At dawn, Yangzongba Funeral Home was surrounded by three layers of crowds both inside and out. The municipal bureau’s cars couldn’t get through at all, and the criminal detectives had to get out and walk with their investigation kits.

The dumped body had already been moved to the funeral home’s morgue. It was a male, 171 cm tall, wearing a three-color striped T-shirt and khaki sweatpants, with his shoes missing. The signs of death by strangulation were obvious on his body, with the ligature mark slanting upwards.

Trace evidence examiners found brake marks at the dump site. According to Xiao Wang and other employees, the hearses usually don’t pass that way because it’s a detour. There would be no reason to stop there unless other roads were congested and they were forced to take the long way around.

Therefore, braking there was exceptionally suspicious.

By comparing the tire tracks and the surveillance footage of vehicles entering and leaving the funeral home, the police locked onto a hearse. The owner was named Liu Xuelin, a sole proprietor in the funeral industry who was active in various hospitals. People like him had a collective name in Feng City: “Golden Impermanence.”

The police went to Liu Xuelin’s home based on the information they had, but he wasn’t there, and his phone was off.

Meanwhile, a cremator at the funeral home bravely took a look at the body and exclaimed, “This… isn’t this Old Mou! He was here yesterday to deliver a body, how is he dead today!”

The cremator could only say that the victim was called Old Mou, a “Golden Impermanence” who frequently came to the funeral home and seemed to operate near the Third Hospital. The police immediately linked Old Mou’s identity with Liu Xuelin. Both were “Golden Impermanences” who made a living by soliciting clients at the Third Hospital. Could this be a murder caused by business competition?

Following this lead, criminal detectives began making inquiries at the Third Hospital. From other “Golden Impermanences,” they learned that Old Mou’s full name was Mou Dianpei and that he lived in an old house in Yide Alley as a bachelor.

The house was rented by Mou Dianpei, and his housemate was also a “Golden Impermanence.” The moment he saw the police at the door, his legs went weak, looking like someone with a guilty conscience. Trace evidence examiners collected Mou Dianpei’s biological samples from the house. After a DNA comparison, it was confirmed that the victim was indeed Mou Dianpei.

Ji Chenjiao and Ling Lie returned to Feng City from Feng’an County, planning to investigate Shen Wei and Chen Xiangli according to yesterday’s plan. But on the highway, Ling Lie was scrolling through the news and saw that a body had been dumped at the Feng City funeral home.

A dumped body wasn’t strange, but dumping it at a funeral home was very newsworthy. Ling Lie was immediately interested. In any case, re-investigating Shen Wei and Chen Xiangli required a permit from the municipal bureau, so Ling Lie decided to stop by and ask about the funeral home case.

The person in charge of the investigation was Huang Yi, the deputy captain of the criminal investigation division. When he learned that Ling Lie wanted to know about the case, he immediately granted Ling Lie’s account access. Since the Special Operations Team was here, getting some of their ideas could help solve the case faster.

The names of the victim and suspect were not mentioned online. When Ling Lie checked the investigation records, he immediately looked at Ji Chenjiao beside him.

Ji Chenjiao: “The victim is Mou Dianpei?”

Huang Yi was a bit surprised. “What, is there a problem with this person?”

Ling Lie said, “We are investigating a cold case from seventeen years ago.”

Huang Yi nodded. “I know about that, the one in Feng’an County, right? Captain Li mentioned it to me a few days ago. We’re just waiting for you guys to crack it.”

Ling Lie said, “In the case files from back then, Mou Dianpei’s name appeared multiple times. He was once a key suspect for the task force.”

Huang Yi’s expression gradually became serious. “Such a coincidence?”

Ling Lie opened the case file he had borrowed from the archives, his gaze falling on Mou Dianpei’s photo.

This was a man who, from his appearance, did not look kind. He had prominent cheekbones, sunken cheeks, and a sinister gaze. The Mou family was not one that had lived in Feng’an County for generations; Mou Dianpei had moved to Feng’an County with his parents as a child, and they were in the transportation business.

Mou Dianpei didn’t even finish middle school before he started messing around in society. He was idle, had no proper job, and relied on the fact that his family wasn’t short of money. By his early twenties, he still hadn’t found a stable job.

At that time, Tan Fabin’s workshop was developing rapidly and needed transport workers. Mou Dianpei had his eye on a girl from the Tan family who worked at the workshop and signed up for transportation. Tan Fabin hired him.

In the following years, Mou Dianpei’s work was sloppy. He dated the Tan family girl for a while, but his philandering led to a breakup. Tan Fabin wanted to fire him several times, but the county was indeed short of transport workers, and besides, Mou Dianpei hadn’t made any major mistakes, and the Mou family elders repeatedly put in a good word for him. Small towns were all about personal relationships, so Tan Fabin reluctantly let Mou Dianpei stay.

After Tan Fabin was murdered, the task force immediately investigated the people in the Tan workshop and those who had conflicts with Tan Fabin. Mou Dianpei, as a hooligan, received special attention. Everyone knew he had argued with Tan Fabin, who had also docked his pay. He had a motive.

However, on the day of the crime, he claimed to be with a prostitute at a hair salon, and the prostitute also testified that he hadn’t left all night. Although this alibi wasn’t perfect, he firmly denied committing the crime, and the police had no definitive evidence, so they couldn’t identify him as the killer.

Later, when Bi Jiang was murdered, the police investigated Mou Dianpei again. This time, Mou Dianpei’s alibi was even stronger. He was playing cards with people that night, and there was more than one witness.

In old cases, some killers are hidden among those the police have investigated heavily, but they escaped punishment due to a lack of technical means. Ling Lie had originally planned to gradually verify the current status of the key persons of interest from back then after contacting Shen Wei and Chen Xiangli. He didn’t expect Mou Dianpei to be murdered just like that.

After hearing Ling Lie’s analysis, Huang Yi said, “Could this case be related to the Feng’an County case? Did someone know we recently reopened the investigation and killed Mou Dianpei to silence him?”

Ling Lie could tell that this Captain Huang was also a man of leaping thoughts. He asked, “I’d like to participate in this investigation, is that possible?”

Huang Yi quickly nodded. “Welcome!”

Based on the existing clues, the suspicion was focused on the “Golden Impermanence” Liu Xuelin. It was his car that was used to dump the body. The police found his car one kilometer away from the funeral home, but he had already disappeared. His phone was off, and there were no online transaction records. The cremator confirmed that it was he who delivered the body in the middle of the night, which ruled out the possibility that the car was driven by someone else to dump the body.

Huang Yi was still busy and left after a brief exchange about the case. Only Ji Chenjiao and Ling Lie were left in the office. Ji Chenjiao looked up Liu Xuelin’s background and frowned. “Just now, you and Captain Huang already took it for granted that the Mou Dianpei case and the two Feng’an County cases are linked. But this Liu Xuelin seems to have no connection to Feng’an County.”

Ling Lie’s eyes curved. “That’s why I need you to investigate with me. You’re the most rigorous.”

Ji Chenjiao looked up and saw Ling Lie’s smiling eyes. He couldn’t help but curve his lips as well and let out a light snort.

The information the police had already obtained was that Liu Xuelin was forty-three years old, from Yue City, the city next to Feng City. He was divorced, with a daughter living with his ex-wife. He had been led into the “Golden Impermanence” business by someone from his hometown five or six years ago. He had been detained twice for fighting over business and harassing patients’ families, had a criminal record, and had no record of traveling to Feng’an County.

Ji Chenjiao said, “If this person is indeed the killer, the motive should be related to business competition. It’s just a coincidence that Mou Dianpei was one of the suspects in the Feng’an County case.”

“What if he’s not the killer?” Ling Lie said. “You assume, I’ll assume too. Liu Xuelin is not the killer; he was framed by the killer.”

Ji Chenjiao paused. “But he was the one who dumped the body. Was someone forcing him to dump the body? Is he just a tool? And now he’s missing…”

“That’s the strangest part.” Ling Lie circled behind Ji Chenjiao. “Dumping a body in a place like a funeral home where it would be quickly discovered is very abnormal in itself. If you really want to destroy the body and erase all traces, you’re already at the funeral home, why not go one step further and find a way to cremate it? This isn’t hiding a body or just dumping it; it’s deliberately using a body to create a sensation.”

“Would a simple business dispute escalate to this point?” Ling Lie patted Ji Chenjiao’s shoulders. “I don’t think so. Let’s go back. He is the one who dumped the body, but he abandoned his car and disappeared. Possibility one, he was a tool that was used and then disposed of, silenced. Possibility two, he ran away on his own.”

Ji Chenjiao said, “Actually, whether he killed someone or was used to dump the body, running away himself doesn’t make logical sense. He had better options.”

Ling Lie: “So this case probably involves quite a few things. Let’s go.”

Ji Chenjiao: “Where to?”

“Captain Huang and his team are looking for Liu Xuelin. Until they find him, Liu Xuelin is still the biggest suspect,” Ling Lie said. “I want to meet Shen Wei first.”

It was already past mealtime, but many people were still sitting in the open area outside Old Shen’s Lunch Box. They were all family members exhausted from taking care of patients, unable to eat on time, and just hastily filling their stomachs after they were done.

Shen Wei let his apprentice go rest in the back room and stir-fried a large pan of leek and eggs himself. Ji Chenjiao and Ling Lie hadn’t had lunch and each ordered a fifteen-yuan lunch box. After the payment notification sound, Shen Wei handed Ling Lie two empty lunch boxes, gesturing for him to scoop whatever he wanted.

Eating here for the second time, the mood was completely different. Last time, Ji Chenjiao was busy bickering with Ling Lie over an extra scoop of vegetables. Now, neither of them spoke, each observing.

Shen Wei looked older than his actual age. He was wearing an old man’s tank top and an apron that came free with cooking oil. He was slightly bald, and his entire outfit probably cost less than a hundred yuan. When he spoke to customers, his tone was gentle, but there was no smile on his face. It wasn’t that he was cold and unwilling to smile, but that he had been through too much, and a smile was too much of a luxury for him.

For the time being, no more customers came. Shen Wei took a low stool, sat by the shop entrance, and started smoking. He looked at the traffic on the road, at the Third Hospital across the street. His gaze was compassionate and melancholic. The moment their eyes met, Ling Lie saw a fleeting, dissipating sense of unfulfilled ambition.

This eye contact made Shen Wei pause. He quickly finished the rest of his cigarette and walked back into the shop.

Ji Chenjiao had already finished eating. He went up to Shen Wei and showed his credentials. Shen Wei’s eyes widened in surprise. “You’re going to reinvestigate my brother’s case?”

Ling Lie glanced towards the shop, didn’t follow, and continued to nonchalantly eat his food. After finishing the vegetables, he even walked to the food cart and scooped a large spoonful of steamed egg. The shop was next to the road, and the noise outside was too loud for Ling Lie to hear what Ji Chenjiao and Shen Wei were saying. He didn’t seem to care, leisurely returning to the table to eat his steamed egg.

Just then, Shen Wei’s tall, dark-skinned apprentice came out with a broom and dustpan, cleaning up the trash under the tables. Ling Lie’s gaze fell on his face. He didn’t notice someone was watching him. After sweeping one table, he moved on to the next. Ling Lie even turned to look at his back.

This person doesn’t fit in with this stall—that was Ling Lie’s first impression of him.

Ling Lie himself had been a street vendor. He could tell at a glance what kind of look an ordinary vendor should have. But this tall, dark man, although he also looked like a member of the working class, had a hint of detached coldness about him.

But Ling Lie couldn’t explain why. He just felt that this person probably shouldn’t just be an employee at a lunch box stall.

The employee finished cleaning and went back into the shop. Ling Lie also finished the last bite of his steamed egg and followed him into the shop. He paused midway and turned to look at Ling Lie. Ling Lie had an innocent expression on his face. He frowned and continued walking inside.

Inside the shop, Shen Wei’s eyes were already red. Ling Lie and the employee both heard his voice tremble as he said, “Thank you. For seventeen years, I haven’t let go of my brother’s case for a single day. I thought the police had given up, I never expected…”

The employee’s face suddenly stiffened. He spoke up, “Master!”

Only then did Ling Lie realize that the employee’s voice was very raspy, as if his throat had been injured.

This interruption broke Shen Wei’s train of thought. He looked at the employee and Ling Lie with a somewhat dazed expression.

Ji Chenjiao introduced, “This is my colleague. We are investigating Tan Fabin’s case together.”

Shen Wei took a moment to react, then hurriedly pulled the employee over and introduced him as well. “This is Xiao Lu, who works at my shop. He’s a medical student. Maybe he’ll even work across the street in the future!”

Xiao Lu was expressionless. He went to a bucket by the wall, scooped out two bowls of iced mung bean soup, and placed them in front of Ji Chenjiao and Ling Lie. Ji Chenjiao and Ling Lie exchanged a look. They could both tell that he wanted to stop Shen Wei from talking.

But this was interesting. Why would an employee want to interfere in his boss’s family case? And this case happened seventeen years ago, when he was just a child.

The interruption of the mung bean soup changed the atmosphere. Shen Wei stopped talking. “It’s hot. Have some mung bean soup first to cool down.”

Ji Chenjiao didn’t touch the bowl, feeling that Shen Wei’s sudden change was not normal. Just now, when he told Shen Wei about the police’s determination to reopen the investigation, Shen Wei was very excited. The light that burst from his eyes was definitely not fake. Shen Wei emphasized that he had been investigating for many years, as if he was about to give him clues. So why did he stop as soon as Xiao Lu interrupted? Was it because, in his excitement, he forgot that some things couldn’t be said to the police?

In the eyes of the people of Feng’an County, Shen Wei was a loyal and righteous person who persisted in chasing the killer. But earlier, when Ji Chenjiao and Ling Lie were analyzing the case, they had already placed him on the side of the suspects. Now his actions made Ji Chenjiao even more suspicious that his so-called pursuit of the killer was just a facade.

Ling Lie drank the mung bean soup without any courtesy. Seeing that Ji Chenjiao hadn’t drunk his, he nudged him. “You’re not drinking?”

Ji Chenjiao: “I’m not thirsty.”

Ling Lie seemed to be waiting for these words. He took the bowl. “Then I’ll drink it.” After finishing, he wiped his mouth and smiled at Shen Wei. “Old Shen, this is good.”

Ji Chenjiao’s eyelid twitched. He thought, you sure know how to get friendly, calling him ‘Old Shen’ so quickly.

Shen Wei gave a simple twitch of his lips, as if trying to smile, but only managed a bitter expression.

Xiao Lu brought out a basin from the kitchen and sat at another table, snapping green beans. The oscillating fan on the wall whirred, sending out gusts of wind. He was as silent as a statue, only his hands moving mechanically, throwing the shelled beans into a stainless steel basin with a dull thud.

But everyone could feel that his presence was more powerful than words, like a silent hint and reminder to Shen Wei.

Ji Chenjiao withdrew his gaze and asked, “You were saying just now, what have you found out over the years?”

Shen Wei opened his mouth, clearly hesitant. He rubbed the back of his head. “Me? I was just investigating blindly. If the police couldn’t find the killer, how could I?”

The person being questioned was being evasive. It was useless to continue asking at this point. Ji Chenjiao’s purpose today was just to make contact with Shen Wei, so he decided to change the subject. “We went to Feng’an County and made some inquiries. Brother Zhou and Aunt Wang both remember you. I see Feng’an County is developing quite well now. Why did you think of coming to the city to live?”

After the topic changed, Shen Wei visibly relaxed. He wiped the sweat from his face. “I couldn’t stay in the county.”

Ji Chenjiao: “Why? The rumors?”

Shen Wei shook his head. “Not that. My brother was a good person. He contributed a lot to Feng’an County. After he was gone, the community and neighbors took good care of me out of respect for him. But I…” Shen Wei’s fist gradually tightened. “I couldn’t stand that kind of care, and I couldn’t stand everyone telling me how good my brother was, what a pity it was. That was my brother; of course, I know he was the best person. If I stayed in the county, I would have to endure their pitiful gazes and hear them mention my brother at all times.”

Shen Wei’s grief was real. Ji Chenjiao could feel it and could understand this feeling.

Shen Wei let out a long sigh. “The sight of the place brought up sad memories, I suppose. It was better to leave. Besides, I used to be a medical student.”

Ji Chenjiao said, “I know.”

Shen Wei froze, then nodded bitterly. “Yes, the police have already investigated my past thoroughly. It’s all written in that file, isn’t it?”

Ji Chenjiao tacitly agreed.

“My brother paid for my education. He said I was a university student, that it was amazing, and that I should keep studying as long as I could, that he would support the family.” Shen Wei’s gaze became distant, recalling his early twenties.

He had never been doted on by his father or loved by his mother since he was a child. Before being adopted by the Tan family, he had barely experienced the warmth of a home. After coming to the Tan family, he knew he was an outsider, so he was especially careful in his words and actions, rushing to do chores. The first thing he did after school was not to play or do homework, but to go to the kitchen to wash vegetables, afraid that the host family would think he was a burden and throw him out again.

But his older brother pulled him out of the kitchen, turned the desk lamp to its brightest, and told him to do his homework properly, smiling. “Don’t think I don’t know, you just don’t want to do your homework.”

He was very embarrassed and couldn’t express himself properly, his face turning red. His brother ruffled his hair. “As the younger brother, you don’t need to worry about family finances. Come eat after you finish your homework.”

Even though his brother said he didn’t need to do chores, he didn’t dare to play freely. While others wasted time between classes, he was doing his homework. To improve his efficiency, he often asked his teachers for help. After returning home, he could finish his homework in very little time, and then he would either do housework or help his brother.

Under the lamp, his brother focused on making a paper house. The workshop was full of flower wreaths and paper effigies, which should have been an eerie scene, but Shen Wei never felt scared. The place where his brother was, was a safe place.

He always stayed up very late, yawning continuously. Only when his brother chased him off to bed would he leave.

Because he managed his time very tightly and was indeed smart, his grades in high school never dropped below the top three in his year.

He was hesitant about whether to go to university. On one hand, he longed for university life, but on the other hand, he knew his brother needed help. He had grown up eating the Tan family’s food and felt he should also become a white affairs craftsman.

He told his brother his thoughts, and his brother gave him a stern scolding. “Your life is your own. You should have your own plans. The children of our family don’t have to become craftsmen. I inherited it because I like it. What about you? What do you like?”

He couldn’t answer. Making flower wreaths and paper effigies? He didn’t like it; it was just a responsibility he had set for himself. His brother told him to think about it carefully, that he must take the college entrance exam, and as for which school to attend, he could decide for himself.

He had always listened to his brother. When his brother told him to consider his university choices, he took it seriously. He wanted to study medicine, to save lives and heal the wounded.

When he voiced this wish, his head was bowed and his voice was small. The path of medicine was long and expensive. Everyone said medical students had it tough and couldn’t possibly take care of their families. He felt he was letting down his brother’s kindness in raising him.

But his brother laughed heartily and proudly, praising him for his ambition. “Then let’s study medicine! Eight years? Your brother will support you for eighteen years!”

He got into medical school. His brother, like every proud parent, treated their acquaintances to a meal. At the end of the summer vacation, he sent him off on the train in grand style.

After starting university, he went home less and less often. One year when he returned, he was surprised to find that his brother, not yet thirty, already had a few white hairs. His brother’s business had completely taken off. Money was no longer a concern for the Tan family. His brother wanted to make the whole county rich and also wanted to spread the funeral and ghost culture.

His brother was the most idealistic person he had ever met. His life was like a raging fire, never tired, never extinguished, never-ending.

The thoughts of retreat he had just started to have were also “extinguished” because of his brother. He wanted to live a life as brilliant as his brother’s. When he returned to school that year, he studied desperately hard. He didn’t go home for the summer vacation and was recommended by his advisor for an internship at a good hospital.

And the terrible news came in that vibrant, burning summer. He no longer had a brother, and he hadn’t even seen him one last time.

“I investigated the case with the police back then. They all knew me. Brother Wei was a good policeman, but even he couldn’t catch the killer. He said the case just couldn’t be figured out…” Shen Wei shook his head. “After the task force was withdrawn, Brother Wei persisted in investigating. We even drank together.”

Hearing the name Wei Zhiyong, Ling Lie’s expression became still. Ji Chenjiao glanced at him and patted the back of his hand under the table.

“To investigate the case, my studies were also neglected. Medicine is hard. It was already not easy to get in. I studied for six years, I was about to graduate, and in the end, it all fell short at the final hurdle.” Shen Wei continued, “Brother Wei advised me to go back to school, that the police would handle the case. I didn’t trust many policemen, but I trusted Brother Wei. It’s not that I didn’t want to go back to school, but after such a major incident and a delay of several years, my student status could no longer be renewed. I could never become a doctor.”

The bitterness in that sentence was like wine that had been brewed for many years and had gone bad.