“Chen Pi is dead—he was murdered.”

Luo Daqiang made a cutting motion across his own neck. “Boss, his throat was slit.”

On this spring night, the weather was neither cold nor hot. The breeze had a hint of warmth, yet Xie Zhifei felt cold all over, like a block of ice.

They had just left Chen Pi’s room, and right after they left, Chen Pi was killed.

Why?

Who did it?

Seeing Xie Wushi frozen in place, Pei Xiao hastily kicked him. “Should we call Yan Sanhe back? This is suspicious.”

The pain in his leg brought Xie Zhifei back to his senses. “Not for now. I’ll go look at the scene first.”

Li Buyan: “I’m going too.”

Zhu Qing: “Me too!”

Ding Yi: “Me too!”

Huang Qi: “And me.”

Xie Zhifei nodded. “Let’s go!”

…

The scene was neither gory nor terrifying.

If not for a pool of blood beside the pillow, Chen Pi looked just as he had when Xie Zhifei first met him—covered tightly with a quilt, only his two hole-like eyes exposed.

The cut on his neck was very fine and not deep, but it struck a vital point directly.

Xie Zhifei could even imagine that when the blade passed across Chen Pi’s throat, Chen Pi hadn’t even had time to open his eyes and cry out.

Zhu Qing looked around the room, then walked to Xie Zhifei’s side. “Third Master, the killer has good martial skills and great courage. He went straight through the door.”

Good martial skills.

Great courage.

Xie Zhifei chewed on these two phrases, his brows knitting tighter and tighter. “Go look around the house.”

Zhu Qing: “Yes!”

Li Buyan, Ding Yi, and Huang Qi immediately followed to help.

Xie Zhifei also turned and walked out of the room.

Outside, Chen Mao stood by the door with hunched shoulders, his face covered in tears.

From another wing room came an old woman’s high and low wailing, making one’s scalp tingle.

“When did this happen?” Xie Zhifei asked.

“About an hour ago.”

Chen Mao wiped away his tears. “I was sleeping groggily when I heard a thud. I got up to look and saw my brother’s door was open…”

He thought it had been blown open by the wind, so he went over to close it. Suddenly he smelled blood. He entered and lit a lamp—blood was dripping from the bed drop by drop.

“Sir Xie, my brother was already a living dead man. Who would want to kill him?”

Chen Mao stole a glance at Xie Zhifei. “…Was it because of you…”

“Master.”

Just then, Zhu Qing returned and shot Xie Zhifei a meaningful look.

Xie Zhifei left Chen Mao behind and walked over.

Zhu Qing covered his mouth and said in a low voice, “Master, news just came from the Eastern City—those two night watchmen also had their throats slit. They died in their own beds.”

“What?”

This cry of surprise came from Pei Xiao who had followed them.

Those two night watchmen—hadn’t he just seen them yesterday? How could they be dead too?

“Xie Wushi, this is silencing witnesses!”

These words drove away Xie Zhifei’s last shred of hope completely.

He took a deep breath. “Now we have no choice but to tell Yan Sanhe.”

…

The Xiang family’s residence was in the western part of the capital, somewhat remote.

After getting out of the carriage, the group headed straight for the courtyard where Xiang Yanrui worked.

At the courtyard gate, Zhu Weijin pulled Yan Sanhe aside. “You can’t really stay up for two whole days, right? I have a wing room in my courtyard…”

“No need to trouble yourself. If your husband can endure it, naturally I can too. You go about your business.”

The lamps in the courtyard were already lit. After speaking, Yan Sanhe walked straight into the room.

This was a large room filled with various carpentry tools. Xiang Yanrui was already examining the waist token under the lamplight.

After studying it for a while, he walked to the desk and found an extremely fine wolf-hair brush from the brush holder, dipping it in cinnabar.

He held the brush in his right hand while his left fingertips felt the patterns on the waist token. Feeling one line of the pattern, he made one stroke on the paper. Feeling another line, he made another stroke.

Only then did Yan Sanhe realize that Xiang Yanrui’s drawing skills were quite accomplished. In just a short time, a lifelike lotus flower appeared on the paper.

“This waist token is carved with lotus flowers?” she asked.

“The entire border should be carved with them.”

Xiang Yanrui suddenly stopped his brush. “This waist token is from Qi Kingdom, isn’t it?”

Yan Sanhe had been waiting for this moment. “How do you know?”

“The national flower of Qi Kingdom is the lotus.”

Xiang Yanrui looked up at Yan Sanhe. “When I was young, I went to Qi Kingdom with my father. Their rosewood and sandalwood are better than ours in Hua Kingdom.”

Yan Sanhe: “How many times did you go?”

Xiang Yanrui: “Just once for me. My father went several times when he was young.”

Yan Sanhe: “May I meet your father?”

Xiang Yanrui said slowly, “He’s already asleep now. Tomorrow I’ll introduce you.”

“Miss Yan, Miss Yan…”

Hearing this voice, Yan Sanhe frowned. Hadn’t she told her not to worry?

Zhu Weijin pushed the door open. “Miss Yan, Third Master and Young Master Pei have followed you here. They say there’s an urgent matter.”

Yan Sanhe’s heart sank. “Zhu Weijin, lend me a quiet place to speak with Third Master and the others.”

“Use my study!”

“Yes, yes, yes, use his study. His study is very quiet.”

Zhu Weijin grabbed Yan Sanhe’s hand. “Come, follow me.”

…

They had just separated, yet they chased after her. Yan Sanhe knew the matter couldn’t be small.

But no matter what, she never expected it would be the deaths of Chen Pi and those two night watchmen.

“It seems our every move is under someone else’s watchful eye.”

This was actually what Xie Zhifei had wanted to say. Otherwise, how could it be that right after they visited these people, they were killed?

Yan Sanhe walked before Pei Xiao. “Who would want to kill them?”

Pei Xiao: “…”

Yan Sanhe’s gaze turned to Zhu Qing. “To silence witnesses?”

Zhu Qing: “…”

Yan Sanhe’s gaze moved to Li Buyan. “Those two night watchmen—we didn’t get anything from them. What’s there to silence?”

Li Buyan: “…”

Yan Sanhe looked at Ding Yi. “Or is it… someone doesn’t want the Zheng family case to come to light?”

I know this one.

Ding Yi hastily nodded.

Yan Sanhe looked at Huang Qi. “The Zheng family matter is connected to warhorses, and warhorses are connected to the nation’s fate and territorial integrity. Who would dare play games with the nation’s fate?”

Huang Qi: “…”

Finally, Yan Sanhe walked before Xie Zhifei. The candlelight outlined her slender silhouette.

“Third Master, we’re in the open while the enemy is in the shadows. This situation is extremely unfavorable.”

Xie Zhifei’s heart pounded.

More than unfavorable—thinking carefully, it sent chills down one’s spine. A pair of eyes was watching them from the darkness, and every person they investigated, that person killed.

Xie Zhifei’s Adam’s apple moved up and down several times. After a long while, he finally found his voice:

“Should we still go to Qi Kingdom? Should we inform Huairen? Will this implicate the Xiang family?”

The Xiang family?

Yan Sanhe’s heart clenched. She hastily said, “Ming Ting, go immediately to where Xiang Yanrui is working, retrieve those two items, and tell him not to make the replicas.”

Pei Xiao was stunned, but Xie Zhifei had already stood and was walking out. “I’ll go. You all prepare to return to the separate courtyard immediately. We can’t implicate the Xiang family.”

“Be quick!”

Yan Sanhe suddenly shouted loudly, the sound so loud it startled everyone.