Ling Lie found a rock to sit on, surrounded by fields overrun with wild grass. He casually plucked a handful of foxtail grass and nimbly wove them together. The clues were like this foxtail grass, weaving, bending, and swirling in his mind.

“Young Master” Duan Wande was the backbone of the group from the Duan family who went to Country L. He was the one who made the decisions and wrote the letters. From the three letters, it could be seen that they lost some people initially, but by the time the last letter was sent, they had begun to grow. It was very likely they had developed into a mercenary group. Duan Wande told the villagers not to worry; from an outsider’s perspective, this was likely a letter of final farewell—they would take root in Country L and never return.

Did Xing Yongqiang defect? But according to the old village chief, he was incredibly loyal to the Duan family. Even if he did defect, the Duan family wouldn’t go to the extent of hunting him down decades later.

It didn’t make sense.

None of the paths made sense.

Ling Lie let out a breath and looked down. He had woven the foxtail grass into the shape of Ji Chenjiao.

A breeze blew, and “Little Ji” bobbed its head at him.

“…”

He used to like weaving grass randomly while thinking, but he mostly made Sun Wukong. Now, even though he wasn’t thinking about Ji Chenjiao, he still ended up weaving him.

“Troublemaker.” He poked “Little Ji’s” small green head and lectured, “Can’t you see your boyfriend is thinking about a case? And here you are harassing him.”

---

“Achoo—” Ji Chenjiao sneezed inexplicably several times in a row. It had been cold recently, and Liang Wenxian, acting like a worried father, had tossed him two packets of antiviral granules.

Ji Chenjiao: “…Thanks, Brother Liang.”

The thermos cup contained antiviral granules mixed with hot water. Ji Chenjiao sniffed it but didn’t drink a single sip.

The sweep of Guishui Road was still ongoing. According to the previous plan, the Serious Crimes Unit found a vacant room where Xing Yongdan was suspected to have lived. Ji Chenjiao immediately rushed to the scene.

This vacant room was diagonally opposite the unit where the fall occurred, separated by one building, on the third floor. Only two households lived on this floor: one was an elderly person with mobility issues, and the other was a worker who left early and returned late. Neither had the energy to care if anyone lived next door or who it was.

The apartment was a one-bedroom unit. Xi Wan had extracted Xing Yongdan’s footprints from inside, and DNA samples had been taken back to the Municipal Bureau for comparison. Ji Chenjiao contacted the original owner of the house and learned that the family had left Xiarong City long ago to do business on the coast.

It took the owner a long time to remember he still had a house on Guishui Road, and that someone had been living in it without permission. He was nervous because the person had been murdered there, feeling it was bad luck. The fact that the house was occupied didn’t bother him much.

“Sigh, those are all rotten houses there. We definitely won’t go back. Renting it out would only bring in a few bucks, too lazy to earn it. If Guishui Road gets demolished, I’ll come back to collect the money…”

There were quite a few houses like this on Guishui Road—they had owners, but no one managed them.

Ji Chenjiao wore shoe covers and looked around the room. The signs of living were obvious: cheap dried noodles and a bag of rice, potatoes and other vegetables that could be kept for days on the table. There was an induction cooker, an electric kettle, bowls, and chopsticks.

Xing Yongdan was familiar with Guishui Road from the past, so when he had to hide, he found this room where he basically wouldn’t be discovered. He had prepared to hole up here for a relatively long time.

But the person hunting him still found him.

Ji Chenjiao went to the balcony and noticed a small pile of cigarette ash in the corner. Xing Yongdan didn’t seem to smoke much.

So why was there cigarette ash here?

Ji Chenjiao carefully checked other corners of the balcony and indeed found three cigarette butts.

There were no bite marks on the butts, so it was likely no DNA could be found. The cigarette butts looked unfamiliar, not a common brand.

The cigarettes weren’t smoked by Xing Yongdan? And were they even smoked by anyone, or just lit and thrown here?

Xing Yongdan was hiding here, yet he fell from the roof of another building. How did this spatial shift happen?

Ji Chenjiao put the cigarette butts into an evidence bag and stood silently in place.

What if these cigarette butts were a means for the killer to provoke Xing Yongdan?

The killer had discovered the room where Xing Yongdan was hiding. While Xing Yongdan was out, he came into the room, threw the cigarette butts on the balcony, and left.

The moment Xing Yongdan returned and saw the cigarette butts, he felt the gaze of the Grim Reaper.

He had to flee again. But where to this time?

In his desperation, the only place he could think of was the roof diagonally opposite. He knew it wasn’t locked. Hooligans could go up there, but they usually chose two other roofs.

Late at night, he fled to the roof, wanting to hide for a night temporarily. But the killer appeared anyway.

Were these cigarette butts special? So special that Xing Yongdan knew who the intruder was at a glance?

Ji Chenjiao scrutinized the cigarette butts and noticed something illogical—the killer had meticulously cleared footprints from the roof and this room, and hadn’t bitten the filter, indicating strong counter-reconnaissance awareness and a desire not to be identified by the police.

But why not take the cigarette butts?

After killing Xing Yongdan, the killer had plenty of time to return here, take the cigarette butts, and leave no clues for the police. Yet, the killer didn’t do so.

Carelessness? Unlikely. Deliberately letting the police see the cigarette butts?

There was no reasonable explanation for now.

---

In the evening, the DNA comparison results came out. Without surprise, Xing Yongdan had indeed been hiding in that room. The identification of the cigarette butts took longer. Xi Wan searched for many foreign cigarettes and finally found that this cigarette was produced in Country L. Its original name was a long string, hard to remember, but it had an alias called “Jasmine Tea,” origin unknown.

Ling Lie hadn’t returned yet. He found a guesthouse in Jianling Town to stay in, lying on the bed video calling Ji Chenjiao.

“‘Jasmine Tea’?” Hearing Ji Chenjiao’s update on the investigation, Ling Lie sat up and turned to look at the flower pot by the window. It wasn’t the season for jasmine to bloom, but every household here grew jasmine. Moreover, he discovered while wandering today that jasmine tea was one of the important economic projects here. By next summer, the whole town would be surrounded by the fragrance of flowers.

Ji Chenjiao pondered for a moment. “According to you, the alias ‘Jasmine Tea’ is likely related to Jianling Town? The moment Xing Yongdan saw it, he knew disaster was imminent. The Duan family left their hometown, and ‘Jasmine Tea’ reminded them of the flowers seen everywhere back home. This was the kind of cigarette they smoked often.”

Ling Lie said, “If they later developed enough power, maybe the name ‘Jasmine Tea’ originated from them.”

This was a bold hypothesis, but coming from Ling Lie, Ji Chenjiao didn’t find it absurd.

“What about your side? Any discoveries?”

Ling Lie summarized the key points of his conversation with the old village chief, adding a conclusion: “Putting our clues together, there doesn’t seem to be any contradiction. Duan Wande stopped sending letters back; they had taken root in Country L. In a place like Country L, to move up, you basically have to go to the top on the mercenary path. Precisely because their power grew, the nickname ‘Jasmine Tea’ spread wider than the cigarette’s original name.”

Ji Chenjiao took his phone to the study, opened his computer, and tapped on the keyboard.

Ling Lie asked, “What are you checking?”

“Map,” Ji Chenjiao said. “Salingauke Town… Five years ago, twelve towns including Salingauke Town and Zhaan Town merged to form the Salingauke Region. The core area is Salingauke City, expanded on the original site of Salingauke Town.”

Ling Lie bent down, looking at the jasmine branches in the flower pot. “The Yu family, Bi Jiang, Xing Yongdan, the Duan family—all stayed in one place.”

For a moment, both ends of the phone fell silent.

Xing Yongdan’s murder initially traced back to Country L and “Floating Light,” but new clues pointed the guilt once again to the Yu family, to Shaman and Yu Qin.

Country L was so small; the Salingauke Region wasn’t even the size of Xiarong City. Would this group of people from the same country have absolutely no intersection?

Shaman was dead. The real Yu Qin’s fate was unknown. Most critical was Ji Chenjiao’s origin.

Ling Lie accidentally snapped a small section of a jasmine branch, the sharp end pricking his finger. He looked at the small bead of blood welling up on his fingertip and raised his hand to gently suck it away.

“We should have gone to Country L starting from Bi Jiang’s case. That’s where everything began,” Ling Lie said.

Ji Chenjiao suddenly understood what Ling Lie meant, his expression turning solemn in an instant.

Ling Lie continued, “But going there isn’t easy. Too many procedures, and safety can’t be guaranteed.”

Ji Chenjiao said, “You also understand that safety can’t be guaranteed.”

Ling Lie smiled. “But if we stay in the country, we can only remain at the deduction stage. Besides, we lack clues now; we can’t even continue deducting.”

Ji Chenjiao’s Adam’s apple bobbed, but before he could speak, Ling Lie spoke again. “Some truths can only be obtained by taking risks. I, the sharp blade of the Special Action Team, haven’t been unsheathed for a long time.”

“Little Ji, I need to go out for a trip.”

Silence stretched across the distance of several cities, from one end of the phone to the other. Ling Lie heard Ji Chenjiao’s breathing become slightly rapid, like drumbeats in this silence.

After a moment, a very light laugh came with the breathing. Unlike the meaning laughter usually held, it sounded like a sigh and brewing anger.

“Ling Lie, you promised me…” Ji Chenjiao started but got stuck.

His hand gripping the phone tightened, veins popping on the back of his hand. He wanted to say, You promised me not to risk yourself, so why are you…

But halfway through, he suddenly realized. No, Ling Lie never promised him that, and he never asked that of Ling Lie. They each had their own responsibilities. Who wearing this uniform could guarantee their own safety forever? Didn’t he himself have times when he needed to take risks? He understood Ling Lie, just as Ling Lie understood him.

What did they say back then?

He wanted Ling Lie to cherish himself, and if there was a time he had to take a risk, to let him know. Ling Lie was now…

“I promised you I’d let you know before taking action.” Ling Lie spoke very slowly. Not being by Ji Chenjiao’s side, his voice traveled through the transmission, yet seemed to carry an extra layer of seriousness and solemnity. “Little Ji, I didn’t break my promise.”

Both could hear each other’s breathing. The winter night wind curled in from the window, blowing up a strand of Ling Lie’s unbound hair.

After a moment, Ji Chenjiao said, “I know. Is it okay if I’m the one breaking my promise?”

Ling Lie pursed his lips and remained silent.

“I can’t calmly accept it when you report to me. I always want to do something. My ideal state was that when we each need to face danger, we let the other know in advance, are aware of it, and make follow-up preparations.” Ji Chenjiao’s voice became very deep, as if stifled in his chest. “But now I just want to stop you, or go with you, or have you not go and I go in your place.”

Ling Lie chuckled lightly. “What nonsense are you talking, boyfriend? with your status, can you go?”

Ji Chenjiao sat at the desk, pressing his eye sockets wearily. Of course he knew he couldn’t go. Even if he wanted to, he would have to go through countless procedures and approvals, and most likely would be stopped. Even if not stopped, time would be wasted.

He was the captain of the Serious Crimes Unit in the metropolis of Xiarong City; he needed to hold the fort at all times. But the Special Action Team was different. This unit was just like its name—everything was special, possessing complete mobility. Ling Lie could report the mission and set off in a few days.

“Boyfriend, you are the backbone of the Serious Crimes Unit, and you have more than just this case on your hands,” Ling Lie said. “Even if Captain Xie endorsed you and allowed you to go to Country L, I, as a leader of the superior department, wouldn’t allow it. There are many other things waiting for you to do.”

Silence fell on both ends of the phone again; neither was in the mood to bicker. Half a minute later, Ji Chenjiao said with near compromise, “Come back first, we’ll talk about this again.”

Then he added, “Come back to Xiarong City, don’t go directly back to your Special Action Team.”

Ling Lie actually had that thought initially, but didn’t argue, only saying, “Alright, we’ll talk when I get back.”

---

The next day, Ling Lie made another round in Jianling Town, finding the local police and revealing his identity and the situation. The police station brought in two retired officers who had dealt with the Duan family. They were the ones who arrested some of the Duan family members who were sent to prison back then.

In their account, the Duan family wasn’t the completely righteous party the old village chief described.

It was a fact that the Cao and Yang families enslaved the entire Jinxiang Village. In those years, let alone mountain villages, even cities had chaotic public security. The villagers were used to being enslaved; many were numb and didn’t know how to resist. The younger generation of the Duan family escaped, found that the outside world wasn’t like this, and wanted to save their clansmen and fellow villagers from misery. So they bought weapons for fighting and explosives from outside, returned to Jinxiang Village, and killed more than thirty people. The Cao and Yang families collapsed and all fled Jinxiang Village. The Duan family became the local tyrant of the village.

Later, when the county began to manage village affairs, the Duan family took the lead in resisting, marking out their own territory in the mountains. They didn’t enslave the original villagers, but captured people from other villages to work like cattle and horses for them.

Of course, the county couldn’t tolerate such an atmosphere and immediately sent an investigation team and execution team to handle it.

At that time, the survivors of the Cao and Yang families reported the Duan family for murder and had evidence, so the police had no problem making arrests. Although the Duan family led Jinxiang Village to a better life, they indeed committed crimes.

All the able-bodied men of the Duan family were arrested, but a group of the younger generation escaped, including Duan Wande and Xing Yongqiang. They smuggled themselves abroad, beyond the reach of the local police.

Ling Lie asked about the current status of the Duan family members who remained in the country. The two old policemen shook their heads, saying they were all dead. Those people had injuries from their early years and suffered for decades. They were fine in prison, but within a few years of release, they all fell ill with various diseases. The last one passed away three years ago.

“This Duan family has fighting and aggression in their blood. Everyone can fight and is ruthless. Didn’t they go abroad to fight for others?”

Ling Lie raised an eyebrow. “You knew about this?”

The old policeman smiled. “Sigh, it’s no secret. The older folks in their village know it in their hearts, they just don’t like to say it. Since the Duan family members aren’t coming back, we can’t control them. Don’t know how their fighting is going out there, or if anyone is still alive.”

Ling Lie bid farewell to the two old policemen and met the old village chief again before returning to Xiarong City. The old village chief sought him out proactively and handed him a wooden box that looked very old.

Ling Lie asked, “This is?”

But the old village chief said, “I thought about it for a long time yesterday. You’re actually an official, aren’t you?”

Ling Lie looked at the old village chief in silence.

The old village chief smiled. “You want to find the people from the Duan family who left; otherwise, why ask me so much? I just saw you coming out of the police station. You are an official.”

Ling Lie didn’t deny it.

“This is the Duan family heirloom. ‘Master’ secretly stored it with me. I’m old and can’t protect it much longer, so I’ll give it to you. If you really can find the Duan family members, help me give it to them. Anyone will do.”

After speaking, the old village chief bowed. “Thank you.”

Ling Lie hurriedly supported the old village chief and escorted him back to his yard.