Old Mo hadn't paid much attention to the pavilion in the middle of the lake, but upon hearing Xiao Lou's words, he immediately followed Xiao Lou's gaze toward the Drunken Moon Pavilion. Under the moonlight, around the Drunken Moon Pavilion, numerous fragments of moonlight were scattered across the lake's surface. Upon closer inspection, the moonlight did indeed resemble fragments of a jumbled maze.
Old Mo took out his handkerchief and carefully checked the maze plan he had drawn the night before. Soon, he said excitedly, " Professor Xiao is right. The pavilion in the middle of the lake looks like the starting point of the maze. Let's go take a look."
Yu Hanjiang used his Lightness Skill to fly Xiao Lou into the pavilion, and the other four quickly followed.
Upon arriving at the pavilion, Lao Mo looked around while sketching on a handkerchief with a pen. Xiao Lou walked up to him and asked, "Well? Have you discovered the mystery of the maze?"
Old Mo looked up at the moonlight in the sky, then looked down at the floor plan on the handkerchief, and said thoughtfully, "If this pavilion is the very center of the maze, then the winding paths around the lake are the honeycomb-like branches radiating from the center. The reason we couldn't find the exit last night is probably because the maze is rotating according to a certain pattern."
Xiao Lou said, "So, the entire maze revolves around the pavilion? After the outer perimeter rotates, the town's exit becomes hidden, which is why we couldn't find it last night. Today, the maze has rotated back to its original position, so you found the town's exit just now by following Miss Zhao and Chen Yu?"
Liu Qiao walked over and said, "Yes, we saw Chen Yu walk out with our own eyes. There's a stone tablet that says ' Qingfeng Town ' outside the town gate. However, it's like there's a transparent barrier at the entrance of the town, and we can't get out."
Qu Wanyue nodded in agreement: "We've tried too, but we can't get out."
Xiao Lou looked down at the lake in confusion. A gentle breeze blew by, scattering the fragments of moonlight on the surface. When the lake finally calmed down, the moonlight projected onto it seemed to have undergone subtle changes.
As Lao Mo said, the maze is constantly rotating. Last night they couldn't find the exit, and tonight they found it but can't get out. Because the maze is too big, they are inside and can't see the specific pattern of its rotation from a god's-eye view—clockwise, counterclockwise, or turning a few degrees to the left and then a few degrees to the right?
If they can't figure out the pattern of the maze's rotation, they'll have a hard time getting out of the "town exit".
What should we do? Looking at his reflection in the lake, Xiao Lou suddenly said, "Why don't we jump into the lake and take a look? Since the lake in the middle of the town is the key to the maze, maybe there will be some clues in the lake?"
Yu Hanjiang said decisively, " Liu Qiao, turn into a mermaid and go into the water together."
Liu Qiao took out a card, turning her teammates into mermaids. They jumped into the water and began to feel their way towards the bottom of the lake.
This lake is much deeper than I imagined.
After swimming for a while, he reached the bottom of the lake. As darkness gradually fell, Yu Hanjiang took out his luminous pearl for illumination. He discovered some aquatic plants at the bottom of the lake that looked very much like... human hair?
Just as I realized this, something suddenly wrapped around my waist, and my body began to fall rapidly!
Yu Hanjiang remained completely calm—he was currently in mermaid form, able to move freely in the water, and even if he were dragged to the bottom of the lake by the seaweed, he wouldn't be afraid of drowning. Yu Hanjiang swiftly swung the knife in his hand, cleanly severing the seaweed-like thing.
Liu Qiao's voice came from the side: "There seems to be a water ghost in the lake, we're stuck!"
Xiao Lou said, "Don't worry, in mermaid form we're not afraid of drowning. Take a closer look at what's tangling around us."
He illuminated the area at the bottom of the lake with a luminous pearl. Yu Hanjiang swam quickly to his side and helped him cut the water plants tangled around his waist. Xiao Lou gently swayed his tail and nimbly swam to the bottom of the lake, clearing away a large amount of water plants in front of him—and in the middle of the water plants, a person was lying quietly.
The person was dressed in red, and because they had been in the water for too long, their body exhibited typical "giantism," severely swollen and their face unrecognizable. Their long hair was tangled with the water plants, and Xiao Lou keenly noticed that the ends of their hair were knotted tightly with the water plants at the bottom of the lake.
Yu Hanjiang swam to his side and asked, "What's going on?"
Xiao Lou said, "A body was found at the bottom of the lake. Judging from the appearance, the deceased was a young woman around 20 years old. The cause of death should be drowning, and it was murder. Look here—" He pointed to the deceased's hair.
Yu Hanjiang glanced at Xiao Lou's directions, frowned, and said, "The hair and seaweed are tied together in a knot that's impossible to untie?"
Xiao Lou nodded: "That's why the body has been at the bottom of the lake for so long but hasn't floated to the surface. Someone deliberately tied her hair and water plants into a knot, using the water plants to entangle her body and prevent her from being discovered."
Liu Qiao sighed, "The murderer must have been a good swimmer. In such a deep lake, to drag the victim down and then use water plants to firmly hold the body to the bottom, it must have taken at least several minutes of breath-holding, right?"
Xiao Lou said, "Yes. The murderer can swim, is an excellent swimmer, and is more likely a young, middle-aged male. Most women wouldn't have that much strength to drag an adult to the bottom of a lake..."
Just then, Qu Wanyue suddenly exclaimed, "There are more here!"
Xiao Lou immediately swam towards Qu Wanyue's location, parted the water plants, and saw that there was also the body of a young woman there, tied to the bottom of the lake by water plants.
Yu Hanjiang's expression changed, and he quickly took out a military knife and cut down all the nearby aquatic plants.
The group searched the bottom of the lake, but the result was...
Everyone was extremely shocked—
More than a dozen young women's bodies were found at the bottom of Zuiyue Lake!
What appears to be a tranquil and beautiful lake is actually a terrifying graveyard deep beneath its surface.
***
At the same time, outside Qingfeng Town.
Lu Jiuchuan, Tang Ci, Chu Huaying, and Gui Yuanzhang arrived at the entrance of the town.
They have now confirmed with the hunter that they have arrived in the world three years ago. Since they are here, they might as well make the best of it. Lu Jiuchuan said, "Three years ago should be the time when the murderer started committing crimes. Maybe we can find some clues from the source."
Tang Ci agreed, saying, "Let's wait and see at the town entrance."
No sooner had he finished speaking than a man hurriedly emerged from the town. In the dead of night, he looked flustered, stumbling as he walked, clearly agitated. Lu Jiuchuan gave Chu Huaying a wink, and Chu Huaying vanished instantly, following the man like a shadow.
A few minutes later, a girl in a pink dress came out of the town gate.
Unlike the man's flustered expression, the girl walked with ease, holding an embroidered purse in her hand and a bright smile on her face. Lu Jiuchuan, who was hiding behind a tree, gave Old Gui a wink, signaling him to follow.
Lu and Tang continued to guard the town entrance. After a moment, Lu Jiuchuan pressed his earpiece and asked in a low voice, " Hua Ying, Old Gui, what's going on?"
Chu Huaying's cold voice came through the earpiece: "This man was kneeling by the woods burning paper money, muttering to himself—Father, you have a grandson now, may your spirit in heaven bless our family with peace and safety."
Lu Jiuchuan was taken aback: "Coming out to burn paper money in the middle of the night?"
Chu Huaying said, "Yes, he was crying and burning paper money at the same time. He sounded quite agitated. He must be Chen Yu, right? Three years ago, on a rainy night, Chen Yu's family was the only one in the town who had a baby."
Upon hearing this, Tang Ci said, " Hua Ying, continue to follow up and write down every word he says."
Chu Huaying hummed in agreement and sat on the tree to continue listening to Chen Yu's ramblings.
On the other side, Gui Yuanzhang said, "This girl's identity should be Zhao Zesui, the fourth young lady of the Zhao family. She ran away in the middle of the night to meet a mysterious man. The man was wearing a mask, and Zhao Zesui gave him a purse that she had embroidered herself."
The clue Old Gui discovered was crucial, and Tang Ci immediately asked, "Wearing a mask? What kind of mask? Is it the silver mask like Hunter's?"
Old Gui shook his head: "No. He was wearing a black mask with a strange pattern on it... it looked like a wolf totem? The man's voice was deep and gentle. He accepted the purse Zhao Zesui gave him and then said gently,'Sui Sui, you are still young. Your sister just got married. In a few years, when you grow up, I will definitely marry you with great pomp and circumstance.'"
Lu Jiuchuan asked, " What was Zhao Zesui's reaction?"
Old Gui said, "She was very happy and personally placed the purse on the man's waist."
Tang Ci looked at Lu Jiuchuan, who was seriously stroking his chin in thought.
Xiao Lou and his team shared the results of their investigation at the Zhao family's residence during the day with Lu Jiuchuan and the others via voice headset. Xiao Lou mentioned that an unfinished handkerchief with mandarin ducks on it was found in the room of the fourth young lady of the Zhao family, leading them to conclude that the fourth young lady likely already had someone she loved.
Now, witnessing her secretly meeting with a mysterious man on the night of her sister's wedding three years ago proves Xiao Lou's speculation was correct; she did indeed have someone she loved. However, the timing of this lover's appearance was too perfect—the wedding procession had just been distracted by the sound of the rattle drums, and he happened to be meeting with Miss Zhao near the woods… coincidence, or deliberate?
Gui Yuanzhang said, "Miss Zhao is about to go home after delivering the purse."
Chu Huaying also said, " After Chen Yu finishes burning the paper money, he should turn around and go back."
Lu Jiuchuan snapped out of his daze and said, "Continue to follow up."
Not long after, Chen Yu, whose expression had calmed down, and Miss Zhao, whose face was full of joy, walked back to the town one after the other. However, before the two had even entered the town gate, they suddenly heard the sound of rattle drums coming from nearby. Clang, clang... In the quiet night, the sound of rattle drums was exceptionally clear.
A few seconds later, Chen Yu and Zhao Zesui looked like they had lost their souls, their eyes glazed over, and they turned and walked towards Mass Grave.
Lu Jiuchuan's expression changed as he watched them walk into the woods like puppets. He whispered to Tang Ci, "It seems the massacre three years ago wasn't simple. Zhao Zesui and Chen Yu were lured away separately."
Tang Ci asked in confusion, "But we heard a lot of footsteps in the woods just now. That means after the wedding procession was led to Mass Grave, another group of people followed them there. Who could those people be?"
They were following behind the wedding procession when the eerie music nearly drove them mad, and they didn't even see who was led up the mountain. Now, Zhao Zesui and Chen Yu have been spotted outside the town; the former is on a date with a mysterious man, and the latter is burning paper money for his father—it doesn't seem like something has happened to their family…
Gui Yuanzhang asked, "On that rainy night three years ago, are you sure the only people who went missing were from the Chen and Zhao families?"
Lu Jiuchuan and Tang Ci exchanged a glance.
It's uncertain. These two families' mass disappearances are likely to attract attention. But in reality, the names marked with a red cross on the town mayor's register are far more than just these two. This means that it's very possible the perpetrator, in addition to wiping out the Zhao and Chen families, also killed many elderly people living alone during the crime three years ago. The footsteps heard in the woods just now belonged to this group.
Lu Jiuchuan said, "After dawn, meet up with Hanjiang and the others as soon as possible and tell them these clues."
Before long, it was dawn.
Lu Jiuchuan pressed the microphone button and asked in a low voice, " Hanjiang, can you hear me?"
He thought the headset had lost contact because Yu Hanjiang and the others had gone to Ghost City at night, and that it would be restored after dawn. However, there was still no sound in his ear.
Lu Jiuchuan went straight to the Fulai Inn in the center of town, found the waiter, and said, "Waiter, there is a friend of mine in the top-class room. Could you please call him down and tell him that I have something important to discuss with him?"
The waiter looked bewildered and said, "Sir, the top-tier room is unoccupied!"
Lu Jiuchuan was taken aback: "What about the Xuan-level room?" He remembered that CEO Shao and Ye Qi stayed here.
The waiter smiled and said, "No one's staying here. Sir, would you like to stay at the inn?"
Tang Ci gently tugged at Lu Jiuchuan's sleeve and whispered in his ear, "Ninth Brother, something's wrong."
Lu Jiuchuan leaned closer and asked, "What?"
Tang Ci said, "It's dawn, but it's still the same as three years ago—we're stuck in the world of three years ago, and we can't go back."