Prefect Ma sighed with relief when he saw Li Ang, clad in a black cape, being escorted into the main hall of the Yamen. Fortunately, he remembered he was in the midst of interrogating a prisoner and didn't rush down from the bench to fawn over him, thus preserving a shred of dignity as an official of Goose City.

"Please take a seat, Taoist Master." Ma Bonde gestured with a wave of his hand, instructing Government Official Wang Chao and Ma Han to bring a chair and place it in front of the left side of the bench.

Li Ang took a seat without hesitation and scanned the two individuals, one standing and one kneeling below. "Who are these two?"

"The standing one is a peasant from Zhuangsang Town, Zhao Liu," Ma Bonde explained. "The one kneeling is the perpetrator in this case. His surname is Wu, given name Hu. On the surface, he's a Cargo Jack, a merchant peddling miscellaneous goods through the streets and villages, but in reality, he is a White Lotus Sect Member who masters witchcraft."

Wu Hu, hearing this, let a sly smile flicker across his dark face. "My lord, the Ministry of Punishment's official document hasn't arrived yet; I can't yet be termed a murderer, at most a suspect."

"Hmph." Impatient to argue with this White Lotus Sect Member, Ma Bonde forcefully struck the bench with his judge's mallet and said to the anxious peasant Zhao Liu, "Zhao Liu, recount what you previously witnessed in front of Taoist Master Xi Menzi, in detail."

"Yes, my lord." Zhao Liu bowed awkwardly and began to nervously recount his experience.

Zhuangsang Town, located to the west of Goose City, was known, as its name suggested, for its mulberry trees and silk production. Zhao Liu was a peasant from Zhuangsang Town, typically idle and shiftless, spending his days without a care. The yield from his two small, barren plots of land was pitifully low, and he spent the little income he made from farming on alcohol.

Such a lazy loafer would naturally not catch the eye of any respectable family. Zhao Liu, for his part, was content not having a wife, as it meant one less person to nag or restrain him. Yet, while his income was so limited, his craving for alcohol seemed boundless.

Driven by the constant desire for drinking money, Zhao Liu set his malevolent sights on a local wealthy family from Zhuangsang Town, the Xu Family. The Xu Family had managed their assets well over generations. By this time, they had amassed considerable wealth, property, and influence, their word unchallenged in the local area, and they had connections to rely upon even in Lvzhou City.

Young Master Xu had only been married a year. The bride hailed from another affluent town, and on their wedding day, the betrothal gifts and dowry had almost blocked the streets of Zhuangsang Town solid. Zhao Liu envied Young Master Xu's inherent superiority and coveted the Xu Family's vast fortunes, always pondering when he might sneak into their residence to steal their wealth.

Unfortunately, the Xu residence was surrounded by high walls, with guards and bodyguards patrolling at intervals. Getting caught in the act of burglary would mean a severe beating on the spot, at best. Zhao Liu kept vigil around the Xu estate for several months but failed to find an opportunity, having the heart of a thief but not the courage.

Until two days ago, when Young Master Xu received a letter from his father in the capital. The letter informed him of his father's illness and urged Young Master Xu to rush to the capital to see him one last time. Without suspicion, Young Master Xu left with a small retinue for the capital.

Seizing the opportunity, the idle peasant Zhao Liu took advantage of Young Master Xu's absence and the temporary reduction in the Xu family's security. He found a way to climb over the wall into the residence, planning to wait for everyone to fall asleep before descending from the beams to plunder jewels and money. Zhao Liu had his eyes set on the room of Lady Xu. He assumed this room contained the most treasures. Moreover, Lady Xu was already nearly six months pregnant, her large belly hindering her movements, which he thought would make it all the easier for him to commit the theft and escape.

In the dead of night, hidden in the rafters, Zhao Liu saw that Lady Xu and her two maids were almost asleep. He planned to climb down after a little while and quietly search for valuables. But before he could make his move, he heard a HISS. A small hole was poked in one of the room's window papers, and through it, a stick of faint yellow incense emitting a trail of smoke was inserted.

Zhao Liu was utterly surprised, guessing this was probably another thief like himself, intent on stealing valuables. That incense stick, he figured, was likely meant to render people unconscious. Fearing that any rash movement might scare the intruder into making a noise and attracting the guards, he got back onto the dark rafters, carefully tore off a piece of cloth from his sleeve cuff to cover his mouth and nose, and quietly observed the situation.

Soon, the incense took effect. The two maids collapsed onto the table, unconscious. Inside Lady Xu's bed curtain, there was not a sound; the entire room was eerily silent.

An ominous feeling crept over Zhao Liu. Something's not right, he thought. But the incense had already begun to seep through the cloth covering his mouth and nose, blurring his consciousness. His reactions slowed to a crawl, and he couldn't control his limbs. In a daze, he seemed to see a figure with a bundle on his back climbing over a wall into the room, holding several sticks of incense, which he then placed in various corners of the room.

After placing the incense, the figure walked slowly to the front of Lady Xu's bed curtain. From his bundle, he took out a narrow-topped, wide-bottomed ceramic jar and a small knife that was slender, narrow, and incredibly sharp. Muttering under his breath, the man's voice was muffled and restrained—it was not clear what he was saying, but Zhao Liu felt a palpable sense of evil and terror slowly brewing.

After a moment, the man finished chanting his spell and pointed at the bed curtain. Lady Xu then leaped out from the curtain, her eyes half-open as if she were in a state between sleep and wakefulness, and knelt down in front of the figure.

HUM—

In the light of the candles, the blade flashed for an instant. The figure sliced Lady Xu in half at the waist, removed the baby, and stuffed it into the ceramic jar.

The surge of blood jolted Zhao Liu, on the beam, to full alertness. He watched in horror, noticing that Lady Xu, like a clay puppet, showed no pain or fear. She let the blood flow freely, maintaining a motionless kneeling posture. The sleeping incense used by bandits on the road could at most render a person temporarily unconscious; a splash of cold water would be enough to wake them, let alone an injury from a knife. That must be some kind of strange, demonic sorcery!

Although Zhao Liu was a lazy idler who spent his days thinking of stealing money for alcohol, having witnessed this vile act of killing and taking a baby, he was filled with rage and indignation. Forgetting his own safety, he tried to shout and call the guards. Unfortunately, the effect of the sleeping incense was still present. Zhao Liu, his body stiff, watched helplessly as the figure took a stopper from the bundle, sealed the ceramic jar, and, unconcerned with the kneeling corpse of Lady Xu, pushed open the door and left.

After a while, Zhao Liu regained his clarity. The smell of blood filled the room. Looking at the kneeling corpse of Lady Xu, her eyes unseeing, he was overwhelmed with regret, anger, and loathing. He jumped down from the beam, rushed out the door, and followed the figure's footsteps in the moonlight. After a whole night's journey from Zhuangsang Town, he tracked the figure all the way to the outskirts of Goose City.

There, he happened upon the Government Officials of Goose City who were returning from searching for the corpses of Bandits buried by Li Ang and others. Recognizing that such an opportunity might not come again, Zhao Liu suddenly sprang into action. He pounced on the figure, tackling him around the waist, and shouted loudly. This attracted the Government Officials, who clapped both men in chains and took them back to the Yamen for interrogation.

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