Ex-Wife is a Big Villainess

The demeanor of the servants in the courtyard let Jiang Shouzhong truly feel the tyranny and despotism of the "Silver Moon Tower," this so-called local Emperor, at close quarters.

From this taste, one could deduce that behind it all there must be some high-ranking officials from the court involved.

After all, no matter how nefarious the forces, it would be impossible to act so boldly and arrogantly under the watchful eyes of the court.

Jiang Shouzhong reined in his complex emotions, smiled politely at the female guard Xia He, whose face was as frosty as ice, and lowered his head to resume questioning He Daya, "You know Ge Dasheng, don't you?"

Overtaken by fear rather than pain, He Daya still clung desperately to Jiang Shouzhong's leg, nodding vigorously, "I know him, I know him... Lord Official, save me."

"Has Ge Dasheng exhibited any strange behavior these past few days?"

"I don't know. I used to be on good terms with Ge Dasheng, but then we stopped interacting... Lord Official, save me, they've taken my daughter, and now they're coming to kill me."

Jiang Shouzhong stared intently into the other's eyes and slowly inquired, "But someone saw you at Ge Dasheng's house the day before yesterday."

He Daya replied through the pain of his broken fingers:

"I went to collect a debt. That son of a turtle had borrowed three taels of silver from me and never paid it back... Lord Official, save me, now my daughter is missing, and they want to use me as their scapegoat."

"Did you see him then?"

"Luckily, I caught him at his house, but that son of a turtle didn't have a copper coin on him. In a fit of rage, I gave him a beating... Lord Official, save—"

Smack!

Before He Daya could finish his plea, his mouth was fiercely struck by the side of a knife, shattering two of his teeth.

The black-clad female guard Xia He, wielding the knife, spoke coldly and composedly, "Answer what you're asked. Utter one more useless word, and I'll gouge out those eyes of yours!"

A shiver went through He Daya as he swallowed his broken teeth.

Jiang Shouzhong frowned slightly, "And then?"

"Then I left."

This time, He Daya dared not cry out again for help.

Jiang Shouzhong felt disappointed and asked another question, "Did he say anything to you at that time?"

He Daya glanced at the bloodied knife blade beside him, his body shaking uncontrollably, his voice filled with despair and a miserable cry, "He said he could get the money to pay me back within three days, but he's told that sort of lie thousands of times. Of course, I didn't believe it."

Raising money?

Jiang Shouzhong's eyes flickered.

Driven by his professional sharpness, Jiang Shouzhong seized upon this point and continued his interrogation, "Did Ge Dasheng tell you how he would raise the money within three days?"

"It seemed he had some dirt on someone and planned to extort them. That son of a turtle never says a word of truth... Lord Official, why not take me back to the yamen for questioning."

Extortion!

A glimmer of realization crossed the man's mind.

Linking it to Ge Dasheng's trip to the deserted Wufeng Temple late at night, a speculation leaped up in Jiang Shouzhong's mind.

Could it be that Ge Dasheng inadvertently discovered a secret and tried to extort someone, only to be killed in retaliation?

This was indeed very possible.

Normal people who see a demon would feel fear and either report it to the authorities or pretend they didn't see anything.

But for a gambling addict mired in desperation and constantly thinking about how to raise money, there was nothing he wouldn't try to extort. Probably not even the God of Wealth himself would be spared from his blackmail when descending to the mortal realm.

Jiang Shouzhong pressed on, "Did he specifically tell you whom he planned to extort?"

"No..." He Daya shook his head, his face full of plea, "Lord Official, I've broken the law, I sold my daughter, please arrest me and take me to jail, I'm begging you, Lord Official."

One would sooner believe in ghosts than believe a word that comes out of a gambler's mouth.

One moment he was feigning innocence, accusing others of taking his daughter, and the next, he was tearfully confessing to selling his own child.

Jiang Shouzhong couldn't be bothered with his facade any longer and looked up at the woman.

The woman continued reading her book, her gaze not wavering in the slightest, her clear and tranquil voice inquiring, "Are you done with the questions?"

"I'm done."

Jiang Shouzhong nodded slightly and, with a salute, said, "Thank you, madam."

He wanted to leave, but He Daya was still desperately clinging to him like a lifeline.

"Lord Official... I beg you... please take me to the yamen..."

He Daya's tears and mucus were mixed together, and with his broken fingers, he tightly gripped Jiang Shouzhong's leg, his fearful voice like a cloth torn by the wind, intermittent and ragged.

Thud!

The sharp tip of the knife plunged into He Daya's shoulder blade, and with a twist, it bit deep.

He Daya let go due to the pain.

Jiang Shouzhong took the opportunity to break free.

Seeing that his hopes for help were in vain, He Daya was forced once again to place his hope for survival on the woman, enduring the pain as he cried and begged:

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"Madam, I truly don't know to whom I sold that girl. At that time, the person was masked, threw down the silver, and took my daughter away. I will definitely return the money you from the Silver Moon Tower gave me, with double the amount. I beg you, Madam, spare me."

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Jiang Shouzhong understood the situation now.

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He Daya had sold his daughter to Silver Moon Tower, then, after taking the money, turned around and sold her to someone else.

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Quite the business mind.

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Bold too, to dare to play Silver Moon Tower for a fool.

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Indeed, gamblers, once they reach a certain level of madness, fear not even the heavens.

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Jiang Shouzhong did not wish to get involved in this mess; now that he had an essential clue, there was no need to stick around for the show. He cupped his fist towards the dignified woman and said, "Madam, I'll be going to handle my case now. I won't disturb you any further, farewell."

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"Hold on."

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But just as he turned around, the woman's cool voice stopped him.

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Jiang Shouzhong's heart skipped a beat.

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With a feeling of unease, he turn back only to see the woman take the Identity Token from the hand of a female bodyguard called "Dong Xue" and say indifferently, "Don't want it anymore?"

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It was only then that Jiang Shouzhong remembered his Identity Token was still with her.

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Jiang Shouzhong let out a sigh of relief, hurriedly stepped forward, and extended his hands respectfully to receive it, "Thank you, Madam."

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But just as his hands were about to touch the Identity Token, those delicate, jade-like hands holding the Token intentionally shifted it a few centimeters away, missing Jiang Shouzhong's fingertips.

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Jiang Shouzhong was taken aback and looked up.

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The woman, exuding an aura of superiority, stared at him with clear yet sharp phoenix eyes and asked, "Does the Liushan Division's secret lamp take care of missing persons?"

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"This…"

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Piecing together what he had just heard from He Daya, Jiang Shouzhong grasped the woman's meaning and spoke softly, "Cases of missing persons are typically under the jurisdiction of the local authorities, while the secret lamp only deals with cases related to 'demons.'"

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Of course, there was something else Jiang Shouzhong didn't dare to say.

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Your Silver Moon Tower with its vast underground influence could find a missing person far more efficiently than the officials.

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You could even directly seek assistance from the top officials.

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"Then, while you're investigating, please help me look for her as well. After all, you secret lamps often deal with people from Jianghu," said the woman in a level tone. "The missing girl is called He Lianlan, fifteen years old, round-faced, a bit shorter than Dong Xue, with a Copper Coin-sized birthmark on the left cheek."

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She paused and then added,

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"This girl is quite important. I do not hold high hopes that you will certainly find her. Moreover, in terms of efficiency in finding people, we are more formidable than the official authorities. But it is yet another path to try.

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It's fine if you cannot find her, but if you happen to find any clue about her, come to Silver Moon Tower to find me. At that time, I will present a generous reward to you."

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"Alright, no problem."

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Seeing her attitude wasn't as domineering as he had anticipated, Jiang Shouzhong agreed.

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Looking for someone while on a case wasn't troublesome.

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If luck were on his side and he did find her, establishing some connection with Silver Moon Tower would benefit his future investigations.

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Of course, Jiang Shouzhong was well aware in his heart that she didn't really expect him to find the person. It was merely a casual request upon seeing his secret lamp identity.

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"Thank you."

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The woman handed the Identity Token back to Jiang Shouzhong.

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The lady was very polite.

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"No need to thank me, after all, Madam also helped me," Jiang Shouzhong said with a smile, leaving the courtyard.

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As the man walked away, the woman murmured,

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"He is quite handsome."

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She gently closed the romance novel "Yunxiang Dream Record" written by the "Oiran" once deemed the greatest beauty and talent, savoring the graceful sentimentality and the vivid descriptions of amorous relations between men and women contained within its pages. Her voice grew softer, yet the words that came out sent chills down one's spine.

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"Chop him into pieces."

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Ignoring He Daya's wailing, the female bodyguard Xia He dragged him into a side room.

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Listening to the screams from inside the room, the woman's previously icy eyes gradually became misty and dreamy, her slender jade-like finger unintentionally gripping the book tightly.

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She tilted her long, slender neck to look at the azure sky...

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At that moment, the lady seemed ethereally seductive, as if enveloped in a translucent frost, ineffably charming and alluring.

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"Alas..."

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After a long while, she exhaled a lazy, sigh-like breath.

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The hem of her dress felt cool.

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The bodyguard Dong Xue brought a new dress and waited by her side.

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