I Possess a Scroll of Demon-Subduing Records

At that time, Lin Yi saw the loopholes, but he only saw the woman's beauty.

Thinking of this, Xiao Se felt overwhelmed with shame.

"I have learned a lot. Thinking of my presumptuous words yesterday, I feel extremely ashamed. Please forgive me, sir."

He dared not be arrogant in the slightest and bowed respectfully to Lin Yi. Lin Yi waved his hand and said, "It's alright. It's good to admit your mistakes and correct them. Your bow has changed my opinion of you quite a bit. Although you are a bit arrogant and difficult to get along with, you are still a good person."

Xiao Se: "..."

Although Lin Yi criticized him a few more times, why was he surprisingly a little happy?

Chapter 85 Demonic Calamity or Human-Made Catastrophe?

Seeing the admiration in Xiao Se's eyes, Lin Yi knew he could make another friend.

This guy has a mysterious background, and coincidentally, his surname is Xiao, which is also the surname of the current royal family.

The message on Xiaose's face seemed empty, but those two words revealed much more.

Of the eight newly joined police officers, Chen Huaiyuan is the most mysterious. He has been given all sorts of information, but his background is unclear, and he is also an ordinary and unremarkable person.

Getting back to the main point, Lin Yi saw that Xiao Se had already adopted a humble and receptive attitude, so he didn't hold back and said, "What I just said, let's call it the 'Entering the Microscopic Method' for now. It means observing things very closely. If you want to get started, you need to observe others more."

The more you observe, the better you'll distinguish between normal and abnormal situations. Most importantly, don't blindly trust your own judgment; always remain vigilant. That's what makes a qualified police officer.

Xiao Se: "..."

Lin Yi's requirements are really strict; I'm afraid there aren't many qualified police officers in his eyes!

Xiao Se used to think that the police were nothing special, but now he's become quite interested.

"Thank you for your guidance, sir. However, I still have one question."

"What's the matter?"

"Sir, you seem to know so much about the habits of courtesans; are you perhaps a regular customer?"

"How can you slander me out of thin air? I only went there once, and someone else took me. Besides, I just looked around; I didn't do anything!"

"Yes, I believe you."

Xiao Se revealed a pleased smile; Lin Yi's reaction made him want to laugh.

"Your smile is so weird. Stop smiling! If you're going to have a poker face, then you should look poker!"

"Who has facial paralysis!"

Xiao Se flew into a rage: "I just can't be bothered with you!"

Seeing how expressive he could be, Lin Yi clapped his hands and laughed, "Look, isn't this a good thing? If you always look like someone owes you money, how can anyone be close to you or be your friend?"

"Friends?"

Xiao Se scoffed, "I don't need this kind of thing."

Clearly, this is someone with a story, and quite arrogant at that.

Humans are social beings, and normal people need friends. Although Xiao Se said he didn't want them, he must have longed for them in his heart.

Lin Yi saw through this, but didn't delve into the topic. The casual conversation ended there. Lin Yi said, "The person who came to report the case yesterday is still waiting for us to help him clear his name. Let's go, let's go to his house today."

Xiao Se knew that Lin Yi was going to continue teaching her the Microscopic Method, so she gladly went along.

Following the address Bai Xiao had left yesterday, Lin Yi led Xiao Se there.

Bai Xiao was a scholar who had also become related to a distant relative of the prefect through marriage, so his family was quite wealthy.

The place they lived in was much more impressive than Lin Yi's previous place, and the courtyard was also much larger. When Lin Yi and Xiao Se went inside, they saw white cloth hanging inside, and they could faintly hear crying.

Seeing this, Lin Yi and Xiao Se knew something had happened. They quickly went inside, parted the servants who were watching, and entered the main hall. There they saw a group of constables from the yamen surrounding a corpse, and a woman with a slender figure holding a handkerchief, weeping.

A corpse lay on the board, its face pale, its eyes sunken, and it looked like skin and bones. Lin Yi could still recognize it; it was Bai Xiao, who had reported the case yesterday.

He was perfectly fine yesterday, how could he suddenly die?

When Lin Yi and Xiao Se entered, they saw a middle-aged man advising the woman: "Sister-in-law, with Brother Bai in this condition, without a coroner's examination and investigation, it will be difficult to reach a verdict. If the prefect blames us, I won't be able to bear the responsibility!"

The speaker was Wang Shi, the head constable of the prefectural government. He was a martial arts practitioner who had not yet reached the rank of rank. Lin Yi had seen him a few times, since the prefectural government's business covered a wider range, but it overlapped with the Jingye Division in many ways.

When the two departments handle the same case, the Jingye Division usually has greater authority.

Just like now, Lin Yi can go and take over the case, and then it will have nothing to do with the county government.

Lin Yi didn't do that immediately. He raised his hand to stop the police officers who wanted to speak up, and quietly stepped forward to listen in.

Wang Shi's attention was focused on the woman, who had her back to the door, so neither of them noticed Lin Yi's arrival.

When the woman heard Wang Shi say that he wanted to have someone examine the body, she immediately became fierce: "My husband suffered so much in his life, how can I let him be disemboweled after his death? If you insist on having an autopsy, why don't you just take me and dissect me instead!"

Wang Shi immediately looked troubled. This Bai Xiao's widow, Xie, was a distant cousin of the prefect. Although she was distant, she was still a relative.

People in this era value kinship very much. Even if they are beyond the fifth degree of kinship, under Wang An's watchful eye, who would dare to bully the Xie family?

But Bai Xiao's death was not a normal one. If it were closed as a natural death, it would probably invite criticism.

Wang Shi was in a dilemma when someone else came in—the three sons of the prefect.

The three men had completely different focuses: Wang Qian looked at the corpse first, Wang Liang looked at Xie Shi first, and Wang Jinxuan looked at Lin Yi first.

Finally, Wang Qian spoke first: "Cousin, please accept my condolences."

When Xie saw Wang Qian, she cried even louder and began to complain: "Cousin, you've finally come! If you hadn't come, I'm afraid the yamen officials would have taken my husband away to be dissected. He suffered in life, and now he has to suffer this humiliation in death. I'm afraid his soul won't be able to rest in peace. If they suspect that I harmed my husband, they can just arrest me and beat me to death. Why make things difficult for my deceased husband?"

Xie cried so hard that every word was laced with tears, her pitiful appearance moving everyone present. Wang Jinxuan couldn't stand this kind of thing, and immediately glared angrily at Wang Shi: "Is this how your yamen bullies a weak woman?"

Wang Shi felt bitter inside, but dared not say anything. Wang Liang quickly comforted her, saying, "Cousin, please don't do this. We all believe in you. Don't kneel down, the ground is cold."

As he spoke, Wang Liang helped Xie Shi up.

Fearing that he might have other ideas, Wang Jinxuan quickly went over and grabbed Xie's hand, pushing him away.

Wang Qian couldn't bear to look directly at these two clowns. He turned to Wang Shi and said calmly, "Officer Wang, don't feel too much pressure. My brother-in-law's death was suspicious, and we should investigate it thoroughly, but we need to be careful about how we do it."

Wang Shi broke out in a cold sweat and quickly apologized, "Young master is right, I was rash."

Wang Qian ignored him and turned to Lin Yi, saying, "Chief Constable Lin, you've come here too. It seems my brother-in-law has been harmed by evil spirits?"

Wang Shi then noticed Lin Yi, and the pressure immediately eased.

The Jingye Division deals with this kind of thing; with them taking over, I'm sure I'll be fine.

Moreover, Wang Qian's words also implied that no matter what the truth of the matter is, it should not involve the Xie family.

First, label it as a calamity caused by evil spirits, thus exonerating the Xie family; any subsequent investigation is irrelevant.

Lin Yi grinned and said, "I think it's more likely that he wasn't harmed by a demon, but by someone else!"

Chapter 86 My reasoning always relies on evidence.

Lin Yi's answer made the atmosphere heavy again. Madam Xie stopped crying, looked at Lin Yi, and said sadly, "You suspect me?"

Wang Shi was also horrified. How could this young man be so stubborn?

Young Master Wang has already hinted so clearly, why not go with the flow? After all, the Jingye Division's cases don't necessarily require a result. Since demons and monsters have unpredictable methods, it's normal that they can't be found out.

If it becomes an unsolved case, no one will be punished, and a world where no one gets hurt will be achieved. Why offend Wang Qian and humiliate him? It won't do Jingye Division any good either!

Wang Shi secretly observed Wang Qian and noticed that his expression had indeed turned somewhat unpleasant.

"Between Chief Constable Yilin and the police, who is the murderer?"

Lin Yi looked at Madam Xie and said slowly, "Having just seen the body, it's naturally difficult to be certain. However, I have a few questions I'd like to ask you, Madam."

"What else is there to ask? If you doubt me, just arrest me. Anyway, I don't have much of a life left to live."

Xie was very uncooperative, but Lin Yi didn't care. Instead, he asked Xiao Se as if no one else was around, "Do you think she's overwhelmed with grief, or is she deliberately hiding something?"

Xiao Se knew this was a test for her. Recalling what Lin Yi had taught her, she carefully observed Xie Shi and Bai Xiao before answering, "I think she's hiding something."

Upon hearing Xiao Se's words, Xie Shi's weeping paused for a moment, then she burst into tears again, kneeling before Bai Xiao's corpse and wailing, "Husband, how cruel you are! How could you leave me all alone? Take me with you, take me with you!"

Wang Jinxuan quickly pulled her back, preventing her from banging her head on the ground, but a hint of suspicion appeared in his eyes.

She trusted Lin Yi's judgment more than this distant cousin.

Lin Yi paid no attention to Xie's crying, making a scene, and threatening suicide, and continued to ask Xiao Se, "How do you know?"

"Judging from the deceased's attire, she must have been sleeping at home when she was murdered. As her husband's bedmate, she should have known something. Even if she didn't know, judging from the way her husband died, she should have known the pain he suffered. However, instead of seeking revenge for her husband, she obstructed the investigation, which is quite suspicious."

Furthermore, this lady was impeccably dressed, even her hair was neatly combed—not the appearance one would expect after a husband's death. Such meticulous grooming must have another reason. A woman dresses for the one she loves; perhaps, her sweetheart is among those present in this hall?

Xiao Se became more and more excited as he spoke; the feeling of gradually unraveling the mystery and getting closer to the truth was incredibly enjoyable.

When he finished speaking, everyone turned to look at Wang Liang.

Wang Liang: "..."

At first, he was just a bystander, but before he knew it, he had become the main character.

In particular, Wang Liang broke down when both Wang Qian and Wang Jinxuan looked at him.

"Big brother, third sister, are you doubting me? Do you think I'm the kind of person who would harm my cousin?"

Wang Jinxuan and Wang Qian exchanged a glance, unable to make a judgment for a moment.

Wang Liang's mentality collapsed, and Xie Shi was so angry that her face turned pale. She was about to bang her head on the ground again, this time she seemed serious, so Wang Jinxuan quickly held her down.

Lin Yi rubbed his forehead and sighed, "I told you not to blindly trust your own judgment. Everything must be based on evidence, understand?"

Xiao Se: "..."

It's as if you have evidence for your previous reasoning, but I had already said that I would treat you with the respect due to a disciple. Although I was very unhappy, I had no reason to refute it, so I could only remain silent.

Lin Yi then looked at Madam Xie and asked, "Did you sleep in the same bed with Young Master Bai last night, Madam?"

When Xie tried to refuse, Wang Qian looked displeased and said in a low voice, "Answer him."

Madam Xie then said, "I did not sleep with my husband last night. He stayed at the Cloud and Rain Pavilion. I was still angry, so I made him sleep alone in the study. This morning, after I finished dressing, I went to wake him, but he was already lying in the main hall. If I had known it would turn out like this, I really shouldn't have blamed him!"

Hearing Xie's explanation, Xiao Se was finally convinced. This explained why Xie was still dressed so elegantly after her husband's death, and his previous conclusion immediately fell apart.

Wang Liang breathed a sigh of relief and shouted, "Listen, listen! You've wronged me!"

He had never really noticed his cousin before; she was just an average-looking woman before she got married, but he never expected her to become so charming and alluring.