Chapter 83: Rejected

Li Wenqing opened his mouth, but in the end said nothing, and followed Jiang Xiaomu as he turned and left the dilapidated small courtyard.

Pei Dongyong watched the two figures recede, his eyes flickering uncertainly, and the sway of the wine gourd in his hand gradually stilled.

He slowly raised his head, gazing at the overcast sky, muttering to himself.

"Human life……really……isn't important?"

After leaving the alley, Li Wenqing said with a worried face:

"Mr. Jiang, what are we to do? Pei Dongyong refuses to come out of retirement, this case……"

Jiang Xiaomu patted Li Wenqing on the shoulder and comforted him:

"Sir Li, you need not worry too much; although Constable Captain Pei is now dissipated, his heart is not without feeling."

"Give him some time, he will figure it out."

"Mr. Jiang, this Pei Dongyong……sigh!"

Li Wenqing's face was full of worry, and he let out a heavy sigh.

Jiang Xiaomu's expression was calm, and he said lightly:

"A heart ailment needs heart medicine; for now we can only think of another way."

"But as long as this missing‑persons case isn't solved for a day, my heart won't find peace for a day!"

Li Wenqing anxiously rubbed his hands, pacing back and forth.

Wangjiang Cheng has been thrown into panic over the missing‑persons case.

Jiang Xiaomu pondered for a moment, then said:

"Sir Li, I actually have an idea."

"Oh? What lofty opinion does Mr. Jiang have?"

Li Wenqing hurriedly asked.

"This missing‑persons case is so bizarre; the perpetrator must have some special means of transport to avoid detection."

Jiang Xiaomu analyzed.

"I suggest we thoroughly investigate all carriages entering and leaving the city recently, especially those that can freely pass through the city gates."

Li Wenqing's eyes lit up, and he slapped his thigh, saying:

"Exactly! How did I not think of that! Mr. Jiang is indeed brilliant!"

He immediately ordered his subordinates, the constables, to investigate at once all carriages that have entered and left the city over the past few months, especially those that can freely pass the gates, to see if anything suspicious can be found.

At the same time, he also sent people to covertly investigate whether there are any suspicious individuals in the city, especially those who keep to themselves and move mysteriously.

A few days later, the constables in charge of the investigation reported that at present only the dung‑cart carriages can freely enter and leave the city gates, while all other carriages must undergo strict inspection.

As for the investigation of suspicious persons in the city, nothing has been found so far.

"Dung‑cart carriages?"

Jiang Xiaomu furrowed his brows, which brought to mind an extremely terrifying possibility.

"Could it be……" Li Wenqing's face also turned grim.

"Could the killer be using dung‑cart carriages to transport these missing persons?"

Dung‑cart carriages reek horribly; ordinary people avoid them, and no one would bother to inspect their contents carefully.

"Sir Li, immediately assign people to closely monitor all dung‑cart carriages entering and leaving the city, and be sure to inspect them thoroughly!"

Jiang Xiaomu said in a low voice.

"Good!"

Li Wenqing dared not delay, and immediately issued the order to carry it out.

Over the next few days, the constables kept day‑and‑night watch at the city gates, strictly inspecting every dung‑cart carriage that entered or left, even carefully sifting through the manure, yet still found nothing abnormal.

This left both Jiang Xiaomu and Li Wenqing feeling deeply disheartened; could their deduction be wrong?

Just when they were at a loss, an unexpected discovery broke the deadlock.

A constable assigned to watch the city gate came to report, saying he had noticed a strange phenomenon:

Every night, a dung‑cart carriage enters the city from outside, but the next morning that carriage does not leave the city.

"It doesn't leave?" Jiang Xiaomu keenly seized on this key information.

"Where does this carriage go?"

The constable replied:

"I followed this carriage and discovered that after it entered the city,"

"it vanished into a secluded alley, and after that it never came out again."

"A secluded alley?" Jiang Xiaomu's heart stirred.

"Take me to have a look!"

Under the constable's guidance, Jiang Xiaomu and Li Wenqing arrived at that secluded alley.

"This is the place." The constable pointed to the depths of the alley and said:

"That dung‑cart carriage comes here every night, and then disappears."

Jiang Xiaomu and Li Wenqing exchanged a glance, each seeing solemnity and danger in the other's eyes.

"Come on, let's go in and have a look!"

Jiang Xiaomu said in a low voice.

The three of them cautiously stepped into the depths of the alley.

Suddenly, Jiang Xiaomu stopped his steps.

"What's wrong?" Li Wenqing asked.

Jiang Xiaomu did not answer, but pointed to a nearby wall ahead and said:

"Look over there!"

Li Wenqing and the yamen runners followed the direction of Jiang Xiaomu's finger and saw a small hole in the wall; the plaster around the hole seemed to have been deliberately smoothed over, and if one didn't look closely, it would be impossible to notice.

"This..." Li Wenqing felt a vague sense of foreboding rise in his heart.

Jiang Xiaomu walked up to the wall, bent down, and carefully examined the hole.

The hole was tiny, just big enough for one person to pass through, but the soil around it was loose, as if people frequently came and went.

"Sir Li, get someone to knock down this wall!"

Jiang Xiaomu said in a low voice.

"Good!"

Li Wenqing did not dare delay, immediately ordering his subordinates, the yamen runners, to find people to push the wall down.

The yamen runners quickly fetched tools and, with a few pushes, toppled the wall that looked sturdy.

An open clearing lay before them, scattered with domestic trash on the ground, all indicating that someone had once lived here.

A stench blew over them, worse than the smell of a night-soil cart.

Jiang Xiaomu endured the discomfort and carefully observed the surroundings; although the ground was messy, faint traces of trampling could still be seen leading to the other side of the wall.

"It seems those missing people were indeed imprisoned here." Li Wenqing's face grew solemn.

"The culprit must have imprisoned them here, waiting for a chance to transport them out of the city."

"But," Jiang Xiaomu frowned.

"If the cart didn't leave the city, where did these people go?"

"Could there be... a secret passage?" Li Wenqing boldly guessed.

"It's possible." Jiang Xiaomu nodded in agreement.

"Sir Li, immediately send people to carefully search this area to see if there is a hidden passage or any other exit."

The yamen runners set off as ordered, launching a carpet-like search, but after all the effort, they still found nothing.

"No secret passage, and no other exit."

A yamen runner returned, head hung low, to report.

"How can this be?" Li Wenqing found it hard to believe.

"With so many people, they can't just vanish into thin air, can they?"

Jiang Xiaomu said nothing; he walked to the edge of the wall, pacing slowly along its base, his sharp gaze scanning every inch of ground.

Suddenly, he stopped, his eyes falling on an inconspicuous little dirt mound at the corner of the wall.

The mound was not large, only the size of a fist, and its color was no different from the surrounding soil; if not examined closely, it would easily be overlooked.

He crouched down and, with his hand, gently brushed away the surface soil of the mound, revealing a piece of black cloth beneath.

"What is this?"

Li Wenqing leaned over, curious.