And how is it related to the matter Wang Yizhi wanted to tell her?
Chu Yu intuitively felt that she must have overlooked something. The truth shouldn’t be this simple, it shouldn’t end here. But the more anxious she became, the less she could remember the element she had overlooked.
Why was it He Jue? She was now entirely absorbed by this question.
****************************
The person in black standing in front of Rong Zhi peeled off the outer black garment, revealing a bright red beneath.
Hua Cuo pulled down the mask with one swift movement, fanning her face to disperse the stifling sensation on her skin, “Why did you ask me to impersonate anyone but that annoying He Jue to commit murder?”
Rong Zhi smiled leisurely, “You two really are like children, harboring grudges over some trivial matter from years ago and neither willing to admit wrongdoing.” He had Hua Cuo carry out the task because Hua Cuo knew He Jue well; the two had once been close friends. Whether it was the method of swordplay or the crane-like cry emitted during the sword strikes, Hua Cuo could mimic them perfectly.
Hua Cuo curled her lip disdainfully, “Don’t compare me with him. I’m nothing like He Jue. Alright, I’ve done what you asked. The Princess won’t find Jiran now. I’m going back to rest.”
Rong Zhi gave a slight nod. He leaned against the green stone platform, the bamboo grove appearing rather desolate amidst the autumn cold. The platform was entirely cold to the touch, the chill of autumn infiltrating his clothing and piercing his body. Yet, Rong Zhi didn’t feel the cold. His gaze was soft and calm, not at all reflecting the demeanor of having just ordered a murder. He simply took out a folded piece of paper from his sleeve, unfolded it, and read its content: “Between heaven and earth, I roam freely. Zichu, there’s no need for farewells.”
As he looked at the note in the dying sunset’s glow, needle holes in the paper revealed the character “ran.” After a while, Rong Zhi sighed and said to himself, “Who would have thought that Wang Yizhi would leave such a twist before departing.”
Fortunately, this morning, Hua Cuo noticed Chu Yu’s strange expression after she left with the piece of paper and informed him of the day’s events and the full story upon their return to the Princess Mansion. Hua Cuo might have been fooled by the hidden message in Wang Yizhi’s writing, but how could it escape his own thoughts?
Upon detecting the hidden message within the text, Rong Zhi understood much with his intelligence. He didn’t ask for the reasoning behind it and didn’t need to verify anything with Jiran or Wang Yizhi. He simply said one word to Hua Cuo, “Kill.”
He then added, “Disguise yourself as He Jue.”
So sharp, so decisive, so ruthless, so meticulous.
And, without a hint of mercy.
The only pity was that Hua Cuo, who had just returned to report, had not managed to kill Jiran. In a critical moment, Jiran had escaped. However, Hua Cuo had left a deep wound on him, and without assistance for even a moment, Jiran would bleed out and die.
As long as the Princess did not see Jiran alive, since the ultimate goal had been achieved, Rong Zhi was not overly concerned about minor deviations in the process.
New novel 𝓬hapters are published on freёwebnoѵel.com.
“Wang Yizhi…” Rong Zhi slowly crumpled the paper, carefully storing the fragments in his chest, and couldn’t help but smile, “No need to see me off? You are quite open-minded, even if you realize the Princess is not the real one, you still disregard it completely, treating her just as you would Zichu, someone you recognize.”
He could never match Wang Yizhi’s easy-going nature, but he neither envied nor longed for it. He was clearly aware in his heart that he and Wang Yizhi were fundamentally different people. It was a choice each had made, clear and rational, and, moreover, without regret.
He then meticulously pondered over the various paths ahead, calculating the roles his chess pieces on hand could play, and the confluence of influences from all sides. Such calculations were extremely complex and tedious, yet he remained unruffled, neatly unraveling and organizing each strand like unwinding cocoons, as if an invisible yet powerful iron hand deftly unified and controlled all these elements.
He did not know how much time had passed when he felt a touch of fatigue and slowly closed his eyes, falling asleep amid the bamboo forest.
As his eyes closed, dusk fell, and darkness enveloped him.
*********************************
In the following days, Chu Yu kept sending people to search for Jiran, clinging to the last thread of hope that, without seeing Jiran’s body, she couldn’t be certain he was dead.
Alive, they must bring back the person; dead, they must bring back the body.
Apart from searching for Jiran, Chu Yu also wanted to find Wang Yizhi, but it seemed even more difficult than finding Jiran. Wang Yizhi had left the day before she had seen the note he left. By the time she learned of Jiran’s death, more than a whole day had passed, and Yizhi had vanished without a trace. She did not know his objective and was even less willing to search for him ostentatiously, fearing that before she could find Wang Yizhi, someone else would have already killed him.
Beyond sending people to scour the city for Jiran’s whereabouts, Chu Yu visited the slum where Wang Yizhi had previously lived every day, hoping to glean something from the neighbors about his words and actions before he left, and if possible, deduce some clues.
After several days of disappointment, Chu Yu finally found a lead. A resident living a street away from Wang Yizhi’s place took her to an old, dirty wooden house with a large hole in its roof and rot-damaged doors and walls that looked like they would collapse with a single push.
The occupant of this house was a hunchback who made straw sandals, but years ago, he had been a guard in the Inner Garden of the Princess Mansion.
