February 14th, the Ji Residence in Mingling County.

“Qianbo, I just made white fungus soup. Come drink it quickly.” A woman with a face full of concern brought over the white fungus soup. Inside the warm, fragrant side room, a fair-complexioned man lay on the bed, saying weakly, “You’ve worked hard, Suqin.”

The woman was precisely the Ji Residence’s young mistress, Ning Suqin. The man was the Ji Residence’s painter, Lu Qianbo.

“At this day and age, you’re still saying thank you to me.” Ning Suqin spoke with a trace of coquettish reproach to Lu Qianbo.

Lu Qianbo grasped Ning Suqin’s slender jade hands, saying contentedly, “What virtue or ability does this Lu Qianbo possess to have such a gentle, beautiful, careful, and considerate confidante treat me this way? I would die without regrets.”

“Don’t speak nonsense. If you continue, I won’t pay attention to you anymore.” Ning Suqin scooped a spoonful of white fungus soup and personally fed it to Lu Qianbo, saying softly, “How you treat me, I know. What you’ve done for me, I’m also clear about.”

“You’ve already sacrificed so much. How could I abandon you? For a woman’s entire life, the most fortunate thing is to encounter someone who truly treats her well and cherishes her. I’m content.” Ning Suqin smiled charmingly, alluring and moving.

Lu Qianbo’s heart stirred. He coughed twice to calm himself down. He patted his chest. “Curse this chronic illness of mine. Otherwise, I would have taken you far away long ago.”

“Don’t say that. You know… I’ll wait for you.” Ning Suqin’s cheeks flushed crimson. “No matter how long.”

“Suqin.” Lu Qianbo couldn’t contain his emotions and pulled Ning Suqin into his embrace. Ning Suqin lingered for a moment then struggled free, saying shyly, “No, during the day there are many people and loose tongues. It wouldn’t be good if they saw us.”

“Tonight, I’ll come serve you.” After Ning Suqin finished speaking tenderly like water, she quickly left the side room.

Lu Qianbo stared at Ning Suqin’s graceful figure in a daze. After a long while, he sighed deeply. “How wonderful. But it’s such a pity… I cannot stay.”

In the afternoon, continuous light rain began falling. The sky was overcast and uncertain. People hid in their homes and didn’t go out. At this time, a thin, tall man wearing a rain cape secretly slipped out from the Ji Residence’s side room. He carried a rather heavy cloth bundle, looked around in all directions, then exited the residence through the small gate at the rear courtyard.

The caped man braved the rain and left Mingling County, then frantically ran eastward toward the Yan River ferry. Half an hour later, the caped man reached the ferry crossing. A ferry boat was about to push off. The man waved and shouted, “Boatman, over here, over here!”

The ferry boat slowly drifted over. Just as the caped man was about to board the boat, he suddenly heard a familiar voice drift from the bow.

“Painter Lu, where are you trying to go?” The caped man looked up. Standing at the bow was someone—none other than the Ji Residence’s Nanny Rong.

“How is it you?” The caped man revealed his face—it was the Ji Residence’s Lu Qianbo.

Lu Qianbo’s eyes widened. He turned to run, but was lifted up by a pair of large hands and thrown onto the shore. The one who tossed Lu Qianbo was Wu Wen. Wu Wen glared with thick eyebrows, sneering, “Painter Lu, we’ve been waiting for you quite some time.”

Just past the hour of the Monkey, heaven and earth were a chaotic mess. The rain grew heavier and heavier.

Mingling County’s public hall. Situ Bo sat majestically. Yamen officers stood guard on both sides. Li Si sat to Situ Bo’s left, with Wu Wen standing behind him.

Below the hall, Lu Qianbo knelt in wet clothes, looking wretched.

“Lu Qianbo, you have such audacity!” Situ Bo struck the gavel block and said sternly, “You seduced the respectable woman Ning Suqin, engaged in illicit affairs first, then out of passion and resentment born of grudges, killed Ji Liang and Huang Mazi afterward. Let me ask you, do you acknowledge your crime?”

“Injustice, great injustice, Your Lordship!” Lu Qianbo cried out in shock and panic. “This humble one wouldn’t dare kill anyone even with the greatest courage. This is all groundless talk, complete nonsense. Your Lordship, you must investigate clearly!”

“Spare me the nonsense.” Situ Bo ordered, “Come, bring the evidence.”

The yamen officers brought a pair of cloth shoes and a light yellow robe. The shoe soles were covered with fishy black mud. On the elbow area of the yellow robe was a fist-sized pool of red stains.

“Lu Qianbo, on the evening of the eleventh after the hour of the Rooster, where were you?”

“The eleventh… Oh, that night this humble one drank alone in his room, drank too much, and went to sleep early.” Lu Qianbo recalled.

“Nonsense!” Situ Bo said coldly. “On the night of the eleventh, you clearly slipped out of the Ji Residence when no one was paying attention, then followed Huang Mazi to Heiwa Village. After he came out of his godmother’s house, you struck viciously and killed Huang Mazi.”

“No, Your Lordship. I didn’t kill anyone. I didn’t kill Huang Mazi!” Lu Qianbo kept shaking his head, denying the murder.

“Fine, then look at the evidence.” Situ Bo first pointed at the cloth shoes and asked, “Lu Qianbo, look carefully. Are these cloth shoes yours?”

Lu Qianbo looked several times before nodding. “They belong to this humble one.”

“The cloth shoes were found under your bed. The shoe soles are covered with black mud from the depression. If you never went to Heiwa Village, where did this black mud come from?” Situ Bo shouted sternly.

Lu Qianbo was covered in sweat. After thinking for a long time, he said, “This humble one cannot remember.”

“Cannot remember, or deliberately evading?” Situ Bo snorted, then pointed at the yellow robe to interrogate Lu Qianbo. “Lu Qianbo, is this robe yours?”

“Yes.” Lu Qianbo nodded.

“The robe’s sleeve has cinnabar red, exactly the same as the cinnabar red on Huang Mazi’s robe. It’s because during the murder process, you carelessly stained Huang Mazi’s robe with cinnabar red. Lu Qianbo, do you still want to make excuses!” Situ Bo spoke with conclusive words.

Lu Qianbo knelt below the hall, breathing heavily. “Your Lordship, even if the shoe soles have black mud and the robe has cinnabar red, it doesn’t prove I killed him. I have no grievances or enmity with Huang Mazi. I have no reason to kill him.”

“Is that so?” Situ Bo sneered and said loudly, “Come, bring Ning Suqin to the hall.”

Upon hearing the three words “Ning Suqin,” Lu Qianbo’s body went weak, nearly collapsing onto the hall floor. Ning Suqin walked into the hall with red, swollen eyes, curtsied gracefully to Situ Bo, then knelt in the hall.

“Ning Suqin, this official asks you, was your husband Ji Liang good to you?” Situ Bo asked.

Ning Suqin’s bright eyes were filled with empty resentment. She gently shook her head. “Since marrying into the Ji Residence, Ji Liang repeatedly committed violence against me. At the lightest, he would scold and beat me. At worst, he would whip me.”

Situ Bo sighed slightly. “This official asks you again, did you tell a certain person about being bullied by Ji Liang? This person promised to help you eliminate Ji Liang and take you far away.”

“Yes.” Ning Suqin nodded lightly.

“Who is this person? Is he in the public hall?”

“Yes.” Ning Suqin’s eyes fixed on Lu Qianbo, speaking ethereally, “This person is Lu Qianbo.”

“This humble woman gave her affections to the wrong person. Lu Qianbo showed me care and consideration at the Ji Residence, professing his deep feelings. I was moved by Lu Qianbo’s sincerity, thinking I had met the man who would treat me best in this lifetime. I gave him everything. Never did I expect he would turn out to be a despicable, heartless scoundrel.” Ning Suqin said tearfully.

“Heartlessness breeds its own karma.” Situ Bo shook his head. “Ning Suqin, this official will now ask you the most important question.”

Ning Suqin nodded.

“Do you know who killed your husband Ji Liang?”

“I know.” Ning Suqin’s eyes showed determination as she pointed at Lu Qianbo. “The person who killed Ji Liang was Lu Qianbo.”

Ning Suqin recounted in detail—

After Ji Liang’s death, Lu Qianbo was very happy. That night, he secretly entered Ning Suqin’s boudoir to drink. Ning Suqin recalled that he had promised to eliminate Ji Liang, so she asked Lu Qianbo whether he had killed Ji Liang.

Lu Qianbo stood up slapping the table, pulled Ning Suqin into his embrace, and declared loudly: Yes, I killed him. Thinking of Ji Liang’s evil deeds toward you, I wished I could flay him alive and devour him. Letting him die like this was being too easy on him.

After Ning Suqin finished speaking, Lu Qianbo kowtowed heavily, saying with a mournful face, “Your Lordship, those words were drunken talk. I said it to trick Ning Suqin into being intimate with me. How would I dare kill anyone? I don’t even dare kill a chicken!”

“Not daring to kill a chicken doesn’t mean not daring to kill a person.” Situ Bo sneered. “Flay alive and devour—what vicious methods you have.”

Ning Suqin then spoke of Huang Mazi—

After Ji Liang’s death, Huang Mazi found Ning Suqin and threatened that he knew about Ning Suqin and Lu Qianbo’s illicit affair. He demanded Ning Suqin hand over Shanhai Tower to him, otherwise he would spread the scandal, leaving Ning Suqin and Lu Qianbo too ashamed to live.

“After Huang Mazi found me, I told Lu Qianbo about the threat.” Ning Suqin spoke softly. “The next day, Huang Mazi was dead.”

“It must be that Lu Qianbo killed to silence him, using the same cruel methods to kill Huang Mazi.” Situ Bo struck the gavel block again. “Lu Qianbo, both physical evidence and witness testimony are present. You are the iron-fanged demon who killed Ji Liang and Huang Mazi. What else do you have to say!”

“You secretly fled the Ji Residence and Mingling County behind Ning Suqin’s back because you feared your murder crimes would be exposed, so you fled in fear of punishment. Is that not so?”

“Your Lordship, I, I…” Lu Qianbo was like rotten mud, unable to say a word.

“Ning Suqin, do you have anything else to say?” Situ Bo turned to look at Ning Suqin.

Ning Suqin’s eyes were misty with tears. She smiled faintly. “This humble woman placed her trust in the wrong person in this life. I originally thought Lu Qianbo would cherish this humble woman well, treasure this relationship. But unexpectedly, he violated his mountain pledges and sea vows, abandoned the person he swore with certainty he would protect. This humble woman’s heart is now filled only with resentment, which is why I testified to Lu Qianbo’s various crimes.”

“In this life, I’ve tasted all the bitterness of love. I only pray that in the next life I’ll be heartless, not yearning for the sea of emotions.”

“Come, escort Ning Suqin and Lu Qianbo to the prison.”

Lu Qianbo fainted and was carried away by the yamen officers. Ning Suqin also went down.

Situ Bo commended Nanny Rong, who had been ordered to search for evidence of Lu Qianbo’s murders. It was also Nanny Rong who discovered signs of Lu Qianbo’s intention to flee privately and informed the yamen, which led to the scene of capturing Lu Qianbo at the Yan River ferry.

Although the iron-fanged demon Lu Qianbo had been caught, Li Si’s heart still seemed to be pressed by a large stone, making it difficult to breathe.