Jiang Ling nearly choked. He caught his tongue just in time and swallowed the words back.
Ming Huazhang had already walked out. Princess Taiping followed in urgent haste. Jiang Ling looked at the backs of the figures ahead and felt a vague bewilderment.
Was he too clever to have company, or did he simply not understand pigs?
Night. Cold stars.
Xie Jichuan crouched behind the ornamental rockery, cautiously watching what lay ahead. He reflected, not for the first time, that he was deeply unfortunate in his choice of friends — it was always him doing the dangerous, inauspicious work.
Ming Huazhang’s description of this man was uncannily accurate. The man wore a rough blue garment; he was from the military — ferocious and ruthless, yet alert, like a hunting wolf, possessed of a terrifying sensitivity to the environment around him. Xie Jichuan had nearly given himself away several times and did not dare get close, keeping well back as he tracked from a distance.
The man glanced cautiously over his shoulder, then plunged into a stand of trees. Xie Jichuan stared at the dark mass of the forest ahead, brow deeply furrowed.
No one would be in the forest at this hour. So what was he going in there for? Two possibilities: either Xie Jichuan had been noticed and the man in blue was deliberately luring him into the trees to ambush him; or the man was going to tend to the crime scene — tidy it up, or revisit it.
The third crime scene had not yet been found. If he could follow the man there and confirm the location, the evidence of murder would be beyond question. But if he had guessed wrong, Xie Jichuan would be walking straight into danger…
After deliberating for some time, Xie Jichuan finally decided to gamble — to bet that his judgment was right. He left a signal for Ming Huazhang along the path and once again prayed that Ming Huazhang would come quickly.
If he didn’t come soon, Xie Jichuan’s life would be forfeit.
Xie Jichuan stepped carefully into the undergrowth, planting each foot in an existing print, refusing to leave any trace of his own. He moved from tree to tree, slowly closing the gap between himself and the killer’s trail. Xie Jichuan peered cautiously around a trunk and saw the man in blue standing with his back to him, expression lost in rapture as he did something.
Xie Jichuan could not understand what anyone could find exciting about a death scene, but that did not stop him from continuing to watch. The man in blue finally finished whatever gratification he had been drawing from the place, rearranged his clothing, and began to conceal the blood on the ground.
In the evening, having needed to deposit the body in Ming Huashang’s group’s quarters before they returned, he had killed first and not had time to deal with the scene — he had only scattered a thin layer of earth over it before leaving. Now he needed to erase every trace, burying the blood-soaked earth deeper down. Afterward, no one would ever know that someone had died here.
The man’s movements were remarkably efficient — clearly a seasoned hand. He was almost done.
Now it was Xie Jichuan who felt pressed for time. The deeper into the forest, the fewer existing footprints. To conceal himself, Xie Jichuan had unavoidably left his own prints in the unmarked snow. The moment the man turned to go back, a single glance at those extra tracks in the snow would tell him he was being followed.
With the man’s build and ferocity, Xie Jichuan going up against him alone would not be a contest — there was no “might not” about it. He definitely would not win.
Xie Jichuan silently called out to Ming Huazhang in his heart once more — and just as he finished his voiceless cry of despair, the forest erupted with the sharp crack of a branch snapping underfoot. Xie Jichuan’s heart lurched. Before he could react, the man had already sensed that he was being followed. Quick and agile as a wolf, he spun around and plunged straight into the trees.
The direction he chose was precisely where Xie Jichuan was.
Xie Jichuan cursed under his breath, no longer caring about concealment, and turned and ran. But to make things even worse, the people who had come to cut off the man’s escape were too eager to claim the credit — they shouted out before closing the encirclement, and surged forward in a mob, completely giving away their positions.
The man was far too cunning and resourceful; he quickly found a gap in the net and fought his way through in a straight line, fleeing toward the edge of the forest.
After coming all this way and getting this close, to let him escape now would be to throw away the victory — but Xie Jichuan looked at the force behind the man’s blows and chose instead to preserve his own life.
After reporting to Princess Taiping, Ming Huazhang had gone at once to bring reinforcements to Xie Jichuan’s aid. Following the markers one by one, he had reached this stand of trees. He directed Princess Taiping’s people to fan out and surround the forest from all sides.
This vicious and capable man could not be rushed — the only approach was a careful encirclement and a clean, decisive strike. The most critical element of any ambush was keeping perfectly still and waiting until the trap was sealed before moving. Ming Huazhang had made this absolutely clear — close the net first, then act; no one was to break ranks for personal glory. And yet, as he had feared, it had all come undone.
Ming Huazhang strode rapidly in the direction the man had fled — but he was a step too late. The man had escaped.
Xie Jichuan spotted him and called out quickly: “Jingzhan, stop chasing. This is Princess Taiping’s estate — he may escape tonight, but he won’t escape forever. We can take our time recapturing him.”
Xie Jichuan felt that finding the killer already amounted to a success, and that what remained was merely a matter of physical effort — nothing much to worry about. But Ming Huazhang’s mood was entirely the opposite. He frowned. “A man this ruthless and dangerous — if you can’t neutralize him in a single blow, he’ll only become harder to catch after this. The estate is vast and he knows the terrain. If he simply finds a corner to hide in, where would we even begin to look?”
“That’s Princess Taiping’s problem to solve,” Xie Jichuan said, walking over and clapping Ming Huazhang on the shoulder. “Don’t pile more onto your own plate. We’ve done what was ours to do — the rest belongs to the great figures. With Princess Taiping’s resources, do you really think she can’t catch one runaway servant?”
Ming Huazhang was not worried about Princess Taiping’s capability. His expression was grave. “What I’m worried about is that he might be cornered into committing another crime — dragging more people down with him.”
As this thought surfaced, Ming Huazhang stiffened. His eyes flew wide. “No — Second Younger Sister!”
·
After a simple wash and change, Ming Huashang had extinguished the light and gone to bed. But with something still weighing on her mind, she could not drift off the way she usually did the moment her head met the pillow. She lay in a half-waking haze when she faintly heard shouting from outside.
Ming Huashang opened her eyes, listened for a moment, then turned to shake Ren Yao. “Elder Sister Ren, something seems to be happening outside.”
Ren Yao hadn’t been sleeping soundly either. She was awake after only two calls. The two of them quickly changed clothes. Ming Huashang opened the door to find that Zhao Cai and the others were already up, gathered anxiously around her. “Young Mistress, there are people outside carrying torches and patrolling — it seems they’re trying to capture the murderer.”
“The murderer?” Ming Huashang murmured. “It seems they’ve gone to find Princess Taiping then. Are Second Elder Brother and the others here?”
Zhao Cai hurried to knock on the doors across the covered walkway and came scurrying back in a fluster. “Young Mistress, there’s no sound from Second Young Master’s room. He surely hasn’t come to harm, has he?”
Ming Huashang had a clear picture in her mind. “They’ve probably gone out. Zhao Cai — gather everyone together and send two people to patrol along the walls. The Princess has deployed her own people to capture the killer; things should resolve quickly. We just need to hold on through the most chaotic stretch and make sure no one takes advantage of the confusion to slip through.”
Zhao Cai found that her Young Mistress looked easygoing and unbothered most of the time, but when something happened, she was remarkably steady. Even Ren Yao was calmed by her composure, and declared loudly: “Bring my spear. Don’t worry — as long as I’m here, those troublemakers won’t have the chance to make a move.”
Ming Huashang went to knock on the doors of the main room as well, and discovered that Jiang Ling was also gone. Well. Now there was nothing in the courtyard but a group of women — though fortunately Ming Huazhang had left his own page boys and guards behind, and with Bao Nu the leopard-keeper and Ren Yao and her spear, they were capable enough of defending themselves.
Everyone gathered in the main hall. Ming Huashang’s eyes lit up when she spotted Bao Bao pacing with aristocratic indifference across the floor, and she called out eagerly: “Bao Bao, come here!”
Unfortunately, Jiang Ling was not present, and Bao Bao was too high-minded and aloof for any amount of coaxing to work. Ming Huashang exhausted every trick she had and made no progress whatsoever. Then a thought struck her — she had brought dried meat from Luoyang: the new stock from Jin Yu Man Tang.
“Zhao Cai,” Ming Huashang said, “go and fetch the dried deer meat.”
Zhao Cai looked at the creature — which could kill a grown person with a single bite — and hesitated. “Young Mistress, this is still a wild animal at heart. I’m afraid it might injure someone.”
“It won’t,” Ming Huashang said. “Animals have far cleaner hearts than people. As long as we don’t harm it, it won’t attack on its own. And besides — Bao Nu is right there.”
The nobility loved the hunt. Leopards and lynxes from the Western Regions were rare, prized, excellent for taking out on a hunt, and enormously prestigious — they had become fashionable pets in both capitals. But nobles only enjoyed the novelty and had no real interest in actually keeping these animals, which had given rise to the occupation of the leopard-keeper.
Leopard-keepers were slaves from the Western Regions, and their sole purpose was to feed and train wild beasts for nobles. Jiang Ling had brought his leopard-keeper all the way to the estate — a clear indication of how extravagantly he lived. A lynx like Bao Bao had been trained from infancy, was perfectly accustomed to people, and fiercely protective — Ming Huashang had no concern about being bitten.
Zhao Cai could not argue her out of it and went to fetch the meat. When she returned, Ming Huashang, with great patience, held out the dried meat and placed it some distance in front of Bao Bao. Bao Bao sniffed it, cautiously took it and ate, and Ming Huashang immediately placed another piece — while quietly, imperceptibly, stepping one pace closer.
Noticing that Ren Yao had been watching her movements, Ming Huashang slipped a piece of meat into Ren Yao’s hand with a knowing glance. “Elder Sister Ren, you try too — maybe Bao Bao would rather warm up to you.”
Ren Yao held the strip of meat, still a little uncertain — but after Bao Bao had eaten several pieces and had its appetite properly whetted, it walked straight up and pulled the meat directly from her hand.
Ren Yao went still with surprise. Ming Huashang took the opportunity to run a hand across Bao Bao’s back with great satisfaction. “I knew it — Bao Bao likes Elder Sister Ren too.”
Bao Bao was busy with its dried deer meat and allowed the woman to do whatever she pleased to it. Ming Huashang drew her fingers through the soft fur and thought to herself: it really does feel wonderful. No wonder Jiang Ling loved keeping a lynx and a leopard — both a pet and a guard in one. If she had the money, she’d want one too.
Ming Huashang let out a wistful sigh and grew even less restrained with her hand.
Ren Yao was, after all, only seventeen — she was quickly distracted by the big cat herself. The two of them circled Bao Bao with delight, completely forgetting about the outside world. Then, abruptly, urgent knocking rang at the courtyard gate: “Miss Ming, the killer has escaped. Second Young Master was worried about you and has sent me to take you to a safer place.”
Zhao Cai and Ruyi both went pale with fright. “What — the murderer still hasn’t been caught?”
Ren Yao frowned. “That villain specifically put a corpse in our room — his intentions toward us are clearly bad. He might come looking for us. I’m fine myself, but Ming Second Lady, you’d better get to another location quickly.”
Zhao Cai and Ruyi also chimed in at once, and Zhao Cai was already moving to pack things up — when Ming Huashang suddenly called out: “Wait.”
Ming Huashang looked toward the tightly shut gate panels. “Second Elder Brother had Ji Shi beside him tonight. Why isn’t Ji Shi the one who has come to deliver the message?”