Guo Dalu frowned. "What′s so interesting about that pce?"

  Yan Qi said, "Who says there′s nothing interesting?"

  Guo Dalu asked, "Oh? There is?"

  Yan Qi smirked. "Didn′t you just see a beautiful woman carrying two baskets st night?"

  Guo Dalu asked, "And what did you see tonight?"

  Yan Qi replied, "A murder."

  Guo Dalu stiffened. "A murder? Who killed whom?"

  Yan Qi said, "Gun Zi."

  Guo Dalu said, "Gun Zi killed someone? Who did he kill?"

  Yan Qi replied, "A suspect."

  Guo Dalu asked, "Who is this suspect? Suspected of what?"

  Yan Qi expined, "Gun Zi is searching for a man in his fifties who arrived here ten years ago. So, any man who moved here around that time is a suspect—they could all be Feng Qiwu."

  Guo Dalu asked, "Who is Feng Qiwu?"

  Yan Qi answered, "Feng Qiwu is the man Gun Zi is searching for."

  Lin Taiping suddenly said, "The Feng Qiwu you mentioned, is it the 'Feng Qiwu' where 'not even a chicken or dog is left behind'?"

  (T/N; 鸡犬不留; Jī quǎn bù liú, means 'not even a chicken or dog is left behind')

  Yan Qi nodded. "That′s him."

  Guo Dalu chuckled. "For someone with such an elegant name, how did he end up with such an awful nickname?"

  Yan Qi expined, "Because whenever he made a move, he wouldn′t leave his victims with a single thing. At times, he′d steal everything they owned, down to the st coin. Many were left so destitute that they had no choice but to hang themselves or slit their throats. So, even though he never personally killed anyone, plenty of people have died because of him."

  Lin Taiping added, "I′ve heard he′s not only ruthless but also obsessed with money—so much so that he can′t even bring himself to spend what he steals."

  Guo Dalu asked, "Could it be that he donated all his stolen wealth to help others? Did he end up doing some good?"

  Yan Qi sneered, "He′s done all kinds of things in his life—except a good deed."

  Guo Dalu mused, "Then where did all his money go?"

  Yan Qi said, "No one knows."

  Guo Dalu fell silent for a moment, then asked, "How many people in this city fit the suspect profile?"

  Yan Qi replied, "There weren′t many to begin with, and now there are even fewer."

  Guo Dalu's expression darkened. "How many has Gun Zi already killed?"

  Yan Qi said, “Five or six, maybe six or seven.”

  Guo Dalu gred at him. “He was killing people, and you just stood there watching?”

  Yan Qi replied, “Now I don′t even bother to watch.”

  Guo Dalu stared at him, then suddenly leaped up and rushed out.

  Wang Dong sighed and muttered, “Why is it that ever since I met him, I can never seem to stay still?”

  Guo Dalu wasn′t clueless, but he was impulsive.

  He should have first asked Yan Qi, “Who exactly did Gun Zi kill?”

  But he didn′t ask, because he knew that whoever Gun Zi killed couldn′t have been good people.

  He understood that perfectly well, yet he still couldn′t help but act on impulse. It wasn′t exactly a good habit, but at least it was far better than being cold-hearted and indifferent.

  The man in bck had a habit—he never liked walking ahead of anyone.

  Of course, it wasn′t out of humility or politeness. He simply preferred facing people with his eyes rather than turning his back to them.

  At present, he was walking behind Gun Zi and Jin Shi.

  They felt completely at ease with him because they knew his sword would never strike someone from behind.

  Though his face was covered by a bck cloth, he had far more honor than many others.

  The long street was quiet, with only a few windows still glowing dimly with light.

  When they reached the fourth house on the left, they stopped.

  This house, like the others in town, was built simply and unadorned—thick, narrow doors, small, high windows, faded yellow window paper, and the soft glow of an old mp.

  The doors and windows were tightly shut.

  Jin Shi said in a deep voice, “Is this the one?”

  Gun Zi nodded.

  Suddenly, Jin Shi sprang into the air. Though he had a burly frame, his movements were agile, and his lightness skill was impressive. With just a light tap of his toes on the eaves, he soared over the rooftop and disappeared.

  Gun Zi gnced back at the man in bck before shouting sternly, “This is official business. All residents must stay inside. Anyone who steps out will be executed on the spot.”

  Before he even finished speaking, the light inside the house went out.

  A loud bang followed—someone had smashed through a rear window, attempting to escape.

  Unfortunately, Jin Shi had anticipated this move.

  A startled cry rang out.

  Jin Shi growled, "Where do you think you're going?"

  A shadowy figure leaped onto the rooftop. Though their agility was on par with the Jin Shi′s, their frame was much smaller. After a quick gnce around, they darted southeast.

  Jia Gun remained still.

  The figure in bck also seemed motionless.

  Yet, in an instant, they had already appeared on the rooftop, blocking the shadowy figure′s path.

  Startled, the figure struck out with both fists.

  The person in bck seemed not to react.

  But suddenly, the attacker tumbled from the rooftop, nding hard in the middle of the street.

  Only then did Gun Zi slowly approach. With his hands csped behind his back, he lowered his gaze.

  The cold wind howled; the night was bleak and desote. Hi eyes, in the cold night, looked like two ice-tipped daggers.