Chapter 61: The Four Legendary Constables of the Six Gates

"It's... because the arsonist is Heir Lu of the Duke of Yu's Manor, so..." Chief Constable Xing said with a troubled expression. "Needless to say how sterling Heir Lu's reputation is in the capital of Shengjing; the Shuntian Prefecture even keeps a dedicated, separate case file just for him."

Bai Yutang patted Chief Constable Xing on the shoulder. "Understood. Take all the corpses back to the yamen and have the coroners examine them one by one. I suspect these people were drugged before they died, otherwise not a single one of them would have failed to escape the sea of fire."

Chief Constable Xing nodded to acknowledge the order.

"Trouble you to make another trip back to Shuntian Prefecture and bring me the records of the Qingfengyuan Agency fire from last time."

"Yes, My Lord!"

With no immediate clues at hand, Bai Yutang decided to try his luck at the Duke of Yu's Manor.

Near the fire scene, a carriage was parked on the outer edge of the crowd. Jian Aozhu lifted the curtain slightly, revealing a pair of eyes as deep as ancient pools.

Unexpectedly, this gaze collided precisely with Bai Yutang's piercing, soul-penetrating eyes.

"Drive away quickly!"

Jian Aozhu was genuinely startled, hurriedly dropping the curtain and urging the driver to leave.

"Stop that carriage."

At Bai Yutang's command, the surrounding constables were still dazed, but three elite constables had already leaped into action, flying forward alongside him.

The four of them moved with the lightness of dragonflies skimming the water, utilizing the heads of the crowd to propel themselves through the air.

However, the onlookers were simply too numerous, and the carriage managed to escape into an alley.

Exchanging glances and relying on their familiarity with the terrain, the four quickly split up to flank the target.

Four figures moved so swiftly that they left afterimages.

They soon intercepted the carriage at the intersection of a cross-alley.

Bai Yutang stepped forward and lifted the carriage curtain, but the interior was completely empty.

All four of them found this unbelievable.

The female constable wearing a red *yisa* robe was named Yun Ni. Unadorned by cosmetics and without powder, her fair face was touched merely by a simple bite of lip tint. With a *swoosh*, she drew a soft willow-leaf sword from her slender waist, and the blade locked around the coachman's neck like a spirit snake.

"Where is the person?"

"She, she flew away!!"

Flew away?

Even as he said it, the coachman was bewildered, wondering what on earth he was babbling about; people didn't have wings, so how could anyone fly?

Yet he had witnessed with his own eyes how the woman inside the carriage, with a *pop*, soared up toward the sky like a flash of lightning.

"It has nothing to do with me! This humble person is just a driver."

"Did you see what she looked like?"

The coachman scratched his scalp and shook his head frantically.

"Didn't see clearly. She was wearing a cloak and veil. Besides, her attire was so lavish she clearly looked extraordinary. How could someone of my lowly status ever dare to lift my head and look at her?"

Bai Yutang picked up a ten-liang silver ingot from the corner of the carriage. The coachman was overjoyed, having run into someone generous enough to pay the fare even while fleeing. He chuckled slyly, "Official, this is the fare she gave. It's just enough for this humble person to take a wife. Hehe, please show mercy!"

Bai Yutang tossed the silver to Yun Ni and said coldly, "We'll be taking your wife first."

The coachman wore a resentful expression, muttering curses under his breath, "Not a single one of you government officials is any good."

Yun Ni gave him a cute yet frosty glare, then turned to Bai Yutang and said, "Eldest Brother, to be able to escape from the encirclement of the four of us, this person's martial arts are truly formidable."

Bai Yutang and the other two nodded in agreement.

Throughout the entire capital of Shengjing, the number of masters whose footwork surpassed Yun Ni's could be counted on one hand.

The elite constable in the purple *yisa* robe was named Duan Kun. He looked at Bai Yutang in puzzlement, "Eldest Brother, is there anything suspicious about this woman?"

Bai Yutang shared his intuition: "If the Qingfengyuan Agency and the Yifang Pavilion cases were committed by the same culprit, it implies a serial crime. Serial killers usually have a peculiar quirk: they like to return to the crime scene and watch the yamen constables' helpless predicament with their own eyes. This greatly satisfies their competitive drive. Just now, I found this person's behavior suspicious, which is why I gave chase."

The other three nodded in succession.

Seen in this light, Eldest Brother's judgment was correct; this person was highly likely connected to the fire at Yifang Pavilion.

Bai Yutang carefully inhaled the fragrant scent lingering inside the carriage.

"This rouge scent is quite peculiar. Third Sister, do you know what kind of rouge this is?"

Yun Ni stepped forward and took a sniff. "It's rouge tribute-sent to the palace from Jiangnan. Generally, only royal women are permitted to use it. It's called 'Jinghong Residual Snow,' and its fragrance is as delicate and elegant as melting snow in early spring, yet carries a hint of intoxicating allure."

From the palace?

Didn't the Lu family produce a Consort Dai?

Bai Yutang pondered for a moment and said, "You three escort the coachman back to the Six Fan Gates for interrogation. I'll make a trip to the Duke of Yu's Manor."

"Yes!"