Not long after, the coroner, Wang, arrived to examine the body.
Though he had seen countless corpses in his lifetime, even he instinctively stepped back two paces, visibly disturbed by the twisted, broken limbs of the victim.
Since the face was completely unrecognizable, determining the identity of the deceased was impossible.
For now, they could only estimate the victim was male based on body size and features.
During the external examination, Coroner Wang noted that the deceased had six toes on his right foot.
All relevant details were meticulously recorded.
Meanwhile, Old Madam Zhang was providing information about Madam Xu and her daughter.
Hu, the head constable, was a burly man with a broad chest, thick beard, and a scarred eyebrow, his presence intimidating.
“You said Madam Xu and her daughter have been missing for several days. Do you recall exactly how long?”
Old Madam Zhang, still shaken from the ordeal, struggled to remember.
“I… I can’t recall clearly… I think it was the morning of the twenty-fifth… the last time I saw them.”
Constable Hu pressed further: “July twenty-fifth?”
Old Madam Zhang nodded slowly, mumbling to herself, “Yes… I remember now… The night before, I heard a lot of commotion next door. The next morning, I specifically went over to check.”
Constable Hu: “Was Madam Xu home at the time?”
Old Madam Zhang nodded again.
“Yes, she was. She told me that Chen Jiao had been bitten by a rat and that they were up all night dealing with it.”
Hearing this, Constable Hu’s expression darkened.
Old Madam Zhang’s memories became clearer, and she continued: “Of course, I didn’t believe her.”
Madam Huang, now somewhat recovered, couldn’t help but interject, “Why? What’s suspicious about that?”
Old Madam Zhang snorted with disdain, her face filled with contempt.
“Madam Xu used to be a prostitute, and both mother and daughter worked at Baitang. I told my husband that the noise that night was probably just their usual business.”
Madam Huang hesitated for a moment—that explanation did seem plausible.
Realizing that the events of that night were highly suspicious, Constable Hu repeatedly questioned Old Madam Zhang, ensuring no details were overlooked.
She answered everything to the best of her ability.
Now that a corpse had been discovered in the house that Madam Xu and her daughter had rented, and with both of them missing, there was no doubt—
They were the prime suspects in the murder case.
The constables began questioning the surrounding residents, as well as the employees at Baitang where the mother and daughter had worked.
Later that evening, the coroner’s report was released:
The deceased was male, approximately forty years old.
He had six toes on his right foot.
Cause of death: Blunt force trauma to the head.
The skull had fragments of wood embedded in it, indicating the weapon was wooden.
His limbs were broken postmortem.
The estimated time of death closely matched the night Madam Xu claimed her daughter was “chasing rats.”
The brutality of the murder shocked the entire city of Shenyang.
News of the crime spread like wildfire, and soon, the entire town was buzzing with rumors.
Wanted posters featuring Madam Xu and her daughter were plastered all over town.
The notices included their portraits, ages, and other identifying details.
At Baitang, the brothel madam was in disbelief—she couldn’t fathom that the mother and daughter were capable of murder.
However, the account records showed that Chen Jiao had withdrawn her wages on July 25.
Coupled with Old Madam Zhang’s testimony, the constables concluded that the mother and daughter had fled out of guilt.
The search operation was launched in full force, with Constable Hu and his team carrying the wanted posters as they pursued their trail.
After following leads provided by local residents, the authorities tracked them to the docks.
Merchant ships to and from Aizi Port docked there daily.
Upon conducting extensive inquiries, they confirmed that the two had fled from Shenyang and were now in Aizi Port.
When Magistrate Zhou learned of their escape, he was furious.
This case was gruesome, the murder method exceptionally brutal.
The identity of the deceased had now been confirmed—it was Scar Liu.
To make matters worse, Scar Liu was a distant relative of Magistrate Zhou’s wife.
Her family had offered bribes, demanding justice.
Determined to see them brought to justice, Magistrate Zhou issued an urgent plea to the Governor’s Office, requesting reinforcements to capture the fugitives.
The arrest warrant was sent via official post to the Guangyang Governor’s Office, which then reported it to the Provincial Prefect.
Like a massive net being cast, all they had to do now was wait for the mother and daughter to fall into their trap.
At this point, Madam Xu and Chen Jiao had reached Dongyang County—still within Guangyang Prefecture.
Escaping this province was nearly impossible.
The Tongzhou region was vast, comprising seven prefectures and forty-six counties.
With no money to afford a boat or horse, they had no choice but to travel on foot.
A woman’s endurance was limited, and having never traveled long distances before, their progress was painfully slow.
They mostly walked, only occasionally catching a ride on an ox cart.
Despite saving as much as possible, their remaining money dwindled to just a few dozen copper coins.
Blisters formed on their feet.
Chen Jiao sat by the roadside, exhausted.
She had bound her chest, dressed in a boy’s tunic, tied her hair in a child’s topknot, and applied makeup—disguising herself as a thirteen or fourteen-year-old boy.
Meanwhile, Madam Xu aged herself deliberately, transforming them from mother and daughter to grandmother and grandson.
Their food supply was running low.
They shared a single cold, rock-hard flatbread, breaking it in half.
The stale bread was so dry and tough that swallowing it felt like stretching one’s neck two miles just to get it down.
Chen Jiao chewed slowly, her lifeless eyes gazing at the distant mountains.
After finally swallowing the last bite, she wiped her hands on her clothes and began popping the blisters on her feet.
The pain slowed her down, making her limp as she walked.
Seeing her daughter suffering, Madam Xu’s heart ached.
When they encountered an old man leading a water buffalo back to his village, she begged him for a ride, allowing them to rest for a short while.
For the next few days, the mother and daughter continued their grueling journey on foot.
They had believed that they could slip away unnoticed—
But fate had other plans.
Though Tongzhou was relatively peaceful, bandits and thieves were still a danger.
To avoid trouble, they stuck to main roads, steering clear of isolated paths.
Along the way, they stopped at a farmer’s house to rest and resupply.
Several travelers were also taking a break in the courtyard, dressed like merchants.
News of the Shenyang murder had already spread far and wide.
The merchants, chatting idly with the farmer, began discussing the case.
“Have you heard? That mother and daughter who committed murder—they say they’ve fled the province!”
Upon hearing this, Madam Xu nearly fainted from fear.
Luckily, Chen Jiao remained calm and discreetly tugged at Madam Xu’s sleeve, steadying her before she could react rashly.
The old farmer, clearly intrigued, asked, “How could mere women and children possibly kill a grown man?”
A fat, yellow-robed merchant with a greasy face and curled mustache twirled his whiskers and replied eagerly:
“Ah, old man, you don’t know the full story! That mother and daughter were prostitutes—perhaps a customer refused to pay, and that’s why they killed him.”
The farmer looked skeptical, half-believing, half-doubting.
Another merchant in a blue robe, who looked refined on the surface but spoke with a sly and oily tone, interjected with a smirk:
“A man in the throes of pleasure would never see the knife coming.”
The group of men burst into raucous laughter, their chuckles vulgar and grating, making the air feel thick with filth.
Madam Xu, hidden behind her aged disguise, felt her chest tighten with rage.
Unable to hold back, she deliberately asked,
“Where did you hear such a tale, sir?”
Her raspy voice immediately drew attention.
She hunched over, her clothes ragged, her weathered face full of hardship.
The years had already aged her, and with her haggard appearance, she looked far older than her actual age.
Beside her, the thin and sickly-looking ‘young boy’ (Chen Jiao in disguise) seemed so frail that no one connected them to the fugitives being discussed.
“It’s no baseless rumor!” one man said.
“All of Tongzhou is hunting for them.”
Madam Xu’s heart nearly leapt out of her chest, but she dared not speak further.
The blue-robed merchant continued, stroking his beard thoughtfully:
“I even saw the wanted posters myself—one of them is named Xu Huilan, and the other… Chen something, wasn’t it?”
“Chen Jiao!” someone else piped up.
“Yes, yes, that’s it! I saw the notice at the city gates of Rouping County.”
Several men chimed in, discussing the details of the warrant with great enthusiasm.
Though the full-scale manhunt hadn’t yet begun, the news had already spread.
Madam Xu’s palms grew clammy with sweat.
Her heart pounded in terror.
Trying to act natural, she clasped her hands together and muttered hurriedly,
“Oh heavens, how terrible! Such ruthless women should never have been allowed to roam free!”
The blue-robed man chuckled darkly, shaking his head.
“Old woman, you needn’t worry so much. If they’re a danger to anyone, it’s us men—after all, they were whores.”
The group erupted into another round of laughter, the sound obnoxious and lewd.
Chen Jiao remained expressionless, her cold eyes locked on the men.
For a brief moment, she wanted nothing more than to strangle them all.
Instead, she calmly assessed the situation.
The main roads were no longer safe.
If the entire Tongzhou region was issuing arrest warrants, it meant they could no longer enter any towns.
They couldn’t take the main roads, nor could they escape by river.
When the merchants finally left, mother and daughter waited a while before following at a distance.
The traders had carts and mules to carry their goods, so their pace was much faster.
Before long, the mother and daughter fell far behind.
Madam Xu, still shaken, muttered, “Child, we may never make it out of Tongzhou alive.”
Chen Jiao, mentally unshaken, calmly analyzed their options.
“If we can’t escape, then we’ll hide. We’ll wait until the worst passes before we move again.”
Madam Xu looked at her daughter hesitantly, as if wanting to say something.
Chen Jiao patiently reassured her, “Mother, staying alive comes first. Only if we survive will we have the chance to find my father.”
At this, Madam Xu lowered her head in defeat.
Chen Jiao, unwilling to completely shatter her mother’s last shred of hope, softened her tone and continued to comfort her.
After carefully weighing the risks, they knew they couldn’t gamble on luck.
Even if the warrant wasn’t fully enforced yet, they couldn’t risk exposure.
They decided to abandon the main roads and flee into the mountains.
With only twenty-one copper coins left, walking alone wouldn’t get them out of Tongzhou.
They had no other choice.
Just when they thought they could disappear into the wilderness—
Fate played another cruel hand.
They stumbled upon a village—but it was too quiet.
Something was wrong.
Smoke rose in the distance, the stench of blood thick in the air.
Then they saw it—
A massacre.
A band of Hu raiders had pillaged the entire village, leaving behind nothing but charred corpses and smoldering ruins.
The gut-wrenching smell of death filled the air.
A leaking roof is bound to meet a night of endless rain.
No matter how strong Chen Jiao’s willpower was—
At this moment, she couldn’t help but feel a fury deep enough to shake the heavens.
But little did she know—
This was just the turning point.
The wheels of fate had already begun to turn.
And soon—
Her rise to power would begin.