As the lantern light drew closer, the two men leaned in together. Jiang Yu unfolded the cloth in his hand, revealing a dense array of drawings. He pointed to a particular spot on the cloth. "Dragon vein."

Hu Li focused his gaze and saw a continuous range of peaks outlined in ink. The map even boldly marked the dragon veins, showing no regard for taboo. He exclaimed, "The Great Ming Dragon Vein?"

Other parts of the map also had river markings, such as the Yi River in Yizhou and the Weishui River in Yanran. After pondering for a moment, Hu Li asked, "Is this a map drawn by Zhang?"

Jiang Yu remained silent. He took the cloth back and examined the corner on the left side for a while. Hu Li took the candlestick from Jiang Yu's hand and leaned in to look.

In the corner of the map, there was a triangular dragon pattern. Hu Li frowned, "What is this marking?"

"This is the war flag of Prince Liang."

"Prince Liang?" Hu Li couldn't recall any prince named Liang in the current dynasty.

"The war god Prince Liang from a hundred years ago."

"A hundred years ago? How does it appear here?"

"A hundred years ago, Prince Liang was famous for his military achievements and was arrogant enough to try to usurp the throne. He boasted that he owned all the gold, silver, and jewels in the world. Later, his rebellion failed, and he died in battle."

"What does this have to do with us?" Hu Li asked.

"Prince Liang boasted of his vast wealth, and there are rumors that he built an underground palace to hide all his treasures. When the palace was raided after his defeat, there was nothing valuable inside. This only fueled the rumors about the underground palace over the past century."

Jiang Yu touched the map. "I didn't expect it to be true."

"But it's only half here," Hu Li said, touching the crack in the map.

"Perhaps the murderer wanted this map," Jiang Yu speculated. "It's in our hands now. They won't hesitate to come looking for it."

At the hour of the Rabbit, the inn was completely sealed off.

The guards from Yanran Prefecture had arrived and secured the inn inside and out.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

The innkeeper, having slept little the previous night, was now back to his usual self, bustling around the lobby.

Hu Li and Jiang Yu sat at a table, and the innkeeper brought over a tray.

On the tray were two dishes and two bowls of mushroom stew, their aroma wafting through the air.

"After a sleepless night, have some soup to replenish yourselves," the innkeeper said, introducing the dishes with care. "This shredded pork with green peppers is our signature dish. It may not be as good as those in the capital, but it's still quite tasty."

Jiang Yu spooned some soup into his mouth and nodded in approval.

The innkeeper immediately closed his mouth, his smile nearly reaching his ears.

Hu Li glanced at the innkeeper.

This man wore coarse clothes and seemed no better off than him and his entourage. The clothes were worn out, with stains that couldn't be washed away, especially around the hem.

His demeanor was familiarly obsequious, now even more so in front of Jiang Yu.

"Was it you who first found the body?" Hu Li put down his chopsticks and asked, tilting his head back.

"Yes, it was me," the innkeeper said, turning his body slightly towards Hu Li. Recounting the events of last night, he said, "It was windy last night, so I got up to find a thicker blanket on the third floor. After greeting the guard, I saw a room half open. I took a peek inside and saw a person lying on the ground, with a strong smell of blood."

At this point, the innkeeper paused, feeling embarrassed. "I was so scared that I woke up immediately and ran downstairs screaming."

"Did you see anyone or hear anything?"

After a moment's thought, the innkeeper affirmed, "No, I was just too frightened at the time."

Hu Li picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks and smiled at the innkeeper. "This dish is quite good."

"As long as the gentlemen enjoy it," the innkeeper replied, bending over again. "Shall I clean up now?"

Jiang Yu waved his hand to dismiss the innkeeper.

Halfway through the meal, one of Jiang Yu's men hurried in from outside and handed him a note.

Jiang Yu frowned as he unfolded the note and read it for a while.

It was most likely a message from the capital, but Hu Li paid no attention. He quickly finished his meal, one bite after another. By the time Jiang Yu put down the note, Hu Li had already eaten his fill.

Jiang Yu stood up, his appetite gone. "Yanran's men will remain at the inn to protect the scene. If they find any suspicious persons, they are to be detained immediately. I will deal with them when I return. The rest of you, in fifteen minutes, follow me to Yiling Ridge as planned."

Punishing the traitors was a matter of great importance.

To avoid complications, the instructions from the capital were to proceed as planned.

The inn was left far behind by the procession, hurriedly becoming a speck of black dust.

Hu Li wrapped himself in a large coat and walked at the front of the group. He glanced back and couldn't even see a tiny black dot.

He hadn't seen Shi Yue since last night.

Hu Li felt uneasy. With Shi Uncle dead under suspicious circumstances, where was Shi Yue now?

If he acted recklessly, he might expose himself to the court.

Shi Yu seemed to have planned for this day long ago. Even Jiang Yu, who had risen to a commander in the Southern and Northern Pacification Bureau, only knew that Shi Yu had a wife and two daughters, but he had no knowledge of Shi Yue's existence. In the eyes of the court officials, the Shi family had only one son, who had died in his early years.

Hu Li was startled. Perhaps Shi Uncle had known about today's events long ago, so he had protected Shi Yue so meticulously for over a decade.

If so, then the map might be the real reason.

It was likely a secret that Shi Uncle had protected his whole life.

Shi Yue might come to the inn, but it was now under strict guard. Shi Yue should know that the situation was unusual...

The sharp edges of the yellow sand cut through him, and Hu Li steadied his mind, keeping a close eye on the procession.

A faint white line appeared in the sky, slowly devouring the darkness at a visible speed until a red sun leaped into the sky. The warmth returned gradually, but the cold came from below.

Hu Li's long knife hugged his body, and the sheath rubbed against the collar of his coat.

Two Jin Yiwei followed behind him, to keep an eye on him and prevent his escape. Jiang Yu had ordered it, not wanting to hide him from the others in the group.

The killer struck under everyone's noses. There were only two possibilities.

First, the culprit was someone familiar. The murderer was in the inn last night, familiar with Jiang Yu's guard arrangements, and was able to commit the crime without anyone noticing, slipping back into the crowd after the deed.

Second, a martial arts expert. Their skills were so advanced that they could deceive everyone, or perhaps a professional assassin.

Since the killer hadn't shown their face yet, everyone was suspicious. Especially now that the clues pointed to someone among them.

No one trusted anyone in this group.

Hu Li was no exception.

In fact, everyone felt the same way.