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

Chapter 2103 Never Seen Before

“Liu Balang,” Yan Ruyu’s voice was cold, “have you ever seen Liu Jiulang?”

Upon hearing this, Liu Balang gently shook his head: "I haven't seen him. I've been in a daze these past few days, and I don't even have the strength to open my eyes. How could I possibly see him?"

Yan Ruyu: "What I mean is, have you ever seen what his real face looks like?"

Liu Balang paused for a moment, then replied, "Never seen it before."

Yan Ruyu didn't speak, her gaze fixed on Liu Balang.

Liu Balang felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze, licked his dry lips, and quickly added, "I'm telling the truth, I'm not hiding anything."

He was never with us when he was little. Not long after he was born, his father took him away and raised him in another courtyard.

The courtyard was heavily guarded, and we usually didn't even have a chance to get close.

When I saw him again, he was wearing a mask, which he had never taken off all these years.

"Oh?" Huo Changhe finally spoke, his voice low and inquisitive. "Why are you called Balang? Do you have seven brothers and sisters?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Balang's face showed a complex expression. He sighed softly, his tone tinged with melancholy: "That's true."

I originally had seven older brothers and sisters, but none of them lived past the age of three; they either died young or passed away in an accident.

My parents were afraid I wouldn't stay, so they doted on me from a young age, protecting me in every way and never letting me suffer the slightest grievance.

He paused, his gaze drifting to the dark night sky outside the window, recalling distant memories: "The year Liu Jiulang was born, the family invited a wandering Taoist priest to pray for blessings."

When the Taoist priest saw him in his swaddling clothes, he said that his fate was different from that of ordinary people.

I was too young to remember exactly what else was said, but I do know that my father listened to the Taoist priest and took him to another courtyard that very day.

“Until three years ago,” Liu Balang turned his gaze back to the two of them, “we didn’t truly ‘meet’ until then.”

Even when we met, he always wore that mask, covering most of his face, and I never saw his true face.

Even when they speak, it's through a mask, so you can't hear much emotion.

As if afraid the two wouldn't believe him, he pointed to the masked man and said, "He's one of Jiulang's men. He's been with Jiulang for many years. He should have seen Jiulang's face before, right?"

The masked man who was called out stiffened abruptly, not expecting the topic to suddenly turn to him.

He instinctively shrank back, quickly waved his hand, and said in a somewhat hurried voice, "I've never seen him either! My lord, you are wise. Even his own brother, Hachiro, has not been seen. How could I, a mere servant, possibly have the opportunity to see my master's true face?"

Seeing that he denied it so readily, Liu Balang said angrily, "Don't talk about brothers or servants. It depends on who spends more time with him."

The masked man's face turned red with anger: "Anyway, I've never seen it before."

Yan Ruyu watched the two of them quietly without saying a word.

Neither of them were lying; they genuinely had never seen Liu Jiulang's true face.

She slowly raised her hand and waved it.

The guards escorted the masked man out.

Yan Ruyu withdrew her gaze and looked at Liu Balang again, her tone more serious than before: "What have you and Governor Ding done?"

Liu Balang's expression instantly became somewhat unnatural.

He lowered his eyelids and remained silent for a long while.

It wasn't that he didn't want to answer, but over the years he had followed Governor Ding and Liu Jiulang and done too many complicated things, including overt business dealings and shady dealings. For a moment, he didn't know where to begin.

Seeing his hesitation, Yan Ruyu did not urge him, but simply pointed to the paper and pen on the table: "Write it down. From the time you met Governor Ding, every single thing you have been involved in, not a single one can be omitted."

“Also,” Huo Changhe added, “do you know Mr. Mo?”

“Mr. Mo?” Liu Balang looked up, his face full of confusion.

He frowned, thought carefully for a moment, then shook his head. "Never heard of this name. Who is this person? What is their relationship with us?"

Huo Changhe stared into his eyes and asked again, "What about Wu Ping'an? Does that name ring a bell?"

Liu Balang shook his head again, this time more decisively, his eyes filled with even greater confusion: "Never heard of him. Is he someone from Governor Ding's side, or someone Jiulang knows?"

Looking at his reaction, Yan Ruyu gradually came to the answer.

Liu Balang's expression didn't seem feigned; he genuinely didn't know Mr. Mo or Wu Ping'an.

It seems that Liu Balang was nothing more than a pawn kept in the dark in this matter.

He probably only thought he was doing some profitable business with Governor Ding and Liu Jiulang, completely unaware of the many complicated things involved behind the scenes, and even less aware of Mr. Mo's existence.

The mastermind behind all of this was indeed Liu Jiulang.

She looked at Huo Changhe, and the two exchanged a glance, both seeing seriousness in each other's eyes.

It now seems that the key to solving this series of mysteries lies in capturing Liu Jiulang.

The problem is, they don't even know what Liu Jiulang looks like. How are they going to catch someone whose whereabouts are so mysterious and whose identity is so enigmatic?

Since Liu Jiulang was able to plan so many things, he must be extremely meticulous and cautious in his actions.

If this drags on any longer, Liu Jiulang will probably disappear completely, making it even harder to find him then.

We must come up with a solution as soon as possible.

Yan Ruyu's gaze fell on the paper and pen on the table, then she looked at Liu Balang, who looked bewildered, and began to make plans in her mind.

Perhaps the breakthrough lies with Liu Balang.

Although he didn't know the core secrets, he was, after all, Liu Jiulang's older brother, so he must know some of Liu Jiulang's habits or preferences. Even the slightest clue might be the key to finding Liu Jiulang.

As she was pondering, Liu Balang suddenly raised his head, as if he had remembered something, and tentatively asked, "Sir, if I truthfully confess everything I have written down, could you give me a lighter sentence? I... I was just confused for a moment, blinded by greed, and that's why I followed them and did some wrong things. It wasn't my intention."

Yan Ruyu looked at him and said calmly, "Telling the truth is your only way out. As for whether you can be treated leniently, it depends on whether your confession is valuable."

Liu Balang nodded, a hint of relief mixed with a touch of trepidation on his face. He picked up the brush on the table, dipped it in ink, hesitated for a moment, and finally lowered his head to begin writing on the paper.

The candlelight still flickered, illuminating his figure as he bent over writing, as well as the solemn expressions of Yan Ruyu and Huo Changhe.

All that remained was the scratching sound of the pen tip gliding across the paper.

Yan Ruyu knew that this contest had only just begun.