Little Constable smugly declared, “It’s not that easy to shake me off—even the heavens are helping me…” As he spoke, he suddenly remembered something, and his expression turned flustered and embarrassed. His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but he just couldn’t get the words out.

Little Constable became bashful, making anyone frown in confusion, not understanding what was wrong with him. But Brian Carter wore a look of complete understanding and chuckled, “You finally figured it out… The scent of Ziyinfeng is unbearable for women. How could you chase the culprit with me? Who knows how many corpses have passed through this Yin family inn, and the Ziyinfeng powder here is measured by the pound. When midnight comes, you’ll be even less able to stay. Now you see why I wanted you to leave.”

Little Constable was shocked, “You—you know I’m a woman?”

Brian Carter replied, a bit impatient, “I just told you my sense of smell is sharp. When we first met, I already caught the scent of pollen on you. Besides, men and women naturally smell different. Still, your disguise and voice-changing skills are impressive—almost flawless.”

Little Constable stood there, dumbfounded, not knowing what to say. Brian Carter reached into his clothes, took out a needle pouch, opened it, and carefully selected a few needles from dozens of long and short silver ones, setting them aside for use. He beckoned her over with a smile, “Come here.”

Little Constable braced herself as if facing a formidable enemy, “What for?”

“To temporarily seal your sense of smell. If you can’t smell anything, Ziyinfeng won’t affect you. In a bit, you’ll come with me to chase the culprit.”

“You know acupuncture too? You really have all sorts of skills!” Little Constable happily skipped over. With a deft twist of the silver needles, Brian Carter moved unhurriedly but with remarkable steadiness… Even as she was being needled, Little Constable couldn’t help but boast, “Actually, I have internal energy to protect myself. When I circulate my strength, I can neutralize the effects of Ziyinfeng, but this is safer—better to be prepared.”

“The stronger your internal energy, the fiercer the reaction. That’s what makes this potent drug so dangerous.” Brian Carter didn’t bother to argue, just casually explained the pharmacology. In no time, he withdrew the needles and smiled, “Done. After tonight, I’ll help you restore your sense of smell. But I must ask you not to tell anyone about my acupuncture skills.”

Little Constable readily agreed, “And you must keep my identity as a woman a secret!” As she spoke, her voice had already become the kind one only gets with a severe cold, her nose completely blocked, unable to smell anything, and forced to breathe through her mouth. Then she thought of something else, “It smells so bad here… With your sensitive nose, isn’t it even more… unbearable for you?”

Brian Carter spread his hands and repeated, “Can’t be helped, being a coroner means dealing with this.”

With everything settled and just waiting for midnight, Little Constable grew bored with nothing to do. Suddenly, Brian Carter leapt up and snuffed out the candle, whispering, “There’s movement outside.” He moved to the door and listened intently.

Little Constable slowly drew her waist knife, holding it at an angle behind her to prevent its reflection from giving them away… In the deep mountains, in the dead of night, the only ones who would come to the Yin family inn were the mountain-stream barbarian corpse drivers.

The Han and the barbarians are irreconcilable, and this “inn” had become a crime scene. The corpse drivers would never reason with them. But as she followed behind Brian Carter, straining her ears, she heard only the cheerful chirping of night insects. Little Constable didn’t know that Brian Carter’s strengths went beyond his sense of smell—his five senses were all keen.

After a moment, Brian Carter’s expression shifted from alert to puzzled. The newcomers kept approaching—footsteps, hoofbeats, voices… speaking in Han Chinese. The mountain path was rugged, and they were leading their horses on foot. But corpse drivers never brought horses at night, never made a sound, and certainly never spoke Han Chinese.

After a while, the sounds became even clearer, and even Little Constable could hear them distinctly. She grew more confused and whispered to Brian Carter, “Han people?”

At that moment, the people outside spotted the Yin family inn. One of them exclaimed in surprise, “Out here in the wilderness, there’s actually an inn?” Then he let out a few cold laughs, probably thinking that an inn in a place like this couldn’t be up to anything good.

Another voice laughed in response, “A black inn is still an inn. If there’s a fire to dry our clothes and beds to sleep in, that’s good enough!”

Soon, a group of three led their horses up to the Yin family inn. The first two were young men, dressed like ordinary traveling merchants, but their steady gait and the sharp glint in their eyes gave them away. Each carried a long bundle slung across their back—either a saber or a sword. The last was a chubby middle-aged man, whose body was plump but whose steps were light and movements composed. Walking the muddy mountain path, he seemed as if he were strolling through his own garden. Even though Little Constable was inexperienced, seeing these three, she understood why they dared to stop at a “black inn” despite knowing the risks.

But if these three outsiders knew this wasn’t a black inn but a “corpse inn,” who knows if they’d still come closer.

In any case, since they weren’t mountain-stream barbarians, both Brian Carter and Little Constable quietly breathed a sigh of relief. They lit the candle and went out to greet them. The newcomers, seeing an official emerge from the “black inn,” were all taken aback. Little Constable put on an official air, raised her badge, and said, “Official business. Who are you?”