TGCFNM -Chapter 127 It Appeared Again

After leaving the narrow alley, Chu Ling and Wan Sanjin walked onto the bustling main street. Passersby greeted the two of them.

“Master Chu and Master Wan are out jogging together?”

Wan Sanjin laughed and leaned closer. “Sir, were you the one the dog dragged along?”

“A dog? What dog?” a curious onlooker asked.

Chu Ling replied, “…Nothing. Master Wan is just losing his mind.”

Wan Sanjin was about to argue when suddenly a sharp scream rang out from the crowd, followed by terrified shouts as people scattered like fleeing from disaster.

A child tripped while running and someone stepped on his hand as they ran past.

Wan Sanjin quickly darted into the crowd, scooped up the child, and moved to the side to protect him.

Chu Ling’s face darkened as she shouted, “Why are you running? Everyone, get behind me!”

Miraculously, the crowd quieted down and huddled behind Chu Ling. The street quickly emptied, and Chu Ling finally saw the source of the panic.

A man appeared, his clothes loose and disheveled, gripping his trousers tightly. Both his clothes and pants were soaked in large patches of blood. His feet were smeared with blood, leaving a trail of bloody footprints wherever he walked.

He staggered as if he had seen something terrifying, lost in a daze, until he finally collapsed in front of Chu Ling, murmuring, “It’s back… it’s back… the evil spirit, it’s back.”

Then the man’s eyes rolled back, and he fell unconscious.

Chu Ling frowned. “What evil spirit has returned?”

Before he could finish speaking, a wave of terrified exclamations rose from the crowd behind him:

“The evil spirit is back?”

“Aiya… why has it come back again?”

“What should we do, what should we do?”

“What else can we do but lock ourselves indoors and not go out?”

Chu Ling waved at Wan Sanjin. “Go back to the government office and bring people. A crime has occurred here. This man who fainted is either a suspect or a witness. Take him to the jail first.”

“Yes, sir.” Wan Sanjin returned the child to his family and immediately headed back to the office.

Chu Ling looked at the fearful crowd and asked, frowning, “What evil spirit? What has returned? Can anyone explain this to me?”

The townspeople, trembling with fear, began speaking all at once.

Eight years ago in Changzhou, there had been four similar murder cases, all targeting women. The victims had been gruesomely disemboweled, leading people to claim an evil spirit was responsible.

The events had terrified the city. Prefect Cheng had tried to investigate and catch the culprit, but no matter how thoroughly the investigation was conducted, the murderer left no trace—as if they were a ghost. The cases became unsolved mysteries.

Now, eight years later, the so-called evil spirit had returned.

“There’s no evil spirit. It’s all human,” Chu Ling said coldly. Following the man’s bloody footprints, she turned into a small alley and stopped in front of a narrow lane.

“Sir, don’t go there—that’s the dirty street.”

“Dirty street?” Before Chu Ling could react, a woman carrying a basket grabbed her forcibly. “Sir, that street brings bad luck. Please don’t go in.”

“What’s a filthy street?” Chu Ling asked, surprised that someone could name a place like that.

The woman hesitated, her face flushing red, as if she didn’t know how to explain.

Finally, the man beside her awkwardly said, “That place… it’s… where men without money go to satisfy their desires.”

Chu Ling cleared her throat awkwardly. “Because someone died there, I have to take a look.” She pointed at the bloody footprints on the ground to show them.

“Master, countless people die on that street every year. The charity hall will come to collect the bodies eventually,” the woman said, trying to stop her.

Chu Ling frowned, asking more questions to understand what kind of place this street was.

It turned out that Changzhou had several brothels and entertainment houses. Beautiful women came and went, appearing glamorous and cherished, but that only lasted during their youth. As they aged and regular clients stopped coming, their fortunes waned.

Some were lucky enough to be bought as concubines; others were abandoned. Some, while still popular, saved enough money to redeem themselves.

The woman sneered coldly. “Those women, while young, seduced men to make some silver. When they got older, without children to care for them, old and faded, with no way to earn money, they could only take cheap work.”

Chu Ling fell silent for a moment, then softly said, “Some women were sold into it.”

The woman paused, then smirked. “Master, don’t mind my words being harsh. I’m not trying to be cruel; I’ve just suffered in life, so I’m not very sympathetic to them.”

“Is this entire street inhabited by women who came out of the brothels?” Chu Ling asked.

The woman nodded. “The rent here is cheap, and taking a few small jobs can keep them alive. They don’t come out much themselves, usually sending little beggars to buy food for them.”

Chu Ling nodded. When Wan Sanjin arrived with his men, she waved at them, then headed down the alley.

The woman grabbed her. “Master?”

Chu Ling gently pushed her aside and said earnestly, “A murder happened right under my eyes. How could I ignore it? How could I deserve you calling me ‘Master’ otherwise?”

The man beside them stepped forward, awkwardly saying, “M-Master, sometimes there’s business here even during the day. I… I’ll scout ahead first and call out. You can follow afterward.”

With that, he ran into the alley and shouted a few times.

Soon, several people sneaked out, holding up their pants as they ran.

The woman glared at the alley in disgust but still looked at Chu Ling. “Master, I should come with you. What if someone grabs you and blackmails you?”

Before Chu Ling could protest, the woman pulled her into the alley. The bloody footprints on the ground grew more visible.

Wan Sanjin was momentarily stunned, then quickly said, “Han Jin, Han Yin, grab the one who collapsed on the road and lock them up. Interrogate them once they wake. The rest, come with me.” He led his men, chasing after Chu Ling into the alley.

Su He looked grimly at the bloody footprints, sniffing the air. “How can the smell of blood be so strong?”

Wan Sanjin said, “I haven’t had the chance to ask yet, but the villagers all look pale and shaken.”

Even the woman, now deep in the alley, began to feel afraid, her steps slowing.

Chu Ling said, “You go ahead. I can follow the footprints. Those girls probably won’t dare come out.”

The woman swallowed hard, her expression panicked, and pointed at a door. “Master, I think we’ve arrived.”

Chu Ling turned to look. A dilapidated wooden door stood wide open, and the bloody footprints led straight out from it. The stench of blood also came from inside.

Chu Ling exhaled lightly, composed herself, and stepped inside.