Chapter Fifty: Waiting for the Hare

As evening approached, the sun withdrew its dazzling rays, casting a thousand strands of rosy clouds across the deep blue sky. On Xiafei Road, crowds surged, mingling with the blare of car horns, bicycle bells, hawkers' cries, and the click of women's heels—an orchestra of chaotic sounds woven into a tapestry of noise. The front door of Frost Delight Detective Agency remained firmly closed, shutting out the clamor and enveloping the interior in silence. On the table in the lobby lay several newspapers, which Liu Rushuang and Bai Yulou perused intently.

"Bai Bai, we've been at this all afternoon. Have you found anything?" Liu Rushuang broke the silence.

Bai Yulou shook her head. "No."

"In those books, serial killers always follow a pattern. Dragon Zhen Tian must have her own method as well," Liu Rushuang scratched her head in frustration.

"Even if Dragon Zhen Tian has a pattern, only she knows it. How can we deduce anything from these murder reports?" Bai Yulou replied, troubled.

Liu Rushuang suddenly looked up, gazing seriously at Bai Yulou.

Bai Yulou, thinking she'd said something wrong, felt uneasy. "Sister Shuang, I…"

"You're right," Liu Rushuang did not reprimand her.

Relieved, Bai Yulou exhaled softly.

Liu Rushuang looked gloomy. "I wanted to find Dragon Zhen Tian's pattern from these reports so I could tell Brother Xi and help him catch her."

"Lu Hehuan is so capable, he doesn't need our help," Bai Yulou hurriedly tried to dissuade Liu Rushuang from seeing Ying Xi.

Liu Rushuang glared at Bai Yulou, who dared not speak again.

"Let's go..." Liu Rushuang tidied up the newspapers and prepared to leave.

"Sister Shuang, where are we going?" Bai Yulou rose to follow.

"We'll bring these papers to Brother Xi. Maybe we missed some clues because we're inexperienced," Liu Rushuang said, striding out the door.

Bai Yulou awkwardly trailed behind.

As dusk settled, Lu Hehuan, Ying Xi, and Bao Rong were in the forensic lab analyzing the case. The table was piled with dossiers of Dragon Zhen Tian's victims.

Lu Hehuan pondered, her fingers tracing the first victim's file—a photograph of a man around forty, plump and prosperous.

"This victim is Hu Wan, forty years old, a famed businessman from the south. He was murdered on his way to Orchid Lane, cut clean in half," Bao Rong explained.

Lu Hehuan listened as she visualized the crime scene.

The alley leading to Orchid Lane was swallowed by night. Not far away, the neon sign of Orchid Lane flickered as Hu Wan, leering, approached. Shadows shifted—Dragon Zhen Tian followed silently, holding her breath as she drew closer, flicking open a small box that instantly transformed into a gleaming blade.

Sensing danger, Hu Wan spun around. He saw only Dragon Zhen Tian's beautiful face, oblivious to the fatal blade hidden behind. Dragon Zhen Tian flashed a seductive smile; Hu Wan, driven by desire, reached out to touch her face. Her smile vanished as she swung the blade across his waist, and in a blink, Hu Wan was severed in two.

Under the gentle moonlight, blood splattered across a bed of flowers. At the alley's entrance, Dragon Zhen Tian wiped her face clean of blood and slipped away, expressionless.

Lu Hehuan snapped out of her reverie, her hands flipping to the second victim's file—this time, the corpse was mangled beyond recognition.

"This victim was Liu San, a compulsive gambler who often vented his frustration on brothel girls. He once sold his daughter to a brothel to pay debts, but her mother rescued her just in time..." Bao Rong continued.

Lu Hehuan picked up Liu San's file. "His heart was eaten by dogs?"

Bao Rong nodded. "Strange, Liu San died differently from the others. He suffered tremendous torture—the mouth stuffed with mud, all fingers severed, and his heart cut out."

Lu Hehuan shuddered and slipped into another vivid imagining.

In a deathly silent alley, hidden among moss-covered walls and decrepit houses, Liu San sat in a corner, mouth filled with mud, voiceless. His hands were mutilated, fingers strewn across the ground.

A chilling wind swept through as Liu San, terrified, retreated from Dragon Zhen Tian, but there was nowhere left to run.

Dragon Zhen Tian, her gaze venomous, approached with a blade, kicking Liu San to the ground and slicing open his chest.

Blood sprayed across the already filthy wall.

Seeing Lu Hehuan lost in thought, Ying Xi stepped forward, "Why did she do that to Liu San? Does she hate gamblers?"

Lu Hehuan frowned, lowering her voice. "Perhaps Dragon Zhen Tian was like that girl..."

"Which girl?" Ying Xi interrupted, puzzled.

"Liu San's daughter."

Bao Rong seemed to catch on, looking at Lu Hehuan. "You mean Dragon Zhen Tian was sold to a brothel by her father too?"

Lu Hehuan nodded. "Only she wasn't as lucky—no one rescued her. She lived her whole life in the brothel, enduring inhuman suffering."

Ying Xi and Bao Rong looked at Lu Hehuan with sympathy.

Bao Rong couldn't help but curse, "Her father was a brute!"

Lu Hehuan finished reviewing all the files, and suddenly everything became clear as if clouds parted to reveal the sky.

"Dragon Zhen Tian was constantly abused in the brothel, tormented by clients, so she developed a deep hatred for them. To avenge herself, she grew up frequenting the red-light districts, armed with a folding blade, targeting those who sought pleasure in brothels," Lu Hehuan explained, mentally reconstructing the murders.

Night fell, the wind mournful.

Drunken clients staggered out of brothels. Dragon Zhen Tian followed quietly, unfolded her blade, and cut them in half, blood splattering the walls.

Ying Xi suspected Lu Hehuan was exaggerating, rubbing his chin in confusion. "How did you reach these conclusions? Are you just guessing?"

"Not guessing—it's profiling. I studied criminal psychology at Scotland Yard. By analyzing a criminal's behavior, you infer their psychological state, personality, environment, profession, history, and so on," Lu Hehuan explained.

After her explanation, Bao Rong looked up to her in admiration, even Ying Xi was forced to concede, though he remained stubborn.

"Just mystifying things," Ying Xi grumbled.

Lu Hehuan turned to him. "That day at Zhiyin Tower, Dragon Zhen Tian must have mistaken us for clients."

"Thinking back, it's frightening," Ying Xi paled, stepping back.

"Frightening? Why?" Lu Hehuan asked, puzzled.

"If Inspector Yuan hadn't arrived to arrest Dragon Zhen Tian, what would have happened to us?" Ying Xi retorted.

"We'd have been chopped into four pieces," Lu Hehuan replied earnestly after a moment's thought.

Ying Xi kept rubbing his chin. "Terrifying."

"So it's best to avoid such places," Lu Hehuan seized the chance to admonish him.

Ying Xi looked at Lu Hehuan with pride, "That won't do. 'To die beneath the peony flower is to die a happy ghost.'"

Lu Hehuan and Bao Rong shook their heads helplessly at Ying Xi's incorrigible habits.

Bao Rong glanced at the files, frowning. "This Dragon Zhen Tian is pitiful. Abused by clients as a child, forced into the trade at twelve or thirteen, suffering body and soul."

"Her vengeance against clients is understandable," Ying Xi nodded, agreeing.

Lu Hehuan, however, shook her head. "No matter the reason, it cannot justify killing innocents."

As they spoke, Liu Rushuang and Bai Yulou entered.

"Brother Xi..." Liu Rushuang called out before she arrived.

Ying Xi, annoyed at the sight of Liu Rushuang, scowled. "Why are you here again? Didn't I tell you to stay away? I've never seen a girl with such thick skin!"

Bai Yulou, unable to stand Ying Xi's attitude, pointed at him. "Ying Xi, don't bite the hand that feeds you. Sister Shuang worked hard to collect all the reports on Dragon Zhen Tian's murders for you to look for clues."

"You're the dog! Mind your own business!" Ying Xi shot back.

"You!" Bai Yulou's face went pale with anger.

"What? Keep it up and I'll teach you a lesson!" Ying Xi pressed on.

Lu Hehuan, seeing the tension, quickly intervened, turning to Liu Rushuang, "Miss Liu, you're just in time. These newspapers have the exact dates of the murders. We can cross-reference them with Bao Rong's victim files to look for patterns."

Ying Xi, seeing sense, reached out. "Where's the papers? Give them here."

Liu Rushuang gladly handed him the newspapers.

As the sky blazed with sunset, Lin Zhi hurried along the road to the police station, clutching a small red cloth bundle.

Just then, Zhu Wolong arrived in his car to pick up Bao Rong. Glancing out the window, he spotted Lin Zhi.

"That crazy woman again..." Zhu Wolong snuffed his cigar, muttering.

His driver, a handsome young man with bright eyes, glanced at Lin Zhi. "Boss, you mean the woman with the red bundle?"

"You know her?" Zhu Wolong was surprised.

The driver nodded. "She's the wife of Lu Xiang, deputy chief at the Old Gate Police Station."

"So she's Lu Hehuan's mother?"

"Yes, her son Lu Hehuan studied abroad and now works as a police officer at Old Gate. That boy's not too bright—on his first day he offended the chief."

Zhu Wolong looked at the driver, intrigued. "How do you know all this?"

"My cousin lives near the Lu family. The woman's called Lin Zhi—a real spitfire, always beating her husband."

Zhu Wolong gritted his teeth, furious. "A real shrew! She insulted me once!"

He glared at Lin Zhi, recalling the humiliating past when she not only stepped on his foot but called him ill-bred, a mad dog.

Zhu Wolong clenched his jaw, determined to avenge himself.

"If she's Lu Hehuan's mother, there's no need to be polite," he said, signaling the driver. "Stop."

The driver stopped, and Zhu Wolong stormed out, walking quickly toward Lin Zhi. He deliberately bumped into her, knocking her red bundle to the ground.

"Hey, watch where you're going!" Lin Zhi snapped.

Zhu Wolong turned, feigning innocence. "What's wrong?"

Lin Zhi paused, recognizing him. "So it's you, that annoying fellow! You ran into me!"

"A good dog doesn't block the road. Didn't your mother teach you that?" Zhu Wolong retorted in kind.

Lin Zhi put her hands on her hips. "My mother passed long ago. I hope you join her soon."

"You dare curse me?" Zhu Wolong was enraged.

"Think whatever you like! My mother taught me to avoid mad dogs that bite. Excuse me," Lin Zhi said, turning away.

Zhu Wolong, unwilling to let it go, blocked her path. "Who are you calling a mad dog? Don't think I won't hit you because you're a woman!"

Lin Zhi's anger flared. She stepped closer, "Go ahead. We're right by the police station. Why don't you go inside and hit me?"

"Don't think I won't," Zhu Wolong growled.

"Ah, he's hitting a woman!" Lin Zhi cried, unfazed, repeating her old trick.

Zhu Wolong, frustrated by her antics, stomped his foot in anger. "You're ruthless! No wonder your son's an idiot, always offending people. With a shrew like you, it's a miracle he's not a fool already."

"You dare insult my son? You've got a death wish!" Lin Zhi, fiercely protective, exploded.

"Lu Hehuan is a fool, dreaming of wooing Miss Bao. He’s a toad lusting for a swan!" Zhu Wolong deliberately provoked her.

"You called my son a toad!" Lin Zhi shrieked, punching Zhu Wolong in the eye.

"You dare—" Before he could finish, Lin Zhi struck again, and blood gushed from his nose.

Lin Zhi rubbed her wrist, picked up her bundle, and glared at him. "There's nothing I won't do! If I catch you mouthing off again, I'll hit you every time!" With that, she strode toward the station.

"You shrew! Shrew!" Zhu Wolong raged, clutching his nose and cursing.

A few passersby stopped to stare and gossip, leaving Zhu Wolong humiliated. He hurried back to the car.

The driver looked at him, embarrassed. "Boss, are we still picking up Miss Bao?"

Zhu Wolong vented his anger on the driver. "Idiot! I need a doctor now, not Miss Bao!"

"Yes, sir!"

The driver floored the gas and drove off.

Lin Zhi hurried through the corridors of the station, running into Baldhead.

He greeted her, "Mrs. Lu, here to see Hehuan?"

Lin Zhi nodded. "Is he here?"

"He's with Bao Rong."

She smiled and headed to the forensic lab. She reached the door and pushed it open.

Inside, Lu Hehuan, Ying Xi, Bao Rong, Liu Rushuang, and Bai Yulou looked up at the sound. Lu Hehuan saw Lin Zhi and quickly went to her.

"Mother? What brings you here?"

Lin Zhi ignored the others and walked straight to Lu Hehuan. She opened her red bundle, took out a necklace, and hung it around his neck. The pendant was a golden axe.

"Mother, what's this for?" Lu Hehuan asked, bewildered.

"It's been blessed by a monk, for your safety—'one axe wards off a hundred misfortunes,'" Lin Zhi explained happily.

"Mother, that's old superstition," Lu Hehuan protested, attempting to remove it.

Lin Zhi pressed his hand firmly, full of concern. "Wear it for me, don't take it off."

"Alright, I'll wear it," Lu Hehuan conceded, not wanting to disappoint her.

Satisfied, Lin Zhi nodded, then glanced around and noticed Bao Rong. Remembering her earlier encounter, she approached Bao Rong.

"Bao Rong, there are things I shouldn't say, but I've watched you grow up. If I don’t speak, I’ll feel uneasy."

Bao Rong smiled calmly. "Mrs. Lu, please go ahead."

Lin Zhi spoke plainly, "That Zhu Wolong is a scoundrel. Do not marry him."

Bao Rong felt warmed by her words and smiled. "I know, thank you for the warning."

Liu Rushuang chimed in, "Yes, Zhu Wolong is a lecher, always drinking in brothels. Marrying him would be a disaster."

Lin Zhi turned to Liu Rushuang, her eyes lighting up. "Such a lovely girl. You are...?"

"Mrs. Lu, my name is Liu Rushuang," she replied confidently.

"Liu Rushuang? Are you an officer?" Lin Zhi asked kindly.

"No," Liu Rushuang shook her head.

Ying Xi, silent till now, interjected, "Mrs. Lu, she is the daughter of Liu Shan, Old Gate’s wealthiest man, not one of us."

Seeing Liu Rushuang’s beauty and family background, Lin Zhi grew fond of her, taking her hand. "A proper young lady."

Liu Rushuang smiled.

"Rushuang, how old are you?" Lin Zhi grew more pleased.

"Twenty."

Lin Zhi leaned in, lowering her voice. "Twenty—two years younger than Hehuan, just right." She looked at Liu Rushuang, cautiously probing, "Not engaged, I hope?"

"My marriage is my own decision," Liu Rushuang replied proudly.

"That's good," Lin Zhi paused, smiling meaningfully. "What do you think of our Hehuan?"

Liu Rushuang, puzzled, replied, "A bit dull, a bit blunt—not much to speak of."

Ying Xi couldn't help but chuckle, even Lu Hehuan felt embarrassed.

Lin Zhi looked awkward. "Hehuan is straightforward, but that's what makes him reliable."

"Reliable? Mrs. Lu, what do you mean?" Liu Rushuang sensed something amiss.

Lin Zhi spoke openly, "I think you could try dating our Hehuan."

"Mother!" Lu Hehuan was mortified.

Liu Rushuang quickly withdrew her hand. "Mrs. Lu, I already like someone else."

"Who?" Lin Zhi asked, unwilling to give up.

Liu Rushuang said nothing, glancing at Ying Xi and lowering her head shyly.

Lin Zhi understood, looked at Ying Xi, and pursed her lips in disapproval. "So unruly, not as good as my son."

Lu Hehuan grew more embarrassed and gently urged Lin Zhi, "Mother, let me take you home."

She checked the clock. "It’s the end of the workday. Come home for dinner."

"Mother, I still need to investigate."

Lin Zhi grew annoyed, her tone reproachful. "You still need to eat! How long has it been since you came home for dinner?"

Lu Hehuan glanced at Ying Xi for help, who nodded, signaling him to go home.

"Come on," Lin Zhi ordered, leaving.

Lu Hehuan followed helplessly.

Night deepened, moonlight spilling like mist across layered rooftops. Ying Xi returned alone to his dorm, spreading the newspapers and files across his bed, pondering.

"Orchid Lane, Lover’s Garden, Hundred Flowers Pavilion, Gathering of Beauties, Old Gate’s Zhiyin Tower and Paramount—what connects these crime scenes?" Ying Xi frowned in confusion.

Lu Hehuan entered, continuing the thought, "They're all vibrant, popular red-light venues."

Ying Xi brightened. "How do you know?"

"My father told me," Lu Hehuan replied, closing the door.

Ying Xi was surprised—why would Lu Xiang know so much about brothels?

Lu Hehuan explained, "He went to the south on business a few years ago and learned about the area. Over dinner, we discussed the case—he said Orchid Lane, Lover’s Garden, Hundred Flowers Pavilion, and Gathering of Beauties are famous red-light spots in the south."

"So Dragon Zhen Tian targets well-known pleasure districts," Ying Xi said, stroking his chin.

Lu Hehuan nodded thoughtfully. "Her crime scenes share three traits: they're famous, crowded with brothel workers, and frequented by clients. Except for Paramount, Dragon Zhen Tian mostly strikes en route to these venues."

Ying Xi nodded, then remembered something, looking at Lu Hehuan in disbelief. "Your father discussed this in front of your mother?"

Lu Hehuan blinked and nodded.

"Is your father alright?" Ying Xi was concerned.

Lu Hehuan sighed. "Of course not. When I left, my mother was still beating him."

Ying Xi burst out laughing.

Lu Hehuan grew serious. "Detective Ying, besides Zhiyin Tower and Paramount, are there other famous, brothel-heavy, client-rich venues in Old Gate?"

Ying Xi thought, then his eyes lit up. "Seeking Fragrance Alley on Fourth Avenue!"

"Looks like we can wait in ambush," Lu Hehuan smiled.