Legend of Zhan Zhao

Chapter 78 The Truth Behind Two Locked Room Mysteries
"The mask fell off!!"

"Let's see who this person really is, and whether he's real or fake!"

Lian Caiyun wasn't the only one chasing after them. Members of the Six Doors set up defenses on both sides of the river to block Zhong Kui's retreat, while also secretly preventing Madam Gu from escaping.

After all, they still couldn't be sure whether this suddenly appearing "Zhong Kui" was real or fake.

The timing of the other party's appearance was too clever. What if they were just showing up to clear Madam Gu's name?

The entire Yunqi Mountain Villa also set off at the same time.

When "Zhong Kui" briefly appeared and then left, Madam Gu glanced at him and her expression suddenly changed. She stood up, and Granny Jiang naturally followed closely behind, as did Shen Lan and Lin Yuxian.

On the opposite bank of the river, as Lian Caiyun attacked with her sword and Zhan Zhao threw his sword to stop her, many people rushed over.

As night deepened, not everyone noticed that Zhan Zhao's sword had stopped Lian Caiyun's killing move.

But almost all attention was focused on the mask that had been severed in two by the invisible sword energy.

The Nuo mask cracked.

The true face of "Zhong Kui" has finally been revealed!
Lin Yuxian followed Shen Lan as they ran, their angles perfectly aligned so that she could see Shen Lan's face.

She looked closely and froze, muttering to herself, "Third Senior Brother, am I confused? How come I see Eldest Senior Brother?"

The eldest brother had been tragically killed long ago, on the same day that the master disappeared.

Seeing the eldest brother is like seeing a ghost, isn't it?

However, Shen Lan did not answer; her face turned pale, but there was no surprise in her expression.

"Third Senior Brother, did you already know all along...?"

Looking at his expression, Lin Yuxian immediately realized: "Could it be that night?"

Shen Lan slowly closed her eyes and sighed, "That night I recognized 'Zhong Kui's' martial arts. Recalling what happened before, I finally understood why my fourth and sixth junior brothers did what they did..."

In the case of the death of the second senior brother Tang Lei, why did the murderer "Hidden Cloud" Li Kong and his accomplice "Walking Cloud" Chu Zhirou use such a cruel method? Why did they have to frame Su Wuqing?

At the time, everyone was puzzled and thought that the two of them had been misled by outsiders and wanted to incite a deadly battle between Yunqi Manor and the Six Doors.

Now I understand completely.

"Second Senior Brother is going to inform on us to the Six Doors, and what he's saying is none other than that Eldest Senior Brother is not dead!"

"From this, the second senior brother also realized that the eldest senior brother had a great connection with 'Zhong Kui', so he wanted to exchange this secret with Su Wuqing!"

"Fourth and sixth senior brothers stopped him. They used that method to set up the scene and frame Su Wuqing's Panlong Silk in order to prevent this secret from being leaked further."

"After all, Second Senior Brother saw it. What if others also find out, and they can't stop it?"

"The best way is to completely sever ties between Yunxi Manor and the Six Doors, making them enemies. This is the best way to protect Senior Brother's identity!"

Shen Lan groaned as she revealed the true motive behind the second locked-room murder.

Lin Yuxian then recalled the first locked-room murder case at the manor: "Senior Brother...why did he fake his death?"

Shen Lan sighed: "It's all for the sake of shedding one's skin!"

"Brother Zhan once said that to become 'Zhong Kui,' one must be as secretive as possible and not be known to outsiders. This way, one can create an alibi at crucial moments of the crime. Otherwise, if one's whereabouts are stable on weekdays but one suddenly disappears when the crime occurs, that would be the most direct flaw."

"This is also why the Six Doors suspected Master's wife just now. She does indeed live a secluded life, and outsiders cannot determine her whereabouts."

“But we know that Master’s wife did not leave the manor. On the contrary, before the Blood Flood Dragon Gang was wiped out, Senior Brother traveled for more than half a year before returning…”

“It’s not unusual for people from the martial arts world to travel around, but starting from the fourth case, after the master also disappeared, the eldest disciple suddenly disappeared or acted alone, so the Six Doors would immediately suspect him!”

"So the purpose of faking his death was to abandon the clearly identified 'Qiyun' after the Yunqi Manor case, and become 'Zhong Kui' who could commit crimes everywhere!"

After hearing this, Lin Yuxian turned pale: "Perhaps there's another purpose, to cover up another case—poisoning the famous detective Li Wuxing!"

She had previously discussed with Zhan Zhao who had poisoned Li Wuxing.

At the time, she absolutely did not believe that her senior brother would poison her, but now it seems that he really would.

Li Wuxing, one of the Four Great Constables, probably never imagined that the young hero who had just wiped out the Blood Dragon Gang, the leader of the Seven Clouds and a champion of justice, would poison his wine. And in such an honorable way, that a subsequent investigation would uncover the poison without any room for denial.

However, this matter could not be investigated afterward.

First, the "Soul-Running Moon Water" poison is very special, and to detoxify it, one must run straight ahead. Li Wuxing had no choice but to run out of the manor on the spot to detoxify.

Secondly, the poisoner, Gu Lin, was also killed that same day, effectively eliminating any leads.

And this also has an advantage.

Li Wuxing usually goes his own way and often disappears, but if a bloodbath hadn't broken out in the manor, Pei Handeng would at least lead a team to search for him.

As a result, Gu Linyi's "death" was another gruesome case of dismemberment, which naturally drew the attention of everyone in Zhenyue Hall, and Li Wuxing, the lone wolf, was overlooked.

Everyone assumed he had discovered a clue and was investigating on his own, but little did they know he had fallen into the hands of "Zhong Kui".

However, there was an unexpected incident during this time: the appearance of Zhan Zhao.

"Brother Zhan first tested him by using the 'murder cross' method to identify the Six Doors members as suspects in the murder. Old Master Pei didn't believe him at the time and told him to leave and not to talk nonsense..."

"It wasn't until Brother Zhan made a second test, saying he had exceptional autopsy skills and wanted to perform an autopsy on Senior Brother, that Elder Pei ordered the arrest of the man!"

"When we heard about it afterward, we all thought it was the Six Doors acting out of anger and embarrassment. Now we realize that these two tests should be viewed separately!"

"Elder Pei didn't actually care about being suspected, but the other party demanded an autopsy and wanted to get to the bottom of the case. Knowing that his senior brother was not dead, Elder Pei had no choice but to use the excuse of slandering the Six Doors to prepare to drive Brother Zhan away completely!"

"In fact, we didn't see any bodies, only mangled remains..."

Even Caiyun understood what was hard to accept.

Before the answer was revealed, many people seemed to have doubts.

Once the true identity is revealed, the previously insignificant clues will transform into a complete chain of evidence.

This is further combined with the Six Doors' doubts about the Heart Sword Divine Technique.

Furthermore, Pei Handeng trusted Zhong Kui greatly because of Gu Menglai.

While Madam Gu certainly fits the criteria, doesn't Gu Lin also fit the criteria?

Pei Handeng doesn't trust Gu Menglai's daughter, but Gu Menglai's grandson!

Everything is connected.

At this moment, everyone knew that this was definitely the true identity of "Zhong Kui".

"Eldest Brother...Eldest Brother..."

Lian Caiyun was both delighted and surprised.

From childhood to adulthood, Liu Yun was not actually very close to his master Yun Heming or his master's wife Gu Daniangzi.

On the contrary, this gentle, humble, and considerate eldest brother has always treated each of his younger brothers and sisters like an elder brother and father.

That's why Tang Lei, nicknamed "Angry Cloud," had a secret connection with the Six Doors, which is why the other five members of the "Angry Clouds" were so angry.

This is not only a betrayal of the manor, but also a betrayal of the deceased senior brother.

result……

You faked your death!
But after the initial joy, Lian Caiyun asked sadly, "Why did you do this? Why did you kidnap so many people? Why did you kill Elder Pei?"

Faced with his junior sister Lian Caiyun's series of questions, Gu Lin did not answer. He just stared at the Nuo mask that was broken in two, and then turned his head to look behind him.

But the courage he had mustered vanished quickly in that brief glance back, and he turned his head back just as fast as he could.

Just then, a hand patted him on the back.

He froze abruptly, instinctively turned around, and called out in a trembling voice, "Master...Mother..."

Madam Gu quietly stood behind her, and for the first time, a smile appeared on her usually expressionless face: "It's good that you're alive. Come back with me, and I'll protect you!"

(End of this chapter)