Having made up his mind, the Ghost Doctor went to the alley and carefully examined the surrounding environment.
An old locust tree at the entrance of the alley caught his attention; something seemed to be hanging on it.
As he approached, he gasped in horror – it was a string of poisoned dog carcasses!
He then squatted down and carefully examined the dog carcasses.
Their eyes were wide open, as if they had died with their eyes open; black bloodstains remained at the corners of their mouths, clearly caused by poisoning.
The Ghost Doctor's heart skipped a beat. He took out the silver needles he always carried and gently probed the carcass of a dog. The silver needles instantly turned black, confirming his guess.
However, these clues did not seem to help him find the truth of the case.
The Ghost Doctor fell into deep thought; he knew he needed more information.
So he decided to personally visit the families of the victims.
The Ghost Doctor stopped in front of a simple house. He knocked on the door, and a haggard-looking woman opened it.
Upon seeing the Ghost Doctor, a flicker of surprise crossed her eyes, but it was quickly replaced by grief.
"You are..." the woman began, her voice choked with emotion.
“I’m here to help you with the investigation,” the Ghost Doctor said gently. “Did your husband…do he exhibit any unusual behavior before he died?”
The woman shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes: "No, he has always been an honest and upright man. That night, he went to East Street to buy wine as usual, but who knew... who knew he would never come back."
The ghost doctor remained silent; he understood the woman's pain. He offered her a few words of comfort and then left the house.
However, he was filled with doubts—these victims seemed to have no connection, so why did they all suffer misfortune at the same time?
Over the next few days, the Ghost Doctor continued to visit the families of other victims, but still found no valuable clues.
He began to doubt his own judgment, and even his own abilities.
However, whenever he thought about the mystery of Xu Yuehuai and the Four Kingdoms' Slaughter, he would cheer up again.
One night, while the Ghost Doctor was deep in thought in his study, he suddenly heard a knock on the door.
"Doctor, please come with me." The official was very respectful and gestured for him to follow.
The Ghost Doctor responded slightly and followed him to the main hall.
In the main hall, the magistrate's expression was even more solemn than a few days ago: "Doctor, I have just received a secret letter." His voice carried a hint of tension.
"A secret letter? What secret letter?" the Ghost Doctor asked, puzzled.
The magistrate solemnly said, "This secret letter states that if I do not stop investigating this case, someone will harm me."
The Ghost Doctor had long known that this case was unusual and had prepared himself, but he did not expect the enemy to arrive so quickly.
"Your Excellency, how do you intend to deal with this?"
The magistrate sighed and said, "As an official appointed by the imperial court, I naturally cannot abandon the investigation because of this secret letter. However, I also cannot disregard my own safety."
The Ghost Doctor chuckled inwardly, but outwardly maintained a serious expression. "I understand. Your Excellency certainly doesn't want the harm to escalate, lest it cause panic in the capital. How about this, I will investigate this case secretly, and Your Excellency can send someone to assist me. I am not from the capital, so I'm sure no one will know my identity and won't implicate Your Excellency in this matter."
The magistrate said gratefully, "Then I'll have to trouble you, doctor."
...
Under the dark and windy night, the Ghost Doctor's steps seemed particularly heavy. He wore a gray robe and a bamboo hat, beneath which was a face covered by a black mask, revealing only a pair of deep-set eyes.
He moved cautiously through the narrow and secluded alleys, each step as if he were evading some invisible pursuit.
As night fell, the market had long since fallen silent, broken only by the occasional barking of dogs and the distant gong of the night watchman.
The Ghost Doctor arrived at a teahouse, gently pushed open the half-closed wooden door, and went inside.
The teahouse was empty, with only a few tables and chairs standing forlornly.
The Ghost Doctor walked to a table and sat down, then took out a paper packet from his pocket and gently sprinkled it on the table.
The powder in the paper packet instantly turned into a wisp of blue smoke, which slowly dispersed in the air.
This is the Ghost Doctor's unique tracking technique; through this wisp of green smoke, he can find the person he is looking for.
A moment later, the smoke dissipated, and a blurry figure appeared inside the teahouse.
The Ghost Doctor stood up and slowly walked towards the figure. He reached out and gently pressed the man's shoulder, his voice low and cold: "Butcher Liu, you have a grudge against Wang Mazi from the east of the city, don't you?"
The man was startled, turned around and saw the Ghost Doctor. His expression changed drastically: "You're talking nonsense! I have no grudge against Wang Mazi, what makes you say that?"
The Ghost Doctor sneered and said, "Before Wang Mazi died, he saw you. His death may be closely related to you. Come with me."
"Whoosh!"
Butcher Liu's expression changed, and he suddenly pulled out a packet of poison powder from his pocket and threw it at the Ghost Doctor.
The Ghost Doctor moved swiftly, easily dodging the poison powder. He waved his hand, dispersing the powder in the air, and said coldly, "This little bit of poison is no match for me. Butcher Liu, you really are connected to Wang Mazi's death. You can't escape now."
After saying that, the Ghost Doctor moved and chased after Butcher Liu.
Seeing this, Butcher Liu hurriedly fled the teahouse. He ran wildly along the alley, but the Ghost Doctor remained close behind him. Unable to shake off the Ghost Doctor, Butcher Liu panicked and suddenly jumped into a nearby river.
"Someone jumped into the river!" came a cry of alarm from the riverbank.
When the Ghost Doctor arrived at the riverbank, Liu the Butcher was nowhere to be seen. He looked around and saw a large crowd gathered on the riverbank.
"This man pushed Butcher Liu down!"
"He's a murderer!"
Some accusations arose from the crowd.
The Ghost Doctor ignored those people, lightly touched the lotus leaves on the river surface with his toes, and followed the direction of the river to find Butcher Liu.
However, when he arrived downstream, he still did not see Butcher Liu.
Where did Butcher Liu go?
He had been observing the surrounding situation closely; there was no way he could let Butcher Liu escape!
It seems that Butcher Liu is very likely hiding underwater.
The Ghost Doctor took off his outer garment and leaped into the river. His body moved like a fish, swimming freely in the water, and he soon spotted Butcher Liu struggling in the water.
However, when the Ghost Doctor swam to Butcher Liu's side, he found that Liu had stopped breathing.
How could he have died so suddenly?
Helpless, the Ghost Doctor dragged Liu the Butcher's body ashore. After a careful examination, he found that Liu had the same mark as the previous victim—a black sun pattern!
The Ghost Doctor's heart sank; he knew something was hidden within this.
He raised his head and looked into the distance, determined to find out the secret behind the black sun pattern and seek justice for the innocent dead.
Just then, the sound of horses' hooves and shouts came from afar.
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