"Have you heard of the Azure Dragon Society?" Yue Dingtang asked.

Ling Shu was momentarily puzzled by Yue Dingtang's question.

"The Azure Dragon Society you're talking about, does it have any relation to the Japanese Black Dragon Society?" Ling Shu asked.

Yue Dingtang replied, "Not at all. The only connection might be the word 'dragon'."

Ling Shu chuckled, "I've never heard of it. Please continue."

Yue Dingtang explained, "It is rumored that the Yiguan Dao Sect has seven main branches, located in Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Nanjing, and other places, named after the Four Spirits and Three Talents. The one in Shanghai is called the Azure Dragon Society. But whether this Azure Dragon Society has any relation to the Azure Dragon mentioned by Lu Zude and Yang Chunhe, I do not know."

Ling Shu was taken aback.

He never expected Yue Dingtang to bring up the Yiguan Dao Sect.

This was a well-known organization in the present day. With a reputation so great, almost everyone knew of them.

The government labeled them as a cult and regularly sent people to eradicate them, but they always managed to rise from the ashes.

The Yiguan Dao Masters claimed it to be a blend of the gentle teachings of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism, even going so far as to incorporate Jesus Christ into their beliefs. They preached about the end of days and claimed to have the ability to protect people from the impending doom.

During a time when Japan was eyeing China with greed and foreign powers were encroaching, and warlords were causing chaos, even the common citizens in cities like Beijing and Shanghai struggled to find a safe haven.

Those outside of the cities lost their land and were left to wander, living day by day. To make matters worse, the Yellow River and Yangtze River were constantly flooding, while inland areas suffered from drought.

Once upon a time, starting from the year before last, natural disasters and epidemics have been rampant in most parts of China. Two years ago, there was a plague in Guangdong and Fujian, cholera in Zhejiang and Shandong, and smallpox in Hubei and Tianjin. Last year, there was malaria in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River due to floods, and the death toll from these epidemics ranged from several thousand to tens of thousands, or even more. It happens every year.

Even families with some savings have to spend all their money to treat the sick. For those who are already poor, there is no medicine available, and they can only despair and wait for death.

When Ling Shu received his reward from He Yao'an, part of it was used to help the poor people in the suburbs who were infected with typhoid fever during the outbreak last year, but it was only a drop in the bucket.

Feeling trapped, the Yiguan Dao Sect constantly preached about the elusive concept of eternal life. As their audience grew, so did their influence. It was rumored that even high-ranking officials had become followers of the Yiguan Dao Sect.

Suddenly, Ling Shu slapped his forehead.

"Your words remind me of a case I worked on back when I was at the police station in Jiangwan District. We caught a human trafficker who had connections to the Yiguan Dao Sect. He had even been involved in some murders. The trafficker claimed to be just a small-time member of the Yiguan Dao Sect, and that the real big shots were like mythical dragons, impossible to find."

Yue Dingtang nodded, "The tricks that the Yiguan Dao rely on to survive are varied. Gambling dens and brothels are just the tip of the iceberg. Trafficking in human beings is also one of their channels. I even suspect that they have some connection with Lu Tongcang and Lu Zude's Chunshan Society."

"But Miss Feng has returned. If she was abducted, this doesn't make sense," Ling Shu interjected.

For now, they couldn't question Feng Zhenzhu, and Yang Chunhe was missing. Only Lu Zude could help them unravel this mystery.

"Let's go to the patrol station!" Yue Dingtang exclaimed.

However, neither Ling Shu nor Yue Dingtang expected that they were one step too late.

Lu Zude was dead.

"It was probably around 8:50 pm. We heard the prisoner in the cell next to Lu Zude's screaming. We wanted to go over and quiet them down, but we saw a pool of blood coming out of Lu Zude's cell."

The patrol officer rushed over and upon inspection, discovered that there was a gash on Lu Zude's neck caused by a broken piece of porcelain. His body was soaked in blood and there was no hope for him to survive.

Lu Zude was a person who was specifically instructed not to die. His death caused chaos in the patrol room, with everyone feeling overwhelmed.

The confusion continued until Ling Shu and his team arrived. The patrol officer who spoke to them had a worried expression, probably anticipating a storm from their superiors.

Ling Shu checked the time and it was 8:50 pm, which meant they had not yet arrived at the Feng family's residence. Who could have predicted that Lu Zude would commit suicide at that time?

"Are you sure it was suicide?"

Yue Dingtang asked. "When we found him, the cell door was locked and he was the only one inside. The murder weapon was lying next to him, covered in blood. Besides suicide, there was no other explanation. What's strange is that we always kept an eye on him to prevent self-harm. Even if he broke something, we would collect all the pieces. But somehow, he managed to hide this piece in his hand without anyone noticing."

Ling Shu and Yue Dingtang exchanged a glance.

"We would like to see the morgue, if possible."

The scene of Lu Zude's death was extremely gruesome. His neck wound was so bloody and mangled that it was almost unbearable to look at. His eyes were half-closed and rolled back, and his unusual appearance made him look even more terrifying.

Ling Shu didn't blink as he circled around the body, carefully examining the wound.

"Do you ever feel like our every move is being watched by an invisible pair of eyes?"

They were looking for Yang Chunhe, but she had disappeared.

Finally, Feng Zhenzhu returned, but they were only allowed a distant glance at her and had no chance to talk.

They wanted to find a breakthrough through Lu Zude, but he was already dead.

Could it be that Feng Zhenzhu would also die in a few days?

Ling Shu quickly shook his head, trying to shake off this terrible thought from his mind.

Yue Dingtang remained silent, his thoughts focused on Lu Zude's death since he was not skilled in performing autopsies.

"There were many people who wanted Lu Zude dead. He knew many people's secrets, and many wanted to extract secrets from him. The fact that he was able to survive until now was a game of tug-of-war."

Implied in his words was the idea that his death may not necessarily be related to Miss Feng's disappearance.

Ling Shu scratched his head, feeling a bit restless.

"This way, the clues are broken again."

"Don't worry, the truth is never hidden for too long. All the effort put in will ultimately be in vain. Evil may not always triumph over good in this world, but darkness cannot occupy the earth forever. It will eventually give way to light."

Yue Dingtang pulled him away, not wanting him to stay too long near the body.

"Feng Zhenzhu cannot avoid us forever. The Feng family may not entertain us, but they cannot ignore Xiao Yue."

"You mean you want Xiao Yue to ask Feng Zhenzhu?" Ling Shu asked.

Yue Dingtang nodded. "Women talking to women is always more convenient than us directly asking. Feng Zhenzhu is wary of us, but she will definitely be more relaxed with Xiao Yue."

After tossing and turning for half the night, Ling Shu decided not to go back home and went straight to Yue Dingtang's place to deal with things.

The next day, the two of them went to visit the Feng family, but they didn't see Feng Zhenzhu. Even the young master of the Feng family didn't show up.

The steward of the Feng family said that Miss Feng was now in a bad state of mind and her mental state was extremely poor.

She spoke less to her family than before, let alone seeing guests.

Ling Yue and Yue Dingtang were not surprised. They didn't plan to stay long, so they exchanged a few pleasantries and left.

Yue Dingtang found Xiao Yue and asked her to go to the Feng family more often during this time, and no matter what, to see Feng Zhenzhu once.

In addition to showing concern, the main purpose was to find out what happened during the days she went missing.

Xiao Yue naturally agreed happily.

In the week after this incident, everything was calm.

Xiao Yue went to the Feng family three times and finally saw Feng Zhenzhu on the third visit.

Together with Feng Zhenzhu was the Fifth Young Master Wu.

The three of them had afternoon tea together.

"Zhenzhu, did you not sleep well last night?" Xiao Yue reached out to pull her, but as soon as her fingers touched the other person, Feng Zhenzhu suddenly recoiled in shock, surprising Xiao Yue.

This was a small gesture they used to do between the two of them, nothing out of the ordinary. Feng Zhenzhu also liked to reach under Xiao Yue's armpits to tickle her.

But now, she became very resistant to being touched.

"Don't mind her, she may have been frightened outside," the Fifth Young Master Wu explained from the side.

"It's okay," Xiao Yue became more worried. Although she was entrusted by Yue Dingtang, she also genuinely cared for her friend. "Zhenzhu, we are all very worried about you. Where have you been these past few days? Did you meet bad people or get trapped somewhere? Can you tell me?"

Feng Zhenzhu seemed to be lost in thought, gazing at the dew on the roses outside the window. Her eyes were fixed and unblinking, as if time had stood still.

Xiao Yue called out to her several times before she snapped out of her trance.

Slowly, she turned her eyes, but instead of looking at Xiao Yue, they stopped at the white porcelain cup in front of her.

"What did you say just now?"

Xiao Yue felt helpless and didn't want to push the matter any further.

"I said, now that you're safe, you should come back and rest. Don't think about those dangerous and scary things anymore. We'll all be here for you."

Naturally, she wanted to hold her friend's hand, hoping to give her warmth and encouragement.

But once again, Feng Zhenzhu avoided her, as if there was a virus on Xiao Yue's body. Xiao Yue felt a bit awkward, but couldn't help wondering what had happened to Feng Zhenzhu in the past few days.

She had completely changed, frightened and shaken. A young and beautiful girl facing all possible situations in a dangerous situation, Xiao Yue could almost guess, but didn't want to think too much about it.

At this moment, she knew she couldn't ask anything more, even if she did, Feng Zhenzhu wouldn't answer.

"Don't be afraid," the Fifth Young Master Wu reached out and hugged Feng Zhenzhu.

The latter shook like a spring for a moment, visibly stiffening all over, but ultimately didn't break free.

Does this mean that her trust in the Fifth Young Master Wu is far greater than in herself?

Xiao Yue couldn't help feeling jealous, considering her longstanding friendship with Feng Zhenzhu.

"Miss Xiao, why don't you stay for dinner tonight? You can also spend more time talking to Zhenzhu," the Fifth Young Master Wu invited.

"I should go," said Xiao Yue as she stood up to take her leave. "Zhenzhu needs you the most right now, so please stay with her. But with this happening, what about your wedding date?"

The Fifth Young Master Wu replied firmly, "The wedding date remains unchanged. No matter what happens to Zhenzhu or how she changes, she will always be my Zhenzhu."

Xiao Yue nodded in agreement, grateful that her friend had survived such a close call.

...

"That's about it," Xiao Yue described to Ling Yue and his partner in the office of the local police station.

"I'm sorry I couldn't get the answers you wanted, but in that situation, I couldn't ask any further questions. Perhaps Zhenzhu will recover slowly over time, and I can inquire again then."

"It's okay, you've done a great job," Yue Dingtang nodded in approval.

Xiao Yue sighed and said, "Thank goodness she had the Fifth Young Master Wu by her side, otherwise I don't know what we would have done."

These words were still fresh in their minds when two days later, Yue Dingtang stumbled upon a strange incident.