November 25th, clear weather. Inside and outside Jinxi City was a scene of bustling noise and commotion. Any youth aged fifteen or sixteen would suddenly have one or two yamen runners pop up behind them asking questions at length before letting them go. For a time, to avoid the relentless pursuit of yamen runners, the young men of Jinxi dared not go out on the streets, or if they did, they had to disguise themselves.
Having eaten his fill of oil-soaked duck, Tang Dayuan hummed through his nose, “Who knows what mystery County Magistrate Huang is setting up now, constantly troubling the young men!”
“What did your fellow townsman say?” Qiaozi asked casually.
“Don’t mention him. He handled things poorly and was scolded by County Magistrate Huang, then the next day was sent to that godforsaken place Huangqi Ridge.” Tang Dayuan spat. “Completely wasted my three jars of aged yellow wine. I thought I could plant an informant in the yamen to gain some benefits.”
“You should stop always thinking about making money through crooked means.” Qiaozi advised. Tang Dayuan grinned and said, “Crooked means? For an orphan like me, if I didn’t use crooked means, I’d have starved to death long ago. Would I be standing here chatting idly with you?”
“Dayuan, I’ve wanted to ask you for a long time.”
“Ask what?”
“What do you think is the pleasure of being alive?” Qiaozi’s eyes were pitch black and deeply sunken, as if they harbored a boundless abyss.
Tang Dayuan froze, touched the corner of his mouth, and said with amusement, “Qiaozi, every time you ask a question, you leave me speechless. Let me think… pleasure is finding enjoyment, gambling for money, getting drunk, lying in the soft jade and warm fragrance of a red lady, free and at ease. But these all seem unsuitable for you. You, you’re a strange person, Qiaozi.”
Qiaozi made an “oh” sound and went down to stand duty at the city gate. Tang Dayuan waited for him to descend the tower, then suddenly called out to him again, “Tonight, do you want to come with me to Lancui Pavilion? I’ll treat you to some pleasure.”
Qiaozi’s answer was simple and clear: “Not going.”
The tide of people surged through the city gate. The hidden glances shot by yamen runners who suddenly appeared made Qiaozi’s heart waver. The county yamen was searching for young men—could they have uncovered the deceased’s secrets? Qiaozi hid his face under his hat brim. Others couldn’t see his expression, but he wondered to himself—would the investigation reach him…
Suddenly his back felt strangely cold, as if an icy cavern wind had blown over.
Qiaozi shuddered violently and swiftly lifted his hat brim. By a wine shop not far from the city gate, a person with a hunched body was coldly staring at Qiaozi. The two men’s gazes collided in the void. The man’s hawk-like face tightened, and he turned into the nearby deep alley.
Qiaozi noticed that one of his legs was lame.
It was him again! That mysterious man who made Qiaozi’s heart pound with alarm. Who exactly was he?
At the Jinxi County yamen, though the search for young men had yet to yield results, the target had become clear. All that was needed was time.
When Constable Feng returned, Li Si thought deeply and said, “Besides the young men, we can’t abandon the angle of Hu Hai, Liu Feng’er, and Huang Gang either. The household servants of Hu and Liu were all acquired after they became wealthy and can’t provide useful clues. It would be best to find the three people’s old addresses and investigate suspicious evidence about them before and after their sudden wealth by starting with old neighbors.”
Constable Feng felt this made great sense. He clasped his fists and went to investigate.
Bai Zhenzhu saw that Li Si had only focused on the case for the past two or three days and had eaten very little, and she was quite worried. She personally went to the kitchen to stew a cup of white fungus and meat porridge for Li Si to eat. Li Si originally wanted to wait, but unable to withstand the little girl’s earnest and expectant eyes, he could only smile and swallow the entire large cup of meat porridge clean.
Bai Zhenzhu contentedly wiped Li Si’s mouth for him and said sweetly, “Tomorrow evening I’ll stir-fry lamb liver and bamboo shoot slices for Big Brother Li. The winter bamboo shoots just emerging at this time are the most plump and delicious. Hehe.”
A warm current surged into Li Si’s heart—a comfortable warmth he hadn’t felt in a long time, just like a wanderer of many years returning to the old home that had been longing for him. Li Si smiled, then suddenly caught sight of Bai Zhenzhu’s handkerchief. The white handkerchief was embroidered with two clusters of peony flowers.
His heart suddenly jumped… White handkerchief, white thread! That’s right—no white thread had been found in Huang Gang’s mouth, and on the night Huang Gang was killed, Li Si had distinctly heard a short cry, after which all sound ceased. Huang Gang must have also been gagged. Perhaps— Li Si suddenly stood up, startling Bai Zhenzhu, who was clearing away the bowls and dishes. Bai Zhenzhu said with concern, “Big Brother Li, what’s the matter?”
“Stay here. I’m going to the Black House.”
Li Si plunged into the Black House and immediately closed the stone door. Even when Wu Wen and Huang Youdao came looking for him, they didn’t see him come out. After about half a day, the stone door slowly opened. Li Si’s pale cheeks revealed a trace of sickly red, and his entire person trembled lightly with exhaustion.
He clenched his fists tightly. Before Wu Wen and Huang Youdao could speak, he said first, “I’m a bit tired. I’ll go back and rest first.”
That night, all was silent.
Wu Wen had just lain down when he looked up and discovered that half a human shadow was suddenly reflected in the window. Hand touching his steel blade, Wu Wen flipped out, circled the window, and crept from the front door to the corridor. The blade light flashed as it chopped down overhead! In a flash, a hand like floating catkins clamped onto Wu Wen’s pulse point. Immediately after, someone said in a low voice, “Don’t strike. It’s me.”
“Ah, Head Constable!” Wu Wen saw clearly that the person was Li Si.
Li Si released Wu Wen’s pulse point and patted his shoulder. “Your skills in moving from stillness are becoming increasingly refined. Not bad. Let’s go inside. I have something to tell you.”
“Yes.” Wu Wen was delighted to receive Li Si’s praise and put away his blade momentum.
On the 26th, Constable Feng brought exciting news—a suspicious young man had finally surfaced.
At a lumber mill on North Street in Jinxi, a vigorous and capable young man shouldered an entire round log and carried it back, while other young men needed two or three people to carry back a single log. The mill foreman walked around shouting, constantly having people look at the strong young man, obviously using him as a model.
The strong young man kept his head down working, while the others hated him so much their teeth itched.
“That’s Yuan Li. His father, Yuan Xiangrong, worked as a cashier at Hu Hai’s rice shop, but because his hands weren’t clean, he was whipped by Hu Hai and driven out. Later he mixed into Liu Feng’er’s silk and satin shop to work, but his bad record was exposed and Liu Feng’er also dismissed him. The Hu and Liu families were the leading figures in Jinxi, so other shops also followed their example and didn’t hire Yuan Xiangrong. Repeatedly frustrated, Yuan Xiangrong from then on became addicted to gambling. At first he won money, but it was his bad luck to run into Huang Gang. Not only was he cheated out of his gold and silver by Huang Gang, he also mortgaged his house and wife in gambling and ended up losing everything and becoming homeless.” Constable Feng shook his head and continued to Li Si, “Yuan Xiangrong, in complete despair, threw himself into the river to commit suicide. His wife died of illness, leaving only his only son, Yuan Li. Yuan Li felt that Hu Hai and Liu Feng’er were too harsh and heartless, which drove his father to desperation, so he bore resentment toward both of them along with Huang Gang. Last year Yuan Li went to the Rouge Pavilion and caused a big scene. If Liu Feng’er hadn’t pitied him, he would have been arrested and imprisoned long ago.”
Li Si, Bai Zhenzhu, and Constable Feng hid in the small grove outside the lumber mill. Bai Zhenzhu lightly furrowed her moth-like eyebrows and said, “This Yuan Li happens to be fifteen or sixteen years old and also has a grudge against Hu and Liu, but his parents didn’t die early. Moreover, what relationship could he have with that mysterious pregnant woman!”
Constable Feng was taken aback. “There’s still not a single clue about the mysterious pregnant woman, but this Yuan Li is truly suspicious.”
“What Constable Feng says is quite right, but we must test him. I distinctly remember that when the killer murdered Huang Gang, his figure was agile and graceful. At a glance one could tell he was someone with martial arts. If Yuan Li is truly the killer, naturally his skills would be extraordinary.” Li Si looked at Constable Feng, who made a sound of acknowledgment and said, “This subordinate understands.”
In the foggy and misty weather, after working for a while, the skin felt like it had been coated with a thin layer of paste—an indescribably uncomfortable feeling. Yuan Li threw down the thirtieth round log of the day, stood still and caught his breath, casually lifting his lapel to let the cold wind blow on his chest.
Just as he was closing his eyes to rest, he suddenly heard a miserable howling cry, like an old cat whose tail had been stepped on.
People’s shadows were in chaos. Suddenly a runaway carriage rushed into the long street outside. In an instant the lumber mill became chaotic with chickens flying and dogs jumping. The carriage shook off the scattering crowd and charged straight toward Yuan Li. The driver shouted in alarm, “Get out of the way, quickly get out of the way!”
Yuan Li didn’t move. He waited until the carriage rushed within five steps, then first threw to safety a carpenter who was in danger. He himself was like a river-crossing spirit monkey avoiding the fierce horse, twisting his body in midair and landing steadily on the front section of the carriage shaft. His hands suddenly pressed down with heavy force on the horse’s rear, and though the fierce horse’s four hooves trampled madly, it couldn’t move its body. Gradually it calmed down and stopped going wild.
“What incredible strength!” The driver looked at Yuan Li in shock.
“In the future, watch this kind of brainless beast properly.” Yuan Li jumped down from the carriage shaft and walked easily toward the shed.
The carriage creaked away from the lumber mill. The wild horse was actually arranged by Constable Feng, and the driver was also an experienced old hand. The purpose was to test Yuan Li’s martial arts. Constable Feng said nervously, “Lord Li, what do you think…”
“Just now Yuan Li first used the ‘Spirit Monkey Crossing the Boat’ move to ensure his own safety, then used ‘Swallow’s Clever Cloud Flip’ to leap onto the carriage shaft. His martial arts are passable but lack steadiness. However, his tremendous physical strength is truly rare and precious.” Li Si thought and said, “The overall feeling is somewhat different from the killer.”
“Keep an eye on him for now, and we’ll see later.” Li Si left these words.
While Li Si was busy on North Street, at this moment on South Street another carriage was slowly approaching a residence.
Along South Street, houses were spread everywhere and the marketplace was prosperous. The carriage stopped, and a middle-aged man with a round belly and round face got out first. He turned back to mutter a few words in a low voice to the person in the carriage, then entered the residence with hearty laughter.
The round-faced man didn’t know that right there in the alley corner across the way, a dark shadow was coldly watching his every move, grinding his mouthful of white teeth until they crackled. The dark shadow’s facial muscles twitched, as if unable to control the surging emotions within.
“Patience… Foster Father said I can’t indulge in slaughter… He must tell me, tell me.”
The dark shadow spoke incoherently for a moment. When he raised his head again, the round-faced man had already entered the residence.