On her wedding night, she went into exile with her pharmacy arsenal

Chapter 2180 Return to the City

As Yan Ruyu looked at the corpse, alarm bells rang in her mind.

Stripped of its true nature, this is no ordinary revenge killing or murder for money.

On the contrary, Mr. Mo's group was adept at using this method.

Huo Changhe stood up and looked at the surrounding wasteland: "This place is far from any village or shop. It is unusual for the murderer to choose to kill and dispose of the body here."

Yin Ding continued, "There was nothing on the deceased that could prove his identity. Although his clothes were not coarse cloth, it could only be inferred that he came from a well-off family. There was nothing else to tell."

Now that he's lost all sense of shame, figuring out who he is will probably be quite difficult.

Su Shengsheng stood to the side, listening to their analysis. Her fear gradually subsided, replaced by a deep sense of doubt: "Could it be...?"

What secret did the deceased know that the murderer, fearing his identity would be exposed and attract investigation, peeled off his face and disfigured him after killing him?

Yan Ruyu looked at Su Shengsheng: "That is indeed possible. The identity of the deceased must be the key."

Huo Changhe instructed Yin Ding: "Take a close look around for any other clues, such as footprints or pieces of clothing."

"Yes, Your Highness." Yin Ding knelt down again and searched carefully.

Yan Ruyu walked to Su Shengsheng's side and gently patted her shoulder: "Were you scared? Everything's alright here. Come back to the tent with me first. We can leave this to them."

Su Shengsheng nodded, and this time he did not refuse.

She glanced at the corpse on the ground, then at Yin Ding and Huo Changhe who were diligently searching for clues, and whispered, "Your Highness, you must also be careful."

"Do not worry."

Su Shengsheng was initially excited about spending the night outdoors, and during the day he even enthusiastically followed Yin Ding to learn how to pitch a tent. However, after discovering the corpse, he became somewhat afraid.

Outside the tent, Yan Ruyu stored the corpse in her spatial storage space to isolate it.

It can properly preserve the corpse, preventing it from decaying or rotting, and will also preserve complete clues if verification is needed in the future.

Seeing that she had finished her work, Huo Changhe asked in a low voice, "What are your thoughts?"

Yan Ruyu shook her head, her tone grave: "It's hard to say right now. The extremely fine and deep wound, the strange weapon used, and the peeled-off face—it doesn't look like something an ordinary person would do."

Besides, Mr. Mo's men are also skilled in disguise; peeling off their faces might just be to facilitate their identity concealment.

Huo Changhe nodded upon hearing this, his fingertips gently stroking the sword at his waist: "Although this place is in the wilderness, it is not far from Youcheng. To act here, and to do it so cleanly and efficiently, we should indeed be more careful."

“Your Highness is right.” Yan Ruyu leaned closer. “After returning to the city, we must send people to secretly investigate whether there have been any missing persons in Youcheng and the surrounding areas recently, especially men around forty years old with an old injury to their right leg.”

Perhaps we can find the deceased's identity from the missing persons list, and maybe even find some clues along the way.

Huo Changhe nodded slightly. The two understood each other and said no more.

As dawn broke, the group had a quick breakfast, packed their tents and belongings, and set off again, heading straight for Youcheng.

Riding on his horse, Su Shengsheng felt much better. On the distant horizon, he could vaguely see a majestic outline, which was the city wall of Youcheng.

"Is that Youcheng?" Su Shengsheng's eyes were full of curiosity.

Yin Ding chuckled, "Once we get past that grove of trees, we'll be able to see much better."

After walking for a while, the entire view of Youcheng gradually became clear.

The towering city walls, constructed of dark blue-green bricks, stood majestically, with a plaque bearing the inscription "Youcheng" (幽城) hanging above the city gate in powerful, vigorous calligraphy. But what surprised Su Shengsheng most was the road leading to the city gate.

The road was wide and flat, with a layer of fine pebbles on the surface, which had been compacted to an extremely smooth finish. The carriage could hardly make a sound as it traveled on it, and even the horses' hooves made only a dull thud.

Su Shengsheng couldn't help but slow down his horse, looking down at the road beneath his feet with disbelief: "What kind of road is this? How can it be so smooth? I've never seen a road like this in my entire life."

Upon hearing this, Yin Ding's face lit up with pride, and he raised his chin: "This is all thanks to my princess! The princess said that this kind of road is easier to walk on and less prone to water accumulation, so she specially had someone research this method."

Not only this one outside the city, but all the main streets inside Youcheng will be built like this in the future.

"You'll see when we get there; there are lots of interesting things to see and do in the city. Once we're settled, I'll show you around."

Su Shengsheng's eyes lit up, her gaze full of anticipation: "Really? That's wonderful!"

As they approached the city gate, Yan Ruyu raised her hand, signaling everyone to stop.

She glanced at Huo Changhe, and the two understood each other without saying a word.

Their departure from Youcheng was a secret operation, and their return should not attract too much attention.

"We'll disguise ourselves and enter the city in batches. Yinding, you take Su Shengsheng into the city first and go directly to the Prince's Mansion to wait," Huo Changhe instructed.

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Su Shengsheng looked at the changes in Yan Ruyu and Huo Changhe's appearances with amazement in his eyes, and couldn't help but reach out and touch his own face: "Can I try it too in the future?"

Yin Ding tapped her on the head: "Hurry up and come with me into the city."

Yan Ruyu and Huo Changhe waited a while until Yin Ding and his group had gone far away before they mingled into the crowd and entered the city.

After entering the city, Yan Ruyu and Huo Changhe did not go directly to the Prince's Mansion, but instead took a detour and headed towards the spice shop.

Now that I'm back, I need to go and see for myself how the spice shop is doing.

Yan Ruyu walked down the street, her eyes subtly observing her surroundings.

From afar, one could see that the once bustling Huo family spice shop was now deserted, with its signboard drooping, looking rather desolate.

The situation was similar at the Qian family's spice shop next door, where several employees were yawning listlessly in the shop.

Yan Ruyu and Huo Changhe exchanged a glance, slowed their pace, and walked slowly to the entrance of Huo Family Spice Shop.

Although there weren't many customers at the Huo family's spice shop, the shop assistants were as energetic as ever.

She stepped inside and asked a familiar waiter, "Is the manager here?"

The young shop assistant glanced at her, not recognizing her, and politely replied, "My manager is doing inventory in the back warehouse. Please wait a moment, I'll go and fetch him for you."

Not long after, Huo Zhongmao came out from behind. Yan Ruyu could tell from his expression that he had not been having a good time these days.

His face looked haggard, with dark circles under his eyes and blisters on the corners of his mouth, showing that he had been worrying a lot about things lately.

Yan Ruyu said in a deep voice, "Brother Zhongmao."

She didn't deliberately change her voice, but when Huo Zhongmao heard it, his eyes lit up, and his excitement was palpable.

"Please go up to the second floor."