TGCFNM -Chapter 134 Is Not

“Not him.”

Chu Ling gave a negative answer.

“Butcher Hu is very sturdy, not particularly tall, and a person like that couldn’t nimbly leap onto a wall without being noticed. Besides, Zhang Ercai said it was someone very tall and thin, so it can’t be him.”

While she was speaking, Wan Sanjin, holding the horse, found Butcher Hu.

Butcher Hu was busy selling meat, his knife flashing as he neatly cut the meat into pieces, tying them with string and handing them over with practiced efficiency.

Then someone asked for bones, and Butcher Hu grabbed his cleaver, chopping the bones into sections with crisp, loud chops. He wrapped them in a large leaf, tied them, and handed them over just as deftly.

Chu Ling dismounted and walked over.

“Ah, sir, you’re here to buy meat?” Butcher Hu picked a piece. “Sir, this one’s good. You’re too thin—you should make some meat soup to nourish yourself.”

“Butcher Hu, I want to ask you something. Among you butchers, are there any tall, thin people?” Chu Ling asked.

Butcher Hu looked confused. “Sir… if he hasn’t put on a bit of weight, he wouldn’t even look like a butcher.”

Chu Ling glanced at the cleaver in Butcher Hu’s hand and asked again, “Is there a type of knife you can hold in one hand, very sharp, but also precise for cutting meat?”

Butcher Hu shivered. “Sir… you’re investigating a case, aren’t you?”

Chu Ling nodded.

Butcher Hu recalled a conversation he’d overheard just now and his face turned pale. “The… dirty street matter?”

“Yes,” Chu Ling said. “Do you have any leads you can give me?”

Butcher Hu put down his knife, thinking carefully. “A knife you can hold in one hand… very sharp… precise… what kind of knife is that?”

“A carving knife?” an uncertain voice spoke.

Chu Ling looked over. “Qingtong?”

“Sir, I came to buy meat, but I heard what you asked,” Qingtong said, buying some meat from Hu.

Wan Sanjin let out a soft hiss. “Right, sir. A carving knife is sharp, small, and can be hidden in the hand. Didn’t you say that person had large hands?”

“So that person is actually a seal carver?” Chu Ling’s expression was complex; she began to doubt her own guess.

Wan Sanjin hesitated too. “There are famous seal carvers in Changzhou, but would any of them climb walls? Sir, should we check them one by one?”

“Sir!” Butcher Hu suddenly remembered something. “There’s another type of knife. Some carpenters making tables, chairs, or windows use a small push knife. The blade is flat, used for carving decorative patterns—it’s also very sharp.”

Chu Ling and Wan Sanjin exchanged a glance, both seeing the shock in the other’s eyes.

Wan Sanjin immediately asked, “Have you seen one before?”

“Yes, I have,” Butcher Hu laughed. “I’ve seen carved lotuses and fish that look real. That knife can easily peel off a layer of wood. I could never do that kind of delicate work—just watching is exhausting.”

Wan Sanjin recalled what Zhang Ercai had said, murmuring, “Tall and thin, frightening eyes, long fingers, dirty nails… carving, polishing, and applying coating at the same time—definitely not clean.”

Chu Ling made the final decision. “Found it!”

“Sir, I’ll immediately send people to check all the carpenters in the city. You should ride back carefully yourself.” Wan Sanjin gave the instructions and left at once.

Chu Ling also cut some meat, and after thanking him, mounted her horse and rode back to the government office.

Back at the office, Chu Ling handed the meat to Xiao Hua, then returned to her own courtyard.

Once the courtyard was quiet, Taoniang anxiously said, “Sir, someone did come to repair my bed and the table and chairs. It was the person hired by the one who rented me the house. Because they were applying paint, the smell was strong, so he kept his face covered and spoke in a muffled voice. Each time, he only fixed what needed fixing, and once it was done, he left immediately—he never lingered.”

“Why do you say he isn’t a stranger?” Chu Ling was curious about this.

“It seems the person who rented me the house knows him…” Taoniang sounded uncertain.

Chu Ling asked, “Did the person who rented you the house tell you directly that they arranged for someone to repair the bed and furniture, or did that person come and say it themselves?”

Taoniang bit her lip. “He said it himself, that he was invited to come, and the money had already been given.”

Chu Ling paused thoughtfully, then spoke softly, “Someone who can enter a house without arousing any suspicion must be the kind who works diligently and never looks around randomly. That would explain why you let your guard down around him.”

“He did come two or three times, and he worked quickly. Once finished, he left right away,” Taoniang said, wringing her hands.

Ghost Scholar’s eyes darkened as he stroked his beard. After glancing at Taoniang, he looked at Chu Ling. “Taoniang was sold into the brothel from a young age, so she isn’t familiar with Changzhou City. But from the information you gathered on the other families, they are all locals. Who could make them also lower their guard?”

Chu Ling answered instinctively, “Someone they know.”

“Someone they would never suspect,” Ghost Scholar added, fanning himself. “Someone they trust completely.”

Chu Ling’s eyes hardened. “The person they would never doubt, someone whose comings and goings are entirely normal, so any surveillance would go smoothly.”

A carpenter!

A carpenter they all knew well!

“Now we wait, for Wan Sanjin’s report,” Chu Ling exhaled, her gaze sharpening. “Once the physical description matches, we can apprehend and interrogate him.”

Chu Ling waited until nightfall.

Wan Sanjin, with reinforcements and additional help borrowed from Mei Gao, combed through all the carpenters in Changzhou. But either their age or height didn’t match—none fit the description Zhang Ercai had given.

“Maybe he left and came back?” Chu Ling wondered. “He got into trouble eight years ago, ran away, then returned after it seemed safe. His body might have changed in the meantime.”

“I asked about that too,” Wan Sanjin said, spreading his hands. “Some definitely left Changzhou, but the carpenters who returned weren’t known to anyone here.”

Chu Ling speculated, “Could it be like Qingning County, with someone imitating the crimes?”

Su He shook his head firmly. “No. I compared everything carefully. It’s the same person—identical methods.”

Chu Ling leaned back against the chair, closing her eyes in frustration. “We’ve hit a dead end… how else can we find him?”

“And, Sir,” Wan Sanjin added, looking equally troubled, “I specifically checked today—there’s no left-handed carpenter.”

Chu Ling smacked her forehead—great, that lead was useless too.

“The carpenters said it’s smoother with the right hand. Unless the right arm is injured, master carpenters always teach apprentices with the right hand,” Wan Sanjin added.

Chu Ling suddenly sat upright. “Is it possible… I mean, maybe he isn’t really left-handed, but had to use his left hand because his right arm was injured?”

“That’s possible,” Wan Sanjin said.

“Tomorrow we still have to look. Even if we dig three feet into the ground, we have to apprehend any carpenter who fits the description,” Chu Ling said, frowning slightly. She looked up at Taoniang. “Also, tomorrow I’ll visit your family. That jewelry box still needs to be delivered.”