My words have become law; I truly have no desire to display my divine power before others.

The night is deep.

The city of Jingyang was shrouded in a deep night.

The streets were deserted, with only the occasional night watchman passing by, striking his clapper and calling out in a drawn-out tone, "Dry weather—be careful of fire—".

In the backyard of the Lin Family Medical Clinic, a light was still on in a side room.

Dr. Lin sat at the table, holding a piece of meat in his hand, and examined it carefully under the lamp.

The meat was white and neatly cut into squares, looking no different from ordinary pork.

He had been looking at it for a whole hour, turning it over and over again, but he still couldn't figure it out.

Several bowls and plates were placed on the table, some containing raw meat, some containing cooked meat, and some containing meat scraps burned to ashes.

Next to it were several yellowed medical books, the open pages of which were covered with illustrations of various meats.

Dr. Lin rubbed his eyes, put down the piece of meat, and picked up another one.

This piece has been cooked; the meat is so mushy that it falls apart with a single poke of chopsticks.

He leaned closer and smelled it, his brows furrowing even more.

"That's strange..."

He muttered to himself, put down the piece of meat, picked up the medical book, flipped through a few pages, and put it down again.

"What kind of meat is it...?"

A soft knock came from the door.

"father?"

Dr. Lin raised his head, the tired expression on his face easing slightly:

"Come in."

The door was pushed open, and Lin Suwei walked in carrying a steaming bowl of soup.

She placed the soup on the table, glanced at the pile of meat and dishes, and frowned slightly.

"Dad, it's so late, why are you still researching this?"

Dr. Lin sighed and put down the piece of meat he was holding:

"I can't sleep. I just can't understand this stuff."

Lin Suwei sat down next to him and picked up a piece of raw meat to examine it.

The meat was soft in her hands, with an indescribable sweet and pungent smell.

She smelled it, then put it down:

"Dad, don't worry too much. Since we can't find the cause, let's put it aside for now. You've been staying up for several nights in a row; your body can't take it if you keep going like this."

Dr. Lin shook his head:

"We only need to investigate if we can't find anything. This stuff has an unknown origin, and suddenly it's everywhere in the city, and the price is ridiculously cheap. Even people who are too poor to afford meat can buy it every day. Is this normal?"

Lin Suwei remained silent.

Dr. Lin continued:

"Our Lin family has practiced medicine for decades. What kind of meat haven't we seen? Pork, mutton, beef, dog meat, wild game, even those strange and unusual things. But this..."

He pointed to the meat on the table:

"I just couldn't figure out what it was."

Lin Suwei said softly:

"So you've been preventing your family from eating it?"

Dr. Lin nodded:

"We can't eat things of unknown origin. All the meat we've bought over the years has been from Old Zhang in the east of the city. His pigs are raised by himself, so we don't have to worry about them."

Looking at his tired face, Lin Suwei felt a pang of sadness. She pushed the bowl of soup towards him.

"Dad, have some soup first. It's chicken soup made with ginseng, good for replenishing energy and calming the mind. After you finish, get some rest, and we can discuss it again tomorrow."

Dr. Lin glanced down at the bowl of soup; it was steaming hot and smelled delicious.

He picked up the bowl, took a sip, and felt a warm sensation flow from his throat into his stomach, making him feel more comfortable.

He took a few more sips, then suddenly sighed:

"Suwei, how can there be so many things in this world that I can't understand?"

Lin Suwei did not answer.

Dr. Lin continued speaking to himself:

"Our Lin family has been in Jingyang Prefecture for decades. What storms haven't we weathered? But this time, I just can't shake this feeling of unease."

He put down his bowl and looked out at the pitch-black night.

"The meat came out of nowhere, and the price was shockingly cheap. All the butcher shops suddenly appeared overnight, as if they had planned it all together."

Lin Suwei said softly:

"You suspect someone is manipulating things behind the scenes?"

Dr. Lin nodded:

"Someone is definitely manipulating things. But I have no idea who that person is or what they want."

He paused for a moment, then said:

"And that Magistrate Lü, a few days ago he specifically sent someone to remind us that there was something wrong with the meat and that we shouldn't touch it. He's an official of the imperial court, he wouldn't say such a thing for no reason."

Lin Suwei's eyes lit up slightly:

"You mean, Magistrate Lü also knows something?"

Dr. Lin shook his head:

"If he really knew, he wouldn't have just sent someone to remind him. He must have been investigating, but he just couldn't find anything."

He picked up the bowl again, finished the soup, put it down, and let out a long sigh.

"Forget it, I don't want to think about it anymore. You're right, it's not worth ruining my health."

He stood up and stretched his stiff shoulders:

"Go to sleep, I'm going to rest too."

Lin Suwei nodded, cleared the table of dishes, and said softly:

"Father, please get some rest. I'll help you with the investigation tomorrow."

Dr. Lin glanced at her, his eyes filled with relief:

"it is good."

Lin Suwei carried the bowl and chopsticks out of the room and gently closed the door behind her.

Only Dr. Lin remained in the room.

He stood by the window, looking at the pitch-black night outside, and remained motionless for a long time.

......

Meanwhile, in the study of Prefect and Assistant Prefect Lü, Lü Wenyuan was still awake.

He sat at the table with a piece of meat in front of him.

It was exactly the same as the piece of meat on Dr. Lin's table—pure white, cut into neat squares, and you couldn't tell what kind of meat it was.

But he didn't eat a single bite.

He just stared at it, his brow furrowed, without moving.

Outside the window, the night was deep.

There was only one lamp in the room, its flame flickering slightly, illuminating his solemn face.

He suddenly stood up, walked to the window, and pushed it open a crack.

A cool night breeze blew in.

Lu Wenyuan glanced outside—the courtyard was empty, devoid of anything. Only the shadow of the old locust tree swayed in the moonlight.

He closed the window, returned to his desk, and took out a piece of paper and a pen from the drawer.

Dip the brush in ink and begin writing.

He wrote slowly, carefully writing each character. Once one sheet was full, he took another and continued writing.

He wrote for three whole pages before he stopped.

He folded the three sheets of paper neatly, then took out a small bamboo tube from the drawer, rolled the paper into a thin roll, and stuffed it into the tube. He then sealed the opening with wax to ensure that no water would get in.

He took the small bamboo tube, stood up, and walked to the window.

I opened the window, and the night breeze rushed in again.

Lu Wenyuan tied the bamboo tube to the leg of a carrier pigeon.

Those carrier pigeons were specially trained and could fly thousands of miles to deliver messages to the Six Doors.

He knew someone in the Six Doors—Shen Zhaoyue's superior, someone he had worked with before and trusted.

In his letter, he wrote down all the unusual things that had happened in Jingyang Prefecture these past few days.

The sudden appearance of butcher shops, the unbelievably cheap meat, the strange behavior of people who ate the meat, and the unusual actions of Prefect Chen and the four families.

He wrote in great detail and with great care, without the slightest exaggeration.

Because he knew this was no simple matter.

After releasing the carrier pigeon, Lü Wenyuan stood by the window, watching the white pigeon flap its wings and fly into the night sky, higher and higher, farther and farther away.

Then, a dark figure suddenly darted out from under the eaves.

The dark figure was incredibly fast, darting to the carrier pigeon in the blink of an eye.

The carrier pigeon didn't even have time to coo before it was bitten by the dark figure.

"Creak—"

With a sharp crack, blood splattered everywhere.

Feathers drifted down, swirling in the moonlight before slowly settling to the ground.

The dark figure, carrying a carrier pigeon, landed on a rooftop and glanced back at Lü Wenyuan.

Under the moonlight, the shape of that thing was vaguely discernible—

Is it a cat?

No, that's not right.

The creature was much larger than a cat, entirely black, with its eyes gleaming a faint green light in the darkness.

Blood was still dripping from its beak; it was the blood of a homing pigeon.

It glanced at Lü Wenyuan, then picked up the dead carrier pigeon and disappeared into the night.

Lu Wenyuan stood frozen in place, his hand still gripping the window.

Cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

He slowly closed the doors and windows and sat down at his desk.

He stared at the piece of meat on the table, the solitary lamp, and the empty pen holder, remaining motionless for a long time.

After a long silence, he gave a bitter smile.

"They've even set their sights on carrier pigeons..."

He murmured, his voice so low that only he could hear it.

He raised his hand, picked up the piece of meat, and brought it close to the light to examine it closely.

The meat was white and soft, and it was impossible to tell what it was.

But he knew that this thing was more terrifying than any meat he had ever seen.

He put down the piece of meat, stood up, walked to the wall, and took down the sword that was hanging there.

That was the sword he used when he was young, and he hadn't touched it for many years.

He held the sword and gently drew it out a section.

The sword gleamed coldly under the lamplight.

He pushed the sword back, hung it on the wall, and returned to his desk, continuing to stare at the piece of meat.

That carrier pigeon probably won't make it to the Six Doors.

But he didn't regret writing that letter.

He just regretted not writing it sooner.

The night outside the window grew even deeper.