Night had fallen, yet the usually quiet Chaoyang Street and Tongfu Grand Restaurant were bustling with activity.
At both ends of the street, figures were still hurrying over.
Whether the Chaoyang Crowd enjoyed gathering for a spectacle was plain as day!
Of the two rings of people surrounding the restaurant, those in the inner ring wore either officials' robes or wealthy men's attire, while another group wore fitted martial outfits and carried sabers.
Most of those in the outer ring wore coarse cotton or hemp clothing. In their midst lay a headless corpse!
The Chaoyang Crowd had come running to form a circle and gawk at a corpse!
Above its shoulders, red and white matter lay scattered everywhere. Clearly, something had stomped on or smashed its head!
And there was a hollow in its chest, utterly empty!
Its heart had been gouged out!
Closest to the corpse stood a middle-aged man in a dark green martial outfit.
He stopped dry heaving and straightened, then turned his back to avoid looking at the corpse in the middle of the road.
He beckoned Shopkeeper Tong of the Tongfu Grand Restaurant over.
Seeing the man in the middle of the crowd beckon, the plump Shopkeeper Tong at the restaurant entrance hurried back to the counter, grabbed a sheet of white cloth already prepared there, and jogged over.
Shopkeeper Tong reached the man, offered him the cloth, and whispered, "Brother Xing, cover it up!"
This was Constable Xing.
Shopkeeper Tong had already told him what had happened when he appeared at the end of the street.
Constable Xing said nothing. Taking the white cloth, he spread it out and covered the corpse.
The dry heaving all around immediately subsided noticeably.
That showed just how shocking the corpse's gruesome condition was to ordinary people.
Constable Xing looked around and called weakly, "Stop gawking. Clear out, everyone. Nothing to see here!"
No one around him budged, as though his words carried no authority whatsoever.
Then he turned to a man with a composed expression dressed in official robes, bowed, and said, "My lord, I see none of these people are leaving. According to normal criminal psychology, murderers return to the scene of the crime to admire their handiwork."
He paused and surveyed the crowd. "In my opinion, one or even several of these people could very well be the culprits. I suggest arresting them all for questioning."
Lin Ke sat on the restaurant's threshold, looking this way and that for any clues.
At the first half of the man's words, his eyes lit up. What a talent-he knew so much about criminal psychology!
But the second half nearly made him spit blood.
After hearing Constable Xing's words, the man in official robes standing before him actually surveyed the crowd and nodded in wholehearted agreement!
What kind of people were these?!
Lin Ke was rather speechless. What bizarre leaps of logic.
But in an instant, hardly any spectators remained outside the restaurant!
Lin Ke looked left and right, only to see their retreating backs.
These Chaoyang Crowd spectators weren't very professional rubberneckers!
They'd already come all this way. Watching a little longer wouldn't cost them a piece of flesh!
When he turned his gaze back, he saw a man in a black martial outfit approaching the official beside Constable Xing.
Constable Xing moved to stop him, but the official waved him back.
Once the people nearby had dispersed, the official followed the man in black to one side. Then, to Lin Ke's surprise, he bent at the waist and saluted. "My lord, what brings you here?"
The man in black waved a hand. "Enough, Li Hanlin. Did you hear the Golden Crow Clan's patriarch speaking above the capital just now?"
Li Hanlin nodded. "I did, my lord."
Then he suddenly shuddered and looked at the man in black in shock. "Could it be..."
The man in black nodded. "Those above are giving you five days to apprehend the culprit. 'Apprehend the culprit.' Understand?"
Li Hanlin's expression grew grave, but he still nodded.
"I trust you. Don't disappoint me, or you'll be explaining yourself to those above!"
Li Hanlin shuddered, then nodded again with a solemn expression. "I will give you an answer within five days, my lord."
Hearing this, the man in black turned and left without looking back!
Yet Lin Ke had heard every word.
He immediately sank into thought.
A voice? What voice?
Could ordinary people like us not hear it?
And... someone from the Golden Crow Clan had died here?
Lin Ke instantly thought of the red soul that had flown out of the young gentleman's body.
Li Hanlin returned to Constable Xing's side, his expression once again calm and rather unconcerned.
Seeing Li Hanlin return, Shopkeeper Tong hurriedly said, "My lord, Brother Xing, there are two more bodies inside!"
"Hahaha! Such a big case! Looks like I'll finally get a permanent appoint-cough, cough..." Constable Xing smiled instinctively at the news, only to suppress it at once, furrowing his brows and pulling a long face. "Truly, I grieve for the people's many hardships... Come, let's take a look."
Li Hanlin merely narrowed his eyes as he watched Constable Xing's performance.
Just as Constable Xing was about to step into the restaurant, he suddenly remembered his superior was still there. He hurriedly shuffled backward, bowed, and said, "My lord, after you!"
"Mm." Only then did Li Hanlin give a slight nod and stride inside, with Constable Xing following close behind.
Reaching the entrance, Constable Xing noticed the gaping hole in the wall. With a gloating expression, he teased, "You fat bastard, losing this plaster wall is going to cost you a fortune. You'll have to bleed money now!"
Shopkeeper Tong muttered bitterly, "This is a hundred-year-old greenwood-and-marble grain-aligned plaster wall..."
No one paid any attention.
The group entered the restaurant and found utter chaos inside. Not a single table remained intact.
Shopkeeper Tong quickened his pace, going ahead and stopping a short distance from the corpse at the foot of the wall!
Constable Xing put away his smile and looked at Li Hanlin beside him. Only after receiving a nod did he approach.
He turned the corpse lying on its side beneath the wall faceup.
Then everyone in the restaurant heard the crouching Constable Xing suck in a breath of cold air.
"Hiss..."
Constable Xing stood and stepped aside so everyone could see.
Lin Ke had followed them in last and was quietly watching from a corner.
Everyone saw the corpse. This man was on the short, thin side.
Even without a head, the corpse outside looked far larger than this one.
They saw that its eyes were still open, holding shock and a trace of unwillingness.
The others could only see the shock that had yet to fade, but Lin Ke alone saw the unwillingness in those eyes!
His gaze shifted downward. Sure enough!
The place where this man's heart should have been was empty too, as though someone had forcibly scooped it out. The blood around him had all flowed from his chest.
Shopkeeper Tong let out a heavy breath and told Constable Xing, "There's another over here."
Everyone followed and stopped beside the corpse deeper inside the restaurant. There was no blood around it. It simply lay facedown, not looking dead at all!
Once again, Constable Xing approached the corpse, crouched, and turned it faceup!
Everyone saw a young face as red as a monkey's backside!
Lin Ke noticed Li Hanlin clench his fists, then relax them again.
Looking puzzled, Constable Xing lifted the young gentleman's right arm and felt his pulse, his brows knitting even tighter.
After gently lowering the young gentleman's arm, he extended an index finger beneath his nostrils.
Constable Xing shook his head, then stood.
Constable Xing bowed to Li Hanlin. "My lord, he is already dead. There is neither breath nor pulse, but the body is still very hot. I believe this man most likely died from some unusual poison."
As he spoke, he glanced at Bai Zhantang, Lin Ke, and Shopkeeper Tong.
"Golden Crow..." Li Hanlin frowned at the corpse, a glint flashing through his eyes.
Lin Ke noticed that, although Li Hanlin was frowning, his eyes were full of amusement.
Suddenly, his heart jolted, and he stopped in his tracks.
"Ding!"
The golden crow flame has died out. Great calamity approaches, and the gentleman is in peril. Please choose: [Choice one] A gentleman does not stand beneath a crumbling wall. Play the fool and preserve yourself through prudence. Gain: Butcher Zhang is convicted, and the gentleman remains safe. Lose: Justice and conscience. [Choice two] A gentleman sacrifices himself for righteousness. Reveal Butcher Zhang's identity and plunge yourself into the vortex of the case. Gain: A five-day deadline to solve the case. Lose: Cowardice and craven compromise. (Note: The authorities will require the gentleman to clear himself of suspicion within five days, or he will become the scapegoat.)
A choice?!
A choice at a time like this?!
Lin Ke's brows drew tightly together after he saw the choices.
The golden crow flame had died out?
Solve the case in five days?
Before you continue