Three homicides: a serial rape and murder, a locked-room mystery, and a local lumber merchant killed for his money.

The first two cases occurred in the first half of the year, so they were already cold. The last one, however, was from just half a month ago. Zhao Lin decided to start with the most recent.

It was mid-autumn, and the crops were ripe. At the eastern docks of Qinghe County, open-topped boats from the countryside were moored every which way.

The boats were loaded with freshly harvested rice, weighing their hulls low in the water.

Leading up from the river wharf was a street wide enough for two horse-drawn carriages to travel side by side.

Sunlight spilled down, bathing the figures of Zhao Lin, Liang Song, He Qingquan, and Tao Erleng.

From a great distance, Zhao Lin could see dockworkers, white sweat towels slung over their shoulders and black sashes tied at their waists, bustling about as they unloaded cargo.

"Don’t push! The boat isn’t steady yet! Ma Jiu, take a few men over to the next one..."

A foreman yelled, brandishing a bamboo tally stick.

The familiar scene brought a pang of sadness to Zhao Lin’s heart as he recalled working here with Zhou Pao at the start of the year, hauling cargo.

The two of them would toil all day just to earn twenty or thirty *wen*, squatting on the riverbank to eat their midday meal. But things were different now, and people were gone.

Liang Song, unaware of Zhao Lin’s thoughts, assumed he was brooding over the homicides. He grumbled, "That Sun Zhang is a real piece of work. Dumping these cases on us at the last minute—the nerve!"

"Why don’t we just refuse? We don’t have to take the fall for this. Let him find someone else."

Zhao Lin pulled himself from his reverie and forced a smile. "You’re right, but I won’t be satisfied until we’ve at least given it a try. We still have seven days, don’t we?"

Liang Song sighed. "It’s too short a time."

The case files for the three homicides were shoddy, containing little more than a few interrogation transcripts. The notes on the crime scenes were sparse, and it was clear no in-depth investigation had ever been conducted.

Zhao Lin knew he was no reincarnated Song Ci or resurrected Di Renjie; he didn’t possess any supernatural ability to read minds.

But he did have something those master detectives lacked: extraordinary hearing.

This was his hidden advantage, allowing him to monitor suspects without their knowledge.

The problem was, there were no confirmed suspects in any of the three cases, which was a real headache.

His purpose in coming to the docks today was to get a feel for the situation.

"Constable Zhao, I’ll go take a look over there."

He Qingquan said, pointing to the shops lining the street.

With that, he untied the cloth pouch at his waist, slung it over his shoulder, and trotted off.

He moved with an agility that belied his sixty-odd years.

Zhao Lin knew he was off to collect some "benefits."

Collecting taxes was originally the bailiffs’ job. Most constables were sent to collect taxes in the countryside, where the folk were simple and honest.

But the constables, being martial men, were unwilling to give up such a lucrative prize. They used excuses like merchants resisting taxes or gangs causing trouble to stake their claim on the more profitable districts.

It was one of the unspoken perks of being a constable.

A short while later, He Qingquan returned, a look of disappointment on his face.

"Damn, it’s all been skimmed clean."

"Elder He, what’s wrong?"

Zhao Lin asked and learned that Sun Zhang had already collected this year’s taxes—and had done so just this morning.

’He screws me over and still makes sure to grab one last haul before leaving. The gall of that man.’

"Good. I’ll settle this score with him later."

For now, Zhao Lin had no time to dwell on such matters. He decided to focus his energy on the homicide investigation.

"Master Bang, taking a break?"

Down by the riverbank, Zhao Lin approached Master Bang, who was savoring some tea.

Master Bang had more than a hundred dockworkers under him. They were in and out of every street and alley, dealing with all sorts of people, which made them the best-informed network in the area.

Since he needed information, Master Bang was the first person Zhao Lin thought of.

Master Bang turned his head. Seeing a young constable addressing him, he shot up from his chair in surprise, his face breaking into a wide smile. "Constable, sir! What can this humble one do for you?"

"Don’t you recognize me, Master Bang?" Zhao Lin asked with a faint smile.

Master Bang was taken aback. He dared to stare at Zhao Lin’s face for a long moment. The man seemed vaguely familiar, but he couldn’t place him. He hesitated, "Sir, you are...?"

At the start of the year, Zhao Lin’s frame had not yet filled out. Now, he was tall and powerfully built, a world apart from the person he had been. It was no wonder Master Bang didn’t recognize him.

"My surname is Zhao. I worked for you at the beginning of the year. Ring any bells?" Zhao Lin prompted.

Master Bang’s jaw dropped in shock. It took him a moment before he managed to say, "Younger Brother Zhao..."

He cut himself off and gave himself a quick slap across the face. "Look at this stupid mouth on me! What can this humble one do for you, Constable Zhao?"

He never imagined that in just over half a year, Zhao Lin would have become a constable in charge of this very dock. He inwardly congratulated himself on his good judgment back then; he was glad he hadn’t done anything to cross the young man.

Zhao Lin waved a hand dismissively. "It’s nothing," he said with a smile. "I’ve just been appointed constable for this district. I came to pay my respects to you, Master Bang."

Master Bang quickly replied, "Constable Zhao, you flatter me. My surname is Tian, and my given name is Dabang. Please, just call me by my name."

"How has business been lately?" Zhao Lin asked casually.

Tian Dabang smiled. "Thanks to your good fortune, sir. The weather’s been good this year, so business is booming."

After a few more pleasantries, Zhao Lin got to the point. "You know about Chai Qihong’s death, don’t you?"

Chai Qihong was the lumber merchant who had died at home half a month ago.

The medical examiner determined he died during the night, but his body wasn’t discovered until the next morning. The cause of death was a stab wound to the chest, but the murder weapon was missing.

At the mention of Chai Qihong’s name, Tian Dabang snorted with disdain. "I know of it. The moment he died, his three sons started fighting over the inheritance. His body lay there for ten days before they even buried him. A fine bunch of filial sons they are."

’Fighting over the inheritance?’

A thought struck Zhao Lin. According to the case file, on the day of the incident, both Chai Qihong’s eldest and second sons had gone to him to borrow money.

The third son, who was unmarried and lived with his father, was at a gambling den that night.

Chai Qihong had been so furious he couldn’t bear to stay home. He stormed out to go drinking, and a friend brought him home later that night. Not long after, he was dead.

"What kind of man was he? Did he have any enemies?"

Tian Dabang stroked his chin, thinking. "Chai Qihong was a decent businessman, treated his workers well. I never heard of him having any enemies."

"What, are you thinking of investigating the murder, Constable Zhao?"

Zhao Lin nodded. "To be honest, I’m new to this post and want to make a good showing. I’d appreciate it if you could ask around for me, Master Bang. Find out who Chai Qihong was in contact with before he died, anything about their backgrounds."

Tian Dabang slapped his chest. "No problem. I may not have many other skills, but there’s nothing on these docks I can’t find out."

"Then I’m in your debt." Zhao Lin clapped him on the shoulder.

That clap on the shoulder seemed to make Master Bang’s bones feel a few ounces lighter. "Don’t you worry, Constable Zhao. I’ll have his family’s entire history dug up for you in half a day."

...

HUFF...

Zhao Lin lay prone on the plum blossom posts, limbs spread-eagled. Iron sandbags were placed on his head, back, and waist as he repeatedly lifted his head and arched his back.

This was an exercise to strengthen the tendons of the cervical and lumbar spine.

Longer tendons meant greater strength. The human body had several major tendon groups; stretching them greatly improved flexibility and agility, and also laid the foundation for the next stage of training: cultivating *qi*.

Having absorbed the Essence Soul of a Black-horned Antelope, Zhao Lin’s ligaments were already tough and his Achilles tendons flexible, but the tendons in his torso—in his neck, back, underarms, and lower back—still needed strengthening.

He believed in being vigilant even in times of peace. The martial way was his foundation, and though he currently had the protection of the yamen, Zhao Lin dared not underestimate the threat from the "Beards."

Besides, even if the Beards gave up the chase, Zhao Lin had no intention of letting them off the hook.

Today, Zhu Huaishan had told him that a message had come from the security escort agency: his family had arrived safely in Changliu City and were now well-settled and secure.

Hearing this, the weight on Zhao Lin’s heart finally lifted. Only when his family was safe could he focus all his energy on dealing with the Beards.

As evening approached, Zhao Lin practiced his staff forms for a while longer before leaving the Liuhe Sect. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

On the way back to the yamen, he glanced at the house on Shuncheng Street.

Construction was in its final stages. But plans rarely survive contact with reality, and for now, the place served no purpose.

’Still, my position as constable is precarious. I might need to come back and live here one day.’

’Who stands to gain is the most suspicious.’

Walking down the road, Zhao Lin’s thoughts returned to the lumber merchant’s murder. He recalled what Tian Dabang had said. ’His three sons should all be suspects, but...’

’A son killing his own father... is that possible?’