Xizi’s face took on an expression of bitter anguish. “Master Chen and Mrs. Chen were both very kind people. They never mistreated their servants, and were always polite and courteous to us porters. They were rare, good-hearted people — and yet good people receive no good reward. They died just like that.”

Xizi wiped away his tears. “Brother Lin not only lost the person he loved, he couldn’t even protect the family of the woman he loved. In his grief and fury, he resolved to avenge Miss Fangfang. He brought a few loyal soldiers to attempt a surprise attack, but he was shot to death by their guns instead. Not only did they kill him — they also tossed his body somewhere wild beasts roamed and let it be devoured.”

“And what about you? How were you hurt?”

“I heard Brother Lin was going to seek revenge and was afraid he’d come off worse, so I followed him. But by the time I arrived, Brother Lin was — Brother Lin was already at death’s door. Before he died, he pressed a badge into my hand and told me to return it to the Dragon Cloud Society. I tried to bring Brother Lin’s body back, but I came under attack. Those people thought I was dead and left me with Brother Lin’s body and the others. When I came to, my mind was already gone — I only remember clutching that badge tightly.”

Xizi knocked on his own head in torment. “Ten-odd years have passed, and I’ve had very few moments of clarity. Even when I am clear-headed, I’m a useless person — how could I seek revenge for Miss Fangfang and Brother Lin? What’s more, those warlords left long ago. I have no idea where to find them. I was useless. Miss Fangfang and Brother Lin treated me so well, and yet I couldn’t avenge them.”

After Xizi had cried for a while, Yan Qing finally asked, “Xizi, did Chen Fangfang have a younger sister named Chen Lingling?”

Xizi nodded. “Miss Lingling was eight years younger than Miss Fangfang. The year Miss Fangfang died, Miss Lingling was only ten years old.”

“Was she studying piano with a senior nun at a temple?”

“You — how do you know?” Xizi looked at her in surprise.

He then said, “Miss Lingling once accompanied the mistress to the temple and happened to meet a senior nun there. The senior nun thought Miss Lingling had an extraordinary talent for music, so she invited Miss Lingling to learn to play with her. Miss Lingling went once a week.”

“Who took her there?”

“The first time it was the mistress; after that, it was Miss Lingling’s wet nurse. Until after the accident at the Chen household, when Miss Lingling no longer went to the White Cloud Convent.”

“After the incident at the Chen household, where did Miss Lingling go?”

“Though the Chen household had suffered a calamity, the house was still standing, so Miss Lingling continued living there, cared for by her wet nurse. That’s just my guess, though — after that day, I’ve been in this state, so forget worrying about others, I could barely take care of myself.”

Yan Qing understood that Xizi couldn’t possibly know what had happened to the Chen family afterward.

“Miss Lingling’s wet nurse — what was her name, and where was she from? Do you still remember?”

“We just called her Sister Zhang,” Xizi thought for a moment. “She had a son who lived in the West City Lane. If Sister Zhang is still alive, she should still be there.”

Xizi paused, then suddenly asked urgently, “Why are you looking for Miss Lingling? Is she dead too?”

Not wanting to cause Xizi distress, Yan Qing said, “She’s still alive.”

“She’s still alive?” Xizi wept tears of joy. “That’s wonderful — Miss Lingling is still alive. How wonderful.”

“Xizi, I still want to ask you: are you certain the people who killed Lin Zhi were warlords? Did you witness it with your own eyes?”

Xizi paused, and a moment of bewilderment crossed his gaze. “I — I can’t say for certain. Because when I found Brother Lin, they had already been killed. And the person who attacked me — I didn’t see their face either. But besides that warlord, I can’t think of anyone else. They were the ones who had Miss Fangfang forcibly brought over, and after that she hanged herself. If they hadn’t done anything to Miss Fangfang, why would she have killed herself?”

“So what happened to Miss Fangfang after they took her in — you and Lin Zhi both don’t know, correct?”

Xizi nodded.

“Thank you, Xizi,” Yan Qing said, rising to her feet. “Thank you for telling me all of this.”

Xizi raised his head, his gaze still somewhat unfocused. “Miss Lingling — is she well?”

“She’s doing well,” Yan Qing said, thinking of Qian Lan, her heart tangled with complex emotions.

“Miss Lingling was just as kind as her sister,” Xizi said, his mind drifting back to those good days of the past. “She used to sneak me sweets. When Brother Lin and Miss Fangfang were meeting, she would take me along to secretly spy on them. I was blessed with great fortune to have met the two of them, and to receive their kindness and care. It’s only a pity I had no means to avenge them.”

“You’ve done very well already,” Yan Qing said softly, letting out a long breath. “Rest well.”

“Let’s go out,” Long Yunxiao said. He had been watching Xizi’s every reaction intently, fearing he might at any moment make a move against Yan Qing. Fortunately, right up until the conversation ended, Xizi remained perfectly calm.

“Young lady, Xizi — he…?”

When Yan Qing closed the door behind them, the old couple hurried forward with anxious questions.

Facing the hope in their eyes, Yan Qing could not bring herself to deceive them. “This is only a temporary clearing of his mind, and such moments won’t come often — only when he’s received a great shock.”

“Then Xizi won’t get better?”

“This illness has no cure,” Yan Qing said, taking the old woman’s hand. “While he’s lucid now, go in and talk with him.”

“All right.” The old woman nodded quickly, pulling the old man with her as they hurried into the room.

As Yan Qing walked out of the tofu shop, she could still hear the weeping within.

“Are you always this kind to strangers?” Long Yunxiao saw a grief-touched expression on her face. “You and they are only chance acquaintances.”

Yan Qing managed a helpless curl of her lips. “My second uncle used to say the same thing.”

Her second uncle said she shouldn’t let herself feel emotions beyond the scope of her work with victims’ families every time. But she had never been able to help it. She admitted she was not a qualified forensic examiner — sometimes she was prone to letting her feelings get the better of her.

“Your second uncle?” Long Yunxiao didn’t recall that Old Master Yan had any brothers.

“My cousin-uncle,” Yan Qing said with a slight smile.

Long Yunxiao: …

But he didn’t dwell on that point. Instead, he followed her back to the small guesthouse.

“Do you think it could be the Commander?” Long Yunxiao asked after sitting down, lightly smoothing out the hem of his robe.

“We can’t draw conclusions yet. How is your investigation going?”

“It’s not much of a secret from those years — there should be results soon.”

Before he finished speaking, Black Snake appeared in the doorway. The door was open; he knocked twice as a formality. “Mr. Long, Miss Yan.”

“Is there news?”

“The warlord forces that were in Huxi Town at that time — they were indeed the Commander’s forces, and the person leading them was the Commander himself.”

Yan Qing’s heart gave a shudder. Could the Commander really have done something to Chen Fangfang…?

“I’d like to ask you to look into two more things,” Yan Qing said. “Look into West City Lane for a woman called Sister Zhang — she should have a son. She used to be a wet nurse for the Chen family. And one more thing: ask Yang Yongkang whether the place where Lin Zhi was buried can still be found.”

Black Snake listened and looked at Long Yunxiao, who gave a nod. “Follow what Yan Qing said and look into it. Deploy all the Society members who aren’t on assignment. The faster the better.”

Black Snake said yes and withdrew respectfully.

“If the Commander took a liking to Chen Fangfang, I think it’s entirely possible,” Yan Qing said, picking up the teapot and first pouring Long Yunxiao a cup. “The Commander once had a first love whose feelings ran deep between them. Even years after her death, the Commander still couldn’t forget her. I’ve seen Chen Fangfang’s photograph — the look about her eyes and brows bears a striking resemblance to the nun Huiyuan. If the Commander happened to encounter Chen Fangfang here in the Huxi Town area, he would certainly have been drawn in by her appearance.”

“The Commander actually had a past like that?”

Yan Qing sighed. “But the Commander was not a man prone to lechery. Even if Chen Fangfang resembled Huiyuan closely, the Commander wouldn’t force himself on her.”

“You mean the Commander wouldn’t have done anything to compel Chen Fangfang?”

“From what I know of him, he wouldn’t,” Yan Qing analyzed. “The first time the Commander laid eyes on Qian Lan, he lost his composure entirely — and yet he never thought to take her by force. He suffered alone for a long while before, unable to endure any longer, he finally had someone go and propose. I imagine that even if the Qian family had refused, the Commander would have had no choice but to swallow that bitter cup himself. He would not have used his position to coerce them.”

“I’ve never heard it said that the Commander was the sort of man who used force with women either.”

“My speculation is that the Commander may have indeed sought out Chen Fangfang — but treated her with proper courtesy,” Yan Qing continued. “As for what happened afterward, and why Chen Fangfang chose to end her own life — that can’t be concluded rashly just yet. Perhaps the Commander was wrongly accused. Or perhaps the Commander did act impulsively toward Chen Fangfang in a moment of weakness. A woman as fierce and unyielding as Chen Fangfang, who shared such a bond with Lin Zhi — she would never have allowed herself to be tainted by any shadow.”

Long Yunxiao nodded. “This Chen family is also a mystery — they vanished entirely from the Huxi Town area, as if they had never existed here.”

“My guess is that after the Chen family’s head died, the household gradually fell into decline. After all, with only a ten-year-old girl left, it was impossible to manage such a large estate. As for what came later, there’s no way of knowing.”

“As long as it existed, it must have left traces behind. Don’t worry — clues will turn up,” Long Yunxiao said reassuringly. “I believe it won’t be long.”

“All we can do is keep investigating slowly. After all, it was all so long ago — and deliberately buried.”

“Yan Qing.” Long Yunxiao had also heard of Qian Lan’s affairs in recent days. As the clues accumulated one by one, he too had pieced together a rough picture. “Qian Lan came to the Shi household — could she be seeking revenge on the Commander?”