Chapter 331

Pan Yun said: "Chang Mingwei and Shen Qi are about the same age, but they never played together, because Shen Qi was always a obedient, sensible scholar, while Chang Mingwei was unruly from childhood, provoking chickens and fighting dogs. Although he attended school for a few years, he was soon expelled for beating classmates and teasing teachers, and afterward he became a street thug."

"His parents died one after another three years ago; the case file records that neighbors all said they were driven to death by him. The Shen family almost never clashed with Chang Mingwei—'almost' because when Chang's parents were still alive, the Shen family had helped them several times, and Chang Mingwei was furious each time, single-handedly kicking in the Shen family's door."

"Afterward, the Shen family stopped helping the Chang family, but when they met on the road, they still helped carry or push things for him."

Seeing Miao Zhen said sharply: "Jealousy and comparison?"

Pan Yun nodded. "The judge who wrote this case file likely thought the same—Chang Mingwei killed the entire Shen family out of jealousy."

"For over twenty years, Chang Mingwei has been constantly compared. The Shen and Chang families once had similar fortunes, but after Shen Qi and Chang Mingwei grew up, their households gradually diverged."

"Chang Mingwei fought, gambled, and hired prostitutes; the Chang family had to pour vast sums of silver into him every year, and their wealth steadily declined. In contrast, the Shen family: Shen Qi was kind-hearted, passed the Licentiate examination, and his family opened two new shops, managed by his parents and wife. He also ran a private tutoring school, teaching children while preparing for the provincial examination himself."

"Two years ago, he and his wife had a son," Pan Yun paused, then said: "The case file states that when Shen's wife died, she was five months pregnant. Had nothing gone wrong, he would have had both son and daughter—meaning that even if he never passed the Provincial Graduate examination, his life would have been prosperous, peaceful, and happy."

Pan Yun said coldly: "But Chang Mingwei, one month before the crime, lost his ancestral home and the last five mu of ancestral land at the gambling den, and still owed the den fifty taels of silver."

"This is why the authorities believe he broke into the Shen home to rob them—he needed money to pay his debts."

Seeing Miao Zhen: "It sounds more like vengeance."

Pan Yun nodded. "Not a simple robbery-murder. The judge must have realized this too, which is why he issued a Class-A wanted notice with a hundred-tael reward."

Among wanted criminals with rewards of about ten taels, this was highly conspicuous.

Seeing Miao Zhen pondered: "Could a man with such a vile record suddenly reform after committing murder?"

Pan Yun raised an eyebrow and nodded: "Precisely. That's exactly what I thought—he might endure for a while, but he could never endure forever."

"Humans are social creatures; he cannot live without people, nor does he have the ability to survive apart from them," Pan Yun said. "And among people, with his narrow mind, he will inevitably harbor grudges. If we don't find him soon, more people will die."

Pan Yun pulled out a sheet of paper, wrote several locations, and circled them: "The residences of the Chang and Shen families, the gambling dens Chang Mingwei frequented, this is the location of the Chang ancestral home and land, and this—here—is the address of Chang Mingwei's maternal family."

Pan Yun said: "The case file notes that Chang's mother's father and brothers migrated north long ago and no longer live here; they left her a few plots of land."

"Chang Mingwei is bold and reckless, but he cannot escape the places he knows. We should search carefully around these four locations—perhaps we'll find him."

Seeing Miao Zhen: "Where do we start?"

"No one knows what a madman thinks. Though I suspect he's more likely near this one," Pan Yun tapped the circle marking his maternal family's address, "we'll still search from near to far."

Seeing Miao Zhen nodded.

This was simple—they could finish it tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Qu Le was trudging toward a place called Bai Village.

Night had fallen; only a faint moonlight remained. He walked with his head down, muttering: "I refuse to believe I can't find him. You can earn money—I can too…"

He couldn't fight Pan Yun, nor could he match her speed.

Pan Yun was in the city; she'd surely start by searching there. He couldn't outpace her, so he decided to search outside the city first—maybe his luck would turn, and he'd find Chang Mingwei?

Qu Le walked in darkness, growing ever farther, and ever more… remote.

Before leaving the city, he had asked: go west past three villages, and you reach Bai Village.

But know this: Chinese directions are like seasoning a dish—entirely based on instinct.

Qu Le's luck ran bad—he encountered someone who gave directions at random;

yet he seemed lucky again: less than twenty li ahead, in a small village, a sturdy, ragged young man had just herded his ox into the shed, when the landlord, Master Wu, stood nearby scolding him: "You took the ox out all day, and it's still half-starved? You can't even tend an ox properly. Don't come back tomorrow—get out of here. You're just a lazy bum who eats for free…"

Master Wu cursed loudly. Only when his rage had somewhat subsided did Madam Wu take out a steamed bun to give the young man, but Master Wu snatched it away and knocked it from her hand.

The bun rolled onto the ground, covered in dust and grass clippings. Madam Wu reached to pick it up. "What a sin—to waste food!"

But before she could crouch, Master Wu yanked her up. "Let him pick it up himself."

The young man stood motionless before the shed, head bowed, expression unreadable.

Madam Wu broke free, picked up the bun, brushed off the dirt, and whispered to the young man: "It's dirty, but peel off the outside and eat it. You came back late—the kitchen only had this one left…"

The young man didn't move.

Master Wu's anger flared again—he slapped the bun from Madam Wu's hand and roared: "Eat it or starve! You're late and you have the nerve to complain? I took you in. Who knows where you came from? You don't even have a household registration. Are you a runaway slave? If I hadn't taken pity on you, you'd have starved to death. You look strong, but you're useless—can't do anything right. You can't even feed an ox. What good are you?"

Master Wu cursed. Madam Wu, for some reason, felt a chill at the back of her neck. She grew afraid and quickly pulled Master Wu away, urging: "Enough, enough, Master, let's go rest. It's late."

Madam Wu dragged Master Wu off. She felt uneasy and whispered: "Master, give him some money and let him go. He gives me the creeps. We shouldn't keep someone with such an unknown background."

Master Wu glared at her. "Women's nonsense. Where else would you find a laborer who works for free? We have so many people here—what are we afraid of, one man?"

"He may be useless at work, but he's still strong," Master Wu said. "Keep him. He'll be useful for planting rice and plowing next year."

Madam Wu: "But I'm scared of him…"

"Then don't look at him," Master Wu scolded. "Why are you out here watching him? Stay inside and embroider your flowers, do your needlework. Why do you follow me everywhere?"

Madam Wu: "I'm afraid something will happen to you, Master. Please be kinder—even to your laborers."

"Be kind to my workers? I hire them to work, not to enjoy themselves. How should I be kind? You don't understand—don't interfere. These people must be watched closely, or they'll slack off the moment you turn away…"

Their voices faded into the night. Only then did the young man step forward, pick up the bun, peel off every dirty part, and shove it into his mouth. He raised his eyes toward the direction Master Wu and Madam Wu had left, chewing slowly, swallowing one bite at a time.

!. Read

Qu Le walked until midnight, then finally stopped to light a fire and camp for the night.

At first light the next day, the young man from the shed went to Master Wu, head drooping, asking for a sickle: "The grass in the fields isn't much—I'll cut some to feed the oxen."

Master Wu's expression finally improved. "Now that's how an oxherd should act. If you just let the ox graze on that barren hillside, how could it ever get full?"

He personally opened the storage shed, selected a relatively sharp sickle, and handed it to him. "Be careful—this sickle has a new blade this year. Don't damage it. We'll need it for the harvest next year."

The young man nodded, brushed his finger along the blade, and turned away.

As the young man led the oxen up the hill, he carried a whetstone in his pocket.

While tending the oxen, he sharpened the blade.

Meanwhile, Pan Yun and Seeing Miao Zhen stood before the Shen residence, sneaking inside to take a look.

Seeing the splattered blood on the ground and walls, they roughly understood how he had killed—and went next door to the Chang residence.

The Chang family home had long since been lost by Chang Mingwei to the gambling den.

But the den held many such properties; because the Chang house was next to the Shen residence and had been the killer's former dwelling, it was also difficult to sell, so it had remained sealed and untouched.

Most of the things inside are still there.

Pan Yun rummaged through Chang Mingwei's room and found a garment that still carried a faint scent; she tossed it onto the table. "Use this to find him."

This was Seeing Miao Zhen's favorite phase—it tested her divination.

But this time, Pan Yun intended to try a different method. "Let's try the Trace-Seeking Talisman."

Seeing Miao Zhen: "... I can't draw it."

Pan Yun said, "I'll draw it, you'll divinate—let's see which is more accurate."

As the two were each demonstrating their skills, Qu Le entered the village. At the village entrance, he met a villager, whose eyes widened instantly. "What? This isn't Bai Village—it's Wu Family Village?"

"That's right. Bai Village is over there, eight li away from our village. How did you end up here if you were heading to Bai Village?"

Qu Le: "... He said to go straight west, climb any hill, and the third village would be it."

"Ah, Bai Village is southwest of west. Straight west is our Wu Family Village. Besides, if you go straight west, the road doesn't even exist—it's blocked by a mountain. No path there."

Qu Le:... If I can't walk, can't I fly?

Straight west—flying there would save me from detouring around the mountain. I thought I was closer to Bai Village, but I'd actually taken a longer route.

Qu Le took a deep breath and forced a smile. "Understood. I'm off to Bai Village now."

Saying this, he turned and walked away, leaving Wu Family Village and the young man sharpening his blade on the nearby hill behind him.

Qu Le wept uncontrollably: Luck is just too mystical.

(End of Chapter)