Chapter Four: The Plum Blossom Weeps Blood Chapter Twenty-Seven: Encountering Another Attack

“Whoa…” Seeing Jade Ice suddenly turn her head, Zhang Huai hurriedly pulled the reins of his galloping steed. The sound of a strong horse’s neigh echoed in the night. “Why did you stop?”

“Answer me first!”

“Yes!”

“Where do you live?”

“Lijia Village, near the county town.”

“We’re not going back! Turn around!” With a squeeze of her legs, Jade Ice sped toward the county town of Xiaqiu once more.

“Where are you going?” The group quickly turned their horses and chased after her.

“To Lijia Village!” Jade Ice didn’t look back, her white robes billowing in the moonlight.

“What are we doing there?”

“Taking a chance!”

…

Lijia Village, Xiaqiu County. In the dead of night, the villagers were roused from their sleep by the thunderous approach of horses.

Cocks crowed, dogs barked, and a cacophony filled the air! In an instant, the entire village was ablaze with light, doors thrown open, and a few brave souls stepped out, cloaked in outer garments, to watch the commotion.

“What’s going on?”

“What happened?”

“How come so many people appeared out of nowhere?”

“Who’s so inconsiderate? Making such a racket—can’t people sleep anymore?”

Seeing that the entire village was awakened, Zhang Huai feared stirring public anger. He immediately ordered the officer behind him, “Go and fetch the village head!”

The officer received his orders and left. Jade Ice belatedly asked, “Isn’t this a bit too noisy? Could we be disturbing the villagers?”

“You already have,” Zhang Huai replied, at a loss for words. She was excellent in every way, but when investigating a case, she had no regard for anything else.

“Uh, sorry! It really wasn’t on purpose!” Jade Ice stuck out her tongue adorably, genuinely apologetic. She had intended to quietly visit the constable’s house and question his family for any clues. Now she wondered: was her approach right after all?

“Sir, the village head is here!” The officer who went to fetch him returned, leading an ordinary villager.

“He’s here. How to question him is up to you,” Zhang Huai waved his hand, signaling the officers to scatter and stay alert.

“Do you know where the constable who died of fright lived?”

“Yes, sir, I do.”

“I’m not ‘sir’, you can call me Jade Ice.”

“Si… Jade… Miss Jade?”

…

“Call me whatever you like. First, do you know where his house is?”

“Yes, Miss Jade, I do.”

“Hurry and take us there!”

Outside a dilapidated thatched cottage, Jade Ice and her companions sat on their horses, gazing at the lifeless hut. She looked down and asked the village head, double-checking, “Are you certain this is the place?”

“You’re looking for the constable who died from the plum blossom fright eight years ago—this is the only place. No mistake!” The farmer answered confidently, as if expecting the question.

“How do you know it was eight years ago? I haven’t mentioned the date at all.” Jade Ice stared at him intently, waiting for his explanation.

“Oh, is it not obvious? Who else comes here except those interested in the Bloody Plum Blossom Case from eight years ago?” The farmer replied urgently, without a second thought.

“No, you’re not the village head!” Before Jade Ice could continue, Zhang Huai reacted first. He snapped open his folding fan and urged his horse forward, firmly shielding Jade Ice behind him.

With a guarded, icy expression, he demanded, “Who are you? If you don’t tell the truth now, you’ll never speak again!”

“I… I… I…” The farmer trembled in fear at Zhang Huai’s murderous intent, stammering, “Master Liu, I won’t help you anymore! I don’t want your silver! Handle it yourself!” Before his words had finished, he was already fleeing, scrambling away.

The two riders exchanged baffled glances, utterly confused…

The next moment, Jade Ice reflexively leapt from her horse.

As her strength faded, her toe touched the saddle lightly, propelling her several yards higher.

Still airborne, she extended her hand and snapped her fingers, sending a dazzling flash through the night sky—shooting into the darkness.

“Ding!” A soft sound rang out in the night, as her swift silver needle was blocked by an unknown object and rebounded toward Jade Ice in midair.

Jade Ice, undeterred by the loss of control, calmly reached for her waist and drew another silver needle.

She flicked it toward the incoming sound.

“Dingling!” The two silver needles collided under the moonlight, producing a delicate chime before falling, spent, to the ground. Jade Ice, bathed in moonlight, drifted gracefully to earth.

The exchange had occurred in a flash, and Zhang Huai, only just reacting, realized the confrontation was over.

“Who’s there?” Seeing Jade Ice unharmed, Zhang Huai quickly guarded her, calling out coldly.

“Me.” A middle-aged man stepped forward, lightly tapping a jade flute against his palm.

Dressed in black, he made Jade Ice frown. After being attacked several times, she had grown to dislike black—it symbolized mourning and ill omen.

“Who are you?” Zhang Huai sensed an unspoken danger from this man, tensing his muscles and infusing his folding fan with inner strength, poised like a drawn bow—ready to strike.

“Are you the village head?” Jade Ice found this black-clad man odd: the lethal attack just now was certainly meant to kill, but seeing him in person, she felt a strange familiarity.

“The village head died long ago. My surname is Liu.” Hands clasped behind his back, he spoke with a proud air, exuding an effortless freedom that could not be feigned.

Now, there was no hint of murderous intent about him; his somewhat wooden expression carried the joy of meeting an old friend. “I’ve heard much about you! Your martial skills are formidable—seeing you today, it’s true!”

This familiar ease made Jade Ice’s eyes shine. Seeing the jade flute in his hand, she quickly motioned Zhang Huai to wait, “Hold on, he’s not an assassin—he’s my friend!”

Then she turned to the black-clad man and smiled, “Alright, Brother Yun, stop playing games! Take off the mask—your stiff expression is really unpleasant!”

…

“What ‘Brother Yun’? Jade Ice, you really know this man?” Zhang Huai saw the two greet each other as if oblivious to everyone else, and he put away his folding fan, feeling a twinge of jealousy.

“Heh… You’re as clever as ever!” Yun Feiyang ignored the man drowning in jealousy beside him. Cheerfully, he removed the mask, revealing a face Jade Ice knew well.

Jade Ice knew Zhang Huai misunderstood, but she didn’t want to explain. Danger always lingered around her; if this made him leave her side, so be it.

Without hesitation, she went to Yun Feiyang, grabbed his sleeve, and asked excitedly, “Brother Yun, how did you end up here?”

“When the little detective has a mystery she can’t solve, her big brother must lend a hand, right?” Yun Feiyang inspected the woman before him—her white dress made her even more beautiful and elegant under the moonlight.

“So, Brother Yun, what have you found out?” Jade Ice asked directly, without ceremony.

“The constable didn’t die of fright—he was silenced.” Yun Feiyang didn’t beat around the bush, sharing everything he had learned:

Everyone knew that Constable Li was addicted to gambling, deep in debt, and even lost his beautiful wife to the gambling den. Yet two days before the incident, he suddenly paid off all his debts and boasted he would redeem his wife. No one knew how he came by the money, nor where it came from. The only clue was that Constable Li seemed to have acquired some treasure.

What exactly it was, no one had seen, but it was thought to be valuable.

Neighbors said that on the night of the magistrate’s disappearance, Constable Li was seen lingering near the magistrate’s residence, as if waiting for someone. He returned home alone in the dead of night.

That evening, a stranger approached him, asking for directions. This man’s surname was Li—General Li.

But strangely, overnight the entire Chang residence vanished mysteriously! Constable Li was later found unconscious at his own door.

Everyone knew that it was this Constable Li who led General Li to the Chang residence! Yet when investigators questioned him, he claimed to know nothing.

Some said General Li was the murderer; others said General Li never existed, and it was all Constable Li’s fabrication to cover up his own crime.

To prove his innocence, Constable Li led others the next day, retracing his steps to the plum blossom tree. Unexpectedly, he became hysterical with fright!

Afterward, he wandered in a daze, babbling incoherently, and soon died under mysterious circumstances.

No one knew how he died! Just like the strange disappearance of Magistrate Chang’s family, it was inexplicable!

Jade Ice asked Yun Feiyang to help—could he uncover who this General Li really was? Why did Magistrate Chang invite him? What was their relationship?

Back at the Central Plains yamen, Jade Ice locked herself in the study, carefully reviewing every case file from the beginning. Even with Yun Feiyang’s help, eight years had passed, and with a muddled county magistrate, she had little hope of finding anything truly valuable within his jurisdiction.

Now, the only breakthrough lay in her hands. She had to quietly and methodically sift through the clues, hoping to discover something.

With that resolve, she gathered brush and ink, spread paper on the desk, and began recording the sequence of four cases and their unresolved questions:

First case: the entire household of Lord Chang, Imperial Secretariat, vanished overnight!

They didn’t die—where did they go? Why have they not returned after eight years? What caused their departure? If they died, where are their bodies? Was it suicide or murder? If suicide, what was the motive? If murder, what was the purpose? Who was the killer? What hatred could justify such annihilation?

Second case: the constable died in terror beneath the plum blossoms.

Was it suicide or murder? If he took his own life out of guilt, how did he do it? If it was murder, what was the weapon? Who was the killer? Could it be the same person as in the annihilation case? And, where did he find the mysterious treasure to pay off his gambling debts? What was this treasure that everyone spoke of? Could it be because of this treasure that he was killed? How did the murderer learn of its existence?

…