Xie Jing carried Qin Jiujiu back to the City Lord's mansion. When Liu Jin and Xie Yun delivered the severely injured Wei Ting to the medical hall, they received news from Bai Qianluo – Jiujiu had returned.
The last time Qin Jiujiu was kidnapped, it was by someone who looked remarkably like Xie Jing. However, she hadn't been sure if it was the villain's doing, so she hadn't dared to tell Bai Qianluo and Xie Yun. This time, however, she was certain the person wasn't Xie Jing, and she revealed everything, including the previous incident, to Bai Qianluo.
This provided a clue to the series of murder cases. There should have been many clues in the mountain cave, but the cave had collapsed, and all the clues had vanished instantly.
However, based on Qin Jiujiu's description, the person who looked like Xie Jing, or rather, was identical to him, was undeniably involved and very likely the real culprit.
Wen Zhanxin had disappeared without a trace. Fortunately, Xie Yun had previously placed a water mirror in the Wen mansion, a fact known only to him.
To Qin Jiujiu, a water mirror was a magical artifact similar to modern surveillance, capable of showing past events. Xie Yun had set it up in the Wen mansion as a precaution.
The next morning, everyone gathered at the Wen mansion. Xie Yun activated the water mirror, and a shocking scene unfolded: Wen Zhanxin peeled off his own facial skin in front of the mirror and replaced it with another face.
That face was unmistakably Xie Jing's!
It was likely that Wen Zhanxin had been killed long ago, and the Wen Zhanxin they had been dealing with all along was a skin-changing ghost. It was very cunning, even feigning fear, inviting a Taoist priest to stay in the mansion, and actively cooperating with Xie Yun. This way, it could learn more about their plans.
Especially during the time it was injured, it was probably a staged act to gain Xie Yun's trust.
Fortunately, Xie Yun was cautious. What was originally intended to facilitate the investigation of clues directly uncovered the real culprit.
Qin Jiujiu immediately recognized this person as the one she had encountered twice. She didn't know what he had given her to eat, but Bai Qianluo had checked her pulse, and her body showed no abnormalities, nor did she feel any discomfort.
Except for one thing: whenever she fell asleep, her dreams were filled with Xie Jing.
In her dreams, he was an extremely gentle man. More terrifyingly, he would whisper sweet nothings to her and make advances. Although she was taken advantage of in her dreams, seeing Xie Jing made her feel uneasy.
She inexplicably remembered having told him he was impotent, and that he had overheard her. The memory now filled her with unbearable shame.
The places he had touched seemed to burn and itch.
Having grown up reading tales of spirits and demons, Xie Yun immediately recognized this act of skin-changing as the work of a skin-changing ghost.
With a little deduction, the answer became clear: before each murder, a new face would appear in the opera troupe. These new faces were likely people the skin-changing ghost had killed and impersonated. The skin-changing ghost needed to constantly kill and steal skins to increase its power. After killing, it would discard the bodies, so the bodies found in the mountain cave were likely those of people it had harmed over the years.
It would probably continue to kill and steal skins, appearing with new faces in the city. Therefore, it needed to be apprehended quickly. "Great Hero Xie, this is terrible! My father is missing!"
Just as they were standing at the entrance of the Wen mansion, about to leave, Liu Jin arrived on horseback, her face filled with anxiety.
"What? How could this be?"
The City Lord was always protected by nearly ten close guards, all of them top-tier experts, yet they had all disappeared. It was likely not a natural occurrence.
According to people in the mansion, the City Lord had left the mansion last night with his guards, claiming he had received a ransom note stating the County Princess had been kidnapped and demanding money for her release. Since the County Princess was indeed not in the mansion, the City Lord had rushed out with his men and had not returned since.
They had only returned around midnight, so this matter had only just come to light.
The County Princess had returned to the mansion, completely unaware of any kidnapping, yet the City Lord had been missing all night. It was clear that kidnapping the County Princess was a ruse to lure out the City Lord.
The ransom note specified that if the person was to be redeemed, the City Lord must personally deliver one thousand taels of silver to the largest brothel in the city – the Nanfeng Pavilion.
Qin Jiujiu remembered the Nanfeng Pavilion. The last time she had watched fireworks with Xie Jing from the rooftop of the Nanfeng Pavilion, she had been kidnapped afterward. Now, it seemed there was definitely something suspicious about the Nanfeng Pavilion.
The Nanfeng Pavilion was the largest brothel in Xiliu City. Qin Jiujiu had only seen its entrance last time, but she didn't know that besides courtesans, it also housed male escorts.
Every courtesan at the Nanfeng Pavilion had a nameplate with their name engraved on it. These nameplates were hung on a long corridor, and every guest had to choose a nameplate, signifying that they would be served by that courtesan.
The nameplates of the male escorts were not displayed openly, but a portion of the clientele came specifically for them.
Qin Jiujiu and the others were naturally unaware of this. Even Liu Jin had limited knowledge of such matters, and ordinary people had never heard of it. However, Jiang Yan, whose businesses were vast and connections extensive, managed to provide them with much insider information about the Nanfeng Pavilion.
Following protocol, everyone arrived at the Nanfeng Pavilion. To avoid detection, Bai Qianluo disguised herself as a man.
Qin Jiujiu and Liu Jin, lacking any magical abilities, were initially forbidden from participating by Xie Yun. However, these two were not ones to obediently follow orders.
Xie Yun knew that even if they didn't bring these two along, they would likely sneak away. It was better to have them accompany them, so they could be protected if danger arose.
Qin Jiujiu and Liu Jin had intended to disguise themselves, but given Liu Jin's recognizable appearance in Xiliu City, they decided against it, which would make their tasks easier.
As night fell, the five of them, disguised, arrived at the Nanfeng Pavilion. Before they even entered, they were surrounded by a crowd of ostentatiously dressed women.
Qin Jiujiu and Liu Jin, not being favored, were isolated on the outside, while the other three were enveloped in a sea of flowers.
The two were initially annoyed by being neglected, but seeing that the other three were not having an easy time, they instead gloated from the sidelines.
Qin Jiujiu crossed her arms and watched the three.
Bai Qianluo looked clearly terrified, fearing her female identity would be discovered. She clutched her body tightly, guarding against any approach.
Xie Yun was the most popular. His handsome features and tall stature, combined with an inherent heroic demeanor, made him incredibly attractive to the women.
Xie Jing's face was dark, and a clear look of impatience crossed his features. Based on Qin Jiujiu's understanding of him, he was undoubtedly suppressing an urge to kill at that moment.
The scent of these women made Xie Jing feel breathless. He forced down the urge to kill and shifted his attention to a certain person.
He saw her gleeful expression and his coldness intensified, his icy gaze fixed on Qin Jiujiu.
Qin Jiujiu didn't understand why the villain had transferred his murderous intent to her, but she still stepped forward to help him out of his predicament.
She squeezed into the crowd, standing beside Xie Jing. Seeing the displeased expressions of the women glaring at her as if she had ruined their fun, she felt disheartened. However, the man beside her exuded even greater authority, so Qin Jiujiu blurted out, "My elder brother isn't very bright and isn't good in that department. Those two gentlemen over there are here to enjoy themselves at the Nanfeng Pavilion. We're just here to experience the sights!"
This implied that Xie Jing was incapable of wooing women and they wouldn't get anything from him, so they should go find Xie Yun and Bai Qianluo.
Xie Yun: ...
Bai Qianluo: ...
System: "Let me thank you, for because of you, the four seasons are warm..."