The young man with the bizarre habit was Ning Tao. This was the fifth shop he had visited on his sniffing trip.

“Sir, if you like to sniff them, you can buy them and sniff all you like at home,” the salesgirl said. If it weren't for Ning Tao's attractive good looks, she would have rolled her eyes at him.

“It's not this odor… ” Ning Tao's expression was full of disappointment.

“What do you mean, not this odor?” the salesgirl asked.

Ning Tao regathered his thoughts and returned the sandalwood beads to the salesgirl. He smiled. “Nothing. Thanks.”

“What kind of beads do you really want?”

Ning Tao thought for a while and asked tentatively, “Well, do you have any rings made of wood?”

The salesgirl said, “Who would wear a wooden ring? We have never sold wooden rings. Unless you make them yourself, and most wood will not do, you need petrified wood.”

“Petrified wood?” It was the first time Ning Tao had heard of such a species. He asked curiously, “What's petrified wood?”

The salesgirl answered, “Petrified wood is wood buried long ago underground. After an extensive period, it fossilized into petrified wood. It is firm and looks just like jade. You can only find it in Burma.”

Ning Tao's heart suddenly quivered. He asked hurriedly, “Where can you buy such petrified wood?”

The salesgirl looked at Ning Tao with an odd expression in her eyes. “You sure you aren't just sniffing it?”

Ning Tao grinned, revealing his teeth. “I like the smell of wood. So I will sniff them every time I buy beads. Do you have any petrified wood here? If you have, bring it out. I will surely buy one.”

“The wood is heavy. It's stored in the storeroom. Follow me, and I will take you there,” the salesgirl said.

“Okay. Thank you.” Ning Tao followed the salesgirl through a narrow corridor and finally came to a storeroom.

The moment they entered, Ning Tao revived the sense of smell in his nose. Heavy odors of wood and jade gushed into his nostrils.

The salesgirl went to the corner of the storeroom and said, “Don't touch anything, or my boss will scold me.”

“Don't worry, I won't touch anything,” Ning Tao said. Suddenly, the whiff of a familiar odor entered his nostrils.

This was it! He had smelled this odor on Zhou Ying's dead body!

The salesgirl walked to the corner of the room and pulled back a black cloth, instantly revealing a reddish petrified wood. It looked like the trunk of a tree and was several dozen centimeters thick. It was more than a meter long and appeared to weigh over fifty kilograms. Its color was bright, an a.s.sortment of emerald, red and white. The primary color was emerald. If one focused on the greenish parts, it indeed resembled emerald stone.

In fact, when she pulled the black fabric aside, more odor molecules started to stream into Ning Tao's nostrils. He was certain now. The wood-like smell he had captured from Zhou Ying's body was of petrified wood. The killer must be wearing a ring made out of petrified wood on his finger.

“This is it.” The salesgirl stopped by the side of the petrified wood.

Ning Tao asked, “Is this wood only found in Burma?”

A tinge of amus.e.m.e.nt appeared on the corner of the salesgirl's lips. “Yes, it's only found in Burma. Are you sniffing it or buying it?”

Ning Tao: “… ”

Before leaving the fas.h.i.+on accessories shop, Ning Tao fulfilled his promise. He bought a beaded bracelet made of African padauk for 100 yuan. He thought that it would cost at most 30 yuan, but given the fact he had reaped something out of the trip, it was an insignificant price to pay.

After coming out of the accessories shop, Ning Tao gave Bai Jing a call. “Sister Bai, how are things over at your side?”

At the other end of the mobile line came Bai Jing's voice. “I visited three drone clubs and a drone performing company. They all said that no drone could take a man up into the air. There are some drones that can carry parcels, but they can only carry a load of a few kilograms.”

Ning Tao was silent for a moment before saying, “So we can rule out the possibility that the killer dumped the corpse using a drone. You and Qing Zhui can go back first. I will soon be back.”

From the phone came Qing Zhui's voice. “Brother Ning, what would you like for supper? I will prepare it for you at home.”

Ning Tao felt a warmth surge up his heart. Yet he said, “Don't bother. There's not even a stove at your place.”

“Can't I prop the pot up with a stone?” Qing Zhui's voice was cloying and melodious.

“Then let's have some porridge,” Ning Tao said. She wanted to prepare a meal for him. If he said he would eat outside, he would be slighting her.

“Okay. Then I will go home now and cook.” Qing Zhui's voice was full of blessed joy.

From the other end of the line came Bai Jing's voice. “You silly girl, don't indulge him. You will only spoil the man… ”

Ning Tao gave a wry smile and put down the phone. Then he rode G.o.d's Will and went back. He had initially intended to return to “Little Mistress,” but changed his mind midway along the journey. Instead, he stopped by Shan City Medical University.

He could not leave Zhou Ying's case alone. Her young, pretty face would keep surfacing in his mind. If he did not solve her case, how could he, the go-between of good and evil, have the face to stride the world?

After entering the campus gate, Ning Tao slowed down and arrived at a lane. There was a garbage truck parked there. A middle-aged man was watching the alley from the entrance. He seemed to be wanting to clear the garbage, but the police's barricade tape still isolated the area. The entry was forbidden.

Ning Tao stopped by the garbage truck. After parking his vehicle, he came to the middle-aged man's side and stared instinctively at his hand. There was no ring on his fingers, and his palm was extremely coa.r.s.e.

The middle-aged man glanced at Ning Tao and asked, “Brother, why is this place barricaded?”

Ning Tao answered, “They found a dead body here. That's why the police barricaded this place.”

“Oh, I see. It looks like I can't clear all this garbage today.” The middle-aged man mumbled to himself. Then he turned and headed for the garbage truck parked by the side of the lane.

Ning Tao watched his orange overalls and suddenly seemed to recall something. “Brother, please wait for a while.”

The middle-aged man halted his steps and glanced at Ning Tao. “What's up?”

Ning Tao came to the middle-aged man's side. “I'm in the city for a job. Do you guys need workers?”

“Yes. Our company recruits sanitation workers the whole year long, as well as garbage truck drivers. But you're so young. Are you sure you can take hard work?” The middle-aged man was sizing Ning Tao up, the expression in his eyes somewhat unconvinced.

Ning Tao said, “I came from the hills. I have the strength and can take hard work.”

The middle-aged man answered, “Your skin's so fair and delicate. Are you sure you have the strength? Sanitary work is laborious.”

Ning Tao gave a sigh. “Brother, do me this favor. I came to the city because my mother-in-law thinks I'm a good-for-nothing. She keeps telling tales to my wife. So I might as well come out and look for a job. That way, her slander won't bother me.” Gloom appeared on his face. “If I can't find a job, my sn.o.bbish mother-in-law might instigate my wife to divorce me. Brother, if you do me this favor, I will treat you to beer the next time.”

The mood of the middle-aged man suddenly changed. “d.a.m.n, my mother-in-law's a sn.o.b too. Each time they meet, she will tell my wife that this neighbour's bringing home nutritional products, and that neighbor has been promoted and got himself a raise. So his entire family can visit Thailand for a vacation. I get mad each time I hear it.”

Ning Tao sighed again. “Brother, it looks like we're in the same boat.”

The middle-aged man stretched out his hand and patted Ning Tao's shoulder. “Brother, my name's s.h.i.+ Run. Take my mobile number. Tomorrow, come to my office and give me a ring. I will bring you to your interview. One word from me and you'll have the job.”

s.h.i.+ Run's body was full of garbage odor.

Ning Tao wrote down s.h.i.+ Run's mobile number and asked for the company address. They chatted leisurely for a while before he asked, “Brother, how often is this truck out on the road?”

s.h.i.+ Run answered, “Normally, twice. Once in the evening, once at four or five in the morning. We work on public holidays. Our job means that we get up earlier than a rooster and go to bed later than a dog. It's all hard work. What, are you beating a retreat?”

Ning Tao answered, “No. I will definitely be there tomorrow.” He paused and asked again, “By the way, Brother s.h.i.+, who was tending to the garbage here last night?”

“I don't know. There are many garbage drivers out on this route. I'll have to check when I get back. What's the interest?” s.h.i.+ Run stared at Ning Tao with curious eyes.

Ning Tao said, “Nothing, just asking, to learn more about the route. Next time, I may need to drive a garbage truck.”

“Do you have a driver's license?”

Ning Tao shook his head. “No. But I can learn. I'm sure I can get one.”

s.h.i.+ Run laughed. “Wait till you get yourself one. Okay, I need to hit the road.”

Ning Tao said, “Brother s.h.i.+, I'll look for you there tomorrow.”

“Sure. Give me a call tomorrow when you're there.” s.h.i.+ Run went up the garbage truck and drove away.

Ning Tao stared at the rapidly leaving garbage truck, and a cold smile hovered on his lips. s.h.i.+ Run was not the killer. He now knew how he could find the killer.

Ning Tao returned to his electric motorbike G.o.d's Will. He was preparing to get on it when two students supporting an old auntie, walked toward him.

“Auntie, I think it best for you not to go. That place's really filthy,” the female student said.

“No, no… I need to take a look… ” The old auntie was tottering. She kept mumbling as she walked. “Girl, Mom's here, Mom's here… ”

Ning Tao could already guess the ident.i.ty of the old auntie. He watched her greying temples and her stooped back. His heart seemed to be p.r.i.c.ked by needles, aching faintly.

The three pa.s.sed him by. Not one of them glanced at Ning Tao.

The male student supporting the old auntie said, “Auntie, do restrain your grief. You can't resurrect the dead. You must take good care of yourself. Zhou Ying wouldn't like to see you this way too.”

The old auntie seemed not to have heard him. She kept mumbling, “Girl, Mom's here, Mom's here… ”

The most painful thing in this world is for the old to send off the young at a funeral. What consoling words can bring this old auntie out of her grief over her daughter's death?

Even Ning Tao was powerless.

But he could give her justice.