Dawn had not yet broken when more than ten men, including Xu Li and Hu Li, lined up before the Minghua Hall. Song Huaijin scrutinized them, then had Yang Yun stand behind to observe their backs.
“Think carefully. Which of them most resembles the figure you saw that night?”
Yang Yun trembled. “That… that night I mistook him for General Xin mainly because of the cloak and robe. Looking now, none of them seems alike.”
Song Huaijin, frustrated, ordered Xin Yuanxiu’s cloak brought from the morgue. One by one, the men put it on, and Yang Yun was asked to identify them again. He hesitated, nodding uncertainly. “This one looks like him… that one too, five parts similar…”
Each was said to resemble the figure in some way. Song Huaijin grew weary. He summoned the runner who had seen old Zhang’s back that morning. The man shook his head. “No, old Zhang’s back was hunched. None of them looks like that.”
Finally, Song Huaijin called Yu Ming’s servant, asking them to listen to each man speak. After hearing them all, the servant said blankly, “None sounds like our master.”
After an hour of this, daylight had come. Song Huaijin dismissed them.
Qi Xun frowned. “Perhaps I was wrong. But piecing together all the evidence, this is the only hypothesis that fits. Otherwise, I’d have to believe the killer can shift shapes or fly.”
Song Huaijin’s face was grim. “Perhaps the killer hides too well. The Drunken Immortal Peach is still missing. Today I’ll search the entire station. The killer may have hidden the herbs and incense tools somewhere. He expected us to search rooms, so he cleared everything in advance.”
Qi Xun nodded. “If Lord Qi wakes with a clearer mind, perhaps he can identify the figure.”
Song Huaijin shook his head. “I asked—he hasn’t woken. He didn’t see the killer’s face, yet insists it was Xue Mingli. I don’t know why.”
Qi Xun pondered. “Only Yu Ming and Qi Ran knew the truth of the past. The Wu siblings are dead. The only one left is Xue Mingli. The killer lured them out repeatedly—he must have revealed the old events.”
Song Huaijin sighed. “I wonder if the heir can uncover anything.” He ordered a full search of the station.
Qi Xun, with Zhou Wei, returned to the morgue to examine the bones again. Midway, she remembered something and went to find Hu Li. Limping, he was heading to the warehouse, but seeing her, he returned to his room.
“Brother Hu, please explain the Eight Hot Hells in detail. I want to write them down—each hell, its sins, and punishments. There are so many names, it’s easy to confuse them.”
Hu Li agreed readily. Zhou Wei recorded. During this, Qi Xun asked, “Brother Hu, four years ago, how did your leg get trampled by a horse?”
Hu Li glanced at his lame leg. “I was cleaning the stable. A horse suddenly went mad, knocked me down, and trampled me. Luckily, only my leg was injured.”
“How could a horse suddenly go mad?”
Hu Li pressed his lips. “I don’t know. The station’s horses are fine steeds, used for military messages. No problems before. But that day, one went mad—”
He shook his head. “Later, I realized it was Guanyin’s punishment, forcing me to quit gambling. I was obsessed. If I hadn’t stopped, I might have lost my life.”
Incense burned in his room.
Qi Xun recalled Xu Li’s words and asked, “I heard you were beside Xu Li when he was injured?”
Hu Li frowned. “Yes. We quarreled over something trivial. Most people, when arguing, stop what they’re doing. But he kept chopping wood while shouting. One swing, and he hurt his foot.” He smirked. “I even gave him two taels of silver for medicine.”
Zhou Wei frowned. “Brother Hu, his accident was partly your fault. Two taels isn’t much.”
Hu Li grew displeased. “If you say that, then when I was injured, everyone nearby should have paid me silver, too. I never blamed anyone.”
Qi Xun caught something odd. “What do you mean? Were many people around when you were hurt?”
Hu Li nodded. “Yes. Many were cleaning the stable. The horse went mad suddenly. I could even say it was startled by them.” He grew impatient with the questioning, quickly finished his account, and said he had work to do before leaving.
Qi Xun carried the notes back toward the morgue, murmuring, “It’s strange—each time they were injured, the other happened to be nearby.” Then she added, “But the station only has so many people, and most tasks are fixed. Perhaps it was just a coincidence.”
Zhou Wei agreed. At the morgue, facing five corpses, Qi Xun fell into thought again.
“Lord Yu’s body was examined most thoroughly—no omissions there. General Xin and old Zhang left almost no direct clues tied to the killer. As for the Wu siblings…” She walked to Wu Yue’s remains, examining the skull near the ear openings. “Wu Yue’s ear bones look different on each side. It doesn’t seem like an injury.”
She was skilled at identifying wounds, but this anomaly didn’t resemble one. She removed her gloves and touched her own ear bones. “Mine are identical on both sides.”
She reached toward Zhou Wei. “Come here—”
He stepped back. “What are you doing?”
“I want to see if your ear bones are symmetrical. If ours are the same, then his are abnormal—perhaps from illness, perhaps congenital, but different from ordinary people.”
Zhou Wei blushed, covering his ears. “I’ll check myself.”
Qi Xun clicked her tongue. “So fussy, like a girl.” But she didn’t press further.
Zhou Wei felt his ears and nodded. “Both sides are the same.”
“Strange.” Qi Xun examined Wu Yue’s bones again. “His left side is missing a piece compared to the right, unlike normal people. Wouldn’t that affect hearing?”
Zhou Wei frowned. “But no one ever said Wu Yue had ear problems.”
Qi Xun sensed something wrong and summoned Xie Nanke. When he arrived, she asked, “In the village, did anyone mention Wu Yue’s childhood illnesses?”
Xie Nanke said, “They said he was born weak, always coughing, with a congenital condition. He relied on medicine.”
Qi Xun and Zhou Wei exchanged a look. “Not an ear ailment?”
Xie Nanke shook his head firmly. “No. I’m sure.”
Qi Xun stared at the odd bones, puzzled. Then she thought of someone else. “Where is Doctor Shen? He knows medicine—perhaps he can identify Wu Yue’s condition.”
Xie Nanke replied, “He visited Lord Qi this morning. He should be at the young heir’s quarters now.”
Qi Xun hesitated. “Then we must ask Lord Song to request Doctor Shen.”
Feeling her own authority too slight, she left with Xie Nanke. By now, it was nearly noon. The station was in chaos as soldiers searched every corner—empty rooms, unused warehouses, neglected spaces—no place was spared.
On the way, Qi Xun saw Yang Fei leading men from Tanzhou’s yamen in the search, with Li Yang and Xu Li guiding and unlocking doors.
Behind her, Xie Nanke said, “Lord Yang works hard. He watched over Lord Qi all night, and now continues without rest.”
Qi Xun pressed her lips. “With so many dead, he fears the case will harm his career. And I think his ties to Lord Qi are deeper than he admits—perhaps he does it for him.”
They could not know Yang Fei’s true thoughts. Following the corridor east, they found Song Huaijin outside the east gate. Hearing their request for Shen Lin’s help, he accompanied them to Fu Jue’s quarters.
Inside the warm chamber, Fu Jue was surprised. “Why do you need Shen Lin?”
Song Huaijin explained, “During autopsy, one body showed an unusual bone structure. Our coroner knows only basic medicine. We want Doctor Shen to examine it.”
Fu Jue glanced toward the courtyard gate, then nodded. “Shen Lin, go.”
Shen Lin agreed. Leaving the courtyard, he saw Qi Xun and looked her over briefly. Qi Xun greeted him politely. “I must trouble you, Doctor Shen.”
Shen Lin replied warmly, “It’s no trouble.”
They returned to the morgue. At the sight of Wu Yue’s remains, Shen Lin immediately noticed the anomaly in the ear bones. He bent to examine closely, then straightened. “This is congenital, not acquired. With such ear bones, this person was likely born with weak hearing—perhaps even deaf in the left ear.”
Congenital deafness! Qi Xun’s brows furrowed. “How could that be? Was Wu Yue reclusive because of deafness?”
Xie Nanke frowned. “Villages breed gossip—it’s possible. But I spent all yesterday asking around, and no one mentioned ear problems.”
Song Huaijin said, “Didn’t one family nearly marry Wu Shuang? They must have known the siblings best. Go back to the village at once. Find out if it was deafness.”
Xie Nanke obeyed. The others remained, faces grave. Song Huaijin said, “If Wu Yue wasn’t deaf, then… is this body not his?”
Qi Xun was stunned. “When villagers found him, he carried the Wu family’s key. They tested it—it opened the Wu house. If this isn’t Wu Yue, then who is it? Could the case involve the villagers too?”
Song Huaijin ground his teeth. “We’ll see when Nanke returns. I don’t believe the villagers would dare such trickery.”
The village was near, but in heavy snow, Xie Nanke’s trip would take time. Meanwhile, Song Huaijin continued searching the station, and Qi Xun re-examined the other corpses.
By dusk, Song Huaijin returned, having found nothing.
Qi Xun shook her head. “The other remains are consistent. What troubles me is this: Wu Yue returned to the village, sought his sister, and soon after, his body was found. If these bones aren’t his, then where is the real Wu Yue? His sister was murdered—did he not seek her after?”
Wu Yue… Wu Yue… Qi Xun pondered the name all day. Then she recalled Xie Nanke’s words: Wu Yue’s master was a wandering teacher, skilled in everything—especially tricks and martial arts. Her heart jolted. “Could it be—the real Wu Yue escaped? And now he’s returned for revenge?”
Song Huaijin thought the same, but looking at the pale bones, he said, “Wu Yue is dead in everyone’s eyes. If he staged this, he must have changed his name and lived as another. That’s no easy feat. Let’s wait for Nanke.”
Qi Xun’s eyes trembled. “If Wu Yue had no choice but to abandon his identity… perhaps renaming himself was the only way.”
After half an hour, Xie Nanke returned, chilled. He drank hot tea before speaking. “I asked—and found proof. An old village doctor’s prescription for Wu Yue. It was never an ear ailment, only congenital weakness.”
He produced a yellowed paper. “Brother Li found it in his old house. He often helped the siblings and bought medicine. He swears Wu Yue was never deaf. If he had been, he would have noticed long ago.”
Qi Xun was shaken. “Then these bones truly aren’t Wu Yue?!”
Everyone’s faces darkened. None had expected such a twist. Just then, a clear voice came from outside.
“It is indeed not Wu Yue—”
They turned to see Lin Wei pushing Fu Jue inside.
Song Huaijin was startled. “Heir, what do you mean?”
Fu Jue held a pigeon dispatch. “News from the capital has arrived. I had Xue Mingli investigated. He was indeed a fellow scholar with Yu Ming and Qi Ran. And—”
“At the Ministry of Rites, there remains a suppressed letter of accusation. It states Xue Mingli was born deaf in his left ear. By law, the disabled cannot sit for the exams—”
“So these bones belong to Xue Mingli!”
Qi Xun couldn’t hold back. “Then Qi Ran was wrong. The one who returned for revenge was never Xue Mingli. He died twelve years ago. His body carried the Wu family’s key, making all believe he was Wu Yue. The killer was—”
“Wu Yue.” Fu Jue looked at Qi Xun and said softly.