Xiao Residence. Li Si and Xiao Ning took out the four walnuts. Li Si said, “Because the pearl is stuck with iron filings, it gets attracted by the magnetite. Using objects as metaphors for objects, comparing walnuts to pearls.”

Li Si brought over a piece of magnetite about the size of a jujube pit and slowly moved the magnetite close to the four miniature carved walnuts. Xiao Ning interrupted, “The walnuts don’t have iron filings stuck to them. Will using magnetite work?”

Li Si smiled mysteriously and continued moving the magnetite toward the walnuts. An astonishing scene occurred—the walnuts actually moved slowly.

Three of the four miniature carved walnuts adhered to the magnetite. Li Si frowned at the walnut that didn’t move, finding it unexpected. The three walnuts converged toward the magnetite in a triangular formation and ultimately stuck together with the magnetite.

“What on earth is going on? This is too incredible,” Xiao Ning exclaimed in amazement.

Only portions of the three walnuts were attracted by the magnetite. When Li Si turned the walnuts in a different direction, the magnetite couldn’t stick to them anymore. Li Si examined the parts of the walnuts that adhered to the magnetite, gradually becoming certain in his heart.

The three walnuts corresponded to the miniature carved walnuts from Zheng Hounian’s case, Shang Yun’s case, and Tao Nan’s case.

The locations on the three walnuts that adhered to the magnetite corresponded to the following scenery: a century-old jujube tree outside the broken window of Qingfeng Inn in Zheng Hounian’s case; the Cuishui River in Shang Yun’s case; and a painting scroll at the east end of the cellar in Tao Nan’s case, with the figures and scenery in the scroll being somewhat blurry and impossible to discern.

Xiao Ning held the walnuts and suddenly understood. “Brother Li, could it be that iron filings are hidden inside the walnut bellies?”

“Correct. The mystery lies within the walnut bellies.” Li Si carefully pried open the walnut from Zheng Hounian’s case with a silver knife and picked out a small amount of iron filings from inside the walnut shell corresponding to the century-old jujube tree. Li Si said, “Hiding iron filings in specific locations inside the walnuts—once we see through the trick of the murder case relics, we can use magnetite to expose the secrets hidden in the walnuts. I still don’t know who this mastermind instigator is, but their scheming and strategy can be called supremely brilliant.”

“But how were the iron filings injected into the walnut bellies?” Xiao Ning said, puzzled.

“There’s a method. First pierce the walnut to inject iron filings, then use reddish-brown tree resin or lacquer glue to seal the opening, and finally remove the sticky feeling on the surface. Because our attention was all focused on the walnut surfaces, naturally we wouldn’t think there was another universe inside the walnut bellies.” Li Si stated his conclusion. Xiao Ning couldn’t help but nod. “Then what exactly is the mystery hidden in the walnuts? The location corresponding to where iron filings are hidden in the first walnut is a century-old jujube tree, the second walnut corresponds to the Cuishui River, and the third corresponds to a painting scroll.”

“Immediately go get that painting scroll from the east end of Furong Garden’s cellar,” Li Si said. After the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, several constables retrieved the painting scroll from Furong Garden’s cellar.

In the painting scroll was a woman with her back turned. She was slowly walking toward a dark red wooden door not far away. The left and right doorposts of the wooden door were painted with lotus flower patterns.

“Unable to distinguish the woman’s features clearly, then the key point in this painting scroll should be this wooden door.” Li Si picked out the crucial content, then continued, “A century-old jujube tree, the Cuishui River, a dark red wooden door with lotus flower patterns…”

Li Si’s gaze was intense, finally penetrating the mystery.

“The mystery hidden in the miniature carved walnuts is a location. The mastermind instigator wants us to find a place where a century-old jujube tree grows, adjacent to the Cuishui River, with a dark red wooden door.” Li Si articulated the hidden information word by word.

Xiao Ning repeated, “A century-old jujube tree, the Cuishui River, and this red door. Ah! I’ve thought of it—I know where this is!”

Li Si stared at Xiao Ning and quickly asked, “Where?”

“Biyun Temple, five li east of Suishui City,” Xiao Ning said with conviction.

“Biyun Temple. The purpose of going through so much effort to challenge me may be to meet me once.” Li Si calmly gazed at the silent walnuts on the table, his mind turning over and over again… It’s not Meng Xiu, so who exactly could it be?

In the ruins of rubble thirty li outside Suishui City.

Meng Fanchuan found the ancestral hall dedicated to the Lou family ancestors. The hall had now been burned until only two black walls remained. Meng Fanchuan estimated the distance between the black walls and stepped out, creating a black hole. The hole was deep, leading underground.

“A few days ago when I passed by Father’s study, I heard him murmuring about the Lou family secret chamber in his dreams. Perhaps something is hidden inside,” Meng Fanchuan said to Gao Ling. Gao Ling looked at the pitch-black underground passage. “Then what are we standing around for? Down we go!”

The black hole was deep. The two young men stepped into it with trepidation.

Before long, there was faint light. Deep in the secret chamber were several enormous steel needles as tall as a person, with congealed bloodstains that had formed into iron spots. When Meng Fanchuan thought about how the steel needles had once pierced through people, he felt hair-raising terror. Suddenly, he discovered that at the very back behind the steel needles, there was a withered, thin man wrapped in black gauze standing there.

“Who, who’s there?” Meng Fanchuan held his sword in hand. Although he knew his senior brother Gao Ling was still with him, his heart was still about to jump out of his throat.

The black-gauze person didn’t react.

Gao Ling’s precious sword emitted a clear dragon’s roar. He executed a Water Dragon Overturning Clouds strike that pierced through the black-gauze person’s black gauze. The black gauze completely broke apart, revealing the flesh and blood inside. But what left Gao Ling dumbfounded was that beneath the black gauze there was no flesh and blood at all, only a skeleton.

The skeleton shattered. The black-gauze person crumbled to the ground.

“This…” Gao Ling was too shocked to speak. Suddenly he heard Meng Fanchuan shout his name loudly. Gao Ling abruptly turned around. A ghostly shadow was pressed right against his back.

In an instant, sword shadows, annihilation.

At the hour of Wei, Xiao Ning thought Li Si would rush to Biyun Temple without stopping, but Li Si instead came to Shanliu Ju as if nothing had happened, ordered two pots of fine Biluochun tea, and drank tea with Xiao Ning.

“Brother Li, we’ve already solved the mystery of the walnuts and know the mastermind murderer is hiding in Biyun Temple. Why aren’t we going to capture him but instead staying here to drink tea… I, I can’t understand it,” Xiao Ning blinked and shook his head.

Li Si calmly took a sip of tea. Shanliu Ju was lively as always. After reforming, Ashan had been released from prison, but today he wasn’t at Shanliu Ju. His younger sister Ashui was performing magic tricks alone. On the other side of the tea hall, the blind old man and his granddaughter were also nowhere to be seen. Li Si inquired with the Shanliu Ju owner and learned that the grandfather and granddaughter had already left Suishui City to make a living elsewhere.

Life is like a play—gathering and parting are ordinary. But Li Si’s heart still felt somewhat regretful. He recalled the blind old man’s wonderful story segments, and a light brightened in his heart.

“The person at Biyun Temple peacefully awaits my arrival. Naturally, I must also adjust my state of mind before going, otherwise wouldn’t it be discourteous?” Li Si replied to Xiao Ning. Xiao Ning was somewhat confused, like a monk of two and a half zhang unable to reach his head, and could only calm his heart and settle his qi to accompany Li Si in drinking tea.

An hour later, Li Si finally walked out of Shanliu Ju. He gazed at the green mountains and blue waters beyond the gloom and said leisurely, “Let’s go.”

Just past the hour of You, Biyun Temple east of Suishui City.

Like wandering through scenery in an earthly paradise, Li Si and Xiao Ning passed through a century-old jujube tree forest, crossed the icy Cuishui River, climbed jade-white clean stone steps like a ladder to the clouds, and came before a dark red wooden door painted with seated lotus flowers. They knocked on the wooden door.

The wooden door creaked open, and a little nun about twelve or thirteen years old walked out from inside. The little nun looked Li Si up and down repeatedly and tentatively asked, “Is the benefactor surnamed Li?”

Li Si smiled kindly and said, “This benefactor is surnamed Li.”

The little nun’s face reddened. She moved aside from the door and said, “The fated one has been awaiting Benefactor Li for a long time.”

Biyun Temple was clean and elegant inside. They walked all the way to an incense room within the temple. The little nun knocked on the door and said, “The Benefactor Li you’ve been waiting for has arrived.”

After speaking, the little nun bid farewell to Li Si and Xiao Ning. After walking away, she still stole glances at Li Si’s retreating figure. Li Si walked to the incense room door. Xiao Ning said worriedly, “Brother Li, shouldn’t we be more careful? How about sending constables to directly capture this person?”

Li Si waved his hand. “Since it’s fate, then I’ll personally meet my fated one.”

“The world is fickle, human feelings are cruel, rain sends off dusk and flowers fall easily. People become each, today is not yesterday, the sick soul often resembles an autumn swing rope.” A hoarse and aged voice came from inside the incense room. “God-Catcher Li indeed hasn’t disappointed me. My bitter wait here has not been in vain. I know God-Catcher Li has many questions. Why not first ask them clearly from outside the door?”

Xiao Ning wanted to rush in and capture the person but was stopped by Li Si. Li Si compliantly stood at the door, thought for a moment, and said, “Meng Xiu is not the murderer.”

“Since you’ve found your way here, didn’t you already know the answer? He didn’t kill anyone,” the person inside the door said. “Meng Xiu is indeed Lou Ao’s cousin, but Lou Ao wasn’t as good to Meng Xiu as Meng Xiu claimed. Lou Ao himself was a cold-blooded and heartless petty person—otherwise the Budong Manor tragedy wouldn’t have occurred. Meng Xiu suffered all kinds of bullying from Lou Ao. Lou Ao cursed him as a stray dog living under another’s roof and made Meng Xiu do all the dirty work that lowly servants do. Over time, Meng Xiu felt life was hopeless, so he stole three hundred thousand taels in banknotes from Lou Ao. From that point on, Meng Xiu vanished from the human world. Lou Ao spent large sums of money issuing a jianghu wanted notice to find Meng Xiu, but in the end came up with nothing. Before long, Lou Ao fell into difficulties dealing with jianghu turmoil and could no longer spare attention to search for Meng Xiu. Seven years ago, Meng Xiu achieved success in the examinations. Four years ago, he was transferred to Suishui City as county magistrate. This truly can be called his destined place.”

“You know about the grievances between Meng Xiu and Lou Ao, so you threatened him to come forward and take the blame for you,” Li Si said calmly.

“Correct. Many people wouldn’t remember things from many years ago, but I happen to be someone with a good memory, and I just happened to recognize Meng Xiu.” The voice inside the door was hoarse. Li Si paused and said, “Everything about the murder cases, as well as the transactions between the black-robed person and Ashan—you told all of this to Meng Xiu. You also fabricated for Meng Xiu the pretext of challenging me to commit crimes in order to repay his cousin’s kindness, correct?”

“Yes. How could God-Catcher Li, with such clarity of mind, speak wrongly!” the person inside the door responded.

“My clarity is still not as good as the fated one’s ingenious scheming. First imitate cases and reenact them, then send miniature carved walnuts, then leave three relics at the murder scenes, then use the thinking misconception to hide walnut secrets within the three relics, and finally use the walnut secrets to find the fated one’s hiding place. Supremely brilliant! Admirable!” Li Si nodded. The person inside the door fell silent for a while, then after a long time spoke again. “No matter how brilliant a scheme is, once it’s seen through, the person most worthy of praise is undoubtedly the one who breaks through the puzzle. God-Catcher Li need not say more. If you have other things you want to ask, feel free to ask.”

“There’s one more thing I don’t understand. Meng Xiu was coerced by you simply because he feared Lou Ao’s retaliation, but Lou Ao died long ago. What does Meng Xiu still have to fear?” Li Si asked. The person inside the door fell silent again. After the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, they spoke again. “God-Catcher Li asks well. What I can tell you is merely that the person Meng Xiu fears is not just Lou Ao alone.”

“What do you mean?” Xiao Ning blinked and asked.

But divine light suddenly appeared in Li Si’s eyes. “He also fears the one hundred thirty-first person who escaped from the fire scene four years ago.”

A long sigh came from inside the door. “God-Catcher Li has penetrated the mystery. The door can be opened now.”

Li Si’s hand involuntarily trembled slightly. He finally pulled open this door that seemed to separate two worlds. Behind the door was his fated one.

Xiao Ning saw the person inside the incense room door and couldn’t help but cry out in surprise, “It’s actually… you!”

Li Si’s eyes also flickered with uncertainty.

Behind the incense room door was actually a pretty young girl. The young girl smiled sweetly—it was precisely Wei’er, the granddaughter of the blind old man from Shanliu Ju.