Chapter Forty-Nine: Scouring the World Relentlessly

The alley behind the Paramount had already been cordoned off by the police. Several dancers stood not far away, watching the scene. In a corner lay two male corpses, both severed at the waist. A woman holding a broom stood trembling beside the bodies.

Lu Hehuan, Ying Xi, and Bao Rong arrived at the scene. Bao Rong donned her gloves, preparing for the examination, while Lu Hehuan began searching the area for clues.

Ying Xi approached a nearby officer. “Who reported the crime?”

The officer pointed to the woman with the broom. “She’s the cleaning lady here.”

Ying Xi strode over, fixing his eyes on her. She was in her thirties, plainly dressed, her face delicate and fair.

“How did you discover them?” Ying Xi asked gravely.

“Around five in the morning, I came here to clean and…” The cleaning lady hesitated, “and found two people lying there. I thought they were just drunk, but when I got closer…” She instinctively clutched her chest. “They’d been cut in two!”

Ying Xi couldn’t help retching, waving his hand to stop her from saying more.

Lu Hehuan walked over, concern on his face. “Are you alright?”

Ying Xi shook his head. Seeing he was fine, Lu Hehuan turned to the police officer.

“Have you identified the victims?”

“We spoke to the floor manager at the Paramount. He said the victims were guests drinking there last night. They left around three in the morning.”

Lu Hehuan nodded, stepping over to Bao Rong. “Any findings?”

Bao Rong frowned, her expression grave. “Both victims are male, one about thirty, the other around forty. Their time of death is close—roughly three in the morning. Judging by the wounds, it was the same killer, using a large blade.”

Lu Hehuan fell silent, his brow furrowed.

Ying Xi joined him, looking worried. “This is Long Zhentian’s doing. Now we’re in real trouble.”

Lu Hehuan and Ying Xi exchanged glances, deep unease in their eyes.

After finishing their inspection of the scene, Lu Hehuan and Ying Xi hurried to Bao Kang’s office.

Upon hearing about the double homicide in the alley behind the Paramount, Bao Kang was furious. He threw a stack of files in their faces.

“You fools! It’s because you two let Long Zhentian escape that all this trouble has happened! Now I have to clean up your mess!” Bao Kang cursed angrily.

Lu Hehuan removed the scattered papers from his face. “Chief Bao, the killer may not necessarily be Long Zhentian.”

Bao Kang glared at him, livid. “Bao Rong’s autopsy report is crystal clear—the murder weapon was a large blade. Long Zhentian’s signature weapon is a three-foot-long folding knife!”

Ying Xi chimed in to support Lu Hehuan. “Chief Bao, I agree with Hehuan this time. Yesterday, I injured Long Zhentian—he was in no condition to commit murder afterwards.”

“If she were normal, she wouldn't have killed eleven—no, thirteen people! She’s a demon, don’t you get it? Do you know the consequences of letting a demon escape?” Bao Kang snapped at Ying Xi.

Ying Xi was momentarily speechless and hung his head.

“So you must capture Long Zhentian as soon as possible.”

“We’ll do our utmost, Chief Bao,” Ying Xi replied, bracing himself.

“We’ll also solve last night’s Old Zha homicide as quickly as possible,” Lu Hehuan added.

Bao Kang, still furious, shot them a hard look. “The Chief Commissioner is paying close attention to this case. If you don’t catch Long Zhentian in three days, you’re both finished!”

In Old Zha, the local families were used to living by the water. The winding lanes twisted like serpents between rows of whitewashed walls and black-tiled roofs. The walls on both sides were overgrown with dense climbing ivy, whispering in the breeze.

Lu Hehuan and Ying Xi walked side by side, sunlight spilling warmly over their shoulders.

“How could a top student returned from Scotland Yard fail to catch a wounded suspect? If you’d caught Long Zhentian last night, would we be in this mess?” Ying Xi grumbled.

Lu Hehuan gazed at Ying Xi’s profile and sighed. “You’re quite a detective—quick to claim credit, quicker to shirk blame.”

Ying Xi, annoyed, punched his shoulder. “What did you say? Planning to mutiny?”

Lu Hehuan shrugged indifferently. “I was just thinking—if you hadn’t suddenly grown a conscience, Long Zhentian would’ve been taken in by Inspector Yuan by now. You spend all day drifting among flowers, yet let yourself be dazzled by a killer in disguise, playing the hero in a rather awkward rescue.”

“Everyone slips up now and then,” Ying Xi retorted, though still defensive. “Hmph, and you—top graduate of Scotland Yard—can’t even tell male from female properly!”

“I may be shortsighted, but at least I wasn’t so foolish as to be charmed by someone in drag, let alone take her as a sister,” Lu Hehuan replied indignantly.

“You—” Ying Xi, exasperated, turned away. “I was just being compassionate.”

“You’re overflowing with compassion—like a monk who can’t tell demon from human,” Lu Hehuan pressed on.

Ying Xi paused, vexed, but put on a righteous front. “Since you’re so capable, why not focus on our next move instead of complaining about the past?”

“You’re always full of ideas—why don’t you think of something?” Lu Hehuan walked on, unconcerned.

Ying Xi deflated, hurrying after him. “Long Zhentian is cunning and sly, and he’s evaded arrest in over a dozen cases. Now, with only three days to catch him, it’s almost impossible.”

“No matter how cunning, the killer will slip up,” Lu Hehuan replied with quiet certainty.

Ying Xi glanced at him, hesitating to speak.

Suddenly, Lu Hehuan stopped, pondering for a moment, then turned to Ying Xi. “When exactly did you injure Long Zhentian?”

“It should have been around two thirty. When I went to bed, it was three,” Ying Xi said, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

“If those two johns were killed by Long Zhentian…” Lu Hehuan paused, deep in thought, until his eyes lit up. “How long does it take to walk from Ruyi Inn to the Paramount?”

“About twenty minutes,” Ying Xi answered at once.

Lu Hehuan frowned, sinking into contemplation.

Ying Xi watched him, puzzled. “Long Zhentian was captured and wounded yesterday. He should’ve been hiding—how could he have gone to commit murder at the Paramount?”

“I think killing those two was a spur-of-the-moment act,” Lu Hehuan speculated.

Ying Xi hesitated, half understanding. “So you mean, as Long Zhentian was fleeing, he happened to pass the Paramount, ran into the two men, and killed them?”

Lu Hehuan nodded.

Ying Xi grew more confused. “Where would he flee after killing them? Could he have left the city?”

“I heard the order to seal the city came down at four this morning. Long Zhentian had only an hour to get out,” Lu Hehuan said, his tone sharpening. “First, let’s confirm whether Long Zhentian is still in Old Zha.”

“How?” Ying Xi asked.

“Don’t forget he was shot in the leg. If he didn’t leave between three and four, he’d need to treat his wound.”

Ying Xi suddenly understood and slapped his forehead. “We just need to check the hospitals.”

Lu Hehuan shook his head. “I doubt he’d risk going to a hospital. Let’s check the pharmacies first.”

“To save time, we should split up,” Ying Xi agreed.

“Let’s meet at the café on the corner of Xinjiang Road once we’re done.”

“Alright.”

They went their separate ways.

Ying Xi visited the largest pharmacy in Old Zha, Hundred Herbs Hall, but the owner said no one had come in for wound care in the past month.

Lu Hehuan tried Ren’ai Pharmacy, but the staff said no one had bought antibiotics recently.

They scoured every pharmacy in Old Zha, but found no trace of Long Zhentian.

Standing at the café on Xinjiang Road, Ying Xi looked around anxiously. He waited a long time before Lu Hehuan finally strode over.

“No leads on my end. What about you?” Lu Hehuan’s disappointment showed.

“Same here,” Ying Xi replied, head lowered.

Lu Hehuan sighed, thinking aloud. “Could he have gone to a hospital after all?”

Ying Xi stroked his chin. “Hospitals are too conspicuous. Long Zhentian was in disguise yesterday, but after we exposed him, he wouldn’t show up as a woman again.”

Lu Hehuan nodded. “A doctor would easily spot his true gender. If no one knows what he really looks like, there’s no need for him to keep posing as a woman at the hospital.”

“So we can narrow it down—let’s check if any men came in with leg wounds last night,” Ying Xi said, energized by a new lead.

Lu Hehuan agreed, and together they headed for the hospital.

Soon, they arrived at Tongren Hospital near the Paramount. Being Sunday, the place was crowded, with patients lining the corridor. A gentle-looking nurse stood at the entrance.

Inside the surgery clinic, a doctor in a white coat sat at his desk, early thirties, gold-rimmed glasses perched on his prominent nose. Lu Hehuan and Ying Xi stood before him, their faces full of inquiry.

The doctor adjusted his glasses and looked at them. “No male patient came in last night for a leg injury.”

Lu Hehuan and Ying Xi exchanged disappointed glances.

“If a patient was disguised as a woman, would you have noticed?” Ying Xi pressed.

The doctor paused, then said confidently, “Of course. If a doctor can’t tell a man from a woman, how could he treat patients?”

Ying Xi frowned, baffled, and turned to Lu Hehuan. “Could Long Zhentian have escaped the city, wounded?”

The doctor ignored them, telling the nurse at the door, “Call in the next patient.”

The nurse nodded and called, “Li Qingyue! Li Qingyue…”

A moment later, a burly man walked in.

“Wait your turn—no cutting in line,” the nurse scolded.

The man scratched his head. “I didn’t cut. You called my name.”

“When did I call your name? I called for Li Qingyue,” the nurse said, annoyed.

The man puffed out his chest, voice hardening. “That’s my name.”

The nurse was embarrassed. “Why do you have a woman’s name?”

“My parents gave it to me—how should I know? And who says Li Qingyue must be a woman’s name?” the man snapped.

Lu Hehuan stared at him, then turned to Ying Xi, suddenly enlightened. “Who says Long Zhentian must be a man’s name?”

Ying Xi caught on, slapping his forehead. “I knew it! After all my years in the brothels, how could I not tell a real woman from a fake? Long Zhentian was a woman all along—we were fooled by the name!”

The doctor and nurse stared at them, bewildered, wondering if the two had lost their minds.

Lu Hehuan hurried to the doctor. “Doctor, was there a woman with a leg injury last night?”

The doctor, regaining his composure, shook his head nervously.

Just then, the nurse approached. “Around four in the morning, a woman came in with a gunshot wound to her leg. Dr. Wang was on duty then.”

Lu Hehuan and Ying Xi were startled, turning to the nurse.

She continued, “The bullet hit her femoral artery. Luckily, Dr. Wang stopped the bleeding in time and stitched the wound.”

“It hit the artery?” Lu Hehuan was surprised by the severity.

The nurse nodded, still shaken. “If she’d come even a bit later, it could have been fatal.”

“Thank you,” Lu Hehuan said.

He and Ying Xi exchanged a glance and left the office.

The hospital corridors reeked of disinfectant. Now and then, cries and sobs of patients and their families echoed from the rooms. As they walked, Ying Xi looked at Lu Hehuan’s profile, puzzled.

“If Long Zhentian is a woman and so badly wounded, how did you lose her?”

Lu Hehuan stopped, frowning. “That’s what puzzles me. As soon as I gave chase, she vanished—no blood trail, nothing.”

“How is that possible?” Ying Xi was skeptical. “Could she have flown away?”

Lu Hehuan paused, deep in thought, mulling over the phrase. Suddenly, he remembered the manhole cover at his feet during the pursuit.

With a flash of realization, he muttered, “Why didn’t I think of that?”

“Think of what?” Ying Xi asked.

“The sewer. She hid in the manhole—right at my feet! If I’d looked more carefully, I wouldn’t have missed such a crucial clue.” Lu Hehuan grew more self-reproachful as he spoke.

Understanding the situation, Ying Xi stroked his chin smugly, looking at Lu Hehuan with mockery. “So much for a Scotland Yard prodigy—so careless.”

Lu Hehuan shot him a glare. “If I hadn’t been worrying about your injury, I’d have noticed. Ungrateful!”

With that, he strode off. Ying Xi chuckled and followed.

The weather was bright and mild, sunlight shining onto the polished wood of Bao Kang’s desk. Lu Hehuan and Ying Xi stood before him, reporting their progress.

“Chief Bao, we’ve identified Long Zhentian’s gender. She’s a woman,” Lu Hehuan began, expecting surprise. But Bao Kang was unfazed.

He shrugged carelessly, glancing at them. “So? Did you catch her?”

They shook their heads.

Bao Kang slammed the desk. “After all that, you only figured out she’s a woman?”

Ying Xi forced a smile. “Now that we know, we can narrow the search. Rest assured, we’ll catch that vile woman soon.”

Bao Kang glared, his tone commanding. “I don’t care if Long Zhentian is a man or a woman—just bring her in! You have two days left. Whatever it takes, you must capture her!”

“Chief Bao, two days is a bit…” Ying Xi faltered.

“Too long, is it?” Bao Kang cut him off roughly.

“No, sir,” Ying Xi replied hastily.

“Then get out there and do your job!”

“Yes, sir!” they answered in unison.