Feng Bei planned to pull an all-nighter.

For what reason, she wasn’t sure.

Yue Yan and Dou Xie both had their own business to attend to. One was making new clothes, the other was copying scriptures, both related to their respective Path Cultivation.

With the trail in the Shi Wentong case gone cold, the three of them went their separate ways.

After parting with the two, Feng Bei leaped onto a roof and headed toward the west side of the city.

Wherever she passed, flocks of Ravens scattered, creating the rare spectacle of a parting sea of birds in the night sky.

As night fell, the bright lights of the western city were extinguished one by one as shops closed for the day.

This was the "West Market."

The West Market was the largest marketplace in the Daqian Empire, covering nearly two thousand acres. It housed over thirty thousand shops of all sizes, and nearly half of them bore the Zheng Clan’s insignia, forming a connected commercial street owned by the family.

The Zheng Family’s industrial chain was so vast that there were many businesses even Zheng Xiu himself couldn’t name.

If you took any single shop, the monthly profit it contributed to the Zheng Family could barely be considered "meager."

But there were so many of these minuscule profits that, when combined, they formed a colossal sum.

Over more than twenty years of development, various industries had taken root here and flourished. The West Market had consequently attracted foreign Merchants from neighboring smaller nations like Loulan, Tubo, Dadang, and Zhangtun, who came to trade goods.

And in a corner of the West Market, there was a large business occupying over a hundred acres, named the "Great Night Treasure Pavilion."

Feng Bei kept a low profile and stepped inside quietly.

"Sorry, customer, we’re already closed."

The Shopkeeper was a portly old man. He was looking down, clacking away on his abacus, and spoke without looking up when he heard someone cross the threshold.

But when he raised his head and saw the visitor’s distinctive attire, he was so startled that he dropped his abacus.

"This humble one is Night Guard 374! Greetings, my lord!"

Feng Bei nodded, appearing calm and polite. "There’s no need for such formalities, old sir. I am Upper Three, Feng Bei. I’m here to examine Zhou Ji’s body."

The old man froze for a moment, his pupils contracting.

He was shocked first by the mention of Zhou Ji’s body, and second by the visitor’s identity.

Upper Three, the "Mystic," Upper Three!

’I can’t believe she’s so young.’

Zhou Ji had died suddenly at home several days ago. The cause of death was so peculiar that not even the forensic doctor could find any clues. Later, a member of the "Constellation" stationed in the city investigated with a Soul-Chasing Lamp and did indeed detect the scent of a Miracle Master’s work. Unfortunately, too much time had passed, and the scent could no longer be tracked.

Since a Miracle Master was involved, Zhou Ji’s case no longer fell under the jurisdiction of the Government Office, let alone the Ministry of Justice. The hot potato was transferred at the speed of light to Ye Weiyang’s West Market office.

Cases involving Miracle Masters were always secretive and dangerous. Guo Zifei wouldn’t dare to get involved.

This wasn’t a simple matter of bad luck. A single misstep could be fatal.

The Shopkeeper, who called himself "Night Guard 374," didn’t dare to question her. He went forward and closed the shop doors. Just then, a Raven flew in from the back of the room and landed on his shoulder.

Perhaps because of Feng Bei’s presence, the normally quiet Raven seemed restless. It kept kicking its claws on the old man’s shoulder, its head twitching back and forth as if having a seizure.

’It’s the legendary Mystic, Upper Three!’

Seeing the Raven’s panicked and repulsed reaction, the Shopkeeper understood. His fleshy body trembled slightly as he deftly lifted an exquisite fabric curtain on the wall, revealing and pushing open a hidden door.

Behind the hidden door was a passage leading underground to an ice cellar, which served as a morgue.

Zhou Ji had been dead for over ten days. If not for the ice cellar, his body would have long since decomposed.

The body, preserved in the ice cellar, didn’t have much of an odor.

"What have you found out?"

"Reporting to Lord Upper Three, the city’s forensic doctor examined the body carefully. He said that before his death, Zhou Ji’s Spirit was listless and his eyes were swollen, indicating death from kidney failure." The old man gave a detailed reply. "But later, a lord from the ’Constellation’ used a Soul-Chasing Lamp and did find traces of a Miracle Master’s Casting. However, either because too much time had passed since Zhou Ji’s death or because the caster’s Miracle Technique was too profound, the Soul-Chasing Lamp couldn’t track it any further."

Feng Bei nodded calmly, pushed open the coffin lid, and observed the corpse.

A brief inspection revealed no unusual external signs on Zhou Ji’s body, just as the forensic doctor’s report had stated.

This was the first time Night Guard 374 had seen a high-ranking member investigate a case without a Soul-Chasing Lamp or a Raven. He was extremely curious about Feng Bei’s methods.

"His personal belongings, family, and residence—were there any findings?" Feng Bei’s gaze roamed over the body. After a moment’s pause, she asked, "Among the Paths that Ye Weiyang has identified, such as Musician, Physiognomist, Actor, Time Demon, and Divine-Tuning Witch, many can take a life from a distance. Have all these possibilities been investigated?"

The Fat Shopkeeper wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, feeling bewildered. ’This woman is as beautiful as a celestial fairy, gentle and elegant, yet standing behind her, I feel as if an invisible hand is squeezing my heart, making me palpitate, tight-chested, and completely uneasy.’

"Replying to Lord Upper Three, the case file states that they have all been investigated."

"Who wrote the case file?"

"It was Lord Xu Shu of the Twenty-Eight Constellations."

"So it was Xu Shu." Feng Bei frowned but said nothing more in front of the Fat Shopkeeper.

But Feng Bei knew of Xu Shu. He was obsessed with getting promoted to the Twelfth Moon, which made him careless, shortsighted, and unreliable.

As he spoke, the Fat Shopkeeper, already prepared, presented the case file.

Feng Bei quickly leafed through the file.

The only sound in the ice cellar was the SWISH SWISH of Feng Bei flipping through the pages.

Suddenly,

Feng Bei’s finger stopped on one of the pages.

"It says here that among Zhou Ji’s personal effects was a Peaceful Silk Pouch. What is that?"

The old man wiped his sweat. "Replying to Lord Upper Three, it’s written that the Brocade Bag was empty."

"He wrote that, yes. But why was it empty?"

"That... this subordinate does not know."

"Alright." Feng Bei closed the case file and gave Night Guard 374 a slight smile. "Thank you for your trouble."

Feng Bei’s sudden politeness left the Fat Shopkeeper feeling rather flattered. She told him to go outside, rest, and warm himself by the fire while she investigated further alone.

After the Fat Shopkeeper happily left,

Feng Bei silently removed the glove from her right hand, revealing a pale, slender palm.

Her fingers were long and thin, looking delicate and weak.

"HUUUU..."

In the ice cellar, Feng Bei slowly exhaled, a plume of white mist puffing from her lips. She leisurely swept back the long hair covering her right eye, revealing a strange eye beneath.

Within the depths of her pupil were two characters: "Ding Wei"!

Feng Bei looked at Zhou Ji’s head, feeling a faint sensation.

"Hiding there, are you?"

She turned her gaze back to Zhou Ji’s head and slowly reached out her hand.

Suddenly,

Zhou Ji, who had been dead for a long time, opened his eyes without warning. Dark hair began to sprout bizarrely from his bruised, shriveled skin. His pupils had long since dissolved after his death, leaving only ghastly white, but now, black threads like fine strands of hair were eerily spreading across the whites of his eyes!

With eyes full of black threads and his body covered in fine black hair, "Zhou Ji" contorted his face into a savage expression and lunged at Feng Bei.

Feng Bei: "?"

...

「A short time ago.」

「Zheng Residence.」

The moon cast its pure light.

On a distant rooftop, a few Night Guards were keeping watch, bored out of their minds.

Ravens circled in the sky.

"Anything unusual over at the Zheng Family’s place?"

"About an hour ago, a child went in."

The men exchanged whispers.

"A child? Anything else?"

"If you must know, there was a Melody coming from inside the Zheng Residence just now."

"A song?"

"Yes, a very famous one from Heaven on Earth, called ’Fisherman’s Evening Song’."

"Hey! I love that tune."

"Hiss... so you’re a regular at Heaven on Earth too?"

"Heh, I’m a premium member."

"What a coincidence. Me too."

"Ahem." Another Night Guard, who had been silent, couldn’t listen anymore and coughed twice.

’In fact, he was also a premium member.’

’But who could he tell? Best to keep his accomplishments and renown to himself.’

"Nothing else, then. Let’s keep watching. Don’t miss a thing."

The men looked awkward, nodded to each other, and went back to their surveillance, becoming professional once more.

...

「Inside the Zheng Residence.」

Hearing that the Second Lady was gravely ill, Zheng Xiu shot out of the main hall like an arrow and dashed straight for her bedchamber.

Qing Shisan and the others trailed behind. Watching the child navigate the winding corridors of the Zheng Residence with practiced ease, he thought, ’As expected.’

’He’s Master Zheng’s illegitimate son, alright. No wonder he’s so familiar with the layout of the Zheng Residence.’

The Second Lady lived in the small courtyard of the east wing. As Zheng Xiu charged through the arched gateway, he found the courtyard empty. But the space between his eyebrows twitched, and he stopped in his tracks.

Of the five Traits equipped on the [Evil Child], besides the initial three—[Inspiration], [Stealth], and [Fist Skill]—the other two were Entry Level [Scouting] and [Intuition].

His [Intuition] flared. Zheng Xiu looked up and vaguely saw several faint figures hiding in the darkness.

"My young master! Slow down! Slow down!"

Qing Shisan kept up steadily, marveling at the young master’s pace, though he frowned and didn’t ask any questions. Just as the young master stepped through the archway, Qing Shisan remembered that people were lying in wait inside. He puffed his cheeks and blew a whistle.

The long and short notes of the whistle echoed through the courtyard, and the figures lurking in the shadows faded away. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

"The Brotherhood?"

Zheng Xiu was taken aback. He had understood the coded whistle. He hadn’t expected Qing Pi to have stationed so many Brotherhood Assassins in the Zheng Residence. Things seemed a little more serious than he had thought. As he started walking again, he casually used [Scouting].

[Scouting Successful.]

The result told him that six people were lurking in the darkness.

Although the result of the scouting was more or less useless, the text that appeared before his eyes next made Zheng Xiu pause.

[Through careful observation, you have gained a sliver of experience from Scouting.]

’My [Scouting], which was stuck at the "Entry" Level, can gain experience again.’

Apparently, the levels of all his Derivations and the Traits of his Incarnations were now closely related to his progress on the [Prisoner’s Path].

But what surprised Zheng Xiu a little was that, outside of the Ghostly Realm, his Incarnation could also gain Experience Level through various actions while roaming in its [Divine Travel] state.

’On second thought, it makes sense.’

Right now, Zheng Xiu was concerned for the Second Lady’s safety. He felt no joy, nor was he in the mood to experiment further. He hurriedly pushed open the Second Lady’s chamber door.

Qing Shisan stood rooted in the courtyard. He could enter the other rooms, but it really wasn’t proper for him to enter the Second Lady’s chamber.

So he silently took out his dry pipe from behind his back, lit it, and began puffing out clouds of smoke.

"Shisan, what do you make of this?"

Ji Hong’ou was sitting on top of the wall, her legs crossed. Her long skirt, typical for a married woman, was slit high up her thigh, and her smooth, shapely toes were pointed elegantly. Her posture was relaxed, but her expression was not.

"Strange."

Qing Shisan’s pipe trembled, shattering a smoke ring. He slowly uttered a single word.

Ji Hong’ou nodded, agreeing deeply. "It is strange."