Yan Qing pointed to the right foot of the body and said: “This person has an inverted right foot — the heel is small, the heel is inverted inward, and the toes deviate medially. This is a patient with congenital foot deformity.”

She looked up at the neighbor: “This person would have walked with a limp. Did the Lin family have anyone like that?”

The neighbor shook his head. “Though I wasn’t close with any of the Lin family, I can say with certainty that there was no one among them with a limp. They were an odd-tempered family, but they were all physically healthy — I never saw anyone with any disability.”

Long Yunxiao also crouched down. Though he didn’t understand these things well, from the neighbor’s account he could infer the same: the Lin family had no one with a clubfoot. So who did this limping corpse belong to?

“This person’s height, by preliminary estimate, is over one meter eighty-two. One foot is congenitally deformed — not extremely severe, but it would still cause an uneven gait. If the Lin family truly had such a person, the neighbors would not have been unaware.” Yan Qing seemed to be speaking to herself, then as though something occurred to her, she quickly asked: “Have you seen anyone around here with these characteristics besides the Lin family?”

The neighbor answered almost without hesitation: “Xie the Lame.”

“Xie the Lame?”

The neighbor nodded: “Xie the Lame lived in the flat-roofed house not far from the Lin family. His wife died of illness a few years ago and he’s been living alone ever since.”

“What did he do for work?”

“He made cleavers, and he also sharpened knives for people.”

“And where is he now?”

“He disappeared — the neighbors haven’t seen him in a long time. His house has gone to weeds.” The neighbor spoke and then pointed at the body on the ground. “Surely this isn’t Xie the Lame, is it?”

“Very likely.” Yan Qing seemed to let out a breath of relief. “If this person truly is Xie the Lame, then one member of the Lin family is still alive.”

Long Yunxiao said: “But the bodies are burned this badly. There’s no way to tell who survived.”

Yan Qing curled her lips in a slight smile: “Don’t forget — the Lin family almost never went outside, yet one person had to make regular trips to Huxi Town to buy medicine. From Five Boundaries to Huxi Town, even by horse carriage, would take a full day there and back.”

“You’re saying the Lin family’s son-in-law?”

Yan Qing nodded: “If I’m not mistaken, the Lin family’s son-in-law would stay overnight in Huxi Town when he made those trips — and it was that one night away that allowed him to escape with his life.”

“Then how did Xie the Lame end up at the Lin family’s?” Hall Master Ying interjected.

This time, before Yan Qing could explain, Long Yunxiao spoke up on his own: “Xie the Lame was probably carrying on a secret affair with the Lin family’s daughter. Every time the son-in-law went to Huxi Town, he would slip over to the Lin home for a rendezvous with her. But he never expected that one such visit would cost him his life.”

Yan Qing nodded in agreement: “The killer only knew there were eight members of the Lin family, but he had never seen photos of them. So after matching the gender and age, he failed to notice that Xie the Lame was not the Lin family’s son-in-law. Xie the Lame died in place of the Lin family’s son-in-law.”

Hall Master Ying asked eagerly: “Then where did the Lin family’s son-in-law go?”

Long Yunxiao looked at him: “Since the Lin family’s son-in-law is still alive, he must be hiding somewhere. Send all your men out — you must find this person. He may be the only witness.”

“Yes, Mr. Long.” Hall Master Ying agreed without hesitation.

Five Boundaries was not large, but tracking down a single person was not simple either. Fortunately, the neighbor knew the Lin family’s son-in-law and had some knowledge of his features — if a likeness could be drawn up, perhaps this man could be found.

The neighbor said: “The Lin family’s son-in-law came from another region. His own family had long since gone who knows where. He married into the Lin family. And I heard from someone who knew him well that he had no ability in that regard — and on top of being a live-in son-in-law, he was looked down upon in the Lin household, treated little better than a servant. Xie the Lame had a lame foot, but it wasn’t too severe, and besides he was tall and powerfully built, with a real gift for talk. I suspect the Lin family’s daughter first got acquainted with him when she went to have her knives sharpened, and it just went from there.”

The neighbor’s reasoning was not without merit. Only this would explain why Xie the Lame would be at the Lin house in the dead of night.

After coming back down from the hill, Yan Qing changed out of her filthy clothes and took a bath.

Long Yunxiao took the badly burned lighter and sent someone to Huxi Town — there was one shop there that sold this kind of lighter.

“Miss, do you think this Lin Zhi is truly connected to Madam?” Murong found her a clean set of clothes.

“Regardless of whether there’s a connection, this is now a murder case involving the extermination of an entire family.”

“I keep feeling it’s unlikely. That widow’s simpleminded son…” Murong shook her head.

“Perhaps when we mentioned the name Chen Lingling, it triggered something in him and his mind had a moment of clarity. It seems the name Chen Lingling carries some exceptional significance for him.”

Yan Qing took the clothes and changed into them one piece at a time. “He used to follow his father carrying goods for the families who dealt in spices. So it’s very possible he came into contact with people and events connected to Chen Lingling. I think our direction of inquiry is correct. For now, all we can do is wait for word from Long Yunxiao’s side.”

“It’s a good thing we ran into Mr. Long this time. Without him, trying to find someone in this area with just our own resources would have been incredibly difficult.” Murong said with feeling. “Mr. Long treats Miss so well — ready to oblige whatever she asks. It’s such a pity — Mr. Long is unlucky in that Miss had already met Director Shi first. Otherwise…”

Yan Qing gave her a helpless reproving glance. “Otherwise what?”

“Otherwise Miss and Mr. Long would be quite the perfect pair. After all, Mr. Long has the looks, has the capability, and most importantly, treats Miss so well.”

Yan Qing popped a segment of tangerine into Murong’s mouth. “That’s enough out of you. Spending time with Jing Zhi has taught you to talk nonsense.”

Murong smiled and ate the tangerine. “Miss, if your husband finds out you’ve been spending time with Mr. Long, I imagine he’ll be jealous.”

“The matter is urgent — he’ll understand.” Thinking of Shi Ting, Yan Qing could not help but gently stroke the photograph on the table. Her slender white fingertips traced across his face in the image. “I wonder how he’s doing over there — whether he’s run into any trouble.”

“Don’t worry, Miss. The young master is so capable — nothing can get the better of him.”

“True enough.” Yan Qing smiled at the photograph. “He is Shi Ting, after all.”

After changing, Yan Qing came out to find Long Yunxiao sitting in the sitting room, cup of tea in hand, lost in thought.

“Where did you change?” Yan Qing asked in surprise. “Surely Black Snake doesn’t keep spare clothes for you at all times?”

Long Yunxiao’s gaze swept over her, and a thought flashed through his mind: she looked just as lovely in light pink — the whole person like a girl of seventeen or eighteen, as pretty as spring flowers.

He carefully concealed that thought, and by the time he looked up his expression was entirely composed: “Black Snake always has that kind of ability.”

He did not tell her that he was staying in the room right next door — the adjacent courtyard, which he had just purchased.

“What would you like to eat today?” Long Yunxiao asked.

Yan Qing found herself between laughter and exasperation: “Why do you ask about eating every time you see me? Are you treating me like a glutton?”

“A glutton?” Long Yunxiao frowned, puzzled. “What does that mean?”

Yan Qing cleared her throat and said: “Someone who loves good food — someone who can’t move their feet when they see something delicious.”

“Aren’t you?”

Faced with Long Yunxiao’s perfectly serious counter-question, the corner of Yan Qing’s mouth twitched. She found herself completely at a loss for words.

Had she dug this hole and fallen into it herself?

“Simple food is fine — noodles will do.” Yan Qing thought of the case making no progress and had little appetite.

Long Yunxiao considered for a moment: “I’ll have someone prepare it.”

Yan Qing had only wanted a simple bowl of noodles, but Long Yunxiao had people set up a hot pot — with mutton, mushrooms, various vegetables, and seafood — with handmade noodles in a dish on the side.

It was nominally a bowl of noodles, but the noodles were clearly playing the role of a pitiful supporting act.

Looking at this full table, Yan Qing felt rather helpless. Did Long Yunxiao have some misunderstanding about her?

But setting up a hot pot to eat in the middle of winter was genuinely enjoyable.

Long Yunxiao watched her eat with great happiness, and his heart felt as though it were being warmed and ironed smooth. He could give her nothing else — if making her feel content through food brought her joy, then he was thoroughly satisfied.

Over the next two days, Yan Qing waited for news.

The men Long Yunxiao had sent to Huxi Town returned quickly, but the news they brought had little value.

The lighter was indeed PIPO — no question about that. But it was not sold by that particular shop. When asked to help trace it, the shop assistant was unable to help, because items outside their stock range were beyond their ability to track.

“The assistant said you could try the shops in Shun Cheng.” Long Yunxiao saw the disappointed look on Yan Qing’s face and felt a pang of sympathy. “This kind of lighter isn’t cheap. Some shops keep records of sales. Since it hasn’t been sold in Huxi Town, does that suggest the killer may not be from around here?”

Yan Qing put the lighter away and, hearing his analysis, spoke up: “There are two possibilities. First, the killer is not from here, and the lighter was something he brought from elsewhere. Second, the killer had been somewhere outside of Huxi Town and brought a lighter back from there.”

“I don’t understand investigation. Which possibility do you lean toward?”

“The first.”

Yan Qing’s inclination toward the first possibility was because this killer’s method of killing bore too close a resemblance to the Chen and Xu family exterminations.

But she had no concrete evidence to prove it. The chain of evidence was too thin.

The Chen and Xu family exterminations remained unsolved to this day. Beyond knowing the killer was approximately one meter eighty-five in height, had a scar on the right hand from a previous crime, used a three-edged military bayonet, and may have been driving a military vehicle — there were no other useful leads.

Whether the connection between the Chen and Xu families had any relationship to the county that was destroyed in Jiuyang Village back then was also a mystery.

The Lin family home had been completely destroyed in the fire, and Yan Qing had carefully examined every household item — she had not found anything on them resembling the kind of totem found in the Chen and Xu family cases.

Perhaps it was all a coincidence.