Qin Guan's heart skipped a beat at these words, yet her expression remained composed. "People have long said I have a tough fate. After my parents passed away, some claimed my soul departed with them, while others said I carry an aura of misfortune. I wonder if that's why the Daoist cannot discern anything..."
Zhang Daoshi looked at Qin Guan and suddenly smiled. As a Daoist himself, he knew many of the Moon Worship Sect's practices originated from Daoism. Naturally, he didn't accept Qin Guan's explanation, but since she offered it, why should he refute it?
"So that's how it is. Perhaps that is indeed the reason."
Seeing that Zhang Daoshi showed no intention of probing further, Qin Guan finally relaxed. Zhang Daoshi possessed some spiritual insight and might genuinely detect something. But as long as he harbored no malicious intent to investigate deeply, she had nothing to fear. Moreover, her status had changed now—even if Zhang Daoshi revealed something, no one would believe him.
"Zhang Daoshi, every time you calculate, you identify three locations. Is there not one that stands out as the best?"
Zhang Daoshi frowned slightly. "It's truly difficult to determine which is best. Besides, for the murderer now, the ideal location would naturally be one undiscovered by the authorities. Let's wait for Zhan Butou to return, then head to the southern part of the city to see which spot is most suitable for the murderer to strike..."
Qin Guan nodded and left Zhang Daoshi's courtyard to wait for Zhan Yang outside. It wasn't until the hour of Shen that Zhan Yang returned with his men. Learning that Qin Guan was waiting, he came to see her immediately.
"Your Highness, I visited Wang Shouchang's friends during his lifetime. None of them knew about his earlier act of setting a fire that killed people. I also questioned Wang Shouchang's mother. She said only she and Wang Shouchang's father knew about the incident back then. Originally, a nanny by her side also knew, but that nanny had long left the Wang family to retire and passed away six years ago. That old nanny had a son, and we're still investigating his whereabouts. As for whether Wang Shouchang told anyone else afterward, his mother doesn't know. However, since this matter could damage his reputation, under normal circumstances, he would never have spoken of it himself."
Once again trapped in the cycle of being unable to determine how the murderer learned of the victims' Evil Karma, Qin Guan felt her heart grow heavy. "First Wu Qian, then Zhao Jiaxu and Wu Dequan, and now this Wang Shouchang... These individuals vary in status, from noble to commoner, and their professions differ, yet the murderer somehow discovered their Evil Karma..."
"Indeed, it's most peculiar. The murderer must be someone who knows many people, perhaps even has connections across various trades."
Qin Guan sighed. "Zhang Daoshi has calculated two locations where the next incident might occur. Would you like to go see them?"
Upon hearing this, Zhan Yang immediately nodded and ordered someone to summon Zhang Daoshi. Zhang Daoshi indeed emerged with the deduced diagrams. "Zhan Butou, I've currently identified two locations. Let me take you to see them first, so we can prepare."
Zhan Yang assented and promptly commanded preparations for carriages and horses. Shortly after, they departed the prefectural office with Zhang Daoshi and Qin Guan.The two new locations Zhang Daoshi had calculated were both in the southern part of the city. The group arrived at the first spot in less than half an hour. This site was also situated within a residential quarter—though not as prosperous as Xingle or Xing'an Quarters, it was still an area inhabited by wealthy households in the south. The alley was wide, flanked by grand residences with imposing gates. Zhang Daoshi muttered incantations as he walked, and after a moment, he pointed to a large estate. "This is the Vermilion Bird Ghost Lodge in the south. This is the first location."
Tong Yu surveyed the surrounding houses and stepped forward. "In a place like this, surrounded by respectable families, the murderer wouldn't dare commit killings here, would they..."
Zhan Yang frowned. "Have you forgotten our last mistake?"
Qin Guan nodded. "Exactly. If we assume no crime could happen here, the killer might exploit that very assumption. Moreover, according to the Moon Worship Sect's Seven Hells, the next live sacrifice should mimic the Stone Mill Hell. It's crucial to consider whether these locations could facilitate killings using stone mills or similar tools."
Zhan Yang looked at Tong Yu. "Remember that?!"
Tong Yu nodded, not daring to contradict Zhan Yang.
Zhang Daoshi glanced around and pointed in two directions. "These are the optimal paths. Half a li ahead from here, one can still observe the Vermilion Bird Ghost Lodge. The killer might choose smaller alleys instead."
Vermilion Bird Ghost Lodge... Zhan Yang lifted his gaze to the sky. Though he didn't understand Zhang Daoshi's meaning, he didn't take it lightly and promptly sent Tong Yu with a few junior constables to investigate the vicinity. By the time they finished, it was already late. Zhan Yang then led Zhang Daoshi to the next location, which lay further south, growing increasingly remote. When Zhang Daoshi announced their arrival, Zhan Yang's brow furrowed as soon as he stepped out of the carriage—
Before them stood an abandoned mill. Its main gate had long collapsed, the surrounding walls lay in ruins, and the courtyard was overgrown with weeds. Stone mills had toppled from their wooden platforms, covered in moss.
Tong Yu stared at the scene in astonishment. "It can't be this coincidental..."
They had just discussed the killer imitating the Stone Mill Hell, and now they found themselves in a yard full of stone mills. Compounded by the desolation of the place and the eerie dusk breeze, Tong Yu shivered, a chill running down his spine.
Zhang Daoshi chuckled. "Quite the coincidence indeed. Though such acts don't necessarily require stone mills, a perfect spot like this would align with the killer's mindset. This place faces the Vermilion Bird Zhang Lodge—also the optimal position. Further south, the terrain drops too low; to the north, it rises too high, and the two estates ahead block the flow of yin energy at night. By all accounts, this is the ideal location..."
Zhan Yang's heart stirred, and he cautiously scanned the surroundings. "Could the killer have already chosen this place?"
No sooner had he spoken than Tong Yu, who was walking ahead, suddenly called out, "Boss, come quick and look at this!"Zhan Yang's expression changed as he hurried forward, only to see Tong Yu walking into the abandoned mill house. The doors and windows of the house had rotted away, leaving only the walls standing. Weeds grew between the floor tiles inside, and the lintels and beams were covered in dust and cobwebs. At a glance, it was clear the house had been uninhabited for decades. Yet in this deserted space, a thick rope as wide as a fist hung from the center of the room, with a millstone disc suspended at its end. The disc was large enough to require both arms to encircle and extremely thick, weighing at least a hundred pounds. If it were to fall and strike someone, it would be fatal.
"Why is this hanging here?!" Tong Yu's face paled. "The rope looks brand new—"
Before he finished speaking, Qin Guan interjected, "Someone has been here."
Qin Guan was examining a patch of weeds. In early summer, the weeds growing inside were fresh and green, but those beneath the millstone were flattened against the floor tiles as if crushed by something.
Following the marks, Qin Guan moved toward the entrance. In the light, the traces on the ground were particularly clear: on the moss-covered tiles, there was a track resembling a wheel rut. "The killer has been here—within the last ten days. He rolled the millstone in from outside and set up this Mechanism. The killer has already chosen the sites for each subsequent live sacrifice and made preparations in advance."
The crushed grass was only slightly shorter than the uncrushed patches, indicating the killer had visited recently. Hearing this, Zhan Yang's brow furrowed deeply. "Now that we're here, the killer must know."
As they spoke, Qin Guan's gaze shifted to the courtyard gate. To her astonishment, she caught a glimpse of a blue silk robe flashing past outside. Her expression tightened. "Someone's out there! Zhan Butou!"
Zhan Yang immediately gave chase. Seeing this, Qin Guan called out, "Baiying, you go too!"
Tong Yu followed Zhan Yang but had only pursued halfway when he saw Baiying dart out, moving faster than he, a grown man, could. Shocked but undeterred, Tong Yu pressed on. Several other constables, noticing the commotion, joined the pursuit. With everyone gone, only Zhang Daoshi and Qin Guan remained in the house.
Zhang Daoshi frowned slightly. "Surely the killer didn't follow us here?"
Qin Guan also felt something was amiss. "We left the yamen and went to the previous site before coming here. If the killer had been tailing us all along, we would have noticed…"
Zhang Daoshi shook his head. Truthfully, he had little genuine interest in solving the case. Instead, he scrutinized the room, muttering to himself as he paced. Soon, he discovered a pattern on the floor—not drawn in cinnabar, but imprinted by the rolling millstone. Though faint after several days, the traces were still discernible to him.
His expression shifted as he traced the markings in a circle, then knelt to touch the pattern. "It seems this person has grand ambitions—they actually intend to activate the Evil-Slaying Curse—"
Qin Guan, who had been anxiously watching the courtyard gate, turned at these words. "What is the Evil-Slaying Curse?"Zhang Daoshi continued squatting as he spoke, "The Demon-Subduing Temple is already extremely ominous to begin with. If the Demon-Subduing Curse is further employed, this person's ambition likely extends far beyond mere wealth and status. I've only heard of such a thing—I don't know the specifics of how it's performed. Aside from live sacrifices, it requires one's own blood..."
Zhang Daoshi's tone was grave, and Qin Guan listened with intense focus. But before he could finish, Qin Guan suddenly heard a sharp whistling sound, like a swift bee darting past her head.
Frowning in confusion, Qin Guan initially didn't understand what was happening. But when she looked up, she saw that the rope suspending the stone mill had been half-severed by something. The thick cord had frayed into thin strands, and the stone mill beneath swayed precariously. Glancing at Zhang Daoshi, who was squatting under the mill with his back to her, engrossed in his study, Qin Guan's face paled in horror. "Daoshi! Move aside!"
Startled by Qin Guan's sudden shout, Zhang Daoshi instinctively turned toward her, unaware of the danger. As he did, the frayed strands began snapping one by one. Gritting her teeth, Qin Guan lunged forward and shoved Zhang Daoshi. He felt a blur before his eyes, and the next moment, Qin Guan's hands pushed him forward as they both tumbled. Then, with a deafening "boom!", the stone mill crashed down!
Zhang Daoshi was thrown to the ground, disoriented. Before he could collect himself, he heard Qin Guan let out a soft cry. Stunned, his mind reeled. Scrambling to his feet, he saw Qin Guan also sprawled on the ground, her jet-black hair fanned out across her back. Her body was pressed close to the mill, half her shoulder obscured from view. Horrified, Zhang Daoshi rushed forward. "Your Highness!"
Qin Guan's elbows were scraped and bleeding, the stains quickly seeping through her clothes. Seeing Zhang Daoshi frantically trying to push the mill aside, she forced a wry smile. "It's not serious. My hair... my hair is trapped underneath—"
Having endured years of imprisonment without losing his composure, Zhang Daoshi now felt utterly panicked. Hearing her words, he crouched to examine her shoulder. To his relief, her shoulder was a mere two inches from the mill—only her cascading black hair was pinned beneath it.
Zhang Daoshi exhaled in relief, his legs giving way as he slumped to the ground. "Your Highness, you... If you had been injured today, this old man's life wouldn't be enough to atone—"
Qin Guan sighed helplessly. "Daoshi, just cut my hair."
"If you had been a moment slower, half your body would have been crushed."
The aged stone slab on the ground was dented from the impact, and Qin Guan's shoulder was perilously close to the mill. Staring at the trapped locks of hair, Zhang Daoshi's heart raced uncontrollably. Yet he couldn't bring himself to sever her hair—after all, the body and its features are gifts from one's parents, and Qin Guan was a woman. Taking a deep breath, he stood and strained to push the mill aside. But Zhang Daoshi was too frail; it took all his strength to finally shift the heavy stone.
Sweating profusely from the effort, Zhang Daoshi watched as Qin Guan freed her hair and stood up, dusting off her clothes. Remarkably, her expression showed no trace of fear.
Gazing at her, Zhang Daoshi felt a tumult of emotions. His eyes fell on the few strands of black hair left on the ground, and he swept his robe aside, kneeling before her. "Thank you for saving me today, Your Highness. I owe no one anything, but today, I am indebted to you for my life."Qin Guan sighed helplessly at these words. "There's no need for such formalities, Daoshi. I would have saved anyone in that situation. Besides, I'd estimated the risks beforehand and believed nothing serious would happen—"
The situation had been critical moments earlier. Zhang Daoshi was positioned directly beneath the millstone, completely unaware of what was happening above. By the time he looked up and recognized the danger overhead, it was already too late. She would have saved Zhang Daoshi just as she would have saved Zhan Yang or Zheng Baishi.
Qin Guan leaned forward to offer a symbolic gesture of assistance. "Please rise, Daoshi." No sooner had she spoken than voices emerged from the courtyard. She quickly bent to pick up the black hair from the ground and urged, "Please get up quickly, Daoshi. Let's not let my maid know about this for now."
Hearing the approaching voices, Zhang Daoshi finally rose to his feet.
He had just finished brushing the dust from his robes when Zhan Yang and Baiying rushed through the doorway. The moment they entered, they spotted the fallen millstone on the ground. Baiying rushed in with a dramatically changed expression. "Miss! What happened?!"
Qin Guan sighed. "We've been tricked—"
After speaking, she picked up the hemp rope from the floor and carefully examined its broken ends. One side was neatly severed while the other showed uneven, frayed strands of varying lengths. She showed the rope to Zhan Yang and pointed toward the distant roof beam. "Zhan Butou, the murderer intended to take Zhang Daoshi's life. You should be able to find hidden weapons in that direction."
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