Chapter 271: Great Young Master Truly Has Divine Wisdom

It was impossible for Hong Chenglüe to take all his humble household belongings with him when he left. He had been invited back to the State of Beijia to serve as a general, not to become a cook in another town!

He Lingchuan focused on the bedroom. "There's blood on the floor of this room, and the entire area has been deliberately cleaned. Hong Chenglüe clearly didn't want us to find any useful clues here. So, open your eyes wide, all of you, and search thoroughly!"

The three assented and began a meticulous search.

However, Hong Chenglüe was evidently very thorough in his cleanup. The four of them searched together for half an hour, meticulously checking every brick crevice and even discovering a secret compartment in the wall by the headboard, but they found no useful personal belongings.

"At the time, he had already killed three officers, needed to clean this place up immediately, and then had to carry his paralyzed wife away, hmm—" He Lingchuan suddenly saw Maotao wink at him and nodded.

Maotao then tiptoed to the courtyard gate and abruptly pulled it open—

"Oh!" An old woman stumbled through the doorway and nearly fell inside.

Her back was hunched and her mouth sunken, but she moved with surprising agility, quickly regaining her balance after a stumble and turning to flee.

Maotao grabbed her by the collar and brought her directly to He Lingchuan.

He Lingchuan folded his arms and asked, "The provincial government is conducting official business here. Are you eavesdropping?"

"Huh?" The old woman cupped her ear, looking utterly confused, and shouted loudly, "What did you say?!"

"Are you a resident of this alley as well?"

"Speak louder!"

Maotao smiled and said to He Lingchuan, "Boss, this old woman is deaf and her eyesight is failing. Let's ask someone else."

Ten copper coins jingled in He Lingchuan's hand. "We're offering a reward. That's how we show sincerity."

The moment the old woman saw the ten copper coins, her eyes lit up, and her voice became much softer, as this amount could buy several days of good food. "Ah, I can hear you, I can hear you! What do you want to ask?"

"Are you familiar with the Hong Chenglüe couple who lived here?"

The old woman nodded. "Yes, very. I often came here to visit. Ajin was bedridden and couldn't move, so I frequently brought her water. A few days ago, when the murder happened here, I was actually the first one to discover it before reporting it to the authorities."

"How did the murder happen? Do you have any clues?"

"Oh, I remember several things happened that day. First, those boys from the Liu family were beheaded. Then the officials came to search for grain. Oh, they even took some from my house..."

He Lingchuan interrupted her. "Wait, why did the officials come to search for grain?"

"Liu Yaping must have had a death wish! A few days ago, after stealing military rations, he even went door-to-door distributing them. Did he think he was some kind of legendary hero?" The old woman smacked her lips. "He got caught, and the officials said the military grain had to be returned, and as a result... Oh, wait a minute, where did you say you were from?"

"Xia Province Prefecture."

"Are your officials higher-ranking than ours here?"

"Yes," Jiao Tai rumbled, "much higher-ranking."

"Oh, when those officers came in, they searched for more than just grain! They took several rabbit feet from my house. Sir, could you please help me get them back?"

"Weren't there several incidents that day?" Maotao reminded her. "What else happened?"

"After Hong Chenglüe returned, I heard Ajin crying. Then, suddenly, three more officers arrived, holding chains. Were they there to make an arrest? But those three went into his house and never came out again."

The old woman smacked her lips. "A little while later, a carriage stopped outside the Hong family's door. People dressed in silk, who looked like merchants, got out and also went into the Hong family's small courtyard. About half an hour later, the Hong couple got into that carriage and left. I asked Hong Chenglüe where he was going, but he refused to say."

"Oh, I just found it strange that those three officers never came out. Later, I pushed the door open to look and saw a leg sticking out from the kitchen floor. I felt something was very wrong and reported it to the authorities."

"So, you were the first one to arrive at the scene?"

"Uh, I suppose so."

He Lingchuan smiled. "Since you were the first to enter, then the pots, pans, and other items in the kitchen, you took them, didn't you?"

The old woman vehemently denied it: "No, I didn't!"

Maotao slapped her shoulder, making her jump. "Listen, old woman, we need the Hong family's belongings as evidence. If you dare to conceal them, that's aiding and abetting, and you'll be charged as an accomplice. That means at least two of your fingers will be crushed!" He then pressed her fingers and made a "crack" sound with his mouth, making the old woman tremble all over.

He Lingchuan didn't even bother to smile, knowing that such bluffs were highly effective in scaring old women in small towns. The old woman immediately dropped her pretense. "Th-they're at my house."

The four then followed her home.

The old woman lived diagonally opposite Hong Chenglüe's house. Only an old man was at home, and he hadn't yet returned.

As soon Lingchuan stepped into her house, he was met with a greasy, stale odor. He then saw that her house and yard were piled high with countless miscellaneous items.

There were bottles, jars, rotting wood, long hemp ropes, and torn sacks everywhere... He thought he had stumbled into a junkyard.

Had this old woman never thrown anything away in her entire life?

She led the four into the house and began rummaging around.

Sure enough, the Hong family's pots, pans, and dishes were all there.

There were many other scattered items, which she claimed all belonged to the Hong family. Remembering that Ajin was bedridden and Hong Chenglüe was often away, it was clear that the old woman had been pilfering from their house.

For He Lingchuan, this was an unexpected bonus.

He examined the items, pointing to a comb amidst the clutter. "Is this Hong's wife, Ajin's? Have you seen her use it?"

"Yes, yes." The old woman had pilfered that too.

"Have you used it yourself?"

"No, no." Most of the things she had taken hadn't even been used yet.

He Lingchuan picked up the wooden comb and held it up to the light. "So the hair wrapped around it must belong to either Hong Chenglüe or Ajin?"

"Well, I suppose so?"

He Lingchuan then placed the ten copper coins on the table. "Is there anything else I should know?"

The old woman genuinely thought for a moment before shaking her head. "Nothing else."

The group then took their leave.

He Lingchuan sent Shan Youjun to the timber yard north of Bailu Town.

There were indeed many traces of people and horses having stayed there; even the horse droppings were fresh. However, the place was deserted. It was clear that Hong Chenglüe had struck successfully and then slipped away with his team, giving them no chance to catch him.

After they left, it was more than half an hour later when someone furtively entered the alley. After glancing around to confirm no one was nearby, he climbed over the wall and jumped into the old woman's yard.

The old woman was in her yard, tending to the firewood for cooking, when suddenly her neck was seized from behind, and a low voice whispered in her ear, "What did those people just ask you?"

"Ah..." More people? The old woman was terrified. "They... they're from the provincial government. They wanted to ask about what happened yesterday..."

Before she could finish speaking, a muffled thud came from behind, and the hands gripping her neck released.

She turned around and saw a man lying on the ground. Standing behind him, grinning, was Maotao.

"Sure enough, they left an informant in town." The young master was truly brilliant; he had told me to secretly double back midway and wait. And just as predicted, a surprise delivered itself to our doorstep.

Maotao pointed at the man on the ground and asked the old woman, "Is this man from the town?"

Still shaken, she vehemently shook her head. "Never seen him, never seen him before!"

Next, Maotao carried the man back to Hong Chenglüe's empty house, his mouth gagged with a towel.

When the captive was splashed awake with a dipper of water, the first thing he saw was Shan Youjun cracking his knuckles and walking towards him with a sinister grin...

Less than half an hour later, the Hong Chenglüe's courtyard gate swung open without warning.

The old woman outside the door stumbled yet again, nearly falling inside. Once more, Maotao steadied her.

This old woman clearly had a deep obsession with peeking through door cracks.

"Oh dear..." This time, even she felt a bit embarrassed, unsure what excuse to invent. Initially, faint noises had come from inside the house, like someone struggling with their mouth and nose covered, but then it grew quiet, and she couldn't hear a thing, even straining her ears.

Maotao, however, didn't seem to mind. "Old woman, do you know the abandoned mine pit to the northwest?"

"A mine pit?" The old woman's eyes darted about. "I think I've heard of it?"

Maotao spread his hand, revealing ten copper coins in his palm. "I just saved your life, remember that?"

The old woman chuckled awkwardly. "There's only one small mine pit to the northwest; it stopped producing ore ten years ago. Are you planning to go there?"

"We're considering it."

The old woman stared intently at the copper coins in his hand. "That place is hidden deep within the jungle and very difficult to find. How about you pay a bit more, and I'll get you a guide?"

"Fine." Time was short, so Maotao didn't haggle. Didn't the boss have plenty of money anyway?

"Then you wait here." The old woman, despite her bowed legs, walked out with surprising speed.

She returned a few minutes later, accompanied by an old man. He was under sixty and very thin, but his back was still straight.

"This is my old man. He worked in that mine pit for two years and knows the way perfectly!"

He Lingchuan invited both of them inside. "Old sir, what did you originally do in the mine?"

"Everything," the old man replied honestly, unlike his wife, answering every question readily. "Quarrying stone, digging ore, carving paths, propping up tunnels, and setting explosives."

He Lingchuan paused, surprised. "You used explosives?"

That was advanced. He had visited mines in Qiansong County, where all excavation was done purely by manual labor.

"Yes, it saves a lot of effort. We've been using gunpowder here for many years." In other words, it was an old traditional practice. "Even after that mine pit was abandoned, there was still a lot of gunpowder left over."

Shan Youjun and the others couldn't help but curse under their breath. Now they finally knew where the gunpowder that killed the officials of the Dunyu grain transport team had come from.

He Lingchuan, of course, had also considered this. His eyes flickered, and he immediately asked the old man, "You wouldn't happen to have any of that gunpowder left at home, would you?"

"No, no," the old man vigorously waved his hands. "How could I do such a foolish thing? What if it blew up the house? It wouldn't be worth it."

"Uh..." The old woman beside him looked awkward. "The gunpowder you're talking about... it's not hidden in black and white jars, is it?"

Having been married for decades, the old man understood her expression instantly and exclaimed in shock, "Don't tell me you hid gunpowder at home! I distinctly remember throwing it away!"

The old woman gave an awkward smile. "It seemed such a waste to throw it away."

He Lingchuan snapped his fingers. "This is truly a gift from heaven."

"Then please retrieve it for me," he said, turning to the others behind him. "We should tell Hong Chenglüe, 'One good turn deserves another.'"