Just past the you hour, the sky plunged into darkness. Even face to face, it was difficult to see each other’s expressions clearly.

In Yinshuang City’s largest grain shop, the porridge tent steward Li Si had encountered during the day cowered there. Before the steward was an antique huanghuali reclining chair. Half-reclining on it was a man in luxurious clothing, around forty years old. His voice was hoarse like a crow’s: “Steward Ye, I heard you had a conflict with a group of people at the porridge tent. Is this true?”

“A group of disaster refugees causing unreasonable trouble. We gave them porridge for free, and they still complained it wasn’t enough to eat and drink. I couldn’t stand it, so I cursed at them a few times. Who knew these people had worthless lives but big tempers? But I’m not afraid either…”

“Shut your mouth!” The man in luxurious clothing was none other than Cui Yunhai, Yinshuang City’s wealthiest man. Cui Yunhai raised his eyebrows. “Did you make out where they were from?”

Steward Ye shook his head.

Through the mottled twilight, one could see restless dust particles jumping in the air. Cui Yunhai gently tapped the armrest. “There’s news that North Sea pirates have infiltrated the various counties of Bei’an Central Prefecture. They’re disguised as outsiders of unknown identity with ill intentions. So you need to restrain yourself and not cause trouble. Understood?”

“Understood, understood.” Steward Ye’s head bobbed up and down like a chicken pecking at rice, and then he was driven away.

The room fell into silence. Cui Yunhai continued tapping the armrest, maintaining the same rhythm as the dust particles dancing in the air.

In the shadows of the west city’s dilapidated stone tower, the bare-shouldered man watched Li Si and the others leave. A trace of confusion appeared on his rock-like face. Suddenly, a hand landed on his shoulder.

The man spun around sharply, then relaxed when he saw it was a companion.

“Brother Hei, Guo Ping and Lao Yao’s conditions have worsened. They feel like they can barely breathe. What should we do?” the companion said anxiously.

“Don’t panic. I’ll go back and check first,” said the man called Brother Hei. Just as his companion turned around, a flash of cruelty flickered in Brother Hei’s eyes, vanishing in an instant.

Brother Hei returned to a crumbling, tottering ruined temple where the disaster refugees were temporarily staying.

The clay statue worshipped in the ruined temple had already shattered into pieces—it was impossible to tell which deity or Buddha it was. The temple’s eastern roof had also collapsed. More than twenty disaster refugees all squeezed into the western end of the temple. Deep inside lay two people on the verge of death—Guo Ping and Lao Yao.

Brother Hei lifted Guo Ping’s eyelid to look. His eyes were lifeless, and numerous dark red spots dotted his black pupils. Additionally, his cheeks protruded sharply, his lips were purple, waves of fishy stench emanated from his mouth, and his ten fingers were curved like chicken claws. Brother Hei looked at Lao Yao as well—the same symptoms.

Brother Hei shook his head and sighed. “Looking at their condition, it doesn’t seem like starvation sickness, nor is it failure to adjust to the local climate. To save them, we can only go find a physician.”

“But we have no money for medical treatment.”

Brother Hei gritted his teeth. “There will be a way. Saving lives is what’s important. I’ll handle this matter.”

Everyone placed their hopes on Brother Hei alone. Brother Hei walked out of the ruined temple, striding with large steps toward the heavy blackness.

Li Si decided to make a trip to Yinshuang City’s county yamen. After the yamen runners announced him, Li Si quickly met Yinshuang City’s County Magistrate Wang Hang. Wang Hang had a round face that always wore a few traces of a smile no matter when. As the saying goes, “one doesn’t strike a smiling face”—you could never really dislike this type of person.

Wang Hang said he had long admired the great reputation of the Great World’s God-Catchers but had never had the fortune to meet one. Today his long-cherished wish was finally fulfilled.

After some mutual pleasantries, Li Si stated the purpose of his visit—he wanted to understand the case of the deaths of Sun San, Scarface Huang, and others in Yinshuang City’s prison. Wang Hang was startled. He clearly hadn’t expected Li Si to ask about this case.

“This case has largely been solved. The ones who killed Sun San, Scarface Huang, and the other seven were North Sea pirates. The pirates had an old grudge with three notorious bandits in the cell next to Sun San’s. They disguised themselves and infiltrated the prison to kill. Sun San, Scarface Huang, and two jailers saw the killer’s appearance, so they were silenced.” Wang Hang paced as he spoke. “The pirates’ curved blades were left at the scene, and the three notorious bandits had their hearts gouged out and bellies split open—they died in an unbearably tragic state. All of this can serve as evidence.”

Wang Hang analyzed the case in an orderly fashion, while A’Shu’s words came largely from his own speculation. The circumstances were complex and required careful consideration.

Li Si hesitated, unable to decide. At this time, Lao Sitou, who was at his side, spoke: “Can I examine the bodies of the seven deceased?”

Wang Hang’s face showed difficulty. “This case happened over twenty days ago. The bodies were all retrieved by family members. Those without family were all sent to the Yizhuang for burial. And just now I received news that the old man who buried the bodies at the Yizhuang suddenly died. Right now, no one knows where the bodies are buried.”

Wang Hang shook his head helplessly.

“What a coincidence.” Li Si had just come from the Yizhuang. The old man who buried bodies should have died at the hands of the impostor. Viewed this way, this case had major problems.

Li Si entered Yinshuang City’s prison. The prison here was tidier than those in other places. Especially the two cells where the murders occurred—they had been scrubbed completely clean, which also meant no evidence would be left.

Li Si looked at Wang Hang. Wang Hang smiled bitterly. “The jailers said cells where people have been killed easily attract inauspicious things, so they cleaned those two cells a couple of extra times. Well, it’s understandable.”

He had originally wanted to come to the yamen to find new evidence, but the bodies couldn’t be recovered, and the murder scene had been scrubbed completely clean. However, Li Si instead felt that the more there was nowhere to start, the more problematic it was.

Li Si proposed visiting Cui Yunhai’s home. After much consideration, Wang Hang still agreed. He dispatched several yamen runners to accompany Li Si there.

However, it was already late. They could only go early the next morning.

The twenty-third day of the twelfth month, Black Star Day, inauspicious in the east.

Three-quarters past the chen hour, a thin layer of frost and fog descended from the sky, heralding the coming of winter rain. Lao Sitou insisted on going to the Yizhuang one more time, and without bringing anyone else. Li Si, Bai Zhenzhu, and Wu Wen arrived outside Cui Yunhai’s residence. From a distance, they saw two sedan chairs stopped at the entrance of the Cui residence. Before long, two people emerged from inside the residence.

Both were dressed in luxurious clothing with extraordinary bearing. One had a dark complexion, while the other had a fair face. The two lowered their heads and exchanged a few words, then each boarded their sedan chairs and departed.

“Who were those two people?” Li Si asked. He was asking the accompanying yamen runners.

An elderly yamen runner answered Li Si. The one with the dark complexion was called Wu Ancai, and the one with the fair face was called Du Chong. Wu Ancai was Yinshuang City’s largest rice and grain merchant, while Du Chong was Yinshuang City’s most renowned physician with miraculous hands.

“A grain merchant and a physician.” Li Si frowned but didn’t ask further.

Li Si instructed: “Go knock on the door.”

The yamen runner knocked. The Cui residence’s servants informed Cui Yunhai. After about the time it takes to brew half a pot of tea, Cui Yunhai, wearing a dark green robe, came out of the residence to welcome them. He first exchanged pleasantries with Li Si briefly, then led Li Si to the main hall.

“This Li’s intrusion upon Boss Cui’s residence is for the case of Sun San,” Li Si said straightforwardly as he took his seat.

Cui Yunhai’s expression changed slightly, and his tone turned cold. “Lord Li, although I, Cui Yunhai, can’t claim to be broad-minded, I wouldn’t stoop to killing someone over a mere petty thief. So I’m afraid Lord Li will be disappointed. Sun San’s death has nothing to do with me.”

“Hehe, Boss Cui has misunderstood. I’m not referring to Sun San’s murder case, but rather the theft case of Sun San stealing from your residence,” Li Si continued.

“Mm. Haha, I spoke thoughtlessly for a moment and made Lord Li laugh. That Lord Li would personally come in person for a mere theft case—this truly commands my admiration. However, fortunately nothing was lost that night, so I won’t trouble Lord Li to concern yourself with it.” Cui Yunhai said with a laugh.

Li Si quietly observed Cui Yunhai as he spoke, but in his mind floated the scene from Sun San’s story: Cui Yunhai’s mouth pierced through by a dagger, and then in a scattering mist of blood, another “Cui Yunhai” appeared eerily… Put this way, the Cui Yunhai now sitting upright before him would be that “Cui Yunhai” who killed Cui Yunhai. Li Si secretly smiled—this was somewhat far-fetched.

“Boss Cui is too kind. Whether murder cases or theft cases, both fall within a constable’s scope of duty. It’s proper to take the lead. As for the stolen items, although Boss Cui lost nothing that night, before coming to your residence, Sun San also stole an antique jade pendant. Right now the jade pendant is nowhere to be found. Most likely it was lost at your residence—either it hasn’t been discovered yet, or it was picked up by a servant. Therefore, this Li would like to disturb your residence for half a day to search here for… this jade pendant.” Li Si made his intentions clear. The light in Cui Yunhai’s eyes shifted. After thinking for a while, he said: “No problem. Lord Li, please search as you wish.”

“Many thanks.”

Coming out of the Cui residence’s main hall, Li Si sent the yamen runners back. Bai Zhenzhu looked at Li Si with a beaming smile. Li Si touched his cheek. “Girl, do I have flowers on my face?”

“No flowers, but your face is getting thicker and thicker—thicker than the city wall! You don’t even blush when lying and bragging.” Bai Zhenzhu giggled.

Li Si rubbed his chin. “Sometimes the best way to deal with lies is with lies. So learn from it, little girl.”

“I don’t care about any of that. I only hope Big Brother Li never lies to me, or I’ll die of heartbreak.” Bai Zhenzhu’s beautiful eyes were crystalline as she gazed at Li Si. “Even if it’s a well-intentioned lie, even if it’s for my own good, don’t deceive me.”

Li Si seemed to fall into a mass of clouds and mist. His heart felt sweet as he reached out to tap Bai Zhenzhu’s nose. “Such a chatterbox. Let’s get to business.”

In the valley, the north wind was bitterly cold, like a bone-scraping sharp blade. Just five more li and they could walk out of this long, narrow mountain range. The armored general turned to gaze back. Su Prefecture had many high mountains; Qing Prefecture had much cold wind. The several hundred li journey from Su Prefecture to Qing Prefecture had been quite difficult for his five thousand soldiers. However, the greatest test wasn’t the high mountains and cold winds, but came from human hearts.

After careful calculation, the general murmured: “They should be coming soon, right?”

At the end of the valley, a black horse suddenly charged forth. Sitting steadily on the black horse was a gray-clothed man. The gray-clothed man kicked with both legs, and his entire body fell as light as willow catkins before the general.

The gray-clothed man bowed. “May I ask if you are General Sui from the Xuanjie Camp?”

General Ning Yuan, Sui Bing, nodded gently. “I am.”

“This humble one, Chou Kui, has been ordered to deliver a secret letter to General Sui.” Chou Kui handed over a tightly wrapped red leather letter case to Sui Bing. After reading it, Sui Bing’s thick eyebrows stood up. He turned and shouted: “The entire army will advance at full speed. Arrive at Bei’an Central Prefecture within two days.”

The army advanced with magnificent momentum. Chou Kui watched the Xuanjie Camp army depart in the distance, then also mounted his horse.