Qin Fang’s shrill cry reached the ears of Ming Yue. She was surprised. “Do you think something happened to Little Monkey?”
Su Yunkai said, “It doesn’t seem like it. If something had really happened, there would’ve been a commotion a long time ago.”
Ming Yue thought that Su Yunkai had a point. At the moment, however, she still couldn’t help but feel a little worried.
*
Bai Shui landed solidly on the ground without any effort, Qin Fang in tow. On the other hand, a frightened Qin Fang found that his legs wobbled. Qin Fang leaned on Bai Shui’s shoulder and said, “Next time you do this, give me a warning first.”
“Didn’t I tell you earlier?”
“No!”
“Oh.” Bai Shui patted his hand and said, “Well, are you better? We have to go back quickly. I’m worried that something happened to Lord Su.”
Qin Fang harrumphed softly. “Why don’t you ever worry about me?”
Bai Shui aimed a kick at his leg. Qin Fang jumped away swiftly to avoid her foot. Bai Shui smiled gently. “It seems like you’ve recovered. Let’s go, then.”
Qin Fang pursed his lips, grabbed her hand, and led the way. Bai Shui originally wanted this weak young master to hide behind her, or else he would get scared by the appearance of some kitten or dog. Surprisingly, Qin Fang’s grip was firm and his back was broad. Bai Shui stayed silent and followed his lead.
They emerged from the forest and walked up the mountain road. When they were about halfway back, they heard the voices of Su Yunkai and Ming Yue. Bai Shui released Qin Fang’s hand and ran like the wind into the dense forest, following traces of drag marks. She looked up to find a white “cicada pupa” hanging from a large tree.
“Lord Su and Ming Yue.”
Ming Yue was overjoyed to see Bai Shui. “Shui Shui, Shui Shui save us.”
Without a word, Bai Shui pulled out her sword and lept forward, running up the vertical tree trunk and leaping from the ground. She sprinted five or six steps up the trunk, then took another jump. Her knife cut through the large net, making a hole. A moment later, Bai Shui landed stably on the ground with a person on each side of her.
The moment Ming Yue’s feet touched the solid ground, she breathed a long sigh of relief. “Shui Shui, what were you doing earlier? How come you came so late?”
Bai Shui glanced at Qin Fang and said, “I thought someone was peeping at us, so I ran to chase them. I was wondering how a person’s qinggong[1] could have been so good. Who knew that it was only a rabbit with a ribbon. I noticed only when the rabbit had stopped to eat something. I ran over and the net fell. Normally, with my martial arts skills, it wouldn’t have been a big deal. It was Qin Fang—he also came over and even accidentally delivered a punch, knocking me out. I just woke up.”
Qin Fang looked up at the sky in embarrassment and Ming Yue laughed. It was saintly of Bai Shui to have restrained herself from beating him up.
Su Yunkai was still thinking about the villa case. Since it was past noon, Su Yunkai knew that even the slightest delay would enable another situation to occur, so he said, “Let’s go back to the villa first.”
The other three suddenly remembered the matter at hand, so they ceased to make light of the situation. The group of four exited the forest and prepared to head back to the villa.
The villa was still very quiet, with only the sounds of birds passing by and the wind blowing through the forest. Su Yunkai quickly noticed something wrong: there were many people in the courtyard. After a rough estimation, Su Yunkai gleaned that nearly everyone staying in the villa was present.
No one spoke. It was so quiet, it almost seemed as though they had all turned into dead trees. Everyone looked bleak, even from behind. It seemed as if they had lost their souls.
Su Yunkai spoke grimly. “What happened?”
As soon as they heard his voice, dozens of people turned around and looked at him with wide eyes. Su Yunkai’s heart sank. He looked behind them. Vaguely, he registered that someone was lying on the ground. He hurried through the crowd, pushed people aside, and saw that the person was Liang Fangdong.
Liang Fangdong was not covered with anything, so the wounds on him were very obvious. At a glance, there were more than twenty knives. His face was filled with fear. His eyes looked nearly ready to jump out of his skull.
However, the ground under his body did not show signs of being dyed red by blood. Su Yunkai knew that this was not the place where Liang Fangdong had died. Judging by his posture, Liang Fangdong had been moved here. “Where did he die?”
The crowd was silent for a moment. After a long moment, Yu Fenglin said heavily, “Don’t you know?”
Su Yunkai paused. “What does the marquis mean?”
Hiding behind Yu Fenglin, Shen Wei trembled and pointed at Su Yunkai. “How could you not know? You were the one who killed him!”
Ming Yue and the other two were startled. Su Yunkai was also shocked. “Why do you say so?”
“More than two hours ago, you called Liang Fangdong out alone. Not long after, a group of people who went to the bathroom found his body like this! It was you, Su Yunkai. You called him away. Afterwards, you disappeared, but now, you show up and ask us why.”
Shen Wei’s tone was agitated. He was afraid and flustered, which made his voice sound like he was about to cry. His roar was heard all over the courtyard, which provoked more criticism about Su Yunkai from the crowd.
“Lord Su has been questioning what we were doing all this time, but he never told us what he did or where he went.”
“Your subordinate can climb up a cliff. That means he can also kill people without others knowing.”
“When Troupe Leader Yu died, no one knew what Lord Su was doing. The same goes for Jin Fugui’s death. Who knows if the people in your group are your accomplices?”
“It is said that Lord Su’s detective skills are godly. He was able to solve a case regarding white bones that were buried for over a decade in mere days. The murderer has been killing people right under our noses, yet you haven’t solved this case. It doesn’t make sense.”
Su Yunkai suddenly understood why the murderer had trapped them: the purpose of the murderer was to pass himself off as the most trusted person in the villa. After being divided into groups, it was not easy to kill people. It was even more difficult to kill Liang Fangdong, who was in a group with the Marquis of Pingxi.
Jin Fugui drove his servants outside of his room because of his own arrogance. On the other hand, Liang Fangdong was timid and cowardly. He would never put himself in a dangerous situation. Therefore, only “Su Yunkai” could lure him away.
He asked, “Did the person who called Liang Fangdong outside not show up? You only heard his voice?”
Shen Wei looked at him for a few seconds. He didn’t know why Su Yunkai asked. Shen Wei replied, “Yes, we were in our room for lunch. You knocked at the door and didn’t reveal your face. Su Yunkai, are you trying to use this excuse to escape your crimes? You’ve gone too far. That voice was definitely yours. How could I have recognized it wrong?”
Su Yunkai laughed quietly, carrying some mockery and some helplessness. “The marquis is normally so cautious in doing things. You also had no doubt?”
Yu Fenglin said, “At that time, I was taking a nap in bed. When you came, I didn’t know. There were so many people in the room who were listening. They can’t have been wrong.”
“You didn’t hear incorrectly. The voice is indeed mine, but I am not the one who spoke the words.”
Shen Wei said angrily, “You don’t make any sense at all. Are you suggesting that someone pretended to be you? Well, even so, if someone did pretend to be you, where were you, then?”
“Trapped by the murderer.”
“All four of you were trapped by one perpetrator?” Shen Wei’s fear deepened. He refused to listen to the man who was currently the biggest suspect. “Come on, arrest him. After the bridge is repaired, the yamen will decide. Su Yunkai, don’t forget that you are now in the Ministry of Rites, not the Ministry of Justice or the Court of Judicial Review!”
Su Yunkai understood him. When the fear in one’s heart reached its peak, one would eliminate all threats in order to feel at ease. For example, if a poisonous snake appeared, forcing it ten yards back would not let one rest in peace. It was only by killing it that one could sleep peacefully.
Right now, Shen Wei’s attitude towards Su Yunkai was exactly like this. Since the people were dying one after another, Shen Wei feared that the murderer might appear in front of him at any time and take his life. Meanwhile, Su Yunkai was unable to find the murderer. In Shen Wei’s eyes, Su Yunkai no longer had any value. In fact, Su Yunkai posed a danger to Shen Wei’s safety. Therefore, Shen Wei’s current choice was to push Su Yunkai away.
When Shen Wei ordered the capture of Su Yunkai, Yu Fenglin did not speak. Su Yunkai felt that this was strange. How could a reasonable person like Yu Fenglin think he was a murderer? The marquis said nothing, as though he was happy to see Su Yunkai painted as a murderer.
“Marquis, I know who the murderer is.”
Yu Fenglin sighed. “I had always believed in Lord Su, but three people have died, one after another. Now, you suddenly say that you know who it is. How can I believe you?”
Su Yunkai suddenly realized that even if he said the murderers were Cui Xiu and Zhao Kang, the people present would not believe him, because he had no conclusive evidence. He had been preempted by the murderers. Even if the murderer was identified at this time, others would argue that he chose people to accuse arbitrarily. Then, the murderers themselves would speed up the process.
Noticing that Su Yunkai fell silent after these words, Shen Wei became even more certain that his suspicions were accurate. He was determined to lock Su Yunkai up, yelling, “Lock him up! What are you all doing there, standing in a daze?”
Su Yunkai looked into the crowd and quickly calculated how he would find the murderer. Suddenly, someone rushed before him, her arms open wide in a protective stance, her pretty back ramrod straight. “He is not the murderer. It’s someone else. He is doing everything he can to try to find the murderer for your sakes, yet you are all wronging him.”
“Ming Yue…” When they had escaped the net, Su Yunkai had given his outer garment to her. By this time, her clothes were once again soaked through with the blood near her shoulder blade. Opening her arms like that must’ve torn the wound, but she did not move. She also didn’t seem to have any intention of putting her arms down at all.
He held onto her arm and pulled her back. “They won’t listen. They’re already red-eyed with anxiety.”
Ming Yue looked back at him, trembling. “But they wronged you. To solve this case, you went to the edge of the cliff and didn’t sleep for two nights. To think that they would wrong you in this way!”
Initially, Su Yunkai hadn’t felt too strongly about being arrested, but after hearing her frustration and her thoughtfulness, Su Yunkai immediately felt unable to bear it. “I have a solution. Don’t worry. You leave first. I will try to prove my innocence.”
When Ming Yue refused, Su Yunkai attempted to persuade her again. However, after thinking about it, Shen Wei said loudly, “That woman is Su Yunkai’s mistress. She may also be an accomplice. Take her as well…”
“Shut up!” Su Yunkai glared at him coldly. “She is my fiancee, not some mistress.”
Shen Wei became uneasy from Su Yunkai’s glare. He swallowed the remaining insults he had prepared. Instead, he said, “In any case, she is very close with you. We can’t just let her stay outside. She should also be locked up. After we get down the mountain, I’ll release the two of you.”
Seeing that things had come to this point, Su Yunkai turned to Yu Fenglin and said, “Marquis, I have a favor to ask you. We’ve known each other for so many years. I hope that you will help me.”
“What is it?”
“My fiancee is injured. Please give me some medicine and gauze.”
Yu Fengling looked over and noticed that Ming Yue looked very pale. From his experience on the battlefield, Yu Fengling could tell that she was not in a good state and gravely injured. He signaled for Shen Wei to stop being so persistent and ordered someone to fetch medicine.
Bai Shui had been angry for a long time. She was about to shout when Qin Fang covered her mouth and dragged her into the crowd. She was so angry that she nearly beat him up. She shook off his hand and said, “What are you doing? The lord is about to be locked up, yet you’re acting like a turtle retreating back into its shell.”
“Shhhh.”
Qin Fang hurriedly shushed Bai Shui, but they were still heard. A few people looked over and someone said loudly, “Mr. Shen, how do we deal with those two people?”
Shen Wei looked over and recognized that they were indeed part of Su Yunkai’s party. As soon as Shen Wei opened his mouth to speak, Yu Fenglin glared. “That’s the only son of the Duke of Yan. Do you dare lock him up? Do you not want your life?”
Shen Wei quickly closed his mouth. Then, he changed course and said, “That person surnamed Bai, I remember that he is Su Yunkai’s subordinate. He should also be locked up.”
Qin Fang sneered. “He is a member of Kaifeng’s yamen. When did he become a subordinate of someone from the Ministry of Rites? Mr. Shen, why don’t you wash your eyes and talk after you’ve seen clearly. You, a businessman, are ordering a government official to be locked up. Even if the Marquis of Pingxi affirms this order, I am also a marquis. You don’t seem to have the right to detain me.”
His words solidified Yu Fenglin’s fears. As Yu Fenglin had worked his way up through his own achievements, he didn’t think much of this dandy, who would only inherit the position of duke. However, Qin Fang’s father was a duke. He had achievements no lesser than those of Yu Fenglin. The duke held a high position in the eyes of the emperor, so Yu Fenglin didn’t want to offend him.
Seeing that Yu Fenglin wasn’t talking, Shen Wei knew that he couldn’t hold down the dandy, so he ceased to create further trouble for Qin Fang.
Qin Fang grabbed Bai Shui’s hand and pulled her away. Once they got out of the villa, Bai Shui glared at him. “If it wasn’t for you, I would’ve already rushed over there to save the lord and Ming Yue.”
“Silly Shui Shui. If the enemy on the other side was an enemy on the battlefield, rushing in like that would be fine, because you need not have any scruples regarding them. However, in this case, they are all ordinary people. How can you raise a weapon against them? Moreover, who is the Marquis of Pingxi? He was a general who used to guard the frontier. No matter how good you are, you won’t be able to beat him.”
Bai Shui thought about it and found it reasonable, so she didn’t blame him further, “What do we do now? The lord has been falsely accused and locked up. How do we solve the case?”
Qin Fang said, “If my brother-in-law is willing to get locked up without much resistance, then he must have something in mind. I believe that we, walking about freely outside, are his methods.”
Bai Shui looked at him doubtfully. “How do you know?”
Qin Fang couldn’t help smiling with pride. “Because when Shen Wei started accusing the two of them, my brother-in-law gave me a glance.”
.
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[1] Qinggong is a common concept in wuxia fiction. It’s similar to skills in parkour, but to a greater extent, like scaling vertical walls, jumping great distances, and travelling swiftly. Sometimes, in films or stories, people skilled in qinggong travel so quickly and lightly that they can walk on water. ↩
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A Hint of Spring 
Thank you for the update.
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