The people who walked in looked at the scene before them, unable to keep the pain from their hearts.

Captain Nanmeng coughed lightly. The motionless man finally turned his stiff head a little, glancing outward.

“They’re here.” He stood up as if nothing were wrong, stepping aside to make room.

Captain Nanmeng looked at Da Liang, wanting to say something comforting, but the words wouldn’t come.

At this moment, it seemed nothing he could say would make any difference.

Feng Jiu’er and Xiao Yingtao took a deep breath together and stepped closer.

Jian Yi walked over and set a fairly large box down on the table to the side.

Xiao Yingtao also put down the small box she had been carrying.

She looked at the body covered in white cloth, its length not even reaching her own height, and her nose stung; tears instantly blurred her eyes.

How pitiable! After something like this happened, could this father ever be happy again in this lifetime?

Feng Jiu’er opened the box, no warmth at all in her eyes.

Holding her specially made knife, she turned and glanced back.

“Mr. Liang, would you like to step out for a moment?”

Captain Nanmeng also turned his head, looking at the man beside him.

“No need.” Da Liang’s hoarse voice rang out. “Do whatever you need to do. Don’t let my presence affect you.”

His eyes reflected a sea of white, yet carried a thick, killing intent.

Feng Jiu’er nodded, turned around, and with her own hands lifted the white cloth.

Two quarters of an hour later, Feng Jiu’er and the others left the inner hall.

Before long, firelight and grief filled the night sky over the back hill.

The weather wasn’t cold for the season, and the bodies couldn’t be left too long. With the consent of the three Liang brothers, the Fortress Lord ordered the bodies cremated first.

Feng Jiu’er and Xiao Yingtao really didn’t have the courage to take part in that.

It was too tragic — they were afraid they wouldn’t be able to hold back their tears.

The two women, along with Jian Yi and Captain Nanmeng of the Nanman Fortress, returned once more to the courtyard where Old Liang’s family had lived, to continue the work left unfinished.

Behind them followed the young servant who had attended to Old Liang’s household.

The group walked into the kitchen together, and Feng Jiu’er and Xiao Yingtao began searching the surroundings.

“Did you cook last night’s dinner for the Liang family by yourself?” Feng Jiu’er’s voice rang out from a corner of the kitchen.

The places they’d searched before had all been spotlessly clean, not a speck of dust.

The kitchen was different — tidy, yes, but stocked with all sorts of food, a little of everything.

“In answer to Miss Feng, it was me, along with the First Madam and Second Madam,” the young servant answered softly.

“The Third Madam had just become pregnant not long ago, so these past days it’s been the First Madam, Second Madam, and I doing the cooking.”

“Both madams have always liked things clean, and they insist on doing many things themselves — especially with meals, they don’t like leaving it to others.”

“Everyone in the courtyard knows this. I usually just help out here and there.”

Feng Jiu’er set down the basin in her hands and turned to look at the young servant.

“After last night’s dinner, did you really not go back to clean up?”

“No.” The young servant shook her head. “When I went over, I only saw the Old Fortress Lord and Master Liang drinking tea. I didn’t know what was happening in the side hall.”

“The Third Madam told me to go back, so I did. When the time came, I came here to wash the dishes they sent over.”

“When I came, I only saw a pile of dishes, no people.”

“They usually clean up after themselves, and you wash the dishes last?” Feng Jiu’er’s voice continued.

“Mm.” The young servant nodded. “Most of the time, yes. Only rarely do they need my help cleaning up.”

“So, almost every day I’m the last one to wash the dishes. I…”

“Right.” Feng Jiu’er seemed to recall something, suddenly cutting off the young servant’s words.

“This morning, you said you went to make tea for Old Liang. Where’s the tea he drank last night? Was it poured out?”

The young servant grew a little nervous under Feng Jiu’er’s gaze. She blinked and stepped forward.

Arriving at a washing area, the young servant stopped and looked at a spot on the ground.

Feng Jiu’er hurried over and swept her gaze across the drain.

“Right here, Miss Feng. I was in a hurry at the time and hadn’t gotten around to rinsing it away. If I remember correctly, these are the tea leaf dregs I poured out.”

The moment Feng Jiu’er turned back, Xiao Yingtao had already brought over their specially made dish to scoop up the tea dregs.

After adding some clean water, Xiao Yingtao set the dish on the table and inserted a silver needle.

When the silver needle was pulled out, everyone present felt a jolt of shock.

The silver needle that had soaked in the tea water had turned black — clear proof that the tea was indeed poisoned.

“Xiao Yingtao, pack it up,” Feng Jiu’er said quietly.

“Yes.” Xiao Yingtao nodded and went to fetch the medicine box.

“Miss Feng, what are your orders?” Captain Nanmeng was anxious too.

Aside from the murderer, by now surely no one wished more than everyone else present to uncover the truth and give the Liang family’s dozen-plus victims justice.

“Thoroughly investigate everyone who entered or left this courtyard starting from yesterday morning. Tomorrow I want to question them one by one,” Feng Jiu’er ordered in a low voice.

“Yes.” Captain Nanmeng nodded in acceptance of the order.

“As for this place, you should personally keep watch over it. I’ll come back early tomorrow morning,” Feng Jiu’er waved her hand. “Send her back first.”

Feng Jiu’er didn’t actually suspect the Fortress Lord’s claim about Old Liang’s adopted son — she simply didn’t know anyone else here, and for now Captain Nanmeng was the only one she could trust.

“Yes.” Captain Nanmeng nodded and glanced at the young servant.

The young servant bowed slightly and followed Captain Nanmeng out.

Feng Jiu’er turned back to look at Jian Yi and Xiao Yingtao. “Keep searching — tea leaves, tea dishes, plates, anything. Check everything as thoroughly as you can.”

“I don’t believe this person could really leave no trace at all.”

“Not necessarily.” Xiao Yingtao looked at the dish holding the collected tea dregs, a hint of joy finally rising in her eyes.

“At least we’ve collected some of the poison now. What kind of poison is this, that it takes this long to take effect?”

“If the young servant wasn’t lying, we can now be sure the dozen-plus members of the Liang family were all poisoned only after they’d fallen into deep sleep.”

“That being the case, the clean-loving First Madam and Second Madam would have already tidied everything at home, wiping away the evidence too — this move was clever indeed.”

“Not just clever — this person is truly vicious.” Feng Jiu’er, still occupied with her work, drew a deep breath.

“What grudge could the Liang family possibly have with this person? A perfectly good family, gone just like that.”

Xiao Yingtao placed the container into the box and turned to look at Feng Jiu’er.

“Jiu’er, do you think this was an act of revenge too?”

“I don’t know.” Feng Jiu’er shook her head. “Poisoning an entire household, young and old, in one go — whoever could do something like this is either seeking revenge, or simply deranged!”

But why did it happen to occur just yesterday? Whether this had nothing at all to do with her own affairs, even Feng Jiu’er couldn’t say for sure.

“That’s true.” Xiao Yingtao closed the box, sighing silently as well. “The most pitiful ones are the three Liang brothers.”

“That’s why we all have to cherish the people in front of us. Once they’re gone, they’re truly gone.”