[Contest entry, complete, please send me some nutrient solution (rolling around and throwing a tantrum)]
Historical mystery & short story & a chain of interlocking cases
What is a hoof, and what does it mean to deny?
On the Ghost Festival, the pawnshop keeper, beloved by the villagers, dies in a forest trap. It seems like an accident, but with his dying breath, he points to the culprit.
Driven by personal motives, Li Xun'an investigates, only to discover that he wasn't the only one to die that day.
Was it an accident, a murder, or was some invisible hand pulling the strings, tightening around their throats?
As the winds shift, the masks come off.
No one is innocent.
Theme: Only what does not go against your conscience can last.
Come on, come on, come on, update soon