Chapter 16 The Trap

"Captain, I'm sorry, it was my fault." Zuo Jing's voice pulled An Xuan back from his memories. "I shouldn't have brought my emotions into the mission."

"Mm." An Xuan nodded, exhaling. "But I still hope you'll seriously consider my suggestion."

"Captain, do you think there's no problem with Chen Qiang?" Perhaps not wanting to dwell on the previous issue, Zuo Jing raised her head, changing the subject.

Glancing to the side, where the path they had come from lay, An Xuan lowered his voice and said, "Although he's acting strangely for a newcomer, I always feel like he's missing something." He emphasized, "Something only those guys have."

"Madness? Greed?" Zuo Jing asked.

An Xuan shook his head. "No, it's that desire. They all seem to crave something deep down, but I don't see it in him. He just wants to survive."

Zuo Jing pondered for a moment, her gaze at An Xuan gradually becoming strange. "Captain," she said, "do you think our operation was leaked, and there... is no Crimson in this mission at all?"

She had vaguely felt something was wrong when Tang Shirou died, and as the mission progressed, this strange feeling had burst forth all at once.

"I thought about that before too." An Xuan said frankly, "But I personally think that's unlikely." After a pause, An Xuan looked up and said, "Just consider it my intuition."

As An Xuan spoke, Zuo Jing noticed some very subtle changes in his face. After a brief silence, Zuo Jing spoke first: "Captain, you noticed too, didn't you?"

An Xuan thought for a moment, then nodded. "If we had to say that a Crimson had infiltrated us, then I think the most likely person isn't Chen Qiang, but..."

"Jiang Cheng," Zuo Jing said in a low voice.

"That's right." An Xuan's eyes turned sharp in an instant. He looked in the direction of the lake, and after a long time, he slowly said, "If that's really the case... then we're in trouble."

...

"Doctor," the fatty trotted after Jiang Cheng, panting, "what are you thinking about?"

In the fatty's view, things were now roughly clear. The woman named Xuanji was killed by Master Huang, and the Zheng opera troupe leader had infiltrated the Huang manor under the alias of Steward Zhou, wanting to resurrect his daughter through the evil arts recorded in the ancient book.

What he didn't understand was why the doctor's expression hadn't improved at all.

Seeing that the doctor wasn't speaking, the fatty asked in a low voice, "Doctor?"

"Don't you think it's strange?" Jiang Cheng didn't even look at him, but his voice carried over.

Following the doctor, the fatty tilted his head, looking puzzled. "Strange?"

"Don't you think our gains this time... are a bit too much?"

After thinking about it, the fatty nodded his big head. "It is pretty smooth." He then looked up and asked, "But what's wrong with that, Doctor?"

After a moment, Jiang Cheng asked again, "What do you think of Steward Zhou as a person?"

"He's quite ruthless, and his methods are very evil." Just thinking about the skinning and the paper figures and paper sedan chairs made the fatty swallow a few mouthfuls of saliva. "He's also very clear-headed, meticulous in his work, and very cunning. He'll do anything to resurrect his daughter."

"But such a person actually left so many clues for us. Isn't that strange?" Jiang Cheng looked at him and asked, "The map and the ancient book recording the evil arts weren't carried with him, but were left in the house, without leaving reliable people to guard them. Isn't that strange?"

"Such a remote place was actually found by asking a few people. Isn't that strange?"

Three questions in a row left the fatty dumbfounded, but he could clearly feel that Jiang Cheng's tone was unhappy, so he swallowed and didn't dare to say a word for a moment.

After a long while, "Doctor," the fatty said in a low voice, "Maybe... maybe that clue pouch worked. Think about it, Steward Zhou didn't know we could get the pouch and then follow the clues to find..."

"Xiao Wan?" Jiang Cheng sneered.

"Yes, yes." The fatty nodded guiltily, and said in a low voice, "It's... it's Miss Xiao Wan."

"A courtesan who is known as one of the two beauties of the brothel, along with Xuanji, doesn't have anyone guarding the door, and there aren't even any maids inside, letting two strange men walk in swaggeringly." Jiang Cheng said, "I think this Beauty Immortal Courtyard is at its end."

The fatty was shocked to hear this.

"I just took out the pouch and didn't ask anything, but she told me everything like pouring beans, and she talked about the clues we urgently needed. What's even more interesting is that Steward Zhou, who you say is cautious, had his background figured out, and he kindly told us the exact address of this Miss Xiao Wan when he left." Jiang Cheng suddenly changed his tone and said coldly, "Do you think he's a pig?!"

Before he could finish listening, the fatty's forehead was already covered in cold sweat. After being reminded by the doctor, now that he thought about it carefully, what the girl named Xiao Wan said was indeed problematic.

From beginning to end, the doctor had been playing the role of someone asking questions, basically not revealing any information they had to Xiao Wan, but the latter abruptly led the topic to the painting, thereby leading to Xuanji's father and his identity.

Then, through the doctor's portrait, she confirmed that Steward Zhou was Xuanji's father, and also kindly provided the latter's specific address, allowing them to find the ancient book recording the evil arts.

The fatty subconsciously wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand, and said in horror, "So... so all of this is a scam, planned by Steward Zhou?"

"That little beggar, she..." As if suddenly thinking of something, the fatty looked at the doctor with a questioning gaze, his eyes filled with the pain of betrayal.

Fortunately, the doctor shook his head. "She shouldn't be. Otherwise, there's no need to remind you."

The fatty breathed heavily as if he had been granted amnesty.

"But Doctor, I don't understand." The fatty asked, "What is their purpose, to interfere with our investigation direction?"

"I can't be sure yet, but I think it's likely to be delaying time." Jiang Cheng glanced at the fatty and said, "Maybe they think some of us are more troublesome, and if we continue to investigate, we may soon uncover the truth."

There was no doubt that the doctor was definitely within this more troublesome range.

The fatty even suspected that this trap was set specifically for the doctor, but because the time was too rushed, there were more loopholes left, which were caught by the doctor.

Jiang Cheng turned his head and gestured towards the direction of the room just now, saying, "According to the records in that book, the female ghost needs to kill at least four people in four nights before she can completely come out of the painting."

But according to Jiang Cheng's estimation, two more nights at most would be the limit.