Luoshui County seat.
Inside the county office.
"How did it go?" Cao Bin sat in a grand armchair.
Before him, a man dressed in a constable's uniform clasped his hands in salute.
"Chief Cao, we only found Xu Yunfeng's remains yesterday."
"The county office coroner said they had been dead too long! And the bodies had been gnawed clean by jackals and wild beasts. All that remained were some dry bones and bloodstained clothing. It was no longer possible to determine exactly how Xu Yunfeng and the others died."
Hearing this, Cao Bin pondered for a moment.
Then he said, "What about Hong Chengtao and the others' bodies?"
The constable said, "They were found too! More or less the same! They should all have died at one person's hands."
Then he added, "Chief Cao, according to this subordinate's investigation, Xu Yunfeng and Hong Chengtao's group followed Jiang Ning out of the city that day. None of them returned after leaving the city."
"So they actually failed!" Cao Bin immediately lowered his head, furrowing his brow as he muttered to himself.
During this time, the constable before him said no more and quietly waited for Cao Bin's reaction.
Then Cao Bin raised his head again. "What about Jiang Ning? Any news that he returned to the city?"
The constable shook his head. "This subordinate does not know either. The men guarding the city gates belong to the City Guard Office. My standing carries no weight with them! Besides, they do not know Jiang Ning either!"
"Forget it!" Hearing this, Cao Bin shook his head. "Even if it was not him, it was connected to him!"
Hearing this, the constable picked up the thread.
"Chief Cao means that Xu Yunfeng and Hong Chengtao were both killed by Jiang Ning?"
Cao Bin shook