Chapter 86 Portrait of the Murderer

When the constables from the Ministry of Justice were searching near the Temple of Lord Guan, they discovered a man lying in the shrubbery on a slope behind the temple. Upon checking his breathing, they found he was still alive, merely unconscious, and immediately reported this to Lu Ziqing.

By the time Lu Ziqing and his party arrived at the slope, the head constable, Zhan Zhao, was crouched on the ground, pinching the man's philtrum to try to revive him.

After a moment of this, the man slowly regained consciousness.

He was a burly fellow with broad shoulders, a thick waist, and a face full of coarse features—an imposing, powerfully built man. As he sat up after waking, his gaze met a pair of piercing eyes. A young man, dressed in a purple silk robe and exuding a stern, commanding air, regarded him with an overwhelming presence that made his heart involuntarily tremble. Glancing around and seeing himself surrounded by officers, the man’s face filled with terror; he prostrated himself on the ground, his voice trembling as he pleaded, “Honorable officials, I have always abided by the law and never committed any misdeeds. I beg you, please spare my life!”

Lu Ziqing frowned and asked coldly, “Who are you, and why did you faint here?”

A flicker of confusion passed over the man’s face as if he were straining to recall something, but for a long moment, he could not speak.

Just then, the old village chief of Guan Family Village hurried onto the scene. Bowing respectfully, he answered, “Sir Lu, this is our village butcher, named Guan Wu.”

He glared at Guan Wu and scolded, “Guan Wu, this is Lord Lu, Minister of Justice. His Lordship is questioning you—why are you still standing there dumbfounded? Answer at once!”

Guan Wu cowered, as if suddenly remembering, and blurted, “My lord, I remember now! Early this morning, I went to the neighboring village to slaughter pigs. As I was passing near the Temple of Lord Guan, I saw several men in black acting suspiciously, carrying something over their shoulders. Finding them very dubious, I secretly followed. They went into the temple, so I hid here, intending to wait until they left so I could check inside. But as I was hiding, someone suddenly struck me from behind, and after that, I remember nothing. My lord, every word I speak is the absolute truth—I dare not deceive you!”

So, it was these men in black who disposed of the bodies at the temple?

From his earlier inspection, Lu Ziqing already knew that the temple was not the original crime scene. The butcher’s story seemed credible enough.

But who were these men in black? What was their aim in doing this? Why, after killing those children, would they go to the trouble of dumping their bodies at the temple?

Lu Ziqing’s frown deepened as he pressed sternly, “Did you see the faces of these men in black?”

Guan Wu racked his brain and shook his head. “They all wore veils. I didn’t see their faces, my lord. Please forgive me.”

Terrified, Guan Wu remained prostrate, desperately afraid that this imposing Lord Lu would vent his anger on him. But the night had been dark, and all the men were masked; it truly was impossible to make out their faces.

He thought himself most unfortunate.

Seeing that he could extract nothing useful, Lu Ziqing’s expression was dark. Still, Guan Wu was the only eyewitness; if they were to solve the case, they had to start with him.

Shen Qianmo, seeing how terrified Guan Wu was, realized this fear would only hinder his memory. She exchanged a glance with Lu Ziqing, silently asking to take over the questioning herself.

“Guan Wu, try to recall carefully: did you see the face of the person who attacked you from behind?” Shen Qianmo stepped forward, softening her tone to make her voice as gentle as possible.

Since he hadn’t seen the faces of those in black, she decided to focus on the person who attacked him.

With Lu Ziqing stepping back, the oppressive aura vanished, and faced with such a beautiful, calm, and gentle woman, Guan Wu relaxed considerably.

The one who attacked him from behind? Guan Wu scratched his head, thinking hard, when suddenly his eyes lit up and he exclaimed, “I remember now! That person wasn’t wearing a veil. After he struck me down, I saw his face!”

At this, Lu Ziqing and the others’ faces brightened in anticipation. Shen Qianmo seized the opportunity and pressed on, “What did he look like? Can you describe him, or did he have any distinctive features?”

What did he look like? Guan Wu strained for a long while, so much so that he mussed his own hair in frustration, but try as he might, he could not recall the attacker’s face.

He distinctly remembered seeing the man’s appearance, yet when pressed for details, his mind was a blank—no impression remained.

With a mournful look, he stole a glance at the increasingly grim-faced Lord Lu and wished he could simply faint again.

Shen Qianmo also frowned. How could Guan Wu fail at such a critical moment?

In her opinion, Guan Wu had likely suffered a temporary memory loss covering that period—perhaps in time, the memories would return. In the worst case, he might never recall them.

If this were the modern day, a professional hypnotist could easily resolve the issue. But the conditions here were too rudimentary, and her own skills were not particularly advanced. She could not guarantee success.

Even so, for the sake of bringing justice to those tragically murdered children, she was willing to try.

At Shen Qianmo’s request, Lu Ziqing brought Guan Wu to the Ministry of Justice, settling him in a quiet side chamber.

She asked Lu Ziqing to wait outside; his forceful presence clearly intimidated Guan Wu and would not help the hypnosis.

Thus, only she and Guan Wu remained inside. She had him sit in a soft chair and brewed him a cup of tea, doing her utmost to calm his nerves and put him at ease.

Thanks to Shen Qianmo’s deliberate effort, the anxious Guan Wu gradually relaxed.

He had heard that this beautiful young woman was the eldest daughter of the Duke’s household and the future Princess Consort of Prince Xuan, yet she was gentle and approachable, without a trace of noble arrogance. There was something about her poised and graceful manner that inexplicably reassured him and drew his trust.

Following Shen Qianmo’s instructions, he fixed his attention on a pendulum swinging before him, silently counting in time with its movement. Before long, he was completely relaxed, sinking back against the chair and slowly closing his eyes.

Knowing the moment was right, Shen Qianmo spoke in a low, gentle voice.

“Guan Wu, before you is a mountain path. It’s dark and quiet all around, and you’re walking along alone, walking… What do you see?”

“I see several black figures. They’re running fast—looks like… they ran into the Temple of Lord Guan.” Eyes closed, Guan Wu spoke slowly.

“Good. Then, because you’re curious, you follow and hide in the shrubbery behind the temple. What do you see now?”

“I see those men in black coming out of the temple quickly. They move fast, and soon they’re gone. I want to go see what they did inside, but just then, I suddenly feel a sharp pain in my back—very painful…”

Guan Wu’s body rocked from side to side, fists clenched, brow furrowed, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead: all signs of pain.

Shen Qianmo quickly interjected, “No, Guan Wu, you are not afraid of the pain. You’re only curious—who are these men in black, and who attacked you from behind? Did you see that person’s face?”

“Yes, I saw him—I saw what he looked like…”

Under Shen Qianmo’s steady, soothing voice, Guan Wu gradually calmed.

“Very good. Now, tell me: what did that person look like?”

As Shen Qianmo spoke, she picked up the charcoal and paper she had prepared, sketching quickly according to Guan Wu’s halting descriptions.

There were no computers here, no way to digitally assemble a portrait—she had to rely on her own hand. Fortunately, she had some skill in sketching; drawing a portrait was no great challenge.

Yet, when Shen Qianmo finally finished the portrait, altering and refining it according to Guan Wu’s intermittent recollections, she was utterly shocked—she could scarcely believe her eyes.

The man in the drawing… looked strikingly like Mo Qingshan!