In this city, as long as you’re not a Xianbei, not from a noble family, not an official, not an aristocrat, not a wealthy household, he fears no one!!

Last night, he didn’t rest well; the man was drowsy all day.

Jack reported some things he’d found out yesterday, but he didn’t pay much attention.

After enduring another long day, the man finally dragged his exhausted body back to the residence.

Once he locked the door, he instantly became alert.

Inside, the man stripped off his clothes, looking smugly at the two women on either side.

Both women had been bought by him. Outside the city, peasants often came to sell their children; sometimes, with a bit of influence, you could buy decent women at a low price.

Once he got bored of them, he could trade them with others or sell them elsewhere.

In short, Mr. Foster never did a losing business.

He’d had these two women for over a year now. When he first bought them, they were still naive. One of them became pregnant; to prevent her from dying in childbirth and losing his investment, he hung her up and beat her with a wooden mallet all night, finally causing a miscarriage.

Now, both women had been thoroughly trained by him. As long as he held the mallet, they were like puppets, never daring to resist.

He lay flat on the bed, grasping the delicate little mallet in one hand, spreading his legs, and closing his eyes.

“Come, give me a massage.”

A large, rough hand reached for Mr. Foster’s face, slowly moving to his neck, gently locking around it.

Then, the hand began to squeeze tighter.

The man’s eyes snapped open.

He saw a man with his face covered standing before him. Those eyes—they were so familiar.

Grace Foster’s right hand gripped his neck tightly, and as the man opened his eyes, the grip tightened.

The man immediately began to suffocate, his face full of terror. He struggled, trying to hit Grace Foster with the mallet in his hand.

But the little mallet had no effect at all on Grace.

Grace Foster stood firm, his hand tightening relentlessly.

The man’s mallet grew weaker and weaker, his face flushed red, eyes wide open, tears streaming from the corners of his eyes.

He wanted to say something, but as Grace Foster’s grip tightened, his struggles grew feebler.

After a long period of suffocation, the man finally stopped moving, his eyes wide open, bloodshot.

Still, Grace Foster did not let go. He kept squeezing for a long while.

At last, Grace Foster released his grip.

He quickly rummaged through the room, found some money, pocketed it, glanced at the two dazed women, tossed them some money, and then swiftly disappeared into the shadows.

The two women just stared blankly at the scene, saying nothing.

The mallet rolled to the woman’s feet. She slowly picked it up and looked at the motionless man.

She raised the mallet and brought it down hard on the man’s testicles.

“Puchi~~”

……

“It was right here!”

“Here!”

Jack walked in front, eyes gleaming.

He pointed at a restaurant ahead.

“Right here!”

Two men stood behind him, both burly and broad-waisted, dressed in constable uniforms with knives at their waists. They exchanged a glance, then stepped forward and knocked on the door.

The shopkeeper came out smiling, looked at the two men, and greeted them warmly.

“It’s Charles Reed, an honored guest! An honored guest!”

“What would you like to eat today?”

As he spoke, the shopkeeper quickly stepped aside.

The burly man with thick, curly whiskers shook his head. “We’re not here to eat today. Is there a villager staying here?”

The shopkeeper thought for a moment. “Oh, a villager did come by a while ago, had some business, ate a meal, and left.”

Jack said angrily, “Impossible! I clearly saw him disappear here—he must be staying at this restaurant!”

“Where else around here could someone stay?”

“Maybe they’re accomplices?”

The burly man glanced at him, then looked at the shopkeeper and said with a chuckle, “If you don’t mind, I’d like to take a look inside.”

“Ah, what are you saying? It’s our honor to have you here! Peter! Prepare some meat dishes!!”

The shopkeeper called out, leading the three of them into the courtyard.

The two men just glanced around briefly, then sat down to eat.

The shopkeeper was curious as well, pouring wine. “What happened?”

“An assistant at the county school was killed. You know, nothing can go wrong during this period—we’re at our wits’ end…”

“Then why come to me?”

The burly man glanced at Jack. “He was the first to discover the body and immediately reported it to us, saying he knew who did it.”

The shopkeeper responded with an “oh” and asked no more.

After a simple meal, the burly man looked around and then left.

Jack was a bit anxious.

“Mr. Reed, that man’s surname is Liu, I can’t recall his given name, but I remember he’s a country fellow. As long as we search the villages nearby, we might catch the murderer!”

“He’s easy to recognize—I remember what he looks like!!”

Jack chattered on endlessly.

The burly man stared at him, a kindly smile appearing on his face.

“All right.”