Chapter 2805 The Substitute Was Forcibly Taken by the Bandit's Wife 10

Jin Chen didn't care at all, took another bite of the pancake, and handed the remaining half to Gu Fanghe's mouth.

Gu Fanghe's eyebrows twitched slightly. "What?"

Jin Chen looked up at him and said, "I just had breakfast and I can't eat anymore."

A smile flickered in Gu Fanghe's eyes, and he took a bite next to the teeth mark from Jin Chen's hand.

[The villain's heart rate is detected +2, totaling 22! 】

[The villain's darkening value is detected -4, totaling 86! 】

The bandits who had been silently watching from the sidelines: "..."

They clearly hadn't eaten any pancakes, yet they inexplicably felt a bit full.

Just then, hurried footsteps came from outside the courtyard gate.

Takahashi, who was in charge of going down the mountain to gather information, rushed back, quickly stepped forward, knelt on one knee, and clasped his hands in a fist salute.

"Boss! We have news of Young Master Ruan's whereabouts, as you instructed!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the surroundings fell silent.

Everyone instinctively looked at Jin Chen.

Chen Xiaoshan also looked over, but didn't say anything.

Takahashi sensed something was off and looked up, only to find that the imposter... no, the young master was also there.

Takahashi took a deep breath and quickly lowered his head.

Gu Fanghe's eyes darkened, his voice devoid of emotion, "Get out."

"Yes!" Takahashi felt as if he had been granted a pardon.

Jin Chen seemed oblivious to the strange atmosphere. He took a clean handkerchief from A Yan and wiped the crumbs and grease off his fingertips, but a mischievous glint appeared in his eyes.

"Young Master Ruan? The Boss has quite a few people he favors."

He looked up at Gu Fanghe, his clear gaze landing on Gu Fanghe's face, "I, Jin, am perhaps... one of them?"

Gu Fanghe frowned slightly, feeling that something was amiss with what he had said.

"He's just an insignificant old acquaintance," Gu Fanghe said. "What are you comparing him to others for?"

Jin Chen remained silent for a few moments, then suddenly let out a soft "oh," the last syllable of which was drawn out and its meaning unclear.

He didn't continue the topic, turned around and handed the used handkerchief to Ayan, his tone returning to its usual lazy tone, "Go back, it's too hot."

Hmph, an old acquaintance.

-

The torture chamber.

The light was dim, with only a few torches lit, casting distorted shadows onto the stone wall, adding to the eeriness.

The two men Shi Meng brought back were terrified and trembled like leaves as they were tied to the wooden frame.

Gu Fanghe sat down, crossing his long legs in a relaxed posture. "Where are you going, dressed as Hu people? What are you delivering?"

Shi Meng stood to the side, threatening, "Confess honestly! Otherwise, I have plenty of ways to make you talk!"

"I'll talk! I'll talk! We were ordered... ordered to deliver a message to the capital!"

"What message should we send?" Gu Fanghe asked.

“It’s a secret letter from the Prefect of Nanzhou to a nobleman in the palace…” one of them said in a trembling voice. “We don’t know the specific contents; we’re only responsible for delivering it to the palace gates, where someone will meet us…”

Gu Fanghe narrowed his eyes. "You're taking this route to avoid the spies of Black Mountain Village?"

The two dared not answer, and could only tremble with fear.

Suddenly, one of them seemed to remember something, "Don't be so smug. In just a few days, Censor Song will pass through here, and then... then you'll get your comeuppance!"

"Oh?" Gu Fanghe stopped tapping the armrest and raised his eyebrows slightly.

He leaned forward slightly, the firelight casting varying shadows on his face, making the dark red scar under his eye even more prominent and radiating a chilling aura of oppression. "Lord Song? Which Lord Song?"

The man's legs went weak under his gaze, but he still forced himself to shout, "Naturally, it's Song Ji'an, Lord Song!"

"Song, Ji, An".

Gu Fanghe slowly uttered these three words.

In an instant, the scar under Gu Fanghe's eyes faintly throbbed with pain.

When the border was in dire need of fighting, he led his troops in a bloody battle, and good news kept coming.

Meanwhile, in the imperial court, a group of civil officials, led by Song Ji'an, repeatedly submitted memorials impeaching him for his arrogance and domineering behavior, fearing that he might become a military man who interfered in politics.

Every word and phrase directly attacks the emperor's defenses.

If it weren't for these impeachments, His Majesty's suspicion of him might not have grown so rapidly, and his younger brother might...

In the firelight, Gu Fanghe's eyes were sinister, filled with murderous intent, so intense that the two prisoners dared not even breathe.

Gu Fanghe suddenly stood up and strode out of the torture chamber.

Shi Meng asked from behind, "Big brother, what about these two..."

"Keep him locked up." Gu Fanghe said these two words and left without looking back.

The sun was shining brightly outside, but Gu Fanghe felt a burning anger in his chest, which made his internal organs ache, yet it was also chillingly cold. Wherever he went, even the birds fell silent.

As was his usual routine, Gu Fanghe should have been at the training ground by now, practicing his swordsmanship and venting his pent-up anger on the wooden stakes. But today, he paused, then walked in a different direction.

Gu Fanghe walked to Jin Chen's courtyard and pushed open the door to enter.

In the courtyard, under the old locust tree, there was a stone table. Jin Chen had changed into casual clothes, her long hair was not tied up, only loosely tied up with a jade hairpin. She sat at the table, playing with the white jade chessboard and playing against herself.

Hearing the noise, Jin Chen looked up.

Seeing that Gu Fanghe's expression was off, Jin Chen put down the chess piece and asked, "Does the chief know how to play chess?"

Gu Fanghe sat down on the other side of the stone table, nodded, and his voice was still somewhat deep.

"nature."

Jin Chen pushed the box containing the black pieces in front of him.

Gu Fanghe plays black and goes first.

His playing style is fierce and domineering, like a battle on the battlefield, with a ruthless attack that leaves no way out.

Jin Chen responded with white pieces, but his posture was much more relaxed. He played chess not like a game, but more like a pastime. He placed the pieces casually, but he could always defuse Gu Fanghe's attacks. Occasionally, he would look up at Gu Fanghe with a faint smile in his eyes.

On the chessboard, black and white pieces alternate.

Gradually, Gu Fanghe actually calmed down.

He stared intently at the chessboard, the violent hatred churning in his chest gradually subsiding. He placed the pieces with less force, and his breathing became calmer.

Gu Fanghe poured a cup of tea and then filled Jin Chen's cup as well.

"Young master is in quite a good mood."

Jin Chen picked up a white piece, pondering where to place it. Upon hearing this, he glanced at Gu Fanghe, his tone carrying a hint of genuine interest.

"Speaking of which, the leader should not be very old, so why does he always have a stern face and a murderous aura? It's quite frightening."

Gu Fanghe chuckled softly, his gaze falling on his face, "To you...when have I ever..."

He believed that he had used up almost all the patience he had left when dealing with this young master.

Jin Chen placed a white piece on the chessboard, rested his chin on his hand, and said, "What about Young Master Ruan?"

Gu Fanghe's hand, which was about to place a piece, hung in mid-air.

He looked up at the person opposite him, and his heart inexplicably tightened.

Gu Fanghe placed the black piece down. "You... really don't recognize him?"

How could there be two people in the world who look so alike?

Jin Chen gave a soft snort, "Don't know him? Who is he anyway?"

Gu Fanghe didn't want to talk about other people at this time, especially that person.

"It's your turn."

Jin Chen looked at the chessboard, and then played a few more rounds.

In the end, the white pieces won by a narrow margin of half a point.

"Concession."

Jin Chen put the chess pieces back in the chess box and looked at Gu Fanghe with a smile: "The chief is not at peace."

It is indeed not quiet, but it is already rare to see such a place.

As Gu Fanghe looked at the person in front of him, the more he looked, the more satisfied he felt with him.