Water Reflects Peach Blossoms

"Was it Brother Zhuo who rescued Sister Shen later?" Bai Jiu looked at Zhuo Yichen expectantly.

He finally understood what Nanzhi meant when she answered him, "I've smelled worse odors than this," and he didn't dare to imagine how tormented she must have been spending days and nights in that dark cell.

So he looked at Zhuo Yichen expectantly, hoping that Zhuo Yichen would confirm what he said.

Let him know that Sister Shen, who is usually gentle, cheerful and sunny, has not suffered much torture, so that he will not feel so guilty about being an undercover agent sent by Chongwu Camp.

He really feels guilty!

Whenever he thought about Sister Shen's father being wrongly imprisoned by Chongwu Camp, and whenever he thought about Sister Shen being locked up in such a hopeless place, he... would be ashamed of being a member of Chongwu Camp.

He seemed to have become one of the murderers, and had no right to sit here, no right to be treated gently by Sister Shen.

"It's not me." Zhuo Yichen turned his head and avoided Bai Jiu's expectant gaze.

Bai Jiu's heart sank to the bottom in an instant, and he didn't know what expression to make.

Wen Xiao said, "The money Xiao Zhuo gave was only enough to keep Nan Zhi alive for three days. During those three days, he tried his best to find a way to overturn Nan Zhi's father's verdict, but it was too difficult. King Xiang was pressing down on him, and even the Prime Minister couldn't do anything about it."

"What happened next?" Pei Sijing asked. She felt very sorry for Nanzhi's experience.

"Later..." Wen Xiao paused, then revealed what Zhuo Yichen had asked her to keep secret: "On the third night, Xiao Zhuo was preparing to break out of the prison."

Zhuo Yichen whispered to Wen Xiao: "Wen Xiao!"

He turned his head and met Nanzhi's surprised eyes.

"You're going to jailbreak?" Nanzhi was shocked. She had never known before that Zhuo Yichen had actually gone to such lengths.

Afraid of being blamed, Zhuo Yichen avoided his sight, nervously rubbing the corner of his clothes, and whispered: "I can't just watch you get into trouble."

Bai Jiu covered his mouth in disbelief: "Oh my God! This is Brother Zhuo who is impartial and upright in enforcing the law!"

Ying Lei clenched his fist: "That's it! Beat those guys up and rescue Nanzhi!"

Zhu Yan's tense body relaxed as he praised, "As expected of Master Xiao Zhuo, you have courage."

"However, Master Xiao Zhuo failed to rob the place."

Zhuo Yichen nodded: "When I was about to take action, Lord Fan arrived in time to tell me that someone had placed evidence of my uncle's injustice directly in the Prime Minister's study."

Nanzhi explained, “On the third night in prison, I saw a demon.”

"He calls himself Cheng Huang."

————Memory Line————

The surroundings were filled with the cries of women, and Nanzhi huddled in a corner of the prison.

He could hear the jailer's undisguised drooling voice as he passed by: "The money given by Master Xiao Zhuo is only enough to keep me safe for three days. Tomorrow morning, if you don't continue to pay, then..."

What follows is self-evident.

Enduring the unpleasant and disgusting smell around her, Nanzhi held the hairpin taken from her hair tightly in her hand.

When she was scared, all she could think about was that she would be willing to pay any price if she could prove her father's innocence!

"Hello." A warm and gentle voice came.

Nanzhi looked up and saw a handsome man in white clothes with golden hair braided into a complicated braid and combed behind his head standing in front of her, looking at her with a gentle expression.

Seeing Nanzhi's face, Cheng Huang was stunned for a moment, and then his expression became more gentle.

"Who are you?" Nanzhi asked.

Cheng Huang squatted down, not caring that his white clothes were stained with the dirt of the dungeon. He looked at Nan Zhi with eyes that seemed to be able to bewitch people: "I am Cheng Huang. I have heard the obsession in your heart. I can help you realize whatever you want."

Nanzhi folded her arms and tightened her grip: "What's the price?"

At her own expense, she must not hurt others or implicate others. Otherwise, even if her father was vindicated, he would not forgive her for what she had done.

She won't forgive herself either.

Cheng Huang's eyes moved slightly: "No price required."

Nanzhi didn't believe it: "Every wish you make has a price to pay."

"You don't have to." Cheng Huang raised his hand and moved his two fingers slightly. The two jailers who were walking over from outside the prison were immediately frozen and unable to move.

He said to Nanzhi, "If you don't believe me, I swear on my inner elixir that if I make you pay even the slightest price, my soul will immediately shatter."

Seeing Nanzhi's confusion, he explained, "You don't know, do you? This is a unique oath-taking method for demons, circulated only among the great demons. If you take this oath, you will be monitored by the Heavenly Dao and will be unable to disobey it for the rest of your life."

Nanzhi shook her head: "I am willing to pay the price, provided that I do not implicate others and do not do anything that violates morality and law."

"I said it's not necessary." Cheng Huang's lips curled up into a gentle smile. He seemed to be glowing in the darkness, and then he made a vow that Nanzhi would not have to pay any price.

"Look, I've already taken my vows, so it's time for you to tell me, what is your wish?"

As if grasping hope, Cheng Huang was her only lifeline at this moment. Nan Zhi spoke each word with hope in her eyes: "I want to overturn my father's verdict."

Cheng Huang called out, "Ah Heng."

A handsome young man in black stood behind him.

Cheng Huang said, "It will take one night. The evidence is in the residence of a general named Chen Shui in Chongwu Camp. It's a good opportunity to test your strength."

Pei Siheng remained silent and disappeared behind Cheng Huang silently.

————Memory Line————

"I don't know Ah Heng's real name, I only know he's called Ah Heng and that he listens to Cheng Huang." Nanzhi said, "That night, Ah Heng found the evidence and placed it in the Prime Minister's study. In the early morning, I was released by the Emperor's order."

Nanzhi looked at Pei Sijing and said, "This is how I met Ah Heng."

"Later, I moved to a private house owned by my father. Ah Heng would occasionally leave fresh vegetables, fish, and meat at my door. I asked him about his life, but he was reluctant to talk and always looked lonely and sad. I never saw Ah Heng again until Zhao Yuanzhou showed up at my door."

"It must be my fault," Zhu Yan said. "I showed up at Azhi's doorstep a month ago. Pei Siheng must have been afraid of being discovered...or rather, Pei Siheng, following Cheng Huang's orders, cut off contact with Azhi."

Pei Sijing met Nanzhi's sad eyes and said, "Now that the verdict has been successfully overturned, where is your father?"

Nanzhi's father is the censor. If the case is overturned successfully, he will still be the censor. How can Nanzhi become a commoner?

Thinking of the scene when she saw her father's body, Nanzhi felt cold all over: "My father died in prison. They said he committed suicide out of fear of punishment."

Bai Jiu was shocked.

Ying Lei was furious and slammed his fist on the table: "Damn it! There is really no good person in the Chongwu Camp! If I see them, I will beat them so hard that they won't recognize their own mothers!"

Zhuo Yichen said, "Chen Shui, the general who framed Nanzhi's father, was investigated for corruption a dozen days later, and his entire family was exiled eight hundred miles to the southwestern border."

"Was it also done by Sister Pei's brother?" Bai Jiu asked.

Nanzhi shook his head: "It's not him. After my father was wronged, there had to be someone to take the blame, and Chen Shui was it."

"What is certain now is that Pei Siheng and Cheng Huang have a very unusual relationship," Zhu Yan lowered his eyes to look at the map on the table. "Three months ago, Pei Siheng was resurrected from the dead in a murder case. Now, the murder case with the same method has occurred, and Cheng Huang's deer antler symbol has appeared at the crime scene."

The brush connected the murder scene, and Zhu Yan deduced Cheng Huang's location: "His lair is here."