My Years in the Jianghu with the Prince: A Time of Unethical Conduct

Chapter 52 The Real Culprit Cannot Escape

The group returned to the bamboo house, but this time their mindset had undergone a complete and dramatic transformation.

Before entering the house, just in case, Ning Liang had his men surround the house completely.

They passed by a room that had been left in disarray by the fight between Xie Yan and Shi Hanxi. At the end of the corridor, they could see the room where Shi Er was.

Upon approaching, the room was pitch black, as if it had been soaked in ink. Not a single ray of light shone through the cracks in the doors and windows, and the surroundings were completely silent.

If what Shi Hanxi said earlier is true, his younger brother should be resting by now.

Ning Liangcai ignored all of that and went straight up to bang on the door, as if he wanted to break it down right now, afraid that this person would run away like Shi Hanxi.

After a long while, the candlelight inside the room flickered and dimly lit. A weak voice then came, "Who's outside?"

"It is I, Ning Liang, the prefect of Yongcheng! I have urgent business to discuss with you, so open the door immediately!"

A rustling sound came from inside the room, and after a while, the door was opened. The person who appeared before them had a face exactly like Shi Hanxi's.

But after a moment's thought, the group realized that since the two were twin brothers, it was not surprising that they looked alike.

However, under normal circumstances, even if twins have a very high degree of similarity at birth, they should also show some subtle differences over time and due to differences in their environment.

However, Xie Yan narrowed his eyes. The closer he looked, the more he felt that the two were practically identical, as if they were copied and pasted. If the two were standing face to face, he wasn't sure he could tell them apart.

If one had to find some subtle differences, perhaps it would be that the person in front of him looked paler and more tired than Shi Hanxi.

Shi Er was wearing only his inner garment and an outer robe. He was clearly startled to see so many people when he opened the door. He coughed for a long time before frowning and looking at the group with a puzzled expression.

"What does the Prefect mean? What interrogation? And why are so many people in my house?"

Half an incense stick later, Shi Er sat down at the table, his face grim. He angrily said, "I told you I know nothing! You all saw it yourselves; because of my weak health, I've always stayed indoors! How could I possibly be my brother's accomplice?!"

However, Ning Liang simply refused to believe it. These two had spent so many years together, day and night; he absolutely couldn't believe that Shi Er could be completely unaware of this. To say he knew nothing at all was simply a fantasy!

So he immediately slammed his fist on the table and retorted, "We live under the same roof, and you're saying you don't know anything?"

These words provoked Shi Er to cough violently again. He let one hand hang down, and used the other hand to cover his mouth with a handkerchief, catching the blood that spurted out.

He took back the handkerchief and looked at Ning Liang with a mocking expression. "If living under the same roof allows you to know what others are thinking, then how come the prefect, who lives in the same city as so many people, allows them to commit murder?"

"You!!" This time it was Ning Liang's turn to be furious.

Before Ning Liang could question him again, Shi Er leisurely withdrew his gaze, stood up, and gestured for them to leave. "Even government investigations require evidence. Since you have no evidence to prove I was an accomplice, then please leave."

His words truly struck a nerve with Ning Liang. Even setting aside Ning Liang's position as prefect, and even the prince himself present, could not arbitrarily arrest someone without any evidence, disregarding the laws of the dynasty.

Moreover, although Shi Er's reputation is not as good as Shi Hanxi's, he has accumulated some connections over the years. If this matter gets out, it will cause a lot of trouble.

Ning Liang was so angry he laughed, unable to think of a good solution for the moment. He snorted coldly and said, "To prevent the criminals from returning, I will send men to surround this place day and night and guard it strictly. Young Master Shi, you'd better watch yourself."

From the moment he spoke, Shi Er's face had been so dark it seemed like it could drip water. Upon hearing this, his eyes glared fiercely at Ning Liang, and he raised his hand to drive the others out.

But at that moment, Xie Yan, who had been silently watching from the sidelines, suddenly made a move and grabbed his waving right hand.

Xie Yan leaned closer, smiling gently, but her gaze fell on his other hand. She asked, "Is there some kind of disability in Young Master Shi's left hand? Why haven't you made any movements?"

This sudden development caused the people around him to immediately turn their attention to his left hand.

Xie Yan's reminder made the others slowly realize what had happened. It seemed that throughout Shi Er's actions after opening the door, his left hand had remained quietly tucked inside his coat, and he hadn't been seen to extend it.

"What are you saying! Let go!"

Shi Er's expression changed drastically, and he tried to break free from Xie Yan's grasp.

But Xie Yan wouldn't let him escape so easily this time. She immediately grabbed his right arm and twisted it. After a crisp crack, the arm went limp and fell to its side.

Then he kicked Shi Er in the back of the knee, who was crying out in pain, and kicked him to his knees. He then lifted Shi Er's outer robe and grabbed his left arm, which he had been hiding.

His left hand had cracked fingernails, each finger bent into an eerie arc, and his palm was black, clearly showing the aftermath of a powerful internal force attack.

Xie Yan looked down at him, her eyes crinkling, "Compared to me, your acting is still a bit worse, Master Shi."

"What? He's Shi Hanxi?"

Things were moving too fast for Ning Liang to keep up with. He stared blankly at the person pinned to the ground and asked, "Where did Young Master Shi go?"

At this moment, Chu Ling, who had been observing the situation quietly, finally spoke up: "From the very beginning, there should have been no such person as Shi Er."

"what?!"

"No, that shouldn't be the case. The Shi brothers are from Yongcheng. People have seen them years ago."

Ning Liang began to panic.

"Oh? Is that so?" Chu Ling raised his eyebrows. "In the past few years, have you ever seen the two of them together?"

Ning Liang paused. Two years ago, when he first took office as prefect and came to visit, he had indeed only seen Shi Er.

However, he had also investigated the records of the Shi brothers. Both the midwife and the household registration records clearly showed that they were indeed twins.

But why is there only one person now, while the other person has disappeared?

"What exactly happened?!" Ning Liang was completely baffled and wished he could drag Shi Hanxi away right now and interrogate her about the whole story.

Meanwhile, Shi Hanxi, still shrouded in mystery, was curled up on the ground, groaning in pain. Not only his hands, but even his legs, which had once been able to outrun Xie Yan, had been broken.

Hearing Ning Liang's question, Xie Yan squatted down, looked directly into Shi Hanxi's eyes, and once again uttered a startling statement—

"I bet the first person you killed was your own brother."

The wailing stopped abruptly.