Clues from the Victim's Testimony
Fortunately, Cheong-ah woke up quickly. Her clothes were torn to shreds, but her external injuries weren't severe. The moment she sat up, she jumped in surprise. It was inevitable—Wi Sa-hu, the chief steward of the Baekhap Escort Agency, and Nangong Hyeok, the second son of the Nangong family, were staring right at her. Anyone would be startled in such a situation without beating around the bush.
But Cheong-ah, with her naturally affable personality, soon flashed her signature bright smile as she pieced together what was happening. Nangong Hyeok, his face as expressionless as ever, spoke first.
"I want to hear about the incident you suffered this time."
His tone held not a speck of consideration, but Cheong-ah took it in stride. Expecting courtesy from young masters of noble houses was asking too much to begin with. Especially around Wi Sa-hu, Nangong Hyeok came off even more overbearing. The servants of the Eunrin Seo family, including Cheong-ah, knew full well it was because he was conscious of her. Knowing that made his attitude seem oddly endearing—like the fresh awkwardness of a young man trying to show off in front of the woman he loved.
Other people's love lives always seemed more entertaining from the sidelines.
"Cheong-ah, if it's too much right now, you don't have to say anything. Rest up, recover your strength... and speak whenever you're ready."
Wi Sa-hu spoke in a voice brimming with warmth. It was a stark contrast to Nangong Hyeok's demeanor, befitting someone favored by the bureau lord—a woman of solid character.
Cheong-ah shook her head and replied.
"If I stay silent, there might be more victims. My memories are fuzzy, but I'll tell you everything I remember."
Wi Sa-hu nodded with a faint smile, pleased both at getting the statement so promptly and at seeing Cheong-ah in decent shape.
Cheong-ah clutched her chest with one hand and slowly dredged up her memories. They were murky as muddy water at first, but focusing sharpened them, scenes blooming vividly in her mind like fresh sprouts. An intuition flashed through her head as the images cleared. Her delicate face twisted in a frown.
"Don't push yourself too hard. Your recovery comes first right now."
Wi Sa-hu gently took Cheong-ah's hand. In that moment, Cheong-ah melted into her embrace, visibly moved. Wi Sa-hu patted her back soothingly. Nangong Hyeok watched the two women with a bored expression. It was touching, sure, but his interest lay solely in Cheong-ah's account. He almost interjected, then thought better of it seeing Wi Sa-hu.
"I'm fine. Let me think."
With that, Cheong-ah focused again. Honestly, it wasn't an entirely horrific memory. At first, it had been filthy and agonizing, but later... she'd felt so good that nothing else mattered.
"I was sent on an errand by the head chef to buy vegetables, so I left the family compound. The shortest way to old man Gu's street vendor in the tavern district is past the fabric shop, and I always take that route. This morning was no different—I was passing the fabric shop when..."
Nangong Hyeok and Wi Sa-hu perked up their ears, hanging on her every word. Cheong-ah glanced back and forth between the two, who had suddenly leaned in close, feeling a bit overwhelmed. Unlike their earlier contrasting reactions, they matched perfectly now. Seeing this side of them, the pair seemed surprisingly well-suited—like ice bath and hot bath.
The silence didn't last. Cheong-ah continued.
"Someone asked for directions. To the Chrysanthemum Battlefield. To get there from there, you go through the alley between the fabric shop and the inn toward the Red Pavilion, right? I told him that, but then he asked which way from the alley. So I stepped into it to show him personally, and that's when..."
Wi Sa-hu instantly sensed that the man asking directions was one of the Twin Black Lust Demons behind the crime. Nangong Hyeok thought the same. He cut in with a question.
"Was the man wearing a mask, by any chance?"
"Ah, no. I don't think so."
It was a vague answer. But in a case with almost no leads, it was crucial testimony. Wi Sa-hu and Nangong Hyeok exchanged glances. They both pictured the same scenario.
The Twin Black Lust Demons were a duo of rapists. Their method was probably this: one lures the victim into the alley, then assaults her somewhere secluded. Childishly simple and crude—far from meticulous, more like a spur-of-the-moment ploy.
"What did he look like?"
"Well... he was taller than me. I had to look up, and there was about a head's difference."
"Hmm. Not particularly tall for a man, then."
Wi Sa-hu gauged the suspect's height from Cheong-ah's. Average—not too tall, not short. Hard to narrow down by height alone. Nangong Hyeok nodded in agreement.
Cheong-ah pressed on.
"His face... it's hard to pin down. His eyes, his features—everything seemed average overall. But I'm not sure. Honestly, I don't remember well. I only saw it briefly and didn't pay much attention."
Wi Sa-hu nodded. Human attention spans were shallower than people thought. Forgetting a passerby's face was natural. And after such trauma, incomplete recall was expected.
The info from Cheong-ah's testimony was extremely limited.
"An utterly ordinary face..."
Nangong Hyeok mulled over the potential clue. Useless for solving the case, probably, but better than nothing.
"Why wouldn't they use something to hide their identity if they had it?"
"To put her at ease and lure her in. That suggests their martial arts aren't top-tier. Any martial artist could subdue a lone woman without harming her."
"Or maybe the assault was spontaneous, right there on the spot. They saw her and decided then."
"Hm. Possible. The method doesn't scream careful planning, after all."
That was the extent of their deductions.
"Anything else unusual?"
At Wi Sa-hu's question, Cheong-ah closed her eyes and revisited her memories. They grew clearer. She recalled a masked figure pinning her down. A strange voice echoed in her mind—indistinct age, gender, even features. One mask assaulting her, another watching from the side.
"Th-there were two of them. One assaulting me... and another beside him."
"Witness Kang Sun saw two fleeing the scene as well. Young master Hyeok, it's definitely the Twin Black Lust Demons."
"Indeed. But beyond that, we know nothing."
Nangong Hyeok looked disappointed. But Cheong-ah's next words changed his expression.
"Ah! Come to think of it, one of the masked men called the other 'Peng-ga'!"
"Peng? You mean from the Peng clan...?"
"I think so! And the other was called 'Gong hyung'!"
Wi Sa-hu quickly pieced it together. Two lust demons, likely disciples of the Heavenly Tower Lust Demon: senior brother Gong clan, junior Peng clan. The Hebei Peng family was famous, but plenty of Pengs in the Central Plains could bridge Lake Dongting. Too early to assume.
"Ah! And one more thing! The one called Peng-ga said, 'What about the Nangong family side?'"
Nangong Hyeok's face rippled with subtle waves at those words.
*-*-*
Clue one: The Twin Black Lust Demons are men surnamed Gong and Peng. Pure speculation—no certainties. They could be aliases to muddy the investigation. Still, a vital lead at this stage.
Clue two: Their next target is the Nangong family. Speculation again. Hard to pinpoint from Cheong-ah's words alone. 'What about the Nangong side?'—without full context, it's guesswork. But given these vile demons' patterns, the Nangong family as next mark felt plausible. Perhaps even Nangong Biyeon, the family head's daughter.
Two clues from Cheong-ah's testimony. The fog was lifting slightly from the baffling case. Though leads to narrow suspects remained scant.
Wi Sa-hu and Nangong Hyeok sat in the Eunrin Seo family's octagonal pavilion, racking their brains over the clues. Nangong Hyeok was deep in thought; Wi Sa-hu eyed him uncomfortably. She broached the subject indirectly.
"Shouldn't we... inform the family?"
"About what?"
"The Twin Black Lust Demons' next target. It might be the Nangong family."
Nangong Hyeok let out a hearty laugh.
"If the mighty Nangong family lets trash like those lust demons cross our threshold, we'd deserve to be wiped out beyond sealing the gates. If they dare aim for our inner chambers, it'll make solving this a breeze."
His words brimmed with unwavering faith in his family—and they weren't empty bravado. The Nangong family, eldest of the Five Great Clans, wielded influence over all of Anhui Province. No mere lust demons could unsettle them.
"Besides, we can't burden the patriarch with unconfirmed intel."
"True... but..."
Wi Sa-hu felt like they were missing something. What was it? Her mind itched. If only the bureau lord could help, she'd spot it.