They all became female demons after being reborn.

Chapter 3: Those who come with ill intentions will not come with good intentions.

At 3:45 AM, it was still dark.

Mei Gensheng sat on a long bench in the communal room, with five Shenshu Camp guards standing in front of him, all soaking wet.

Only one oil lamp was lit in the room, casting flickering light on Mei Gengsheng's pale face.

Megan Sheng held a thin needle in his hand, adjusting the wick, and asked slowly, "Gone?"

The leading guard, Wang Hu, knelt on one knee, water droplets streaming down his temples—it was hard to tell if they were rain or sweat. "Your Excellency," he said, "when I got up to change shifts at the beginning of the morning, I noticed the door to the west wing's dormitory was ajar. I went inside and saw... five sets of clothes, trousers, shoes, and socks were neatly folded on the dormitory. Their weapons, waist tokens, satchels, silver, and other belongings were all there, but the people were all gone."

"Where's the courtyard wall?"

"I checked, there's no evidence of circumvention."

"The stable? The kitchen? The outhouse?"

"I've searched everywhere, but I can't find it anywhere."

Meigensheng didn't ask any more questions. He used a fine needle to adjust the wick of the lamp, and the flame flickered upwards, making the room a little brighter. But the guards lowered their heads even further.

"Five people, without outer garments, barefoot, braving the heavy rain, vanished completely in the middle of the night."

Megan laughed. "Do you believe that?"

The guards didn't dare to answer; they just kept their heads lowered.

"Let's go, let's go see the west wing." Mei Gensheng got up and pushed open the door. As he stepped into the rain, Wang Hu had already opened an umbrella over his head.

The west wing was not far from the south wing where they were located. Across the courtyard was the kitchen, and the outhouse was in the corner between the west and south wing rooms. To the north was the main building of the inn.

Stepping into the rain, Megan Sheng's pace was not fast.

He had a habit he developed in the palace: the more uneasy he felt inside, the more leisurely and composed he appeared on the surface.

The reason he felt uneasy was not because those people had disappeared.

According to palace rules, if one's fate is unknown, then they are dead.

He entered the palace at the age of fourteen after being castrated, and spent thirty years working his way up from a lowly eunuch to a trusted confidant of the chief eunuch. He had seen far too many dead people.

Dead people are not scary; what's scary is dying without knowing why.

It's not so scary that one guard died in the middle of the night; what's scary is that five guards disappeared into thin air without wearing their outer garments.

This shows that their purpose was not to kill, but to tell him something.

"I can take your life just like that."

They arrived at their destination shortly afterward. Megan Sheng pushed open the door and entered, followed by five guards, all of whom looked rather grim.

Mei Gengsheng didn't speak, his narrow eyes scanning the room. The west wing wasn't very big; a large communal bed took up almost half the room.

Just as Wang Hu had said, five sets of clothes were neatly folded on the dormitory bed.

Next to it were a waist knife, a waist token, and a satchel filled with loose silver.

Nothing more, nothing less.

Megan looked at them for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Did you fold these clothes?"

These five sets of clothes were all folded neatly, unlike the way the guards usually just casually wrapped up their clothes.

The guards all shook their heads.

Megan Sheng narrowed his eyes slightly. "Looks like this is a show of force they're trying to intimidate us."

From this perspective, the person is indeed dead.

But what about the body?

Who was on night watch last night?

A guard stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Your Excellency, I was on guard from midnight to 1-3 AM. When I came out of the house at 3:45 PM, I could still hear them talking inside. By the time I returned from my patrol of the main building at 2:45 PM, the lights in their house had already been turned off."

"From the hour of Chou to the hour of Yin, it was Old Liu's turn to guard the area. I handed over the duties to Old Liu at the beginning of the hour of Chou. Old Liu said he needed to go to the outhouse first before patrolling and guarding the area, so I went back inside."

"So, in other words," Megan Sheng turned and squinted at them, "from the beginning of the hour of Chou (1-3 AM) to the third quarter of the hour of Yin (3-5 AM), when you noticed something was wrong during the handover, no one was watching the courtyard for over an hour?"

Several guards, drenched in sweat, knelt down with a thud.

There's no point in pursuing accountability now that Megan Sheng hasn't reacted.

He asked again, "Did you hear anything?"

Wang Hu immediately replied, "Your Excellency, I think I heard a knocking sound coming from the west wing around 1:45 AM, but the rain was too heavy, so I'm not sure."

Megan nodded, then walked to the door, bent down, and looked at the threshold.

There were several obvious scratches on the threshold. He looked in the direction of the scratches and his gaze fell on the old locust tree across the courtyard.

He stepped out, and Wang Hu quickly held an umbrella for him and followed. The remaining four guards dared not say anything and followed behind the two in the rain.

Upon reaching the tree, Mei Gensheng raised his hand and touched it, then his pupils constricted sharply.

There was a sword mark there, the mark was very deep, but the surrounding area was very smooth, without any rough edges.

Mei Gensheng slowly exhaled a breath of stale air.

The sword mark wasn't left during the killing, but rather intentionally left afterward.

The purpose was clear: this was the place to kill, and the sword used was a narrow sword, and the swordsmanship was extremely exquisite.

This is both a provocation and an intimidation.

Mei Gensheng withdrew his fingers, took out a silk handkerchief to wipe the mud off his hands, and looked up at the second floor of the inn through the water curtain by the umbrella.

There are five superior rooms on the second floor. The one in the middle belongs to Wu Cheng, the one on the left belongs to Qing Que, and the one on the right belongs to him.

At this moment, the windows of Wu Cheng and Qing Que's room were tightly closed, and the lights inside were all off.

This is what Megan Sheng finds terrifying.

Because he was also on the second floor, he was completely unaware of what was happening in the backyard just a window away.

"Do they really have absolutely no fear of me?"

Not necessarily.

Whether it's killing Wu Cheng, protecting Wu Cheng, or wiping them all out, if the opponent's strength is overwhelming, they can do whatever they want, so there's absolutely no need to go to any more trouble.

So this is actually just a bluff.

Megan stood there for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, then walked back to the main lobby.

He found a seat and then said to Wang Hu, who was carefully lighting the candle, "Call the manager and the waiters here. Don't leave any of them out."

Wang Hu asked cautiously, "Father-in-law, should we also call all the people staying at the inn?"

"No need, go ahead."

"yes!"

Wang Hu accepted the order and left.

Before long, four or five people had gathered in the lobby of the inn.

The old shopkeeper stood shivering by the counter, wearing only an outer robe, his face still bearing the slap mark from yesterday.

Two men squatted at the top of the stairs, yawning cautiously with sleepy eyes.

The fat cook had just been dragged out of bed by Wang Hu. He looked bewildered but shrank back and didn't dare to speak.

There was a cup of hot tea in front of Megan Sheng, but he didn't drink it; he just warmed his hands over the cup.

"During the hours from 1 AM to 3 AM last night, did anyone hear any noise?"

None of them dared to speak. Wang Hu hissed, "I'm asking you a question!"

The cook, having not experienced yesterday's events, boldly spoke up, "To answer your question, sir, I was fast asleep and didn't hear a thing."

The two men nodded in agreement, one of them even covering his mouth and yawning secretly.

Mei Gensheng glanced at Wang Hu, who nodded slightly.

When he went to call them, the three of them were sleeping like logs.

Meigensheng then looked at the old shopkeeper.

The old shopkeeper shuddered slightly, his voice trembling a little, "It rained heavily last night, so I went to bed early."

Seeing that Megan Sheng's expression remained unchanged, he shrank his neck and said cautiously, "However, this old man is getting old and doesn't sleep well. I don't know what time it was, but I seemed to hear a knocking sound, but I couldn't hear it clearly. I don't know if I confused it with the sound of rain."

Mei Gensheng glanced at Wang Hu.

Wang Hu also said that he seemed to hear knocking from the west wing at 2:45 AM. Based on the two statements, it should be true.

Therefore, Old Liu, who was on night watch, died between 1:15 and 2:45 AM, while the other four died at 2:45 AM.

He was already asleep at that time, and it was pouring rain outside, but even so, the fact that he could kill five guards of the Divine Pivot Camp through the window and in the rain several feet away without him noticing... this person's strength was definitely no less than his own!

But it hasn't exaggerated to the point where it's unavoidable.

Mei Gengsheng then picked up his teacup, took a sip of the now lukewarm tea, and suddenly asked, "Shopkeeper, do you know where those two swordsmen who fought yesterday have gone?"

The old shopkeeper was taken aback, then nodded in fear, "Those two heroes said before they challenged each other that they would cross the river to the west to Zheng County after this battle."

"Crossing the river..." Mei Gensheng muttered these two words, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Yesterday evening, he went to the ferry crossing under the pretext of buying meat for Wu Cheng. The ferryman said that due to the heavy rains in the past few days and the flooding upstream, all ferries across the river had been temporarily suspended.

Downstream, there was a stone bridge whose surface had been washed away by the water. He also used an iron pick to pry loose a few key stone slabs on the remaining half of the bridge.

It rained all night, and given the current water level of the Yi River, that half-span stone bridge is probably nowhere to be seen.

From dusk yesterday until this time, no one came to or left Longmen Ferry.

The murderer is still in Longmen Ferry.

Megan waved for everyone to disperse, then went upstairs alone.

However, he did not return to his own room, but stopped at the door of Wu Cheng's house.

It was almost dawn when he raised his hand and knocked on the door with his fingers.

"Young master, this old servant has brought you some meat."

There was a moment of silence in the room, followed by rustling sounds, and then Wu Cheng's slightly sluggish voice came through, "Is that Mei Daban? Come in."

Megan Sheng pushed open the door and entered.

Wu Cheng was sitting barefoot on the edge of the bed, wearing an undergarment. His hair was disheveled, and his eyes were not fully open, clearly indicating that he was still half asleep.

Seeing Mei Gensheng enter the room, Wu Cheng's nostrils flared, his eyes clear yet bewildered. "Mei Daban, where's the meat?"

Meigensheng took out an oil paper package from his pocket, placed it on the table, and opened it. Inside was sliced ​​braised beef. "I bought it in town yesterday. This old servant had the kitchen heat it up. Your Highness, please eat it while it's hot."

Wu Cheng's eyes lit up. Without even picking up chopsticks, he grabbed a piece and stuffed it into his mouth, his cheeks puffing out like a hamster as he chewed it.

Megan stood to one side, watching with a smile on his lips, but his narrow eyes were full of inquiry.

After finishing a packet of braised beef, Wu Cheng licked his fingers with a lingering satisfaction. "Brother Mei, is there any more today?"

Meigensheng stared into his eyes for a full three breaths before putting away the oil paper package and saying gently, "Yes, Your Highness can have as much as you like."

After saying that, he left the house and closed the door behind him.

In the corridor, Qingque was carrying a steaming copper basin. As the two passed each other, Meigensheng paused slightly. "Did you sleep well last night, Miss Qingque?"

Qingque continued walking, her voice as clear and crisp as ever, "The rain is too noisy."

"That's true." Megan nodded and walked toward his room.

As he pushed open the door, he caught a glimpse of Qingque entering Wu Cheng's room, and then she followed him in and closed the door.

After sitting down, he closed his eyes and went through all the details from last night to this morning in his mind.

First, the five guards died between 1:15 AM and 3:45 AM.

The killer used a rapier, employing a light and swift sword technique. He was so fast that Old Liu didn't even have time to make a sound when his throat was slit in the courtyard. He was so fast that the four men behind him had their throats pierced by a single sword strike after the door was knocked open.

Secondly, the body was disposed of before 3:45 AM, but the other party only took the body and even left a mark to create fear.

But how did the other party manage to move the five corpses so quietly in the pouring rain?

It's impossible for one person to do that in a short time... If the other party has enough internal strength, they could drag away the five corpses by stringing them together with a rope, and the torrential rain outside would be enough to cover up the sounds and traces.

However, the body could not have left the courtyard, because there was no back door to the backyard, and there were no water stains or drag marks in the lobby of the main building.

So where is the body?

Megan suddenly opened her eyes, then abruptly got up and pushed open the door to leave.

In the lobby on the first floor, the old shopkeeper was fiddling with an abacus behind the counter. When he saw Megan give birth, he subconsciously shrank his neck.

Mei Gengsheng walked to the counter, placed his hands on it, and leaned forward slightly. "How long have you been running this inn in Longmen Ferry?"

The shopkeeper paused for a moment, then smiled obsequiously and said, "To answer your question, sir, it's been thirty-seven years. This shop was passed down to me by my father."

"Thirty-seven years." Megan nodded. "You didn't even dare utter a sound when those two wrecked your thirty-seven-year-old shop yesterday?"

The shopkeeper smiled wryly, "Sir, you come from a big city, you don't know the difficulties of our small place. The waterway to Longmen Ferry is smooth, and it's full of chivalrous heroes who come and go. Today they're helping this faction, tomorrow they're joining that one. This old man can't afford to offend any of them."

"Is that so? If you didn't have some skills, your shop wouldn't have lasted thirty-seven years in a place like this." Megan Sheng remained noncommittal.

He took a piece of silver from his sleeve and placed it on the counter. "I'll ask you a few questions. If you answer them well, this silver is yours."

The old shopkeeper's gaze lingered on the silver for a moment, but he didn't dare to reach out.

Mei Gensheng asked casually, "Were those two fighters from yesterday, Wang Dang and Li Changfeng, familiar faces from Longmen Ferry?"

The old shopkeeper answered honestly, "Master Wang is a familiar face, but Master Li is someone I've never met before."

"How far in advance did they schedule the duel with you?"

"It was three days ago at noon when Master Wang sent someone to say that he would like to borrow the old man's place for a while on Qingming Festival."

"You didn't stop them?"

The old shopkeeper gave a wry smile, "This old man wouldn't dare."

Megan nodded and pushed the silver on the counter forward. "I was very rude yesterday. Regardless of whether you answer the last question or not, this silver is yours."

The old shopkeeper still didn't dare to take the money. "Sir, you're joking. It's my honor that you're willing to hit me. I'm just afraid of dirtying your hands. Please ask."

"That's quite clever," Megan Sheng smiled with satisfaction. "Does your inn have a cellar or a secret passage? Anything that leads outside will do."

The old shopkeeper was silent for a moment, then reached out and put the piece of silver into his sleeve.

"I dare not lie to you, there is a cellar under the woodshed in the back kitchen, and at the end of the cellar is a secret door that leads directly to the river. My father dug it back then, originally so that we would have a place to survive if the river flooded. Later, when the world became too peaceful, it was also used to help some customers... to avoid trouble."

Megan Sheng narrowed his eyes, thinking to himself, "Just as I thought."

The old shopkeeper, his two assistants, and the cook are all quite incompetent. If they weren't capable, how could they have kept the shop running safely until now?

It turns out this inn was used as a base for criminals wanted by the imperial court, wandering swordsmen, and salt smugglers to hide from enemies or government officials.

"Who knows about this secret passage?"

"Only this old man knows," the innkeeper paused, "but all those who have walked this path know, though they are no longer at Longmen Ferry."

How do you know?

"Because when they come to Longmen Ferry, they will only stay at this old man's place."

Mei Gengsheng didn't say anything more. He turned around and walked towards the backyard, and the old shopkeeper quickly followed.

The woodshed was right next to the kitchen, and it was filled with half a room of firewood and hay.

The cellar entrance was hidden under a haystack, covered by a wooden plank, and could not be found unless you looked closely.

At this moment, the brass lock on the wooden board had broken into two pieces and was lying to one side, with some water stains on the ground.

The old shopkeeper's face turned ashen.

Megan looked back at him, then lifted the wooden board.

A damp, earthy smell mixed with the fishy odor of the river wafted towards me.

Megan Sheng walked downstairs with a tinderbox.

The cellar was small, only about a meter tall, with rammed earth walls supported by a few old elm trees.

He looked down and saw five drag marks of varying depths on the ground that led to a hidden door at the end.

The brass lock on the hidden door was broken into two pieces and hung crookedly.

Megan Sheng pushed open the door and looked around.

Outside was the riverbank, and now, due to the torrential rains, the river water had risen to within three feet of the hidden door.

If the body had been thrown down from here, it would probably have been fed to the fish by now.

This shows that the killer knew the secret passage very well.

Mei Gensheng turned around, his sinister voice echoing in the cramped cellar, "Your father and son have run an inn here for thirty-seven years, so you must know which swordsmen are skilled around Longmen Ferry."

The innkeeper leaned against the wall, and Wen Yan shook his head timidly. "Replying to you, sir, there are always sword-wielding martial arts heroes coming and going in Longmen Ferry every few days. How could this old man tell who is good and who is bad?"

"And what about that woman? The woman who wields a fast sword?"

The shopkeeper thought for a long time, then shook his head, "I've never heard of such a person."

Meigensheng didn't ask any further questions. He took out another piece of silver from his sleeve, which was larger than the previous one.

He stuffed the silver into the shopkeeper's hand and left the cellar and the woodshed on his own.

The torrential rain gradually stopped at some point, and a sliver of hazy light began to appear on the horizon.

Mei Gensheng stood in the courtyard and looked up at Wu Cheng and Qing Que's window on the second floor.

The window opened, and Wu Cheng leaned out, waving at him with his usual innocent smile. "Brother Mei! The rain has stopped! When are we setting off?"

Meigensheng looked up and smiled, "Young master, don't be impatient. This old servant will send you on your way today."

When he said "sending you on your way," his tone became even softer, and his gaze fell on Qingque's tightly closed window.

Behind the window, Qingque stood with her back against the wall, expressionless.

She picked up the oil-paper umbrella on the table, slowly pulled out the handle, and a faint glint of cold light shone in her eyes.

Downstairs, Mei Gengsheng had already withdrawn his gaze and strolled back to the front hall at a leisurely pace.

A long night can bring many unforeseen events; delay can lead to unforeseen changes.

Today he will take care of Wu Cheng!