That wretched vixen has disguised herself as my wife!

When her fingertips lightly played the prelude to the melody, Jiang Jingming was slightly taken aback.

This is the song "Dream of Xizhou".

Fang Zhiyi memorized the piece he wrote with A Qing after only listening to it once that day.

Her musical skills were far inferior to what she claimed; she only had a superficial understanding.

This was the first time Jiang Jingming had ever heard of this piece played on the guqin. It was so clear and gentle, like a cold moon, yet its lingering charm was melodious and tender.

A special person.

Jiang Jingming recalled the smile in Fang Zhiyi's eyes when she said those words, and for a moment he felt that the music was actually touching his heartstrings.

Chapter 138 She Will Protect You

The moon rose higher and higher, hanging in the deep blue sky.

Fang Zhiyi plucked the strings, and the strings rang out clearly.

Jiang Jingming snapped out of his daze and took the bamboo flute from his waist.

The desolate and profound sound of the xiao (vertical flute) joined the guqin (ancient zither), as if a melodious breeze had suddenly blown into an ancient pool that had echoed for a thousand years.

Jiang Jingming realized for the first time how well the zither and the xiao (vertical bamboo flute) complemented each other.

They complement each other and accompany each other.

No wonder the martial arts world refers to those two women of unparalleled beauty as "the two masters of the qin and xiao," probably because people are hoping to hear them play together.

Jiang Jingming's flute playing is in the same vein as Jiang Wuwang's, making listeners feel as if they are in a vast desert, with sandstorms hitting their faces and the setting sun casting its last rays.

Fang Zhiyi's zither playing was clearly superior to his.

Although Jiang Jingming knew nothing about playing the zither, her playing was so beautiful that even a complete novice would be amazed and amazed.

From this perspective, her mother must have been an exceptionally skilled musician, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to teach such a student.

After the song "Dream of Xizhou" was played, it seemed that echoes could still be faintly heard coming from the distant valley.

Jiang Jingming let out a deep breath and sat down next to her.

Tomorrow will be the third day, the day we've agreed to face that mysterious visitor head-on at Tingpu Villa.

In fact, Jiang Jingming's mood was not as relaxed as it seemed on the surface. He thought that perhaps everyone was the same, just enjoying the last calm before the storm.

Last night, Chen Sha sent word that he had deployed all his men to Tingpu Villa.

Given the meticulousness of the Divine Capital Guard in handling cases, that mysterious person probably wouldn't have had the opportunity to set up any traps at the scene beforehand.

However, since he dared to leave such a message so openly, he must have been confident that he could take on a hundred enemies single-handedly.

As Jiang Jingming reflected on what he had seen and heard along the way, he felt a sense of emptiness and uncertainty.

Shulan City, through the poisoning of Mengdala by the mastermind, transformed Sanxi's corpse into a cannibalistic sorcerer, a seductive dancer, and a musician who knew his true identity...

These people all belong to the same organization, hiding in the shadows, watching the actions of all of them.

Jiang Jingming's intuition told him that the mysterious person who challenged them to a duel was also from this organization.

Therefore, he must also possess the same various magical techniques as these people, whose strangeness and terror far exceed the comprehension of ordinary people.

This is the source of his confidence in provoking everyone.

As for his promise to uncover the murderer, Jiang Jingming had no expectations.

Judging from their organization's modus operandi, the more chaotic the world is, the more they enjoy it.

Catching the murderer is not the outcome they wanted; the murderer might even be among them. Therefore, they are using this incident to try and shift the blame onto others.

At the third quarter of midnight, where the moonlight shines, the murderer is among the three.

Jiang Jingming recalled the letter the murderer had given to Chen Sha and deduced that the target of his framing was probably one of the three of them.

But why those three of them?

Xie Yunqi could understand it. She was the young lady of the Divine Capital Guard. Framed her, it might not only cause infighting within the Righteous Path Alliance, but it was also a blatant provocation that showed contempt for the authority of the Righteous Path.

And Fang Zhiyi...

Jiang Jingming pondered for a moment, thinking that perhaps the people in this organization also knew Fang Zhiyi's true identity.

Just as they knew they were the young sect leader of the Wash Spring Sword Sect, they also knew that Fang Zhiyi was the daughter of the Ghost Doctor.

Announcing to the world that the Ghost Doctor is dead, and then dragging his only descendant into the fray, would undoubtedly add the most intense flames to this chaotic world.

So, what was the point of framing Aqing?

The organization knew his identity, and therefore must also know that Aqing was a member of the Duyue Cult.

Reveal A Qing's identity to Chen Sha, saying that she is that demoness, the young master's wife of the Duyue Sect, and then completely smear the Duyue Sect.

This seems to be the most likely direction so far, but the problem is, how can they prove that Aqing is related to the Duyue Cult?

A homeless orphan girl who has been learning secret assassination techniques since childhood cannot possibly leave any clues for others to reveal her identity.

Thinking about this, Jiang Jingming's thoughts became increasingly complicated, like a tangled ball of yarn that he couldn't untangle no matter what he did.

Just then, someone gently patted his head.

Jiang Jingming looked up, and Fang Zhiyi's sleeve brushed against his forehead, as soft as a bird's feather.

Are you worried about tomorrow?

She once again guessed his thoughts and pointed it out with a question.

"Ah."

Jiang Jingming simply nodded in agreement. Since he couldn't hide anything from her anyway, he might as well lay it all out in the open.

"What are you worried about?"

"What I'm worried about now is that person will try to pin the blame for the family annihilation on you, Miss, or Aqing."

Jiang Jingming turned his head and looked at her:

"Since he left those words on the letter, it means he clearly had this intention."

"Maybe."

Fang Zhiyi nodded seriously.

Seeing her composed expression, Jiang Jingming couldn't help but sigh.

"I mean, do you have any leverage that he might be able to use against you? Something that could allow him to successfully identify you?"

"Of course not!"

Fang Zhiyi waved her hand innocently:

"I am just a weak healer, how could I possibly kill so many experts from Tingpu Manor?"

"..."

Although what she said was true, her expression was ambiguous, as if she were teasing a child, and she seemed indifferent and not really interested.

Jiang Jingming sighed again, looking at the bright moon in the sky, his unease growing stronger.

"Okay."

Fang Zhiyi smiled faintly, then suddenly leaned closer, pressing her fingertips between his brows and gently smoothing away his furrowed brows.

"Frowning will cause wrinkles, be careful you'll age faster."

"Would a doctor believe such lies told to a child?"

Jiang Jingming felt the cool touch between his brows, but did not pull away; he simply answered.

"Yes."

Fang Zhiyi withdrew her hand, smiled, and looked up:

"You can't open an umbrella indoors, or you won't grow tall. You can't point at the moon, or the heavenly dog ​​will eat you."

"Yes."

Jiang Jingming had heard these words since he was a child. Whether in this life or the previous one, it seems that some truths have been passed down through the ages.

The branches and leaves on the treetops swayed gently in the moonlight, falling in front of the two people.

Fang Zhiyi's fingers occasionally plucked the strings, producing a note or two.

The wind blew her long hair slightly, carrying the faint, bitter fragrance of herbs.

The fragrance emanating from Fang Zhiyi seemed to be etched into her very bones, likely an effect resulting from spending a childhood immersed in herbs and practicing medicine.

Unlike ordinary scents, it has a fragrance that inexplicably makes people feel at ease.

Jiang Jingming sat down beside her, listening to her play the strings, and his anxiety and worry gradually subsided.

"Now that you know I'm not at risk of being identified, are you worried about Xiao Qi and A Qing?"

Fang Zhiyi tilted her head slightly and looked at him.

"Ah."

Jiang Jingming nodded frankly as before:

“Even if Miss Xie is identified, it doesn’t matter, no one will believe it. But Ah Qing has no backing. If she is smeared, it will be very troublesome to clear her name.”

What benefit would they gain from identifying Ah Qing?

Fang Zhiyi pinpointed the problem incisively, then added meaningfully:

"—If she isn't the murderer."

"Aqing is definitely not the murderer."

Jiang Jingming shook his head and denied it without hesitation.

"Are you that sure?"

Fang Zhiyi raised an eyebrow slightly.

"It's confirmed."

Jiang Jingming nodded.

Fang Zhiyi smiled faintly, then asked leisurely:

Were you with Aqing when the family was wiped out?

"..."

Jiang Jingming's heart sank slightly.

When the family was murdered, Aqing was not by his side.

However, she was investigating a case involving bandits at the time—or rather, she was single-handedly massacring the bandits' hideout.

However, if we were to delve deeper, Aqing certainly had enough time to go to Zhongzhou first and then return to deal with the bandits.

"..."

His silence had clearly given Fang Zhiyi the answer she wanted, so she smiled silently and continued with her next question:

"With Miss Aqing's strength, is it possible for her to slaughter the entire Listening Waterfall Manor?"

"It's unlikely."

Jiang Jingming pondered for a while before giving a fair and objective answer:

"Aqing's martial arts skills are stealth and assassination. If given enough time to scout and plan, she could definitely do it. However, based on our investigation of the crime scene, the murderer walked in with an arrogant attitude and openly killed everyone. This is not Aqing's style."

"What if Miss Aqing has a trump card that even you don't know about?"

Fang Zhiyi casually suggested another possibility.

"impossible."

Jiang Jingming shook his head:

"When I met Aqing, she was a skinny little girl, as thin as a bean sprout. All her kung fu skills were learned from... and from a master that my father hired."

After all, she was his childhood sweetheart, the girl he grew up with, and he knew her inside and out.

Upon hearing this, Fang Zhiyi simply smiled slightly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.