Lord of the Desert

Chapter 278

"After that, the victim hit the pillar and fell to the position where Mr. Hong first saw him."

The head catcher walked to the corridor and pointed at the pillar.

At this time, the body had been removed for inspection, and only sword wounds soaked in blood were left on the wood.

"At this time, the victim had suffered severe internal injuries, the sword fell from his hand, and he was unable to resist."

Jiang Lechi's voice darkened.

On the stone bricks exposed after clearing the snow, the fine sand trembled.

The catcher heard heavy and slow breathing, and looked at Hong Fan following the sound.

The wind and sand soon settled down.

"The fourth person is coming here now."

Jiang Lechi calmed down and continued.

"This person is here to make up for the damage."

"He picked up the victim's broken sword and stabbed it close to the upper edge of the fifth rib on the left side - this is the apex of the heart, where large blood vessels come in and out."

"I would choose this place to start. This fourth assassin should have killed a lot of people; and he can use a broken sword to penetrate the heart first and then penetrate the wooden pillar. He should be a sword or gun practitioner."

"The four people doing this should all be good players in the realm of chaos. To be honest, they are not inferior to the victims in one-on-one combat."

he concluded.

There was silence in the courtyard for a moment.

"Captain Jiang, can you deduce the identity of the person who made the move?"

Jian Siyuan asked.

"There aren't enough clues."

Jiang Lechi shook his head.

"Since this strike, no one has done a last-ditch attack."

"The purpose of killing was very clear, but the whole process was clean and tidy, without any abuse. It didn't look like there was any deep hatred."

"Furthermore, the victim was a well-off man, so we couldn't find a possible motive for the crime at the moment."

He hesitated for a moment and then added.

"There may be a fifth assassin involved in this assassination."

"We found two blue tiles that had been deflected due to stress at the ridge of the highest south room in the courtyard."

"There was probably a fifth person standing there, looking down at the whole place."

"The Asahi Mansion is surrounded by civilians, so there is no need for a martial artist to let the assassination go unnoticed - perhaps this person's martial arts skills are higher than the other four, and he is the final insurance for the assassination plan."

"The people behind the scenes planned this matter very carefully."

After taking everyone through the case, Jiang Lechi took a few more people to the next door.

Four thick candles were lit in a small room in the side wing. The incense burner with dragon pattern on the desk was filled with nearly burned out incense. There were ashes left after burning paper money on the ground.

The weather was still cold, and vinegar was steamed in the room to suppress the smell.

These are all necessary procedures for performing an autopsy.

Zhan Yuanzi was lying on the long table in the middle, having put on his clothes again.

"Mr. Hong, today we are divided into three groups to independently investigate the situation. All information is registered with pictures and texts, so there are very few omissions."

"The side garden and courtyard where the incident occurred will have to be sealed off for a period of time for future use."

"But Mr. Zhan's body can be returned to you."

After saying that, Jiang Lechi added "My condolences" and then walked out.

There was no wind in the room, and the atmosphere was heavy and stagnant.

For a moment no one spoke.

Hong Fan took two steps forward and lifted Zhan Yuanzi's collar to cover the slightly exposed knife edge.

"The Zhan family is located in Zhan County, seventy miles southeast of Xijing City, adjacent to the Yao River. They are a wealthy local family."

Wu Hongling looked away, took a deep breath, and said.

"He has no contact with his family for a long time."

Hong Fan answered abruptly.

"No matter what, Motoko's relatives are still there, and we cannot mourn privately."

Wu Hongling insisted.

"It must be sent to Zhan's house first with the person and the news."

Hong Fan lowered his eyes in silence.

After a moment, he hesitated again: "Just after the Lantern Festival, the coffin..."

"Don't worry about the coffin."

Jian Siyuan replied immediately.

“The state department is always prepared.”

Hong Bum glanced at him.

"That's enough. I'll hire a car to pick it up early tomorrow morning."

Wu Hongling finalized the matter in one go.

"Then tonight..."

"I'll stay here tonight."

Hong Fan immediately replied, went to the desk and took out three new incense sticks, flicked them with his fingers, lit them with fire power, and put them into the incense burner. "Mother……"

When Wu Ruyi heard this, she also looked at Wu Hongling.

"You can stay if you want."

The latter replied softly.

"I said we were going to get together during the Lantern Festival, but we didn't get together; after today, there will be no chance to get together again..."

Wu Hongling's eyes turned red as she spoke.

"I'll leave first."

She said half of the sentence, raised her head, and was the first to go out.

······
At the same time, Su Mansion in Xijing.

Su Peifeng sat in the room and read the thin letter in his hand over and over again.

[On the eighteenth day of the first lunar month, Shuyin Wharf in the south of the city. 】

[Be sure to arrive before midnight. 】

[After leaving this far away, I don’t know when I will return. If so...]

The letter was unsigned, but its soft and sharp handwriting and commanding tone made it clear that it was written by Ao Zhixian.

He couldn't help feeling distraught.

Just after the Chinese New Year, the partnership business with the Jiang family was on track.

Without even explaining what happened, he suddenly wanted to leave Xijing by himself; judging from the wording of the text, it was clear that there was some meaning of eternal farewell...

Su Peifeng thought about it and read the letter over and over again, feeling a fire building up in his heart.

At this time, there were brisk footsteps coming from the courtyard.

Squeal.

Yanran, who was wearing a green cotton skirt, opened the door, holding the newly stewed sweet soup. When she looked up, she saw her young master burning a piece of tissue paper on the candlelight.

"Master?"

she asked.

"I practiced a few words, but my writing was so bad that I felt upset when I looked at it."

Su Peifeng responded.

Yan Ran nodded when she heard this and glanced at the corner of the table. She saw that the brush was not wet and there was no ink in the inkstone.

"Spring comes and I need to take nourishment. This is the emerald hibiscus soup I made. Please try it, young master."

She put down the soup and deliberately changed the subject.

"Yes, the saltiness is just right."

Su Peifeng tasted a spoonful and praised it casually.

"It's already passed the Lantern Festival in a blink of an eye. I've been in the clan for so long. Is there anything being said about me outside?"

he asked again casually.

"Young master asked this question, how can I say something bad?"

Yanran smiled.

"In all these years in our clan, no one has made it to the third list except you."

"Now when everyone hears the word 'young master', the first thing that comes to mind is not the young master, but you."

When Su Peifeng heard this, he showed a light expression.

"how about you?"

He expressed concern for his personal maid.

"Okay, how can it be bad?"

Yanran replied without thinking.

"I used to look at everyone's face, but now even the nuns in the chief's room are looking at my face!"

She spoke with pride.

"Since being sent to the house by the family, there has never been a better time for Yanran."

After hearing these words, Su Peifeng's trembling heart suddenly calmed down.

He put down the spoon, picked up the bowl, and drank in one gulp.

The hot soup travels along the esophagus to warm the stomach and intestines.

After downing the empty bowl, Su Peifeng leaned back in his chair.

The gaze cast on the rafters seemed to have traveled through time, and saw a few months ago when the third list was released.

At that time, he stood in the middle of the highest window of the Whale Rider. Looking around, he saw the eyes and cheers from all over the world coming towards him.

The door creaked.

When I came back to my senses, Yanran was already gone.

"Yeah, there's no better time."

Su Peifeng sighed with emotion.

He pulled open his collar and reached out to hold the gold chain around his neck.

Grip, tear.

(End of this chapter)