Chapter 13: The Murder (2)

The township leader’s surname was Yan, and his full name was Yan Sanqing. He lived in the neighboring village, with delicate features and a refined demeanor. He had a son and a daughter, both of whom were already married. His wife had passed away early, and he had not remarried since, leaving him free of worldly attachments. He devoted himself entirely to handling various affairs across the surrounding villages, earning a reputation as an incorruptible official highly respected in the region. All matters within these ten miles fell under his jurisdiction.

When the messenger went to summon him, Yan Sanqing had just left Widow Liu’s house. By the time he arrived at the ancestral hall, it was nearing noon.

Yan Sanqing looked utterly incredulous as he rushed into the hall, shouting: “How did Old Pan die? Let me see!”

Initially, Zhong Xu refused to budge, but when he saw everyone addressing Yan Sanqing as the township leader, he stepped aside.

Yan Sanqing lifted the white cloth, took one look at Old Pan’s bloated face, and quickly covered it again. With a pained expression, he lamented: “Old Pan was such a kind-hearted man who never lost his temper or bore grudges against anyone. How could someone commit such a heinous act against him?”

“Yes, yes…” Led by Yan Sanqing’s sorrow, the entire village began to wipe away tears.

Di Jiang observed carefully and noticed that most of the women had red eyes, their grief genuine, while the men mostly shook their heads and sighed. A few even wore smug expressions, seemingly delighted by the misfortune. Just as Di Jiang was about to question them, Zhong Xu beside her suddenly sprang into action, swiftly pulling these individuals out of the crowd with fluid, precise movements.

“Why do you look so pleased by this tragedy?” Zhong Xu’s question was exactly what Di Jiang had wanted to ask.

The men exchanged glances. One bearded man immediately threw a punch at Zhong Xu, yelling: “Who are you? What right do you have to interrogate me?”

The others smirked, seemingly amused by Zhong Xu’s audacity. However, in the next moment, Zhong Xu caught the man’s fist with one hand and twisted it, sending him crashing to the ground in agony. Beads of sweat mixed with tears streamed down his forehead.

“Anyone else who wants the same treatment, feel free to step forward,” Zhong Xu said coldly, pointing at another man. “Speak! Did you kill him?”

That man couldn’t withstand the pressure. At Zhong Xu’s pointed finger, he dropped to his knees and pleaded: “It’s a misunderstanding! I merely lusted after Sister Li’s beauty, thinking I’d have a chance if Old Pan were gone. But I’m all talk and no action—just look at my frail body; I don’t look like someone capable of murder! Township Leader, save me!”

The commotion drew Yan Sanqing’s attention. He turned, cleared his throat, and asked Zhong Xu: “Young man, what is your name?”

“Zhong Xu.”

“Oh, Young Zhong. Were you the first to discover the body?”

“Yes.”

“Where?”

“Downstream of the Zi River.”

“When?”

“Before dawn, just as the roosters began to crow.”

Yan Sanqing paused for a moment before asking: “What condition was the body in?”

“It was floating downstream, submerged in water.”

“Is that so?” Yan Sanqing narrowed his eyes. “If it was still dark, how did you manage to spot Old Pan floating in the river? And why were you awake in the middle of the night? Were you fishing?”

Everyone listened intently. By this point, nearly half the crowd suspected Zhong Xu of being the murderer. Yet Zhong Xu remained calm and composed, speaking unhurriedly: “I heard someone calling me from behind.”

“Calling you?” Yan Sanqing asked, puzzled. “What did they say?”

“He said his name was Pan Xingui, that he lived in Zhuangyuan Township, and hoped I would take him back home.”

Yan Sanqing felt a chill run down his spine. Trembling, he asked: “And then what happened?”

“I agreed to his request, and then he disappeared.”

“Disappeared?”

Zhong Xu nodded. “He said his wishes had been fulfilled.”

“This doesn’t add up…” Yan Sanqing stroked his chin, frowning. “Old Pan died such a cruel death. How could a wrongful spirit leave so peacefully?”

“That’s precisely what puzzles me,” Zhong Xu replied. He then glared coldly at the kneeling, emaciated man and said: “These few men have suspicious expressions. They’re the prime suspects.”

“We’re innocent!” The men began to sweat profusely, desperately trying to defend themselves: “At most, we only lusted after Sister Li’s beauty, thinking we’d propose to her once Old Pan was gone! That’s all!”

“Exactly! Sister Li always called him ‘dead old man’ anyway. We wouldn’t be surprised if he really died!”

At this point, someone in the crowd finally spoke up, loudly asking: “Where’s Sister Li? Why hasn’t anyone seen her?”

The crowd buzzed with excitement, looking around at one another, only to realize that the supposed main character hadn’t been notified.

“I just went to look for Sister Li, but she wasn’t home!” Innkeeper Meng emerged from the crowd, anxiously explaining: “I rushed to find her as soon as I heard the news, but she wasn’t there!”

“Sister Li isn’t home?” Yan Sanqing frowned, deep in thought. After a moment, he murmured: “You said Old Pan harbored no anger?”

“Yes.” Zhong Xu nodded.

“Then this matter becomes clear…” Yan Sanqing coughed, clearing his throat before announcing: “There was only one wound on Old Pan’s body, indicating that the perpetrator acted swiftly, accurately, and ruthlessly—and must have been someone familiar to him. Otherwise, how could they approach him unnoticed and strangle him from behind?”

“Yes, yes… It must be true!” The crowd nodded in agreement.

With a proud expression, Yan Sanqing continued: “And since Old Pan harbored no resentment, this can only mean one thing—the person who killed him was his wife!”

As soon as Yan Sanqing finished speaking, the entire crowd gasped in shock.

Yan Sanqing immediately dispatched five men to search for Sister Li. When they returned empty-handed, he sent out twenty more, bringing the total search party to twenty-five—nearly a third of the able-bodied men in Zhuangyuan Township. Despite their efforts, they still found no trace of her.

This further confirmed suspicions that Sister Li had fled out of guilt, solidifying her status as the prime suspect in the murder.

Yan Sanqing ordered the ancestral hall sealed and sent someone to report the matter to the magistrate in the neighboring county. He also organized fifteen additional men to join the search party, instructing the villagers: “Once the woman is found, bring her directly to the ancestral hall for detention!”

With their orders, the crowd dispersed in all directions.

“Boss, where do you think Sister Li might have gone?” Wen Yao sniffled, her anger flaring. “If I find her, I’ll beat her to death!”

Di Jiang shook her head and sighed: “Why are you so violent? The case isn’t settled yet—how can you be certain that Sister Li murdered her husband?”

“Isn’t it obvious? Everyone’s saying it!”

“Just because everyone says something, does that make it the truth? Throughout history, how many wrongful cases have occurred simply because of the phrase ‘they all say so’? They are them, and the truth is the truth. How can you let others’ opinions lead you by the nose?”

Wen Yao snorted coldly, muttering: “In any case, I never thought Sister Li was a good person!”

Di Jiang didn’t continue debating with her and instead turned to Shu Xiang: “Shu Xiang, what do you think?”

“There are three possibilities. First, Sister Li was taken away by the murderer,” Shu Xiang replied.

Di Jiang shook her head: “Daoist Zhong said Old Pan harbored no resentment. Sister Li shouldn’t be in danger.”

“What if Old Pan had accumulated years of pent-up bitterness, thinking that dying together would be liberation, and thus harbored no resentment?”

“Hmm...” Di Jiang lowered her head in deep thought, eventually nodding: “That makes sense—it’s not an implausible theory.” But her intuition told her otherwise.

Shu Xiang continued: “The second possibility is that the murderer really is Sister Li, so Old Pan felt he died for a just cause and harbored no hatred. Then, Sister Li fled out of guilt.”

“I don’t want to believe this possibility, but it’s the most likely one,” Di Jiang sighed deeply. “And the third possibility?”

“The third possibility is that Sister Li is completely unaware. She may not even know what happened, or she knows who the murderer is but can’t speak up, so she chose to flee,” Shu Xiang paused before adding: “If I were her, I’d definitely go find Pan Yuelang.”

“Ah! That’s right! That boy is still studying in the neighboring county!” Di Jiang was suddenly struck as if by enlightenment. She immediately leaned close to Wen Yao’s ear and whispered: “Quickly go find Pan Yuelang and see if he has any news about Sister Li!”

“I’m on my way!” Wen Yao, having received her orders, immediately dashed off. After finding a secluded spot, she chanted an incantation to use the shrinking-earth technique. A journey that would normally take three days on foot was completed in the blink of an eye.

The neighboring county hadn’t yet received the news, but such matters spread quickly—one person tells ten, ten tell a hundred—and soon everyone would know. Poor Pan Yuelang wouldn’t even have the face to continue studying, let alone live...

Wen Yao grew increasingly anxious and searched more urgently. But after searching the city once and the mountains twice, she found no trace of him.

Could it be that Sister Li had already taken him away?

In her panic, Wen Yao forgot that no ordinary person could travel that fast. Old Pan had died yesterday, and his body was only discovered today in Zhuangyuan Township. There was no way the news could have reached here already.

But she was now completely flustered, at a loss for what to do, and could only rush back to Zhuangyuan Township to find Di Jiang.

Meanwhile, Di Jiang, Shu Xiang, and Zhong Xu also joined the search for Sister Li, splitting up to cover more ground in the town.

As Di Jiang walked, she realized she was completely lost. When she finally came to her senses, she found herself standing alone in a narrow alleyway. There was no sign of human activity around her, and the only path ahead was a hidden, winding trail leading into the forest. The trail was so concealed that she wouldn’t have noticed it if she hadn’t stumbled upon it by chance. Since she had arrived here, she decided to follow the path—it was fate.

Without overthinking it, Di Jiang began walking along the path into the mountains.

The mountain trail was covered with red apricot blossoms. Di Jiang recognized them—they were petals from the apricot tree in Sister Li’s yard. The flowers were vivid and striking, unforgettable at a glance.

The deeper she went into the mountains, the stronger the faint fragrance became. It wasn’t the usual floral scent; it carried a hint of a woman’s natural aroma. For some reason, when Di Jiang smelled it, Sister Li’s figure appeared in her mind.

When Sister Li wasn’t acting like a shrew, she truly was a quiet and gentle woman. Time seemed to leave no mark on her. Her usual ferocious demeanor could deter many lustful men, but her occasional uninhibited behavior seemed deliberately provocative…

As Di Jiang pondered this, a clear, bell-like singing voice suddenly rang out.

“Linking hands...

We vow to stay together for a hundred years...

If one of us dies at ninety-seven...

I’ll wait for you on the bridge of Naihe for three years...”

It was Sister Li’s voice.