At the end of a secluded alley in the south of the city, Hundred-Household Commander Shen's old residence had long gone without repairs. Its beams were on the verge of collapse, and cobwebs filled the rooms.
Scholar and the others searched every chest and cupboard, but found nothing.
"Lord Jia, we've found something!"
Explosive Charcoal hurried over.
"Speak!" Jia Huan stared at him.
Explosive Charcoal's expression was grave.
"After Lord Shen died, I built two graves on the hill behind the house, a hundred-odd paces away. I just went to pay my respects and found that someone had cleared the weeds from the graves."
Jia Huan asked as he walked:
"Hundred-Household Commander Shen's relatives or friends?"
Explosive Charcoal shook his head. "Lord Shen was an orphan from childhood and kept to himself. Only his colleagues from the Embroidered Uniform Guard attended his funeral. No relatives came."
When they reached the graves on the hill, Jia Huan glanced at the dense silvergrass surrounding them. Near the headstones, however, the weeds were sparse and short.
Madam Shen's grave, in particular, seemed to bear traces of burned yellow paper.
Jia Huan looked at Explosive Charcoal. "Who came to pay their respects? Do you know anything about Madam Shen's relatives?"
"Nothing at all," Explosive Charcoal answered honestly.
Jia Huan pondered for a long while. After bowing before Hundred-Household Commander Shen's grave, he headed alone to the Misty Rain Tower.
As long as there was even a thread of a lead, he had to pursue it!
The Misty Rain Tower.
"Madam Shen was once a gifted prodigy on the Dragon-Tiger Ranking. You should know her background, shouldn't you?"
After finding the Hunchbacked Old Man, Jia Huan went straight to the point.
This time, the Hunchbacked Old Man said nothing about exchanging favors. A charitable heroine