Transmigration: of Mysteries and Songs

Chapter 24: The Real Crime Scene

Flashing her badge casually to the manager at the door, Feng Luodi and the two tagging behind were quickly ushered in. Feng Luodi winked at Qi Jianqiu, who was visibly impressed.

"Wow," Qi Jianqiu gave her a thumbs up. "To think that the last time I came, the only service I got was from a attendant demanding my entrance fee." Her voice dipped into a low mumble. "And even then, I could only have some snacks and watch the performance from afar. I couldn't even get close enough to touch the girls!" Startled, she realised that she'd just let her inner thoughts slip. Frantically looking to see if the other two had overheard her, she saw Feng Luodi and Jiang Moyin staring at her with a bemused expression.

The two exchanged looks, and burst out in laughter.

"Thank god you were dressed as a man that time." Feng Luodi decided to rub it in. "If not..."

Now Qi Jianqiu was embarrassed. She waved her fist in the air, threatening to punch Feng Luodi, but realised that it was not befitting of her image of a "lady" today. She huffed and lowered her hand, opting to glare at Feng Luodi instead. This only fuelled more laughter from the other two, who watched her quick change of expression in amusement.

Her personality is strikingly similar to Qingjia, Jiang Moyin thought as he smiled, seems like it was the right decision to join her for lunch.

Perhaps because they were tired out from the previous day, Constable Zheng and his officials had  yet to arrive at the crime scene, and Feng Luodi was glad to have the place to herself. She held out her hands to take the puppy from Jiang Moyin.

"Master Jiang, please pass me the puppy if you will. It's his turn to shine."

"Him? What can a puppy possibly do?" Jiang Moyin was intrigued.

"Just watch." Feng Luodi set the puppy carefully on the floor, and scraped off a few flakes of dried blood from the bloodstains in the room. She placed it under the puppy's nose, who sniffed it carefully before running out of the room. "Quickly! Let's follow!" Feng Luodi lifted her skirt and quickly ran after the puppy, with Qi Jianqiu struggling to keep up due to the stiff and formal gown she was wearing. Jiang Moyin trailed behind slowly, shaking his head as he smiled to himself. I'm doing things I'd never thought that I would, thanks to these two girls.

The grounds of Moonglade were much larger than what Qi Jianqiu expected. Other than the music halls where gatherings and performances were held, there were private rooms on the higher floors, with a huge backyard taking up most of the space. The latter was where the zither artistes, such as Linglong, stayed with their handmaidens. Their quarters were clearly separated from the houses where the guards and other employees lived.

The quarters in the backyard were complicated, packed full of small courtyards and winding corridors, with all of them looking identical. Luckily, Feng Luodi did not have to navigate through them; she merely followed behind the puppy who was on the scent. She was certain that there would be a trail of blood stains, given the nature of the wounds, leading to the primary crime scene However, it was likely that the visible bloodstains had already been removed by the daily cleaning, and that was where the the puppy came in: to sniff out the trail of blood.

The puppy ran along the corridor, barking in excitement as he went. The barking would have definitely caused quite the commotion, if not for the fact that all the employees were resting in the antechamber, barring them from impeding the investigation. Feng Luodi was close behind the puppy, but Qi Jianqiu could not keep up with her formal wear restricting her movement. Jiang Moyin stayed with her, the two walking slowly as they followed from afar.

The puppy rounded many corners, but stopped suddenly at a junction in the corridor, having lost the scent. Feng Luodi carefully examined the surroundings. To the left were a few rooms that looked more lavishly decorated than the rest of the quarters,  and the right was where the male employees lived, in the corner of the property, close to the side door of Moonglade. Suddenly, the puppy barked loudly again, and dashed off to the left, where the few rooms stood. Feng Luodi quickly followed, and the puppy stopped in front of a closed door, barking louder than ever with a hint of distress.