Chapter 54 Absurd Conclusion

Liu Ziming shuddered and whipped his head around, only to see Head Constable Wang standing at the doorway, a cold, sinister smile hanging on his face.

"What are you doing here?"

Liu Ziming's voice carried a hint of shock and anger; he subconsciously took half a step back, but immediately puffed out his chest.

"What am I doing here? You little brat, have you forgotten that this is my jurisdiction? You've overstepped your bounds by investigating here, and I haven't even settled accounts with you yet, yet now you're questioning me?"

Head Constable Wang paced forward slowly, sweeping his gaze over the corpses, then over the visibly nervous Zhao Qinghe.

Seeing this, Zhao Qinghe seemed to suddenly find his backbone; his eyes rolled, and his tone changed immediately.

"My lords, these three indeed did not commit suicide. Just now… it was simply that there were too many prying eyes, and I did not wish to disturb the neighbors or add to the panic, so I deceived you. I had intended to report the truth to you all later."

"Recently, my Zhao residence was taking in a concubine, which should have been a joyous occasion. I never expected that some evildoer would take the opportunity to sneak into the residence and commit this brutal act…"

It was not a clever lie; one could even say it was full of holes.

Chen Mu sneered and turned his head back, his gaze like a torch, staring fixedly at Zhao Qinghe.

"Oh? An evildoer?"

"Squire Zhao, may I ask what kind of evildoer could not only sneak into the residence without a sound and kill three people, but also chew them into this state and leave calmly?"

"Could it be… that the guards of this Zhao residence are all useless sacks of meat?"

Zhao Qinghe was stumped and stammered, his eyes darting toward Head Constable Wang as if seeking help.

Head Constable Wang shook his head, walked forward a few steps with his hands behind his back, and pretended to examine the corpses.

"In my official opinion, this is just a common case of robbery and murder. The evildoer possessed high-level martial arts and did not alert the guards, or perhaps… there is an inside man in this residence who secretly let the killer in."

Liu Ziming was stunned by this deduction.

"Head Constable Wang, are you blind? These wounds were obviously bitten out. What kind of person could bite such wounds?"

Upon hearing this, Head Constable Wang merely sneered, his eyes filled with a hint of contempt as he looked at Liu Ziming.

"A demonic creature? You little brat, have you been scared out of your wits at Sangye Village, seeing demons in everything? What is wrong with these wounds? It is obvious that the evildoer used a specialized claw-like weapon to disguise them. Can you not even see through such a trick?"

"Besides, you are just a lowly underling from the Demon Suppression Division, what do you know about investigating criminal cases? I have served in the yamen for over a decade; if I say it is a robbery, then it is a robbery!"

As he spoke, he pointed at the corpse that had its heart ripped out and abdomen sliced open.

"Look at this one; the heart was taken away, most likely to be used for refining some evil medicine. Those Jianghu charlatans love collecting human hearts to make medicine."

"And this one, missing an arm; the evildoer must have taken it back to stew into soup. I've heard that some notorious bandits believe in the theory of eating people to nourish the body!"

This line of reasoning left everyone present looking at each other in dismay, and even the few experts from the Prefecture who had come in with Head Constable Wang wore strange expressions.

Although they hadn't sensed any obvious Demonic Qi, Head Constable Wang's explanation was far too far-fetched.

However, this Head Constable Wang was a Squad Leader of the Yunmeng Demon Suppression Division and the brother-in-law of Xu Changze. On this patch of land in Yunmeng City, his words, to a certain extent, represented the official stance.

Since they were new arrivals, even if those experts felt something was amiss, they were unwilling to clash with a local tyrant over such a trivial matter, so they simply remained silent.

Liu Ziming was so angry he nearly fainted; he pointed at Head Constable Wang, his finger trembling.

"Head Constable Wang, you are simply… simply…"

Before he could finish, his sleeve was gently tugged by Chen Mu.

Liu Ziming turned back in astonishment, only to see Chen Mu shaking his head slightly, his eyes terrifyingly calm.

He had already carefully investigated using his six senses; there was indeed no obvious residual Demonic Qi in the air, nor any abnormal fluctuations of spiritual power, and even the resentful spirits and grievances were so faint as to be almost imperceptible.

This in itself was abnormal; having died such a miserable death, how could the souls of the deceased leave behind so little Origin Qi?

Chen Mu's heart was filled with doubts, but his expression remained calm.

"Head Constable Wang's experience in handling cases is so rich, and your deductions certainly have their own logic. We are truly impressed, so we will not disturb you any further."

Head Constable Wang clearly had not expected Chen Mu to retreat so easily; he was taken aback, and the look of smugness on his face grew even more intense.

"Those who know the times are wise. Chen Mu, since you understand this principle, you should leave early and not hinder official business here."

Chen Mu said no more, bowed slightly to Zhao Qinghe, and pulled the still-arguing Liu Ziming out of the side courtyard.

It was not until they were out of the Zhao residence and on the street that Liu Ziming shook off Chen Mu's hand, lowering his voice, both anxious and angry.

"Chen Mu, why stop me? That Head Constable Wang was clearly spouting nonsense. Cutting off arms to stew soup, gouging out hearts to refine medicine—how could he even say such ghost stories? And that Squire Zhao, he was clearly…"

Chen Mu did not answer immediately, instead stopping at the street corner and looking back in the direction of the Zhao residence.

"I know there is a problem; there are many suspicious points. Zhao Qinghe's words were evasive; he is clearly hiding something."

"And Head Constable Wang is so eager to close the case, even going so far as to fabricate such an absurd reason—it's less about shielding Zhao Qinghe and more about covering something up."

Liu Ziming listened, stunned, and then asked, "Then shouldn't we continue to investigate?"

Chen Mu looked back at him and shook his head.

"Investigate? How do we investigate?"

"Head Constable Wang is using his jurisdiction to suppress us, the people from the Prefecture are unwilling to intervene, and once the Zhao residence gates are closed, we can't even get in. Force our way in? That's called provoking trouble!"

"Don't forget, Head Constable Wang is just looking for an excuse to deal with us."

Liu Ziming was instantly speechless, and only after a long while did he say sullenly, "Then we'll just let it go?"

"Of course not. We can't get in during the day, but what about at night?"

Chen Mu's tone rose slightly, and Liu Ziming's eyes instantly lit up. "You mean…"

"At midnight tonight, we will meet at the street corner. I want to see what secrets this Zhao residence is hiding."

After the two made their agreement, they parted at the street corner. Chen Mu did not go home immediately but instead wandered around the street.

He went to several tea stalls and grocery stores, buying some trivial little things, and while he was at it, chatted with the stall owners. He mostly asked about local customs and past events, only occasionally bringing up a sentence or two about the Zhao residence.

After wandering for more than an hour, the sky grew dark, and the lanterns along the street lit up one by one.

Chen Mu stopped at a sesame flatbread stall and bought two freshly baked sesame flatbreads, steaming hot and fragrant.

Holding the flatbreads, he turned and walked toward his own small courtyard.

…

Pushing open the courtyard gate, the courtyard was silent.

The woodpile was empty; Jiang Huoyu and that black cat were nowhere to be seen.

Left?

Chen Mu felt a strange sense of relief in his heart. He shook his head and pushed open the bedroom door. Just as he was about to enter, he heard a lazy cat's meow from inside.

His footsteps paused, and he looked up.

He saw that Jiang Huoyu had entered his bedroom at some point and was lying comfortably on his bed, holding the cat and stroking its fur, one stroke after another.

Hearing the door open, she smiled, lifted her head, and blinked at Chen Mu.

"You're back? I've been waiting for ages."

Chen Mu was speechless; he walked into the room and handed her one of the flatbreads in his hand. "Here."

Jiang Huoyu's eyes lit up. She took the flatbread and immediately took a big bite, gasping from the heat, but still said, her voice muffled.

"Chen Mu, I knew you still had some conscience… this is so fragrant."

Chen Mu also took a bite of the flatbread and suddenly spoke.

"Cultivation Technique."

Jiang Huoyu suddenly choked, jumped off the bed, grabbed the teapot, and gulped down water. It took her a while to catch her breath, and her eyes flickered evasively.

"What… what Cultivation Technique?"

Chen Mu's voice carried a persistence that would not be fooled.

"What you promised last time: trade a Cultivation Technique for the tiger tooth."

"I gave you the tiger tooth; where is the Cultivation Technique?"