Gutan Village, atop the mulberry tree. There was an old saying that the higher one stands, the farther one thinks. His chaotic state of mind gradually calmed, and Li Si thought coolly and rationally.
First, two mistaken judgments—one was blindly identifying the person in black gauze as the murderer, the other was an incomplete deduction about the Tong father and son—had caused him to fall twice into the time loop, returning to September 2nd. But this also made him discover he was in a trap of gods and demons, and the final conclusion about the Ding and Sun case was the key to breaking the trap.
Then, after returning to September 2nd, the previous suspects would automatically have their suspicious status erased. For example, the person in black gauze never appeared again after the loop. Similarly, the suspicions surrounding the Tong father and son were also covered up. Actually the doubts still existed—for instance, the grudges and entanglements between Tong, Ding, and Sun—but because the link of an intermediary to testify was missing, it could not be conveyed to Li Si. The trap’s controller was restricting Li Si’s direction in the new round of investigation.
After the Tong father and son were eliminated as suspects, many new suspects emerged in the new round—Niu Sao, Physician Xing, and also the guardian deity that Fu Xiaosheng mentioned. But with numerous suspects, was the true culprit really one of these suspects? Li Si didn’t yet dare draw a conclusion. On one hand, he was learning from the previous two experiences. On the other hand, the suspects were still balanced—none possessed the obvious characteristics of being the murderer.
But thinking about it differently, did the trap also have flaws… For instance, though judging the case incorrectly would push him into the time loop, with a fixed set of suspects, could he use the process of elimination? Eliminate one suspect each time, and the one remaining at the end would definitely be the true culprit. But would the trap’s controller leave such a huge loophole for him to exploit?
The answer was crystal clear—no.
Li Si’s limbs felt a wave of weakness. This was it—every time he returned to September 2nd, his body would become much weaker. With his current physical condition, he probably only had the level of a man in his fifties or sixties. If he looped one or two more times, forget investigating the case—staying alive would be the biggest problem.
Precisely because of this, the trap’s controller gave him opportunities but wouldn’t let him waste them wantonly. When the number of opportunities lost touched his bottom line, what awaited would be eternal death in an endless loop.
But even knowing the rules, what should he do?
Niu Sao, Physician Xing, the guardian deity, including the earlier Tong father and son—these were all suspects the controller placed before his eyes. But Li Si felt the truth was not before his eyes, but hidden in places he had overlooked. Recalling every detail since arriving at Gutan Village, there were actually many times when Li Si felt something was amiss—at Ding Laocai’s house, at Widow Sun’s house, even when walking through Gutan Village’s empty alleys. These were all his intuitions.
But in a situation where seeing might not be believing, perhaps he should trust more in the changes intuition brought him.
Late at night a fierce wind arose. At Tong Baiquan’s home, Wu Wen looked outside worriedly: “Where did my lord go? Why hasn’t he returned?”
Tong Baiquan said, “With such strong wind outside, Lord Li should return soon.”
Just as Tong Baiquan finished speaking, Li Si appeared wearing a full rain cape: “Apologies, I just discovered a place with fine scenery. I was so entranced I forgot the time.”
Tong Baiquan said doubtfully, “Where is this fine scenery, Lord Li?”
Li Si said mysteriously, “That’s my secret.”
Dinner was served. Wu Wen seized a moment when no one was paying attention to ask quietly, “My lord, what’s really going on?”
Li Si gazed at Wu Wen. Wu Wen was another suspicious point in the trap. Logically speaking, Wu Wen and he had arrived at Gutan Village at the same time and witnessed the murders, so he should have fallen into the time loop together with Li Si. But the reality was the opposite—each time he returned to Li Si’s side as if he were a first-time investigator, as if his brain had been wiped.
Li Si said softly, “I’m fine. My mind was in chaos, so I went out to walk for a while.”
After dinner, Li Si returned to his room. Outside, the sky was gray and hazy. He couldn’t distinguish whether it was night or day. In fact, activities like sleeping, eating, and such were all referenced to the Tong household. When they slept it was night, when they woke it was morning, when they ate it was mealtime. But actually Li Si couldn’t distinguish the specific hour… Li Si suddenly had a bold guess. Could the Tong household also be unable to tell time? But they used an illusion to deceive Li Si, giving him cues about sleeping, waking, and eating.
The world’s foremost coroner and Li Si’s old friend—Lao Sitou—had once told Li Si about a strange technique, a heterodox practice similar to soul-leaving arts, called: Hidden Suggestion Technique.
In the vast world, humans as a small race had actually never truly explored or understood many domains. These domains contained factors that might affect humanity’s progress and development for hundreds or thousands of years. When Lao Sitou described the Hidden Suggestion Technique, he told Li Si this, and Li Si was utterly confused at the time. Lao Sitou explained: Most living beings are timid and weak. Their behavior and actions are easily influenced by others. For example, if you’re hungry and cold in an unknown mountain forest, and you happen to see another person pick and eat a wild fruit, you would similarly pick and eat the same wild fruit. But actually, before you saw the person eat the wild fruit, you didn’t know the fruit was edible. Because you saw the person ahead eat it, you received a suggestion: this wild fruit is edible. So you ate it. This was the shallow level of Hidden Suggestion Technique.
Through sufficient actions to give you suggestions of certain outcomes, thereby controlling your behavior and actions—this was the surface manifestation of Hidden Suggestion Technique. Of course, this was only the shallow side. Hidden Suggestion Technique didn’t only achieve control through actions, but could also use speech, scent, patterns, even a certain look in the eyes to achieve higher levels of mental control.
All of Lao Sitou’s lectures from years ago, like heavenly writings, came flooding out. Li Si increasingly felt that Gutan Village was very much like a game of hidden suggestions filled with all kinds of suggestions. But whether it truly was so, Li Si had to test it.
Previously all investigations were conducted during the day. This time Li Si decided to do the opposite—he chose to go out late at night after everyone had fallen asleep. The first place to visit was Ding Laocai’s home.
Li Si was familiar with the route and reached the inner courtyard. He circled the house twice: Investigating a crime scene was nothing more than starting from the characteristics of the corpse’s death, bloodstains, murder weapon evidence, and such. But these basic common sense points should have all been calculated by the controller. It would be difficult to obtain breakthrough clues from the above aspects. Instead, things close at hand and most easily overlooked might match key evidence. In the main hall, besides common beds, tables, and chairs, the most conspicuous things were a row of antique porcelain vases placed by the bookshelf.
The characteristic of antique porcelain breaking upon touch determined its high value. Li Si gently picked up a deep blue gourd-shaped porcelain vase. The bottom was stamped with the three characters “Linglong Pavilion.” Li Si had heard of Linglong Pavilion’s fame when he was in the Holy City. It was said that not one antique from Linglong Pavilion was worth less than ten thousand taels of gold.
In the remote Gutan Village there were actually items from Linglong Pavilion. The lacquer-red seal didn’t seem fake. Li Si picked up another white lotus vase. The bottom was similarly stamped with “Linglong Pavilion.” Next, Li Si examined the other porcelain vases. What was jaw-dropping was that all the porcelain vases actually came from Linglong Pavilion. A rough calculation showed their value reached two hundred thousand taels of gold.
Li Si was somewhat overwhelmed… No, “Linglong Pavilion” might be another hidden suggestion from the controller, making him focus on the value of the porcelain vases while overlooking other things. The cold qi in his body surged from inside out. Li Si couldn’t help but sneeze. A moment later he heard a faint sound. His deep gaze gradually focused on the sword marks by the bookshelf… So that’s how it was.
Leaving Ding Laocai’s home, he came to Widow Sun’s house. The first time Li Si came to Widow Sun’s house, he felt something was wrong but couldn’t find the reason. Exactly what was puzzling him? Li Si went from the main room to the side rooms on both sides, then back to the main room. In the main room were a bed, dressing table, an exquisite chamber pot, a pair of flower-inlaid jujube wood wardrobes, a small desk for practicing calligraphy and painting, a guzheng stand, and so on. It seemed there wasn’t a single man’s item in the room. Although Widow Sun was a widow, the saying went that even one day as husband and wife meant a hundred days of affection. How could she not cherish any old feelings and not keep a single item belonging to her deceased husband?
Even if she didn’t want to see things and think of people, she should at least keep some of her late husband’s belongings to avoid gossip. But in the entire house, she couldn’t even find a spirit tablet. Li Si suddenly thought of something and muttered to himself, “If everything is as I suspect, then what I’m about to do will be the first step in tearing off the disguise.”
Li Si suddenly turned around and discovered the withered, dead Broken Star flowers. Li Si bent down and twisted off one, but accidentally his hand was pricked by a flower thorn and blood dripped onto the flower. Li Si was startled. The wild flower fragrance cleared his mind. He collected the dead flower in his bosom, then walked out.
Shuttling through the deserted Gutan Village, under the misty rain Li Si first came to Niu Sao’s home beneath the catalpa tree. Soon Niu Sao opened the door sleepily. Discovering Li Si standing at the door, she asked blankly, “My lord, why have you come so late…”
“Don’t speak. First answer me one question. You…”
Niu Sao was stunned. She thought for a long while but didn’t know what to say: “…”
Li Si nodded slowly, “Good. In half an hour, go to Village Chief Tong’s home. I have something to say.” After speaking, Li Si left the bewildered Niu Sao and walked away.
The second was Physician Xing’s medicine hall.
The medicine boy was sound asleep. Physician Xing personally opened the door. Li Si didn’t allow Physician Xing to speak and asked first, “Answer me one question. You…”
Physician Xing’s turbid old eyes thought for a moment: “…”
Li Si nodded, “I understand. In half an hour, please come to Village Chief Tong’s home. I have something to announce.”
The third was Fu Xiaosheng.
After asking the same question, Li Si also had Fu Xiaosheng go to Tong Baiquan’s home on time.
Having completed the plan, Li Si still felt something was amiss, so he randomly knocked on the doors of several more households, asked the same question, and after getting satisfactory answers, Li Si finally returned.
At Tong Baiquan’s home, Li Si was the last person to arrive. As soon as he entered, Li Si saw face after face—Niu Sao, Physician Xing, Fu Xiaosheng, Tong Baiquan, Tong Jie. Wu Wen walked over and said, “My lord, what happened? Why call so many people here in the middle of the night?”
Waves churned in Li Si’s dark eye sockets. He said in a calm tone, “My apologies. The reason I summoned everyone so late is because I know the truth of the Ding and Sun case. The true culprit will be exposed tonight.”
Everyone looked at each other. A cold wind blew open the door. In the sobbing wind sounds outside, a pair of eyes seemed to be hidden, coveting the truth within the room.