Legend of Zhan Zhao

Chapter 73 Let's Solve the Case

How can we determine if the murderer is 'Zhong Kui'?

"We all saw it. The killer was wearing a wide robe, moved like a ghost, and wore a mask!"

What mask?

"The folk Zhong Kui Nuo mask has wide-open, angry eyes, a red face and fangs, and a crack on his forehead stained with cinnabar."

"Tell me the details."

"Two quarters of an hour ago, this person appeared and rushed straight to Elder Pei's house. Elder Pei was already asleep at that time and was caught off guard and captured by him. Fortunately, the patrolling constables discovered the trail, and Third Senior Brother also came to help. However, this villain injured Third Senior Brother and broke free of the grappling hook. Seeing that it was difficult to take Elder Pei away directly, he struck him in the chest with a palm... a heavy palm strike!"

While Zhan Zhao was examining the body, he listened to Lian Caiyun's tearful description of the process.

Pei Handeng did indeed die from a severe blow to the chest. The injury was simple and clear, and there were many witnesses to the incident. There was no trickery or deception as seen in the previous Tang Lei case.

The appearance of the murderer was unexpected.

Before going to the General Headquarters, Zhan Zhao had also considered Pei Handeng's safety.

But as the old constable said, he had been guarding the enemy for three days, and it was impossible for him to do nothing but guard the stronghold indefinitely.

Furthermore, after recognizing Zhong Kui's true identity, Zhan Zhao believed that the other party would not harm Pei Handeng.

result……

'I was wrong?'

"Zhong Kui has gone completely mad; to conceal his identity, he's willing to silence Pei Handeng?"

As Zhan Zhao's emotions churned, he reached out and closed Pei Handeng's eyes. Lian Caiyun, standing beside him, clenched her fists, her eyes filled with clear hatred: "This person must have killed our senior brother, and Elder Pei was also killed by this person. How can such a heartless and insane person have the face to call himself 'Zhong Kui,' who suppresses evil spirits? I will surely kill this scoundrel!"

Zhan Zhao closed his eyes and used the Six Minds Clarity Technique to calm himself down: "The motive I can think of right now is that 'Zhong Kui' didn't want to expose himself and was worried that Elder Pei would tell us the truth, so he killed him to silence him."

"But we cannot rule out the possibility of it being a disguise."

"Under the wide robe and mask, anyone could be involved, making it difficult to prove that it was the real 'Zhong Kui' who committed the crime."

Lian Caiyun frowned: "If it's not 'Zhong Kui,' then who could it be? Elder Pei is waiting at the stronghold specifically to meet 'Zhong Kui,' isn't he?"

"No! There's another person who knows this, the 'ghost' from the Six Doors!"

Zhan Zhao said, "This person feared Zhong Kui's relentless pursuit and was also worried about the internal investigation within the Six Doors. So, he impersonated Zhong Kui and murdered the respected old constable Pei Handeng, thereby completely escalating the conflict and making both sides unable to continue catching ghosts..."

Lian Caiyun objected: "But we don't know who 'Zhong Kui' is. Even if we believe that Elder Pei was harmed by 'Zhong Kui,' where can we find someone to take revenge?"

"Not bad!"

Zhan Zhao nodded slightly and transmitted his voice, "Unless someone helps us find out the true identity of 'Zhong Kui,' that person will be highly suspicious!"

Lian Caiyun was startled, but finally calmed down: "Brother Zhan, you're right, I'll listen to you!"

Instead of relying entirely on guesswork, Zhan Zhao turned around and looked at the house again: "Brother Shen was injured by 'Zhong Kui,' let's go visit him."

Shen Lan was in his room, being cared for by Lin Yuxian. When he saw Zhan Zhao and Lian Caiyun enter, he hurriedly tried to get up, saying, "Brother Zhan! I...I'm really incompetent!"

"Don't say that."

Zhan Zhao grasped his hand, and a gentle stream of true energy flowed through Shen Lan's meridians and internal organs. He breathed a sigh of relief: "Fortunately, the injury isn't serious."

Shen Lan looked ashamed: "My skills are lacking. Even with so many elites from the Six Doors cooperating with me, I still couldn't stop them. I'm truly ashamed of myself!"

"It doesn't have to be this way."

Zhan Zhao still held his hand, channeling his inner energy: "'Zhong Kui' was able to commit serious crimes all over the world, so his martial arts skills must be incredibly high. He must be quite old, after all, he has connections with those people from twenty years ago, so he can't be young anymore."

Lian Caiyun quickly added, "It's not unreasonable for Third Senior Brother to be no match for that old fellow at his age!"

Shen Lan lowered her head slightly and replied, "Yes...yes!"

Zhan Zhao then asked, "When you fought this person, were you able to sense which school or sect his martial arts belonged to?"

Shen Lan immediately shook her head: "I can't sense it. This person's martial arts are unfathomable; I can't discern their style at all." "Is that so?"

Zhan Zhao sighed silently and withdrew his hand.

He really didn't want to use this method with the people around him, but he had no choice at this moment.

While he was asking questions, the true energy of the Six Hearts Clarity Technique silently flowed into Shen Lan's body during the healing process, keeping an eye on his condition.

When Shen Lan answered the question about martial arts style and whether she could identify the opponent's school or sect, her heartbeat and emotional fluctuations changed noticeably.

It's just that they've concealed it very well on the surface.

Zhan Zhao's heart sank.

He had previously told Lian Caiyun that the murderer could not only be identified as "Zhong Kui," but also as "Ghost."

But in reality, the former is far more likely than the latter.

Because he had guarded Pei Handeng for three days, the murderer broke in as soon as he left tonight.

How could the "ghosts" inside the Six Doors know his movements so accurately?
In comparison, Zhong Kui, who silently monitors the stronghold, naturally has a greater chance of killing.

The reason Zhan Zhao said that was because, for the first time since the investigation began, he had shown a clear bias.

He hoped that the murderer of Pei Handeng was not the real "Zhong Kui," but a "ghost" in disguise.

In this way, the "ghost" would truly reveal its presence, and he was confident that he could catch it quickly to comfort Pei Handeng's spirit in heaven.

But now, Shen Lan's reaction shattered that hope.

'You noticed it too?'

'He clearly saw through the opponent's martial arts style, yet he's covering it up for his loved ones...'

Zhan Zhao withdrew his hand and stood up: "Get some rest."

"Brother Zhan..."

Shen Lan watched his retreating figure, her lips trembling.

Seeing this, Lin Yuxian said in a low voice, "Third Senior Brother, you should say what you have to say."

"it's okay no problem……"

Shen Lan hesitated, then swallowed her words, a look of pain on her face.

As Lian Caiyun followed Zhan Zhao outside, watching his retreating figure, she suddenly asked, "Brother Zhan, what's wrong?"

Zhan Zhao paused, turning his head to the side: "Hmm?"

Lian Caiyun said in a low voice, "You're much more down. Before, no matter what happened, you were always full of confidence and could overcome any difficulty!"

This is also the most charming aspect of Brother Zhan in her heart.

"I could have stopped this case, but I was too confident that 'Zhong Kui' wouldn't do anything to Elder Pei..."

As he spoke, Zhan Zhao glanced at the distance where the constables were already collecting Pei Handeng's body, and suppressed sobs could be heard everywhere.

After a moment of silence, his voice revealed a rare weariness: "What ghosts are there in this world? Demons and monsters all arise from the heart! Tell me, if the ghost-catching 'Zhong Kui' himself becomes a 'ghost,' wouldn't that be a very sad thing?"

Lian Caiyun listened, her eyes flashing, and suddenly said, "Brother Zhan, have you perhaps forgotten about tea in Zhao Prefecture?"

Zhan Zhao was taken aback.

Lian Caiyun said, "What do you mean by 'if'? Facts are facts, and there's no room for speculation! Back then, it was elder brother who asked younger sister, and today younger sister wants to ask elder brother: has the case been solved yet?"

Zhan Zhao took a deep breath, his spirits lifted, and his eyes shone with a clear light: "Never."

"Let's solve the case!"

(End of this chapter)