Chapter 22: Revelation! The Shocking Identity of the Murderer Unveiled!

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The madam of the brothel, upon seeing the reaction of Liu Shuyi and the others, immediately realized something. Her expression changed slightly, and she dared not conceal the truth. “It was a slightly plump, elegantly dressed middle-aged man. From his manner of speaking and behavior, his status should be quite high.”

“What kind of answer is that? Give us a specific name! With such vague information, we’d be arresting dozens at random. Where do we even start?” Cheng Chumo frowned, displeased, and snapped.

The madam shrank back at Cheng Chumo’s stern face, her ample body trembling slightly. Her sentimental eyes showed a pitiful expression as she looked at Liu Shuyi. “It’s not that I don’t want to tell you, but I truly don’t know his identity!”

“The patrons who come to our Melody House seek pleasure and entertainment. We have no reason—and dare not—to inquire about their identities.”

Du Gou also whispered, “Indeed, many people do not wish to reveal their identities or be known to frequent brothels, fearing damage to their reputations. So the brothels deliberately avoid asking too many questions to avoid upsetting the guests.”

Hearing Du Gou’s words, Cheng Chumo’s heart sank. They had truly gone to great lengths to find this man. Liu Shuyi painstakingly pieced together clues from two severed heads, leading them to the Wutong Temple, then to the Pingkang District. Now, having finally tracked down this person, they were about to arrest him.

Yet here, progress stalled.

The madam was just like that useless coroner from the Ministry of Justice—expected to be helpful, but in the end said nothing of value!

She might as well have kept silent!

Cheng Chumo furrowed his brow, inwardly bruised.

Liu Shuyi glanced at him, then raised a hand to pat Cheng Chumo’s frustrated shoulder, smiling lightly. “Don’t worry. Investigations rarely go smoothly. Besides, it’s not as bad as you think. Not knowing his name isn’t the end of the world…”

Cheng Chumo looked at Liu Shuyi, who leisurely replied, “As long as we know what he looks like, that’s enough.”

“His appearance?” Cheng Chumo was momentarily taken aback.

Liu Shuyi smiled and turned to the madam. “I’ve heard that the girls of your Melody House are skilled in all the arts—music, chess, calligraphy, painting—and are all quite exceptional, is that true?”

“Of course!”

At the mention of her girls, the madam’s eyes sparkled, and she launched into boasting and promotion.

“Director Liu, I’m not blowing smoke. Although we’re not part of the Southern Music scene, our girls are absolutely on par with the so-called courtesans there. They’re masters of all arts and excel at attending to guests. Spend a night here, and you’ll be so enchanted you won’t want to leave…”

“Stop!”

Liu Shuyi quickly interrupted as the madam’s praise grew more extravagant.

He looked at her seriously. “If they’re so talented, then the girl who accompanied that guest last night should be able to draw his portrait without much trouble, right?”

The madam hesitated, caught off guard. “Well… that depends on Xiangxiang. Each girl has different strengths. I’m not sure if she can do it.”

Cheng Chumo twitched his eyelids. Just now, they were said to be skilled in everything; now each specializes in different fields. Did the madam ever tell the truth?

Liu Shuyi was not surprised by the madam’s response. He said calmly, “Bring Xiangxiang here.”

The madam dared not delay and soon summoned a young woman about twenty years old, with a pretty face and a shapely figure.

The girl nervously bowed. “I greet Director Liu.”

Liu Shuyi softened his voice after seeing Xiangxiang’s nervousness. “Can you draw the guest you accompanied last night?”

Hearing Liu Shuyi’s gentle, clear voice, Xiangxiang showed surprise. Her foster mother had warned her that Director Liu was fierce, quick to arrest anyone who said the wrong thing, and to be careful. But this gentle, handsome man before her was nothing like that.

Not only Xiangxiang, the madam herself wondered if she had misheard.

“I can try, but I can’t guarantee a perfect likeness,” Xiangxiang said, her voice lighter now.

Liu Shuyi nodded slightly. “Go ahead and draw.”

“Yes.”

Xiangxiang was quickly escorted by the Golden Guards to a room to begin the painting.

Liu Shuyi turned back to the madam, voice regaining its authority. “Tell me, when did that man leave the Melody House?”

The madam looked somewhat resentful, glancing at Liu Shuyi who spoke gently to Xiangxiang but thunderously to her. She spoke, “He left just after the second watch last night. I remember clearly—the night watchman had just passed our door.”

“I wondered then why, in such cold weather, he didn’t hold the girl until dawn before leaving.”

“But the guest paid, and we dared not question or detain him. So he left as he wished.”

The second watch…

By then, Zhao Chengyi had already been imprisoned.

Liu Shuyi nodded slightly. “And after that? Did he come back?”

The madam was surprised. “How do you know that?”

“Don’t ask so many questions. Just answer mine,” Liu Shuyi said, using different tactics for different people.

Timid girls like Xiangxiang needed reassurance. But slippery characters like the madam had to be intimidated; otherwise, she would flourish under the slightest encouragement, wasting time.

The madam shrank her neck, hurriedly said, “Yes, he did come back.”

“He returned near the third watch. I remember shortly after his return, the night watchman’s voice was heard from afar.”

Leaving at the second watch, returning at the third watch…

About an hour apart.

Du Gou suddenly looked at Liu Shuyi, voice urgent. “An hour is enough time to go from here to Wutong Temple and back!”

Hearing this, Cheng Chumo’s eyes brightened.

“The timing fits perfectly! It has to be him!”

Liu Shuyi’s eyes flickered with a hint of excitement, but he withheld judgment and pressed the madam further. “After he returned, was there anything unusual?”

“Unusual?”

The madam thought for a moment. “After he came back, he seemed like a different person. He woke Xiangxiang from her sleep and tormented her badly. She’s so weak her legs barely hold her, yawning even now. Is that unusual?”

“You said he seemed different after returning. You mean he wasn’t so vigorous before he left?” Liu Shuyi asked.

Officials usually speak subtly, but she was blunt. The madam nodded. “Xiangxiang said that in the first half of the night, even with the scented sachet, he didn’t last long. They slept before midnight.”

Such a stark difference…

He went out once, but came back emotionally charged—so much so he had to vent it.

It seemed this trip had caused a great emotional upheaval.

Liu Shuyi’s mind raced as he heard the madam’s words.

“Does Xiangxiang know why he suddenly left?”

“Xiangxiang was already asleep. She has no idea when or why he left,” the madam shrugged.

Liu Shuyi stroked his chin thoughtfully.

“Which room were they in last night? Facing the street?”

The madam nodded repeatedly. “On the second floor, third room from the west side, right next to the street.”

Hearing this, Cheng Chumo said bluntly, “Director Liu, don’t think any further. It must be him!”

“He stayed in the street-facing room, left secretly, the timing fits a round trip to Wutong Temple, came back like a changed man and tormented Xiangxiang… This is clearly the reaction of someone who has committed murder and can’t calm down.”

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“So it’s definitely him! As long as Xiangxiang can draw him, we’ll know who the killer is!”

Du Gou nodded in agreement.

With the clues they had, it was ironclad evidence.

Liu Shuyi knew Cheng Chumo’s eagerness to catch the killer and smiled. “We might as well wait. Investigations require attention to every detail; understanding all the facts is never a bad thing.”

“Is this a brothel?”

At that moment, a clear, cold familiar voice came from behind them.

Du Gou was startled, then quickly turned.

A striking, confident woman strode into the Melody House. If it wasn’t his sister, who else could it be?

“Why are you here?”

Du Gou stepped forward. “This brothel isn’t a place for you. Go back.”

“I can go to deserted mountains and miasmic forests, so why can’t I come to a brothel?”

Du Ying was clearly not an ordinary woman. She curiously surveyed the Melody House, ignoring her brother’s words.

Liu Shuyi’s heart stirred seeing the cold and beautiful forensic doctor here. “Miss Du, have you found something?”

Seeing only Liu Shuyi remain calm about her appearance here, Du Ying couldn’t help but smile.

“Yes.”

She pulled out an autopsy report from her sleeve and handed it to Liu Shuyi.

Liu Shuyi took the report, eyes quickly scanning it. His expression changed, eyes narrowing sharply.

He turned to Du Ying. “How could this be?”

Du Ying pressed her lips. “I was misled by past experience. If you hadn’t asked me to autopsy the body, and I hadn’t double-checked, I might never have known the truth.”

Liu Shuyi frowned, his expression shifting as his mind raced.

After a moment, he exhaled deeply, eyes deepened. “So that’s it.”

“What is it? Did Miss Du find something from the autopsy?”

Cheng Chumo, hearing their cryptic conversation, couldn’t help but ask.

Liu Shuyi was about to answer when Xiangxiang descended the stairs.

Holding the portrait, she looked cheerful at first, but upon seeing the ethereal Du Ying beside Liu Shuyi, her brow furrowed.

She slowed her pace, thrusting her hips and swaying seductively as she came to Liu Shuyi’s side.

She bowed gracefully and said in a hushed voice, “Director Liu, my painting skills are not refined. I hope I don’t disappoint you.”

She extended her fair, jade-like hand, offering the scroll.

Liu Shuyi looked at Xiangxiang’s affected manner, then glanced at the curious Du Ying, and smiled inwardly.

How could Xiangxiang see Du Ying as competition? They weren’t even in the same league.

Unrolling the scroll revealed a slightly plump middle-aged man, not handsome but not ugly either.

He looked about thirty-five or thirty-six, with a black mole at the corner of one eye. His features weren’t dignified; his small eyes gave off a crafty impression.

“Hmm, this looks like…”

At that moment, Cheng Chumo stepped forward.

He stared intently at the portrait, then turned to Xiangxiang. “Does he have a somewhat high-pitched voice and always look lecherous?”

Xiangxiang’s bright eyes widened. “You know him, official?”

Liu Shuyi looked at Cheng Chumo.

“It really is him!”

Cheng Chumo approached Liu Shuyi. “I recognize him. He’s Sun Zhouming, the deputy director of the Armory Bureau. Stingy, greedy, lecherous—no good at all.”

“Sun Zhouming?”

Du Gou listened and walked over to the portrait.

Looking at the man, he suddenly turned to the Melody House’s entrance.

“Director Liu, remember what you asked me to do earlier?”

Liu Shuyi’s eyes flickered. “He also came to the Pingkang District tonight?”

Du Gou nodded. “When I ordered the roadblocks and forbade anyone from entering or leaving, I spotted Sun Zhouming in the crowd. But he wasn’t at the Melody House—he was at another brothel.”

“But that’s not important.”

“What matters is…”

He looked at Liu Shuyi, eyes burning. “As you said, the killer would monitor this place to see if we’re onto him… and Sun Zhouming is nearby.”

Hearing this, Cheng Chumo slapped his palm loudly.

“What’s there to hesitate? Arrest him now! If he escapes, it’s all over!”

With that, he led his men charging out.

Watching Cheng Chumo leave, Du Gou took out a shoe print cast he made at Wutong Temple. Without hesitation, he followed.

“Already found the killer? So fast?”

Du Ying was surprised. She had hurried here with the autopsy results, worried Liu Shuyi lacked leads and needed help.

But it seemed her arrival wasn’t critical.

She looked at Liu Shuyi, who was also staring back.

Their eyes met; the fragrance of lotus and soapberry intertwined. Du Ying hesitated, about to speak.

Liu Shuyi said, “Miss Du, do me a favor…”

…

Liu Shuyi stepped out of the Melody House to find the street filled with people.

Inside were the Golden Guards; outside, elegantly dressed courtesans and disheveled patrons.

Approaching, Liu Shuyi heard the noisy chatter.

“What crime did that man commit? Why is the Golden Guard arresting people in a brothel?”

“Didn’t that burly officer say this man murdered someone?”

“Murder!?”

“Who did he kill? We’re all patronizing the same brothel, competing for the same girl with a killer…”

Hearing this, Liu Shuyi raised an eyebrow.

No need to push through the crowd—he already knew the outcome.

“Director Liu!”

At that moment, the burly, upright Cheng Chumo saw Liu Shuyi and quickly ordered the Golden Guards to clear a path.

Once again, Liu Shuyi became the center of attention.

He entered the crowd’s center and saw a middle-aged man in fine clothes kneeling on the ground, held by the Golden Guards.

Du Gou compared the man’s feet repeatedly with the shoe print cast, then exhaled heavily and stood.

He looked at Liu Shuyi solemnly. “After multiple confirmations, the shoe prints—both size and sole pattern—match perfectly.”

“We can confirm the footprints left in the snow at Wutong Temple belong to Sun Zhouming!”

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Sun Zhouming, held by the Golden Guards, turned pale. Struggling mightily, he shouted, “I’m innocent! I swear I didn’t kill anyone!”

“I didn’t kill them! They’re not my victims!”

Hearing this, Cheng Chumo slapped him hard.

Smack!

“Evidence is conclusive, and you still claim innocence! You’re the sort who won’t accept the truth until you see your coffin!”

Cheng Chumo turned to Liu Shuyi. “Director Liu, don’t waste words on him. He’s a slick talker with a crooked heart. He won’t confess honestly. Once locked up, a good beating will make him talk.”

Sun Zhouming’s face turned even paler. Shaking his head, tears streaming, he insisted, “No, it’s not me! I’m truly innocent!”

Seeing him protest like this, Liu Shuyi squatted down, meeting the crooked features directly.

Slowly, he said, “Three questions. Answer me.”

Without giving Sun Zhouming a moment, Liu Shuyi continued.

“First question: Did the girls at Melody House give you a scented sachet? Where is it now?”

“Yes, they gave it to me, but I lost it.”

“Lost it? How?”

Sun Zhouming shook his head. “I don’t know when. When I thought to find it, it was gone.”

Cheng Chumo sneered. “Of course you can’t find it. Your sachet was torn by Zhao’s family, the same Zhao you killed. How could you find it?”

“No, no, it’s not like that…” Sun Zhouming tried to explain.

Liu Shuyi cut him off. “Second question: Did you leave last night?”

“Yes…”

“For what purpose?”

“I…” Sun Zhouming opened his mouth but said nothing.

Liu Shuyi narrowed his eyes. “Third question: Did you go to Wutong Temple in the Chongyi District last night?”

“I…”

Sun Zhouming hesitated. “I did go, but I can explain…”

Liu Shuyi stood, shaking his head. “No need for explanations.”

He looked at Cheng Chumo. “Take him away.”

Sun Zhouming’s eyes widened. He glared at Liu Shuyi and suddenly shouted, “Liu Shuyi, you know I’m innocent! Why do you want to frame me when you know the truth?”

“Liu Shuyi, you’re the one trying to harm me, aren’t you?!”

Smack!

Cheng Chumo slapped him again.

“Just like Zhao Chengyi, stubborn to the end! And you dare blame Director Liu?”

“I want to see if you can keep being stubborn in jail!”

With a wave, he ordered, “Take him away!”

Sun Zhouming was bound and led off by the Golden Guards, his cries of innocence and curses fading into the distance.

Cheng Chumo said, “Director Liu, ignore him. This man is ruthless and will be even harder to handle than Zhao Chengyi.”

Liu Shuyi smiled, unconcerned.

Du Gou glanced behind Liu Shuyi, puzzled. “Where’s my sister?”

“Miss Du…”

Liu Shuyi scanned the crowd leisurely. “She said it’s a rare chance to visit a brothel and wants to have a good look around.”

“What!?”

Du Gou felt as if struck by lightning, dizzy.

“I’ll go find her!”

He hurried behind Liu Shuyi. Once outside the crowd, his brow furrowed. His eyes flickered as he looked around to ensure no one was watching, then lowered his head.

In his palm was a crumpled piece of paper—the same one Liu Shuyi had slipped into his hand moments ago as they passed.

Du Gou puzzled over it, opening the paper and looking up.

“What is this!?”

Confusion and disbelief filled his features.

…

Night deepened.

The night watchman passed a long-abandoned mansion in the Chongyi District. He struck his wooden clapper: one quick, two slow beats, his voice hoarse.

“Midnight, third watch, all is well!”

His voice faded with the dim lantern light.

From the shadows in a corner, a figure emerged.

He glanced at the departing watchman, then turned to the dilapidated mansion, its faded plaque and crumbling walls.

With a firm kick, he struck a mottled wall, vaulted lightly onto the courtyard wall, then silently slipped inside.

Moonlight was hazy; snow blanketed the desolate courtyard.

Occasional gusts rustled treetops, sounding like ghostly wails.

The eerie mansion chilled the soul.

But the figure paid no heed. Eyes straight ahead, he strode purposefully to a stone beside a dried well.

He moved the stone, peered under it at something pressed beneath.

A cold smile curved his lips. “What genius investigator? Face me, and you’re just a fool.”

“If you want to find me, try again in your next life!”

Bang!

Just as he finished speaking, a loud crash came from behind.

The figure spun around.

The battered door was smashed open.

Dozens of Golden Guards bearing torches stormed inside.

Behind them, wearing a blue official robe and handsome-faced, Liu Shuyi entered calmly, accompanied by Du Gou, Du Ying, and a bewildered Cheng Chumo.

As they walked, Liu Shuyi said, “Thank you for guiding me. Without your lead, I truly wouldn’t have found this crucial piece of evidence.”

“So, now should I call you the killer, or…”

Liu Shuyi looked at the figure dressed in night clothes ahead and slowly said, “The madam of Melody House?”