TEFSCBSS Chapter 94

Chapter 94: Another One Dies (Part 2)

It was Wan Niang who had arrived.

Her eyes were red, her face full of sorrow, and she stumbled toward the charred body at the wonton stall, crying out repeatedly, “Sister, sister!”

Number Five watched nervously from the side, half-raising his arms as if to protect her.

But before he could do anything, Butcher Liu, who had been kneeling on the ground, suddenly sprang to his feet and spread his arms to block Wan Niang’s path.

“Miss Wan Niang! Please restrain your grief!”

He shouted, and Wan Niang’s tearful face faltered slightly. Her hands clenched into fists, and after taking a deep breath, she resumed her performance.

“Brave sir, were you the one who found my sister? She… she was just fine—how could she have died like this?”

Her eyes turned once more to the charred body by the stall. Her voice choked with sobs, and she looked as though she might collapse from grief.

Number Five’s heart clenched seeing her in pain. He stepped forward and said softly, “Wan Niang, I’m sorry for your loss.”

“What was your relationship to the deceased?”

Wan Niang wiped away her tears. “She was my sworn sister. We grew up together.”

“Sometimes, when I return early in the morning, I’d stop by for breakfast and help her out a little. Who would’ve thought… I’d find her body today…” She began crying again. Butcher Liu sighed beside her.

A look of inner conflict flashed in Number Five’s eyes. Wan Niang was crying, and as her friend, he should be comforting her—even though he knew she was acting. But he was investigating a case. He had to be a cold, professional detective and get a clear statement from a witness.

After a moment of hesitation, he pinched his thigh hard, so hard that his eyes reddened. He looked more sincere than even Butcher Liu.

Lowering his head and focusing on his notebook, he asked in a cold voice, “Wan Niang, can you explain your relationship in more detail?”

Butcher Liu quietly gave him a thumbs-up: Good lad!

Wan Niang hesitated, then said, “Chunya and I were both maids in the household of a convicted official. When the family was exiled or executed, we were taken to Yuexian Brothel…”

“We were young then and relied on each other to survive. The madam treated us well, and always said that if we saved enough money, she’d let us buy our freedom and leave.”

“Chunya was lucky—she left the brothel last year. She had learned to cook from the kitchen matron and opened a small stall. Life was starting to look up for her.”

“We were very close. Even after she left the brothel, we often went on outings together, attended gatherings, and played games.”

“She used to say that she would save money and work hard to buy my freedom too… and that one day, we’d open a shop together and live a good life as sisters.”

“Who would’ve thought our next meeting would be across life and death…” Wan Niang wept again.

Number Five clenched his charcoal pencil tightly, though his voice remained cold. “Wan Niang, do you know of anyone who had a conflict with Chunya?”

“No, none. Chunya was kind, and everyone liked her. She was just an ordinary girl—she had no enemies.”

Number Five continued, “Are you aware that a local scholar nearby admired her and wanted to marry her?”

Wan Niang’s sobs halted. “A scholar?”

She thought carefully. “Chunya never mentioned anything like that to me. She always saw me as her real sister—if she had someone in her heart, she wouldn’t keep it from me. But I never heard her mention this man.”

Number Five reviewed his notes, then casually asked, “Did Chunya have issues with her eyesight? Yesterday, she seemed to have trouble recognizing people.”

“That’s true.” Wan Niang sighed. “My sister was lovely in all respects, but she couldn’t recognize faces. She had to rely on people’s clothing and voices. That’s actually why the brothel madam let her go—she never made her take clients.”

“Oh? So if it had been another girl—say, you—the madam wouldn’t have let you leave, even if you had the money?”

Wan Niang paused. A flash of coldness passed through her eyes, but she smiled and said, “Why would you say that, sir? The madam treated us well. If someone came with silver to buy our freedom, of course she would honor the agreement.”

After saying that, she didn’t look at him again. She walked over to the charred corpse, knelt beside it, and sat silently. Her gaze stayed fixed on the body, not with horror or anger, but with deep sorrow.

Number Five couldn’t get any more out of her, but fortunately, their team’s turn to examine the corpse had arrived.

To be honest, there wasn’t much they could examine from a charred body. The clothing and all identifying features had turned to ash and couldn’t be touched without crumbling.

They circled the remains a few times.

Number Eight commented, “This body looks a lot shorter than the Chunya we saw yesterday. But I’ve heard burned corpses shrink, so I guess that makes sense.”

Number One added, “True. But look at the chest—on the left side, it looks like something’s cracked open.”

The three looked closely and found an obvious indentation. The autopsy report confirmed it: the heart was missing.

“Could it be the same killer as yesterday? Someone who digs out hearts and disfigures the faces?” Number Five muttered.

“Maybe, but this part is strange—according to the autopsy, there’s no smoke residue in the throat, and only a tiny bit in the nose. What does that mean?” Number Eight asked.

They exchanged looks. “Could it mean Chunya was already dead when she was burned?”

“That would make sense. But then why did the killer set the body on fire? If she was already dead, burning her would just draw attention, right?”

Number Five’s eyes lit up. “Exactly. If there was a fire here, wouldn’t the neighbors have seen it? Even if it’s just a small food stall, the smoke and flames would catch someone’s attention.”

“Not to mention, this stall isn’t far from other houses. If the wind had blown sparks over, nearby buildings could have caught fire. But look!”

He pointed to the body and the stall.

“This body is completely charred—touch it, and it crumbles. But look at the tables and chairs nearby. They don’t seem to have been burned that badly. It’s like they were only lightly scorched with smoke.”

The others examined it closely and found that it was true. The furniture could probably be used again with a bit of cleaning. The body, on the other hand, looked like it had been roasted directly over a fire.

Number Five continued, “This suggests the killer might’ve poured fuel directly onto the body and burned it in a controlled way to avoid spreading the fire.”

“But that still doesn’t explain why no one noticed the flames…”