This sounds rather absurd.
After all, how could a mysterious thief who can roam thousands of houses at night be a cripple with limited mobility?
However, Zhao Ya didn’t find it entirely impossible.
In fact, people with such physical disabilities often have more obsessive minds.
The inconvenience in the legs could precisely be the reason someone would intensely practice Lightweight Skill, reaching heights that ordinary people cannot.
At this moment, Zhao Ya finally somewhat understood why no one had caught the Jade Butterfly in three years.
Because people probably never considered that the Jade Butterfly could be a disabled person.
"Any discoveries?" Miao Shaocheng asked with concern.
Zhao Ya stood up and pointed to the window.
"I can only tell that the Jade Butterfly came in through this window. As for other clues, I haven’t discovered any yet."
Zhao Ya didn’t mention that the Jade Butterfly might be a cripple.
It’s not that he wanted to keep it a secret, but rather that such matters should be known by as few people as possible until they are proven.
Miao Shaocheng and Xu De rushed to the window upon hearing this, and after carefully inspecting it, both of their expressions turned a bit grim.
Because they too realized the cleverness of this method.
Yet the more it was like this, the harder it proved it would be to catch the Jade Butterfly.
Before the authorities arrived, Zhao Ya checked the bodies of Aunt Xue and the others once more.
Afterward, Shi Qingqing tearfully dressed Aunt Xue.
After all, for a woman, dying nude was truly undignified.
Once everything was done, the government officials finally arrived belatedly.
After recording the scene, coroners collected the bodies of Aunt Xue and the others, taking them back to the Government Office for further processing.
In theory, Zhao Ya and the others should have gone to the Government Office to give a statement.
But Shen Dao, Zhao Ya, and the other two were disciples of Lu Dingtai, and Shi Qingqing was the courtesan of Drunken Flower House.
Such identities required even the Government Office to handle them cautiously.
Thus, they only politely asked a few questions on the scene before letting it be.
After the questioning, Chief Constable Du Hu exchanged a few casual words with the others and was about to leave.
At that moment, Zhao Ya suddenly called out to him.
"Chief Du, please wait."
Du Hu stopped his steps, looking surprised at Zhao Ya.
After the questioning earlier, he already knew that this young man who appeared so youthful was Lu Dingtai’s newly accepted inner disciple.
And Lu Dingtai was a renowned top Martial Artist in the entire Commandery, someone even the Lord Governor respected; therefore, he treated Zhao Ya with great politeness.
"What else does Young Hero Zhao have to say?"
"Could I take another look at the Jade Butterfly that was left behind?"
After the authorities arrived, Shen Dao had handed over the Jade Butterfly, and now it was in Du Hu’s possession.
Du Hu wasn’t sure what Zhao Ya wanted, but he didn’t refuse, taking out the Jade Butterfly from his pocket.
"Young Hero, please have a look!"
Zhao Ya took it and examined it intently.
The others, seeing this, couldn’t help but feel puzzled.
But Du Hu seemed to guess something and couldn’t help but sigh.
"This Young Hero Zhao must be trying to trace the thief’s whereabouts starting with this Jade Butterfly. Honestly, we’ve already tried this method."
"But the jade used for this Jade Butterfly is quite ordinary, sourced from the nearby mountains, and a large piece can be bought for just a few taels of silver in the market. The carving is also mediocre, with no distinct features, so tracing it is incredibly difficult."
Zhao Ya didn’t respond, flipping it over and over a few more times before handing it back to Du Hu.
"Did you find anything?" Miao Shaocheng asked.
Zhao Ya shook his head.
Miao Shaocheng looked disappointed.
Du Hu had anticipated this, and inwardly chuckled.
He had seen many youths like Zhao Ya, who after learning some skills from a good master believed there was nothing in the world that could stump them.
If the Jade Butterfly were so easy to catch, why would the authorities offer such a high reward?
Despite silently mocking, Du Hu showed no indication of it outwardly, instead, he offered a few words of feigned comfort, then left.
Once he was gone, the others also left Aunt Xue’s house.
By this time, the surrounding neighbors had already been alerted.
After all, with so many Arresting Officers arriving, it was hard not to draw attention with such a commotion.
The neighbors stood in the street, pointing at Aunt Xue’s house, whispering about something.
"I heard it was the Jade Butterfly’s doing, and the woman died horribly, with many cuts on her body!"
"Tsk tsk, Aunt Xue was only in her thirties, and I heard she was quite wealthy. To die like that, it’s such a pity."
"If you ask me, she had it coming. This woman used to be a courtesan in a brothel, mixing with disreputable men every day. It was bound to happen eventually."
Expressions of pity, shock, and schadenfreude all mixed together, causing Shi Qingqing, already deep in grief, to feel even more sorrow.
Seeing this, Shen Dao decided to escort her back.
Zhao Ya, Miao Shaocheng, and Xu De walked slowly in the direction of Feixian Inn.
"Damn it, I don’t believe this Jade Butterfly is so skilled that no one can catch him!" Miao Shaocheng grumbled, clearly upset.
Xu De sighed and said, "The key is, up till now no one has seen this Jade Butterfly, or rather, those who have are already dead, and there are no clues whatsoever. How do we find him?"
"So we’re just supposed to let him continue evading capture like this?" Miao Shaocheng asked angrily.
Xu De didn’t argue further, merely sighing lightly, and then he fell silent.