Qin Wan’s heart skipped a beat as she looked outside the window. The night was as dark as ink—it was already past the hour of Zi!

Qin Wan glanced at everyone in the room. Ning Buyi was explaining painting techniques to Yue Ning, while others stood respectfully waiting for Yue Ning to choose paintings. No one had left. Could it be that the case had nothing to do with the gallery’s people?

Qin Wan pressed her lips together and stepped forward. “I see it’s getting very late. You should quickly decide who to hire.”

Yue Ning had already made up her mind but didn’t know how long they needed to wait, so she had been deliberately stalling. At Qin Wan’s words, Yue Ning immediately selected two people and arranged the time for them to come paint at the manor tomorrow, then left with Qin Wan.

As soon as they exited the gallery, Qin Wan saw a constable in plain clothes standing outside. Seeing Qin Wan emerge, he immediately came forward and said, “Princess, someone died at the mill. The captain sent me to report to the Marquis Manor, but when I arrived, I learned you had gone to the Peaceful Sun Marquis Manor and hadn’t returned. I then went there, only to learn you had come here—”

This back-and-forth had wasted considerable time. Qin Wan looked at the night sky and asked, “When was the incident discovered?”

“Just before the hour of Zi. This time we had people stationed at all three locations. Our men were guarding outside the mill, and there had been no movement. But about two incense sticks before the hour of Zi, there was suddenly a huge noise from inside the mill. When the captain led us in to look, we found someone crushed to death under a millstone in a dark room at the back of the mill.”

Qin Wan frowned. “Did the killer enter from the back of the mill?”

The constable shook his head. “We had people stationed at the front, back, left, and right of the mill. It should have been impossible to enter without alerting us. Moreover, as soon as there was a disturbance, our people rushed in from all directions. We don’t know how the killer escaped.”

The constable looked troubled. After listening, Qin Wan asked, “Where is Captain Zhan now? I’ll go there immediately—”

Hearing this, the constable quickly said, “Please remain calm, Princess. The captain sent me to report, not to have you examine the body. That person… that person was crushed beyond recognition. There’s no need for an examination. Besides, it’s so late, and I don’t even know if the captain is still in the South City. Please just return to the manor.”

Qin Wan understood Zhan Yang’s meaning and sighed. “Very well, I’ll go to the government office first thing tomorrow morning.”

The constable acknowledged repeatedly before taking his leave. Yue Ning, seeing Qin Wan’s grave expression, asked, “What now? Are you still going to South City?”

Qin Wan shook her head. “No, I’ll escort you back first.”

Yue Ning smiled and said it wasn’t necessary. Getting into the carriage, she had the driver head to the Loyal and Brave Marquis Manor. With her martial arts skills, she wasn’t afraid even on the darkest night. “We kept watch here the whole time, yet the crime still happened. This proves it has nothing to do with the gallery.”

Qin Wan sighed. “Then I must have overthought it. Without any special leads, when we finally found a possibility, we placed too much hope in it. Our visit today at least eliminates these suspicions.”

Speaking thus, Qin Wan sighed again. “Five people have died, with two more to go before the killer’s ritual formation is complete.”

Qin Wan lifted the window curtain and gazed at the starless, moonless night sky. “What could be the killer’s ultimate purpose…”

Her soft murmur dispersed into the early summer breeze in the long night, but Qin Wan couldn’t find the answer to this question.

……

……

Early the next morning, Qin Wan went to the prefect’s office. At the government office, Zheng Baishi wasn’t there—only Zhan Yang was waiting. Seeing Qin Wan, Zhan Yang sighed and said, “His Honor had to enter the palace today. He hasn’t come out at this hour—he’s likely being reprimanded.”

This case had already claimed five lives, even more heinous than the sex predator case from earlier in the year. As the person in charge of the capital’s government office, Zheng Baishi would inevitably face criticism. This matter might even involve factional struggles.

If this were happening anywhere else, no murder case would have such a great impact. But this was in the capital, where any slight movement in official circles could stir up tremendous waves…

Qin Wan said, “The Emperor is wise. Lord Zheng shouldn’t face too much difficulty. Captain Zhan, where is the body?”

Hearing Qin Wan’s question, Zhan Yang hesitantly replied, “Princess, perhaps you shouldn’t view this body.”

Qin Wan was slightly surprised. “Why is that?”

“This time the body was crushed beyond recognition. The person was crushed to death—there’s probably nothing else to examine. You need not look…”

Qin Wan felt somewhat helpless. “You needn’t worry. Has the body been brought back? Being crushed to death is different from being burned—there’s still a good chance of finding clues. Even if we can’t examine it properly, let me take a look. I want to help however I can.”

Hearing Qin Wan speak thus, Zhan Yang felt somewhat ashamed and quickly said, “The body has been brought back. In that case, Princess, please come with me to the mortuary—”

Zhan Yang and Qin Wan set out together, heading straight to the South City mortuary. Arriving there, they saw a body that was barely recognizable as a human lying on the examining table. The millstone had crushed down on the victim’s chest—half the face was mangled, and the entire chest and shoulders had been crushed into a mass of flesh. Only from the lower abdomen down remained intact.

It was already early summer. Ice basins were placed around the room holding the body, and incense was burning. Even so, a body crushed like this would decay quickly. Though only one night had passed, the stench of death was already significant.

Though Qin Wan had performed autopsies before, such a manner of death was still too horrific to witness. She felt somewhat nauseated.

Despite her discomfort, not a trace showed on Qin Wan’s face. Though the face was crushed, one could tell it was a man in his forties with graying temples. The victim’s skin was yellow-dark and rough, with much dirt under his intact fingernails. His hands were covered in prominent veins and cracks, and closer inspection revealed many old scars—clearly someone who had done much hard labor.

“Has the victim’s identity been determined?”

Zhan Yang shook his head. “Not yet. We’re having people investigate.”

Qin Wan nodded and began circling the body to examine the clothing. The victim’s clothes were very ordinary, and due to being crushed to death, there was much blood—now dried—all over the garments. Frowning, Qin Wan suddenly noticed the victim’s shoes. They were extremely worn, with only a thin layer of fabric remaining at the toes, clearly about to break. On the front sole position of his shoe, there was a thin layer of dirt. Qin Wan bent down to scrape off the thin substance and examined it carefully. “It seems to be… wood shavings…”

Zhan Yang also stepped closer to look. “Wood shavings?”

Qin Wan nodded and went to examine the victim’s hands carefully. She saw thick calluses on his fingertips and palms, with particularly many scars on the left index finger. “This person might have been a carpenter or someone who frequently used knives and was prone to injury, like craftsmen who weave bamboo baskets, or perhaps even a blacksmith—”

After Qin Wan finished speaking, Zhan Yang had a good idea of where to look. “Good, we’ll investigate in that direction.”

After saying this, Qin Wan continued, “Last night, I heard from the government office people that you had men guarding all sides, yet the killer still escaped. Is that so?”

Zhan Yang nodded. “Yes, I was guarding the mill last night myself, but we have no idea how the killer got away.”

Qin Wan recalled the mill’s layout. Though the outer walls were broken down, the killer would still face obstacles coming and going. Moreover, Zhan Yang’s martial arts were excellent—it would be very difficult for someone to slip away under his watch.

“Tell me about where the victim died.”

Upon hearing this, Zhan Yang said, “When we went to the mill before, we found a millstone suspended in the main hall. But this time, the victim died in a room behind the main building, in a row of low small houses. Those small houses had damaged doors and windows, and collapsed walls—we considered them dangerous buildings where ordinary people might die from collapse. Yet the killer murdered the victim right there. The millstone fell onto the room’s beam, and the victim was crushed directly beneath it. Last night was dark with no stars or moon, and we saw no light from inside while guarding outside…”

“Did you visit the mill yesterday?”

At Qin Wan’s question, Zhan Yang quickly replied, “We went once yesterday morning, but fearing we might alert the killer, our people didn’t dare move around there openly. We only set up ambush positions by nightfall.”

Though it was indeed useless to go too early since the killer would act at the hour of Zi, how did they manage to escape?

“What about the rope’s breakpoint?”

Zhan Yang walked to a side table and brought over the rope. “There’s no break point in the rope—it wasn’t cut. The killer must have looped the rope over the beam, tied up the millstone to suspend it, and then let go to drop it onto the victim. So the killer must have been there at the time.”

Qin Wan frowned as she looked at the rope in Zhan Yang’s hands. The entire rope was very long and as thick as a fist, with no signs of cutting, only some wear. But if the killer was at the scene, how did they escape?

“Did you carry torches when you entered?”

Zhan Yang quickly nodded. “Of course. More than ten of us carried torches, making the mill almost as bright as day. Yet even so, we didn’t find even a shadow.”

Qin Wan felt even more confused hearing this. She bent down and went to examine the intact parts of the victim’s body. After a thorough examination, she found some black powder under the victim’s crushed nasal bone.

“Is this datura leaf powder again?!”

Zhan Yang remembered finding a similar powder in Hu Dequan’s body!

Qin Wan nodded. “Indeed. The victim must have been drugged unconscious before being brought to the scene.”

Logically this made sense, but if so, wouldn’t the killer carrying an unconscious person into the mill be even more noticeable? Why hadn’t Zhan Yang and his many men noticed anything?

“Could it be… the victim was already there, and the killer came later?”

Qin Wan suddenly thought of this possibility. Zhan Yang’s eyes brightened slightly. “That’s possible. How long can this leaf powder keep someone unconscious?”

Qin Wan pondered briefly. “Anywhere from one or two hours to one or two days. There was quite a lot of powder in his nasal cavity. At this dosage, he would have been unconscious for at least a day.”

Zhan Yang’s eyes lit up. “That must be it! The killer drugged the victim early on and waited at the mill, knowing we would only guard outside at night. Given their martial arts skills, they could move in and out silently. The killer had suspended the millstone in the main hall earlier—they must have visited the mill multiple times. Perhaps there’s a secret passage we haven’t discovered—”

Qin Wan sighed. “Unfortunately, we can’t find any other clues for now. The killer has left very few traces on the victims these last two times. They must have become more careful, knowing the government is investigating with full force.”

Zhan Yang’s expression grew serious. Once the killer became vigilant, it would be even harder to find crucial clues. Now five people were dead, and after seven deaths, when the killer’s ritual formation was complete, they would likely disappear without a trace, making the investigation even more difficult.

“Shall we visit the mill?”

Qin Wan still wanted to examine the mill. Seeing her dedication, Zhan Yang quickly nodded, but before they could leave, Tong Yu came in from outside. “Captain Zhan, the Third Young Master of the Distant Security Count is here.”

Zhan Yang and Qin Wan exchanged glances. Zhan Yang had to say, “Show the Third Young Master in—”

Qin Wan and Zhan Yang went to the front hall and saw Wu Yu hurrying in. After paying his respects, Wu Yu said, “Captain Zhan, I went to the government office earlier, but neither Lord Zheng nor you were there, so I came to the mortuary. Captain Zhan, is there any news about my eldest brother?”

Zhan Yang smiled wryly. “Not so quickly. These days the office is checking unidentified bodies from the past few years, looking for cases similar to the First Young Master’s situation. After all, it’s been four years—we need a direction to begin investigating.” Not to mention the entire office was busy with the serial murder case.

Wu Yu nodded in understanding, then said, “After reporting to the authorities, I went back and thoroughly questioned the people who used to serve my eldest brother. From what they said, I learned that my eldest brother had enemies outside. I wonder if he might have been targeted for revenge…”

Wu Yu took out a piece of paper. “I’ve written down these people’s names and identities here. I hope this helps Captain Zhan.”

Zhan Yang took it and quickly scanned it. Wu Yu continued, “Both Fourth Brother and Eldest Brother met with misfortune. The fourth Brother was the Mother’s treasure, and the Father felt very guilty about the Eldest Brother. I’m now being pressured by both Father and Mother—I’m quite helpless. I hope I haven’t troubled Captain Zhan. I entrust my eldest brother’s case to you.”

Zhan Yang waved his hand. “This is all as it should be. Don’t worry.”

Speaking thus, Zhan Yang looked at the paper again. “However, the Third Young Master has only written down these enemies of the First Young Master, but not why they became enemies. Third Young Master should explain this as well. It would help our investigation. Otherwise, if we question them and they deny it, we can’t suspect them without evidence—”

At this, Wu Yu smiled bitterly. “Well…”

Zhan Yang raised an eyebrow. “What’s wrong? Is there something Third Young Master finds difficult to discuss?”

Wu Yu sighed helplessly. “My eldest brother… he had no other faults except… he was lustful… Back then when he wanted to bring that brothel girl back to the manor, it was because of her beauty… These enemies, most of them became his enemies due to fighting over beautiful women…”