Chapter 177: Even the Fun Writing Has a Suspense Plot?
The crime scene was at the foot of Cloud Cow Mountain.
By the time Sang Zhe and the others descended the mountain, it was already dark.
The small village at the foot of Cloud Cow Mountain appeared a bit eerie.
It was said that due to a family massacre, all the residents had moved out overnight under the arrangements of the Fierce Tiger Sect, leaving the crime scene largely intact.
This resulted in the village being utterly deserted under the ominous sky, creating an incredibly sinister atmosphere.
With the sound of cracked dry branches underfoot, the cawing of crows echoed through the forest.
From the moment Sang Zhe stepped into the village, he felt a chill and involuntarily shivered.
“Wow, this is creepy.”
“Well, it’s a village where a massacre occurred,” Shi Qingyan replied with an indifferent expression.
Clearly, for someone from the intelligence background like her, such scenes were nothing new.
On the way, Xiao Jiao was recounting the details of the case to Sang Zhe and the others:
“The Yu Family was considered prosperous in this village, with over ten members. It is said they even had a cultivator, but he later ran away.”
“They lived peacefully, not stirring up any trouble. Who would have guessed they’d suddenly face this disaster?”
“The demoness used extremely ruthless methods, crushing nearly every member of the Yu Family’s head, leaving only their headless corpses scattered around.”
“When our Fierce Tiger Sect’s cultivators arrived, the scene was filled with a stench of blood and resentment.”
“It’s rumored that wandering spirits appear every midnight, weeping sorrowfully…”
Her eerie voice sent chills down the spine.
Sang Zhe turned his head with an expression of disbelief, “You’re not scared saying this?”
“Of course I’m scared,” Xiao Jiao suddenly pouted adorably, shyly clinging to Sang Zhe’s arm, “But as long as my big brothers and sisters protect me, I’m not scared anymore~”
At the moment she hugged his arm, Sang Zhe thought he heard the sound of bones cracking, his face instantly turning pale.
“…S-speak properly… no touching between boys and girls…”
After pushing Xiao Jiao away with a wounded face, Shi Qingyan had already reached the entrance of a farmhouse, turning back to ask, “Is this the place?”
“Exactly.”
Sang Zhe stretched his head to look.
Indeed, no need for a guide; he guessed it was this family.
Because the smell of blood was truly overwhelming.
It was as if the stench had long been trapped in the courtyard without dispersing.
The ground was stained with long-dried, black blood, large patches of it covering most of the area. The walls and door of the house, and even beside the well, were marked with such mottled bloodstains.
One could faintly imagine how terrifying the scene was at the time of the incident.
Just the smell alone was enough to make anyone gag.
Sang Zhe suppressed his nausea, frowning as he scanned the surroundings.
Shi Qingyan also crouched down seriously, her beautiful eyes meticulously scanning every corner of the scene.
From the outside, it looked like a typical farmhouse: a thatched roof hut, wooden fence, everything looked like an ordinary farmer’s home, nothing out of the ordinary.
While surveying, Sang Zhe mentally asked, “Nian Nian, how many points do I need to know the identity of this demoness?”
“Five thousand points.”
Sang Zhe: “Huh?”
“Why? Does she also need five thousand points? That’s as much as the sect leader? What makes her worth the same as the sect leader’s points?”
“If you want to know, just investigate yourself,” Nian Nian huffed cheekily, “Anyway, isn’t Senior Sister Shi here? It’s fine even without my system.”
“Then let my system appreciate the host’s abilities.”
…Is there a hint of jealousy in her tone?
But if you say so, I’ll take it seriously.
Sang Zhe glanced around and then slyly leaned toward Shi Qingyan, whispering, “Senior Sister Shi, I’ve made a significant discovery.”
“Oh? What is it?”
“First, tell me what you discovered, Senior Sister.”
“Indeed, the crime was likely committed by a woman,” Shi Qingyan focused her stunning eyes on the outlines on the ground, whispering, “She’s not very old but has high cultivation, at least at the Transformation Stage.”
“Although her methods are cruel, they feel very unrefined. It’s clear she didn’t try to hide any traces of her crime, just left casually after committing it.”
“However, what’s noteworthy is that after the incident, she searched the house for something.”
“Perhaps that was the main reason for her crime.”
Sang Zhe was momentarily stunned, then confusedly wondered, “Are your dark guards trained to be detectives or something?”
“No, that’s just my cultivation technique.”
Shi Qingyan gently shook her head, explaining, “The ‘Gui Nian Jue’ is the main cultivation technique for the Water Moon Sect’s dark guards; it allows us to perceive certain information about the spirit owner based on lingering spiritual energy in the air.”
“We use this technique for tasks, such as covert assassinations and escaping, it’s quite useful in many ways.”
Professional, no doubt.
Bringing along Senior Sister Shi was definitely the right choice.
“What about you? What’s your significant discovery?”
Sang Zhe leaned toward Shi Qingyan’s ear, seriously declaring, “I found out that this courtyard…”
“…Doesn’t have a toilet!”
Shi Qingyan: “…”
“Uh, isn’t that a major discovery?” Sang Zhe scratched his head.
“Well, maybe it counts.”
Shi Qingyan retracted her gaze and turned to Xiao Jiao: “Miss Xiao Jiao, how did your Fierce Tiger Sect determine that the assailant was a woman? Do you even have details about her appearance?”
“It’s our sect’s treasure.”
Xiao Jiao blushed, “Our Fierce Tiger Sect has a treasure—a Zhaohun Bell, which allows the spirits of the dead to temporarily return to their bodies.”
“The souls of the entire Yu Family before they died had their greatest resentment focused on one individual.”
“That’s the enchanting woman depicted on the wanted poster.”
A Zhaohun Bell?
How does a physical cultivation sect have something that sounds like a demon cultivator’s underworld artifact?
Sang Zhe didn’t dare ask, fearing he might insult their cherished treasure, and could only whisper, “So, this demoness killed the entire Yu Family and then searched around because she was looking for something, right?”
“And she probably found what she was seeking.”
Shi Qingyan thoughtfully rubbed her chin, “Because if she hadn’t found it, she should have left a survivor to interrogate.”
“So, to discover her whereabouts, we need to trace back to what she took.”
“Xiao Jiao,” Sang Zhe asked again, “Was this Yu Family really just an ordinary family? Typically, mortal households wouldn’t have anything of interest to a cultivator, right?”
“And I remember you mentioned they had a cultivator in their family?”
“Yes.”
Xiao Jiao nodded seriously: “The Yu Family previously had a Body Refinement cultivator named Yu Zijian, who trained with the Fierce Tiger Sect for some time. Afterward, I’m not sure whether he had a quarrel with his family or what, but he left Cloud Cow Mountain in a huff. No news since.”
“But that was over a decade ago. I don’t know if it’s related to this incident.”
Sang Zhe and Shi Qingyan exchanged glances.
Yu Zijian was indeed suspicious.
“So, that means Yu Zijian might have left something at home that caught someone’s attention, leading to the family massacre?”
Sang Zhe pondered, frowning, “But why does it feel off? What was Yu Zijian’s cultivation level when he left the Fierce Tiger Sect? How could he possess something so precious that a Transformation Stage cultivator would kill for it?”
“Not high, really. He was in the Foundation Establishment stage, near the Golden Core stage.”
Xiao Jiao pouted, “And he never took anything valuable from the sect. What could a Foundation Establishment cultivator have?”
Sang Zhe shivered.
He tightly clutched his storage bag where the Dream Jun Sword was kept.
Just as this lead was about to go cold, Shi Qingyan began examining the crime scene again.
Moments later, she suddenly noticed something and gently poked Sang Zhe.
“Hey, look at this.”
Sang Zhe quietly leaned closer, “What is it?”
But the next moment, his expression grew serious.
By a dusty old wardrobe in the house, he saw a faint shoeprint.
The shoeprint was rather new and quite unique.
It was tiny.
Like the delicate foot of a little girl.
But the Fierce Tiger Sect’s cultivators had stated that ever since the crime, no one had entered here.
With the Sect’s guards around, it was impossible to sneak in unless you had extraordinary cultivation.
But coincidentally, Sang Zhe knew a petite girl with extraordinary abilities.
“…No way?”
Sang Zhe lowered his voice, “Did the Sect Leader come here?”
“If she really was at Cloud Cow Mountain, I can’t think of anyone else who could leave such a print.”
Shi Qingyan also became serious, “If the Sect Leader really came, that could be troublesome.”
It definitely was.
If the Fierce Tiger Sect found out, that would totally ruin his chances to clear his name as a demon cultivator.
But why would the Sect Leader come here?
Was there something here that piqued her interest?
“Big brother and sister, did you find anything?” Xiao Jiao’s voice drew nearer from outside.
“Uh… nothing!”
Shi Qingyan and Sang Zhe exchanged glances, quickly brushing away the dusty shoeprint.
“We’ve pretty much finished our investigation.”
Shi Qingyan said, “It’s getting late; let’s head back to the Fierce Tiger Sect.”
“Yes. I’ll guide you back to the mountain~” Xiao Jiao sweetly smiled.
Though given her small stature, that smile made Sang Zhe feel a bit eerie.
——
—
In the evening, at the guestroom of the Fierce Tiger Sect.
Sang Zhe lay on the bed, puzzled, talking to himself:
“Why would the Sect Leader show up here? Is she also investigating this murder?”
“I don’t know.” Shi Qingyan closed the communication device at the table, rubbing her temples in mild frustration, “But our clues are indeed limited.”
“The most troubling part is that we can’t contact the Sect Leader.”
“What does she want to do? Why does she want to avoid us?” Sang Zhe sighed.
“Forget it, it’s late. Let’s think about it tomorrow.”
Shi Qingyan casually removed her makeup and suddenly began to undress.
“Eh? Eh? Eh… Senior Sister, what are you doing?” Sang Zhe quickly shrank back to the corner of the bed.
“Weren’t you the one who said it during the day?”
Shi Qingyan blinked her beautiful eyes: “I’m your… Dao partner.”
As he watched Shi Qingyan slowly remove her clothes, revealing her fair, smooth skin, her fragrant shoulders and collarbone.
Sang Zhe struggled to swallow.
This…
Isn’t tonight going to be his last night alive?
Just as Senior Sister Shi giggled and began to approach him.
Suddenly, a sharp sound echoed across the entire Fierce Tiger Sect mountain.
“Someone’s dead!”
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