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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter Two
I rode with several constables, spurring our horses against the biting cold wind, making our way through the dark night towards Qing Stone Town. The hooves struck the frozen ground, producing a crisp echo that resonated with each beat, as if pounding on my heart. Old Zhang's words, "It's all underground...," echoed in my mind like a spell, chilling and eerie, intensifying my unease as if something dreadful was about to happen.
In the darkest hour before dawn, we finally arrived at Qing Stone Town. This bustling little town, located at the junction of two counties, was now shrouded in thick fog, resembling a mysterious veil that made it appear particularly sinister. The houses along the roadside loomed in and out of visibility within the mist, like silent beasts quietly watching us.
Fu Lai Inn was not hard to find; it was the largest inn in town. Even in the dense fog, the faded sign swaying precariously in the cold wind remained prominent. The inn's door was ajar, emitting a strange glow that resembled the mouth of a giant beast waiting for prey.
"Good sir, you're here so early?" A small and thin innkeeper emerged, rubbing his sleepy eyes and yawning. His face was pale and his eyes flickered nervously, avoiding direct contact with mine as if he were deliberately evading something. I felt a surge of caution and scrutinized him closely, trying to find any clues.
"Where is the owner?" I asked directly, my tone stern.
"The owner hasn’t risen yet; if you wish to stay..." The innkeeper stammered, his gaze darting around as if he had something difficult to confess.
I revealed my official badge: "I am the magistrate from the neighboring county, here on official business! Bring your owner out!"
The innkeeper's face changed abruptly, as if he had seen a ghost. He turned and fled into the dim corridor of the inn. I thought to myself, "Indeed there is something amiss," and immediately signaled to my constables to spread out and surround the inn to prevent anyone from escaping amidst the chaos.
Before long, a middle-aged couple hurriedly emerged from the inn; they were none other than the owner Wang Fugui and his wife. Wang Fugui wore a forced smile, bowing repeatedly while failing to hide the panic and unease in his eyes.
"Your Excellency has arrived; forgive us for not welcoming you properly..." Wang Fugui said with a nervous tremor in his voice.
I fixed my gaze on him and coldly asked, "In Lunar December, has a man named Zhao San from Dechang Trading Company stayed here?"
Wang Fugui exchanged a glance with his wife filled with fear and confusion, setting off alarm bells in my mind.
"In Lunar December... there are many guests; I... I can't recall..." Wang Fugui stuttered, his eyes flickering as he dared not meet my gaze.
"Yes, my lord, with so many guests coming and going all day, how could we possibly remember?" His wife chimed in, her voice trembling and revealing her extreme nervousness.
I let out a cold laugh. "Can't remember? Then search!"
The faces of Wang Fugui and his wife grew even paler, but they dared not object. The officers quickly entered the inn, beginning a thorough search. I remained in the courtyard, carefully observing my surroundings.
It was a small courtyard, paved with blue stone slabs, looking quite ordinary. Yet, Zhang Lao's words echoed in my mind—"It's all underground..."
I crouched down, running my hand over the cold blue stone, trying to find a clue. Suddenly, I noticed that one of the stones in the corner had a wider gap than the others, and the soil around it seemed disturbed, its color slightly different from the surrounding earth.
"Someone, pry this stone open!" I commanded loudly.
"My lord! Please have mercy!" Wang Fugui suddenly fell to his knees, his voice shaking and his face ashen, as if he had seen death itself.
His wife knelt beside him, but a glint of malice flashed in her eyes, making me more vigilant. Just then, I heard movement behind me. Turning around, I saw the innkeeper had appeared out of nowhere behind me, wielding a thick wooden club and preparing to strike!
"Protect the lord!" the officers shouted as they rushed forward.
In the chaos, Wang Fugui and his wife attempted to escape but were quickly subdued by the officers. The stone was pried open, and a nauseating stench immediately assaulted me, nearly suffocating me.
By the light of the torch, I saw that beneath the stone was a cellar filled with bodies piled haphazardly—some were already decomposed while others were still fresh. On top lay a corpse dressed in the uniform of Dechang Trading Company; it was unmistakably Zhao San, the missing man!
"Beasts!" I shouted in anger. "How dare you..."
Wang Fugui and his wife collapsed on the ground, finally admitting their crimes. It turned out they had long used this method to scheme for wealth and take lives, specifically targeting solitary merchants. They would drug their guests' meals, wait until they fell asleep, then kill them and bury the bodies in the cellar, claiming their possessions as their own.
"Your Honor, please see, it was all my wife's greed that caused this..." Wang Fugui cried out, trying to shift the blame.
"Enough!" I interrupted him sternly. "You two conspired together; your crimes are unforgivable!"
The case was solved, but my heart felt incredibly heavy. If it weren't for Old Zhang's seemingly mad ramblings, who knows how many innocent lives would have been lost here.
Just as I was about to leave, I remembered something: "By the way, do you know someone named Old Zhang..."
Before I could finish my sentence, Wang Fugui's wife suddenly let out a piercing scream: "A ghost! It's a ghost! That old man is a ghost!"
"What?" I was taken aback.
"Three years ago..." Wang Fugui trembled as he spoke. "The first person we killed was... that old man with the surname Zhang..."
A chill ran down my spine. If Old Zhang had been murdered three years ago, then who had been wandering the streets these days, providing me with clues?
When I returned to the city to inquire about Old Zhang's whereabouts, I discovered that the Zhang family in the west of the city had moved away three years ago. Their neighbors said that the old man had gone missing during an outing and had never returned...
I stood outside the Government Office, the cold wind biting like a knife, and this case was far from over...
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