TGCFNM -Chapter 130 I Must Save Myself

In the prison, the man who had been doused to wake up sat there for a long moment before losing his mind.

“It wasn’t me! I didn’t kill her! I went in, and she was already dead!”

“It was the ghost! The evil ghost did it!”

“The evil ghost from eight years ago did it! The evil ghost!”

“…”

Even before entering, Chu Ling could hear the shouting from inside. Frowning, she immediately ordered the warden to bring the man over.

When the man was brought forth, he continued babbling nonsense, seemingly severely traumatized and on the verge of madness.

Chu Ling stepped forward decisively and kicked him to the ground, then glared at him viciously: “Who am I?”

“M-Master…”

“Just knowing I’m the master is enough. Behave, answer my questions truthfully!” Chu Ling said unhappily, casting him a sharp glance before turning to sit back down.

“What’s your name, what do you do, and why were you on that street?” she asked coldly.

The man let out a sharp gasp, seemingly finally coming to his senses. “I—I’m Zhang Ercai, a commoner… I chop wood for a living.”

Chu Ling nodded slightly, signaling him to continue.

Sniffing the lingering blood on his clothes, Zhang Ercai glanced down, terrified, and began to cry. “I…I went looking for fun… I stayed at Yingzhu’s place for a night… and then…”

“And then what?” Chu Ling frowned.

Zhang Ercai’s face contorted in sorrow. “I was… I was planning to leave, but Yingzhu asked me to marry her. I didn’t dare, so I made up a story. After leaving Yingzhu’s room, I saw people enter the house next to hers.”

Chu Ling’s eyes lit up—someone had actually seen the killer.

“They all live in that filthy street, acting all noble, refusing to let anyone in even for money… pretending not to do business anymore… I actually thought she was some righteous woman. But at night, she let people in. I saw it happen several times,” Zhang Ercai muttered angrily.

Chu Ling slammed her hand on the table, asking urgently, “You saw that shadow go to Taoniang’s house multiple times?”

Zhang Ercai nodded blankly. “Yes, many times. I even asked Yingzhu if she had seen it, but she said no. She said Taoniang just rented the place and told me not to think about her.”

“When was the last time you saw that shadow? Did you get a clear look at its face?” Chu Ling pressed further.

Zhang Ercai hurriedly replied, “Just last night. I saw someone go in and waited nearby for a long time. The man had his face covered and didn’t dare show himself. When he came out, I wanted to sneak in, but Yingzhu pulled me back and told me not to bother Taoniang. I told her what happened, but she didn’t believe me—said no one went in.”

“And then? Why did you go in yourself?” Chu Ling raised an eyebrow.

Zhang Ercai glanced nervously at Chu Ling and said cautiously, “I saw Taoniang didn’t come out all morning, so I…”

“Lying!” Chu Ling snapped coldly, her face dark as soot. “You did run out then, but that wasn’t when you went in. It was only because it was fully dark that you didn’t see the blood all over the floor, so you climbed in through the window, right?!”

Zhang Ercai’s eyes darted wildly. He clutched his clothes in panic, curling up nervously.

“If you didn’t kill anyone, you won’t get in trouble. But if you don’t tell the truth…” Chu Ling gave a threatening smile. “I’ll give you a beating to teach you a lesson.”

Terrified, Zhang Ercai waved his hands frantically. “Master… Master, don’t… I’ll tell, I’ll tell! I really sneaked in under cover of darkness. After I went in, I took off my pants, I was going to… but I was knocked unconscious.”

Chu Ling stared coldly at him. “Let me put it clearly. You snuck into Taoniang’s room at night, accidentally made a noise, saw her come out nervously to check, and in your excitement, you took off your clothes to pounce—but someone knocked you unconscious… When you woke up, you found Taoniang dead. Afraid, you ran out, worried someone would think you were the killer, so you conspired with Yingzhu. And you wanted her to give false testimony for you, didn’t you?”

Zhang Ercai froze. “How… how did you know?”

Chu Ling gritted her teeth in frustration. “Can’t you just tell the truth? Why waste my time?”

Zhang Ercai hugged his arms, curling up slightly, and cautiously said, “Some officials, just to claim merit, would casually pin a crime on me. If that happened, I’d be finished. But I did run out of that room—I had to think of a way to save myself.”

“Pretending to be foolish to save yourself?” Chu Ling sneered. “Clever, aren’t you?”

Zhang Ercai said fearfully, “Sir… I’m telling the truth. Just as you guessed—I saw shadows climbing over walls several times, so I thought I’d try it too. That’s why I went in.”

“And then?” Chu Ling glared at him. “Tell the truth.”

“Then I saw her in the inner room doing… I don’t know what. Later, a stool fell, and she came out wearing very little. I thought she was waiting for her lover, so I… I went over… Then a shadow suddenly dropped down from the beams, knocked me out, and grabbed Taoniang.”

As he spoke, Zhang Ercai touched the back of his head. “Sir… it’s all swollen. I swear I’m not lying… I didn’t even know what he had in his hand. I almost thought I’d be knocked to death.”

Chu Ling had Han Jin and Han Yin move his hair aside, while she and Wan Sanjin leaned in to inspect more closely.

“There is a wound, but why is it shaped like this? What is this?” Wan Sanjin asked.

Chu Ling couldn’t tell either. “It looks like a flat weapon, dropped straight down, but the wound isn’t deep.”

“I saw him slam it down with his right hand. Not deep?” Zhang Ercai clutched his head. “Sir, it really hurts.”

A flash of insight struck Chu Ling. “He hit you unconscious with his right hand, then used his left arm to hold Taoniang by the neck… trying to strangle her, right?”

Zhang Ercai thought carefully and nodded. “Yes.”

“So he’s left-handed,” Chu Ling said.

“Sir,” Han Jin stepped forward, “after the murder in Changzhou City, Lord Mei Gao forbade anyone from leaving. The killer must still be in the city.”

Han Yin added, “Sir, should we go after the left-handed person immediately?”

Chu Ling raised her hand to stop them, her expression tightening. “Not yet. Don’t alert the snake, or it will be easy for them to cover their tracks.”

“If only we knew more. Just knowing he’s left-handed is like finding a needle in a haystack,” Wan Sanjin said, frustrated.

“The shadow was tall,” Zhang Ercai added.

Chu Ling smiled at him. “You’d better try to remember more details to help me catch the killer quickly. That way, you’ll be released. Otherwise, I’ll use you as a scapegoat.”

Zhang Ercai’s eyes widened, and he struggled to recall. “He… he was very tall, very thin… his eyes, his eyes were terrifying… his hands, very long… nails… very dirty.”

Wan Sanjin looked surprised. What does “very dirty nails” even mean?

“That’s all?” Chu Ling demanded.

Zhang Ercai pouted miserably and nodded.

Chu Ling rolled her eyes, then turned to the warden. “Keep Zhang Ercai in custody. No one is allowed to visit, and he must not speak to anyone.”

“Yes, sir,” the warden replied.