Chapter 19 – The Murderer Might not Be Alone
Their ambiguous posture greatly stirred the implicated pair. Their eyes met; but while one of them had an evil teasing smile, the other had a shocked and embarrassed expression.
Naturally, the latter was Ji Yunshu.
Jing Rong, who was tightly holding onto Ji Yunshu, intentionally rubbed his hand on her waist. The sensation caused Ji Yunshu’s whole body to turn soft, and she could not help but lower her star-like eyes. Fortunately, the surrounding lights were a dim pink, which concealed the blush that had suddenly crept onto her face.
Jing Rong’s eyes encompassed her tightly closed lips. ‘This young scholar is really charming!’
A desire to tease Ji Yunshu rose in the depths of his heart. He spoke, “Teacher’s waist is very thin. If all the lanterns in the attic were extinguished, I would be under the impression that I was holding a woman.”
His words snapped Ji Yunshu back to reality. She raised her arms, causing her sleeves to wave and used all her strength to push Jing Rong away, freeing herself from his restraints.
“Your Highness, please act with propriety!”
The bashful Ji Yunshu turned angry in an instant!
However, Jing Rong’s face didn’t even change colors. “In the quiet of a cold winter night… Am I not allowed to joke?”
‘Loathsome, shameless!’
“Your Highness, shouldn’t joking have its limit? For two men to hold each other… If people were to see… You might be shameless, but this humble one’s face is thin.” Ji Yunshu’s tone was terrible.
Realizing that hugging her had seriously provoked her ire, Jing Rong frowned, but soon revealed a satisfied expression. “At first, I thought that Teacher Ji was taciturn and dull, cold like a frozen pine.” Then, he lowered his head closer to Ji Yunshu’s face and showed a roguish smile. “But it seems Teacher Ji can also get angry. Ah, how wonderful!”
‘Wonderful your sister!’ Ji Yunshu’s freezing eyes speared him. Then, she stifled the burning anger in her heart and slumped her shoulders. “Prince Rong, it’s getting late, and how can we face the yet to be buried Miss Zhou if we keep bickering here?”
“That’s true! We still have an important matter to deal with.” Prince Rong snapped back to reality and nodded.
“Your Highness offered your help earlier, so I’ll have to trouble you to stay in this attic. I’ll go down and in the meantime, can you try to find a place to hide? So long as you wouldn’t be seen by me, it would be good.”
“Are you trying to make things difficult to me? There’s no place for someone to hide here.” Jing Rong refuted.
‘This young scholar shouldn’t be using this to take revenge, right?’
However, Ji Yunshu had already gone downstairs. Without turning her head, she spoke, “That’s your Highness’ problem. Please use your brain.” Her voice gradually became distant as she slipped down the stairs.
Ji Yunshu walked to the back of the garden where quite a distance separated her from the attic, standing at the same place Qiaoxin had on that fateful day.
She chose a location, then lifted her eyes towards the attic, but the place was empty. Jing Rong was nowhere to be seen.
She decided to move to the other end of the garden, but like before, Jing Rong’s figure could not be seen!
How puzzling! Where could that crafty deity have hidden? As soon as she thought of it, she saw Jing Rong leaping down from the attic. He steadily landed in front of her.
Ji Yunshu only batted her eyelids while calmly looking at him. She inquired, “Your Highness, where did you hide?”
“You’re such an intelligent person, can’t you guess?”
“I can’t guess.”
Jing Rong lost his interest and pointed to the roof. “This kind of triangular shaped roof has a protrusion which can hide a person. If someone hid up there, no matter where people stood below they won’t be able to see that person.”
The sudden realization hit Ji Yunshu!
A triangular shaped roof structure was the standard construction layout in ancient times. Unexpectedly, she had overlooked that point.
“That means that the murderer knows martial arts.”
Even Ji Yunshu was startled at the revelation she was struck with.
However, her surprise was completely out of Jing Rong’s expectations. He lowered her eyes towards her and asked, “Why are you surprised?”
“I’m surprised…. Because the murderer is not one person.”
“How did you come to that conclusion?” Jing Rong revealed a solemn expression.
Ji Yunshu pondered a bit before replying. “There were traces of someone lifting Miss Zhou’s arms and dragging her away after her death. Consequently, it caused her shoulders to swell. The shape of the swelling revealed that the person who dragged her in such a way must have little strength. However, to be able to jump up to the roof, only a person with martial arts can accomplish that, and not a weak one at that. Moreover, in the time it took to bring Miss Zhou here, that person is unlikely to have exhausted his strength.”
Jing Rong squinted his long and chilly pair of eyes, and sank into deep thought. ‘This case is starting to become more and more interesting!’