Born Saints: Starting from Liaozhai

Not long after he left, he saw a group of people from Guobei County gathered around a place.

Su Chen glanced at it from afar and noticed a pool of blood on the street that hadn't been dealt with yet.

The closer they got to the Zhang family's house, the more onlookers they attracted.

As soon as he arrived at the gate of the Zhang family's house, he was spotted by the surrounding villagers who were talking about him, as well as the gatekeepers, Old Man Wang and Wang An.

"Young Master?"

"Young Master, what are you doing here?"

The two old men, Wang and his companion, both looking worried, were taken aback when they saw the young master walking towards the gate.

Then, Old Man Wang said urgently, "Young Master, hurry to the main hall! Something has happened to the Master!"

He spoke the last few words almost in a low voice, his voice filled with barely concealed panic and grief.

Su Chen didn't ask any further questions.

He simply nodded silently.

Amidst the curious, prying, and gossiping gazes of the villagers from Guobei County outside the gate, he strode across the threshold and entered the Zhang family's residence.

The sound of footsteps was particularly clear in the empty courtyard.

soon.

The main hall of the Zhang family is already in front.

At this moment, the main hall of the Zhang family was already crowded with people.

There were several county yamen runners in official uniforms with solemn expressions, as well as Zhang family relatives who had rushed over upon hearing the news. They all whispered among themselves, deliberately keeping their voices down.

Inside the main hall, the atmosphere was so heavy it was almost suffocating.

The mother, Xu, stood at the front of the crowd, with her younger brother, Zhang Xing, beside her. Their faces were pale, and their expressions were blank, as if they had not yet recovered from the sudden change.

All eyes turned to the center of the main hall.

There, a makeshift wooden frame was erected.

On the wooden frame.

Zhang Shanhai, a portly man dressed in a gray robe, lay quietly.

He remained motionless, his breath gone.

The Zhang family patriarch, who usually held sway and had absolute authority in Guobei County, lay there lifeless, no longer showing any signs of life.

That face, which used to be always worried and sighing, was now bloodless and pale to the point of being ashen.

His eyes were tightly closed, but a trace of lingering pain and shock remained between his brows, as if he hadn't had time to react to what had happened before he died.

But what's most striking is the hideous and terrifying knife wound on his chest and abdomen.

The robes were torn, and the bloodstains had long since congealed into a dark red, a shocking sight.

A faint, lingering smell of blood still lingered in the air.

The mother, Xu, knelt beside the wooden frame, her hands tightly embracing Zhang Shanhai's body, as if afraid that if she let go, he would disappear completely.

Her shoulders were trembling violently, and her sobs were intermittent, her voice already hoarse from crying.

"Master...Master..."

The cries were piercing and desperate, carrying the despair and helplessness of a woman who had lost her support, echoing throughout the main hall.

Those around who witnessed this scene either sighed with their heads down or had complicated expressions, but no one dared to step forward and disturb them.

"Master...Master...please come back to life..."

"What will I do if you die...?"

Beside him, Zhang Xing's eyes were red-rimmed, filled with disbelief and disbelief.

Upon seeing Su Chen's arrival, Xu and the others turned their gazes towards him.

"Xuan'er, your father..."

After weeping for a while, Madam Xu sighed, "Xuan'er, come and see your father one last time. You won't see him again. He loved you the most when he was alive, and you made him the proudest..."

As she spoke, she became unable to continue, her voice choked with emotion.

The yamen runners and Zhang's relatives nearby sighed with emotion.

At this time.

Old Wang's voice rang out from outside the main hall.

"Madam, the coroner has arrived."

Everyone turned to look.

A middle-aged man in his forties strode into the main hall.

He was not tall, had a slightly hunched back, and walked with a steady gait.

His face was ashen, his eyes were sunken, and his expression carried the somber air of someone who had dealt with corpses for many years. A sparse tuft of beard hung at the corner of his mouth, and his hair was mottled with visible white frost.

The coroner didn't say much, but nodded to the constables and walked straight to Zhang Shanhai's body.

He rolled up his sleeves and bent down.

His gaze lingered on the gruesome blade for a moment, then he carefully examined the depth of the wound, the bleeding marks, and the congealed bloodstains on the surrounding clothing.

Then, he probed his neck and pressed his chest and abdomen, his movements practiced and calm.

The entire main hall became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Everyone held their breath, and even Xu's cries unconsciously subsided, leaving only intermittent sobs.

After a while.

The coroner slowly straightened up and gently exhaled.

He reached out and straightened Zhang Shanhai's robes, covering the overly conspicuous wounds, and smoothed out his collar, giving this patriarch of the Zhang family a final bit of dignity.

After doing all this, he turned around and looked at Ms. Xu, who was standing to the side with teary eyes and on the verge of collapse.

The coroner's voice was hoarse as he sighed softly and said, "Master Zhang has passed away... Madam, please accept my condolences."

"The murderer who killed Master Zhang will be brought to justice by our yamen."

Upon hearing this, Madam Xu's face turned pale, her eyes filled with tears, and she became even more heartbroken, almost fainting.

"Father..." Zhang Xing called softly, his eyes filled with a complex and empty look, a mixture of grief and confusion.

aside.

Su Chen watched silently for a long time without saying a word.

Seeing her younger brother Zhang Xing's appearance, his mother was heartbroken, and an aura of death emanated from her, as if she wanted to follow Zhang Shanhai in death. He couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

half an hour.

In the midst of the somber atmosphere, Su Chen suddenly said in a deep voice, "Mother, don't be sad, I have a way."

The words were spoken.

The entire main hall fell silent. Madam Xu, the mother, also stopped crying and looked at him with confusion and astonishment.

Zhang Xing's face also showed confusion, not knowing what his crazy older brother was talking about.

What method?

Coroner Wen Zhou was the first to regain his senses. He looked at Su Chen, his voice tinged with hesitation and inquiry.

"Young Master Zhang... do you mean you have a way to find the murderer who killed Master Zhang?"

This statement came out.

The county yamen runners couldn't help but exchange glances, their faces showing surprise.

Catching criminals and solving cases has always been the responsibility of the government. What can a rich merchant's son do?

Sobbing, the mother, Madam Xu, said, "My son, it's too dangerous. Let these constables go."

Although he was very jealous of the older brother in front of him, Zhang Xing nodded.

"Young Master Zhang, Madam is right. Our yamen will take care of catching the murderer," said coroner Wen Zhou.

Upon hearing this, Su Chen glanced at them but did not reply.

His gaze fell upon his father, Zhang Shanhai, who was lying on the shelf, his face pale and bloodless, his body lifeless, having bled too much, his soul long since departed from his body, and who had been dead for some time.

Su Chen sighed, then a determined look flashed in his eyes.

When he said he had a way, he didn't mean he had a way to find the so-called murderer, but rather a way to save people!

My father, Zhang Shanhai, is dead; his soul has left his body, and even I can't do anything about it.

But if there is a soul, then it's different!

At this moment, the soul of the father, Zhang Shanhai, has most likely already gone to the underworld.

If we can make a trip to the underworld and retrieve the soul of my father, Zhang Shanhai, there is a way to bring him back to life!

Su Chen had already made up his mind.

Looking at the puzzled coroners, his younger brother Zhang Xing, and his heartbroken mother Xu, he calmly said, "Mother, don't move Father's body yet. Wait for me, I will find a way."

As he spoke, he was met with puzzled and astonished looks from his mother, Xu, his younger brother, Zhang Xing, and the coroner.

Su Chen turned and left the main hall, heading outside, preparing to go out and find the recently deceased soul, and then follow that soul to the underworld.