Chapter 196 - 194: A Mysterious Connection After Many Years (First Update)

Chapter 196: Chapter 194: A Mysterious Connection After Many Years (First Update)

Zhou Xian, who had originally been indifferent to anyone, was struck, causing his head to turn to one side. His left cheek burned with pain. His eyes widened fiercely, and he roared through gritted teeth, "You woman!"

"If you can’t help, then don’t make more trouble for me!"

Xu Jing glared coldly at him, enunciating each word: "I thought you at least listened to what I told you before, but you’re even more na?ve than I thought! Did you think seeking death would protect your family? Even if you died here today, Wanwan might still not come back. Your actions do nothing but distract people searching for Wanwan, serving no purpose at all!

Zhou Xian, your regret and pain are nothing! If you can’t find your place and still believe you need others to coddle you like a child, stay aside and don’t get in the way!"

Xu Jing rarely spoke to people so harshly, even when she had reprimanded Zhou Xian before, she had left some leeway.

But she had always hated self-righteous people like this, who only make things worse and then feel moved by their actions.

Zhou Xian, chastised by her, could only stare with wide eyes, his pupils trembling. Yuan Gui, the son of Steward Yuan, who was holding him, said with some pity, "Miss Xu, actually, Fifth Young Master..."

Although Fifth Young Master hadn’t spoken, his changes during this time were evident to all of them.

What Miss Xu had said before was not without effect.

"Save the nonsense for later."

Xu Jing said coldly, "Your Third Lady is not in the lake, and she probably isn’t by the lake either."

Yuan Gui, seeing that she seemed to know something, hurriedly asked, "Miss, Miss Xu, do you know where our Fifth Lady is?"

Xu Jing nodded, "I might have some clues. Do you know who lives around here?"

Yuan Gui was taken aback and hadn’t had time to speak when a deep, mellow voice sounded, "The areas around here are mostly lands belonging to various noble families, so those living nearby are generally tenant farmers of these families."

Everyone was startled and turned to see a man in a dark, round-collared robe with bamboo patterns striding over. He was handsome, dignified, tall, and straight, exuding an impressive and stern aura, making it clear at one glance he was not an ordinary person.

Behind him were Si Langzhong and Doctor Chen, whom Xu Jing had met just this morning.

The Zhou Family was momentarily stunned. Xu Jing quickly came to her senses and stepped forward, "Vice Minister Xiao, you arrived quite swiftly."

Xiao Yi nodded and said, "As soon as I received the message you sent, I set off immediately. What’s the current situation?"

Xu Jing briefly and quickly explained her deduction to Xiao Yi, who pondered with a solemn look, "You’re saying the Smiling Killer case had two culprits, and Third Lady Zhou was likely taken by the second culprit?"

"That’s right."

Xu Jing nodded, her eyes solemn, "The second culprit realized He Qiusheng wanted to escape his control, messing up his rhythm, thus committing the crime so hastily. This is his first attempt at abducting someone alone, obviously lacking experience, which is why so many flaws were left. Vice Minister Xiao, you mentioned that all lands here belong to noble families. If I’m not mistaken, these families likely have estates nearby, too, right?"

Xiao Yi immediately understood her meaning, turning to call over Doctor Chen and Si Langzhong, "Take some of the Zhou Family with you and ask about the estates of the noble families nearby, within two quarters of an hour’s journey from the West Second Gate and North First Gate."

Xiao Yi understood her implication, but the Zhou Family evidently didn’t. Seeing Doctor Chen and Si Langzhong leave after receiving their orders, Yuan Gui hurriedly stepped forward to ask, "Miss Xu, do you mean our Third Lady was taken by people from a noble family?"

Xu Jing nodded and sighed, "You’ve all surely heard of the Smiling Killer case, right? Vice Minister Xiao and I suspect there are actually two culprits in the Smiling Killer case, one of whom belongs to a noble family. It’s likely that an estate near here is the place where they abduct and assault their victims.

But rest assured, Wanwan hasn’t been missing long, so that person likely hasn’t had time to harm her yet."

If she wasn’t mistaken, He Qiusheng initially didn’t have a safe house; he would abduct his victims outside the city, attack them immediately, and then dump their bodies, which is why the victims in the first and second cases stayed with the culprit for such a short time.

Until the second culprit emerged, only then did they have a fixed hideout, and the second culprit was clearly a perverted serial killer who took pleasure in torturing people. He wouldn’t kill his prey quickly but rather would torment them slowly, savoring their agony and despair until they eventually died.

Thus, the victims in the subsequent cases stayed with the culprit significantly longer.

Based on this, Zhou Wan should not be in danger for the time being.

They waited at the original location for more than half an hour before Si Langzhong and the others returned. Si Langzhong stepped forward and saluted Xiao Yi, "Reporting to Vice Minister Xiao, we asked the nearby tenant farmers and learned that the estates near here belonging to noble families are those of Suyi Earl, Duke Qiao, Princess Zhenning, and Marquis Huaiyin.

Among them, the estates within two quarters of an hour’s journey from the West Second Gate and North First Gate are those of Suyi Earl, Princess Zhenning, and Marquis Huaiyin."

Hearing that there were only three places where their Third Lady might be held, Yuan Gui and the Zhou Family staff were invigorated, urgently saying, "Let’s go search for them right away..."

"Hold on."

Xu Jing suddenly said, "Go directly to the estate of Marquis Huaiyin."

Xiao Yi was slightly startled, looking down at Xu Jing, "Do you think Marquis Huaiyin’s estate is more suspicious?"

Xu Jing hadn’t expected to hear the name of Marquis Huaiyin’s estate at this time. She took a deep breath and said, "Recently, invited by Jiang Erlang, I went to diagnose Young Madam Jiang, who had married into Marquis Huaiyin’s estate. Young Madam Jiang once mentioned an incident; in her first year at Marquis Huaiyin’s estate, her sister-in-law’s cat was tortured to death by someone, creating a misunderstanding between her and her sister-in-law. To this day, they don’t know who killed the cat."

If the person who killed the cat was actually someone important within Marquis Huaiyin’s estate.

If Lady Huaiyin knew perfectly well who the real culprit was but didn’t want to reveal it, forcibly suppressing the incident despite knowing it would cause a rift between Young Madam Jiang and Xin Siniang.

Then everything makes sense.

Forty-six percent of murderers have a history of animal cruelty, and Xu Jing was astounded that the cat murder mystery in Marquis Huaiyin’s estate, after so many years, turned out to have such a subtle connection with this case.

Xiao Yi was slightly stunned, his eyes flickering upon hearing she was invited by Jiang Erlang to see Young Madam Jiang, but he quickly suppressed these irrelevant emotions, saying, "Then let’s head to the estate of Marquis Huaiyin first!"

With that, he looked at Doctor Chen, saying, "You go back to the Western Capital immediately and apply for a search warrant at the Western Capital Prefecture Office."