Once the needles were fully dry, Mo Qian found a cork, pressed the needles into it one by one with the tips buried safely in the cork, and slipped it into his trouser pocket.At least now, he had one more thing standing between himself and a bad end."This world is not easy to live in."He had just pocketed the cork when something flashed through his mind — quick, like a fish under dark water, there and gone before he could catch it.He had been doing other things all day, but beneath everything, the thread of thought about Xu Ruhu and Xie Lei had never fully gone quiet. It was like a vast puzzle, and it pulled at his attention.Just now, something had surfaced from within the fog of that puzzle — and then vanished before he could grasp it.Mo Qian began to pace the cramped dormitory.He turned it over again and again, but the more he chased it, the more elusive it became — like a shape retreating into deep water the moment he reached for it.He decided to start over from the beginnin

After two days and one night of continuous searching, the constables and yamen runners had not rested for a single moment. They were hollow-eyed with exhaustion. Even if a plan had been agreed upon for what came next, they would have to sleep before acting on it — and from the looks on their faces, no clear plan had been agreed upon at all. By the sound of it, Shen Yanliu had spent most of the meeting cursing.Everyone felt that this case was strange, and the stranger it seemed, the more quietly the rumors were beginning to spread through the ranks.Mo Qian stayed in the shadows, his attention locked onto one figure in the crowd, not allowing himself to lose sight of it for a moment.Xie Lei exchanged a few words with people near the gate of the county government office, gave Yang Zhen a pat on the shoulder, then turned east and walked away. After a short distance, he turned into an alley.The moment he disappeared from the main street, Mo Qian pulled the headscarf from inside his lap

Mo Qian went cold and still inside. He fixed his eyes on that faint light and began to move toward it. Each step was as light as a cat placing its paw — his right hand hanging loose at his side, fingers near his trouser pocket.A cough broke the silence.Ragged, wet, painful — the sound bounced off the earthen walls and filled the passage.Mo Qian stopped dead. His heart climbed into his throat.Xu Ruhu.The cough subsided into a low, labored sound, air moving with effort in and out of damaged lungs. After several slow breaths, it settled.Mo Qian began to move again.Ten steps from the end, he stopped once more, took several steadying breaths, and collected himself.Then he moved his foot into the light.His cloth boots appeared at the edge of the dim yellow glow. Most of his body remained in shadow.Mo Qian looked at what lay before him.The space was small. Earthen walls, earthen floor, a single lamp in one corner burning with a weak, wavering light. Cracks ran through the walls in

The night was still and silent.Xie Lei walked slowly to the dry well, gripped the rim, and lowered himself down.He dropped through the black hole at the bottom, crawled a short distance, and stood up inside the passage.He had dug this cave himself, years ago — younger then, restless, with too much energy and too little outlet for it.He looked at the dim light at the far end of the corridor and walked toward it without hesitation, then turned into the glow.The familiar underground space. The air still thick with the smell of blood.Xu Ruhu sat against the earth wall with his head drooped forward and his hair hanging down.Asleep, it seemed.Xie Lei walked a few steps closer and said, "Mr. Xu, I have good news. The city gates opened today. The checks are strict, but you can finally leave. I have thought of a way. Let me discuss it with you —"Xu Ruhu did not move.Xie Lei frowned. Normally, the word "leave" was enough to get some kind of reaction.A cold feeling settled over him.X

Mo Qian quickly pulled his things out and covered the rest back over.He changed into his own clothes, fitted the mask and headscarf back in place, and tucked the human skin document and the stack of silver notes into the inner pocket of his lapel.He pressed a hand flat against the outside of his chest through the fabric, feeling the weight of what was there. Then, and only then, did something inside him ease.He walked over, gripped the oxtail knife buried in Xie Lei's face, and pulled it free. He ran inner breath through his body and along the blade in a single controlled motion — the blood flew clear. He sheathed the knife.His eyes moved to the blade lying against the wall. A standard-issue constable's barrier knife.Mo Qian walked over, picked it up, and said silently: Read weapon spirit.Weapon: Barrier KnifeWeapon Spirit Level: First LevelDevouring Requirements: Host Mental Power Level 1 — SatisfiedDevouring Effect: Mastery of the Bull Knife SkillSo the technique Xie Lei h