Chapter 5: Wu Pen Returns Home, Imperial Cat Analyzes Clues (Part 1)

  At night, Zhan Zhao stood in front of the copper mirror, opened what was called the heavenly eye, and looked at the mirror. He was shocked and stunned because the so-called heavenly eye was not an extra eye on his forehead, but a silver mark that looked similar to the silver ornament he wore on his body!

  A night of contemplation about the so-called "Tianyan" (Heaven's Eye) yielded no leads, not a single clue on how to utilize it beyond observing objects.

  On the second day, Zhan Zhao was in low spirits and bid farewell to Bao Da and Gong Sun Ce. He brought Zhang Long and Zhao Hu with him and galloped out of Kaifeng Prefecture without stopping!

  Dongdu Outer City, the southern wall of the new city, the southeast gate is called Chenzhou Gate. Ten miles outside the gate is Nanhuashan Mountain. The main south gate is called Nanhuan Gate, and ten miles away from it is Caoshi Town. Because many residents have the surname Liu, it is also known as Liujia Town. This Liujia Grass Town, although it's just a small town, is located near the outskirts of Dongjing Bianliang, at the throat of an important road, so its markets are very developed. The streets are bustling with activity, and there are many shops selling goods from all directions. There are approximately over 500 households in the town, mostly engaged in business.

  In the town, three people walked by. The one in front was a young man wearing a blue shirt. He wore a plain blue long shirt, white waistband, and held an unsheathed ancient sword in his hand, without any luxurious decorations. However, his slender figure and elegant demeanor made him stand out from the crowd; his handsome face, bright eyes, sharp eyebrows, and majestic aura were truly captivating. Behind the young man walked two others. One of them wore a gray robe, was tall and stately, with piercing eyes, and looked to be around thirty years old, with an air of maturity about him. He followed closely behind the blue-shirted youth. The other person was somewhat strange, wearing a short black jacket with a wide waist and thick back, his skin a dark copper color, with long, narrow eyes that seemed to be only twenty-seven or eight years old. However, he walked with a hunched back and unsteady gait, as if he were seventy or eighty years old. But upon closer inspection, it became apparent that he was not born with a hunchback, but rather had slung a black package over his shoulder, which looked like a turtle shell stuck to his back.

  Three people walked together and stopped in front of a three-room courtyard house, standing still and looking around.

  "Liu Shichang, can you confirm that this is indeed your hometown?" Zhan Zhao asked calmly.

  The wok behind Zhang Long's back was sizzling with a loud "zizi" sound. "It's definitely here, absolutely no mistake, this is my home!"

  Zhan Zhao took a step forward, lightly knocked on the door ring, and called out in a loud voice: "Excuse me, is anyone home?" A clear female voice came from inside the courtyard, asking: "Who is it?" "Excuse me, is this the residence of Liu Shichang, Mr. Liu's estate?" The sound of hurried footsteps echoed from afar, growing louder, and the wooden door creaked open suddenly. A woman appeared at the entrance, wearing a pale blue flower-patterned white half-sleeved long dress, a purple silk skirt, her hair styled in a spiral bun with a silver pin inserted at an angle. Her face was elegant, and her figure slender. Upon seeing the three people outside, she was taken aback for a moment but quickly regained her composure, asking softly: "Are you three acquainted with my husband?"

  The black pot behind Zhang Long suddenly shook violently, and Zhao Fan sighed, his body turned to the back of Zhang Long, knocked a few times on the black pot, and said, "Don't worry!" The black pot gradually stopped shaking!

  Liu looked at Zhan Zhao's movements in shock, and his eyes seemed to have a hint of panic. He appeared to want to retreat and close the door. Zhan Zhao bowed and said, "We've come to confirm our acquaintance with Brother Liu. This time, we've come to deliver goods to your residence." Liu hastily asked, "Deliver goods? When did you meet my husband?" Zhan Zhao paused slightly before responding, "It was half a year ago." "Half a year ago..." Liu slowly lowered his head, muttering to himself, and remained silent for a long time before asking, "What goods did my husband entrust you to escort?"

  Zhan Zhao took down the black bowl from behind Zhang Long's back and said, "It was this black bowl in the bundle!"

  "An urn!?" Mrs. Liu said in surprise and hesitation, "How could my husband entrust someone to send an urn?"

  Zhan Zhao smiled and cupped his hands, saying, "This matter is unclear. May I ask where Brother Liu is?"

  Mrs. Liu's expression turned somewhat gloomy as she replied in a low voice, "You gentlemen are unaware that my husband went to another region half a year ago to purchase jewelry and has not been seen since. It's already been half a year since he left home." Zhan Zhao listened and slightly raised his eyes, asking again, "Did you have any correspondence?" Mrs. Liu shook her head, saying, "At the beginning of the first month, I received a letter from my husband, who said in it that he would definitely return home for the Lantern Festival reunion. However, on the night of the Lantern Festival, I and Baier waited all night but didn't see any sign of him. Since then, there has been no news... nor do I know whether he is alive or dead..." "Elder sister, please take good care of this inkstone. We will wait here. If Madam needs to ask something later, we can be summoned again." Zhan Zhao handed the inkstone back to Mrs. Liu and bowed, saying, "Please, elder sister!"

  Liu nodded and took the package, turning around and entering the courtyard!

  "Director Zhang, why did you claim to have known Liu Shichang half a year ago?" Zhang Long asked directly after Liu entered the house.

  Zhan Zhao smiled and shook his head, "It's just to verify whether this is indeed Liu Shichang's residence or not. Do we have to say directly, 'Sister-in-law, your husband was killed by someone and his body was burned into a ball of ash'?"

  "What Boss Zhang said is right!" Zhang Long and Zhao Hu both nodded their heads in agreement.

  Sure, here is the translation:

  As expected, a moment later, Liu came out again. Her hair was slightly disheveled, her makeup was smudged, and her eyes were red, clearly having cried a lot. She invited Xiang Zhao and the others into the house, then suddenly knelt down on the ground with a thud. "Three officials, you must help my husband get justice, catch those two brothers who harmed him, and avenge my husband for me!"

  Zhan Zhao stepped forward and helped Liu up, saying: "Madam, there's no need to thank us. This time, we not only escorted Brother Liu home but also hope you can assist in investigating the case." Liu listened and didn't seem at ease, instead wiping away tears again and sobbing: "But according to what Sir said, this case has no leads, and the suspect is nowhere to be found. How can it be solved? I, a humble woman, only ask that you officials can help me and my husband!" After speaking, she became agitated and knelt down again.

  Zhan Zhao hastily supported Liu Shi, turned his head to look at the black basin on the table in the room, and said, "Didn't Brother Liu tell you? This time I came here, it was to find clues for you!"

  "Don't say there's no clue, I want to know, before Liu brother went out to do business, did he ever mention that he wanted to buy some jewelry? And where did he go to stock up? Was it from the same family?" Zhan Zhao asked a series of questions.