Legend of Zhan Zhao

Chapter 43 The mystery is solved (Congratulations to Alliance Leader "Jiang Qingfeng")

The crime scene.

The smell of blood hadn't dissipated, but Tang Lei's body had already been moved out, and the floor of the house had been swept clean.

At least we can put our feet down now.

It's true that the traces were damaged, but there's nothing that can be done about it.

Martial arts sects conduct internal investigations. Even if they have no grudge against the Six Doors, they usually won't invite constables to investigate cases on their own turf.

Previously unaware of Tang Lei's secret dealings with the Six Doors, and still considering him one of their own, they couldn't let him be laid to rest in such a miserable state; they would definitely need to collect the body.

The gruesome scene flashed through Zhan Zhao's mind, and his expression shifted slightly as he began to raise questions: "If the victim was cut in half at the waist to lure the murder weapon towards Su Wuqing's 'Panlong Silk,' why did the murderer go to the trouble of removing the victim's organs?"

Lian Caiyun's chest heaved, clearly feeling nauseous, while Granny Jiang snorted, "This kind of heartless bastard should have his heart and lungs ripped out to see if they're black or white!"

"Execution-style killing?"

Zhan Zhao murmured to himself.

Execution-style killing is a form of ritualized violence that employs standardized methods of killing and is often accompanied by specific procedures, such as reading out the crime, forcing confession, and recording evidence on video.

In that era, Tang Lei was dismembered at the waist and his organs were removed to show contempt and hatred for him.

That can be explained.

But it still feels somewhat far-fetched.

Lian Caiyun suppressed her nausea and analyzed, "Wasn't it to provoke the person who opened the door?"

"That's what I thought at the time too; it really does have a visual impact."

Zhan Zhao said, "But the body is split in two, and the deceased is staring out of the house with his eyes wide open. Anyone who pushes open the door will be shocked enough. Compared to that, removing the internal organs is not only time-consuming, but also inevitably results in bloodstains and filth splattering all over the body, increasing the risk of exposure. Doing so does more harm than good."

Lian Caiyun nodded repeatedly: "That makes sense!"

Granny Jiang said, "Young master, what you say is a bit too calm. Who thinks so much when killing someone? If you hate a traitor, you just take the money!"

"maybe……"

Zhan Zhao's eyes flickered as he looked at Granny Jiang: "When you climbed over the screen from the other side of the house and came here, what did Tang Lei look like?"

Grandma Jiang looked bewildered: "He's dead!"

Zhan Zhao gestured: "What I mean is, which way is Tang Lei's upper body facing?"

Grandma Jiang recalled briefly, "His eyes were wide open as he looked towards the door."

Zhan Zhao raised an eyebrow: "So, his upper body wasn't lying face down on the ground from the beginning, but facing outwards? You didn't move his body?"

"No."

Granny Jiang shook her head: "I searched for the murderer and then went out. Why would I move his body?"

"I see! Now I understand what was wrong with me before!"

Zhan Zhao narrowed his eyes slightly and said decisively, "We shouldn't have seen the dead man's face!"

Even Caiyun and Granny Jiang were stunned, and even Madam Yun, who was usually inconspicuous, turned her head to look at them.

Zhan Zhao arrived at the door and explained, "Normally, the deceased would be standing with their head against the door. If someone pushes the door open and enters, the body will separate into upper and lower parts, with the upper body falling forward. What position would that be?"

"It is clearly a prone position with the face down."

"But when we found the body, Tang Lei was upside down, face up, with his head facing the door!"

Not only did Lian Caiyun gasp in shock, but even Granny Jiang was stunned: "So, the murderer turned the upper body of the corpse over?"

"That's the only possibility!"

Zhan Zhao said, "Where's the body? I want to see it again!"

"Come this way!"

Grandma Jiang immediately led the way.

Seeing that Lian Caiyun was about to follow, Zhan Zhao moved his lips, but did not say anything.

For those who live the life of a江湖人 (jianghu person, a person from the martial arts world), sometimes experiencing more situations is not a bad thing.

However, when the long cloth covering the corpse was actually unrolled, Tang Lei, who appeared before them, was not terrifying.

Her eyes, wide open in death, were now closed, and her body was wrapped in a winter robe. Because the long hem concealed her waist, at first glance, it was impossible to tell that she had been cut in half at the waist. Granny Jiang's method was quite ingenious, reminiscent of the morticians of later generations, giving the deceased a dignified appearance.

At this moment, Granny Jiang spat out a word of disgust: "How could I, an old woman, disregard the filth, be cleaning the body of such a heartless wretch! Bah!"

'Could she really not be the murderer? Otherwise, she wouldn't have done it so meticulously, without leaving any flaws...'

Zhan Zhao silently observed everyone, especially Granny Jiang.

But so far, Granny Jiang, who has the most likely motive, has left no trace of her actions.

It's like being a witness at the scene who only recently learned that Tang Lei had betrayed his own people.

Zhan Zhao composed himself, turned back to the corpse, and after a careful examination, discovered another suspicious point: "When the deceased was cut in half at the waist, was this outer robe undamaged? On the contrary, the inner garments were all torn in one piece!"

Granny Jiang looked at it and didn't think much of it: "During the fight, the outer robe was blown open by the shockwave but wasn't cut open. Isn't that normal?"

Zhan Zhao pondered silently, while Lian Caiyun said quietly, "This outer robe was sewn by Fifth Senior Sister herself for Second Senior Brother. Second Senior Brother's physique is different from ordinary people, and the tailors outside the manor are not willing to put in so much effort..."

She called Tang Lei "Second Senior Brother" not because she forgave his betrayal, but because she missed the brother-sister relationship she had grown up with Qi Yun, and did it subconsciously.

However, the speaker has no intention, but the listener has intention.

Zhan Zhao's body trembled, and a flash of inspiration struck his mind like lightning: "That's right! How could I have overlooked this point!"

Tang Lei, nicknamed "Angry Cloud," was the tallest of them all, standing over eight feet tall with a robust and imposing physique, almost like a small giant.

As Madam Gu had mentioned before, this martial arts practitioner also had a desire to take shortcuts. He specifically learned external martial arts techniques and usually put on a majestic posture in order to gain prestige in the martial arts world.

'An unusual physique...'

'Hollowed-out internal organs...'

'A misplaced corpse...'

"Could it be that!"

"Let's go! Let's go back!"

Zhan Zhao returned to the doorway and said, "Could you please fetch some things to stand on so that I can be as tall as Tang Lei?"

Grandma Jiang pulled out a few bricks: "Here you go."

Zhan Zhao stood by the door, his feet on a mat: "Please go around to the outside window, to the same spot you were standing when the incident happened, and look inside! Pretend that I am Tang Lei!"

Grandma Jiang was equally puzzled, but she also went outside, walked around, and came to the window on the other side.

The window opened, and Grandma Jiang poked her head out, staring intently inside for a moment before suddenly freezing in shock.

"how?"

Zhan Zhao's voice came over.

"Strange!"

Grandma Jiang frowned slightly: "It's smaller than I saw before, and it's gotten shorter... How could it have gotten shorter?"

Zhan Zhao could place miscellaneous objects under his feet, but his arm width and waist circumference were definitely not as good as Tang Lei's, and his overall figure was bound to be smaller.

However, the height difference should not change, especially in Granny Tang's eyes at this moment. Zhan Zhao, disguised as Tang Lei, is not just a little shorter, but a significantly shorter one.

At the time, I only thought that Tang Lei was naturally as tall as a little giant, and with the visual difference caused by the screen, I didn't notice.

Now it seems, could it be that Tang Lei also had something under his feet?

But shouldn't Tang Lei have already been killed by the murderer by then?
"really!"

When Granny Jiang returned to the door, still puzzled, Zhan Zhao confirmed the answer, closed his eyes, and sighed, "This is indeed an unbelievable locked-room murder case, because it has an unbelievable trick, yet it is very simple to carry out. The murderer disappeared right under your noses!"

Lian Caiyun exclaimed happily, "Brother Zhan, has the case been solved?"

"Not bad!"

Zhan Zhao nodded: "I already know the method used in the locked room and the identity of the murderer."

"Gather everyone here!"

"The mystery is solved!"

(End of this chapter)