I divided the plan in two and did not mention the issue of the Seven Stars Not Leaning, all for the purpose of understanding the two individuals better. Only after gaining sufficient insight into them could I discern who was the victim and who was The Schemer.
Of course, after dividing the plan, I could also make them use what they said against each other. But there was no rush. I recovered for two days and then met with Brother Pang. Brother Pang mentioned he had a friend who was a scalper and asked if I wanted Olympic tickets. Since the Olympics were in Beijing, I saw no reason not to go. I entrusted this matter entirely to Brother Pang and also asked him to buy tickets for Chang Dachun and Xiao Zian.
Upon hearing this, Brother Pang whispered to me, "Could Boss be getting together with that Xiao Zian?"
"There are only two people in this room, you can speak louder."
"Just tell me, yes or no?"
"We'll wait for the official announcement."
Brother Pang beamed, "Boss has worked very hard raising the children all these years. Having an old partner is a good thing."
I seized the opportunity to ask him, "Do you find anything problematic about Xiao Zian's character?"
"Not at all, why? Is there something wrong with Xiao Zian?"
"I don't know either, just asking casually."
Brother Pang laughed heartily at my expression and said, "Tang Nan, this is called anxiety disorder. Cao Cao suffered from this illness back then, being too suspicious. It will lead to headaches later."
"Then just find me a Hua Tuo."
Brother Pang didn't answer and continued to laugh. It seemed he truly wasn't worried about Xiao Zian's character and instead felt that Xiao Zian and Chang Dachun getting together was the best arrangement from heaven.
...
Xiao Zian came to see me first. Seeing his distressed look, I tentatively asked, "Have you found any clues?"
There was an old resident in Caishikou, surnamed Deng, who was over eighty years old. It was said that his father was the last executioner of the Qing Dynasty. Therefore, Mr. Deng possessed a manual on capital punishment, containing various methods of execution.
Hearing Xiao Zian's explanation, I was bewildered, "What does this have to do with Ke Yingying?"
"Ke Yingying spent 1.2 million yuan to buy this manual on capital punishment from Mr. Deng."
After all, I was Lin Han's husband. Although I didn't understand antiques, I wasn't completely ignorant of cultural relics. For a Qing Dynasty document, if it was related to a certain antique, 1.2 million yuan wasn't really expensive.
"Is there a problem with this?"
"Most ancient capital punishments are now lost, especially Lingchi. Ancient legends speak of 3365 cuts for Lingchi, which is the true Lingchi. But that was from the Five Dynasties period. By the Ming Dynasty, it was 360 cuts, but that's also a record. During the Qing Dynasty, there were only two specifications for Lingchi: sixteen cuts or thirty-two cuts."
I understood Xiao Zian's meaning. Lingchi, also known as "a thousand cuts and ten thousand gashes," was not something just anyone could perform. If the cuts were in the wrong place, death could come swiftly. If one made cuts carelessly, avoiding vital organs, the condemned might not experience the full torment of capital punishment.
I had seen Lu Yao's body. The plan to keep him alive but break his will and obtain the ancient manual on capital punishment was definitely feasible.
"Mrs. Xiao, are you implying that Ke Yingying bought the manual and gave it to Ye Qingcheng?"
"Yes!"
"This is likely your speculation. Did Teacher Ye not tell you about this?"
"No, Sister Ye doesn't tell me everything, especially matters related to Teacher Li Jiu. Sister Ye likes to handle things herself."
I pondered Xiao Zian's words. Now, I had to exacerbate the conflict between Xiao Zian and Ke Yingying to utilize both their abilities and better find their flaws.
"I can understand Ke Yingying helping Ye Qingcheng, but that doesn't prove anything. On the other hand, Mrs. Xiao, Ke Yingying said you killed 'The Pretender'."
Hearing me say this, Xiao Zian smiled calmly, "A stratagem of discord, a common tactic of the psychological manipulation system, and also a tactic Ke Yingying often uses."
"Are you saying she is slandering you?"
"What do you think?" Xiao Zian countered.
I thought for a moment and didn't answer directly, but continued, "A schemer with disguise skills is not common. Ke Yingying's suspicion of 'The Pretender's' motive was to force me to Sichuan, and you have been feigning a bitter strategy. After Teacher Ye's failure, you chose to kill 'The Pretender,' and Ke Yingying calls this silencing a witness."
Xiao Zian surprisingly nodded, "As expected of a schemer from the psychological manipulation system, an excellent plan, killing two birds with one stone. It was my oversight that I fell into Ke Yingying's trap."
I frowned and looked at Xiao Zian, asking earnestly, "Did you really kill 'The Pretender' Zhao Fu?"
"Yes!"
"Why did you kill him?"
"I believed he was the mastermind behind sending you to Sichuan. But judging from the situation at the time, 'The Pretender' didn't seem like a true schemer."
"You killed him because he wasn't a schemer."
"Of course not. I believed he was executing a plan, and this plan was likely Ke Yingying's. As a tool, he was merely following orders. Think about it, if I were there and Yu Xiaoluo was present, I wouldn't have acted."
"Because of Yu Xiaoluo's nose."
"No, it wasn't just about the nose. That was just one of the triggers. Schemers who kill are criminals and inherently fear the police. They dare to kill, but in front of the police, unless it's a special circumstance, they generally wouldn't do it."
"So, you determined that 'The Pretender' was a tool."
"Is that the only reason?"
"There's another. He knew the appearance of my child. If he had escaped, it would have been very troublesome. I didn't want my child to be harmed again. Moreover, I didn't think there was anything wrong with killing a tool. The battle between two schemers is like a game of chess; eliminating an opponent's piece is common."
"How did you kill 'The Pretender' Zhao Fu?"
"Using the method you taught me?"
"Me?"
"Didn't you tell me that if there's a good opportunity to kill, one should take it, and there's no need to follow a plan."
These were not my words, but Teacher Wang Ren's. It seemed this statement led to Xiao Zian's four-element fusion. The extreme theory of games is to simplify complex matters, like facing a wise person, the best approach is to shoot him dead.
In the past, Xiao Zian would certainly have had a plan, and there might even have been a war between factions of disguise. But in reality, none of this happened. Xiao Zian simply caught up to 'The Pretender,' predicted his habit of disguise, hid in the changing room, and with a single fatal blow after Zhao Fu appeared, he left without a trace after the killing.
The murder weapon was random. He wore gloves, and it was a crowded shopping mall. As long as Xiao Zian avoided surveillance, no one could have identified him as the killer.
It was probably a long while after 'The Pretender' died that Yu Xiaoluo found him. After all, Yu Xiaoluo wasn't familiar with 'The Pretender's' routines and didn't know his hiding places, so he could only conduct a carpet search.
This period was enough for Xiao Zian to leave safely and then meet me at the hospital.
...
From this point of view, everything Xiao Zian said made sense. I had only one card left. Ke Yingying had said that Ye Qingcheng had Zhao Fu's contact information. So, I earnestly asked Xiao Zian, "How do you think 'The Pretender' knew about your son?"
"Sister Ye told him, probably."
"Why would Teacher Ye betray you?"
"For Teacher Li Jiu, Sister Ye would betray anyone. Ke Yingying knows this too. To keep me tied down, she had to target my weakness. Therefore, Ke Yingying must have given Zhao Fu's contact information to Sister Ye to ensure you would go to Sichuan."
Undeniably, Xiao Zian's explanation was logical. Ke Yingying had a suspicion of collaborating with Ye Qingcheng.
...
I was silent for a moment before saying, "Do you have any other suspicions about Ke Yingying?"
Xiao Zian thought for a moment and replied, "I have no evidence for this, it's just a reasonable suspicion. Among us, Ke Yingying was the only one who consistently supported Lu Yao. The appearance of Lu Yao, the 'Earth Clod' among the Four K's of 'Zhengqi,' surprised me. Looking at what happened later, I cannot deny Lu Yao's abilities, but at that time, we were unaware of his capabilities. Also, after I received Sister Ye's text message about the 'Southern Faction' not existing, I began to suspect that perhaps Sister Ye had also fallen into Ke Yingying's trap."
"What's the reasoning behind that?"
"Sect Leader, have you ever seen Ke Yingying's traps?"
"No!"
"Ke Yingying's traps are typical psychological labyrinths. He is not only adept at exploiting human weaknesses but also at utilizing human strengths. I suspect Lu Yao revealing the whereabouts of the 'Southern Faction' was to save his own life. But in reality, this non-existent 'Southern Faction' was fabricated by Ke Yingying for Lu Yao."
"Is there any evidence?" I asked.
"Lu Yao is already dead, so where is the evidence? What you need to do now is believe, so you won't fall into Ke Yingying's psychological labyrinth."
"Let me consider it. Think about how to deal with Ke Yingying's psychological labyrinth."
Xiao Zian's ideas alone were not enough. I needed to use the information he provided to understand what Ke Yingying knew. Once I had enough resources, I could discern who was The Schemer and who was the victim.