vstars Chapter 57 I Have a Question
Chapter 57 I Have a Question
"Master Shen, thank you so much! If it weren't for your help, my Hundred Herbs Valley would have been finished this time."
"Madam Lu, please rise!"
Helping up Madam Lu, who was about to bow to him, Shen Che said with some emotion, "It's just that everything went too smoothly. It's as if the timing and circumstances are all on your side."
"It went so smoothly that it's almost unbelievable; what I actually did was limited."
With Lu Zhao, the imposter, dead, the Crimson Cicadas did not riot, which relieved the survivors.
I almost got tricked by that bastard. He even said that after she died, the Red Cicada would riot and drag them down with her, but nothing happened.
Of course, it's also possible that the deworming medicine from Baicaogu worked, but in any case, they are now barely safe.
Shen Che had initially thought that the remaining martial arts practitioners would vent their anger on Baicao Valley.
At this time, however, many people were speaking up for Baicao Valley, saying that it was all the work of a fake Valley Master.
Over the years, Baicaogu has been treating patients, and many have benefited from its kindness.
With those in truly high positions mostly unscathed, the public's anger gradually subsided.
Moreover, although those people managed to maintain their own condition thanks to their considerable skill, and Bai Xiyu later used medicine to stabilize their situation, the Crimson Cicada was still inside their bodies.
Later, Bai Xiyu promised to find a way to help them gradually remove the Cicada from their bodies.
They still need Baicaogu, so they aren't worried about being retaliated against for the time being.
In short, things went too smoothly, so smoothly that he didn't have to put in much effort at all.
The fake Lu Zhao died just like that, and Baicao Valley was saved. Everything seemed to have come to a perfect end.
However, the next moment, Shen Che seemed to sense something, his brows furrowed slightly, and countless thoughts flashed through his mind.
"Thank you so much, Master Shen!" Bai Xiyu bowed to Shen Che, and said with slight excitement, "What we promised you, Baicao Valley will do everything in its power to fulfill!"
"Don't worry about those things for now. I suddenly have a question that I'd like to ask Officer Bai."
"If Master Shen has any questions, I will answer them to the best of my ability."
"That's good!" He nodded with a smile, but the smile on Shen Che's face gradually faded and he became somewhat serious.
"Officer Bai, I'm curious, should I call you Officer Bai, or Lu Zhao, or perhaps the leader of the Crimson Cicada Society?"
"No, calling him the leader of the Crimson Cicada Society isn't quite accurate; he should be called the true master of the Crimson Cicada!"
"Master Shen, this joke isn't funny." Bai Xiyu paused for a moment, then chuckled and said, "Lord Shen, you really know how to joke. You startled me."
"Isn't the leader of the Crimson Cicada Society already dead? We worked together to achieve this."
"Does this look like a joke to me?" Shen Che's face was not very smiling at this moment. His expression was serious, and his eyes were sharp as he stared at the person opposite him.
Bai Xiyu, who was originally heroic and dashing, seemed to have gained a few indescribable auras.
"Also, let me correct something. The so-called leader of the Crimson Cicada Society didn't die at our hands, but was killed by the Crimson Cicada's backlash."
"Isn't it all the same? It's the insect-repelling medicine that worked, which is why she suffered a backlash."
"It's different. Since she knows how to manipulate them, and since these red cicadas are hers, why are they so easily attacked? Even if there are problems, how come she can't control them so easily?"
"So, is it possible that these cicadas are not actually hers?"
"Also, the way she looked at Old Madam Lu before she died—it seemed like she regarded Old Madam Lu as her own mother. I believe Old Madam Lu could have sensed that, right?"
His gaze then turned to Old Madam Lu, who was silently lowering her eyes, her expression revealing a complex mix of emotions.
However, when faced with Shen Che's question, he couldn't help but defend Bai Xiyu: "Master Shen, perhaps you are overthinking it."
"Master Shen, when that fake Zhao'er first arrived, I treated her as Zhao'er and took good care of her. That must have touched her a little."
"My Zhao'er is kind and upright. She hasn't come back all these years because of that fake Zhao'er, so how could she be the master of those Crimson Cicadas?"
"Madam Lu, is it possible that the fake Lu Zhao you mentioned has always believed that she is Lu Zhao, and that she is your biological daughter?"
"This red cicada has the power to prolong life, so that's why she was willing to sacrifice everything for you?"
He met Bai Xiyu's gaze, as if trying to discern something in her eyes.
There was no panic, no fear, only calm. How could someone remain so calm at a time like this?
"Officer Bai, when I was bored reading sword manuals in my family library, I flipped through a few miscellaneous books, and one of them contained something interesting."
"The book says there's a cicada in southern Xinjiang called 'Knowing Summer,' which can eat people's memories!"
"At the time, I was curious how the author knew this. Was it possible that not only could one consume memories, but one could also give those memories to others? The author must have experienced it firsthand to know this."
"Are there similar things in the martial arts world? I think there should be. Something that can transfer one person's memories to another person."
Shen Che's senses were extremely sharp at this moment. Although Bai Xiyu's eyes remained unchanged, there was a hint of tension in them for a fleeting moment.
Although it was just a fleeting moment, it was enough for him.
"Officer Bai, when we were in the dungeon, Madam Lu said that when the imposter Lu Zhao was first rescued, he spoke incoherently and his words didn't make sense."
"She thought it was just some mental confusion after the shock, but who impersonating someone else wouldn't carefully consider every word they say? Who would speak so incoherently?"
"That's because she's not delirious, nor is she faking it. It's because her memories are pieced together from fragments, so they don't connect properly, making it seem like she's mentally deranged."
"Madam Lu thinks she was frightened, which caused her to be momentarily confused, and she probably thinks so herself."
"It was precisely because she was so confident in her identity that she was so considerate of Old Madam Lu."
"That's why, after three years of living together, Old Madam Lu only realized this wasn't her daughter. And the reason for that wasn't due to problems discovered during their daily interactions, but simply because her daughter, Lu Zhao, couldn't eat shepherd's purse!"
"And precisely for this reason, even the real Lu Zhao can't remember."
"So, it wasn't her who hurt you or impersonated you back then; it was you who used her as a tool. From beginning to end, she was under your control."
"That's utter nonsense!" Finally, Old Madam Lu couldn't hold back any longer and carefully shielded Bai Xiyu behind her.
"Master Shen, these are merely your guesses!"
"She just admitted that she is not my daughter, not the master of my Hundred Herbs Valley, and has nothing to do with my Zhao'er."
Shen Che glanced around and then at Old Madam Lu. His voice was steady, but it sounded cold and harsh to Old Madam Lu.
"Of course she had to admit that the matter had been exposed, and she was now practically at odds with all the martial arts factions present."
"So she has to admit that she is not your daughter. That way, even if she loses, you, Madam Lu, will not be implicated."
"This isn't an admission, but a reluctant choice made after weighing the pros and cons. In fact, she always thought she was one; otherwise, she would have dragged you, Madam Lu, down with her long ago!"
"How could someone who is ruthless enough to kill so many people allow someone who has been betraying him to get away scot-free?"
"Unless, she still believes that person is her biological mother!"