The Evidence Against the Leading Big Brother

This flow follows the investigation’s competing clues, the false accusation against Duan Zhengchun, and the unresolved identity behind the old letter.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

A Letter in the Forest

The Letter's Shadow An accusation A letter addressed to Wang Jiantong is presented as evidence about Qiao Feng's birth. The name of its writer is withheld, creating the central question behind the conflict. A clue controlled by others The document is handled by people with divided loyalties, and its authorship becomes more important than its contents. Qiao Feng is judged before he can investigate it himself.

The Witnesses Refuse

Silence Under Pressure The Tan couple Qiao Feng corners Granny Tan and Zhao Qiansun, hoping to force the name from them. Both resist, each choosing loyalty and reputation over disclosure. No clean answer The encounter reveals how the secret binds its keepers, but supplies no reliable identification. The witnesses are then mysteriously killed, making their silence permanent.

The Burned Records

Evidence in Ashes A destroyed household The Shan family manor burns with its occupants inside before Xiao Feng can search it. The fire removes the letters Shan Zheng claimed could authenticate the Leading Big Brother's handwriting. The enemy's advantage The destruction turns a potentially verifiable trail into rumor. Xiao Feng sees that someone is erasing evidence faster than he can collect it.

Duan Zhengchun Named

A Suspect Identified The clues A'Zhu links the southwest direction and the Pure Yang Finger to the Duan family. Madam Ma finally names Duan Zhengchun and explains his earlier involvement in the Yanmen Pass expedition. The conclusion accepted Xiao Feng hears the name and believes his enemy has been found. The information feels coherent, but the source's personal motives remain hidden.

Handwriting Contradiction

The Clue That Reopens the Case A different hand Duan Zhengchun's calligraphic scroll differs sharply from the letter to Wang Jiantong. Xiao Feng realizes that the man named by Madam Ma may not be the letter's author. The investigation resumes This contradiction keeps the mystery alive after Xiao Feng had nearly abandoned it. His grief becomes entangled with a renewed need to determine who manipulated him.

During the Beggar Society gathering at Apricot Forest

At Weihui after Elder Xu's memorial

At Tai'an after the Weihui deaths

At Xinyang Village, during A'Zhu's interrogation of Madam Ma

After Xiao Feng buries A'Zhu at the Square Bamboo Forest