A murder case

Early the next morning, Lin Daiyu ate her breakfast listlessly, dark circles under her eyes.

Song Qian had stayed up all night too, but as a martial artist, she could manage several days without sleep and showed no sign of fatigue.

"Not used to sleeping at an inn?" Song Xuan asked as he sipped his tofu pudding.

"Mm..."

Lin Daiyu answered somewhat sheepishly. She had been so engrossed in the story last night that she had pestered her cousin to tell her the Legend of the White Snake for half the night. By the time it ended, dawn had broken.

"We'll stroll around town in a bit. See if there's anything you want to buy. We'll return to the boat this afternoon, and you can catch up on your sleep then."

Song Xuan briefly outlined the day's plans, then said no more.

They were young, after all. Staying up all night was no great matter, and he could understand pulling an occasional all-nighter.

After breakfast, they checked out and took a stroll around the county town. As they passed near the County Yamen, they heard the boom, boom, boom of a drum.

"Is someone beating the drum to seek justice?"

Song Qian looked toward the County Yamen curiously and discovered, to her astonishment, that they actually knew the person beating the drum.

It was the bride who had offered them a toast the night before.

But now, the bride looked to be in terrible shape. Her clothes were ragged, her hair disheveled, and her face filthy. Visible injuries marked her arms and legs, and the imprint of a slap stood out clearly on her face.

Soon, the drumming stopped. Bailiffs rushed out of the yamen and dragged the bride into the main hall. Moments later, piercing screams rang out from inside.

"You treat human lives like weeds! You have no conscience!"

"You vile officials! May you die wretched deaths!"

Her cries were accompanied by the sharp smacks of a punishment paddle.

Someone on the street saw this and shook his head with a sigh. "What was that woman thinking? People can't get far enough away from the County Yamen, and she actually dared to go there and beat the drum for justice?"

Someone who seemed to know something said, "I heard several people were murdered over in Radiant Spring Village. This woman must be a survivor who came to report it."

"What a shame. Once she falls into Skinflayer Sun's hands, even if she survives, he'll strip a layer of skin off her!"

Hearing the discussions around them, Song Qian's expression changed. She turned to Song Xuan. "Brother, are we getting involved?"

"We are!"

Song Xuan's expression grew grave. The newlyweds who had invited him to drink wedding wine and offer his blessings just last night were now caught up in a murder case. Since he had encountered it, he had to intervene.

When they reached the County Yamen, bailiffs barred their way. One fellow who looked like their head did not even glance at Song Xuan; his eyes kept roving over Song Qian and Lin Daiyu.

Song Xuan could not be bothered to waste words on him. He kicked him aside and strode inside.

"Someone's storming the government office!"

Inside the County Yamen, other bailiffs who witnessed this immediately charged out with their staves. Song Xuan casually snatched one and sent the lackeys blocking his path flying, one blow apiece.

"Who are you? Storming the County Yamen-are you trying to rebel?"

The fat, big-eared county magistrate hurriedly rose from his seat in the hall and shouted to the bailiffs outside who were still standing, "Quick! Tell the county commandant to bring men and arrest these criminals!"

But scarcely had he finished speaking when Song Qian felled every bailiff outside with a palm strike apiece, leaving them sprawled on the ground, half-dead and groaning.

Song Xuan's hand shot out like lightning. He seized the fat magistrate by the neck and lifted him into the air.

A moment later, however, he threw the man to the floor in disgust and planted a foot on his fat face.

Song Qian stepped forward and helped the beaten bride up. Smoothing her tangled hair, she asked gently, "Do you remember us?"

The bride stared blankly at Song Qian. Her unfocused eyes gradually brightened, and tears streamed down her cheeks without stopping.

"They're all dead, sister! My whole family is dead!"

Song Qian wiped away her tears. "Don't rush. Tell us slowly. Don't worry-with us here, you'll get the justice you deserve!"

Through her tears, the bride recounted what had happened the night before.

"After the wedding feast ended and the villagers had all left, two people suddenly came to our door."

"One was a young man, the other an old man in his fifties. The young man claimed to be the prefect's son. He said he'd missed finding an inn while out sightseeing and wanted to stay at our house for the night."

"My father-in-law was kindhearted, so he let them stay. Who could have known they weren't human-they were beasts!"

At this point, the bride gritted her teeth, her face filled with hatred. "In the middle of the night, when we should have been consummating our marriage, the old man beside the prefect's son snapped my husband's neck.

"Then the two of them raped me together!"

"My parents-in-law heard the noise and came to see what was happening, and they beat them to death too!"

"They didn't even spare my husband's nine-year-old little brother. That old bastard shattered his skull with one palm strike!"

Song Xuan frowned. "They didn't kill you?"

"No! They left after dawn. The prefect's son told me to report him wherever I liked. He said he enjoyed seeing people in despair, with no road to heaven and no door into the earth!"

Song Xuan nudged the fat man beneath his foot and asked coldly, "You knew about this, didn't you?"

The fat man looked conflicted, but as the pressure from Song Xuan's foot grew stronger, his defenses crumbled completely.

"Great hero, I knew! I knew!

"The prefect's son came here first thing this morning. He said he'd caused a little trouble in one of the villages and wanted me to clean up his mess!

"When I asked, I learned that several people had been murdered. Worse still, he'd left a witness alive. The prefect's son said he'd had a very good time last night and liked the bride's fiery spirit. He told me to find any excuse to lock her up so he could come back and play with her when he had time!

"Great hero, that's everything! I didn't kill them! It has nothing to do with me! I was only following orders! Please don't kill me! Don't kill me!"

Song Xuan looked at the bride. "Miss, do you want this man alive or dead?"

"Dead! I want him dead!"

Song Xuan nodded slightly. "As you wish!"

The next instant, he lifted his foot and stamped down hard. There was a crack of breaking bone, and before the magistrate could make a sound, Song Xuan crushed his neck beneath his foot.

He had killed the man the moment he said he would, so swiftly and decisively that both Lin Daiyu and the bride stared in shock.

"Cousin, won't you get into trouble for killing an imperial official outright?"

"There will be some trouble!"

Song Xuan took several black silk scarves from inside his robe. "So I'll have to trouble everyone to join me in playing notorious bandits for a while!"

After covering his face, Song Xuan glanced at the bride. "Let's go. We'll take a look at your house first, then deal with the rest."

Without another word, Song Qian scooped up the bride, whose body was covered in wounds, and strode outside. With a tap of her toes against the ground, she used her Lightness Skill and landed directly on a rooftop.

Then she bounded from roof to roof like a nimble ape, vanishing beyond the end of the street in just a few breaths.

Inside the County Yamen, Song Xuan glanced at Lin Daiyu.

Behind her black scarf, Lin Daiyu's face flushed slightly. She whispered, "Cousin, go slowly. I'm afraid I'll get dizzy..."

Before she could finish, she felt Song Xuan hoist her onto his shoulder. The next instant, fierce gusts of wind whistled past her ears.

The wind battered Lin Daiyu so hard that she could not open her eyes. Only one thought remained in her mind:

Fast. Far too fast...