In the gloomy, shadowy secret chamber, Tong Baiquan denied being the murderer of Ding and Sun.

Tong Baiquan seemed short of breath and coughed several times: “Many years ago, Ding Laocai’s father fled from famine to Gutan Village and was saved by my father. Afterwards, Ding’s father became a long-term worker in my family. But Ding’s father didn’t want to live under someone else’s roof, so he borrowed money from my father to do a leather goods business. Within five or six years he had earned himself a fortune. Ding’s father wanted to repay my father’s kindness with a large sum, but then he suddenly fell ill and died.”

Tong Baiquan said through gritted teeth: “After Ding’s father died, Ding Laocai forgot his father’s instructions and refused to return the silver to my father. Not only that, the damned trash also spread rumors everywhere saying that my father had swindled all of Ding’s father’s silver back then. My father was so angry he fell ill and died.”

“After Father was buried, this bastard still had the thick face to come and demand money from me.” Tong Baiquan said. “Of course I wouldn’t give it to him. Over this matter we quarreled no less than a hundred times. He’s just a greedy petty man whose death is not worth regretting. As for those several chests of gold and silver… they were moved from his treasury after I discovered Ding Laocai had died.”

Tong Baiquan’s coughing grew more muffled: “Lord Li, actually the first person to discover Ding Laocai’s sudden death wasn’t you, but Tong Jie. Early in the morning on September 1st, when I learned that Ding Laocai had been spreading rumors again, I went to confront him about it. Tong Jie was feeling playful and also went to the Ding residence. Later, when I was about to enter the main hall, I was stopped by Tong Jie. He told me that the person inside was dead.”

Li Si asked Tong Jie, “You didn’t enter the room, so how did you know Ding Laocai was dead?”

Tong Jie bared his teeth and said nothing. Only after Tong Baiquan cursed at him did Tong Jie speak in a voice like a leaky whistle: “He had no heartbeat. Father said people without heartbeats are dead people.”

Tong Baiquan paused and said, “I also observed and discovered that Ding Laocai was truly dead. Afterwards, Tong Jie and I moved all the silver away. This silver was originally mine—it’s what he owed me.”

Li Si had finished listening to Tong Baiquan’s story, but Wu Wen wasn’t buying it: “All of this is completely your one-sided account. Now Ding Laocai is already dead, with no way to refute you, so you’ve fabricated these excuses to deceive my lord. Hmph, Village Chief Tong, don’t think things are so simple.”

Wu Wen pulled out the foot wrappings embroidered with the character “Tong” and gave them a shake: “According to what you say, you and Ding Laocai had an old grudge. So what about you and Widow Sun… could that be an old romance?”

Tong Baiquan’s face alternated between shades of green and white. He said with difficulty, “So you’ve found out about that.”

“She and I do have some… entanglement, but that wouldn’t lead to murder, would it?” Tong Baiquan retorted. Wu Wen interjected, “Wouldn’t lead to it? I think it very much would.”

Wu Wen recounted his theory that Widow Sun had coerced Tong Baiquan to marry her and that Tong Baiquan had killed her to silence her. Tong Baiquan was left speechless, his face frighteningly pale.

Wu Wen said impatiently, “Village Chief Tong, both Ding Laocai and Widow Sun, who had unclear connections with you, died inexplicably. The one who benefited most is you. You have ample motive for murder. At this point, I advise you to confess honestly.”

“I… Lord Li, do you also think I’m the murderer?” Tong Baiquan looked at Li Si with longing eyes.

Li Si’s mind was currently a blur of black and white, with the occasional bursts of color all containing images of Shen Rou gradually moving farther away. If he hadn’t been entangled by the Ding and Sun murder cases in Gutan Village, perhaps he would have found her one step sooner. But now…

Li Si was oppressed by the cocoon-like entangling murder case until he could barely breathe. He turned to look at Tong Baiquan: “One coincidence might truly be a coincidence, but when coincidences happen again and again and again, inevitability hides behind them. As Wu Wen deduced, you are the true murderer who killed Ding Laocai and Widow Sun.”

“Hahaha, hahaha!” Tong Baiquan laughed wildly, then spurted out a large mouthful of fresh blood. He coughed incessantly, and then his body collapsed to the ground in decline and he died right there.

Tong Jie seemed to go stupid. He knelt before Tong Baiquan shaking the corpse, grinning: “Father, don’t sleep here. It’s dirty here, it’s cold here. Let’s go back to the room.”

Tong Jie pulled at his father’s sleeve, but Tong Baiquan had no response. Tong Jie continued grinning, but tears fell drop by drop onto his father’s cheeks. He quickly wiped them clean, murmuring, “Father said I can’t cry, can’t cry… Father said I’m a monster. I can only frighten people, I can’t show weakness before others. If people see that I’m afraid, they’ll bully me… Father said I need to be like a real man… Father, wake up!”

The person who had once given him earnest teachings could never open his eyes again. Tong Jie laughed sound after sound, his eyes turning blood red as he glared at Li Si and Wu Wen: “You all must die!”

Tong Jie spread his arms like a great roc covering every corner. Li Si wanted to resist, but lifting Tong Jie’s heavy fist earlier had exhausted his remaining strength. Now he could only be at the mercy of others.

Li Si first heard Wu Wen’s miserable scream, followed by the cracking sound of bones being broken. Li Si gradually turned his gaze over, just in time to see Tong Jie’s killing star-like burning celestial slaughter intent.

“You die!”

The ice-cold fist wind had already arrived. Li Si didn’t even have time to feel the heart-tearing pain before his scattered consciousness collapsed him first. He swayed backward and fell.

His entire person sank and floated, as if drifting on the vast and boundless river of death. He remembered that in hell there was a river called Wangchuan. Legend said that men and women who loved each other in the mortal world but could not be together, as long as they drank Meng Po’s soup and then threw themselves into the ice-cold Wangchuan river water that pierced into the soul to suffer for a thousand years, they could exchange it for one chance to meet their beloved in reincarnation.

If the legend is true, I’m willing to drink Meng Po’s soup and thus sink for a thousand years.

But unfortunately, the place where I drift is not hell, and where I sink is not the Wangchuan River.

Only unfortunately, I woke up.

By his ears were the chirping of birds, accompanied by fierce dog barking and human shouting. Li Si opened his eyes, feeling quite uneasy. He came to the window to look outside.

In that instant, Li Si only felt a buzzing sound in his head…

Outside the window, Tong Jie was snarling and howling at a jujube tree with bared teeth. Beside him was an old mixed-breed dog. On the jujube tree stood a small bird with a red tail, and a head and body of yellow and blue, just like in the picture.

But very quickly, an old woman dragged Tong Jie away. The old dog went to sleep, and the little bird sang alone.

Wu Wen walked over from the side and said, “My lord, your complexion is very poor. Didn’t you sleep well last night?”

“That’s right, there’s still been no news about Miss Shen Rou.”

…

By the time Li Si’s brain could operate again, he found he was already sitting at the dining table, eating breakfast together with Wu Wen and the Tong father and son.

Tong Jie held two chopsticks, struggling to pick up food. He angrily threw down the chopsticks and grabbed the dishes from the plate in front of him, eating heartily.

“My lord, why aren’t you eating a single bite? Eat some, at least.” Wu Wen said.

Li Si was stunned. After a good while he finally managed to ask one question: “Wu Wen, tell me seriously, what month and day is it today?”

Wu Wen’s expression was puzzled: “My lord, today is the second day since we came to Gutan Village. It’s the second day of September.”

“The second of September… the second…” Li Si was like someone trapped in a huge vortex within chaos, circle after circle, circle after circle, violently whirled around until his head spun and eyes blurred, spinning eternally, as if it would never stop again.

“Bang!” Li Si suddenly pushed his chair back. Tong Baiquan looked at Li Si in astonishment: “Lord Li?”

Li Si looked at every person present. Although each person had different features, their expressions felt like they were all the same person. Li Si bit his lip and said, “I’m fine. I’m feeling a bit distressed and confused. I want to go outside for a walk by myself.”

Having said this, Li Si plunged into the hazy rain curtain.