The government office kept fine horses, especially skilled at short-distance sprinting. Wu Da selected several for the group, and they set off at a brisk gallop toward the Red Fragrance House.

Lin Sui’an’s hands and feet had no strength, so she could only share a horse with Hua Yitang — Lin Sui’an in front, Hua Yitang controlling the reins from behind. All the way they trailed a cloud of fragrance, drawing countless stares. The scent made Lin Sui’an sneeze repeatedly…

Hua Yitang was clearly enjoying himself, sitting straight as a rod, even his flourishing of the horsewhip carrying a certain flair. Ling Zhiyan and Jin Ruo kept their distance far behind — clearly not wanting to be associated with them.

When they arrived at the Red Fragrance House, it was already past the first quarter-hour of the si hour. The great gate of Duan Jiu’s establishment was shut fast, not yet open for business. Wu Da gave several loud knocks and the gate was opened — this time not by Pi Xi, but by an unfamiliar young manservant.

The manservant, seeing the formidable lineup outside the gate, was somewhat stunned. “Chief Constable Wu, what — what is the matter?”

Wu Da pushed the manservant aside and charged in. “Take me to Duan Hongning at once.”

“Chief Constable Wu, please wait — our ninth lady is not here,” the manservant said quickly.

Wu Da stopped short. “Where could she be at this hour?”

The manservant shook his head. “She went out before the mao hour today, in quite a hurry, as though something urgent had come up.”

“Did she go out alone?”

“Pi Xi drove the carriage for her.”

Everyone exchanged glances, all thinking: not good.

Ling Zhiyan said, “Could she have fled to escape justice?”

“If she’s fled, she can always be caught. What I fear is—” Jin Ruo looked meaningfully at Hua Yitang, thinking to himself: if nothing unusual happens, something unusual is probably about to happen.

Lin Sui’an frowned and elbowed Hua Yitang twice. Hua Yitang gripped the reins tight, glanced at the sky, and said, “Jin Ruo — have the Pure Gate look immediately.”

“As expected, they can’t do without me.” Jin Ruo pulled out red firecrackers from his pocket and fired pale red smoke into the sky with a whoosh. In no time at all, five people emerged from several small alleyways and ran up to Jin Ruo’s horse, paying their respects. “What are the Gate Master’s orders?”

Jin Ruo’s expression turned serious. “Duan Hongning of Duan Jiu’s establishment — find her position. Red, yellow, and blue signals!”

The five accepted the command and scattered in five directions.

Lin Sui’an said, “How confident are you?”

Jin Ruo lifted an eyebrow and smiled. “There is no one the Pure Gate cannot find!”

Sure enough, before half a cup of tea had passed, a blue smoke signal rose from an alley two streets away. Jin Ruo pulled his reins and wheeled his horse around, shouting, “Five Thistle Lane in the Red Fragrance House district — follow me!”

Everyone was bewildered: That close?

But they soon found it was too early to say that. No sooner had they entered Five Thistle Lane than another blue smoke signal flew up to the northeast. Jin Ruo cried “East Market, Guixiang Avenue!” and urged his horse forward in pursuit.

With everyone thoroughly confused, they could only follow Jin Ruo. Blue smoke signals rose one after another, and from the direction of the smoke alone Jin Ruo could accurately judge the name of the street or lane, leading everyone in pursuit through more than half the northeastern part of the city:

“Willow Leaf Street, Third Ward, Eastern District One!”
“Scattered Flower Lane, Eastern Fourth Ward!”
“Ring-Jade Lane, Cihang Ward, Eastern District Two!”
“Chongming Sixth Street, Third Ward, Northern District Four!”
“Yangguan Lane, Third Ward, Northern District Two!”

Lin Sui’an quickly understood — the smoke signals were indicating the route taken by Duan Hongning’s carriage, and the spots where the smoke was released were naturally where the Pure Gate’s scouts were stationed. Such precise positioning and efficiency was equivalent to a modern surveillance system. No wonder this was the future number one sect — truly fearsome.

The smoke signals were coming faster and faster as everyone drew closer and closer. Suddenly, the latest smoke signal changed to yellow. Jin Ruo’s expression shifted slightly. “She’s about to leave the city!”

Three more consecutive yellow smoke signals — one on Jinli Avenue, one outside the Northern Market gate, and one at Changxuan Gate, the north city gate of Yidu.

They chased out through Changxuan Gate, crossed Qingyuan Bridge, and halted on the bank of the Qingyuan River. Jin Ruo frowned and rode two circles around the area. “Once she’s left the city, she’ll be much harder to follow.”

Before his words had faded, a smoke signal shot up to the northeast again — this time red, accompanied by a sharp, clear whistle. Everyone’s eyes lit up and they urged their horses in pursuit. It was an open expanse of farmland. The sender of the signal was a peddler, who hurried forward upon seeing Jin Ruo and reported: “Reporting to the Gate Master — about one hour ago, this subordinate saw the carriage from Duan Jiu’s establishment pass through this place. This subordinate was likely the last one to see the carriage.”

At these words, everyone’s hearts sank.

Yidu was surrounded on many sides by mountainous terrain. Once out of the city, mountain paths crisscrossed in countless directions. If Duan Hongning’s carriage had escaped into the mountains, it would likely never be found again.

“Something’s not right!” said Ling Zhiyan. “The places passed through just now in Yidu city were all near the sites where the Peach Blossom Killer disposed of bodies.”

Everyone went pale with shock. “What?!”

Ling Zhiyan said, “The sewage channel of Ring-Jade Lane in Cihang Ward, Eastern District Two was where the first victim was found. Chongming Sixth Street, Northern District Four’s back alley is where the fifth victim was discovered. The abandoned warehouse on Yangguan Lane, Northern District Two is the site of the sixth case. Willow Leaf Street, Eastern District One is the fourth case. Scattered Flower Lane, Eastern Fourth Ward is the tenth case. Outside the Northern Market gate is the thirteenth case.”

Jin Ruo sucked in a sharp breath. “Wait, wait — that’s too much of a coincidence, isn’t it?”

Lin Sui’an thought of a possibility, and broke into a cold sweat: Good heavens — surely not?!

Hua Yitang said, “Were any of the Peach Blossom Killer’s cases outside the city?”

“Yes! Seven li outside Changxuan Bridge, in an abandoned farmstead, the third victim was found — a widowed peasant woman.” Ling Zhiyan said.

One of the Pure Gate disciples exclaimed, “Gate Master, I know that farmstead — let me lead the way!”

Jin Ruo scooped up the Pure Gate disciple to ride pillion, and shot out like a whirlwind. The farmstead was not far — riding hard for less than one incense stick’s time, it came into view: collapsed walls, rampant weeds, a long-dead old locust tree packed with dense black crows, cawing and cawing, as though wailing at a funeral.

A battered, broken door board hung in the doorframe. Before the gate sat a carriage. Lin Sui’an recognized it at one glance — it was the very carriage Pi Xi had used to take her and Hua Yitang to the Great Compassion Temple.

Everyone’s hearts leapt to their throats. They dismounted, lightened their steps, and dared not make a single sound. Ling Zhiyan signaled for everyone to follow him — hugging the wall, they passed through the gate, skirted two decrepit wing-rooms, entered the side gate, and reached the rear courtyard.

In the rear courtyard there was only one pitch-dark ancestral hall. The door boards were still intact, and the window lattices were festooned with dense white spider webs.

Hua Yitang’s face went deathly pale, trembling all over as he shielded Lin Sui’an behind him. Lin Sui’an was somewhat exasperated — if you’re this frightened, don’t try to play the hero.

Jin Ruo crouched and tiptoed forward. He peered in through the window lattice, and his shoulders suddenly gave a jolt. He raised his foot and kicked the door boards open.

Everyone surged in — and froze.

Before the offering table in the ancestral hall hung a tattered, faded curtain, its color indistinguishable — it looked like a row of old rags. On the offering table sat the lower half of a Buddha statue. Duan Hongning sat rigidly before the offering table, her neck twisted at a bizarre, impossible angle, her eyes bulging, her skirt torn and her white thigh exposed, and at the root of her thigh was a dark-red peach blossom brand. The air was thick with the acrid smell of burnt flesh.

To Duan Hongning’s left stood a portable brazier used for boiling tea, the charcoal inside not yet extinguished.

Hua Yitang cried, “She hasn’t gone far — quickly give chase—”

His next words never came out. Lin Sui’an had yanked him by the collar and flung him behind her. With a flick of her wrist, Qian Jing slid out half a blade, trained on the tattered curtain to the left.

There was a sound behind the curtain — click, click, click — like something tapping on wood, drawing closer and closer. A person with lowered head walked slowly out from behind the curtain, left hand cradling a long wooden case, right hand pinching an iron hairpin. The tip of the hairpin was blackened, and one could make out the shape of a five-petaled peach blossom. The person was tapping the carbon ash from the hairpin against the wooden case while slowly shaking their head. “Oh dear, too black — doesn’t look nice anymore—”

It was Pi Xi!

Ling Zhiyan flew into a rage, lunging forward in one stride and pressing his blade to Pi Xi’s throat. Pi Xi stopped, lazily lifting his eyelids to survey the assembled group. “You’ve all come looking for Lady Duan again today, I see. What unfortunate timing — Lady Duan just died. She can’t chat with any of you anymore.”

Lin Sui’an was shaking all over, biting down until blood seeped from her gums. “Did you kill Duan Hongning?!”

Pi Xi said, “If not me, then who else?”

Ling Zhiyan said, “You are the Peach Blossom Serial Killer?!”

Pi Xi’s smile grew wider. “If not me, then who?”

“I’ll kill you!” Jin Ruo drew Ruojing and thrust it at Pi Xi’s heart. It happened in an instant — Lin Sui’an’s figure flashed as she seized Jin Ruo’s hand. At almost the same moment, Hua Yitang’s voice rang out, “Jin Ruo — stop!”

Jin Ruo’s eyes were red as blood. “Master! This beast deserves to be cut into ten thousand pieces!”

Lin Sui’an gripped her trembling fingers tight, slowly pressing Jin Ruo’s arm down, and shook her head.

Pi Xi’s smile froze on his face. “Why won’t you kill me?!”

Hua Yitang tucked his sleeves and stepped forward. He fixed his gaze on Pi Xi’s face and gave a cold smile. “You want to die quickly and cleanly? It won’t be that easy!”

Pi Xi stared at Ling Zhiyan. “You’ve always been looking for the real Peach Blossom Killer, haven’t you? I am the real Peach Blossom Killer! Kill me now!”

Ling Zhiyan’s face was iron-gray, but the hand holding the blade was steady as a mountain. “You are not the Peach Blossom Serial Killer.”

“I am the Peach Blossom Killer!” Pi Xi bellowed. “I killed eighteen people! I have the Peach Blossom brand! I know all the locations where the Peach Blossom Killer struck! I am the Peach Blossom Killer who shook the Tang Kingdom!”

Hua Yitang said, “Shut him up!”

Wu Da quickly hog-tied Pi Xi with a few efficient moves, and stuffed something into his mouth.

Jin Ruo sensed something was off. “Master, what exactly is—”

Lin Sui’an said nothing. Suppressing the aching soreness in her bones, she walked to Duan Hongning’s side and slowly crouched down, looking into Duan Hongning’s eyes.

“Lin Sui’an!! You—” Hua Yitang cried out in alarm and came running, his figure and voice dissolving like a wisp of smoke and vanishing.

Lin Sui’an fell into darkness once more — only this time, it was not a dead silence all around. There were sounds: the crying of a young woman — no, it should be the crying of a young girl.

She should have been curled up in an extremely narrow space. There was the smell of earth and the reek of excrement. On her left and right were two people crying. She herself was also crying. In front was a dark shadow, not crying — it seemed to be digging at something, its voice hoarse but recognizably that of a young girl: “Almost… almost… almost—”

Suddenly, a faint trace of light seeped into the darkness, and all the crying stopped.

She and the other two lunged forward, all digging frantically together. The earth ahead grew looser, the light clearer, the darkness cracked open, and fresh, damp air rushed in. They scrambled out one after another and collapsed on the ground, utterly exhausted.

Tall bare branches pointed like pale blades at the sky. A brilliant full moon hung overhead. She lifted a trembling arm and saw her own small fingers, raw and bloody.

Beside her, someone was crying, someone was laughing. One by one, harrowing sounds pierced the cruel moonlight. She turned her head and saw three small girls lying beside her — their clothes in rags, their skin black and blue. One was a foreign girl with golden hair and blue eyes, one had a round, chubby face and looked only five or six years old, with all her fingernails ground away — yet she was the one who was laughing. The third girl had deep lash-marks across half her face, already festering.

On the wind came a rich, intoxicating floral fragrance. In the moonlight, a begonia tree was in full bloom — red as blood.