The streets of the small town were wide open, completely shrouded in darkness.
Chu Ming stepped out from the shadows, glanced at the direction the tea stall owner had departed, then turned and felt his way towards Wheat Alley, using the cover of darkness.
As he approached the entrance of the alley, a stench of rot assaulted his nostrils, sharp and unbearable. No wonder the three constables were full of complaints; this was just the entrance, inside it must smell even worse.
[Sword Gourd Spirit] activated, Chu Ming took advantage of the night to investigate at the entrance of the alley.
"Bloodstains, bits of flesh, hair..."
The tiny filth that couldn't possibly be seen by the naked eye in narrow crevices all emerged before him.
Yet, there were no advanced instruments here to find out the killer behind these traces.
After investigating for a moment, Chu Ming left the entrance and moved to the eaves on the side. Confirming no one was around, the Qi and Blood Power inside him stirred, then his legs burst forth with strength, silently leaping onto the rooftop.
Avoiding the places bathed in moonlight, Chu Ming seemed to merge with the darkness, a benefit of the strong perception brought by [Sword Gourd Spirit].
With keen perception, he could quickly analyze and utilize the surrounding environment to better conceal himself and achieve a stealth effect.
Chu Ming moved to the edge of the alley's wall eaves and activated [Sword Gourd Spirit] to investigate.
Suddenly, he looked up towards the roof ahead on the side.
There, a dark figure was lying prone, and if not for his amazing perception, he would have overlooked it.
"Housekeeper Fang..."
Fang Xiao concentrated his attention and held his breath, staring intently at the dark silhouette moving along the alley wall eaves.
"Such advanced stealth techniques, is this person the killer?"
He discreetly tightened his grip on the sword, ready to dash out at any moment.
But in the next instant, a sense of being watched sprang up in his mind.
"Have I been discovered?" Fang Xiao was startled.
Even though he was aging and his Qi Blood was weakening, his skills in concealing breath and stealth were very high; he shouldn't have been discovered so easily.
In just that brief moment of mental distraction, he saw the dark shadow that was concealed in the darkness quickly flit away, vanishing completely in just a few breaths.
"Trying to run."
Fang Xiao set aside concealment and bolted in pursuit.
On the other side, Chu Ming's feet flew as he vaulted over three or four houses, using walls to spring down before slipping back into the shadows.
"Gone..."
Fang Xiao furrowed his brow as he pursued, his nose twitching slightly, "This faint scent... why does it bear a resemblance to the Young Master's scent..."
"No, it's an ink scent!"
"The killer is a scholar like the Young Master, someone who grinds ink and wields the pen?!"
"How can that be? Does this mean the guess was wrong? Is it not someone from within the Arresting Office?"
...
In a dark corner several streets away from Wheat Alley.
"Housekeeper Fang truly deserves the reputation of once having condensed ten strands of Qi and Blood Power as a Martial Artist, his perception is nearly on par with mine."
Just like how this manager doesn't take the Arresting Office matters home, Chu Ming wouldn't let Housekeeper Fang know he was investigating the case.
Chu Ming looked down at the two pieces of broken brick in his hand.
"One piece had hard-to-notice tea stains, the other had bloodstains and was deliberately cleaned..."
"If I hadn't activated [Sword Gourd Spirit], it would have been nearly impossible to spot these traces with the naked eye."
These two pieces of broken brick were unusual, found by him on the wall during his investigation in Wheat Alley.
"Tea stains, tea stall owner..."
...
At night, during the Dog hour.
Liuu Town, North Street.
Here is the place where the lower class resides, such as small vendors, porters, and even beggars.
Clang——
"The weather is dry, be careful with fire."
Clang——
"The weather is dry, be careful with fire."
The sound of night watch drumming came from the street.
"Why is it so strange tonight, the Night Watchman drumming in Broken North Street, be careful with fire, heh, we can't even afford candles."
"Shh, keep your voice down, the Night Watchman is a constable of the Arresting Office, are you tired of living?"
"..."
Clang——
"The weather is dry, be careful with fire."
Yuan Chengji, holding a Copper Gong and a clapper in one hand and a lantern in the other, walked through the dark street.
Suddenly, he halted in front of a small house.
A cold wind blew by, causing the flames of the lantern suspended in mid-air to flicker as if they were about to go out.
Clang——
He struck the Copper Gong once, calling out, "The weather is dry, be careful with fire. Close doors and windows, guard against theft."
Having said that, he stood still like a wooden man in front of the small house, not moving an inch.
"Strange, it's just the first watch, why was the second watch message announced?"
"He must have misspoken, listen, there's no more sound now, just go to sleep."
The residents nearby pinched off the bed light one after another, darkening the entire street.
There was no night watch drumming, only a lantern floating in front of that tiny house.
After a full half-quarter hour, the originally pitch-dark small house suddenly lit up with candlelight.
Squeak...
The door opened, revealing an aged face, with folds of wrinkles casting shadows under the lantern light, making the face look grim and sinister.
"You're here?"
"I'm here."
"The Young Master has been waiting for you for a long time."
The Night Watchman, upon hearing 'Young Master,' visibly shook his lantern, and even accidentally tapped the clapper on the Copper Gong, producing a moderate metallic clash.
But the street was so quiet, even the lightest footsteps could be heard in other houses.
"Did I just hear the sound of a Copper Gong?"
"You misheard."
"I'm sure I didn't, I even heard people speaking."
"Are you sure it was people speaking?"
"Was it a ghost?"
"..."
"In the middle of the night, you're not sleeping and getting startled, do you want to scare me to death?!"
"Do you have too much energy?"
"No, no, going to sleep, going to sleep, have to go to the market tomorrow to move goods, can't strain my back..."
...
In the corner of a street, Chu Ming concealed himself, staring with eyes wide open at the only place with dim light.
"The tea stall owner was indeed suspicious, but I didn't expect, that Night Watchman... to put it accurately, constable, looks like he is in league with the tea stall owner."
"No wonder Housekeeper Fang can't find evidence, there's a ghost in the Arresting Office."
He pondered over it, preparing to move closer to listen to what was being said inside.
But before he could act, two figures swiftly passed above the rooftops of the street behind him.
Chu Ming focused his gaze, tense inside.
The stealth skills of the two on the rooftops were clumsy, making quite a bit of noise as they advanced.
Dressed in black with masked faces, sabers stuck at their waists, and boots on their feet; he had seen them at dusk, it was the style worn by three from the Criminal Defense Bureau.
At the same moment, tiles tumbled down, making a slight sound, and from the small house where the tea stall owner resided came a voice: "Grandfather, it's time to sleep."
Then, the light in the house extinguished, throwing the entire street into complete darkness.
The two masked individuals leapt from the rooftop, stealthily moving to the side of the tea stall owner's house along the street.
One of them took something from his bosom, gently pushed open the window, and tossed it inside.
Clang clang——
The sound, it resembled silver clinking against the ground.
Having done this, both men jumped back onto the rooftop, quickly departing.
Chu Ming furrowed his brow tightly.
What were these two from the Criminal Defense Bureau doing?
Throwing something to the tea stall owner, are they cooperating with the tea stall owner?
But why, when the tea stall owner heard the outside commotion, did he act to create the illusion of an ordinary person blowing out the lamp to sleep?
"Did he spot me? Or was it for the two from the Criminal Defense Bureau?"
"Night Watchman, constable, tea stall owner, little girl..."
His eyes grew ever deeper, activating [Sword Gourd Spirit], his perception instantly heightened, he moved cautiously along the dark spots, stopping only when he was close enough to hear the conversation inside.
From a hundred meters away, it was enough for him to retreat unnoticed.
The opponent's strength was unknown, he couldn't make a rash move.
"It's silver." An elder's voice rose from within.