Chapter 224 - 222: Brown Powder (First Update)

Chapter 224: Chapter 222: Brown Powder (First Update)

Zhao Shaohua shivered as he listened, moving closer to Xu Jing and frowning, "Nonsense, if it were a ghost killing people, would it need to tie them up?!"

The woman in the pink dress immediately looked furious and said, "Exactly, we don’t believe it either. Mother said it was deliberately spread by other brothels to smear us, so she doesn’t allow us to talk about it outside."

Xu Jing thought for a moment and asked, "Did the Ministry of Justice say anything when they came to investigate the case?"

The woman in the pink dress seemed a bit troubled and said, "We weren’t there when the Ministry of Justice investigated, so we don’t know what they found. But I heard they were asking about who passed by outside our Gui Xiang Building that morning and if they saw any suspicious people."

Xu Jing nodded and said, "You mentioned just now that Mr. He always books a room here. Does that mean he always goes to the same room?"

This question was much easier to answer. The woman in the pink dress nodded and said, "Yes, because Mr. He comes on very fixed dates, Mother always saves that room for him on those days. But when the Imperial College was on break a few times earlier, he unusually didn’t come until five days ago. I heard from the woman who often serves him that Mr. He didn’t feel like coming because some friends from the Imperial College had issues."

Friends?

Are they possibly the victims of the previous two cases?

Xu Jing and the other two quickly exchanged a silent glance.

Before this, Xu Jing was still wondering if the murderer was killing simply to satisfy a lust for killing or if there was a specific purpose.

If it were the former, it would be similar to the Zheng Shouyan case and the Smiling Killer case. Although the perpetrator had some pattern in choosing victims, there was no actual connection to the victims; he killed due to personal fantasies or murderous intent.

If it were the latter, the murderer usually had a specific purpose for killing, with chosen victims being specific targets. Common motives in this scenario include revenge or crimes of passion.

In this scenario, the deceased usually have some connection, and once the perpetrator’s motive is found, the case is essentially half-solved.

Xu Jing asked again, "Which room does this Mr. He often go to?"

"The third room on the right-hand side from the first corridor on the left on the third floor." Although the woman in the pink dress answered Xu Jing’s question, her expression couldn’t help but show some change, "Why is the lady asking in such detail?"

If it were just out of curiosity, a noble lady wouldn’t need to ask in such detail.

Seeing her suspicion, Xu Jing had to swallow her further questions and smiled, "It’s the first time a murder has happened around me, so I’m a bit curious. Please bring us a pot of tea and some of your signature snacks."

While they were speaking, the table had already arrived, so the three of them naturally sat down.

Seeing Xu Jing not asking further, the woman in the pink dress secretly breathed a sigh of relief and thought it over before whispering, "Please, guests, don’t go to the room where the incident happened. Although we’ve resumed business, that room is still sealed, and the officials from the Ministry of Justice could come over at any time."

Xu Jing raised her eyebrows and acknowledged.

But not going? That’s impossible.

After the woman in the pink dress left, Zhao Jingming immediately said, "I didn’t expect these three victims to be friends! Miss Xu, let’s go see that room!"

"No rush. We asked too many questions just now, which obviously raised their suspicions."

Xu Jing gestured subtly at the woman in the pink dress, who was still glancing at them despite having walked away, and smiled faintly, "Since we’re here, we might as well enjoy some tea and watch the performances. Besides, Zhao Liulang probably didn’t come here just once."

"!!!"

He, he wouldn’t come to such places!

Zhao Shaohua rested his chin on one hand, amusingly saying, "Xiao Liu wouldn’t dare come to these places. If Uncle and Auntie found out, they would break his legs."

Excessive indulgence in wine and women is despised in any era. Young masters from reputable noble families generally wouldn’t visit such places casually.

Zhao Shaohua suddenly thought of something, looked at Xu Jing, and said, "Don’t worry, Jing, Yanci would never come here either. I should say, Yanci is just not interested in romantic entanglements at all, ever since his mother..."

He paused and smiled, "You and Yanci were once married, so you must know about that incident. Anyway, Yanci is a reliable good man."

Xu Jing: "..."

What incident is he talking about? She really has no idea.

But she couldn’t ask directly, not to mention it might expose her and Xiao Yi’s fake reunion, she’s also unsure if Xiao Yi wants her to know such personal matters.

The group sat comfortably, chatting for a while, until they saw the woman in the pink dress seem to have completely relaxed and was no longer watching them. Then Xu Jing said, "It’s time. If we all leave together, it might arouse suspicion. I suggest Shaohua stay behind, while Zhao Liulang and I go check that room."

Although Zhao Jingming felt uneasy, he had been there long enough to know the hall was indeed safe, and Xi wasn’t someone who could be easily bullied. So he nodded in agreement.

The two then used an excuse to go find a friend and went straight to the room on the third floor where the murder had occurred.

Although the door to the room was closed, it wasn’t locked. Xu Jing and Zhao Jingming pushed the door and entered when no one was around. As the woman in the pink dress had said, the room had clearly gone unused for several days, neatly arranged and devoid of any lively presence.

The traces from the day of the crime had been cleaned up already.

Upon entering, Xu Jing headed straight for the room’s sole window. Zhao Jingming quickly followed, asking, "Miss Xu, do you suspect the murderer escaped through the window?"

"Yes."

Xu Jing opened the window, discovering that outside it lay an alley that was largely deserted even during the day, let alone at night.

Zhao Jingming also leaned out for a look, commenting, "This window is indeed suitable for escape. But with He Anming’s servant and a guard stationed outside, how did the killer enter? Could they have come in through the window too?"

"Probably not. This is the third floor; if the objective was simply to descend, it wouldn’t be difficult with tools. For example, tying a rope to the ceiling beam and climbing down slowly."

While speaking, Xu Jing gestured upward towards the beam, continuing, "However, climbing up without any tools is impossible, and the murderer couldn’t have preemptively loosened a rope to climb up either. So I believe the intruder didn’t come through the window."

Zhao Jingming was taken aback, "Then..."

"Don’t forget, He Anming always uses the same room. The killer only had to find out when He Anming would come and hide in this room in advance, in places like the closet or under the bed."

Xu Jing quietly explained, "Unable to find an opportunity at the Imperial College, the murderer had to resort to other locations. But He Anming didn’t visit Gui Xiang House because of the previous two incidents, which is why the third case occurred nearly two months after the second one."

The murderer had been lying in wait in the room all along!

What tremendous willpower and resolve it must take to linger for hours just to kill!

Zhao Jingming couldn’t help but furrow his brows tightly.

Finishing, Xu Jing resumed her examination of the room.

However, the room had already been tidied up, and any useful clues would surely have been taken by the Ministry of Justice.

Finally reaching the bedside, Xu Jing meticulously sifted through it, lifting up the bedding.

Beneath lay an ordinary bedboard, seemingly unremarkable at first glance, but Xu Jing suddenly noticed some brown powder along the gaps in the boards.

Her eyes narrowed as she retrieved a handkerchief to sweep the powder onto it, intending to sniff it, when a sudden, steady tread of footsteps sounded outside the room, approaching directly. Judging by the noise, more than one person was coming.

Zhao Jingming’s heart skipped a beat.

Dammit, someone’s coming now!

So abruptly, and with the two of them inside, how could they possibly hide?