45: Luo Maocai!

The two entered the house, and the smell of blood became even stronger.

The courtyard was a mess; the rockery had fallen, vases were shattered, and goldfish lay on the ground with broken glass shards. There were clear signs of a struggle.

Murder? Jiang Hanwen wondered.

"Brother Jiang, you've come at a good time. I won't have to look for you.

Later, I'll need a small favor from you: tell those commoners outside the cause of Young Master Zhuang's death, so they don't cause trouble." Luo Maocai spoke with an imperious air.

"The cause of Young Master Zhuang's death?" Jiang Hanwen countered, following Luo Maocai further inside.

In the inner courtyard, three bodies lay on the ground: one male and two female, all covered with white cloths from the neck down.

Two seven-foot-tall guards, wearing dark blue cotton robes, looked at him with cold eyes, as if he were a corpse.

Luo Maocai pointed at the bodies and said to Zhuang Bai:

"Young Master Zhuang drank last night and became lustful, insisting on doing that with these two maids.

Normally, this would be simple, just sleeping together under a blanket.

But as luck would have it, Young Master Zhuang hit them, and the two maids couldn't take it, so they used Young Master Zhuang's sword—"

At this point, Luo Maocai stopped, not saying the rest, but instead making a sighing expression, a look all men understood.

Getting drunk and rolling in the hay was understandable.

Hitting someone was also understandable; men, after all, have their little quirks, niche as they may be, it's not a big problem.

But if it involved the maids killing him, Jiang Hanwen would absolutely not believe it.

Maids in the Zhuang Manor were strictly forbidden from Cultivating unless specifically permitted.

Zhuang Bai had fallen to such a state of defeat; did he still have spare resources to allow maids to Cultivate?

Since they had no cultivation, how could two ordinary maids possibly kill Zhuang Bai, who was capable of such things?

Something was fishy!

Jiang Hanwen had just stepped forward, intending to uncover the white cloth to see what happened.

"Whoosh~"

A dart plunged into the ground in front of him, its hilt vibrating with a hum.

The sturdy man guarding nearby looked at Jiang Hanwen coldly.

"Let Young Master Zhuang rest in peace; do not disturb his slumber."

"Brother Jiang, don't look." Luo Maocai pulled Jiang Hanwen back, afraid he would act impulsively, and even more afraid he would discover something.

"If he wants to look, let him. My husband and he were colleagues, after all."

A melodious voice rang in his ears. He looked in the direction of the sound.

Su Xin, wrapped in a large black fur coat, walked gracefully out of the room, her eyes revealing a different, deeper meaning.

After many years apart, her youthful innocence had faded. Su Xin's mature feminine charm was like a ripe peach, its alluring fragrance detectable from afar.

"Madam Zhuang." Jiang Hanwen cupped his hands and stepped back half a pace.

After many years, Su Xin had become more beautiful, and also, sharper.

There was no sorrow in Su Xin's eyes, only pure placidity.

The doubt in his heart was resolved: Zhuang Bai was murdered, and Su Xin knew about it!

Luo Maocai stared blankly at Su Xin, his body stiff. So... so beautiful. He wanted to tie up the woman in front of him, and then... a primal urge awakened. Not until the fragrant breeze drew near did Luo Maocai react, quickly lowering his head to look at the ground.

His heart pounded wildly, and beads of sweat, as large as beans, squeezed out from the wrinkles on his forehead, covering it completely.

As the beautiful woman approached, besides the fragrance, there was also a faint medicinal scent. Jiang Hanwen noticed Su Xin's abnormal face; it was a bit swollen, and there were finger marks.

Although a thin layer of rouge covered it, Jiang Hanwen was a physician, having practiced for nearly four years.

His diagnostic eyes were sharp.

Su Xin had been slapped, and it had happened no more than half a day ago!

Su Xin moved past Jiang Hanwen by a step and stopped in front of Luo Maocai, her autumn-water-like eyes fixed on him.

"You've been staring at me. Do you think that now that my husband is dead, you can have other ideas?"

Killing is but a nod of the head. As soon as Su Xin's words fell.

The two guards standing nearby scanned Luo Maocai with cold, gun-like gazes.

"Thud!"

Luo Maocai fell to his knees.

"I was blinded by greed to lose my composure. Please, Young Madam, see clearly."

"I don't think so." Su Xin gritted her teeth.

"Slap~ Slap~"

Luo Maocai slapped himself fiercely, left and right, swelling his face into a pig's head in less than ten breaths.

Su Xin watched him coldly, sighing with a tone of pity:

"Even someone of your caliber dares to look up. From now on, our orphaned mother and son will probably not be able to stay in the Zhuang family."

A bone-chilling coldness poured into his internal organs, instantly freezing his body.

This woman truly wanted to kill him. Luo Maocai's eyes turned red, and he fiercely kowtowed to the ground.

Just you wait, I'll kill you sooner or later!

"Thump thump~"

Stone met flesh; each impact drew blood from his forehead, expressing loyalty through torment.

"Stop kowtowing, Steward Luo, lest the Zhuang family see it and say I bullied you, say I am not a virtuous woman."

The two guards took two steps closer, their spear tips pointing downwards, held behind their backs in a ready stance.

Luo Maocai's face turned from black to white, and he stared at Jiang Hanwen.

At this critical juncture, he could only drag everyone down with him to survive.

"Brother Jiang, please help me beg Young Madam. I truly just didn't rest well last night and was momentarily distracted. I absolutely had no intention of offending her.

Given our relationship, don't you understand my character!"

If the first sentence was a mad dog biting wildly, the latter was somewhat malicious.

What did he mean by 'our relationship'?

Hearing this, Su Xin turned her head, her eyelashes trembling slightly, and her eyes fixed on Jiang Hanwen.

Jiang Hanwen turned his head, their eyes met, and he saw a pair of eyes filled with intense hatred, their slightly reddened rims seemingly recounting all the pain she had endured over the years.

Past years surfaced in her mind. Su Xin tried to be as calm as possible, but a slight sob still caught in her voice as her red lips moved.

"You are half my father's disciple. I trust you.

Do you think he was careless today, or was it an offense?"

As her words fell, everyone's gaze turned to Jiang Hanwen.

His next words would determine Luo Maocai's life or death, and even the direction of the investigation into Young Master Zhuang's death.

At the same time, a middle-aged man in luxurious clothes, accompanied by guards, also stood on the threshold, calmly watching Jiang Hanwen, with a hint of amusement in his eyes.

To kill or to spare, how would this 'King,' whose prestige was second only to Old Du, choose?

"Luo Maocai." Jiang Hanwen called out.

"I'm here!" Luo Maocai raised his head, shifting his knees forward half a foot, looking at Jiang Hanwen as if he were a savior.

"Whoosh!"

No sooner said than done.

Two silver needles flew from Jiang Hanwen's hand, accurately piercing Luo Maocai's eyes.

The vigilant guards nearby subconsciously tightened their grip on their long spears, their eyes wide. Such fast needles!

"Ah!

My eyes!"

After Luo Maocai shouted this, he rolled on the ground like a wild beast, unable to speak, only letting out furious roars of 'ah-woo, ah-woo.'

"Ah!"

In just ten breaths, accompanied by a final shriek, his muscles convulsed.

Luo Maocai's eyes turned green, his face became as dark as charcoal, and his entire body lay sprawled on the ground in a cross shape.

A guard leaned down, placed a hand on his neck, and shook his head at the middle-aged man standing at the doorway.

"He's gone."

"As expected of the best physician in the Medicine Field; he can save lives, and he can also take them." A bold voice rang out as the middle-aged man walked into the courtyard, pointing at Luo Maocai on the ground and saying:

"Throw this disrespectful servant out and burn him in front of everyone."

"Yes!" The two arrogant guards cupped their fists and nodded respectfully.

With a single sentence, the middle-aged man had reclassified the intentional killing as an act of disrespect.

"Father, you've come." Su Xin curtsied, her eyes instantly welling up with a misty haze.

Father?

Jiang Hanwen looked over in surprise. The man before him was Zhuang Bai's father, Zhuang Kongming, the one who was about to succeed as Clan Chief!