Adorning Flowers by Night - Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Pei Yu looked up, only able to see Lu Ruzhuo's elegant, refined profile.

It wasn't the first time they'd held hands, so why was she so nervous?

When she was little, Lu Ruzhuo had held her and led her by the hand every day. They had even shared a bed until she was fifteen.

Why was her heart pounding like this?

Pei Yu forced herself to suppress the turmoil in her heart.

Constable Zhang was sharp. He glanced back and happened to see their joined hands.

Pei Yu felt inexplicably guilty and subconsciously tried to pull away, but Lu Ruzhuo tightened her grip, her body heat transferring even more directly.

A layer of sweat broke out on Pei Yu's back.

Only when she had fully stepped inside did Lu Ruzhuo naturally let go and stand beside her.

Magistrate Wang, a civil official, was completely unaware of the undercurrents in the room. Covering her nose and mouth with a dark blue handkerchief, she lifted the white cloth from the corpse and said, "Constable Zhang, is this the peculiar part of the case?"

Pei Yu followed her finger and looked, her heart seizing in shock.

She saw a large hole torn open in the four- or five-year-old child's chest. Inside, it was empty.

The heart was gone.

The imperial prison of the Northern Pacification Office had countless forms of torture, and though Pei Yu rarely went there, she had never heard of a punishment that involved gouging out a person's heart.

Moreover, the victim was just a child. What crime could an innocent child have committed!

Magistrate Wang lifted another white cloth. The little girl who had died so tragically was the same.

A flicker of pity crossed Constable Zhang's resolute face. He nodded and said grimly, "That's right. Several months ago, a similar case occurred in Jinzhong. Several families met with disaster, and the only common factor was that each household had a young child. It's reasonable to suspect that the killer's target is children."

Constable Zhang continued, "I've been tracking this case. I happened to be stopping in Guangyang Prefecture to meet with the prefect when I heard about a highly similar murder in Yiyong, so I rushed here overnight. It's just..."

Magistrate Wang asked, "Just what?"

Constable Zhang's thick brows furrowed. "This is the first time a heart has been gouged out."

Pei Yu spoke up, "Are there any other similarities in the other cases?" Classifying them as a series of related crimes couldn't be based on the victims' ages alone.

Constable Zhang glanced at her hesitantly.

He didn't know why a Jinyiwei Battalion Commander from the capital had suddenly appeared here.

Magistrate Wang quickly explained, "Official Pei has crossed swords with the killer and even forced him to retreat."

Constable Zhang thought for a moment. "Yes, the children in the other cases also had chest wounds, and all died horribly. I wonder, did Official Pei see the killer's true face?"

Patiently, Pei Yu repeated what she had told Magistrate Wang.

After listening, Constable Zhang fell silent.

Magistrate Wang asked, "What is it?"

Constable Zhang's expression grew even more severe. He looked up, his gaze sharp. "According to Official Pei's description, the killer is seven feet tall, a man in his thirties?"

Pei Yu nodded.

"That's right."

Constable Zhang looked at her and said, "But I've questioned other eyewitnesses who said the killer was short, with a white beard and hair. He was an old man."

Magistrate Wang swayed slightly and steadied herself on a nearby table.

"So you're saying there's more than one killer?"

Constable Zhang added, "And someone else said the killer was a woman, dressed in red, as beautiful as a flower."

Magistrate Wang sank into a chair, dejected.

Being far away in Guangyang Prefecture, she was unfamiliar with the name Zhang Jiang, the "Divine Constable of Jinzhong," and had simply assumed he was someone sent by the prefect. But from Lu Ruzhuo's tone, this man was clearly very capable. She had thought that with Zhang Jiang's arrival, there would be a chance to solve the case, but instead, it was only becoming more bizarre.

Magistrate Wang stood and gave a deep bow. "May I ask, Constable Zhang, what precautions should I take?"

Constable Zhang shook his head.

They didn't know how many killers there were, nor what they looked like. On top of that, their martial arts were superb, making them impossible to guard against.

Seeing Magistrate Wang's crestfallen expression, Constable Zhang offered some comfort. "In my travels, I've found that the killer doesn't strike twice in the same place. You needn't worry too much, Your Honor. Also, I will stay in Yiyong for two days to inquire about the details of this case."

Magistrate Wang's heart settled a little. After examining the other two adult corpses, she invited Constable Zhang to have breakfast with her.

Lu Ruzhuo and Pei Yu politely declined and took their leave first.

The killer was gone, and they weren't official constables responsible for the investigation. They returned to the inn, retrieved their horses, and continued on their journey.

Pei Yu rode her little red horse, lost in thought.

A man in his prime, an old man with white hair and beard, a woman as beautiful as a flower...

Pei Yu recalled the old woman they had met at the tea shed and suddenly turned her head. "Aunt, do you think the killer could be using a disguise?"

"Then what would be the purpose?"

"To keep people from seeing their true face?"

"If they can use disguises, why wear a mask?"

"A diversion?"

Lu Ruzhuo smiled, took the waterskin from her saddle, drank a mouthful, and passed it to Pei Yu.

Pei Yu had her own waterskin, but she took Lu Ruzhuo's and drank from it anyway.

This continued until their next stop. Lu Ruzhuo's waterskin was empty, while Pei Yu's remained untouched. But that is a matter for later.

Pei Yu couldn't figure it out, but there was nothing to be done. There were too many injustices in the world for her to manage. She could only leave it to fate and resolve that if she ever met that masked man again, she would not let him escape.

The two stopped to rest at a roadside tea stall.

The one who served their tea was a girl of twelve or thirteen. She was quick and nimble, with a fresh and lovely appearance. Pei Yu stared at her face.

The girl set down the teacups, and Pei Yu's hand shot out like lightning, seizing her wrist. The girl cried out in pain. The middle-aged man boiling water immediately rushed forward, pulling his daughter behind him protectively. "What do you think you're doing, customer?" he demanded angrily.

If she hadn't been a young woman, she probably would have been taken for a lecher.

Pei Yu's eyes were clear as she said sincerely, "I saw that she resembles a sister I was separated from many years ago. I lost my composure for a moment. My apologies."

Lu Ruzhuo, her face hidden behind her teacup, curved her eyes into a smile.

After refusing Pei Yu's offer of silver as an apology, the father led his daughter away. He brought the plate of fruit over himself, casting a wary glance at Pei Yu as he set it down.

After he left, Pei Yu said indignantly, "Why was he looking at me like that? Did he think I was going to molest him?"

Lu Ruzhuo just kept smiling.

"Master..." Pei Yu whined, slumping over the table.

Lu Ruzhuo stopped smiling. She gazed at Pei Yu's bright face for a moment before saying softly, "I know you're being cautious, but you can't just go around grabbing people's hands."

"I couldn't tell if she was an assassin or not, so I had to make a move to test her."

"Where would so many assassins come from? Is 'one hundred thousand taels of silver' written on my forehead in big characters?"

Pei Yu couldn't win the argument, so she closed her mouth and puffed out her cheeks in a sulk.

Lu Ruzhuo reached out and pinched her soft lips between two fingers.

Pei Yu's eyes instantly widened, like a startled rabbit.

Flustered, Pei Yu immediately sat up straight, stammering, "Ma-Master."

"Dis-Disciple," Lu Ruzhuo replied with a radiant smile, mimicking her.

Pei Yu's face turned beet red.

The middle-aged man behind the stove had been keeping his attention on them. Seeing this, he was shocked and tugged on his daughter's sleeve, warning her repeatedly not to go near them.

Those two definitely have that kind of hobby!

Heavens above! How could he run into something like this just by running a tea stall in broad daylight?

Pei Yu paid the bill and went to get the horses from under the tree. She said to Lu Ruzhuo, "Master, do you get the feeling the owner really doesn't welcome us?"

Lu Ruzhuo glanced back.

"Really? Perhaps."

"Master, you seem to be in a very good mood."

"I am, indeed."

"Why?" Pei Yu untied the reins from the tree and led the two horses over.

"Because the weather is nice." A faint smile played on Lu Ruzhuo's lips as she took the reins and swung herself gracefully onto her horse.

"Giddy-up!" She squeezed her legs against the horse's belly and charged ahead.

"Wait for me!"

The little red horse reared its head and neighed, its four hooves flying as it galloped into the distance like a blazing fire.

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