When the book-traveling little detective meets the two-faced prince

The words fell.

There was a flash of surprise in Cheng Su's eyes, one could even say shock, but after a moment of shock, there was also a hint of wariness and great confusion in his eyes.

Cheng Su stood up, his eyes solemn and filled with speculation, and asked in a deep voice, "Since you know this, why are you still wading into this muddy water?"

Unlike Cheng Su's vigilance towards Lin Lezhi, Lin Lezhi said frankly: "I think the same as the general. I just want to try my best for those who are still alive. That's all."

What Lin Lezhi said seemed to have touched Cheng Su's heart, and the emotion in his eyes could not calm down for a long time.

After a pause, Cheng Su asked, "Aren't you afraid?"

Lin Lezhi's eyes were calm and composed, as if he had already prepared himself for the situation. He spoke frankly, "Of course I'm afraid, but what's the point? This matter isn't about me, it's about others. The news of my collaboration with the general must have spread. Even if I knew nothing, the person who ordered the general here would surely see me as a stumbling block and be wary of me."

"You blame me for saying that."

"General, you've misunderstood. I have absolutely no such intention." Lin Lezhi's eyes were filled with determination as he said, "For the sake of those who are still alive, even if it means wading through muddy waters, I am willing to do so and will have no regrets."

Long before coming to Pinghai Town, Lin Lezhi didn't actually think that much. He just wanted to find out who Jiang Lian'an was and what secrets were hidden behind him. He didn't intend to live as Jiang Lian'an.

Can……

After this case.

It has nothing to do with his personal thoughts anymore.

What's more, when he decided to help Xiao Yihuo, he had no way out.

Since there is no way back, the way forward is the only way forward.

from now on.

He can only and must live as Jiang Lian'an.

Seeing the determination in Lin Lezhi's eyes, Cheng Su took a deep breath and said as a promise: "If I survive this disaster, if you are in danger in the future, you can ask someone to pass on a message to me and I will help you once. This promise has nothing to do with my position."

The four words "irrelevant to stance" carry such heavy weight.

Lin Lezhi straightened his posture, bowed his hands, and with a solemn and respectful expression, he thanked her sincerely, "Thank you, General."

Cheng Su chuckled, but there was no mockery or anger on his face. He smiled and said, "You keep calling me 'commoner', but you repeatedly act disrespectfully and tease me. I think you should stop using the term 'commoner' in the future."

"General, I have no intention of disrespecting you..."

"I know you're here to get to the bottom of this case." Cheng Su interrupted Lin Lezhi, his eyes filled with admiration and fondness as he said, "From now on, you don't have to call yourself a commoner in front of me. If you like, you can call me Brother Cheng, just like you did to Meng Dafeng and He Yu."

Cheng Su's words were clearly heard by Lin Lezhi, causing his originally calm heart to suddenly beat, and a touch of warmth surged in his heart.

Seeing Lin Lezhi standing there in a daze and not responding, it seemed that Lin Lezhi was unwilling.

Cheng Su's eyes were filled with disappointment, and he said without any hesitation: "If you don't want to, I won't force you, and I won't take back my promise. You..."

"Grass…"

He was used to calling himself a commoner in front of Cheng Su and almost blurted it out. He quickly changed his words and said, "Lian'an thanks Brother Cheng."

After hearing Lin Lezhi call out "Brother Cheng", Cheng Su's face showed a satisfied look. He nodded and said, "Okay, it's getting late. You are injured. Go back and rest early. If there is anything else, I will send someone to call you."

"Okay, then I'll go back first. Brother Cheng has been worried and toiled for days, so you should rest early."

"Ah."

After saying that, Lin Lezhi left the study and turned to close the door. Before the door was completely closed, he saw Cheng Su's eyes fall on the essay full of suspicions, with a lonely and somewhat melancholy expression.

As the door slowly closed, Lin Lezhi couldn't help feeling depressed and mixed emotions.

Cheng Su never got the answer from Hong Mingxu.

After leaving the yamen, it was almost dusk and Lin Lezhi didn't know where to go.

In short.

He couldn't go back to the inn because he didn't want to lie to Guan Ziheng. But if he went back and wanted to come out again, Guan Ziheng would inevitably catch him and question him.

Besides, he didn't want to go back.

There's really nowhere to go.

He suddenly...

Some people want to see the stars in the night sky.

With this thought in mind, Lin Lezhi slowly walked towards the lake. On the way, he met many Pinghai Town residents who recognized him and praised him, thanking him for solving the Huaifeng Village case and restoring peace to Pinghai Town.

Fortunately, because of the case, not many people came to the lakeside, and it was getting dark, so no one would notice him. Lin Lezhi was able to sit quietly by the lake, with the breeze blowing his scattered hair.

He stared at the calm lake, unable to express his feelings.

The case was clearly over, but Lin Lezhi was still feeling upset deep down.

I was clearly breathing and could clearly feel myself breathing, but there was still a breath stuck in my chest that I couldn't let out or dissipate.

However, the calm lake surface and the deepening night still made Lin Lezhi's heart feel a little calmer.

He slowly lay on his back on the ground, his uninjured hand resting on the back of his head, his eyes searching for the stars hidden in the night sky, his eyes revealing an indelible sadness.

Hong Mingxu was right, he was too arrogant.

It was because of his own self-willed behavior that he harmed Ji Hang. Even after changing places, he still didn't learn his lesson and didn't make any progress.

Think so.

Lin Lezhi's eyes were moist, blurring his vision so that he couldn't see the stars that were appearing in the night sky.

"You don't take care of your injuries. You really like to hang out late at night."

A sarcastic voice came, a voice that Lin Lezhi was very familiar with. He immediately sat up from the ground, and the injury on his shoulder affected him, so Lin Lezhi couldn't help but let out a hiss.

Xiao Yihuo immediately squatted down and was about to check Lin Lezhi's injuries.

Afraid that Xiao Yihuo would notice the tears in his eyes, Lin Lezhi moved sideways, just avoiding Xiao Yihuo's outstretched hand. Xiao Yihuo said nothing and had to quietly retract his hand.

"Compared to Young Master Xiao's love of stalking others late at night, it's mutual." Lin Lezhi emphasized: "I came out because General Cheng asked me to go to the county government office. Besides, it's not the middle of the night now, it's just getting dark."

Lin Lezhi responded in a joking tone, but he could not hide the nasal murmur in his voice, which clearly showed signs of crying.

Hearing the choking in Lin Lezhi's voice and recalling the little movements Lin Lezhi made when he avoided him, Xiao Yihuo realized that Lin Lezhi was not avoiding him on purpose. The expression in his eyes relaxed a little, but still held a certain solemnity.

"I know." Xiao Yihuo said, sitting down next to Lin Lezhi and directly admitted that he had followed Lin Lezhi. "After leaving the county government office, why didn't you go back to the inn?"

I know that Xiao Yihuo likes to follow others quietly. If he were in modern times, he would definitely be a complete stalker and would be sent to the police station as a suspicious person.

Having agreed to go with Qingchuan to look for lotus bone flowers, I guess Qingchuan didn't tell Xiao Yihuo. Lin Lezhi said casually, "I want to feel the night breeze."

Xiao Yihuo did not doubt Lin Lezhi's words.

The two of them sat quietly by the lake, enjoying the night breeze. For a long time, no one spoke.

"you…"

"you…"

The two sat quietly by the lake for a while, and the silence was broken by the same voice.

Lin Lezhi seemed startled and embarrassed, stuttering, "You...you speak first."

"How's your shoulder injury?"

Because Lin Lezhi was thinking about how to ask Xiao Yihuo about the poisoning, he was a little at a loss and said, "Qingchuan treated my injury and it's fine now. It's just a minor injury and it won't cause any trouble. I'll be fine after a few days of recuperation."

Lin Lezhi's eyes were averted, and he said in a panic and apologetically, "Thank you so much for solving this case. Thanks to your excellent hearing, I heard the noise below the cliff and realized that Cheng Su and Cui Yan had taken the sound of the cigarette explosion as a signal."

Yesterday afternoon.

He asked Liu Yunhe to go to the forest to find the blood-stained cloth, and without telling him the reason, asked Yunhe to stop Xiao Yihuo from staying when Cheng Su asked everyone to leave the island, and then sneak back to the island when they returned to Pinghai Town by boat.

When Yun He was about to leave, he suddenly remembered something and conveyed Xiao Yihuo's words to himself.

"By the way, my young master asked me to tell you that before we left the Earth Temple, he seemed to hear some strange noises from below the cliff."

Remembering Lin Lezhi's distraught look over Guan Ziheng's death, Xiao Yihuo's eyes narrowed slightly as he said, "I wanted to tell you in person, but the timing wasn't right. But I didn't hear it clearly at the time, so I don't know if it will help you solve the case. That sound didn't sound like an explosion; it was rather strange."