Yangzhou City, inside the Lord of the City’s Mansion.
Lu Li sat upright in the guest seat, his expression calm, but his eyes were as deep and unfathomable as an ancient well.
His gaze casually swept over the antiques and furnishings in the hall as he awaited the arrival of Zhao Zongchang.
Gong Shangyu stood at Lu Li’s side, gently fanning with the Baiyu Bone Fan in his hand.
His demeanor was suave, resembling the image of a loyal but cunning strategist.
Yet beneath his lowered eyelids, sharp glints flickered like blades.
Lu Li and Gong Shangyu waited anxiously when suddenly the sound of forced laughter came from the door—the accompanying smile of Lord Zhao Zongchang.
“Ahahaha… Master Lu! Sorry… sorry that as the city lord, I’ve been quite negligent~ Sigh… such a huge incident just happened in the city, and yet I’m the last one to hear about it…”
Zhao Zongchang spoke as he entered the room, occasionally pulling out a handkerchief to pretend to wipe sweat.
Finally, his eyes paused briefly on Gong Shangyu, a hint of perfectly measured curiosity in his gaze, before turning to Lu Li with a cupped-hand salute.
“Master Lu, your esteemed presence honors us—please forgive this poor welcome… Uh… Master Lu, may I ask who this young gentleman at your side is?”
Lu Li slightly nodded, his tone even and unruffled.
“This is the Young Lord of the Danding Pavilion, Shang Baiyu, Young Lord Shang. This humble Daoist is currently investigating demonic traces, and Young Lord Shang and his Danding Pavilion have contributed greatly in this matter…”
Upon hearing this, Zhao Zongchang immediately recalled how he had previously diverted Lu Li to the Danding Pavilion to interfere with the investigation.
The smile on his face stiffened instantly.
Yet, just as quickly, he forced a bright and warm smile, though it only skimmed the surface, faintly tinged with the politeness and distance typical of officialdom.
“So it’s Young Lord Shang! An honor, an honor! I’ve long heard of the famous Danding Pavilion. For such a young man as Young Lord Shang to travel with a grand figure like Master Lu, and even assist him so much, truly an accomplished young man indeed…”
Though polite, Zhao Zongchang’s words were laced with subtle disdain, as if implying that Gong Shangyu was merely a spoiled scion relying on family background.
Gong Shangyu inwardly sneered but showed no expression outwardly.
Instead, he seized Zhao Zongchang’s words and suddenly snapped the Baiyu Bone Fan shut, revealing a mixed expression of slight grievance and confusion, though his tone remained respectful.
“Heh… Lord Zhao’s praise of ‘accomplished young man’ is far too generous, and I dare not accept it. However…”
Gong Shangyu shifted his tone slightly, his clear eyes locking on Zhao Zongchang.
“Regarding my family’s Danding Pavilion, I do harbor some doubts I wish to discuss with Lord Zhao.”
“I had heard rumors that recently, within the City Lord’s Mansion, there were some gossip linking my Danding Pavilion to the disappearance of children…”
“Perhaps even reaching the ears of Elder Lu, prompting him to personally visit my Danding Pavilion and investigate the matter firsthand…”
“Heh… Lord Zhao, have you heard such rumors recently? And do you know where these rumors originated?”
Gong Shangyu’s question was deftly posed—seemingly humble and inquisitive, but in reality directly placing the accusation of slander on Zhao Zongchang’s head.
The smile on Zhao Zongchang’s face stiffened slightly, a flicker of panic flashing in his eyes, but he quickly covered it up with an exaggerated display of regret, slapping his left thigh.
“Oh dear! Young Lord Shang’s words make me feel utterly ashamed! This matter… this matter is truly a huge misunderstanding!”
He beat his chest and stomped his feet, looking every bit the grief-stricken, self-reproaching incompetent official.
“Ahhh… it’s all the fault of the fools beneath me who do their jobs poorly, and the ignorant townsfolk who spread baseless rumors!”
“They lack insight, chasing shadows and gossip, causing me to be misled and to wrongly suspect a conscientious business like the Danding Pavilion!”
Having spoken, Zhao Zongchang stood and bowed deeply before Gong Shangyu with utmost sincerity, but the crafty old fox suddenly changed tone, trying to brush the matter aside lightly.
“Heh… but come to think of it, if it weren’t for this ‘misunderstanding’ between us, Master Lu and Young Lord Shang would never have met so smoothly, nor joined forces in pursuit of the culprit as they do today…”
“In some sense, this too is fate~”
Zhao Zongchang’s roundabout evasion was flawless, prompting Gong Shangyu’s silent curse at the old fox’s guile in official circles.
After this exchange of pleasantries, Lu Li got straight to the point and asked Zhao Zongchang about the patrol details and eyewitness reports from the city guards during the incident, as well as the situation inside the City Lord’s Mansion at the time.
Zhao Zongchang was clearly prepared, launching into a flawless performance of grief and self-blame.
Yet as he spoke, Lu Li’s sharp eyes caught a barely noticeable stiffness and sluggishness in Zhao Zongchang’s right arm movements, along with his subconscious avoidance of placing weight or making large motions with that arm.
Lu Li lifted his teacup, lightly blowing away the froth, then casually asked, “Lord Zhao, it seems your right arm is somewhat restricted…”
“Have you perhaps overexerted yourself recently or suffered an injury?”
At this, Zhao Zongchang’s heart suddenly skipped a beat, a cold sweat breaking out on his back.
Fortunately, he reacted quickly and immediately forced a wry and helpless smile.
He then rubbed his nose with his left hand, lowering his voice with a hint of embarrassment as he confessed,
“Heh… Master, I’m afraid this is somewhat embarrassing…”
“To be honest, this isn’t due to official duties, but a personal family matter.”
“Since my daughter passed away from illness two years ago, my wife and I have often thought about having another child. Tonight, we had a quarrel over this…”
“This arm was injured just now…”
No sooner had Zhao Zongchang said this than Gong Shangyu immediately covered his face with his fan and quietly teased,
“Oh… I see, so Lord Zhao, the ‘grapevine in your backyard has fallen’~”
Zhao Zongchang’s expression stiffened further, forced into an awkward smile as he rubbed his nose and scratched the back of his head, perfectly playing the role of a henpecked and powerless husband.
Seeing this, a flicker of subtle strangeness crossed Lu Li’s eyes before he pressed on, asking,
“Oh? Lord Zhao, that strange scent on you—could it be that your wife was so provoked she grabbed the night pot beside the bed and hurled it at you?”
Zhao Zongchang’s heart instantly jumped into his throat!
Recalling his own humiliating moment at the Zhou family’s place, his face stiffened like marble.
He thought, Could Master Lu possibly be a dog zodiac?
How else could he smell the “mark” he had just left on himself?
A fleeting flush of embarrassment crossed his face, and he hastily explained, “Heh… Master, your nose is truly sharp!”
“Don’t mention it! When I came to meet you earlier, I was in a rush and accidentally kicked over the chamber pot under the corridor! I was splattered with filth. Though I changed clothes, the smell lingered somewhat.”
Zhao Zongchang’s excuse was flawless, though little did he know Lu Li hadn’t actually smelled anything on him, but his explanation unwittingly revealed his true situation.
Lu Li gave Zhao Zongchang a deep, inscrutable look, then gave a subtle signal to Gong Shangyu.
Gong Shangyu suddenly covered his mouth with his fan and coughed lightly twice, his cheeks faintly tinged with an unnatural blush as he apologized to both Lu Li and Zhao Zongchang.
“Elder Lu, Lord Zhao, I suddenly feel an urgent need to relieve myself. I’m not familiar with the location of the latrine here—might I be excused?”
Zhao Zongchang, overwhelmed by Lu Li’s interrogation, was eager for a chance to catch his breath.
Facing the combined questioning of this unscrupulous master and disciple pair was no small challenge, even for someone as crafty as him.
So upon hearing Gong Shangyu’s request, he quickly responded with understanding.
“Please, Young Lord Shang, feel free! The clean latrine is down the corridor to the right of the hall. Would you like someone to guide you?”
“No need, I’ll find it myself,”
Gong Shangyu waved off repeatedly, then cast a subtle glance at Lu Li and quickly exited the main hall.
After leaving the City Lord’s Mansion reception hall, Gong Shangyu immediately summoned the system and decisively activated time stop.
With invisible ripples radiating from her body, everything around her froze completely.
“Hmph… Zhao Zongchang! Let me see just what secrets you’re hiding inside the City Lord’s Mansion!”
Gong Shangyu’s pink eyes gleamed coldly as she, like a hunter in the dark, began tracking the Law Power Fluctuation inside Gu Qingying’s body using the positioning method Lu Li had taught her, heading straight for the City Lord’s study.
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