Night Investigation, Clues

Chapter 43: Night Investigation, Traces Found

Darkness had thoroughly enveloped Fuchang County. The daytime panic seemed to have settled with the arrival of night, transforming into a suffocating silence. The lingering scent of blood from the Zhang Manor hung faintly in the air, making the small town feel exceptionally chilling.

Within the Xuntian Guard substation, lights blazed. Zhao Kuangfeng and Liu Ming were further analyzing the case and formulating a detailed plan for entering the mountains the next day. Meanwhile, Li Yifan, along with Qian Xiaoliu and another resourceful team member adept at social interaction, Sun Shi, changed into inconspicuous civilian clothes and quietly left the substation, melting into the night of the county town.

Their mission was to investigate pharmacies, pawnshops, and places frequented by various individuals in the county, hoping to find any clues about suspicious strangers or purchases of special medicinal ingredients. This seemed like searching for a needle in a haystack, but often, crucial leads could be uncovered from the smallest details.

"Captain, where do we start?" Qian Xiaoliu asked in a low voice, his eyes warily scanning the dimly lit streets around them.

Li Yifan pondered for a moment. "Let's start with the pharmacies. Nie Wuya cultivates evil techniques, so he might need some special medicinal ingredients, especially those with yin and cold properties or related to blood essence. Fuchang County isn't large; there shouldn't be many pharmacies."

Sun Shi chimed in, "The Captain is right. The largest pharmacy in town is 'Spring Returns Hall,' just at the next street corner. There are two smaller ones, one in the south of the city and another in the west."

"Let's go to Spring Returns Hall first," Li Yifan decided.

The three soon arrived at Spring Returns Hall. It was late, and the pharmacy had already closed, with only a small door left ajar. Li Yifan stepped forward and knocked on the door knocker.

A moment later, a young apprentice sleepily opened the door. Seeing three unfamiliar men outside, he was startled. "Sirs... the pharmacy is closed. Please come back tomorrow morning."

Li Yifan revealed a Xuntian Guard waist token and said in a low voice, "Xuntian Guard is investigating a case. We need to ask your shopkeeper a few questions."

Upon seeing the token, the young apprentice sobered up considerably. Not daring to delay, he quickly invited the three inside and then hurried to the back hall to wake the shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper of Spring Returns Hall was a thin, elderly man in his fifties with a goatee, named Chen. He came out wearing a robe and, upon seeing Li Yifan and his companions, especially the Xuntian Guard token, a hint of nervousness appeared on his face.

"Sirs, what brings you here so late at night?" Shopkeeper Chen cupped his hands, his tone respectful.

Li Yifan got straight to the point. "Shopkeeper Chen, please don't be nervous. We're here about the case at the Zhang Manor. We wanted to ask if, recently, any unfamiliar faces have come to your shop to purchase rather special or large quantities of medicinal ingredients? Especially... anything related to yin and cold properties, blood replenishment, or some less common herbs."

Shopkeeper Chen's expression shifted slightly upon hearing this; he had clearly heard about the tragic incident at the Zhang Manor. He thought carefully and then shook his head. "Your Excellency, my shop mainly serves the local residents, and most of our customers are regulars. Recently... apart from a few old patrons who continue to get their usual prescriptions, there haven't been any new faces buying particularly special herbs. As for yin and cold properties or blood replenishment, people do buy them, but they're usually common ingredients like Angelica sinensis and Rehmannia glutinosa, and in small quantities."

Li Yifan carefully observed Shopkeeper Chen's expression, feeling he wasn't lying. He continued, "Has anyone inquired about or tried to buy some more obscure, or even... taboo, medicinal ingredients? Like Cinnabar, Realgar, or certain special mineral powders?"

"Taboo ingredients?" Shopkeeper Chen repeatedly waved his hands. "Your Excellency, please understand, our Spring Returns Hall is a legitimate pharmacy; we absolutely do not sell such prohibited items. We do have some Cinnabar and Realgar, but only in small quantities for medicinal use, and no one has bought large amounts recently."

After the inquiry, no valuable clues were obtained. Li Yifan left instructions for Shopkeeper Chen to report anything unusual to the substation if he remembered anything, and then left Spring Returns Hall with his companions.

Next, they visited two other small pharmacies, receiving similar answers. Fuchang County was, after all, a small place, and the pharmacies had slow business. There had indeed been no unfamiliar faces buying large quantities of special herbs recently.

"It seems we have no gains from the pharmacies," Sun Shi said with some disappointment.

Li Yifan's expression remained unchanged. "As expected. Nie Wuya is cunning; he might not have left obvious traces in this small county town. Let's go to the pawnshop."

Pawnshops were places for fencing stolen goods and obtaining ill-gotten gains, and they might also yield clues. Fuchang County had only one pawnshop, named "Hengtong Pawnshop."

By this time, the pawnshop had also closed, but Li Yifan again revealed his identity and had the door opened. The pawnshop's appraiser was a shrewd middle-aged man who was very cooperative when he heard the Xuntian Guard were investigating a case.

Li Yifan's focus was on whether any strangers had pawned valuable items recently, especially anything with a sinister aura or of unknown origin.

The appraiser carefully flipped through the recent ledger and finally shook his head. "Your Excellency, most of the items pawned recently were ordinary clothes and jewelry; there weren't many valuable items. The only relatively valuable item was a high-quality jade pendant, pawned by Scholar Zhang from the east of the city when his family fell on hard times. We know its background. No strangers have pawned anything special."

The trail of clues had once again gone cold.

Qian Xiaoliu sounded a bit dejected. "Captain, this county town is too small. Could that old demon have not appeared in the city at all?"

Li Yifan's gaze swept across the silent street, and he said slowly, "Not necessarily. Since he committed the crime in Fuchang County, he likely has a temporary lodging nearby, or he needed to gather information and purchase some necessities. We found no clues at the pharmacies or pawnshops, so let's go to the last place – where the 'night owls' gather."

The so-called "night owls" referred to those who were active at night, such as night watchmen, gamblers, beggars, or some black market brokers who operated in the shadows. These people were well-informed and often knew things that couldn't be found through official channels.

Led by Sun Shi, the three arrived at a secluded alley in the west of the city. Here, there was a semi-underground gambling house, which was currently bustling with activity. Inside the smoky, chaotic gambling den, voices roared, and people from all walks of life mingled.

Li Yifan instructed Qian Xiaoliu and Sun Shi to wait outside for support. He then concealed his aura and, like an ordinary gambler, blended into the crowd. His eyes were sharp, and his ears twitched, carefully capturing the conversations around him.

Most gamblers were discussing the wins and losses of dice games or boasting about their "achievements." Li Yifan listened patiently. After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, near a dice table in a corner of the gambling den, he overheard two men in slightly tattered clothes, who looked like local ruffians, talking in low voices.

"...Did you hear? A few days ago, someone saw a strange person over at Black Blind Ridge..." a tall, thin man whispered.

"Strange person? What kind of strange person?" asked the other short, stout ruffian.

"They say he was dressed all in black, wrapped up tightly, and walked as if floating, like a ghost... Someone tried to get closer to see, but before they could get near, they felt a gust of cold wind and ran away scared," the tall, thin man said, still shaken.

Black Blind Ridge? Li Yifan's heart stirred. That was a necessary mountain pass southeast of Fuchang County, a treacherous area rarely frequented by people.

"Tch, maybe it was just some herb collector dressed warmly, scaring you like that," the short, stout ruffian said dismissively.

"It didn't seem like it!" the tall, thin man argued. "That feeling... it was very sinister! And, someone saw him just two days before the incident at the Zhang Manor!"

Upon hearing this, Li Yifan no longer hesitated. He walked forward and approached the two ruffians. Although he didn't release his aura, the invisible pressure that came from years of cultivation and life-or-death combat instantly silenced the two ruffians, who looked at him nervously.

"You two, about that strange person you mentioned at Black Blind Ridge, when exactly and where did you see him?" Li Yifan asked calmly, while inadvertently revealing the glint of Silver Ingots between his fingers.

The two ruffians' eyes lit up at the sight of the silver. They then looked at Li Yifan's extraordinary demeanor and the tall, thin man quickly said, "Sir, it was... it was about five or six days ago, around dusk, near that old Mountain God Temple at Black Blind Ridge. The person went deeper into the mountains."

"Could you see his appearance clearly? Or any other features?" Li Yifan pressed.

"No... couldn't see his face clearly; he was wrapped up too tightly. It just felt... especially cold, yes, it felt chilling when I got close," the tall, thin man tried to recall.

Li Yifan was now largely certain that this was likely Nie Wuya! The time, location, and characteristics all matched. He flicked a corner of the silver to the tall, thin man and said in a low voice, "Don't mention this to anyone else."

With that, he turned and left the gambling den.

After meeting up with Qian Xiaoliu and Sun Shi, Li Yifan informed them of the information he had gathered.

"Black Blind Ridge! Mountain God Temple!" Qian Xiaoliu exclaimed excitedly. "Captain, this must be that old demon!"

Sun Shi also nodded. "The timing matches too. It seems he was active in that area before committing the crime."

Li Yifan pondered, "This is an important clue. But Nie Wuya is cunning; he might not still be at the Mountain God Temple. However, there are likely traces of his presence there. When we enter the mountains tomorrow, we can make Black Blind Ridge and the Mountain God Temple our primary search areas."

By the time the three returned to the outpost, it was already late at night. Zhao Kuangfeng hadn't rested yet, studying a map under the lamplight. Seeing Li Yifan return, he immediately asked, "How was it? Any gains?"

Li Yifan recounted the events of their night visit in detail, especially the news he'd heard at the gambling house about the strange man from Black Blind Ridge.

Zhao Kuangfeng's tiger eyes flashed with sharp light upon hearing this. He slammed the map forcefully. "Black Blind Ridge! Excellent! It seems this old ghost's lair is very likely hidden in the deep mountains nearby! Yifan, you've earned merit this time!"

He pointed to the location of Black Blind Ridge on the map and said gravely, "Tomorrow morning, we head directly to Black Blind Ridge! With Mountain God Temple as our center, we'll search outwards in a radiating pattern! This time, we will definitely unearth this devil's tail!"

Li Yifan nodded in agreement, but felt no great sense of relief. Nie Wuya was a master of the Blood Refining Realm, with keen senses and adept at stealth. Even if they found his area of activity, pinpointing his exact hiding place and forcing him out would be no easy feat. Heading into the mountains tomorrow would likely be a grueling contest of tracking and counter-tracking.

The night deepened, and Fuchang County slept uneasily. Meanwhile, the Xuntian Guard's demon-hunting net had quietly been cast towards the vast mountain range to the southeast.