“What did you say?!” The color drained from Hua Yitang’s face.

Pi Xi began to laugh. At this moment he was like a clown who could never normally take center stage, suddenly transformed into the star of the troupe — his face full of smug satisfaction. “The night Lian Xiaoshuang died, I was the one who drove Duan Hongning into the inner city district, to Jinxi Ward. I had driven Duan Hongning there several times before — only each time she’d have me stop at the ward gate, then arrange a time for me to come pick her up. That day was peculiarly different; Duan Hongning had me leave the carriage with her as well.”

“I pretended to leave, then slipped back secretly, and watched Duan Hongning drive the carriage alone into a narrow alley and enter a household. I remember it clearly: Number 451, Machuan Street, Jinxi Ward. Afterward, she did not emerge for a long time.”

“So I kept watch outside the door, waiting for a full two-plus hours. The street had emptied of people — hollow and deserted. It must have been around… around the Hour of the Ox, I think — Duan Hongning came out dragging a large wooden crate. The crate was very heavy; she was drenched in sweat, her face soaked through, but no — not just sweat — but rather — tears!” Pi Xi’s expression took on a strange excitement. “Tears had washed away the powder on her face; in the moonlight, her face was mottled — dark patches, white patches, red patches, greenish patches… it was far more beautiful than the usual high-and-mighty Ninth Lady Duan, heh heh heh heh heh—”

Pi Xi’s lecherous laughter echoed through the interrogation room, utterly nauseating.

Everyone’s complexion was rather unpleasant. Calculating backward from the time Pi Xi described, Duan Hongning would have entered Lian Xiaoshuang’s residence at roughly the Hour of the Pig — precisely after Lian Xiaoshuang’s death.

“How long was the crate, how wide, and what color was it?” Hua Yitang asked.

Pi Xi seemed not to hear at all; after laughing for a while, he continued talking to himself, as if showing off something, this time in even more detail. “Duan Hongning hauled the crate onto the carriage. She exerted tremendous effort — her arms were pale and slender and delicate, trembling the entire time. It pained me to watch; I wanted to help her, but feared startling her. Alas — so I could only watch from afar as she drove the carriage out of Jinxi Ward, into the Western Market, then out through the Western Market ward gate, traveled a little way, stopped the carriage, dragged out the crate, pushed it down into a shrub — then she herself crawled into the shrubs as well — I could only wait nearby. After a long while more, Duan Hongning crawled back out, drove the carriage away. I was too curious; I crawled into the shrubs too, and discovered the large crate had been lashed to the outlet of a sewage channel, with the rope binding the crate having been partially cut through. I opened the crate and saw a woman’s corpse—”

Prefect Chi and Senior Official Xia sharply drew in their breath; Hua Yitang closed his eyes briefly.

“I didn’t recognize that woman, but I recognized the peach blossom brand at her inner thigh,” Pi Xi’s tone shifted, bearing a gnashing bitterness. “I truly never imagined that Duan Hongning would dare to counterfeit my Peach Blossom Demon to commit murder, and with such crude methods too — the corpse entirely without aesthetic quality!” He sighed. “However, on reflection, five years had already passed, and yet someone still remembered the name of my Peach Blossom Demon — that was no small feat; clearly this person held me in the deepest veneration. So I helped Duan Hongning tidy up the corpse—” Pi Xi let out a clucking laugh — “don’t you all find the corpse more beautiful after my tidying?”

Only now did everyone understand why Lian Xiaoshuang’s body, when discovered, had been posed as though contorted into a twisted rope — apparently that had been this person’s handiwork.

Pi Xi finished speaking and fixed everyone with an expression of keen interest, apparently waiting for them to continue questioning him.

Prefect Chi and Senior Official Xia were already stupefied. Jiang Wende, upon hearing this point, laughed suddenly for no apparent reason — his demeanor even more strange than Pi Xi’s.

Hua Yitang stared straight at Pi Xi. “Do you know — the one who killed Lian Xiaoshuang was not Duan Hongning, but Qu Hui?”

Pi Xi blinked. “Yes, I know — I am the Peach Blossom Demon whose name shakes the world. How could mere Duan Hongning imitate me? Of course she had an accomplice.”

Hua Yitang: “You think Qu Hui was Duan Hongning’s accomplice?”

“Not only Qu Hui — Mi Nina as well,” Pi Xi said. “After the Lian Xiaoshuang case, Duan Hongning went to Yongzhou Ward to see Mi Nina several times. Afterward, the Scattered Flowers Tower case broke out. I suspected they originally intended to disguise Mi Nina’s death as my work too, thereby establishing their identity as the Peach Blossom Demon — but unfortunately Wang Jinglu ended up disrupting their plans, and they fell short of success.”

Pi Xi’s expression was one of great regret. “As the saying goes: what is fated to be yours will be yours in the end; what is not fated to be yours, do not force. A few women like them, audaciously attempting to usurp my Peach Blossom Demon’s title — they really did overestimate themselves. When you think about it, it’s truly pitiable.”

Prefect Chi was completely confused. “Is the Peach Blossom Demon’s title actually something worth coveting? What would they want such an unlucky name for?”

Pi Xi puffed out his chest. “Naturally — to go down in history!”

“To go down in history my foot!” Hua Yitang sneered coldly. “More like to leave a stench for ten thousand years!”

“And what of leaving a stench for ten thousand years? At least it means a name known throughout the land, familiar to every woman and child — compared to you useless mediocre officials, I am the one who will be remembered in the history books! Ha ha ha ha ha ha!”

The wild laughter ricocheted violently around the interrogation room like countless cacti growing from the walls — extraordinarily jarring.

Hua Yitang pressed his lips together in a faint smile, fished a small fan from his sleeve, and — not fanning himself — began fanning it toward Ling Zhiyan instead.

Ling Zhiyan, who had been bent over studying Pi Xi’s confession, raised his eyelids; his gaze was sharp and penetrating. “You are not at all the Peach Blossom Demon from five years ago!”

Pi Xi’s laughter ceased abruptly. “I am!”

Ling Zhiyan: “You just said all the victims were prey you carefully selected, and that you knew every person’s name, age, preferences, and daily routes. Then tell me — where did the seventh victim Jiang Wenyu and the ninth victim Li Xiuli most frequently go in their daily lives?”

Prefect Chi and Senior Official Xia exchanged astonished looks: Just yesterday, these two victims were still unidentified strangers — how had Investigating Censor Ling managed to ascertain their identities within a single day?

Pi Xi’s smile faltered for a moment; his eyeballs shifted. “Of course I remember — Jiang Wenyu and Li Xiuli were both — courtesans of the Red Fragrance Ward; in their daily lives they loved nothing more than to make eyes and entice men. The places they frequented were nothing but those perfume shops, silk and satin shops, and taverns—”

Hua Yitang let out a low laugh; Ling Zhiyan’s pupils were black as ink. “Are you certain?”

Pi Xi lifted his chin. “Certain!”

Ling Zhiyan’s gaze was like ice. “The names of those two people were fabricated by me. From beginning to end, we never discovered their names. Furthermore, these two were not courtesans of the Red Fragrance Ward!”

“Impossible!” Pi Xi shouted. “The Peach Blossom Demon only killed women of loose conduct — prostitutes! They used their demonic bodies to seduce men, toyed with men, and then discarded men like worn-out shoes once they were done, ruining men financially, making their lives worse than death! I killed these worthless women to act on behalf of Heaven, to give a good, righteous outlet for us suffering men!”

Dead silence fell over the interrogation room.

The smile disappeared from Hua Yitang’s face; on his petal-fair, handsome countenance appeared a terrifying killing intent. This time, even Prefect Chi and Senior Official Xia’s eyes carried anger.

Jiang Wende narrowed his eyes and said nothing.

Ling Zhiyan’s complexion turned ashen. His pale fingers gently traced the yellowed case files for the seventh and ninth victims. After a long moment, he said quietly, “They were two children — one nine years old, the other only eight.”

Pi Xi appeared as if struck by lightning.

Hua Yitang rose to his feet, walked to stand before Pi Xi, lifted his robe and crouched, staring straight into Pi Xi’s eyes. Pi Xi’s pupils trembled violently; he dared not at all meet Hua Yitang’s gaze.

Hua Yitang broke into a grin. “You are not the Peach Blossom Demon at all. You are nothing but a shameless scoundrel who wanted to steal the Peach Blossom Demon’s name — because without the Peach Blossom Demon’s skin to wear, you, Pi Xi, will always be a lowly ant; not a single soul will spare you a second glance!”

“Wrong! I am the Peach Blossom Demon! I am the Peach Blossom Demon!” Pi Xi flew into a rage, his arms swinging the iron chains to bludgeon Hua Yitang. Wu Da was alarmed and rushed to the rescue — yet unexpectedly, Hua Yitang’s frame was unusually agile; he tilted his head aside with consummate grace, spun around, and sent a flying kick crashing into Pi Xi’s face. Pi Xi’s nostrils erupted with blood; he fell to the ground convulsing wildly. Hua Yitang stood straight before Pi Xi, his gaze like a man regarding a cockroach, the candle flame stretching his shadow long across the stone wall — like a black peony spreading its claws and fangs.

“You will forever be nothing but a revolting worm!”

“I am the Peach Blossom Demon! I am the true Peach Blossom Demon! I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you!” Pi Xi was dragged out; his shrieks echoed in the interrogation room for a long time.

A single interrogation had taken so many unexpected turns that Prefect Chi and Senior Official Xia were drenched in cold sweat from start to finish.

Jiang Wende looked over with a languid air. “If the Tu Yan from five years ago was not the Peach Blossom Demon, and this man is not either — then who is the true Peach Blossom Demon, and where is he now?”

Ling Zhiyan: “Although Pi Xi is not the Peach Blossom Demon, he was able to name the primary crime scenes for several of the victims — which indicates he had contact with the true Peach Blossom Demon at some point, and may have been deeply trusted by the Demon to have obtained such detailed clues. Therefore, we need only carefully investigate Pi Xi’s personal relationships to find the true Peach Blossom Demon.”

Prefect Chi and Senior Official Xia had a sudden flash of understanding and nodded in repeated agreement.

Jiang Wende’s gaze grew ever deeper. “The two young girl victims that Investigating Censor Ling just mentioned — are there any other leads?”

“There are!” Ling Zhiyan said steadily. “A few days ago, we discovered thirty-six corpses in an abandoned burial ground on the city outskirts — all young girls and boys. We suspect they were children who died unjust deaths as ritual sacrifices.”

“Ritual… sacrifices—” Jiang Wende carefully chewed over those two characters. “So those two young girls were also—”

“Abandoned corpses — ritual sacrifices.” Hua Yitang watched Jiang Wende’s expression. “To conceal the identity of the ritual sacrifices, the murderer disguised them as victims of the Peach Blossom Demon.”

Jiang Wende slowly nodded. He appeared calm, but Hua Yitang’s sensitivity detected that the atmosphere about his person had quietly changed — a lethal intent was faintly diffusing from him.

“I wonder what Adjutant Hua and Investigating Censor Ling plan to do next—” Before Jiang Wende could finish his sentence, a thundering drumbeat came from outside. A clerk rushed in. “Report — someone has struck the drum!”

Prefect Chi was greatly displeased. “At this hour, who could possibly be coming to file a complaint?”

The clerk: “It is the Wang Family from the north of the city. Their leader is Wang Jinglu.”

To encounter the familiar face of Wang Jinglu again, Hua Yitang was somewhat surprised.

Only a few days had passed since the Scattered Flowers Tower case, yet Wang Jinglu had grown noticeably haggard and thin — a full size smaller — with dark circles around his eyes; kneeling in the main hall he looked like a sickly pig.

Along with Wang Jinglu were three Wang Family sons, who appeared to be about the same age as Wang Jinglu, much the same in looks, and much the same in degree of haggardness.

By now the Hour of the Dog had passed; the sun was setting in the west, and the main hall was pitch dark. The clerks brought candles to illuminate the room. Under ordinary circumstances, at this hour Prefect Chi would long since have returned to his quarters to lie down. But with the Censor-in-Chief present, even if he had a hundred more livers he would not dare to be slack and idle; he could only sit there with a sour face, call the court to session, and begin work.

The flickering candlelight fell upon Prefect Chi’s face, its expression shifting between dark and bright — and actually conveyed three parts majesty.

“Who kneels below? What cause have you to beat the drum?!”

Wang Jinglu appeared to have been intimidated by Prefect Chi’s manner and was somewhat dazed; only at the clerk’s reminder did he knock his head heavily against the floor and say loudly, “I am the commoner Wang Jinglu, acting head of the Wang Family of the southern city. Today I file a complaint against my cousins Wang Jinghuan, Wang Jingchong, and Wang Jingxi for falsifying account books and stealing family property. The distinguished Wang Family has been eaten hollow by these three parasites; we are on the verge of ruin. I implore Prefect Chi to render justice for this commoner!”

As he spoke, he also shed two forlorn tears.

Prefect Chi was taken aback. “What?”

The other three were having none of it; they all talked over one another in explanation.

“We have been wronged — my brothers have never falsified account books!”

“All monthly accounts for all the Wang Family’s rice shop enterprises have been verified by the family head — the former head Wang Jingfu — and there is absolutely no problem.”

“The so-called theft of family property is pure fabrication!”

“Business has been difficult these past years; profits are nowhere near what they used to be. Wang Jinglu has never managed the family’s enterprises himself; he naturally has no idea of the subtleties involved. He sees the profits are lower and immediately concludes our account books are fraudulent — it’s simply laughable!”

Wang Jinglu was furious. “Utter nonsense! The Wang Family rice shop business is booming. The Wang Family trading caravans have large transactions every month, operating throughout multiple granary regions of the Tang realm — how could profits be decreasing?”

“Admitting your own stupidity — the knowledge involved in running a business is vast indeed. The larger the scale, the higher the costs. If costs exceed the budget, profits will naturally decrease.”

“Bull! I had outside accountants look it over for me. Based on last year’s total accounts, the Wang Family rice shop profits should be at least double. For profits to suddenly shrink this year — there’s definitely something suspicious going on!”

“Wang Jinglu, you are outrageous! The family head established a rule that only the head may audit the annual general accounts — and you had outsiders look at them?”

“Wang Jingfu murdered someone; he’ll lose his head any day now. The rules he set aren’t worth a damn! You’re so loyal to him — are you going to follow him underground and be his dog?”

“Wang Jinglu, how dare you call us dogs?!”

“If you are not dogs, why are you barking?!”

“I’ll bite you to death!”

“I’ll hack you to death!”

Goodness — the four of them came to blows before they’d exchanged more than a handful of words, brawling right there in the court. Wang Jinglu, one against three, could still hold his own — clear evidence that he had trained extensively in ordinary times by fighting with others. For a moment, the main hall was in absolute chaos, smoke and fire everywhere — a genuine “blazing melee” in every sense.

“What kind of conduct is this! What kind of conduct!” Prefect Chi cracked his gavel so hard it split. “Quickly separate them!” He craned his neck and shrieked, “Pull — them — apart—”

Clerks and constables pulled the four apart with all hands available; the four continued spitting and kicking furiously, and the clerks were exhausted and drenched in sweat.

Ling Zhiyan pressed a hand to his forehead; Senior Official Xia looked as though he might faint; Jiang Wende’s eye corners twitched slightly. Only Hua Yitang was laughing so hard he bent forward and back.

“Adjutant Hua!” Prefect Chi was fuming. “Quickly think of something!”

Hua Yitang stopped laughing. “As the saying goes, even a just official finds it hard to resolve family disputes. Now that each side says they are right, I am utterly at a loss!”

Prefect Chi was apoplectic. Senior Official Xia urgently tugged at Ling Zhiyan’s sleeve twice.

Ling Zhiyan sighed and lowered his voice. “Fourth Son, this kind of carrying-on truly disgraces the court’s dignity.”

Hua Yitang was annoyed: And you’re the peacemaker. They’re dogs snapping at each other — what’s it to me?

Ling Zhiyan, helpless: If you offend your direct superior, your work as Legal Adjutant will be difficult going forward.

Hua Yitang made a clicking sound with his mouth, adjusted his expression, and said: “Since both sides refuse to yield, why not have the Wang Family’s account books from the past three years brought forward, and invite a highly experienced, eminent, perceptive, discerning, and uniquely sharp-eyed accounts expert to examine them thoroughly? That will naturally reveal who is telling the truth and who is not.”

Senior Official Xia breathed a sigh of relief. “What Adjutant Hua proposes is most reasonable!”

Prefect Chi: “And who might this highly experienced, eminent … accounts expert be?”

“When it comes to skill in reading accounts, throughout the Tang realm, the Hua Family of Yangdu stands second to none.” Hua Yitang beamed brilliantly. “Having grown up in such an environment from childhood, I have gained some understanding — allow me to spare Prefect Chi this trouble.”

Side Story

Jiang Wende: So that long string of flattery — “highly experienced, eminent, perceptive, discerning, and uniquely sharp-eyed” — was all directed at himself?

The cheek of this Fourth Son of the Hua Family is truly extraordinary!

Author’s Note: I’m back from my trip, returning to regular updates! Tossing flowers~

Wrote the names backward yesterday — recording it here as a reminder: Wang Jingfu (concubine’s son, elder brother), former Wang Family head, the murderer who killed Mi Nina Wang Jinglu (legitimate son, younger brother), a wastrel, the one who was wrongly accused of murder