"Dong."
Just as Lu Wuxie retracted his hand, a dull thud echoed from outside the mud wall.
Zhong Li exchanged a glance with him, and the two, one on each side, skirted around the house and rushed towards the source of the sound.
"Someone was here! And they were limping!" Zhong Li exclaimed, standing outside the mud wall and observing the distinct, uneven footprints left on its surface.
Lu Wuxie picked up the pebble he had just discarded, noticing the faint traces of blood on it. His gaze rapidly scanned the surroundings, until he spotted faint, fresh bloodstains on the straw in the northern direction. With a casual wave behind him, he signaled.
Simultaneously, a person ran out from not far away, cupping his fists and standing beside Lu Wuxie.
"Pursue him. He can't have run far. Remember, bring him back alive," he instructed.
The man, obeying the command, moved swiftly towards the direction Lu Wuxie was fixated upon.
As rustling sounds emerged from the haystack, a man dressed as a farmer was tossed before Lu Wuxie and Zhong Li.
Lu Wuxie looked at the farmer's injured and bleeding cheek, then at the uneven gait indicated by his footwear, one with a thick sole and the other thin. He confirmed that this was the man who had been observing them from his prone position.
"What were you doing here just now?" he asked, his expression as nonchalant as ever, yet his tone was chillingly stern.
Zhong Li's gaze swept over the farmer. He was dressed reasonably cleanly, but his long-sleeved fine jacket and hemp trousers seemed somewhat out of place for the season. She then looked at his wrists; though mostly concealed by his sleeves, it was still evident that he was gaunt, his skin stretched tight over bone.
"You must have been here to steal meat, right?"
She saw through the farmer's intentions in a single sentence.
The farmer stiffened, about to offer a denial, when Zhong Li, wearing a glove, seized his jaw.
The farmer was forced to open his mouth.
Zhong Li examined his uneven teeth and said, "Someone who can't afford summer clothes has money to eat meat?"
The farmer's heart raced. He quickly licked the meat from between his teeth and swallowed it, then stammered, "Your Excellency... I didn't know who you were, sir, but I was truly desperate and came to Miao Jie's house for food. I beg you to spare me... spare me this once."
The laws of the Southern Yue Kingdom were widely known among the populace. From officials to the poorest citizens, everyone knew that murder was punishable by death, and theft by detention.
And this farmer was no exception. He looked at Lu Wuxie's fine robes, the red fish pouch hanging from his waist, and though he didn't know his exact position, he knew that stealing from someone's property meant accountability.
Zhong Li looked at the gaunt man before her, recalling the difficult times she and her adoptive father had spent, barely having enough to eat in Anding County. A hint of sympathy welled up within her.
She softened the sternness in her eyes and asked, "You know this is Miao Jie's house?"
The farmer blinked and looked back at Zhong Li. Although he didn't understand the reason for her sudden question, he knew the principle of leniency for confession. He nodded in response.
Zhong Li glanced back at the mud wall behind them, thinking of the meat in the earthenware jars. "Did you break those jars too?"
In fact, when she had examined the meat in the jars, she noticed that the jars were not as dusty as the mud house. Some of the cracked edges were even brand new. Based on the presence of flies and gnats, she had concluded that these jars had been broken recently.
Later, she inadvertently saw the faint reflection of a person in the broken earthenware jar filled with dirty water at Lu Wuxie's feet, and she had a rough idea.
"Yes!" the farmer confessed truthfully.
"What is your name?" Zhong Li asked again.
"I... I am called A Cheng!"
"A Cheng." Zhong Li looked at A Cheng with a hint of pity in her eyes. "Do you know that the meat you ate might very well be human flesh?"
"What?" A Cheng, whose expression had been somewhat composed moments before, now had his pupils wide with disbelief.
Immediately, he seemed to realize something and shoved his hands into his mouth, desperately trying to induce vomiting.
With a series of retching sounds, the little meat that had been in A Cheng's stomach emerged, along with stomach acid.
After A Cheng had finished vomiting and regained some composure, Zhong Li spoke again, "Are you feeling better? I have a question for you."
A Cheng was timid by nature, and after that scare, he had become exceptionally compliant. He nodded tremulously, gesturing for Zhong Li to continue.
"Do you know who lived here before, or do you recognize them?" Zhong Li inquired.
A Cheng nodded and replied, "To..."
He scratched his head, unsure how to address Zhong Li, then glanced at Lu Wuxie, who had returned to his usual nonchalant demeanor. "To answer the young official, not only do I know them, but if I reckon correctly, A Cheng and Miao Jie were good brothers who spent a long time together."
Hearing A Cheng's answer, a flicker of expectation ignited in Zhong Li's heart. "So you knew Miao Jie wasn't here long ago and came specifically to steal?"
"I... I... was truly desperate!" A Cheng's voice cracked with tears. He sighed, "Last year, both my parents passed away, and this land has not been cultivated since. This year, I simply had no other options. Remembering that Miao Jie had left and there were still some earthenware jars in the courtyard, I came with the hope of just trying.
Perhaps Heaven took pity on me. I broke one of the jars and found it was filled with meat. That's why I've been stealing food every day. If I had known this stuff was... *cough*..."
Mid-sentence, A Cheng recalled the meat and couldn't help but gag.
"Since you were good friends with Miao Jie, when did he move away, and why?" Zhong Li asked.
A Cheng thought for a moment, then counted on his fingers for a while, holding up both hands. "Ten years. Ten years ago, Miao Jie left here for the city. As for the reason..."
He stole a glance at Zhong Li, wanting to speak but hesitating.
"It was because of Peng Yong, wasn't it?" Zhong Li voiced his unspoken thought.
A Cheng nodded.
"How much do you know about what happened back then? Since you knew Miao Jie, you must have been familiar with Peng Yong too. What kind of person was Peng Yong?" Zhong Li posed the question that had been bothering her.
A Cheng was surprised that the official before him would ask about Peng Yong from ten years ago. He thought for a moment and said, "Although everyone says Peng Yong committed murder, I always felt that Peng Yong wasn't that kind of person."
"In what way?"
A Cheng's words piqued not only Zhong Li's curiosity but also Lu Wuxie's interest, who had appeared indifferent until then.
"Peng Yong was known as a fool around here," A Cheng replied truthfully.
A fool?
Zhong Li could never have imagined that A Cheng would utter those words. The case of the Red Coral Lotus Hairpin, according to the case files, indicated that the perpetrator was a ruthless and highly intelligent individual, who was merely unlucky enough to slip up in Shuang'er's case.
Even so, it didn't diminish his intelligence. After all, a killer who knew how to escape the scene, conceal the murder weapon and evidence, and evade the Dali Temple's search, how could he be a fool?
As expected, Lu Wuxie and Zhong Li shared the same thought.
He strode a few steps forward, stopping before A Cheng. "How was he a fool? Tell us."