Chen Xiaomeng's face was gloomy, her eyes slightly cold, and half of a sharp wooden hairpin was visible from her left sleeve.

Jiang Cheng was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly whispered, "I was just kidding with you. I saw you were a little nervous just now." He raised his head and said righteously, "I should go out first."

Without a word, Chen Xiaomeng retracted the wooden hairpin and made way for him.

Jiang Cheng quietly moved behind the door, peering through the crack for a long time. Finally, under Chen Xiaomeng's pressure, he slowly, slowly opened the door, waited a while, and then walked out.

The entire inn was quiet, as if there wasn't a living soul inside.

They didn't go straight up the stairs, but decided to check the first floor first.

After all, if someone was lying in ambush here, they would be in an awkward position if they rushed upstairs and got trapped.

Chen Xiaomeng quietly followed behind Jiang Cheng, about two meters away. She was determined that if they really encountered an ambush, she would decisively abandon Jiang Cheng and rush to the third floor to catch Qian Jianxiu.

She only hoped that Jiang Cheng could buy her some time so she could escape safely.

They first went into the bathroom to check, after all, this was Jiang Cheng's birthplace, and it held special significance for him.

Due to the lighting, it was very dim inside. The low ceiling was covered in cobwebs, and there were faint brown-yellow stains on the walls, accompanied by an unpleasant stench.

They pushed open all the toilet stall doors, but there was no one inside.

They exchanged glances and quietly retreated.

Next, they came to the kitchen door. This was the only unexplored area on the first floor. If they didn't find anything here, it meant that the village chief and his group hadn't arrived yet.

This was good news for them, but neither of them looked happy.

Because it also meant that their "accomplice" had succeeded.

And had even left this world through the door.

Jiang Cheng took a deep breath and pushed open the kitchen door. The sharp "creak" sounded like a pair of scissors, cutting through their heartstrings.

Chen Xiaomeng glared at Jiang Cheng, seemingly blaming him for being so careless and making such a loud noise.

But Jiang Cheng knew that it wasn't his fault. He hadn't used any force. The door had been tampered with.

Since that was the case, Chen Xiaomeng didn't complain anymore. They immediately slipped into the kitchen. A sharp piece of iron appeared in Jiang Cheng's hand, and Chen Xiaomeng gripped a wooden hairpin.

More than ten seconds passed, but nothing changed in the kitchen.

Now it was Chen Xiaomeng's turn to be confused.

Jiang Cheng seemed to realize something and started walking into the kitchen. Chen Xiaomeng turned around and closed the kitchen door, then maintained a relatively safe distance from Jiang Cheng.

The kitchen was larger than they had imagined. After passing a stove filled with a row of dark iron pots, there was a semi-enclosed room used to store firewood.

Firewood was piled everywhere inside, neatly stacked in bundles.

Chen Xiaomeng's face suddenly darkened. She smelled a scent that made her uneasy.

The smell of blood.

After Jiang Cheng entered the firewood room, he moved a bundle of firewood near the wall. Chen Xiaomeng's vision suddenly changed. From her position, she could just see a pair of feet sticking out.

Jiang Cheng slowly squatted down and removed the light blue floral apron covering the dead man's face. As expected, the deceased was the inn owner, Qian Jianshe.

His body was curled up, his arms were tied behind his back with hemp rope, and a piece of rag was stuffed in his mouth. His eyes were wide open, and his entire face was twisted grotesquely. His body was covered in large patches of blood, making him look terrifying.

Chen Xiaomeng found two more corpses in another secluded spot.

One was the big-bellied woman, whom they had seen before, Qian Jianshe's pregnant wife, and the owner of Anping Inn.

The other was a young man, probably just an adult. They hadn't seen him before, but judging from his clothes, he seemed to be a staff member of the inn.

The necks of all three had been slit, cleanly and efficiently, a single cut to the throat.

Jiang Cheng stood up and walked to the window covered by a bamboo curtain. He pulled down the bamboo curtain.

The room was much brighter now.

The two carefully examined the three dead people and found that only the inn owner, Qian Jianshe, had multiple irregular wounds on his body in addition to the fatal wound on his neck.

Considering his tied hands and the rag stuffed in his mouth, it was not difficult to guess that he had been subjected to inhuman torture before his death.

It was done by their missing "accomplice."

The torture was not the goal, the goal was to extract information from him.

As the room brightened, they discovered some shallow bloody footprints on the greasy floor, starting from here and leading outside.

They followed the footprints to a corner of the kitchen.

This place was very hidden, with several large bamboo brooms piled here, and a dark green water tank next to them.

The footprints disappeared here.

Chen Xiaomeng immediately became vigilant.

She suspected that the person was lurking in...

Unexpectedly, Jiang Cheng walked straight forward. Through the gap between the brooms and the water tank, he discovered a low, hidden door.

The hidden door was only tall enough for an adult to crawl through while squatting. A copper ring was attached to the door.

Jiang Cheng held his breath. The moment he pulled the ring, he quickly dodged behind the water tank.

But fortunately, nothing suddenly jumped out to attack.

After a while, he cautiously poked his head out.

Light spilled from inside the hidden door. A delicate candlestick was placed in the corner, with a white candle as thick as a baby's arm burning dimly.

A small wooden staircase came into view.

Bloody footprints were also left on the stairs.

Jiang Cheng quietly retreated a few steps, came to Chen Xiaomeng's side, and suddenly said, "The time we met at the abandoned Qian mansion, how did you get in?"

Chen Xiaomeng didn't want to answer his question, but Jiang Cheng's expression was very different from before, and even gave her a vague sense of threat.

She couldn't guess what Jiang Cheng's question meant now, but she subconsciously replied, "I went in from the second floor, through that rope."

"You didn't go to the first floor?"

"No, I just searched the second floor and noticed that someone was coming in. Then you guys disturbed the ghost, and then..." Chen Xiaomeng didn't continue.

Jiang Cheng knew what happened next. He narrowed his eyes slightly and said after a moment, "It's Li Lu."

Chen Xiaomeng blinked, "It's her?"

"Yes, I found some very strange footprints on the stairs of the abandoned Qian mansion, probably left by a woman," he looked at Chen Xiaomeng and slowly said, "I thought it was you before."

A flash of light suddenly went through Chen Xiaomeng's eyes. She seemed to realize the problem.

Li Lu had previously used the excuse of a leg injury to stay alone in the old Qian residence.

Of all the people, only she had enough time to explore the abandoned Qian mansion, and could avoid the attention of the others.