He pushed the door open and glanced towards the next room, only to see two closed doors. The guard at the door quickly saluted when he saw him coming out and asked with some hesitation, "Madam, did we disturb you?"
"No," he waved his hand, furrowing his brow as he withdrew his gaze. After a moment of thought, he said, "Go and knock on the next door. General and Wei Yuan Hou have a good relationship, and since we've encountered the young master of the Hou family here, it's only proper to greet him."
The guard hesitated, "But it's quite late now, and the General is not here. Besides, it's just you..."
"Don't we have a few guards with us?" he retorted. Adjusting his hair and clothes, he insisted, "Go and knock. I'll tell the General when he returns. Besides, I'm just exchanging greetings with the young master of the Hou family at the door; I won't enter the room." Ancient times were troublesome, and his identity made it even more complicated. Whether male or female, one had to always maintain a certain distance, or it could lead to a reputation issue in no time.
Seeing his determination, the guard reluctantly approached the door and knocked before stepping aside.
"Who is it?" came the voice of the person who claimed to be Zhan Xue Mi's younger brother.
The guard glanced at Ye Zhizhou and announced his identity.
There was a moment of silence in the room, followed by the rustling sound of someone getting dressed. The room's lamp was lit, and a slender man with a veil covering his face leaned out, asking, "So, you're from the Shen family. Is there something my big brother wants to tell me?"
The corridor was dimly lit, making it difficult to see the man's features clearly, but the flags on his head were unmistakable!
It was really Zou Qing! The plot had advanced ahead of schedule!
"Did you say Zhan Xue Mi is your big brother?" Ye Zhizhou took a step forward into the room's dim light, his gaze fixed on him, and his spiritual power ready to attack. "What's your name? Why have I never heard of another Young Master from the Hou family?"
Only then did Zou Qing notice him. His body tensed, and he countered, "Who are you?"
The guard sensed that something was amiss and stepped forward, standing protectively in front of Ye Zhizhou. He said sternly, "Show respect! This is our General's wife."
The Shen family's guards, the General's wife... Zou Qing recognized Ye Zhizhou's identity and turned to look at him carefully, surprised. "You're Zou Qing?! What happened to your face?" He stopped himself mid-sentence, quickly changing the topic. "So, you are Madame Shen. I've heard my big brother mention you before. You..."
Thud!
A sound of a heavy object hitting the ground came from inside the room, followed by a faint groan.
The guard's face turned pale, and he immediately threw a punch at Zou Qing's face. Meanwhile, Ye Zhizhou seized the opportunity to remove the veil covering Zou Qing's face and shouted, "Someone! Zou Qing has kidnapped the young master of the Hou family! Catch him!"
Several guards stationed inside and outside the inn heard the commotion and rushed to the scene.
Zou Qing dodged the guard's attack, glared at Ye Zhizhou in frustration, and suddenly pulled out a pouch of rice, scattering it into the air. Then he took out a small crossbow-like object and fired it several times in Ye Zhizhou's direction.
"Madam, be careful!" The guard, who was about to grab Zou Qing's shoulder, quickly turned around and shielded Ye Zhizhou. Zou Qing took advantage of the situation to turn and run downstairs.
Ye Zhizhou watched in dismay as the guard used his body to block the hidden projectiles, groaning as he fell to the ground. He clenched his fists in anger, and his uncontrolled spiritual power surged towards Zou Qing.
[Warning, warning. External force injuring the protagonist may lead to the collapse of the minor world. Please remain calm, host! Please remain calm, host!]
Damn it!
He suppressed his spiritual power, crouched down to feed a pill to the guard, and then shouted loudly to the awakened guests who were poking their heads out to see what was happening, "Hold your breath! Go back to your rooms and wash your faces with cold water! There's a drug in the corridor; don't come out!"
The curious guests were frightened and quickly retreated to their rooms.
He took out some Clear Mind Pills and scattered them into the air. Seeing that the guards who had been coming upstairs had effectively blocked Zou Qing on the staircase, he hurriedly reminded them, "He has concealed weapons! Cover your mouth and nose, beware of his drug!"
The guards immediately followed his instructions, and the ones with bows and arrows stepped back a few steps, aiming their arrows at Zou Qing.
Seeing this, Zou Qing quickly stopped in his tracks, tightened his grip on the crossbow-like object, and shouted at Ye Zhizhou, "Zou Qing! You're relentless! I'll take you down with me today!" With that, he took out something resembling explosives from his pocket, preparing to ignite it with a fire starter.
The guards were shocked and quickly shot arrows at his hand, while the others rushed towards Ye Zhizhou, attempting to shield him from the explosive.
Just as the system was scanning and Ye Zhizhou was about to warn the guards, he heard the system alert and was taken aback. "Don't shoot his hand! Hold your breath and catch him! It's not explosives he's holding; it's a drug!"
The arrows had already been fired, and the so-called explosives were scattered into the air. Zou Qing was about to take advantage of the situation and escape, but the guards, with Ye Zhizhou's warning, quickly returned to block his path. With no other options left and feeling helpless, he could only surrender.
"Zou Qing, I'm your brother! How could you do this to me? I'll report your actions to Father when we return to the capital!" Zou Qing struggled harder, but the guards had lodged tiny needles inside him, making it difficult to move. Ye Zhizhou, filled with anger, exploded, "Shut up! Get ready for your execution! Gag him, tie him up, and send him directly to the authorities tomorrow!"
The guards followed his orders, and Zou Qing struggled even more, exclaiming, "Zou Qing, I'm not a murderer! I... let go... ugh!"
There was still some lingering drug in the air, and a few guards had inadvertently inhaled it. They were now trying to hold their breath while binding Zou Qing and blocking his mouth. Their movements were somewhat clumsy. Seeing this, Ye Zhizhou's anger quickly subsided, and he stepped forward to give one of them a Clear Mind Pill.
Afterwards, there was a busy scene of tidying up and taking care of the injured. Under Ye Zhizhou's instructions, Zou Qing was thrown into Zhan Xue Mi's room once it was confirmed that the injured guards were fine.
After making sure the injured guards were okay, Ye Zhizhou went upstairs. He ignored Zou Qing's hostile gaze and used the system to scan Zhan Xue Mi, who was rolling on the ground. He then fed him an antidote pill.
A few minutes later, Zhan Xue Mi, whose clothes were in disarray from rolling on the ground, slowly regained consciousness. He looked dazedly at Ye Zhizhou, who was crouching in front of him, and then even more perplexedly at his own open collar. He exclaimed, "Who... who are you? What do you want with me? Although you're beautiful, I have principles. Even if you do something to me, I won't... Well, forget it, I'll marry you. What's your name? Where are you from?"
This guy...
Ye Zhizhou rolled his eyes ungracefully, took a step back, and pointed to Zou Qing, who was tied up like a rice dumpling in the corner, and said icily, "The one who wants to do something to you is him. So, how about it? Is he handsome enough for you to marry?"
Zhan Xue Mi, upon hearing this, sat up and surprisingly put on a serious expression. He carefully evaluated Zou Qing, then thought for a moment before saying, "Although he's not as good-looking as you, if he's really done something to me, then... I'll marry him. As long as he lets me continue to have fun after we get married."
Zou Qing made a muffled noise in response, vigorously shaking his head and trying to remind Zhan Xue Mi of something with his disheveled hair.
"Ah!" Zhan Xue Mi widened his eyes, got up, and exclaimed in surprise, "Beautiful lady, it seems there's a misunderstanding. This man is a poor soul I rescued while I was drinking. At that time, he was being bullied by a thug. It was terrible! He's a good person. Why did you tie him up?"
Zou Qing vigorously nodded and shifted his gaze towards Zhan Xue Mi, looking pitiful.
Is the male lead's IQ fed to the dogs? Ye Zhizhou's spiritual power began to surge uncontrollably again. Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to calm down and pointed at Zou Qing, saying, "You say he's a good person?"
Zhan Xue Mi nodded repeatedly.
"He's my brother."
Zhan Xue Mi looked at him in disbelief. "You actually tied up your own brother! You're such a bad person!"
"He's still a murderer."
Zhan Xue Mi's mouth fell open.
Ye Zhizhou tossed the folder brought by the guard into his arms, sat down at the table, poured himself a cup of tea, scanned it with the system, and smirked.
Two minutes later, after Zhan Xue Mi had finished reading the folder, he shifted his incredulous gaze to Zou Qing. "You... You actually killed so many people! That's your husband! Why did you kill him and his family?"
[Zhan Xue Mi's probability of falling in love with the protagonist has dropped to 30%. Host, keep up the effort.]
Zou Qing shook his head frantically, desperately trying to explain, with tears streaming down his eyes. Seeing him in such a pitiable state, Zhan Xue Mi became conflicted. "Beautiful lady, could this be a misunderstanding? He seems so weak and pitiful. He doesn't look like a murderer..."
[Zhan Xue Mi's probability of falling in love with the protagonist has increased to 40%. Host, take note! Host, take note!]
Ye Zhizhou mentally chuckled at the male lead's antics, offered the tea cup, and asked with a smile, "Thirsty?"
Zhan Xue Mi had sweated profusely while rolling on the ground after being poisoned earlier, so he was actually quite thirsty. He accepted the tea cup with a silly smile, thanked Ye Zhizhou, took a big gulp, and exclaimed loudly, "Refreshing!"
Ye Zhizhou glanced at Zou Qing, who had suddenly become quiet, and casually crossed his legs. "Wait for two minutes; you'll feel even more refreshed."
One minute later, Zhan Xue Mi started to feel hot, and two minutes later, he collapsed to the ground again. Ye Zhizhou squatted down, fed him half of a Clear Mind Pill to keep him conscious, but the poison couldn't be neutralized. "This tea was prepared for you by your so-called pitiable person. It's laced with a love poison. How does it feel? Refreshing, isn't it?"
Zhan Xue Mi shook his head frantically, tugging at his collar. "Beautiful lady, I was wrong. A pitiable person has his faults! It's my fault for not seeing through him. Please give me the antidote. I feel terrible."
[Zhan Xue Mi's probability of falling in love with the protagonist has dropped to 20%. Host, keep trying.]
It didn't drop all the way? Ye Zhizhou sneered and scanned Zou Qing with the system. Then he dragged Zhan Xue Mi and threw him in front of Zou Qing, unbuttoned Zou Qing's sleeve, and said while opening his sleeve, "See this pouch in his sleeve? It's filled with aphrodisiacs. And this belt here hides the love poison you're currently under." He released Zou Qing's belt, ignoring his struggles, and unraveled his hair to reveal the silver needles inside. He presented them to Zhan Xue Mi. "And this, highly poisonous. Just a tiny bit of contact means certain death. Do you want to try?"
Zhan Xue Mi had been dumbfounded since Ye Zhizhou started unbuttoning Zou Qing's sleeve. Upon hearing this, he quickly shook his head, stepping back. "No, no! This person is so scary, carrying so many poisons on him. You can't judge a book by its cover! I... I'll never trust people easily again."
[Zhan Xue Mi's probability of falling in love with the protagonist has dropped to 0%. The first soul flag has been removed. Congratulations, host, please keep up the effort.]
Ye Zhizhou sneered inwardly. Indeed, this kind-hearted and soft-hearted man needed a good scare. The quality of male leads in these mission worlds is getting worse and worse! He put away his hairpin and tossed a Clear Mind Pill to Zhan Xue Mi. "The brain is a valuable thing. I hope you won't easily abandon it. Put on your clothes and leave for another room."
Zhan Xue Mi hurriedly swallowed the pill but didn't leave obediently. Instead, he hesitated and said, "The books say that we should repay kindness with gratitude. You don't seem to be short on money. How about... I offer myself to you?"
Zou Qing, who had been struggling, suddenly stopped and managed to emit a muffled sneer through the gag, full of sarcasm.
Zhan Xue Mi was furious. "What do you mean, you murderer?"
Zou Qing turned his head away, refusing to look at him.
Ye Zhizhou couldn't help but chuckle. If it weren't for the mission restrictions, these two would actually make quite a pair. He waved to the guards waiting outside and had them escort Zhan Xue Mi out. Then he moved a chair and sat about three steps away from Zou Qing, looking down at him. "Do you hate me?"
Zou Qing raised his head, his eyes filled with hostility.
Ye Zhizhou bent down, removed the gag from Zou Qing's mouth, and suppressed his restless spiritual power. He whispered, "Your hatred is useless. What shouldn't be yours will never be. Did you approach Zhan Xue Mi on purpose? He's quite easy to deceive with his limited intelligence. Who helped you gather this information? And those drugs on you, who gave them to you, hm?"
"Pah!" Zou Qing spat in his direction, seething with anger. "Don't get too proud. One day, I'll grind you into the mud! Blood for blood! I'll wait to see your retribution!"
Sidestepping the spit, Ye Zhizhou adjusted his clothes and smirked. "Before I arrived, I didn't think you were responsible for the annihilation of a wealthy family. Half an hour ago, I didn't expect you to get close to Zhan Xue Mi so quickly. Fifteen minutes ago, I didn't think you had help from behind. But now, Zou Qing, the person behind you, is it Mrs. Zou, right?"
Zou Qing's complexion changed slightly, and he turned his head away. "I don't understand what you're talking about!"
"Taodong is not Mrs. Zou's niece; she is Mrs. Zou's daughter, correct? As for her father... hmm, he was never Mrs. Zou's son, was he? Let me think... the 'cat switching with the prince' act. You've done that before, haven't you?"
Zou Qing bit his lip tightly, refusing to meet his gaze.
Ye Zhizhou understood everything instantly with his reaction. He had briefly examined the plot while tending to the injured guards and had noticed the most suspicious part of the new storyline—Zhan Xue Mi's coincidental encounter with the protagonist. Too many coincidences ceased to be coincidences.
Zhan Xue Mi, the second son of the Marquis's household, was foolish, wealthy, and loved to have fun and deceive people. He didn't have to shoulder various responsibilities like the eldest son, living a life seemingly dedicated to enjoying himself. Such a husband candidate was indeed the perfect choice for someone who wanted to take shortcuts. And the person who had diligently gathered information about the Marquis's son and helped Zou Qing so much... Ye Zhizhou thought for a moment and realized that there was likely only one candidate: Mrs. Zou.
When Mrs. Zou's maiden family suffered from a plague and many died, her twin sister, Taohua, had eloped with a wandering doctor. A few years later, she returned to the village with a daughter, claiming that her husband had died of an illness. At that time, Mrs. Zou had already married into the capital city and, upon hearing the news, sent money to support her twin sister.
Years later, when Mrs. Zou's maiden family was plagued again, and many died, Taohua arrived to seek refuge with Mrs. Zou. Unfortunately, she was killed by bandits just before reaching the capital. When the news reached the Zou family, Mrs. Zou was outside the city, offering incense at a temple. She fell seriously ill upon hearing the news and took more than ten days to recover fully.
Twins, wasn't that the perfect example of switching places?
"Mrs. Zou, or perhaps we should call her Mrs. Tao?" Ye Zhizhou shifted his sitting posture, appearing contemplative. After a brief pause, he continued, "That assassin named Kang Run... did you also hire him? You attached yourself to Zhan Xue Mi to find a good husband and protector. As for seeking out Kang Run, was it to make him the scapegoat for the Huzhou massacre?"
Zou Qing suddenly raised his head, and his resentment turned into fear.
"Curious how I knew about Kang Run?" Ye Zhizhou raised an eyebrow and smiled at him. "Well, it was just a... guess." Kang Run's appearance had been too abrupt, deep within the remote mountains, mysteriously poisoned with a love potion, and conveniently encountered by the protagonist. It was an absurd stroke of luck!
Upon learning that the Huzhou massacre was the protagonist's handiwork, Ye Zhizhou thought back to the scenario in which the protagonist met Kang Run. He also considered his recent discovery that among all the toxins he had scanned on the protagonist, the love potion was the least easily detectable. Suddenly, he found another possibility for the subplot.
He could almost visualize it. Zou Qing, seeking a scapegoat for the Huzhou massacre, set his sights on Kang Run. They arranged to meet in the deep woods, where Zou Qing took the opportunity to poison Kang Run with a love potion. Unexpectedly, Kang Run, after being poisoned, didn't succumb as easily as Zhan Xue Mi had. Instead, he subdued Zou Qing and completed his mission. After realizing he had dug himself into a hole, Zou Qing panicked and fled.
Perfect. Perhaps this was the true nature of the plot. The way Zou Qing had reacted earlier only reinforced this possibility.
"I'm quite curious," he said, meeting Zou Qing's frightened gaze. "If you had really ensnared Kang Run, how were you planning to pin the Huzhou massacre on him? Lu Prefecture is quite far from Huzhou. How were you going to link Kang Run to the massacre?"
Zou Qing avoided his gaze and clenched his fists, remaining silent.
"You don't have to answer," Ye Zhizhou stood up and stuffed the cloth back into Zou Qing's mouth, narrowly avoiding a bite. He chuckled and deliberately provoked, "If you won't talk, when Kang Run arrives, I'm sure I'll find a way to get the answers."
Zou Qing struggled and made muffled sounds, his eyes filled with hatred once again.
"Keep on hating," Ye Zhizhou said to Zou Qing and turned to face Shen Tingwei, who had appeared at the door. A genuine smile appeared on his face as he whispered, "Your life ends here. Before you face the executioner, I hope you'll have dreams every night about the seventy-three people you killed."
Zou Qing struggled more vigorously.
The system warning popped up again, but Ye Zhizhou regretfully suppressed his psychic power and walked toward the door.
Shen Tingwei embraced him and, looking at the bound Zou Qing, asked, "How do you plan to deal with him?"
"Of course, according to the law," Ye Zhizhou replied, holding Shen Tingwei's hand. After a moment's thought, he added, "But I hope the authorities will issue a public announcement about his crimes to let more people know the bad things he has done." Especially the two male leads in the capital who hadn't met Zou Qing yet.
"It should be done that way," Shen Tingwei agreed.