Benefactor, You Could Dress as a Woman

Tang Luo hadn't heard their conversation.

But he could clearly sense Scotland Yard's agitation—or, more accurately, their desperation and their almost uncontrollable resort to dark methods.

First of all, he was an out-of-town detective who had absolutely nothing and couldn't prove his identity.

Scotland Yard hadn't bothered to dig into his background at all. They had readily accepted Tang Luo's identity.

They had even given Tang Luo a document that allowed him to act with discretion.

With this document, Tang Luo effectively had a status equivalent to that of a "civilian assistant."

He could even enter residents' homes to search them—as long as he presented the document.

There was no problem with carrying a gun, either.

Scotland Yard had also provided Tang Luo with relatively confidential internal information, along with all the results of their investigation.

This even included a list of suspects that they clearly shouldn't have handed over.

After giving him the list, the detective who had received Tang Luo dropped heavy hints that Jack the Ripper was definitely one of these people, and might even be all of them.

It was just that they had no evidence.

Scotland Yard couldn't take action, so they hoped this out-of-town detective from afar, "Xuanzang," could find some evidence.

Once the real culprit was caught, there would be a generous reward right away.

He had especially stressed the words "caught" and "reward."

Tang Luo nodded, though it was hard to tell whether he'd understood Scotland Yard's hints. Then he left with the document and the files.

The hint was simple enough.

They wanted Tang Luo to catch someone at all costs. It didn't even have to be the real culprit.

At least he had to give them an answer.

Because Tang Luo was an outsider, he could simply leave once he had settled things.

Even if the Ripper struck again afterward, Scotland Yard could claim it was a copycat.

If it happened a few more times,

they could pin the blame on Tang Luo, the outsider.

Thinking even more darkly, they could arrest Tang Luo and throw him to the mob to calm their anger when necessary.

In short, they needed to shift the focus.

The public's fear and rage needed an outlet.

An outsider made the perfect rag to wipe their asses with.

Scotland Yard didn't care whether he was really a detective.

Of course, the best outcome would be for this out-of-town detective to actually catch Jack the Ripper.

A happy ending for everyone.

Tang Luo didn't care about Scotland Yard's calculations.

Without Scotland Yard's "cooperation," how could he have gotten the document so easily and transformed into an authorized detective?

Near noon, Tang Luo returned to the inn. Besides the files and documents, he had also brought several sets of clothes.

He had Xiao Chu and the others change into them.

Their clothes, especially Xiao Chu's pink pajamas, had been quite out of place.

Li Liang's clothes were also stained with blood, so since they had the chance, he should change as well.

It would help them fit in.

The group gathered in Tang Luo and Li Liang's room, looking through the files.

Every one of them looked serious, brows furrowed and faces grim.

The photos of the victims in the files had shaken them quite badly.

And these were only blurry black-and-white photos.

If they'd been in color, the impact would probably have been even greater.

Tang Luo didn't join them. He kept rolling the Merit Jade Lotus between his fingers.

It had accumulated another trace of merit.

It came from punishing members of the Ripper Gang.

Besides promoting good, punishing evil could also earn merit.

"Master, should we visit the crime scenes or talk to the victims' families next?" Xiao Chu asked.

"Sure. You all go. Take the copies with you and leave the originals here." Tang Luo hung the Merit Jade Lotus back around his neck.

Because Tang Luo had said he had assistants and might split up with them, Scotland Yard had given him three copies of the document: one original and two duplicates.

"Master, aren't you coming?" Xiao Chu asked.

Tang Luo shook his head. "No. My detective credentials are fake. I'm just good at fighting. I'm not even as good as Watson at spotting clues, so I'd only be wasting time and energy. You all go."

"I'm not going, either."

Li Liang chimed in.

His weak voice and pale complexion made it hard for the others to ask him to come along.

Truthfully, they weren't too keen on working with Li Liang, either.

Who knew whether there was something wrong with this guy?

Better to keep their distance.

Only Tang Luo was bold enough to not care.

The remaining four—two men and two women—discussed it and decided to go together. They weren't detectives, but who knew? They might notice something.

"By the way, do any of you know how to shoot a pistol?"

The four were about to leave when Tang Luo suddenly asked.

They exchanged awkward glances, and the atmosphere turned uncomfortable.

Even if Master Xuanzang was a monk, that was an outrageous thing to ask!

And one of the girls, whose looks had been growing plainer by the day because she hadn't been wearing makeup, was right there. How were they supposed to answer?

Xiao Chu and Xiao Zhou, the high school student, clearly weren't thick-skinned enough to proudly admit it or brazenly lie and deny it.

"Whoever knows how can take this revolver for self-defense."

Tang Luo pulled out a Palm Thunder revolver, a little smaller than an ordinary one.

"..."

Master, you know people might beat you to death for talking like that, right?

Xiao Chu and the others definitely couldn't beat Tang Luo, so in the end, Xiao Chu, who looked the steadiest, took the revolver.

Tang Luo also warned them that if they ran into gang members from a group called the Ripper Gang, they had to hide their knives and gun.

That way, they could avoid being spotted and targeted for revenge.

After learning that Tang Luo had acquired his money by "begging alms" in this manner, the others found it even harder to keep their expressions composed.

Had a tough guy become a monk?

Or had a monk turned into a tough guy? It was a question worth pondering.

Xiao Chu and the others left.

Li Liang lay back down on the bed, groaning and looking half dead.

"Master, you hit way too hard. I feel like I'm about to die," Li Liang said to Tang Luo.

"Amitabha Buddha. I showed plenty of restraint. You're not dead, and you don't even qualify as lightly injured." Tang Luo replied.

"But I feel like I'm not going to make it."

Li Liang said, "It feels like my body's been hollowed out..."

"Perhaps your body really has been hollowed out." Tang Luo gave him a mysterious smile.

Li Liang jolted upright at the smile. "What do you mean by that?"

"I was only speaking offhandedly. Don't take it to heart, benefactor."

How could Li Liang not take it to heart?

Could it really be just as Zhou Zhenguo had said?

Had someone gutted him in the toilet?

Since when had Jack the Ripper become a toilet warrior?

Li Liang felt himself all over, but apart from the wounds at the corner of his eye and on his arm, he couldn't find any other injuries.

"Master, what if I'm already dead?" Li Liang suddenly wondered aloud.

Tang Luo looked at Li Liang in surprise. "Usually, when someone is dead without knowing it, the moment they realize they're actually dead, they immediately drop dead."

Li Liang confirmed he hadn't dropped dead and relaxed a little, only to tense up again right after. "Then what if there's some Ripper living inside me, like an Alien?"

"You've got quite an imagination when it comes to this sort of thing."

Tang Luo complimented him.

Li Liang stopped asking questions. He wouldn't get any useful answers out of Master Xuanzang.

Everyone called the guy a master, but in reality, he was just a fierce warrior monk.

He could definitely fight, but as for anything else...

Li Liang could only sit there, fretting and letting his imagination run wild. His face was so gloomy he looked like someone who'd searched his cold symptoms online and started writing his will.

Meanwhile, Tang Luo closed his eyes and continued meditating to recover.

Even a tiny bit was better than nothing. Since he had nothing else to do, he might as well recover whatever he could.

Dusk fell.

Xiao Chu and the others returned, travel-worn and unable to hide how exhausted they were.

After washing their faces, they sat down again to discuss the case.

At first glance, they seemed to have made good progress.

But on closer listening, they were still going around in circles within the framework of the clues Scotland Yard had provided.

No one could become Holmes just by spending half a day interviewing people.

After discussing things for a while, they realized they were repeating themselves like a broken record.

They stopped and looked toward Tang Luo. "Master, do you have any ideas?"

After all, Xuanzang was the only "man of the world" among them.

He'd gone out once and "begged alms" from some gangsters, and he'd even gotten them documents that let them act with discretion.

He seemed reliable.

They had decided he was their new backbone!

"This humble monk does have one bold idea," Tang Luo said.

Since they were all players and God and Demon Walkers, Tang Luo had no intention of hiding that he was a monk.

"Let's hear it, Master."

"If we can't find Jack the Ripper, then why not try a different approach and get him to find us?" Tang Luo said, glancing at Li Liang.

It seemed he'd gotten the idea from Li Liang.

"How do we get him to find us?" Xiao Chu asked.

Tang Luo picked up the files Scotland Yard had given him and opened them. "The Ripper's victims came from all walks of life, but most of them were women."

Of the twenty-five victims, fifteen were women.

"Also, the murders all happened outdoors, and all of them took place at night."

"It's safe to say the Ripper prefers targets who are alone, women who stay out wandering around in the middle of the night instead of going home."

Li Liang thought of what had happened to him.

He seemed to fit the description quite well, too. He'd gone outside to use the toilet before dawn and hadn't closed the door.

The only thing was, he wasn't a woman.

"I don't think many people will dare wander around alone at night now," Tang Luo said. "So why not give it a try? We might be able to draw Jack the Ripper out."

Xiao Chu made a joke. "Master, are you planning to bait him into committing a crime?"

"Exactly," Tang Luo said. "Ladies, would either of you be willing to serve as bait? I'll do my best to keep you safe."

Silence fell over the room.

Being bait was dangerous. One wrong move and you could die.

Who would be willing?

"Master, maybe we can take our time. There's no need to be so aggressive," one of the girls said.

"Right, right, right."

The other nodded like a pecking chick.

"Since neither of you is willing, let's leave it at that." Tang Luo made no attempt to force them, and both women relaxed.

"Benefactor Chu, how about you?"

Tang Luo turned to Xiao Chu.

Xiao Chu froze. "Master, I'm a man."

"That's all right. Under cover of darkness, benefactor Chu, you can dress as a woman."