The Da Run Fa Bathhouse was decorated in an extravagant style. From the outside, it was easy to mistake for a dance hall.

Two doormen in Western-style livery stood at the entrance, greeting and bowing to every guest who passed.

As Shi Ting and Bai Jin climbed the steps, a man who appeared to be the manager hurried out to receive them. “Honored guests, welcome, welcome.”

He looked them over quickly and could tell at once that these were men of standing — either influential or wealthy. He widened his smile accordingly. “Honored guests, what kind of bath may I offer you today — individual selection, or the full package?”

Individual selection meant choosing a private room alone. The full package meant a private room, plus a back scrub, massage, and a full meal service.

Most guests who came opted for the full package. Single selections were the minority.

Bai Jin produced his identification. “Neither. Military Police Directorate. We’re here on official business.”

The manager startled at the sight of Bai Jin’s credentials, though he quickly composed himself into an accommodating smile. “Our establishment is entirely above board — no trouble here whatsoever. Are you sure you haven’t come to the wrong place, officers?”

“Don’t be nervous. We’re only here to make some inquiries. We’d appreciate your full cooperation.”

“But of course, of course — we’re law-abiding citizens all.” The manager smiled. “Officers, please tell me what you need. I’ll tell you everything I know.”

Bai Jin produced a photograph and held it out. “Do you recognize this person?”

The manager took it, looked, and answered almost without hesitation. “That’s young Master Mo — Master Wen’s brother-in-law, Mo Xiangrong. He comes to Da Run Fa often.”

Mo Xiangrong had something of a reputation in the circles of indulgence and leisure, and his repeated visits had made him familiar to many.

Several bathhouses they had questioned earlier had also said their staff recognized him — but none had seen him on the evening in question.

“Did you see Mo Xiangrong on the night of the 21st?”

The manager replied without hesitation. “That was a Saturday, wasn’t it? We were quite busy that evening — plenty of customers. Young Master Mo came in just before eleven. I was occupied at the time, so I had one of the service attendants see to him.”

Shi Ting and Bai Jin exchanged a glance. They both had a sense of what was coming.

“You had a crowd that night — why do you remember him so clearly, down to the time?”

Under Bai Jin’s probing gaze, the manager reluctantly explained. “Something happened that evening. Young Master Mo had a heat episode. He had to be carried out. I heard about it after the fact, which is why it stuck in my mind. You’d have to ask the attendant who served him that night for the full details.”

“Which attendant was it? Bring him here.”

With business just starting for the evening and few guests yet in the house, the manager was unoccupied and happy to run the errand himself.

He returned shortly with a young man in a grey vest and black trousers — one of the service attendants here, whose name was Tongfa.

The service attendants at Da Run Fa all had names ending in the character “fa” — prosperity — names like Qifa, Gongfa, Bifa. Bai Jin privately wondered whether they ever got each other’s names confused in a moment of excitement.

Tongfa bowed respectfully to the two men. “Good evening, officers.”

“You attended to Mo Xiangrong when he came to Da Run Fa on the night of the 21st?”

“I did.”

“Was he alone?”

“Yes, alone.” Tongfa’s answer deepened Shi Ting’s frown.

He had assumed Mo Xiangrong would have come with the suspect — not by himself. He quickly worked out an explanation, however: the suspect was cautious, and had likely found a reason to arrive separately, staggering their entrance.

Shi Ting gave Bai Jin a look. Bai Jin produced several more photographs. “Did you see any of these people on the night of the 21st?”

“These are… attendants, aren’t they.” Tongfa examined the photographs carefully, identifying them by their dress. “How would people like this come to Da Run Fa? Even if they did come, they’d be waiting outside. It’s not that they lack the standing — it’s that attendants rarely have money to spare, and their employers wouldn’t want them along anyway. It would be inconvenient.”

The “inconvenience” Tongfa alluded to was something anyone in the trade understood. Da Run Fa’s full package included considerably more than just bathing and dining. Once a gentleman had eaten and washed, there were other entertainments to follow — and who would want an attendant standing by at such a time?

“Circulate these photographs among all your staff. Have everyone take a look and see if anyone recognizes a face.”

The men in the photographs were the Yanque House attendants who had gone to Catfish Lane to look for Xiang Lan.

While the manager took the photographs around to ask, Tongfa led Shi Ting and Bai Jin through a corridor into the inner rooms.

The private rooms here bore unusual names — “May Fortune Find You,” “Prosperity Without End,” and the like.

“This is the room. Young Master Mo bathed here that night.” Tongfa pushed open the door to one of the private rooms.

The room was generously sized, with no windows. At the center stood a low platform-bed draped with a bamboo mat, surrounded by a channel of continuously flowing water — a heated foot-soaking stream that circled the platform on all sides.

Behind the platform stood a large round vat, raised high on two iron frames. To climb into it, one had to ascend four steps.

Shi Ting walked over and ran a hand along its surface. It was a vat of exceptionally fine white porcelain.

“People actually bathe in this thing?” Bai Jin looked at it, feeling suddenly that his experience of the world had certain gaps.

Tongfa explained, “It’s called the ceramic vat steam bath. It may look like just a large tub, but there’s much more to it than meets the eye.”

Bai Jin climbed a step and peered over the rim. Sure enough — inside was a padded reclining surface, with thick leather cushioning lining the interior walls. Even someone a full head taller than most would have ample room to sit comfortably.

“Is it for steaming people?”

Tongfa laughed. “You’re joking with us, officer. We wouldn’t dare steam anyone alive. This is the ceramic vat bath — a charcoal fire is lit underneath, and the bather sits inside and absorbs the steam. It’s a specialized form of steam bathing.”

“With fire burning underneath, wouldn’t the person get roasted?”

“Not at all. You see this here — an insulating barrier. No matter how hot the charcoal burns, the steam it generates cannot harm anyone directly. Otherwise this place really would be a cooking pot, and who would ever come back?”

Bai Jin frowned. “The things people think up nowadays — and someone actually climbs in there voluntarily.”

“Of course. Young Master Mo was quite fond of it, in fact.”

“What would happen if you removed this insulating barrier?” Shi Ting asked suddenly.

“Oh, you mustn’t do that. Without the barrier, it really would become a death trap.” Tongfa assumed Shi Ting was joking.

“Since Mo Xiangrong’s visit, has anyone else used this room?”

“I don’t believe so.” Tongfa pointed to the charcoal beneath. “The coals show no sign of recent use. It seems no one has been in here. Business isn’t always this lively.”

“Tell me about Mo Xiangrong’s heat episode. Were you the one who found him?”

Tongfa said, “I showed young Master Mo to this room and then went to attend to other guests. He was in here doing the ceramic vat steam bath on his own. Sometime around midnight, I noticed someone carrying him out of the private room, so I went over to ask what was happening. The man said young Master Mo had suffered a heat episode and needed to get to a hospital urgently.”

“Who was this person?”

“The coal delivery worker.”

“Is that person still here?”

Tongfa shook his head. “Our coal workers are all casual laborers. I only know a couple of their faces. They come and go — always covered in coal dust and ash, the sort of person you don’t really notice. If you’re asking me to picture that man’s face now, I genuinely can’t.”

“Are you certain Mo Xiangrong was suffering from heat exposure?”

“Heatstroke is the only thing that ever happens here. It can’t really be anything else. Fortunately the coal worker noticed in time — otherwise young Master Mo would have been done for.”

“Haven’t you read the papers these past two days?” Bai Jin said. “Mo Xiangrong is dead.”

“What?” Tongfa went pale with shock. “He died here?”

Shi Ting did not answer his question. Instead, he instructed Bai Jin to process the scene for evidence. If Tongfa’s account was accurate, no one should have been in this room since Mo Xiangrong.

“Were you the one who cleaned the room after Mo Xiangrong was taken away?”

“I was.”

“Did you find anything left behind?”

Tongfa waved both hands hurriedly. “Officer, please don’t suspect me — if a guest leaves something behind, we always return it. Otherwise we’d lose our livelihood.”

“When Mo Xiangrong was carried out, did you notice his clothing and a blue-grey cloth sack?”

Tongfa thought for a moment. “I think they were in that coal worker’s hands.”

“And afterward — you had no further concern for Mo Xiangrong? This happened on your premises, and you simply handed him off to a coal worker?”

“I did intend to follow along, but the coal worker said that before he lost consciousness, young Master Mo told him his car and attendant were waiting in the back alley — that they should take him there and his attendant would get him to the hospital. I thought it was better not to get further involved, so I left it at that.”

“And when Mo Xiangrong never returned, it didn’t strike you as strange?”

“We were all waiting for him to come back and demand some kind of compensation from us,” Tongfa said. “But two days passed with no sign of him. We figured that someone as extravagant as young Master Mo probably couldn’t be bothered over a small sum. We never imagined he was actually dead.”

“Gather all the coal workers employed here. Have a look and see if the man from that evening is among them.”

After conferring with the manager, Tongfa quickly assembled the establishment’s coal workers. They were a ragged group, their faces dark with soot — the kind of people no one ever took much notice of.

Tongfa and the service attendants who had been on duty that night looked carefully through the assembled men, then one by one shook their heads.

At this point, Shi Ting had a reasonably clear picture in his mind of how the suspect had carried out the crime that night.

—