“You’re saying you didn’t strike hard?” Before Du Ruhui finished speaking, the man replied: “Of course not. Working at a gambling house is about money. If we beat people to death, not only would we get no money but we’d land in a heap of trouble. Anyone would avoid doing that.”

Du Ruhui pondered for a moment: “Then besides you, did anyone else beat them?”

The men exchanged glances and all shook their heads saying no. One of them said: “Though someone did help them up.” At Du Ruhui’s request, the men recounted the situation at that time.

Wu A’Li and the other went to the gambling house after the noon meal. Both had drunk quite a bit and reeked of alcohol. They were regular customers of the gambling house, going to gamble every few days. But starting about ten days ago, the two went to the gambling house almost daily, and they spent lavishly – they wouldn’t even blink at wins or losses of one or two strings of coins. Their unusual behavior naturally aroused the curiosity of some acquaintances, who asked where they had struck it rich. The two refused to say, only claiming it was fortune sent from heaven.

That day was like any other – they bet on big and small for wins and losses. However, the two had bad luck, losing at least seven or eight out of ten rounds. The two became red-eyed from losing and bet increasingly large amounts. After losing yet another round, the two suddenly said in unison that their money pouches were missing, claiming someone in the gambling house had stolen their pouches. Just then, someone accidentally bumped into the house dealer, and several dice fell from the dealer’s sleeve. Wu A’Li and the other were old gambling demons – seeing this scene, they naturally knew the dealer had played tricks in the recent games. An argument immediately broke out, with one side demanding the gambling house return their lost money and the other demanding they pay their gambling debts. Neither side would yield.

Seeing people causing trouble in the gambling house, they naturally couldn’t sit by and ignore it, so a fight broke out. The scene was extremely chaotic. Later, Wu A’Li and the other suddenly collapsed. At first they thought they were playing dead, but who knew they had actually died.

After saying this, the man shook his head: “We brothers don’t know what bad luck we’ve had for generations to encounter such a thing. This time, even if we don’t die, we probably can’t escape the punishment of military service.”

Hearing this, the other two held their heads with faces full of regret. Du Ruhui said: “You mentioned earlier that someone helped Wu A’Li and the other up. Do you know who it was?”

“Not clear. Those two people looked very unfamiliar, as if it was their first time gambling.” As soon as he finished speaking, another person said: “I remember one of them was the one who bumped into the dealer.”

Du Ruhui’s intuition told him something was wrong, and he hurriedly asked: “Do you know which direction they went?”

The men all shook their heads: “The scene was very chaotic at that time. Who would notice them?”

Du Ruhui’s brows furrowed tightly. Not finding those two people meant the clues were cut off and he couldn’t investigate further. Just as he was in difficulty, one person in the prison said: “Who are you? Why are you asking about this?”

Du Ruhui said vaguely: “This case is somewhat suspicious, so I want to investigate it more carefully.”

His words lifted the spirits of the men, who hurriedly said: “Are you saying Wu A’Li and the other were very likely not killed by us? We don’t have to be sentenced?”

“I can’t be certain, which is why I wanted to find you to ask. Unfortunately, you can’t provide any useful clues.”

Hearing this, the men hurriedly said: “There are, there are, there must be clues for you. Wait a moment.” With that, they lowered their heads in deep thought. Unfortunately, those two people were truly too unfamiliar – even racking their brains, they had no impression. After a while, the person who had previously described the events to Du Ruhui said: “Would telling you that daylight ghost’s name be useful?” A so-called daylight ghost was someone who stole during the day. If it was at night, they were called “opening skylights” or “stepping on morning dew,” among other names.

Du Ruhui couldn’t think of any other clues at the moment, so he could only say: “Go ahead and tell me.”

“When arguing with Wu A’Li, I saw Bai San. He’s a famous daylight ghost in Luoyang City who’s been caught and taken to the authorities several times, but he’s always released after a short while. His stealing skills are quite sophisticated. However, this was the first time he committed theft in our gambling house. It should have been him who stole Wu A’Li and the other’s money pouches.”

After asking for Bai San’s address, Du Ruhui left the prison. When he came out, it was already dark. Seeing that curfew was approaching, he had to return home first. Early the next morning, he rushed to Bai San’s residence. Tomorrow would be the ninth day of the third month – he didn’t have much time left.

When he reached Bai San’s house, he found it empty – presumably he had gone out to “work.” With no choice, Du Ruhui had to wait not far from his door. He waited until noon before seeing a short man walking over whistling, tossing a money pouch up and down with one hand – presumably his spoils of victory. As they brushed past each other, Du Ruhui tentatively called out “Bai San.” The latter stopped and looked Du Ruhui up and down: “Who are you? What do you want with your Master Bai… Ouch, lighter, my arm’s about to break!”

Du Ruhui twisted Bai San’s arm and said coldly: “Speak! The day before yesterday at Changfeng Gambling House, did you steal two money pouches?”

Bai San endured the pain: “Don’t talk nonsense. I’m an honest man – where would I steal other people’s money pouches?” Before he finished speaking, his arm felt a sharp pain. “Don’t you want this arm anymore?”

Bai San had seen many different types of people, but this was the first time encountering someone so fierce and tough. Fearing he would really break his arm, he quickly said: “No, no, no, brother, let’s talk nicely.”

“Answer me!” Faced with Du Ruhui’s interrogation, Bai San had to say: “Yes, the day before yesterday I did go to Changfeng Gambling House, and I did steal two money pouches. I haven’t used the money inside yet. If you want it, I’ll give it to you.”

After a brief silence, Du Ruhui released his hand: “Why did you steal their money pouches?”

Bai San’s expression changed slightly as he smiled: “I make my living from this trade. It would be strange if I saw them and didn’t steal.”

Du Ruhui caught his subtle change in expression and said calmly: “According to the gambling house people, this was your first time committing theft in a gambling house. Why?”

Bai San’s gaze flickered: “That day I wandered the streets for several rounds without finding suitable targets, so I thought I’d try my luck in the gambling house. Turns out I really did steal two.”

Du Ruhui said coldly: “And right after you stole the money pouches, they died.”

Bai San’s face changed as he hurriedly said: “Don’t talk nonsense. They were beaten to death by the gambling house people – it has nothing to do with me. Don’t try to frame me.”

“You’re quick to distance yourself. I didn’t say you beat them to death. I just want to know – at that time, two people helped Wu A’Li and the other up. Do you recognize those two people?”

Bai San thought for a while and shook his head: “Never seen them before.” After waiting a while without hearing Du Ruhui speak, he said cautiously: “If Master has nothing else, then…”