Legend of Zhan Zhao

Chapter 111 The Secret of Tianxiang Tower
“How come you see?”

"Wounds sustained while alive are typically bright red with tightly packed skin; wounds staged after death are often pale white with no bloodstains. Please look at Sun Tao's chest wound; there is no bloodstain, it is pale and neat, and the flesh shows no signs of shrinkage—"

"So this flower was inserted into the wound after the person died?"

Li Wuxing's explanation was very concise, and Zhan Zhao understood it immediately.

Later forensic medicine developed a concept called "life reaction".

It refers to the specific biological response produced by the human body when it is injured during its life activities.

Its value in identification lies in distinguishing between injuries sustained before death and injuries sustained after death.

This concept is reflected in "Collected Cases of Injustice Rectified," which is why it is said to be a pioneer of forensic medicine.

Although Song Ci did not exist in this era, similar summaries of experience had already emerged, and Li Wuxing was clearly well-versed in them.

Luo Shijun was clearly not as quick to accept the situation, or perhaps because he was a sworn enemy of the Six Doors, he subconsciously doubted the other party's words and asked in a deep voice, "Then how did Sect Master Sun die?"

"A sharp blade pierced the heart."

Li Wuxing said, "The body had no other wounds. The fatal wound was in the heart. It must have been a fatal blow, and the wound was smaller than the flower stem."

Zhan Zhao asked, "Hidden weapons?"

If the wound is smaller than the flower's diameter, the only weapon that comes to mind is a fine needle or similar concealed weapon. If you were to dissect the body, you could check if a needle had been stuck in the heart.

Li Wuxing clearly thought the same thing: "I'll take him back to the coroner's office and have the chief coroner conduct a more detailed autopsy. That will surely help us identify the murder weapon."

"no!"

However, Luo Shijun's expression changed drastically. He stood in front of the corpse and resolutely refused: "Sect Leader Sun is an old friend of mine. He never married or had children. Now that he has unfortunately been killed, I should arrange his funeral and bury him in peace. How can I sit idly by and watch his body be harmed by your Six Doors?"

Li Wuxing frowned: "An autopsy is to find out the truth and catch the real culprit, not to cause trouble. Is Master Luo's reaction a sign that he has something to hide and is trying to obstruct the investigation?"

"What did you say!!"

The guards of the Luo residence glared angrily, some even drawing their weapons, creating a tense atmosphere.

"Amitabha!"

Zhan Zhao chanted Buddhist prayers and stood between the two sides: "The real culprit has not yet been caught, yet you all intend to turn against each other with weapons?"

He first looked at Li Wuxing: "Detective Li, Benefactor Luo is currently grieving the loss of a friend, so please be careful with your words of comfort!"

Then he looked at Luo Shijun: "Benefactor Luo, you are wise. These villains are cruel and relentless. We should set aside past grievances for now and focus on eliminating evil!"

Li Wuxing paused for a moment, then clasped his hands in a fist and said, "I misspoke."

Luo Shijun's face was gloomy, and he remained silent.

His men looked at Sun Tao's corpse, their eyes filled with fear, and a hint of unrest crept in.

For these people, the target of this serial murder case was clear: one of the victims was Luo Shijun's close follower, and the other was Luo Shijun's confidant.

Now that the two have been brutally murdered, will they be next?
Thinking about it this way, even if they had opposed the Six Doors before, they would have to back down now.

After all, the Six Doors (a government agency) operates according to the law and punishes criminals fairly. The murderer wouldn't reason with Luo Shijun and would just kill him outright.

"it is good!"

Sensing the turmoil in his men's morale, Luo Shijun's chest heaved as he finally gritted his teeth and said, "Sun Tao can perform the autopsy for you, but you can't go to the Six Doors headquarters. You have to do it inside Tianxiang Tower!"

"can."

Li Wuxing felt that the other party was judging others by their own petty standards, worried that the Six Doors might do something underhanded, which was why they wanted to stay on his territory, so he agreed.

"come in!"

Since the meeting was arranged at Tianxiang Tower, Luo Shijun flicked his sleeves, and the vermilion gate opened instantly.

First, a faint fragrance wafted by, then, through the half-rolled-up beaded curtain, the figures of many beauties were revealed, some leaning, some standing, each with a surprised look on their face.

Tianxiang Tower is an exquisite seven-story building, with two embroidered chambers on each floor, totaling fourteen boudoirs.

The Twelve Heavenly Beauties do not reside here permanently, but according to the four seasons, they hold a one-night reception for guests each season.

It is precisely because of its rarity that it is so precious. On the eve of each opening, the ladies-in-waiting would enter the building to make preparations.

With only three days left until the Spring Banquet, all the concubines had gathered in the building. Upon hearing of the murder case outside, they all gathered in the main hall on the first floor.

The timid clutched their handkerchiefs tightly, while the bold ones half-concealed their faces with their sleeves, until they saw Luo Shijun appear.

The leader, Shi Xiaoxiao, stepped forward from the crowd and gracefully bowed: "Master!"

Luo Shijun frowned and said, "Go back to your rooms and don't go out. The trouble will subside on its own..."

"Yes!"

The women were clearly terrified of Luo Shijun and, without daring to pause for even a moment, disappeared one after another.

Once the lobby on the first floor was cleared out, Luo Shijun coldly pointed and said, "If you want to perform an autopsy, do it here!"

Li Wuxing said, "Master Luo, aren't you afraid of soiling this place you've carefully arranged?"

"Why does Detective Li have to ask a question he already knows the answer to?"

Luo Shijun said coldly, "After such a thing happened, do you still want to hold the Tianxiang Spring Banquet? Do whatever you want, it doesn't matter if it's a mess, just catch the murderer as soon as possible."

Li Wuxing nodded noncommittally: "Sorry to bother you."

Without any hesitation, he led Pang Wen and his men to move tables and chairs, setting up a suitable location for the autopsy.

Zhan Zhao stood still, his hands clasped together.

It seems to be the discomfort of monks with such places of pleasure.

In reality, it was silently releasing six-line sword energy to probe the surrounding environment.

This Tianxiang Tower is the true den of dragons and tigers in the Luo family mansion.

The heavy security was secondary; it was said to contain numerous deadly traps and even assassins who could kill without leaving a trace.

Even a powerful figure like Jie Wen dared not be careless; upon hearing the reputation of Tianxiang Tower, he abandoned his idea of ​​sneaking out at night.

This is clearly based on verifiable battle records.

It's probably because some powerful martial arts masters were trapped inside in the past that it gained such a reputation.

Otherwise, given that both temples are located in the capital, Daxiangguo Temple would never have been fooled by mere rumors.

But now it looks like a haven of comfort.

Luo Shijun collected beautiful dancers to entertain distinguished guests and win people's hearts.

If dancers can live inside the building, then isn't the so-called traps and hidden weapons a bit of an exaggeration?
Otherwise, if every step is fraught with danger, even if the Twelve Heavenly Fragrance Maidens are taught the secrets, wouldn't they be the first to die tragically if they were even slightly careless?

Could it be that government agencies can recognize people?

"What is the master thinking?"

Luo Shijun's voice drifted over. Zhan Zhao replied naturally, "This humble monk was pondering why Sect Leader Sun was outside the building this morning."

"This is indeed a problem!"

Luo Shijun sighed: "Originally, the dead are gone, and I shouldn't speak ill of him, but... alas!"

Zhan Zhao waited calmly.

Seeing that he didn't respond, Luo Shijun could only say, "Brother Sun is a regular at the mansion, and he has feelings for the dancers in the building, which is why he came here in the middle of the night!"

After saying this, he sighed and said, "Lust is hard to resist, lust is hard to resist. We are far inferior to the master!"

Zhan Zhao: "..."

The second sentence is unnecessary to mention.

Luo Shijun's meaning is quite clear.

Sun Tao, the leader of the Five Lakes Sect, was lusting after the beauty of the Twelve Heavenly Fragrance Beauties. He secretly approached them last night, only to be murdered by the killer.

If that's the case, then the murderer was specifically targeting Luo Shijun.

First, he killed Ding Chen at the Pang residence, then he killed Sun Tao at the Luo residence's villa, using the Xi Yan flower as a marker for the serial killings.

However, based on the investigation at the Pang residence last night, the suspect was identified as "Yu Le," a maidservant of Hu Yanzhuohua. This person is suspected to be Bai Xiaofeng, and she left notes twice, with the tone suggesting that she was helping the Pang residence to avoid being deceived by Xi Yanhua.

But now that Sun Tao, the master of the Five Lakes Sect, is dead, the Xi Yan Flower may not be the primary murder weapon, but it is still stuck in the victim's chest.

The methods were so consistent, was it also Bai Xiaofeng's doing?
What is the connection between the second victim, Sun Tao, and Bai Xiaofeng?

'what? '

As Zhan Zhao pondered, he continued to sense Luo Shijun's turbulent emotions using the Heart Sword Divine Technique.

Then another anomaly was discovered.

First of all, Luo Shijun was not shocked this time.

He was extremely shocked and almost in disbelief when he saw Ding Chen dead last night.

But today, from hearing the news of Sun Tao's death to seeing Sun Tao's body with his own eyes, Luo Shijun was not very surprised.

I was only puzzled when I heard that the discovery site was Tianxianglou.

Could it be that he already knew Sun Tao had been murdered?
Wasn't the manager Luo Fu the first person to notify them?
Aside from the lack of surprise, there was fear, worry, doubt, and hesitation.

Encountering a murder is still considered normal.

But in the end, there was a sense of relief and ease.

This is even more abnormal.

Why do I feel relaxed?
Two of his men died in one night. Perhaps Ding Chen was not a confidant and it was just a transaction, but Sun Tao was definitely Luo Shijun's right-hand man, the kind who would dare to storm the Six Doors dungeon for him.

Now that Sun Tao is dead, Luo Shijun is neither surprised nor relieved.

Zhan Zhao stared intently at the golden-faced Yama, the focus of the investigation shifting from Bai Xiaofeng to the man before him.

"Ok?"

Just as they were changing their strategy, another surprised exclamation rang out from not far away.

While waiting for the old coroner from the Six Doors to arrive, Li Wuxing, along with two of his men, carefully examined Sun Tao's body again. Suddenly, he shouted, "The first victim last night, Ding Chen, died at what hour?"

Zhan Zhao replied, "At midnight, I happened to hear the night watchman's drum."

Luo Shijun nodded in agreement: "I also heard the watchman's drum; it is indeed the third watch of the night."

Li Wuxing said, "Then our previous judgment on the order of death in this case was wrong."

Luo Shijun frowned: "What do you mean?"

"Sun Tao died first! The time of death was between 3:40 and 4:40 PM last night!"

Li Wuxing said, "Then came the monk Dingchen, who died at a specific midnight hour!"

Luo Shijun, disregarding the bloodstains, immediately went over, his voice full of doubt: "Could Detective Li determine the time of death so accurately?"

"This is just a trivial matter of mine."

Li Wuxing said in a deep voice, "I can only make an accurate judgment if the time of death is no more than six hours, otherwise it won't work."

Luo Shijun frowned: "What difference does it make whether one dies first or later?"

"Of course there is a difference, and it's very important!"

Li Wuxing explained, "Don't forget that the journey from the Pang residence in the inner city to the villa in the outer city takes more than an hour. At night, the city gates are closed, making it even more inconvenient to travel. How could the murderer have killed Sun Tao outside Tianxiang Tower at Hai hour and then killed Dingchen at the Pang residence at Zi hour? Even with the best lightness skill, it would be difficult to do that!"

Luo Shijun said coldly, "What does Constable Li mean?"

Li Wuxing said, "I now suspect that Sun Tao did not die here, but that his body was moved here after his death!"

'That damned Six Doors constable!'

Luo Shijun's body tensed suddenly, and his heart pounded wildly.

Zhan Zhao silently observed the man's reaction, and just as he was about to speak, he suddenly felt a tightness in his heart.

A bone-chilling coldness crept up my spine.

A subtle, ever-present sense of being watched lingered.

Zhan Zhao had only sensed this aura from two other people.

First, the abbot of the Guanyin Temple of Daxiangguo Temple, the monk who holds the vow, stands still and seems to be integrated with heaven and earth and nature.
The other one is Madam Gu, whose power and majesty are as imposing as the Heart Sword Divine Technique, as deep and unfathomable as a bottomless abyss!

And both of them are...

'Martial Arts Grandmaster!'

'Is there a grandmaster spying on us from inside the building?'

Zhan Zhao activated the Six Minds Clarity Technique to its fullest extent, ensuring his reactions remained normal, without the slightest sign of stress.

But he now understood why Tianxiang Tower was rumored to be so mysterious and dangerous, riddled with secret passages and traps...

There is a very likely grandmaster hiding inside this building!
At this moment, Luo Shijun looked coldly at Li Wuxing, his gaze filled with distrust, but the emotions churning in his heart were no longer the shock, anger, anxiety, regret and relief he had felt before.

Only a murderous intent remained.

The other party guessed wrong. I forced the Six Doors to conduct an autopsy inside Tianxiang Tower. I was not judging others by my own petty standards.

But this is his real territory.

He must stop the case from developing in a direction unfavorable to him.

If we can't stop it, then we might have to take a desperate gamble and kill someone to silence them!
(End of this chapter)