Chapter 35: The True Origin of Chen Miaomiao?

Something feels a bit off, doesn't it?

"Master of the house!"

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Su Ruan asked directly, sounding somewhat surprised.

Lu Chuan shook his head and replied with a smile, "It's nothing!"

"How has Dieyi been these past two days?" Lu Chuan asked.

Su Ruan nodded. "She’s been quite well-behaved, but she seems to be troubled by something. She doesn't talk much, and she isn't very willing to speak with others."

"Aside from her daily chores, she spends most of her time in her room."

Lu Chuan nodded as well, not dwelling on it too much.

However, how to deal with Chen Miaomiao remained a significant problem. This woman was bound to be trouble; the fact that Zhou Zheng had gone to such lengths to track her down meant that her identity, along with Chen Qingqing’s, was certainly not simple.

Just then, a thought struck Lu Chuan. He recalled the strange map he had discovered in the cave—and that map was only a fragment of a whole.

A map! Chen Qingqing! Zhou Zheng!

Lu Chuan pondered the connections between the three.

His thoughts then turned to Widow Wang—or rather, to that man. Lu Chuan was certain that the current "Widow Wang" was not a man in the traditional sense, but a castrated one. There was a cleanliness to him, yet he carried a faint, fishy stench. It was a scent an ordinary person would rarely notice, and one that wouldn't be found on typical men or women.

After a eunuch is castrated, they often carry an indelible odor. Some say it's because the area is difficult to keep clean, allowing mold to grow. Lu Chuan remembered that when he was a mercenary, he had encountered men who had been castrated, and they all carried that same distinct scent.

If a man were not only cross-dressing but had also gone so far as to cut off his own manhood, and in the face of danger, thought only of his own death to ensure the safety of Chen Qingqing—then the identity of this "Chen Qingqing" was truly terrifying.

"Su Ruan!" Lu Chuan called out.

"What is it, Master?" Su Ruan asked curiously.

Lu Chuan smiled and continued, "Who do you think those government officers were looking for when they came to the village a couple of days ago? Do you have any guesses?"

"That’s really hard to say," Su Ruan replied, shaking her head with a bitter laugh. "The world has been in such chaos these past few years. Even those with power and influence can fall in an instant, losing everything—their families torn apart."

"Even families like mine or the Bai family could suffer total ruin if we stood on the wrong side, let alone anyone else." Her voice carried a sense of helplessness. After a sigh, she added, "Do you think this Dieyi might be connected to the person they were looking for?"

Su Ruan was remarkably intelligent; she had hit the nail on the head almost instantly.

Lu Chuan spread his hands helplessly. "I’m not sure. I just want to know what Zhou Zheng was looking for by making such a grand display in the village, and whether there’s any way for us to reap some benefits from it."

He spoke softly. Su Ruan regained her composure. "You’re right. Zhou Zheng was so cautious and spent such a long time searching; there must be something—or someone—very important involved."

"But I really can't say for sure," Su Ruan reflected carefully. "Eleven years ago, in the 333rd year of the Great Xia Dynasty, I was only six years old. I don't remember much."

"Wait!" she exclaimed. "In the year 333, the Prince of Bingzhou marched north and annihilated the Huihe! Because of that, the Prince was highly favored by the Emperor and was granted all the former Huihe lands. Shortly after that, there seemed to be a corruption scandal within Bingzhou."

"I recall an official surnamed Chen being executed. But that’s ancient history; few people would remember it now. I only heard bits and pieces of gossip from outside the estate when I was a bored child. If the year 333 hadn’t been such a pivotal year for the conquest of the Huihe, I wouldn't have remembered it at all."

Bai Siyu nodded. "I actually do remember that official surnamed Chen! At the time, the charge wasn't just corruption; it was collusion with foreign enemies. His entire family was wiped out—not a single soul left. They say they were so thorough that even the yolks of their eggs were shaken until broken."

Hearing this, Lu Chuan couldn't help but laugh. He had heard of wiping out nine generations before, but the detail about the egg yolks was a first.

"Of course, that’s surely an exaggeration," Bai Siyu said, sticking out her tongue in embarrassment. "Apart from that, nothing else particularly strange happened that year."

"Hmm." The Chen family. Chen Qingqing. Chen Miaomiao. It fit, but could an official truly raise someone so loyal and brave that they would sacrifice their own life for their master? Lu Chuan remained skeptical. A "death soldier" might be possible, but they rarely acted with such unnecessary flair. It seemed only one explanation remained.

"Never mind," Lu Chuan said with a smile. "I was just asking out of curiosity about the events of the past."

In his mind, he locked away that specific date: the year 333. The original owner of this body would have been very young then, and such news wouldn't have been common gossip in a remote village. In these times, travel was slow and information was stifled; sometimes, the Emperor could change and the people in the countryside wouldn't even know for years.

"I actually do feel," Bai Siyu said thoughtfully, "that Dieyi’s identity is indeed suspicious."

Just then, footsteps approached. Dieyi stood at the entrance, holding a tray of prepared food. She hesitated, unsure if she should enter.

Lu Chuan beckoned to her with a smile. "Come on, stop overthinking it and come in. I’m just a bit curious about you. There’s no need to be so guarded. Even if you really are from the Chen family, so many years have passed—I wouldn't let anyone come to cause you trouble."

Chen Miaomiao’s expression remained cold. She walked in with the tray and set it on the table with practiced ease.

"Eat," she said, her voice stiff.