nagpurpolice Chapter 12 Silver and Secret Letter
Chapter 12 Silver and Secret Letter
The blood from the crack on my finger had stopped flowing and congealed into a dark red scab.
Even the slightest movement would cause a sharp pain.
These hands just killed someone.
It wasn't a knife.
It's with your fist.
One punch after another, and he was killed.
"So, this is what it feels like to kill someone?"
Chen Ye closed his eyes and took deep breaths to calm the churning emotions in his chest.
"Zhang Tieyi and the Gao family are determined to kill me. If they don't die, I will. So, they forced me to this."
"I did nothing wrong; the fault lies not with me."
"Countless innocent people have died at his hands; I've done this to rid the people of a scourge."
Chen Ye repeated this to himself several times.
With each repetition, my hand becomes a little steadyer.
Over and over again.
By the third time, my hands were no longer shaking.
By the fourth time, his mind had become clear.
In this cannibalistic place, if you're not ruthless enough, you can't survive.
Such bloody killings will certainly not be rare in the future.
The matter of murder.
One is born, the second is cooked.
If you're not used to it, just kill a few more and you'll get used to it!
Chen Ye exhaled a breath of stale air, releasing all the pent-up emotions in his chest.
He propped himself up and looked up at the sky.
Zhang Tieyi's body will be discovered sooner or later, and the Gao family will pounce on him at any moment.
The real danger has only just begun.
Now is far from the time to relax.
Chen Ye suppressed his surging emotions and summoned the pawnshop system.
[Current remaining lifespan: one day.]
Chen Ye stared at the line of numbers, speechless for a moment.
In his desperate moment, he gambled everything, pawning away his entire lifespan in one go. Now, he only has one day left to live.
If one cannot redeem their lifespan within a day, it will be of no use even if they escape the Gao family or Qinghe County.
He is doomed.
However, in that situation, even if he didn't pawn his lifespan, he would still face certain death.
At most, they'll just have to prolong their lives for a few more days.
He had no choice at all.
Chen Ye quickly went through the accounts in his mind.
From the first time the item was pawned until now, it has been pawned for a total of two years, nine months, and six days.
During this period, a total of 88 days were redeemed using 22 taels of silver.
According to the system's algorithm, the redeemable lifespan should be two years, six months, and eight days.
One tael of silver for four days requires two hundred and thirty taels of silver.
Now, let alone two hundred taels, he can't even come up with one tael.
Thinking of this, his gaze involuntarily fell on Zhang Tieyi's corpse.
Since this person is going to the Xie family, he should have brought travel expenses with him.
Chen Ye quickly squatted down, reached into Zhang Tieyi's clothes, and carefully searched him.
He reached down from his chest to his waist and pulled out a money pouch.
Chen Ye untied the rope of the money bag, opened it, and found only some loose silver coins inside.
He squatted down, gathered the loose silver in his palm, and, not caring about the dirt, counted it. It added up to about five taels.
One tael redeems four days' worth of goods, so five taels would redeem twenty days' worth.
Not much, but enough for him to catch his breath.
Without any hesitation, Chen Ye immediately used all his silver to redeem his lifespan.
"I want to redeem my lifespan."
The familiar interface reappeared before his eyes.
Redemption successful.
[Current remaining lifespan: 21 days.]
Upon seeing the latest notification, Chen Ye's tense nerves finally relaxed slightly, and he let out a long sigh of relief.
He continued searching.
Zhang Tieyi's body still retained a trace of warmth.
You can also feel some warmth while exploring.
Despite the discomfort, Chen Ye reached down and touched another hard object at his waist.
He took it out and saw that it was a secret letter, with the Xie family's sealing wax clearly printed on the seal.
Chen Ye knew that prominent families in the Jing Kingdom often carried such seals in addition to name cards to prove their identity.
Zhang Tieyi carried this letter with him, clearly intending to use it for his upcoming visit to the Xie family.
Chen Ye unfolded the letter and read it word by word.
Having spent several years in the Gao family, he had learned many characters through exposure to them, so reading was not difficult for him.
The letter was written by Gao Yunheng, and it consisted mostly of polite greetings and nothing substantial.
He was mentioned only at the end of the letter:
"Chen Ye of the Gao family is showing early signs of true yang energy. He can be sent to the Xie family. I hope you will accept him with pleasure."
The brief statement made no mention of talent or any secrets.
If you weren't involved, you certainly wouldn't be able to see the deeper meaning behind it.
But Chen Ye happened to be involved and understood the situation.
He carefully folded the secret letter and tucked it inside his clothes.
Chen Ye knew that things were not over yet.
Gao Yunheng and the Xie family!
He's still not very skilled at killing, so he needs some people to practice on.
He searched again, but found nothing.
As Chen Ye picked up Zhang Tieyi's short knife and straightened up, he caught a glimpse of Gao Qiaoniang standing at the door.
She was carrying a wooden tray; it was unclear when she arrived.
His attention was focused on searching the body, and he hadn't noticed her outside.
Gao Qiaoniang did not scream as expected.
Her lips moved slightly, then closed again, and she ultimately remained silent.
His gaze moved from his face to the corpse on the ground, and then back to his face.
She took half a step back, her back bumped against the door frame, and then she came to a stop.
The bowl in the wooden tray tilted slightly, spilling some porridge onto the edge, which slowly trickled down the rim. She didn't bother to steady it.
Chen Ye opened his mouth, his voice hoarse as if he had a mouthful of sand in it.
I didn't see you.
Gao Qiaoniang looked down at the bowl of porridge on the tray.
The porridge that had spilled from the rim of the bowl was almost flowing onto the wooden plate.
She picked up the bowl and looked at the slop bucket where she used to empty the dregs of her medicine every day.
"I didn't see you either."
Gao Qiaoniang also spoke up, her voice very soft, then she turned and quickly went back to her room, closing the door behind her.
Chen Ye clasped his hands together and bowed solemnly towards the closed door.
Just as he was about to leave, a few more words drifted out from the side room: "The two guards outside will change shifts at 7-9 AM. Before changing shifts, they will go to the corner of the alley to sneak off for a smoke, which will take about half an incense stick's time."
Chen Ye paused, then said softly, "Thank you."
He walked outside the courtyard and looked back.
The window of the west wing had been pushed open a crack at some point.
Gao Qiaoniang's face was hidden behind the window.
The two stared at each other for a moment, separated by half a courtyard.
Then her gaze passed over him, over the courtyard wall, and landed on the alley leading out of the mansion, her eyes filled with a complex and unreadable expression.
Chen Ye had no idea what she was thinking, so he turned and quickly left.
He has always had a very good memory.
He had memorized all the routes when he arrived more than ten days ago.
As they reached a corner, they could faintly hear the guards chatting ahead.
Chen Ye immediately hid himself, held his breath, and only peeked out with one eye to observe.
The two guards ahead were chatting idly.
He remained still and waited patiently.
After about an incense stick's time, just as Gao Qiaoniang had said, the two guards sneaked to the other corner and took out their tobacco pouches.
Chen Ye seized the opportunity, pushed off with his feet, and swiftly crossed the alley entrance, exiting the alley.