AUBTN -Chapter 74 The Key Was in Her Hands All Along

At this moment—

In the underground passage, the flickering flame of the eternal lamp cast shadows across Shen Jue’s pale profile, giving him an eerie, almost seductive aura.

“Who is it?”

Su Hewan instinctively asked, her mind racing through a few names.

“Song Zhaoyuan? Or…”

Shen Jue said nothing, his gaze fixed heavily on the tightly shut Xuan Iron Door.

His long fingers slowly withdrew, tips damp with a trace of condensation.

He turned, a faint, almost mocking curve forming at the corner of his lips. In this confined space, it made one’s skin crawl.

“Miss Su, your memory seems a little lacking.”

Shen Jue leisurely adjusted his sleeves, his tone cold.

“Just last night we cooperated with her—who was it that kept insisting they’d risk their life to take down that old bastard Jiang Huai?”

Su Hewan’s pupils suddenly dilated.

“Jiang Ruyi?”

【What the hell! It’s her?】

【Under the lamp it’s dark! Jiang Huai has been searching for years, and the key was in his niece’s hands all along?】

Shen Jue let out a light chuckle, but there was no humor in his eyes.

“Back then, I buried that Yin Fish Jade Pendant under the begonia tree in the West Courtyard.”

“After Jiang Huai took over the Shen Mansion, to flaunt his wealth, he leveled all the plants in the West Courtyard—except that old begonia tree. It had grown in such a remote spot that it was left untouched.”

“Last night, I went to see Jiang Ruyi and noticed she had something dark hanging at her waist. Though heavily worn and dulled, I recognized it at a glance…”

Shen Jue paused briefly, his voice carrying a trace of bloodthirsty excitement.

“That is the Yin Key I’ve been looking for.”

Su Hewan took a deep breath, a chill running down her spine.

Is this what fate is?

Jiang Huai abused his niece, leaving her to fend for herself in the desolate West Courtyard. Yet ironically, this very act allowed Jiang Ruyi to come across the critical evidence that could bring him to his knees.

“What are we waiting for?”

Su Hewan immediately turned.

“Let’s go find Jiang Ruyi. If we delay, Lord Lu might not hold out much longer!”

But Shen Jue smiled slowly, unhurried.

“No rush.”

He lifted his gaze, piercing through the darkness.

“The play reaches its climax when the lead actor appears—it’s the best part.”

“Come, I’ll take you to the front hall to see a good show.”

Meanwhile, the atmosphere in the front hall had already dropped to freezing.

Jiang Huai’s manic laughter still echoed through the main hall.

“Lord Lu!”

“Without the key, even if you turn this Jiang Mansion upside down, you won’t step foot into that secret room!”

“If you dare force it open, the Mo Family’s mechanisms will incinerate everything inside in an instant! Then there will be no proof of who did what. How will you explain this to the Emperor? How will you explain this to the world?”

Lu Yan’s fingers gripped the embroidered spring knife so tightly that the joints whitened.

He truly couldn’t gamble.

If it were an ordinary mechanism, the Jinyiwei had plenty of skilled craftsmen.

But the Mo Family’s Twin Dragon Lock, connected to underground fire oil—if forcibly tampered with, the entire evidence chain of Su City’s salt transport would be completely destroyed.

At this moment, Yu Qing, who had been trailing behind Lu Yan, twitched her eyes!

It seemed her time to act had come. If this old bastard wasn’t given a taste of his own medicine, he wouldn’t understand why the flower was so red!

She suddenly let out a startled scream.

“Ah!”

That single exclamation instantly broke the deadlock.

All eyes turned to her.

Yu Qing’s face was pale, her body trembling as she pointed at Jiang Huai, looking as if she had seen a ghost.

“You… you…”

Jiang Huai frowned. “Young lady, what are you making such a racket for?”

Yu Qing trembled as she hid behind Lu Yan, poking out only her head, her voice quivering with sobs:

“Master Lu… this person… there’s such heavy malice on him!”

“I… I heard from the elders at home that if someone has done a sinful deed, this kind of dark aura appears on them… Has he… has he killed many people?”

Lu Yan slightly tilted his head, looking at Yu Qing clinging to his sleeve, his brow faintly raised.

【Why are you looking at me? Play along, big brother!】

【This old fox has a strong psychological defense, but he’s too agitated. We need to throw him off his rhythm!】

The corner of Lu Yan’s mouth twitched almost imperceptibly.

He didn’t know what she was up to… but cooperating a little wouldn’t hurt.

“This young lady is a traveling… physiognomist.”

Lu Yan said casually, without changing his expression.

Jiang Huai snorted coldly. “Ridiculous! When did the Jinyiwei bring along a witch for an investigation?”

Yu Qing ignored him, clutching her chest and staring blankly at the space behind Jiang Huai, her voice drifting uncertainly:

“So many people… so much blood…”

“There’s a woman in red… crying…”

“She says… that’s her home… her child…”

Jiang Huai’s expression changed instantly.

When the Shen family was exterminated, Shen Jue’s mother had hanged herself on a beam, dressed all in red!

This was a secret—how could this crazy girl possibly know?

“Shut up! Spreading malicious talk!” Jiang Huai shouted harshly, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

Suddenly, Yu Qing screamed, pointing at Jiang Huai’s chest:

“The key! She’s looking at your chest!”

“She says… that’s her thing! You’re not worthy to hold it!”

Jiang Huai instinctively covered the spot on his chest where he hid the key, stepping back in terror.

“What… what nonsense are you talking about!”

【Hehe, nailed it! Scared you, old fox! This is psychological suggestion, understand? Sure enough, guilty conscience!】

Lu Yan watched Jiang Huai’s panic, a trace of admiration flashing in his eyes.

This girl, usually so scatterbrained, really came in handy at the crucial moment.

“If you, Lord Jiang, think this young lady is wrong, why not take out what’s on your chest and show everyone?”

Lu Yan pressed the advantage, stepping closer bit by bit.

“If you truly have a clear conscience, why be so flustered?”

Jiang Huai, a seasoned fox, forced himself calm after a brief panic.

Gritting his teeth, he glared at Lu Yan viciously.

“Lu Yan! Stop playing tricks here!”

“I only have one key on me. Even if I gave it to you, so what? Without the other one, you’re still nothing but a useless fool!”

“Today, unless you can dig up the dead from the Shen family underground, don’t even think of touching a single thing of mine!”

“Oh? Really?”

A cold, soft voice suddenly came from the entrance of the main hall.

Jiang Huai whipped his head around.

Through the rain, a crimson oil-paper umbrella slowly moved aside.

Shen Jue stood at the doorway, holding the umbrella, smiling faintly as he looked at him.

Beside Shen Jue stood Su Hewan, and…

Jiang Ruyi.

“Shen… Shen Jue?”

Jiang Huai’s voice trembled for the first time.

“Lord Jiang, could you repeat what you just said?”

Shen Jue stepped over the threshold and approached Jiang Huai, slightly bowing to whisper into his ear:

“I heard you’re also looking for the other key?”

Jiang Huai’s pupils constricted violently.

Shen Jue straightened and turned to look at Jiang Ruyi behind him.

“Miss Jiang, show your good uncle what you have at your waist.”