The system forced me to blow up the female lead's fishpond.

Once her thoughts cleared, she looked up and shook her head slightly. "It's nothing, I just thought of some things, nothing serious."

Zhang Jiali smiled and didn't ask any more questions. He squatted down next to her and gently fanned the fire under the medicine pot.

"..."

Shen Zhizhi turned her gaze to his profile. The room was slightly dim, and the firelight flickered in his eyes, which she could see very clearly.

By the way, Xiao Hang once said that the person who killed his father was a butcher, but she always felt that something was strange about it.

Putting aside the original plot, where would a mere butcher get so much money to beg martial arts masters for plum blossom poison?

Besides, there are countless poisons in the world, and any kind of poison can kill a person. Even if he had money, he probably wouldn't be willing to spend a lot of money to buy the poison just to kill someone.

While Shen Zhizhi was still lost in her fantasies, she suddenly felt a burning gaze lock onto her from the side.

Her scattered vision cleared, and she met a pair of narrow eyes. The former seemed to have been watching her for a long time, but when she looked at him, there was no ripple in his eyes.

Zhang Jiali chuckled softly, his tone light, "Miss Shen seems to have something to discuss with me."

Shen Zhizhi looked away, her heart pounding. She coughed lightly, her two fingers twisting together nervously, finding it difficult to speak.

She couldn't very well say directly that his judgment in this case was a bit strange, could she? Wouldn't that imply that he was covering for someone else?

Moreover, her suspicions stemmed only from discrepancies in the plot, and she had no concrete evidence to prove that the butcher was not the murderer.

What if this butcher is really that twisted and wants to spend a lot of money to buy this plum blossom poison to kill someone?

“Miss Shen, please speak freely. There’s no need to hide our relationship.” Zhang Jiali adjusted his sleeves slightly, put down the palm-leaf fan in his hand, and smiled at her.

She felt a little embarrassed by his words and quickly turned her face away, whispering, "Does Lord Zhang still remember Xiao Hang?" Inside the leprosy ward, the aroma of medicine filled the air.

"Xiao Hang?" Zhang Jiali pursed his lips and pondered for a long time, then a look of realization flashed across his eyes. "Is he the one who tried to assassinate the Third Prince on the street that day?"

Shen Zhizhi nodded hurriedly, "That's right, that's right, it's this person."

He smiled knowingly, "What do you think of this person?"

"Hmm..." Shen Zhizhi hesitated for a moment before cautiously raising her eyes and asking, "Lord Zhang, you've taken over this case. Was Xiao Guang really killed by that butcher?"

Zhang Jiali lowered his brows, and a deep blackness inadvertently appeared in his pupils, but it vanished in an instant.

He lowered his eyes, his thin lips slightly curved, his gaze fixed on her with deep intensity. "Miss Shen, do you have any doubts about this case?"

Shen Zhizhi hesitated for a moment, biting her lip in thought, before finally revealing her guess:

"I do have some doubts. I feel that this matter is strange. That butcher is just a commoner. Even if he has some connection with Xiao Guang, he wouldn't spend so much money to find plum blossom poison."

Moreover, the plum blossom poison belonged to the Third Prince. It seems someone is trying to pin the blame on him, cover up their crimes, and reap the benefits.

Zhang Jiali lowered his eyes and listened quietly. The firelight danced on his face, and if anyone were to look at him at that moment, they would surely see the coldness between his brows and eyes.

After analyzing for a while, Shen Zhizhi raised her eyes slightly and saw Zhang Jiali looking at her intently with his shimmering eyes, seemingly lost in thought.

After a moment, he asked in a low voice, "Then, according to Miss Shen, who should this person be?"

"I think it must be the martial arts world..."

As Shen Zhizhi thought to herself, the descriptions of Zhan Yue Fortress in the original work came to mind, and she almost blurted them out, but she suddenly shut her mouth.

Her inner struggle made her hesitate; it would be inappropriate to falsely accuse someone without evidence.

Shen Zhizhi was so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn't notice the warm smile on the lips of the person in front of her had long since vanished, replaced by a chilling coldness in their eyes, but even more so, a look of confusion.

As she thought about it, Shen Zhizhi's ears turned red in a flash, and she quickly turned away helplessly, saying:

"It's not that Lord Zhang handled the case hastily, but I have some doubts. If the evidence in this case is conclusive and the butcher has already confessed, then just pretend I didn't say anything."

Zhang Jiali lowered his eyes slightly, the coldness in them vanishing in an instant, replaced by his usual gentleness.

He parted his thin lips slightly, his voice flowing like a clear spring: "If I were to say that the evidence is already conclusive, would Miss Shen believe me?"

His voice was extremely soft, as if he desperately wanted to know her answer, to the point that it became somewhat hoarse. Perhaps he himself didn't realize that this question made him tremble slightly.

Shen Zhizhi raised her gaze slightly and met his eyes. The air seemed to freeze for a moment. His eyes were clearly smiling, but behind that gentle, watery look, there seemed to be a bottomless whirlpool.

Seeing her stare at him for a long time without saying a word, Zhang Jiali felt as if his throat was being choked, and he felt a strange sense of panic.

Finally, he lowered his eyes slightly, a hint of disappointment in his expression, and said softly, "Since Miss Shen has doubts, I will investigate further in the future..."

Before the words were finished, a clear and melodious voice came from beside him:

"No need. Lord Zhang is meticulous in his work, and Zhizhi naturally trusts him. From the very beginning, in the entire Nanliyue Star City, Lord Zhang is the person I trust the most."

As soon as the words were spoken, the surroundings seemed to fall silent, with only the occasional faint sound coming from inside the leprosy ward breaking the suffocating silence.

The medicinal fragrance still lingered in the leprosy ward, but Zhang Jiali was no longer interested in it. His mind was entirely focused on the girl and the truth he dared not face.

She was clearly saying the affirmation he craved, but he felt lost, as if her trust had become an unbearable burden in his heart.

Zhang Jiali's dark eyes were like ink, and the emotions surging within them almost extinguished them.

If she were to one day find out how despicable he was, how would she view him?

The flames beneath the medicine pot flickered, illuminating the faces of the two people.

For some reason, Shen Zhizhi always felt that his figure was so lonely and helpless, and that he must be extremely sad.

But when he looked up, the gentle smile on his lips remained, as if the emotions she had just sensed were all an illusion.

"Miss Shen..."

Zhang Jiali's lips moved, but he felt that any words would seem so pale and powerless at this moment.

"Miss Shen!"

Suddenly, a shout rang out abruptly, breaking the delicate atmosphere.

Shen Zhizhi immediately stood up and responded, then turned to Zhang Jiali and said, "Lord Zhang, it seems that Aunt Lin's headache has returned. I'll go and rub it for her. Please distribute the medicine in this medicine pot."

Zhang Jiali nodded slightly, watching her hurried departure, his gaze slowly falling.

The medicine pot on the small stove gurgled and steamed, the aroma of the medicine growing stronger, and Zhang Jiali's fingertips trembled slightly as they hung at his sides.

After a long pause, his eyes turned cold, and he finally reached into his sleeve—