Chapter 13 Qin Jiao Attacked

Chapter 13: Qin Jiao Under Attack

The academy’s library wasn’t far from Xue Lin’s room. Qin Jiao and He Zhao lagged behind Xie Nai and the others, and by the time they arrived, they happened to see a man and a woman standing in front of the library, talking.

The man wore the academy uniform, with a valiant appearance. As for his build, to put it nicely, he was burly; to put it bluntly, he was broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, with a bear’s back and waist. If not for the academy uniform, Qin Jiao would have believed him to be a butcher.

The man was robust and sturdy, and the woman in a veil beside him was not short either. Standing together, they surprisingly looked quite well-matched.

They were a bit too far away for Qin Jiao to hear what they were saying. Principal Li, standing nearby, introduced them in a low voice:

"That tall one over there is Zhao Yunzhi. The veiled woman beside him is Aunt Wu’s daughter, Xu Rujin. She works odd jobs at the academy and used to work in the embroidery workshop."

"What are they talking about?" He Zhao rubbed his chin, his expression intrigued.

"They might just be greeting each other. Xu Rujin’s fiancé died unexpectedly a few days ago—he drowned in the river, and they never even recovered his body. That young man was an exceptionally outstanding student at the official academy. Without this accident, he would surely have achieved the rank of juren and even tanhua in the imperial examinations. Heaven is cruel to lovers, parting a pair of star-crossed lovers forever."

Principal Li’s face showed regret. "I heard that Rujin’s voice has been injured from crying since her fiancé’s death. She rarely speaks now."

Hearing this, Qin Jiao took a closer look at the woman in a veil.

Because Cong Shuang, who lived at home, was mute, Qin Jiao always paid extra attention to anyone with a damaged voice or muteness.

"What a cruel twist of fate." He Zhao sighed softly.

As they spoke, Zhao Yunzhi and Xu Rujin noticed Principal Li and his group. "Yunzhi, come over here. I have something to ask..."

Before Principal Li could finish, a shrill middle-aged woman’s voice rang out from behind the group. "Governor! Where is the Governor? I have a grievance to report! My son Zhu Qi died so miserably—"

"Governor! Please investigate thoroughly and seek justice for my son Xue Lin!!" Another man’s howl followed immediately.

Then came a cacophony of sharp wails—male, female, elderly, and infantile—mixing together like the wailing of vengeful ghosts.

"Are these all the victims’ family members?"

He Zhao and Qin Jiao both quietly stepped back. The people who had rushed forward without warning all had ferocious expressions and bloodshot eyes, creating an eerie, unsettling atmosphere.

"Didn’t I tell you to come to the government office tomorrow to give your statements? Why are you making trouble here?"

Xiao Nianzhang stepped forward, his face ashen. These family members had originally been scheduled for a group questioning tomorrow, but unexpectedly, they had all gathered at the academy now.

"Governor, you’ve been investigating so long. Have you found out who killed my son? You keep telling us to wait. Wait for what? For my son’s bones to turn to ash?"

The middle-aged woman who spoke wore a plain white robe, her face pale with dark circles under her eyes. She looked frantic and raved:

"My son Zhu Qi died so pitifully! I paid you so much money, but the authorities can’t find anything! Today, the Governor must give me an answer! Otherwise, I’ll bash my head against this wall and die right here!"

"Yes! We demand an answer! Sobbing... my poor grandson!"

"Sobbing... Papa..."

The sobs rose and fell. Xiao Nianzhang’s expression was terrible. Especially when he caught a glimpse of Xie Nai’s frosty, stern face, his legs trembled slightly.

What Xiao Nianzhang hadn’t mentioned before was that he was eager to solve the case—partly because the unrest in Nanzhou had made the people skittish and paranoid, and partly because two of the three murder victims, Xue Lin and Zhu Qi, were the only sons of wealthy magnates in Nanzhou.

Money was a good thing—it could make the devil push the millstone—but it could also torment Xiao Nianzhang unbearably.

The most agitated now was Zhu Qi’s mother. Zhu Qi was a wild and unruly young man, spoiled by his family, always bullying and harassing others. As the upper beam is crooked, so is the lower one, so although Zhu Qi’s parents were wealthy, they had a bad reputation in Nanzhou.

"Please go back for now. Come back tomorrow when I summon you."

Xiao Nianzhang tried to calm the agitated family members, but seeing him stall, they only grew angrier. Zhu Qi’s mother, in particular, lifted her head, her face turning from greenish to bright red.

For some reason, Qin Jiao felt these family members were acting strangely. And in the next second, Zhu Qi’s mother suddenly lunged and slapped Xiao Nianzhang across the face with a crack!

That slap seemed to be a signal. The other family members charged madly, hitting anyone in sight, biting when stopped, like cornered animals.

"What are you standing there for? Fall back!"

Startled himself, He Zhao grabbed Qin Jiao, who was still frozen, and pulled him back a few steps.

Chaos erupted. Luo Bei and Luo Yue flanked Xie Nai. Xiao Nianzhang was the worst off—dragged and torn by several family members, with scratches on his face and neck. Principal Li was also knocked to the ground.

"Principal!" Zhao Yunzhi and Xu Rujin noticed the commotion and rushed over.

He Zhao tugged Qin Jiao to dodge while cursing, "Are these people insane?"

Among the crowd, Qin Jiao looked the most delicate and frail. Although the young man wasn’t short, his delicate features and slender build made him look like an easy target.

Bullies always pick on the weak. Seeing their chance, some of them targeted Qin Jiao!

He Zhao reacted quickly, shoving Qin Jiao aside, and immediately got entangled himself.

Stumbling from the push, Qin Jiao barely regained his balance when Zhu Qi’s mother lunged at him, reaching out! The woman’s long nails were painted bright red, and with her ferocious expression, she looked like a vengeful ghost.

Qin Jiao’s first instinct was to dodge, but Zhu Qi’s mother, driven by grief and rage, moved too fast. Unable to evade, he had no choice but to raise his arm to block—

"Ah!"

Qin Jiao’s cry of pain and Zhu Qi’s mother’s scream rang out simultaneously.

"Are you an idiot? Why didn’t you dodge?"

Someone grabbed Qin Jiao’s arm hard, pulling him into an embrace. The young man’s eyes smoldered with hidden anger, the small red mole at the corner of his eye burning as if about to ignite.

"I..." I tried to dodge, but I couldn’t.

Qin Jiao was stunned by Xie Nai’s scolding, and his arm was throbbing from the grip. The wound on his left wrist, reopened by the woman’s long nails, added to the ache. Qin Jiao’s face turned pale.

The young man, his face pale, said nothing. Xie Nai looked at him, feeling a wave of irritation. He loosened his grip a little but didn’t release him.

Meanwhile, Zhu Qi’s mother, who had just been kicked away, got up and tried to charge forward again. "You lazy, incompetent officials, doing nothing all day! I’ll make you pay for my son’s life!"

Xie Nai’s face darkened, and with a swish, he drew the sword from Luo Bei’s waist!

The blade gleamed cold and sharp. Xie Nai had always been the sharpest sword on the battlefield, the most ruthless god of war. Now, with a fierce look and a bloodthirsty glare, he inspired overwhelming dread.

"Your Highness, don’t! They’re victims’ family members!" Qin Jiao grabbed Xie Nai’s sword hand.

Luo Bei and Luo Yue also looked alarmed. The reason they hadn’t acted earlier was for fear of hurting these innocent family members. But now... was His Highness about to start a massacre?

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