Chapter 901
Take You to the Zhang Family
Beneath the fragments, a small, complete footprint was revealed—a woman's embroidered shoe. The sole was patterned with intertwined lotus flowers, and the heel was deeper than that of an ordinary woman, indicating that the person was not light, or... carrying something. He lightly touched the edge of the footprint with his fingertip, and a thin golden thread seeped into the soil, like an extremely thin golden snake burrowing into a crack in the ground. After a moment, the golden thread trembled, bringing back a very faint fluctuation of spiritual energy.
"Ninth level of Qi Refining," Zheng Yi said in a low voice. "The soles of her shoes are covered with residual powder from a jasmine sachet, and the outer side of her left foot is severely worn, indicating that she habitually walks with her toes pointing outwards. A woman who is seven months pregnant will gain at least thirty pounds, and her walking will be even more outward-pointing."
Zhao Sanhuai squatted beside him, his breath condensing into a small puff in the cold air:
“Sir, I just asked Aunt Li next door. She said that around midnight last night, she heard a knock on Wang Shitou’s door, like someone was knocking. Wang Shitou even answered, ‘Who is it?’ His voice sounded normal. Then there was no more noise.”
Zheng Yi stood up, his gaze falling on the knife mark on the door panel. The knife mark was a diagonal slash from the door knocker to the threshold, the force initially heavy and then lightening, as if the person wielding the knife hesitated for a final moment.
“The person knocking on the door was someone we knew.” Zheng Yi said in a low voice, “Wang Shitou was caught off guard and was knocked unconscious after opening the door. After entering the room, the murderer first went to the inner room and killed the woman, then turned back to finish off Wang Shitou, and finally… ripped out his heart.”
Zhao Sanhuai's Adam's apple bobbed:
"Why was your heart dug out?"
Zheng Yi did not answer.
He stepped across the threshold.
His boots shattered the blood-red ice beneath the threshold, the shards splashing up and landing on his trouser legs like a handful of dark red sand.
The room grew even dimmer. A hole in the window paper was blown by the wind, and cold air rushed in, making the bloodstains on the floor tremble slightly, like a dark red membrane coming to life. He walked to the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) and first examined Wang Shitou's chest wound. The muscles at the edges of the wound were torn open, the bone was shattered into several pieces, and the pericardium was torn to shreds, as if a hand had forcefully reached in and crushed it. The fingerprints were clearly visible, five fingers together, the thumb pressed against the center of the sternum, and the other four fingers gripping the ribs, as if the heart and blood vessels had been ripped out.
Zheng Yi extended his right hand, palm down, and pressed it lightly three inches above the wound. Fine golden threads seeped from his palm, like countless extremely fine golden needles piercing the flesh at the edge of the wound.
The fine threads trembled.
It brought back a trace of residual spiritual energy.
“Left hand.” Zheng Yi withdrew his hand. “Large knuckles, calluses from practicing boxing. Short nails, indicating frequent manual labor. Spiritual energy fluctuations… Peak of the ninth level of Qi Refining, could break through to Foundation Establishment at any time.”
Zhao Sanhuai whispered:
"It's pretty much what we guessed. She's a woman, at the ninth level of Qi Refining, left-handed, and her hands smell of herbs."
Zheng Yi nodded, his gaze shifting to the woman's corpse.
The woman lay on her side, her hands protecting her stomach, the hilt of a short knife on her back pointing upwards. The red cloth strip wrapped around the hilt was soaked with blood, and a few thin threads along the edge of the cloth were frayed. He picked up a corner of the cloth strip and brought it to his nose to sniff it lightly.
Jasmine scent.
Extremely pale.
Yet it felt very familiar.
“The sachets were made by Granny Li from the east of the city,” Zheng Yi said in a low voice. “She started selling these sachets last winter, specifically to pregnant women, saying they could help with pregnancy.”
Zhao Sanhuai's eyes lit up:
"Old Lady Li! I know her! Her house is at the end of the narrow alley in the east of the city. She sells sachets, mugwort, and red ropes..."
Zheng Yi nodded:
Go ask.
Zhao Sanhuai turned and left, his footsteps echoing in the alley.
Zheng Yi did not go with them.
He walked to the cradle.
The cradle was made of elm wood, its edges worn smooth, indicating frequent use. Inside, it was empty except for the red bib embroidered with a little tiger. Half-soaked in blood, the stitches crooked, yet each stitch showed meticulous care. He picked up the bib, his fingertips gently tracing the three characters:
"Stone Treasure".
The stitching is rough.
But he was extremely serious.
Zheng Yi put the bib back into the cradle.
Turn around.
His gaze fell on the broken porcelain bowl in the corner.
The bowl shattered into seven or eight pieces, and the porridge spilled all over the floor, frozen into ice crystals. There was a small patch of porridge at the bottom of the bowl that hadn't been completely spilled, and a clear fingerprint on the surface of the porridge.
He squatted down.
The fingerprints are very small, indicating a woman.
There was a faint herbal scent between my fingers.
He extended his right index finger and made a vague gesture in the air.
Fine golden threads seeped from the fingertips and landed on the fingerprints.
The fingerprints glowed with a very faint light.
A faint fluctuation of spiritual energy traveled back to his fingertips along the golden thread.
"Peak of the ninth level of Qi Refining," Zheng Yi said in a low voice. "There are calluses on his left index finger. He likes to pick things up with his thumb and index finger. His nails are very short, and there is a scent of jasmine and mugwort between his fingers."
He stood up.
My gaze swept across the room:
"The murderer is a woman."
Peak of the ninth level of Qi Refining.
"left handed."
"I am familiar with Wang Shitou and his wife."
“I knocked on the door around midnight last night, and Wang Shitou opened it himself.”
"After entering, knock Wang Shitou unconscious, then kill the woman, and finally rip out her heart."
"They took the child away."
He looked towards the door.
The snow is still falling.
Fine and dense.
It landed in the alley.
It fell onto the bloodstains.
It landed on the top of his head.
He spoke in a low voice, as if making a promise to the corpse, or perhaps just speaking to himself:
"I will find you."
"We will also... find the child."
Outside.
Zhao Sanhuai's footsteps grew louder as they approached.
He rushed into the house, panting:
"Sir! Granny Li has confessed!"
Zheng Yi turned around:
"explain."
Zhao Sanhuai swallowed hard.
"Old Lady Li said that around midnight last night, a woman came to buy sachets. The woman was wearing a gray cotton-padded jacket and her face was covered, only her eyes were visible. She lit three packets of jasmine incense for pregnancy support, saying they were for her neighbor Wang Shitou's wife. Old Lady Li didn't think much of it and sold them to her."
"After the woman left, Granny Li heard fighting sounds coming from the direction of Wang Shitou's house, but then there was no more noise. She was scared and didn't dare to go and see."
Zheng Yi's gaze darkened:
"What does the woman look like?"
Zhao Sanhuai recalled:
"Old Lady Li said... of medium build, left-handed, with a copper ring on the ring finger of her left hand, on which the character 'Lan' was engraved."
Zheng Yi nodded:
"orchid."
"Go find all the women in the city named 'Lan'."
"Around the ninth level of Qi Refining."
"left handed."
"Pregnant, or... recently gave birth."
Zhao Sanhuai clasped his hands in greeting:
"Yes!"
He turned and went out.
Footsteps echoed in the alley.
Zheng Yi stepped out of the narrow alley. Snowflakes landed on his hair, instantly melting into water droplets that slid down his temples and into his collar, chilling his neck. He paid no attention and walked straight to Granny Li's house at the end of the alley. Granny Li's house was an adobe house with a wooden sign hanging in front of the door. On the sign, written crookedly in charcoal, were the words "Scented Sachets and Mugwort," the characters blurred by the snow water. The door was ajar, and a dim, yellowish light from the oil lamp shone through the crack, the flickering shadows suggesting someone pacing back and forth inside.
Zheng Yi pushed open the door and entered.
The room was small, with a wooden table, two broken stools, and several bundles of dried mugwort piled in the corner. The smell of mugwort mixed with the fragrance of jasmine was so strong it was almost pungent. Granny Li was a woman in her fifties, with gray hair and deep, knife-cut wrinkles on her face. She was sitting at the table, holding a handful of mugwort, lost in thought. When she saw Zheng Yi enter, she jumped up abruptly, causing the stool to creak and fall to the ground.
"Sir..." Granny Li's voice trembled, "I...I really don't know..."
Zheng Yi waved his hand, gesturing for her to sit down.
He sat down at the table himself, speaking very softly:
"Grandma, don't be afraid."
"Tell me about what happened last night."
Granny Li sat down tremblingly, the mugwort in her hands squeezed until the juice came out, and the green juice dripped down between her fingers.
“Last night… around midnight, I had just turned off the light and was about to go to sleep when I heard a knock on the door. I asked who it was, and a woman’s voice said, ‘Grandma Li, it’s me, Zhang, Wang Shitou’s wife’s neighbor. I’ve come to buy some incense to help with pregnancy.’”
Zheng Yi nodded:
Does the voice sound familiar?
Granny Li recalled:
"She sounded familiar... like the accent from the east side of the city. But I couldn't remember who she was. I opened the door, and she was wearing a veil, only her eyes were showing. Her eyes were quite big and watery, like she had been crying. She ordered three packets of jasmine incense for pregnancy support, saying they were for Wang Shitou's wife. I took the money and let her go."
Zheng Yi asked:
"She's wearing a ring on her left hand?"
Granny Li was taken aback, then nodded:
“She wore it! It’s brass with the character ‘Lan’ engraved on it. I took a second look at it, thinking that my wife is very thoughtful, even engraving a character on her ring.”
Zheng Yi's eyes flickered slightly:
What did you hear after she left?
Granny Li trembled even more violently:
"I heard a knock on Wang Shitou's door, like someone went in. Then... there were sounds of fighting, very brief, just a few breaths. Then there was silence. I was scared and didn't dare to go look. When it got light, I heard the neighbors shouting that something had happened, and that's when I found out..."
She was speaking when tears fell from her eyes and dripped onto the mugwort.
Zheng Yi paused for a moment, then spoke very softly:
"Grandma, do you know a woman surnamed Lan from the east side of the city?"
Granny Li wiped away her tears and recalled:
“There are several. Aunt Lan who sells tofu, Sister Lan from Orchid Lane, and... Wang Shitou’s wife’s cousin, who is also surnamed Lan and is named Lanxiang.”
Zheng Yi's gaze sharpened:
"Lanxiang?"
Granny Li nodded:
“Yes, Lanxiang. She's close to Wang Shitou's wife and often comes over. A few days ago she even came to buy a sachet, saying it was for her younger sister's pregnancy.” Zheng Yi stood up:
Where does Lanxiang live?
Granny Li pointed to the depths of the alley:
"The third house at the end of the alley, the one with a red lantern hanging in front of the door."
Zheng Yi nodded:
"Thank you, Grandma."
He turned and went out.
Behind her, Granny Li's voice trembled:
"Sir...that child..."
Zheng Yi stopped walking, without turning around:
"We will find it."
He walked out of Granny Li's house.
The snow fell even heavier.
Snowflakes landed on the top of his hair.
It instantly turned into water droplets.
It slid down along her temples.
He walked towards the end of the alley.
The third household.
Red lanterns hung in front of the door.
The lanterns hung low under the weight of the snow, their light swaying in the wind, casting the shadow of the character "喜" (happiness).
Zheng Yi stood in front of the door.
The door was ajar.
A faint light shone through the crack in the door.
He raised his hand.
Gently push the door open.
In the room.
A woman sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed).
The woman was in her early thirties, wearing a gray cotton-padded jacket, and holding a baby who had just turned one month old in her arms.
The baby is sleeping soundly.
The woman looked up and saw Zheng Yi.
His face turned deathly pale instantly.
She suddenly stood up, startling the baby in her arms, who began to cry loudly.
The woman clutched her child tightly, retreating to a corner, her voice trembling:
"Sir...I...I didn't know you were here..."
Zheng Yi looked at her.
My gaze fell on her left hand.
She wore a copper ring on her ring finger.
The ring is engraved with the character "兰" (Lan).
His voice was very soft:
"Orchid fragrance".
The woman's face turned even paler.
She held the child, her voice trembling:
"Sir...I...I didn't do anything wrong..."
Zheng Yi's gaze fell on the child.
The child was crying his heart out.
He suddenly spoke:
"The child... is not yours."
Lanxiang's expression changed drastically.
She abruptly stepped back, her back pressed against the wall, her voice shrill:
"You're talking nonsense! This is my child!"
Zheng Yi walked over step by step.
The voice was calm.
"Wang Shitou's wife is pregnant with a boy."
"You're having a girl."
"The child... is Wang Shitou's wife's."
Lanxiang's face turned deathly pale.
She suddenly knelt down.
Holding the child, she burst into tears:
"Sir...I was wrong...I...I had no choice..."
Zheng Yi stopped in his tracks.
Look at her.
The sound was very soft:
"explain."
Lanxiang cried and said:
"I...I'm Wang Shitou's cousin. We were betrothed as children. Later he married someone else, and I...I couldn't get married. Later I got pregnant, and my husband ran away. I...I thought...I wanted to switch Wang Shitou's child with his wife's..."
She cried even harder:
“I didn’t mean to kill anyone… I just… just knocked Wang Shitou unconscious and took the child away… It was my husband… He suddenly rushed in… He said he wanted to dig out his heart to nourish the child… I couldn’t stop him…”
Zheng Yi's gaze darkened:
"Who is your man...?"
Lanxiang trembled:
"His...his name is Zhang San, a rogue cultivator from out of town...level nine of Qi Refining...I...I didn't know he could kill people..."
Zheng Yi's voice was even colder:
"What about others?"
Lanxiang shook her head, crying:
"I don't know... He took the child and ran away... I... I was scared... so I held onto this fake child..."
Zheng Yi looked at the baby in her arms.
The baby was crying his heart out.
He suddenly spoke:
Give me the child.
Lanxiang held on tightly:
"No! This is my child!"
Zheng Yi raised his hand.
Golden flames seeped from his fingertips.
It transformed into a thin golden thread.
The thin thread got tangled around the baby.
A gentle roll.
The baby was rolled into his arms.
Lanxiang screamed and lunged forward.
Zheng Yi turned to the side.
She missed her target.
It fell to the ground.
I cried heartbreakingly.
Zheng Yi is holding a baby.
Turn around.
Step out of the house.
Behind.
Lanxiang's cries echoed through the alley.
The snow is still falling.
It landed on the top of his head.
It fell on the baby's face.
The baby stopped crying.
With wide eyes.
Look at him.
Zheng Yi lowered his head.
Looking at the child.
The sound was very soft:
"Don't be afraid."
"Uncle... will take you home."
The snow in the eastern suburbs of Hongyun City had mostly melted during the last cold snap before the start of spring. The meltwater flowed down the drainage ditches at the foot of the city wall, carrying withered leaves, broken tiles, and a few strands of withered grass broken by the wind. The water was so clear it was almost black, reflecting no sunlight, with only the occasional shadow of a passing crow. A quarter of an hour north of the new dormitory complex in the east of the city, there was an abandoned orchard that used to belong to the Li family. The pear trees were so old that only bare branches remained, with shriveled pears left over from last year hanging from the branches, like dried-up little fists. In the center of the orchard, there used to be three mud-brick houses, but half of the roofs had collapsed, and the plaster had peeled off, revealing the sorghum stalks inside. When the wind blew, they made a "whoosh" sound, like someone tearing rags inside.
Zheng Yi chose this piece of land.
He didn't bring a large group, only Guo Tianyou, Zhao Sanhuai, and Master Kulian. Master Kulian leaned on a green bamboo staff, the tip worn smooth, the end leaving a shallow groove in the snow. Zhao Sanhuai's broken leg had healed, but he still habitually veered slightly to the left when walking, as if afraid of a relapse. Guo Tianyou carried a roll of blueprints on his back, the edges of which were creased from being gripped so tightly. (End of Chapter)