Night fell quietly, enveloping the entire inn in darkness. Only a few scattered lights shone through, indicating that there were still people awake.
The chirping of insects came from outside the window, making the leisurely small town even more serene. A gentle breeze blew faintly, bringing a refreshing feeling.
Liu Rumei and Heng Niang had slept for an afternoon and were now wide awake. They sat leisurely by the window, sipping tea while enjoying the night view outside, which was quite a unique experience.
Suddenly, a whiff of blood wafted in from outside the window. Liu Rumei and Heng Niang immediately frowned.
Heng Niang instinctively blew out the candle beside her. The whole room was instantly plunged into darkness.
The combination of the smell of blood and the darkness brought an inexplicable sense of panic.
Heng Niang quietly came to Liu Rumei's side and held her hand tightly, offering silent comfort.
A moment later, a shadow flashed past the door so quickly that it was impossible to catch.
A Nan was also awakened by the faint smell of blood. She looked out of the window warily, worried about Liu Rumei and Heng Niang. Fortunately, their room was just next door. A Nan quickly climbed out of the window.
At this time, Liu Rumei had been stuffed under the table by Heng Niang. Heng Niang stood in front of her, a dagger appearing in her hand out of nowhere. It looked extremely cold in the night.
Suddenly, there was a noise outside the window. Heng Niang's eyes turned cold, and she threw the dagger in that direction.
A Nan quickly stepped back and whispered, "It's me."
Hearing A Nan's voice, Liu Rumei and Heng Niang let out a sigh of relief.
"What's going on outside?"
"I'm not sure... Who's there!"
A man suddenly broke into the room, aiming straight at the two women in front of the table. Behind him, there were four other figures. It was obvious that they were not friendly.
Heng Niang's eyes were full of coldness. "Gentlemen, we're just passing by. Why don't we each take a step back?"
The five men looked at Heng Niang and A Nan, and their faces instantly turned cold. Without hesitation, they attacked the two women.
The two sides soon engaged in a fight. Liu Rumei could faintly see the glint of swords and daggers outside the table through the dim moonlight. She could only shrink tightly under the table, not wanting to cause any trouble for the two women.
Although these five men were quite skilled, they were obviously no match for Heng Niang and A Nan. Realizing they had provoked the wrong people, one of them let out a low shout, "Retreat!"
In the blink of an eye, the five men disappeared into the night.
A Nan and Heng Niang didn't chase after them. They pulled Liu Rumei out from under the table and said seriously, "It's not safe to stay here for long!"
Liu Rumei nodded and packed her luggage, preparing to leave with the two of them.
Unexpectedly, a terrified scream suddenly came from outside. The people in the inn were all awakened.
The three of them felt a chill in their hearts. A Nan carefully stepped out of the room and saw a waiter sitting slumped in the corridor, staring straight into the room with a look of horror in his eyes.
"Dead... They're dead..."
Hearing this, Liu Rumei didn't hesitate and stepped forward, passing by the waiter and entering the room.
Two corpses were lying in the room. They were the little girl with the jade bracelet and the polite merchant Sun Heyan!
Heng Niang followed Liu Rumei into the room and was slightly stunned when she saw the scene in front of her.
"This..."
Liu Rumei's eyes were full of coldness. Looking at the corpses of the father and daughter, she was filled with anger. How despicable! They even killed a child!
But she didn't forget her identity. She calmly said to the waiter who was already paralyzed with fear outside the door, "Hurry up and report this to the authorities!"
After saying that, she carefully examined the corpses. "Both of them were killed by a single sword thrust to the throat. The wounds are of the same depth. The murderer is clearly an experienced criminal with very skilled techniques. They haven't been dead for long."
Looking at the terror on Yinyin's face and the grief on Sun Heyan's face before he died, it was obvious that Yinyin was killed first, and Sun Heyan was killed after her!
But looking at the blood on the ground, Liu Rumei couldn't help but frown.
Heng Niang smiled. "This man was probably killed here, but the little girl clearly wasn't."
It seemed that the little girl had been naughty again. She must have encountered something when she went out, which had brought this disaster upon them.
Liu Rumei quickly remembered the faint smell of blood they had smelled in the room just now. Her eyes fell on Yinyin's shoes, which were stained with some dirt and flower petals.
"It should be the backyard."
There were some flowers and plants in the backyard. The flower petals must have been accidentally stepped on by Yinyin!
Heng Niang nodded repeatedly, but a thoughtful look flashed across her eyes. What on earth had the little girl seen? And why did they come after them? They didn't know anything!
A Nan was also full of confusion. They were just passing by, but unexpectedly, this happened before they even reached the south of the Yangtze River.
At this time, people had gathered outside the door, surrounding it with looks of fear, curiosity, pity, and relief in their eyes.
The innkeeper and the waiter quickly invited the town's constables.
Liu Rumei repeated what she had just said and led the people to the backyard. Sure enough, in the flowerbed, a few blooming peonies were still stained with some bright red blood, making these gorgeous flowers look even more eerie and beautiful.
Liu Rumei and Heng Niang thought the same thing. Yinyin must have seen something here and was then killed by someone! But looking around, they didn't notice anything wrong.
The constables felt extremely annoyed. This small town had always been peaceful and harmonious. Why did such a big thing happen today?
"Thank you, miss. May I ask who you are?" It was quite rare for a girl to be able to tell so much.
A Nan had already erased the traces of the fight to avoid trouble. When she heard what the two constables said, a sneer appeared on her lips. It was obvious that they suspected Liu Rumei.
Liu Rumei didn't think much and replied respectfully, "My name is Liu Rumei. I'm a coroner!"
"A female coroner?" This was not very common. "May I ask what brings you here?"
It was just too much of a coincidence. From the waiter's words, the two constables knew about the "argument" between Liu Rumei and Sun Heyan's father and daughter during the day. It seemed that Liu Rumei had a motive for murder.
Heng Niang also smiled. "Gentlemen, we're just passing by and came here to stay for the night."
The two constables looked at each other and said coldly to Liu Rumei and the other two, "The three of you, come with us!"
A Nan's face instantly turned colder. "Why?"
"Do you really think you can fool us? It must be the three of you who killed that father and daughter. Otherwise, why are you so familiar with the killing method and the scene?"
After saying that, the constable's eyes fell on Liu Rumei again, with a hint of disdain. "A female coroner? You're really good at pretending!"