"Huh?" Xinxin dropped the steamed vegetables from her mouth. Pian'er raised an eyebrow, and Liu Yan didn't even glance at the man. He poked listlessly at his brown rice and grimaced. The man, completely out of breath, drenched in sweat and with his robe torn, knelt on the floor of the well-frequented inn. He pointed at Liu Yan with trembling fingers. "It was him," he gasped. "He killed everyone!" Xinxin and Pian'er exchanged glances.
They feverishly considered who the man could be referring to. Because, frankly, Liu Yan had been behaving himself lately. At Xinxin's request, he had not killed any innocent people, and the deaths among the demons had also decreased dramatically since he learned that they made him stronger alive than with their victims. The entire inn was silent. Someone stood up, an imposing man. Tall, broad-shouldered, with dark, almond-shaped eyes and black hair hidden under an official's hat. His clothing resembled a uniform, protected by metal shoulder and chest guards and leather arm guards. He carried his sword at his side and ran down the stairs from the first floor to the ground floor.
That he was an official became clear when the others bowed before him. "Good man, you seem very upset to me. Come and breathe and repeat what you said," he said kindly. Pian'er looked at the man with a disparaging glance. "And who are you?" she asked, putting a strip of her baozi in her mouth. The corners of the man's mouth twitched slightly, as if it were obvious who he was. Nevertheless, he bowed politely to her. "My name is Yichen Fräulein," he introduced himself patiently.
"You're not from around here, are you?"
Pian'er narrowed her eyes. Everything about her seemed ready for battle. "What gave me away?" she snapped back. Xinxin was still sitting in her seat, bewildered, chopsticks holding the steamed leeks in her hand. Somehow, this breakfast had escalated far too quickly.
"Yichen Gongzi, my lord. I saw him. A man in black. He was standing on the roof of the Gao estate on the outskirts of town. When I knocked, the door collapsed and I was met with a terrible sight. My lord, everyone is dead. Even the children, the servants, every living soul in the estate is dead. Even the farm dog was not spared," the man cried breathlessly. "I ran away as fast as I could, and as I ran past here in fear, I saw him." He pointed to Liu Yan, who was still poking at the brown mush with his chopsticks. "Here he sits, eating breakfast after his atrocity!"
"You're quite out of breath, good man," said Liu Yan. His voice sounded like cold, polished jade. "You must have been running for quite a long time."
"Half an hour, without a break, Yichen Gongzi, I didn't dare to stop," the man insisted.
"Oh, so I waited calmly on the roof of the house until someone saw me, and then I strolled leisurely into this inn, where we have been sitting for, dear innkeeper, how long have we been here?" Liu Yan asked him. The innkeeper, who had been listening intently to the exchange, flinched. He thought for a moment.
"At least an hour.
Your special requests took some time in the kitchen," he finally said. "What can I say, I was even in two places at once," Liu Yan laughed softly and looked at the man contemptuously.
"I don't know what kind of black magic you practice, but I solemnly swear as an honest man and citizen: I have seen your black magic at work," he exclaimed.
"Dear guest, would you be so kind as to come with us until we can assess the situation?" Yichen asked politely. Pian'er stood up, ready to punch the official, when Xinxin also stood up.
"The innkeeper just confirmed that we've been sitting here for an hour..."
"I'm not sticking my neck out for that. You're sitting here in a corner, and I've only seen this young lady here. The man was hidden behind the curtains the whole time, it's possible that he left in between," the innkeeper quickly interjected. Xinxin glared at him.
"Even so, how could he have made it here from the estate before him?" She pointed to the crouching man. "He said himself that he ran for half an hour. You and the other guests would have noticed if my companion had arrived here out of breath before him, wouldn't you?" she asked angrily. The other guests ducked away from Xinxin's angry gaze. Apparently, no one was willing to stick their neck out for the strangers. Yichen looked around briefly before sighing and then smiling at her. He reached out to put his hand on Xinxin's shoulder, but Liu Yan grabbed him. He had stood up, his slender figure still radiating respect and elegance. He looked coldly at Yichen and tightened his grip on his wrist. Liu Yan stepped between Yichen and Xinxin.
"I'm coming with you," he said. Xinxin put her hands on her hips, ready to tear the tavern apart, but then Liu Yan leaned down toward her.
"It's okay, as the curse's shackle, I'll take all the blame. It's only natural that I should be blamed," he whispered to her. Xinxin was not at all happy when Liu Yan was led away. She grabbed Pian'er, who had almost lunged at Yichen. With an angry glint in her eyes, she glared at the people around her before dragging Pian'er away with her.
"If an entire family has indeed been massacred, the smell of blood in the air must be overwhelming. Can you find out where it's coming from?" Xinxin asked Pian'er.
"I'm not a bloodhound," Pian'er protested indignantly. Xinxin gave her a piercing look.
"South of the city," Pian'er finally said. Xinxin ran ahead.
"Hey, don't interfere with the affairs of the city's overseers," someone yelled from behind. Xinxin and Pian'er turned around. Another man in uniform, though not quite as ornate, was running out of the tavern.
"They just want to stop us from proving that Liu Yan is innocent," Xinxin hissed. The man approached them menacingly.
"Obstructing the investigation will lead to... hey!" he shouted angrily as Pian'er grabbed Xinxin and flew away with her. Xinxin clung tightly to Pian'er's robe.
Pian'er could jump so high and so far that it seemed as if they were flying. But for Xinxin, it was a roller coaster ride of emotions. Her stomach rose and fell, and she broke out in a cold sweat. When Pian'er set her down again, she leaned against the nearest wall and vomited. Brown rice and steamed vegetables. The inn had truly been a disappointment. She had swallowed quite a bit of rotten and spoiled food at the Zhao estate, but it hadn't been packaged so hypocritically that you had to pay money for it. As Xinxin staggered to her feet, she noticed that she was standing in front of the broken gate of an estate. A crooked sign covered with deep furrows hung above the entrance.
"Gao Residence," she read aloud. She looked around. Pian'er held a cloth to her nose.
"The smell of blood and vengeance hangs heavy in the air. This was definitely the work of a demon," she said quietly. Xinxin stepped over the threshold.
"But not by Liu Yan," she said resolutely.
The sight was gruesome. Corpses were scattered all over the courtyard. The residence itself looked as if a battle had raged inside it. Remnants of red cloths, lanterns, and paper lanterns were scattered everywhere. Xinxin picked up a piece of parchment emblazoned with the remains of the characters for double happiness.
"A wedding was celebrated here," Xinxin concluded, dropping the parchment. The people were pale, their faces contorted with pain, and black, foul-smelling blood had flowed from their eyes, noses, mouths, and ears.
"It looks very much like poisoning," Xinxin surmised. Pian'er, who had followed her, simply nodded.
She didn't dare open her mouth, so overwhelming was the stench of death. Xinxin continued her search. The man had been right; even the farm dog lay curled up in the yard. Some of the people had tried to hold on. Their scratch marks were deeply etched into the wood. Their bloody and torn fingernails were still partially stuck in it. Their deaths had been cruel and protracted. Someone had acted out of pure hatred and revenge. But Liu Yan didn't know these people. He did harbor hatred, but it was directed at his family, at the Zhaos, and at everyone who had bullied and tortured him throughout his life. Such brutality was too intimate, too personal. It was something he would definitely do to Zhao Hua. Xinxin shook her head. No, what he would do to her would far exceed this cruelty. At least her killer had been merciful enough to let her die. It was better that they never met again. Xinxin ran her hand over a deep, meter-long gash in the wall.
"This couldn't have been done by a human being. You can't accuse Liu Yan," Xinxin said firmly.
"As long as his identity as a curse shackle remains undiscovered," Pian'er added. Xinxin rubbed her head. Yes, that was the thing. The fact that Liu Yan was less and less interested in being inconspicuous. As small and inconspicuous as he had been in the past, he had changed. The more power and knowledge he acquired, the colder and more arrogant he became. He openly flaunted his power, demonstrated his superiority, and sometimes found it amusing when people fled from him in shock. "Yes, as long as no one reveals his identity as a curse shackle," Xinxin echoed.
She had a bad feeling about this. Liu Yan had let himself be led away far too willingly.
"They're coming," Pian'er warned. Xinxin backed away, but Pian'er was faster. She grabbed the lanky girl and, with a powerful leap, disappeared behind the wall surrounding the estate into the dense forest that stretched out beyond it. She pressed herself against the wall. Xinxin took a deep breath to keep from vomiting again.
"Okay, men." She recognized the voice of the man who had yelled at her earlier. "Collect the bodies and take them to the undertaker. He should take a look at them," he instructed them. Pian'er and Xinxin made their way back as quietly as possible.
"Where to now?" Pian'er asked Xinxin.
"Definitely not back to that lying inn," Xinxin hissed.
"The ladies are welcome to stay with me," a voice behind them said.
Yichen's broad, muscular figure was illuminated only by the midday sun, giving him an almost fiery appearance. Pian'er hissed at him.
"You don't want to go back to the inn, but no one else will take you in either, given how publicly you defended the suspect this morning," he said soberly.
"An official's house should be the safest place," he suggested.
"Don't get me wrong, it's also in my interest to uncover the truth. The Gao family has always been very friendly. Without them, I wouldn't have made it this far. I promise to find the real culprit and bring him to justice."