Nine Chapters of Strange Cases

Chapter 38 Serial Murders
Thousand Faces' expression remained unchanged; his eyes were still as deep and calm as ever. "I thought I had already answered this question back in Chang'an. Unfortunately, I am not the old friend you are looking for."

Zhou Zhao lowered his eyes, concealing the unfathomable emotions within them.

She did not press the matter further.

"I need to know about the people and events in Tianying City. Who is the most reliable person to ask?"

Liu Huang's appearance disrupted her plans, leaving her in a passive position in the city. She doesn't have much time left and needs to take the initiative to make arrangements as soon as possible.

Qianmian paused, his hand holding the teacup faltering. He then reached under the table and pulled out a stack of yellow and white mourning cloths, which he tossed directly to Zhou Zhao. "I prepared this when I found you at the city gate this morning."

"I have to say, Zhou Zhao, you're a natural show-off; you can't hide it no matter how hard you try."

And she clearly understands herself very well.

She is arrogant and ruthless, and her methods are even more extreme. She can't hide her talent even in a place like the capital, where hidden talents abound, let alone in a shallow and treacherous place like the Twelve Outer Villages.

Sure enough, when he returned from the funeral, he heard that Zhou Zhao had become famous in one battle, and had not only quickly entered Tiandou Village, but also gained a group of lackeys such as Han Dashan.

“However, Zhou Zhao, I must remind you that there are always people more powerful than you. The Inner Seven Halls are completely different from the Outer Twelve Strongholds. Qin Tianying’s martial arts are unfathomable. Be careful not to lose your life. I have received orders to protect the King of Chu, and you are not included in that order.”

Zhou Zhao nodded without surprise, "If anything happens to me, you must send Ah Huang away immediately."

It wasn't that she was arrogant; because she had written "A Letter to My Deceased Wife," she knew better than anyone how dangerous Tianying City was to her.

But if she were to shrink back from danger, she wouldn't be Zhou Zhao.

She thought for a moment, then gave Qianmian a deep look, tucked the mourning cloth into her bosom, said nothing more, and quickly climbed over the wall and left the courtyard. She then wandered around for a while, as if familiarizing herself with the area. Finally, she arrived at the market, bought new bedding and some other things needed for her new home, and then returned to Granny Zhang's house.

Now that it's almost July, the pomegranate flowers in front of Grandma Zhang's house are in full bloom, a vibrant red expanse.

The torrential rain that struck the dilapidated temple last night didn't seem to have affected Tianying City much; only a few petals fell sporadically from under the trees.

When Zhou Zhao came in, he found the courtyard quiet. Not only was Xie Laosi locked up, but even the main house where Granny Zhang lived was locked up tight, and no one was there.

She thought for a moment, then carried the bags inside. There were now two beds in the room. The previous one hadn't been moved, while Liu Huang had placed the other one in a corner of the room.

A small stove had been added to the room, with water boiling on it.

Liu Huang picked up a stool and sat motionless on the blood-stained bed, as if he were in a trance.

"Ah Huang, how are you?"

His straw hat was placed on the table, his round back of his head turned away from people, making him seem more down-to-earth than his usual eccentric self.

Upon hearing the voice, Liu Huang was startled and reached for the bamboo hat, but realizing it was Zhou Zhao, he stiffly shifted his outstretched hand to a small red dot covered by ink on the wall. "I found two splattered bloodstains on the wall. Although they are both near the head of the bed, the shades and ages of the bloodstains are not the same."

"I suspect that there were two people, two different people living in this house, who had their throats slit in their sleep."

As Liu Huang spoke, he unfolded the quilt, which was almost completely stained with blood. "The quilt is undamaged, and judging from the bloodstains, the murderer should have only made one cut, killing the victim instantly. The murderer is very likely well-trained." Zhou Zhao listened attentively and leaned closer to take a look. After the first victim died, the second victim was tricked into moving in by Granny Zhang.

But the second one was also killed... The old people in the city had all heard about it and were worried that they would be the next to be killed, so Granny Zhang had no choice but to go to the city gate to guard it, and deliberately deceive these newcomers with her kind heart.

“No wonder when we came in, Xie Laosi said that Granny Zhang had brought back another silly sheep,” Zhou Zhao said, clicking his tongue a few times as he recalled the first thing Xie Laosi had said.

Liu Huang unearthed the previous scene from his memory, turned his head to look at the house across the street, where Xie Laosi lived.

"That Xie Laosi isn't a bad person. He warned us of danger several times and tried to drive us away. I searched the house thoroughly but didn't find anything unusual. I don't know why the murderer targeted the people living in this house."

"And all day long, he was the only one who helped Granny Zhang chop firewood."

Her eyes flickered, and she leaned close to Liu Huang's ear and whispered a few words. Liu Huang listened attentively, blinked his big eyes a few times, and nodded heavily.

……

The night in Tianying City was as dark as ink, and the mountains and forests in the center of the city looked like menacing monsters at night.

The brightly lit Inner Seven Halls dot the mountainside, like seven will-o'-the-wisps suspended in the air.

Zhou Zhao was thinking of exchanging greetings with the other residents in the courtyard, but perhaps because all the evil spirits in this city of sin came out at night, they had all hidden in their houses early and closed their doors.

Zhou Zhao was helpless, but Liu Huang secretly breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that this breath was longer than his life!
Night deepened, and it was pitch black. Zhou Zhao lay on the bed; the familiar smell of blood was like a calming incense to her and Liu Huang. Soon, her eyelids began to grow heavy. The courtyard was utterly silent; you could almost hear a pin drop.

Suddenly, a dark figure swiftly scaled the wall and walked with practiced ease to the door of Zhou Zhaotong and Liu Huang's room. He pulled a small piece of iron from the cloth bag at his waist, stuffed it into the crack of the door, and then gently pushed it open.

The man in black paused for a moment when he saw the extra bed in the room, then walked towards the bloodstained bed without hesitation, pulled out a gleaming dagger, and stabbed it into the neck of the person on the bed without even looking.

Zhou Zhao, who was in her sleep, felt the hairs on her body stand on end. She was suddenly awakened from her dream, and the moment she opened her eyes, the dagger was already close at hand.

They actually came tonight!
Zhou Zhao roared inwardly, and she suddenly turned her head. The dagger grazed her cheek and plunged into the bed.

Even without touching it, Zhou Zhao could smell the blood; there must have been a small cut on her face.

The man in black was momentarily stunned, then swiftly drew his dagger and thrust it in again.

His speed was far beyond what Zhu Wu could match on the stage today. Zhou Zhao wanted to dodge, but it was too late. She decided not to dodge and reached under the soft pillow to pull out the Green Fish Dagger to meet him.

The two daggers clashed, sparks flying in the dark night sky.

At that moment, the two men's free left hands moved simultaneously. The man in black flicked his wrist and produced a second dagger, while a black coffin nail slid out of Zhou Zhao's sleeve.

Another close combat.

This murderer is a master!
Zhou Zhao thought to herself, and a fighting spirit arose within her. The man needed to stand on the ground, but she was sitting on the bed. With that thought, she suddenly raised her foot and kicked directly at the man in black's groin.