[He couldn’t wait to tell Bai Zhun about his discovery]

Huo Zhenye paused for a second, then burst out laughing, reaching out to grab the handles of Bai Zhun’s wheelchair.

But every time his hand was about to touch it, the wheelchair would shoot forward a few steps—always just a fraction out of reach. Huo Zhenye knew Bai Zhun was teasing him.

He didn’t get angry. With a cheeky grin, he said, “You really don’t want to know who killed Su Manli and Jin Dangui?”

Bai Zhun ignored him. Huo Zhenye, with his long legs, easily caught up in a few strides.

As long as he didn’t try to touch the wheelchair, it rolled on as usual. So he stuck both hands into the pockets of his tailored trousers, sauntering along at ease beside Bai Zhun.

“I’ve read Jin Dangui’s case file,” Huo Zhenye said with a casual smile, a few strands of hair falling across his brow. The midday sun lit up his bright eyes and raised brows. “Want me to tell you about it?”

Bai Zhun’s bamboo wheelchair slowed. He tilted his head slightly toward Huo Zhenye, the corner of his eye lifting—finally showing a hint of interest. Even after all these years, Huo Zhenye’s curiosity was still as strong as ever.

Huo Zhenye played coy. “I’ll tell you who the killer is—if you tell me when we met before. Deal?”

He dares to bargain with him? Bai Zhun’s expression cooled as he turned his face away, and the bamboo wheelchair sped off again. This time, no matter how Huo Zhenye chased, he couldn’t catch up.

Still, he didn’t stop, keeping up the playful pursuit with Bai Zhun through the narrow alleyways, letting the other toy with him like a cat playing with a mouse, until they finally exited onto the main road.

Even with his good stamina, Huo Zhenye was slightly out of breath. “You really don’t want to know?”

Everyone had their curiosities. Take himself, for instance—he never thought he’d one day feel such a strong curiosity about another man.

Huo Zhenye never believed in ghosts, gods, or fate. His mother prayed to the heavens daily—did anything she asked for ever come true? People always said that above our heads the gods watch. When doing good, they wanted the world to know; but when committing evil, they assumed heaven and earth turned a blind eye.

Now he knew. The world really did have ghosts and gods. Instead of fear, he felt oddly pleased—if human justice fails, then at least the laws of the underworld still offer judgment.

By then, Bai Zhun’s paper servant and rickshaw puller were already waiting. The rickshaw Huo Zhenye had hired followed closely behind.

The rickshaw puller, having received a silver dollar, was eager to keep such a generous client and ran with extra effort.

But no matter how fast he chased, he couldn’t close the distance with the rickshaw in front. Drenched in sweat, the puller finally lost sight of them.

He came to a bewildered stop, unable to understand how a mere flicker of the eyes could make him lose the man. Fearing he might not earn that silver dollar, he bowed repeatedly to Huo Zhenye. “That rickshaw was way too fast! That man plus that bamboo wheelchair—how could they possibly outrun me?”

Huo Zhenye knew Bai Zhun had done something out of the ordinary, and his curiosity toward him only deepened. Seeing the rickshaw puller dripping with sweat, he handed him another silver dollar. “Still have strength to run?”

“Of course, of course I do!”

“Go to Xianfei Road, the Huo residence.”

When Huo Zhenye got home, the household staff immediately surrounded him. Aunt Liu’s eyes welled with tears. “Young Master, thank goodness you’re back! The rickshaw went to the police station but didn’t find you. We didn’t know where you’d gone. I’ve prepared pomelo leaf water—you need a good wash to cleanse off the bad luck.”

“Did my brother call?”

Aunt Liu took his crumpled suit jacket. “The eldest young master called three times this morning—once himself, and twice through Secretary He.”

Otherwise, they wouldn’t have known he was safe.

Huo Zhenye knew if he didn’t come straight home, Aunt Liu would nag endlessly. He acted spoiled to cheer her up. “Aunt Liu, I’m starving. I want noodles.”

Aunt Liu had just been grumbling about how he hadn’t come home right away, but as soon as she heard he was hungry, her heart ached—she figured he must’ve been eating and sleeping poorly these past few days. She quickly softened. “Had a rough time out there, didn’t you? From now on, you need to listen to your big brother. I knew you’d want noodles when you came back. The toppings are ready—shredded eel, shrimp, pork belly. Which one do you want?”

“I want them all,” Huo Zhenye said truthfully. He hadn’t eaten properly for days.

Aunt Liu smiled from ear to ear and headed to the kitchen, muttering as she went, “No matter where he goes, he can’t forget these noodles.”

Huo Zhenye ran upstairs to the study with a few quick steps and called his older brother Huo Chaozong.

Secretary He answered the phone. Upon hearing it was Huo Zhenye, he laughed, “Seventh Young Master, you finally called. The eldest young master’s been waiting anxiously.”

Though called a secretary, He was actually someone brought up in the Huo household. In front of the Huo family, he always addressed Huo Chaozong as “Eldest Young Master.”

“You still remember to call?” Huo Chaozong picked up the phone and immediately scolded his younger brother, “You just got back from England a few days ago, and already you’ve stirred up this much trouble?”

Huo Zhenye wasn’t afraid of him at all—there weren’t many in the Huo family who genuinely cared for him, and his big brother was one of the few.

“I was just unlucky to run into all this, it’s not like I was looking for trouble.”

“Then go do something decent with yourself! Living like this every day—what are you even trying to do?” Though they weren’t born of the same mother, Huo Chaozong had watched Huo Zhenye grow up. He could see right through what his brother was thinking.

“If you don’t like Miss Tao, just tell me. I’ll deal with Father. Why do you have to cause such a stir all over the city?”

“Big Brother, I want to join the patrol unit and help solve cases.”

Even Huo Chaozong hadn’t expected his brother to say that. On the other end of the line, he chuckled. “What nonsense is this—what, went to England and came back thinking you’re Sherlock Holmes?”

“You’ve read Sherlock Holmes?” Huo Zhenye sounded surprised. His brother had only grown more rigid with age—he hadn’t expected him to read detective novels.

Huo Chaozong didn’t respond to the joke. He had things to handle and was in a hurry, so he simply said, “That’s the International Settlement—you think my influence reaches that far? You can’t get an official post, but you can be an advisor.”

Satisfied, Huo Zhenye hung up the phone, took a relaxing pomelo-leaf bath, and ate the fine thread noodles Aunt Liu brought him.

Three dishes of generously topped sauces—all eaten clean. He stood up, ready to head back out.

Aunt Liu saw him about to leave again, handed him a fresh suit, and grumbled, “Can’t even sit still at home. Won’t even read a book properly.”

“Aunt Liu, I’ve already graduated.” Huo Zhenye smiled as he left the house, this time taking the family car to the police station.

Song Jingnan had already received the call. He could certainly arrange for an advisor role, but what was this young master really coming back for—did he think the police station was just a fun place to hang out?

He issued the advisor’s credential and asked cautiously, “Want me to set you up with a desk?”

Huo Zhenye raised an eyebrow. “No need. Take me to the crime scene. And assign me an assistant.”

Everyone else saw Huo Zhenye as just another meddling rich kid. Only Da Tou had seen his real skills—if that interrogation hadn’t been interrupted, Huo Zhenye surely would’ve gotten even more out of Liu Da.

“I—I’ll be Young Master Huo’s assistant!” Da Tou eagerly volunteered.

He led Huo Zhenye to Su Manli’s residence, explaining the case details along the way.

Su Manli had been killed in her own home. All the maids and servants had already been questioned—no one reported hearing anything suspicious that night.

“Su Manli worked at the nightclubs in the evening and liked to sleep in during the day. It wasn’t until late morning that a maid went to wake her and found her dead in bed,” Da Tou said, glancing at Huo Zhenye. “Her eyes were gouged out too.”

The brutality of the case was unlike anything Da Tou had seen in all his years as a patrol officer. Yet Huo Zhenye’s face remained calm and composed—clearly, he’d seen worse.

“Young Master Huo, who do you think could’ve done this?”

Huo Zhenye asked in return, “What do you think?”

“Me? I think it definitely has something to do with the Courtesan Queen Selection,” Da Tou replied, pulling out a notebook where he’d listed the recent votes and rankings from the competition and handed it to Huo Zhenye.

Huo Zhenye scanned the notes—most contestants’ rankings hadn’t changed much. Only Jin Dangui had suddenly shot to the top thanks to her dazzling magic performance; she had been close to falling out of the beauty selection entirely before her rise.

“Also, Baile ^[1] Numerous Happy House and Xianle ^[2] Heavenly Music Palace are business rivals. Most of the dancers in the contest were selected from those two clubs. Could it be a case of murder over profits or rivalry?” Da Tou asked, scratching his head. “Young Master Huo, do you think I’m on the right track?”

“Not bad.” For an ordinary case, that kind of reasoning would be perfectly valid.

But this wasn’t just any case—the victim had turned into a ghost, returning each night to seek justice for herself.

They soon arrived at Su Manli’s home, and Huo Zhenye entered her bedroom.

Her bedroom was tucked away on the second floor at the far end. If the killer had broken in, they would’ve had to pass through the living room and up the stairs. Even if the maids hadn’t heard anything, there should have been some trace—marks on the carpet, smudges by the door.

“Young Master Huo, there’s not a single trace on the floor or carpet. The locks were intact too. So how do you think the killer got in?”

There was a window in Su Manli’s room facing the small garden, but it also showed no signs of being forced open.

Even the flowerbeds downstairs hadn’t been trampled—did the killer appear out of thin air, commit murder, and then vanish into nothing?

The Jin Dangui case had occurred in a private room at the Ritz Hotel. With the complex flow of staff and guests, the killer could have blended into the crowd unnoticed.

But Su Manli died at home. Including the errand boy, the old maid, and the maidservant, there were only four people in the house. So how did the murderer commit the crime?

“What did they eat last night? Has that been checked?” There’d been an anesthetic found in the wine bottle in the hotel case—maybe this was similar.

“Su Manli didn’t eat at home last night. The old maid didn’t cook. The servants pooled some money and bought a Sanhuang chicken, and had chicken congee and noodle soup.”

“The body’s been sent to the coroner. There were no signs of forced entry—no broken locks, no picked doors. So how did the killer get in?”

Huo Zhenye stared at the window, then walked over. “This area’s been processed for evidence?”

“All done. We’ve taken photos too.”

Huo Zhenye put on gloves, opened the window, and looked down. The flowerbeds were in full bloom, untouched.

He turned and looked upward. Above the window sill, there was a patch of fresh plaster. He took off his leather shoes and climbed onto the window frame.

“Young Master Huo! What do you see? I’ll go up—” Da Tou hadn’t even finished speaking when Huo Zhenye had already leaned out the window and waved. “Pass me the camera.”

On the outer wall beneath Su Manli’s window, there was a white streak—like something had scraped against it.

Da Tou quickly handed him the camera. Bracing his legs, gripping the window frame, Huo Zhenye pressed the shutter.

“Young Master Huo, what did you get?”

Huo Zhenye didn’t answer. After taking the photo, he tossed the camera back inside, jumped through the window, put his shoes back on, and hurried downstairs. He circled the entire villa.

“The intruder came up from here.” This was a French-style villa; French architecture often used lime plaster walls, and outside was a wall of climbing ivy.

Among the leaves, Huo Zhenye found a faint trace—like the mark of a cloth shoe.

He looked up. The second floor here had the reception room window. He went back upstairs and pushed it open.

Da Tou tried to stop him: “Young Master Huo, we already asked—no visitors have come these past few days. The reception room windows and doors haven’t even been opened.”

But Huo Zhenye climbed onto the window ledge anyway—and sure enough, just above the window cornice, he found a triangular scratch.

The killer had climbed up this wall using a grappling hook, crossed the rooftop, and entered Su Manli’s room to commit the murder.

Da Tou was bewildered. “But… how did the killer open Su Manli’s window?”

Huo Zhenye pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his sweat. “It’s summertime. Opening a window at night for fresh air is normal. Ask the maid if Su Manli had that habit.”

Sure enough, the maid nodded—Su Manli was afraid of the heat and always kept the windows and the electric fan on.

Next, they just needed to send someone to the rooftop to collect footprints and fingerprints. Once those were compared, they’d know if the killer was the person he had in mind.

The police sent a lean, nimble officer to the roof to collect the prints.

Da Tou was utterly impressed by Huo Zhenye’s string of deductions. He wanted to contribute something too, so he said, “So this must’ve been a vendetta? Definitely not robbery—Su Manli’s jewelry was all accounted for, not a single piece missing.”

Hearing the word “jewelry,” something clicked in Huo Zhenye’s mind. He went straight to the dressing table and opened the jewelry box.

The pair of earrings Liu Da had gifted to Jin Danguì were lying right there in Su Manli’s jewelry box.

Huo Zhenye frowned. Could the killer really not be him?

He picked up the diamond earrings—such large diamonds were rare, and compared to Su Manli’s other jewelry, they were among the most valuable.

Huo Zhenye held up the earrings and asked Su Manli’s maid, “When did she bring these back?”

The maid thought for a moment. “Probably the night of the Courtesan Queen Selection banquet.”

Su Manli adored jewelry. Her clients often gifted her with it—nothing unusual.

That night, she’d taken the earrings and couldn’t stop admiring herself in the mirror. She even said she wanted to have them refashioned—either into a ring or a necklace.

“So did she forget afterward? Or did she not get the chance to send them out?”

“She didn’t send them out. I even asked if she wanted the jeweler to come to the house—she scolded me for it.”

The next day, news of the Jin Dangui murder broke. Su Manli no longer dared wear the earrings out.

Huo Zhenye started piecing together a rough timeline.

Jin Dangui had tipped a hotel waiter to get Huo Zhenye’s room number. But after leaving the banquet hall, Huo Zhenye went straight to the billiards room downstairs and didn’t return to his room right away.

Liu Da impersonated him and entered the room. He and Jin Dangui drank wine laced with a sedative and both passed out.

After Jin Dangui lost consciousness but before the killer struck, Su Manli entered the room and stole the earrings—which meant she may have seen the person who murdered Jin Dangui.

Huo Zhenye couldn’t wait to share his discovery with Bai Zhun.

But all he knew… was that people called him “Seventh Master.”