With Jina's identity, of course she'd eaten the Gourmet Association's food before. Organizations like this Secret Organization are very hard to deal with, especially since the Gourmet Association itself is no small group: it's spread all across the Dao Yuan Continent and deeply rooted. In the early days all the major newspapers wanted to interview them, but without exception they were turned down. Even pulling strings was useless; Secret Organizations don't like exposure. And yet yesterday the Gourmet Association actually came to the door to serve in person—this was extremely rare. Rumor had it only people of very high status, like the King, or very special guests could enjoy that treatment. It wasn't something money alone could buy. From Lin Fei's expression, she clearly didn't know this.

Which meant it was all because of that nephew of hers—a Night Patrol officer and a Canon Law School student?

Jina couldn't help getting curious too. If he was really that outstanding, she did have quite a few excellent, age-appropriate young women around her; she'd have to personally vet him.

On the other side, Li Xin was already at work, discussing the case with Meng Po in the conference room, while Sugar Cake quietly stacked blocks off to the side.

"Jingqu House is an old establishment. We did investigate them back then, but there was no evidence pointing their way," Meng Po said. "Of course, I'm not saying it's impossible they were involved."

"The killer isn't them, but there's some connection," Li Xin said.

Meng Po's eyes sharpened. "Li Yinxiao, did you find some new lead?" Everyone knew Li Xin was gifted at solving cases, but this was a bit too fast.

Li Xin shook his head. "Just a gut feeling. But the killer really isn't them. We need a different angle. This case is pretty troublesome. The victims' bodies from back then were all destroyed, and there's not much useful information left in the files."

"That's true. Actually, there were quite a few people internally against destroying the bodies. But if we didn't, the families would definitely find out. Once that got exposed, the impact on us Night Patrol would be far too great, and if someone with an agenda stirred it up, it could lead to much worse consequences," Meng Po explained. She was very worried that a young man like Li Xin would act on impulse, but it wasn't easy to say that outright. The Night Patrol are the last line of defense for ordinary people against Hidden Power. If they collapse, disaster follows.

Li Xin nodded. It was stifling, but relying on blind impulse and ignoring the consequences was not how you got things done. When pursuing a case, there's no such thing as feeling "爽"; the killer hiding in the dark would just be laughing his head off.

"If there's a new case, I'll let you know immediately," Meng Po said. For now, that was all they could do. The case was under Li Xin's charge, so he could step in at once.

"If the City Guard or the Knight Order find something first, will they cooperate too?"

"They will." Meng Po nodded.

The conference room fell quiet, with only the clack-clack of the blocks. Li Xin kept feeling he'd missed something. The Night Patrol had poured so much effort in, they'd caught a killer, and then the killer appeared again. Was this killer the same one as before?

Suddenly Li Xin's eyes lit up. He finally realized what was off.

"Sister Meng, the files we have here are all from the last few years. What about before that—especially the file on the killer who was caught and executed?" Li Xin asked.

"Before that?" Meng Po was stunned for a moment. "They're not here?"

"No. I've gone through everything in the underground archive. All recent years," Li Xin said firmly. "There's only a final report for the first phase, nothing detailed."

He'd thought the old evidence was too far back and had tried to look for clues in the recent material. Later, there were just too many case files; as he skimmed he simply forgot about it. Now that the investigation had run into another dead end, he had to start from the earliest files.

"I remember now. We have too many cases here, especially the big ones with mountains of files. Once they're closed, the related files are sent to the Church for storage. Only the important parts are kept here. If they're not that important and too old, they're destroyed," Meng Po said. "Given this case's Level, the files should be stored at Longyue Great Cathedral, with the Metropolitan in the Dragon Capital."

"Do we have to go there to read them, or can we get them sent over?" Li Xin didn't know the procedure.

"Normally you submit a request to the Great Cathedral and then wait for their reply," Meng Po said.

"That'll be too slow. Speed is everything in war. Is there any other way—faster?" Li Xin said. "I want to find some useful clues before the next victim turns up."

"I'll head over right away. I know the person in charge of archives; they should give me some face. This case is pretty thorny, so we should be able to get it back quickly," Meng Po said.

"Okay, I'll go with you," Li Xin said.

"Li Yinxiao, you stay here and help me look after Sugar Cake. People in the Church can sometimes be a bit too… If you go, they might just use it to squeeze us," Meng Po said, making a money-grabbing gesture.

Li Xin froze for a moment. Despite what happened in the Celestial Capital, his overall impression of the Church Court was still pretty good; he just hadn't had much contact with them. Then again, even Tang Monk had to learn how the world worked after reaching the West. Sister Kathy seldom mentioned Church Court matters, but Aunt Fei often said she was under a lot of pressure, and that corruption and power struggles inside the Church Court were rampant.

"All right. If they ask for any fees, just pay them, don't argue. You can get reimbursed later," Li Xin said. He didn't want to get bogged down in that.

Meng Po nodded with a smile. She liked this kind of reasonable superior. Li Yinxiao might be young, but he was reliable and mature.

Snake Skin came back at noon. Sugar Cake was clearly closer to Snake Skin. With nothing pressing at hand, Li Xin finally remembered he was still a Canon Law School student. He hailed a carriage to the Serene Canon Law School.

At this time, the Serene Canon Law School was brimming with energy, a little world of its own. The cold weather couldn't stop the power of youth. Lu Shuai, who was currently at the Canon Law School, couldn't sit still the moment class ended; his mind was fixed on seeking out Miss Tang. It was just that Miss Tang had another mission today, and outsiders weren't allowed to join.

"Lu Shuai, what have you been busy with lately? You're never around," Bai Peng had recently found Lu Shuai rather elusive.

"Nothing, just helping a friend with some stuff, lending a hand," Lu Shuai said.

"Where's Brother Li? When's he coming to class? Haven't seen him for ages. You guys aren't secretly doing something big without me, are you?" Bai Peng asked.

"How could we? He's busy with a Night Patrol case. You know how it is—Hidden Power cases are as many as cattle. And he's the type to fuss over details; he won't stop until everything's clear. It's giving him a headache. I've already told him: he'll come over as soon as he has time," Lu Shuai said.

"I'm fine over here; it's just Old Chen keeps asking about him. I fobbed him off once or twice, but if this keeps up I'm afraid I'll slip," Bai Peng said with a wry smile. After all, Old Chen wasn't blind and had a rotten temper. The fact he'd turned a blind eye this long was already a miracle.

"Brother Li should have it under control. Feels like he's on good terms with the dean too. Let's not overthink it," Lu Shuai said.

"Are you going to take the Knight Order's monthly exam? If you are, I'll sign you guys up," Bai Peng asked, full of anticipation.

"I'll pass. If I go, I'm just there to get stomped," Lu Shuai said with a bitter smile. In the past, even if he got stomped he'd still show his face, but now he just wasn't that interested.

"How is it 'getting stomped'? I've lost plenty of times too, but you still have to go. Besides, this time we've got Brother Li. Let him join, let those guys see what a real big shot looks like," Bai Peng said.