A female coroner arrived at the Jingzhao Prefecture.

Chapter 249 Headless Female Corpse (37)

Mu Qingcheng listened quietly and then said, "So you believe that Wang Ruhua's death was not intentionally caused by the men in black?"

"Hmm. It's so much easier to talk to someone as smart as Master Mu." Constable Luo's eyes shone brightly. He himself was speaking incoherently, but Mu Qingcheng understood everything and could correctly grasp what he was trying to say.

Mu Qingcheng chuckled, “I only understood half of what you said and guessed the other half. You said the man in black raised his arm and the knife plunged into Wang Ruhua’s heart. They had even been fighting before. But the man in black was wielding two swords. If he wanted to kill Wang Ruhua, it would have been a matter of a flick of his finger. He wouldn’t have given Wang Ruhua a chance to grab the knife, let alone give you and Zhizhi time to rush in.”

After Mu Qingcheng's reminder, Constable Luo suddenly realized, "That's right, the man in black is highly skilled in martial arts. If he wanted to kill someone, especially a woman who doesn't know martial arts, slitting his throat with his sword would be easier than cutting cabbage. Why bother fighting and wasting so much time?"

"There's another crucial point. The man in black never actually killed any of the three of you until Zhizhi impersonated Wang Ruhua. Only then, when he realized he'd been tricked, was he driven to murder!"

"Yes!"

"Then think about it, why didn't he kill you? Besides the fact that he was wary of you being government officials and didn't want to go against the authorities, what other purpose did he have?"

"Purpose?" Constable Luo's train of thought was momentarily caught off guard. "What purpose?"

Mu Qingcheng's lips curled up, and her eyes gleamed. "The man in black had no intention of killing Wang Ruhua, nor did he intend to kill you. And the fact that he lingered for so long suggests that his only purpose was to take Wang Ruhua away. However, Wang Ruhua refused to go with him and accidentally injured herself while defending herself with a knife. Of course, this is just speculation and needs to be verified through an autopsy."

Recalling her conversation with the man in black last night, Mu Qingcheng's thoughts raced. What was the connection between the female corpse of Suhe River, Liao Ruyi, Wang Ruhua, the man in black, Xu Yuying...?
Back in Bai Zhizhi's room, Mu Qingcheng had Bai Zhizhi recount the entire incident from the previous night. Her account was basically the same as Constable Luo's. When asked about Wang Ruhua being stabbed, Bai Zhizhi confirmed Constable Luo's guess.

"Sister Mu..." Bai Zhizhi hesitated before asking what had been on her mind, "Sister Mu, I didn't expect Lu Shaoqing to keep his word and actually send people to protect me in secret all along. Moreover, he arrived in time and saved my life. How... how can I repay him?"

Mu Qingcheng replied without hesitation, "It's alright. He treats you like a younger sister, and it's only natural for an older brother to protect his younger sister."

"Huh?" Bai Zhizhi was taken aback, her emotions rising slightly. "What sister? He's never mentioned her to me before!"

Mu Qingcheng was stunned. From Lu Xun's perspective, Bai Zhizhi was her good sister, and Lu Xun was her sworn brother. Naturally, she also treated Bai Zhizhi as her sister. She and Lu Xun had a tacit understanding about this relationship, but she had never told Bai Zhizhi about it.

Now that Bai Zhizhi has also entered the public service, a simple reminder shouldn't affect Lu Xun's plans, right? Thinking of this, she said, "Zhizhi, actually, my father doesn't only have me as his daughter; he also has an adopted son, Lu Xun. We lost contact for many years due to a misunderstanding, and only recently met again in the capital. Um... Lu Xun's identity is special, so we haven't publicly acknowledged each other; we only understand each other privately. So Zhizhi, you must keep this a secret for us! This matter is very serious and dangerous; it must never be known to anyone else!"

Despite her resentment and anger, she could beat Lu Xun, and she could be so angry with him that she would disown him, but ultimately, this was a private family matter within the Mu family. Outside, enemies and family were always clearly separated.

"Sister Mu, Lu Shaoqing is actually your sworn brother? How could he be Uncle Mu's sworn son? One is from Jiangnan, the other from the capital, they have absolutely no connection!" Bai Zhizhi said incredulously, quickly sorting out the cause and effect. "No, let me think, Sister Mu was originally from the capital, and lived there until she was seven years old, so... so you've known each other since childhood? Then, three years ago, Sister Mu suddenly disappeared, was it to come to the capital to find her sworn brother?"

"Yes, most of your guesses are correct, only a few are slightly off." Mu Qingcheng nodded and said earnestly, "Zhizhi, when the time is right, I will tell you everything, okay? For now, you should rest well and not take Lu Xun's rescue of you too seriously. There will be plenty of time for you to repay him in the future."

Bai Zhizhi lowered her eyes, her fingers twisting and turning under the covers. She was a straightforward person, and she wouldn't hide anything from Mu Qingcheng, so she only hesitated for a moment before blurting out, "Sister Mu, Lu Shaoqing comes from a wealthy family, and in terms of material things, I really don't have much to repay him with. If... if he doesn't mind, I'll offer myself to him, what do you say?"

"Uh……"

This time, it was Mu Qingcheng's turn to be shocked and at a loss. She stared blankly at Bai Zhizhi, her pale face flushed with a faint blush of shyness.

She opened her mouth a few times, then cautiously probed, "Zhizhi, you haven't known Lu Xun for very long, have you? Do you know him? Marriage is a serious matter, not a game!"

After what happened with Madam Bai, Bai Zhizhi completely changed her mind about marriage and men. Even Song Shuyu was tested by her for a long time. Why did she suddenly use her marriage as a tool to repay a debt of gratitude?
Bai Zhizhi scratched her ear awkwardly and muttered, "I didn't take it lightly, I... I quite like him."

"Cough cough..."

The answer was so sudden that Mu Qingcheng, who was completely unprepared, choked on her saliva and coughed violently!
"Sister Mu, you..." Bai Zhizhi reached out her uninjured hand to pat Mu Qingcheng's back and soothe her, her face full of worry. "Are you alright? Why are you so agitated? Sister Mu, do you... do you think Lu Shaoqing is no good? Do you disagree with him?"

Mu Qingcheng paused for a moment, took Bai Zhizhi's hand in his palm, and carefully chose his words, saying, "Zhizhi, now is not a good time to bring this up. Lu Xun is a very good person, and he is good-looking, but he... well, his affairs are complicated. I will not interfere with your feelings, nor will I interfere with his, but I think it's better to let things take their natural course."

"Oh, I understand." Bai Zhizhi nodded.

Fearing that Bai Zhizhi might misunderstand, Mu Qingcheng added, "Lu Xun is a rather stubborn person who follows rules and values ​​etiquette. Based on my understanding of him, if you suddenly confess your feelings to him, he might be frightened and keep his distance from you from then on, never speaking to you again."

"So, what does Sister Mu mean...?"

"Take things slowly and let feelings happen, develop, and sublimate naturally."

Just then, there was a sudden, urgent knocking at the door, accompanied by Jiang Zhan's urgent cry: "Master Mu!"

(End of this chapter)