Chapter 66 - 65: The Greatest Shock to a Child (Second Update)

Chapter 66: Chapter 65: The Greatest Shock to a Child (Second Update)

On the other side, at the county government of Anping County.

Xiao Yi had been quite busy with official duties lately. The Ministry of Justice was already not a department for idle people, and being a County Magistrate required handling numerous daily trivial matters.

A family’s lost cow, or a wedding banquet to be hosted, and the day for a street parade that needed to be reported to the county government — such trivialities were countless. Although these matters didn’t require much from Xiao Yi’s mind, he still needed to review and stamp them.

For these reasons, he found himself handling official duties at the county government until late at night almost every day.

More than ten days ago, he had submitted a petition to the court, requesting that someone be dispatched to replace Sun Youcai as County Magistrate of Anping County. Yesterday, he received a document from the Ministry of Personnel stating that a replacement had been decided and would arrive in the next couple of days.

If nothing unexpected happened, the case that had troubled him for a long time would be solved soon.

This trip to Anping County for official business would soon become just one among the numerous routine assignments he had handled.

Yet, the hand with which Xiao Yi held the pen suddenly paused, and an inexplicable irritation surfaced in his heart, making it rare for him to lose the mood for handling official duties. After a few failed attempts to focus, he put down the pen and lightly rubbed his brow.

He found himself at a loss for his own feelings.

He seemed to be overly concerned about that woman.

This thought only just emerged in his mind, and he already found it absurd.

When did he start paying attention to a woman, especially one who would eventually become a stranger to him?

Beside him, Dongli, who was grinding ink, couldn’t help but look worriedly at his lord.

He hadn’t seen his lord appear so weary in a long time.

Surely it’s because they had stayed in this shabby and small Anping County for too long! They even encountered that inexplicable woman who completely disrupted the lives of his lord and the young lord!

Their lord and young lord should be living in the prosperous and flourishing Western Capital, adored and admired by everyone!

Just then, a servant came in, gave a salute to Xiao Yi, and said, "Vice Minister Xiao, the matters you asked us to investigate have all yielded results!

First of all, regarding the needle with a wide head used by the criminal, we secretly questioned the craftsmen commonly used by the heads of the three medical halls and indeed found something suspicious!

The craftsman responsible for making needles for Doctor Zheng of Huashou Hall said that two years ago, Doctor Zheng had him make a strangely shaped needle. Doctor Zheng required the needle to have a wide and long head like a blade, but the needle body had to be slender, and the needle was five inches long (about 16 cm).

The craftsman often helped doctors make needles, so he was very familiar with what the doctors frequently used. The needle that Doctor Zheng asked him to make was different from the usual nine needles used by doctors.

Among the nine needles, there were indeed those with special heads; for instance, the round sharp needle had a slightly large head and a slender body, but that kind of needle was usually only used on the body’s surface. Even the round sharp needle would only penetrate parts like veins or joints, not deep into the body, so the round sharp needle was only 1.6 inches long (about 5 cm).

The craftsman once tried to ask Doctor Zheng what it was used for, but Doctor Zheng didn’t answer him directly, only saying it was for special treatment, so he remembered it quite clearly!"

Xiao Yi’s expression darkened slightly as he listened.

It was Zheng Shouyan, Doctor Zheng.

Two years ago, he had retired and returned to Anping County due to illness!

However, similar cases had already occurred before he retired and returned home, so it’s likely that before that, he had his weapons made by craftsmen in the Western Capital, and only after returning to Anping County did he use local craftsmen.

The servant continued, "Vice Minister Xiao, you previously asked us to investigate the family backgrounds of the heads of the major medical halls. We later found out that Doctor Zheng was born into an ordinary peasant family. When he was eight, his father suddenly died of an acute illness, and his mother later remarried the doctor who treated his father.

That doctor was a village doctor, and it seems that Doctor Zheng’s medical skills were first taught by his stepfather."

Hearing this, Xiao Yi immediately stood up and ordered sternly, "Someone come, immediately send people to Zheng Shouyan’s residence and arrest him!"

"Yes!"

It seemed tonight would be a sleepless night.

Zheng Shouyan lived in the western part of the city, quite a distance from the county government. While Xiao Yi was waiting there, a servant suddenly came rushing in to report and said, "Vice Minister Xiao, our people went to Zheng Shouyan’s home, but his wife said Zheng Shouyan has not returned!

We immediately sent people to Huashou Hall, where the doctor on duty said Zheng Shouyan had left some time ago. One of the doctors mentioned he seemed to see Zheng Shouyan heading towards Xinglin Hall.

We have already sent people to Xinglin Hall to search for Zheng Shouyan’s whereabouts..."

Xinglin Hall!

Xiao Yi’s heart skipped a beat. Before he could process it, he had already flicked his sleeves and strode out.

The servant who hadn’t finished reporting was stunned and hurriedly followed, "Vice Minister Xiao, where are you going? Leave the search to us..."

The dusk was deepening, but luckily the moonlight was bright tonight, and weak lights from the nearby residences illuminated the way, allowing Xu Jing to easily discern the person’s face in front of her.

— It was the head of Huashou Hall, Doctor Zheng, whom she had an encounter with two evenings ago in front of Xinglin Hall!

So the criminal was him!

Zheng Shouyan held a lantern, his eyes coldly fixed on her, and suddenly he smiled eerily like a ghost from hell, "Little girl, you don’t seem too surprised to see me.

Indeed, you have the ability to have that Vice Minister Xiao from the Western Capital send people to protect you and the Cheng family siblings, so it’s not surprising you know about my case.

Little girl, do you know that you’ve been quite popular these days, with discussions about you wherever you go."

He stepped toward Xu Jing, one step at a time.

At this moment, in his eyes, Xu Jing was like a rabbit already trapped in a snare — it was merely a matter of a thought as to when he would let her die.

He wasn’t in a hurry, for before she died, he had to savor her look of terror and despair to quench the hatred in his heart!

Xu Jing looked at him, a strange feeling welling up inside her. She struggled to stand up, letting out a low laugh, "Indeed, quite formidable, isn’t it? Are you terribly envious? Even after you’ve committed so many crimes lately, people only know of my fame as a miraculous healer, with few willing to discuss the intricate cases you’ve crafted!"

Zheng Shouyan was slightly stunned, his eyes widening suddenly, as his voice deepened with a dangerous undertone like a waking tiger, "How do you know?!"

How could this little girl possibly know his thoughts!

"Ha, how do I know? I know quite a bit!"

Xu Jing coldly looked at him, speaking while simultaneously assessing the injuries on her own body.

Thankfully, though her left arm seemed to be fractured, and her right ankle hurt, she could still run.

It’s just that she was currently too close to Zheng Shouyan; if she ran now, he would surely catch her immediately.

She must find the right opportunity.

"I also know you hate men who marry remarried women, so you select victims who took on women that were previously married.

Why? Do you have a similar experience?"

Seeing Zheng Shouyan’s increasingly sinister expression, Xu Jing let out another low laugh, "I’m afraid your mother remarried too, and the truth behind her remarriage isn’t simple.

If a woman is abandoned by her husband, or if she normally separates from him, or if her husband passed away, there’s nothing particularly hateful about her remarrying.

However, your actions show that you hate your stepfather — you think he destroyed your once happy family! Why? Did your parents’ relationship break down because of your stepfather?

Or was it that your father was actually killed by your stepfather, and you witnessed that scene as a child!"

Typically, only children who’ve experienced significant trauma during childhood develop such a twisted and dark nature.

For a child, nothing would be more traumatic than witnessing the murder of their own father.

Zheng Shouyan’s eyes suddenly bulged, and his withered, cyan lips trembled relentlessly, as he forced out in a stifled manner, "You, shut up..."