Arrancando flores y sonriendo

Capítulo 28

"Hey! What kind of attitude is that? Is this the scene that should be when a grandson who has been separated from his father for six years sees his grandfather who is about to die?" Grandpa Guan seemed quite dissatisfied with him, but his small eyes, which were squinted into slits with a smile, betrayed his true feelings.

"You two old folks look so energetic and strong! You can live at least another fifty years." Jiang Mohui easily flattered them, making the two old people beam with joy.

"Alright, Grandpa Jiang, your grandson is here. Now please leave my house, and please don't come looking for trouble again." I really didn't want to see him in this embarrassing situation—why does he always catch me in the act?!

"Long time no see, Qing..." he said with a smile, trying to get away with it.

“My name is Ye Qingyang. You’re too kind, Master Jiang. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you before.” I interrupted him coldly.

"Who did this?" Jiang Mohui suddenly narrowed his eyes, his voice turning cold.

"It wasn't me, it was him!?" Old Master Jiang immediately declared solemnly—the grandfather and grandson were truly extraordinary, speaking incoherently and leaving people completely baffled.

As everyone in the room turned their gaze toward me, following his gaze—"It wasn't me. I didn't do anything!" I instinctively raised my hands to show my innocence and shouted my protest.

"The clothes were ripped open by that person outside, and the red mark on your neck was from your grandfather pinching you." Old Master Guan was the first to react, pointing a finger back and forth between the two people inside and outside the house. "Young man, which matter are you concerned about? Which person?"

"Grandpa!" Jiang Mohui glared at the old man helplessly. "Can't you tell that Young Master Ye doesn't know martial arts? Why are you pinching him for no reason?"

I looked down and saw that the front of my shirt was slightly open, revealing a section of my snow-white neck. I smiled awkwardly and grabbed my coat from the bedside table, putting it on. "Senior Jiang asked me something earlier, and I accidentally touched him a little too roughly. No ill intent."

“Yes, he himself said it was an accident. Besides, how was I supposed to know he was your friend?” Old Master Jiang immediately raised his voice.

"Yeah, right! He was just torturing this kid Ye even though he knew you had given him the Brocade Cloud Pouch and the Heartless Token." But Grandpa Jiang wouldn't let him off the hook and jumped in to complain.

"I just wanted to scare him a little, who knew his skin was so delicate? Like a little girl, so fragile?" Old Master Jiang muttered guiltily.

So, according to him, it all boils down to me having too thin skin? —I'm really speechless. I couldn't help but smile wryly. "Yes, it's my fault, alright? Now please leave my house. I think Xiaofeng and I are tired and need to rest."

"Hey, you're a young man alone in a room with a teenage girl. What kind of crazy idea are you up to?" Old Master Jiang looked at me with ill intent—I wasn't going to fall for his tricks!

"Tch, is that so strange? Some people have spent months alone in the wilderness and nothing happened to them." For some reason, these words just popped out of my mouth without thinking. I glanced at Jiang Mohui with annoyance, and sure enough, the kid immediately looked smug.

"Still looking? What's so interesting? Look again and I'll gouge your eyes out!" I glared at him. The guy, whether he didn't understand or was pretending, was actually smiling at me! I angrily turned away and ignored him.

"Then please, gentlemen, take this young lady, Xiaofeng, to the manor for a while. I'll stay here to help Brother Ye." This fellow immediately seized the opportunity to get rid of her.

Pshaw! What do I need his help with? — I can tell what he's up to even with my toes. "No need, you can all leave. I don't need anyone's help."

"Are you sure? When I came in just now, I think I saw a corpse in the yard. Ah, and it seems there are a few more next door. Sigh! They all died so tragically!" Jiang Mohui was completely confident in my abilities. He smiled slyly and dragged the three people out. "Grandpa, I think Brother Ye really doesn't need any help. I think we should take Miss Xiaofeng back to the manor instead of making a fool of ourselves here."

"Hey! You surnamed Jiang, is this our little Hui boy?" Old Master Guan stroked his non-existent beard with suspicion. "How come he looks so different from six years ago?"

Corpses? I clenched my fists in fear, but refused to call them back—I had just chased them away, and now I was calling them back in less than a minute? How spineless! Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, it was Uncle Shen's family who died, they won't scare me—I tried to bolster my courage.

"Ahhhhhh!" A scream came from Xiao Feng's throat.

I couldn't hold back any longer. I rushed out of the room and grabbed Jiang Mohui's hand tightly, refusing to let go. "Don't go!"

"Little Feng, why are you scaring him? He looks so pitiful." Grandpa Guan teased me jokingly. "His face is practically buried in Xiao Huizi's body! I'm telling you, have some self-respect, okay? Tsk! Where's your manly demeanor? I really don't know what Xiao Huizi sees in you? To become your best friend? You've made us all lose face!"

"No! Grandpa Guan, I didn't scare Brother Qingyang! That person, that person is dead!" Xiao Feng pointed at the man in black with trembling fingers—his eyes were wide open, his face full of panic, and he was bleeding from all seven orifices.

"Dying like this is too easy for him. He knew he was responsible for more than fifty deaths, and his crimes were heinous; he deserved to die." Old Master Jiang sighed deeply. "However, by taking his own life, there's no way to prove his innocence. Clearing Hui'er of suspicion will probably take some effort!"

"It wasn't him!" This time it was Jiang Mo Hui and I who refuted in unison.

"What do you mean it's not him?" Grandpa Jiang looked at us strangely.

"You go first." He patted my back reassuringly and quietly took my hand that was tugging at his sleeve.

"The thief who massacred Sunjiawan was not him," I announced calmly.

"What? How is that possible?" Grandpa Guan asked in surprise. "He just admitted it himself! If he didn't kill him, why would he confess?!"

"Maybe it's for fame, or maybe it's for some other reason. Anyway, he's not the real culprit." I calmly analyzed, "I have two reasons to prove it."

"Hurry up and tell me, don't keep me in suspense," Grandpa Guan urged me impatiently.

"First, he just said that he killed fifty-four people that day, including the old and the young. But that night, including Ye Sanshao who died downstream of the Han River, plus me, there were only fifty-two people in that inn in total."

“Nonsense! That girl Rumei clearly said that a total of fifty-three people died, plus you who escaped, so it should be fifty-two. How come there are two missing?” Grandpa Jiang also started counting on his fingers.

"Because among the dead was a pregnant woman who was eight months along, and she was carrying twins!" I said quietly, tears streaming down my face. "So, although the murderer only killed fifty-two people, he has fifty-three lives. Add me, and that makes fifty-four."

Everyone stood there silently for a long while, then Jiang Mohui hugged me tightly.

I tried to compose myself before continuing, "Secondly, the murderer is left-handed. But when he kidnapped me and then tried to kill me, he used his right hand."

"How do you know he's left-handed? Even if he is, wouldn't he deliberately not use his left hand to hide his identity?!" Grandpa Guan muttered to himself.

“Yes, since he has already confessed to the crime, there seems to be no point in hiding the fact that he is left-handed!” Grandpa Jiang shook his head, indicating his disagreement.

“Yes, there was even less need to hide it at Sunjiawan. He originally intended to kill everyone, so why would he need to pretend in front of the dead?” Even Xiaofeng understood this.

"Then what do you mean if you're not talking about him?" Grandpa Guan had no choice but to change the subject and draw our attention to Jiang Mohui.

“He did not die by suicide,” Jiang Mo replied confidently. “He was poisoned beforehand. This kind of poison does not kill immediately, but it takes effect after a certain period of time, causing the poisoned person to bleed from all seven orifices and die.”

"How could someone who has committed suicide by taking poison go out and kill people? And why kill them several times in different places?" Grandpa Jiang nodded in agreement. "Someone must have instructed him to take poison beforehand to prevent him from being caught and revealing his whereabouts. If he had returned on time, the poison could have been neutralized without anyone noticing. What a ruthless person! What a vicious scheme! And this person is the mastermind and the real culprit of the whole thing!"

I felt a chill run through me, and cold sweat poured down my back. Instinctively, I gripped Jiang Mohui's hand tightly—who exactly was this vicious and ruthless man? Where could he possibly be hiding?

This book was first published on Xiaoxiang Novel Original Website. Please retain this information when reprinting!

[Volume Two: Parting Chapter Nine - A Heartfelt Farewell]

Jiang Mo stepped forward, extended a finger, carefully dipped it into the black-clad man's poisoned blood, and sniffed it lightly. His brows furrowed slightly. "He was poisoned with 'Heartbreak Grass.' This poison is colorless and odorless, and the person poisoned is completely unaware. What's most remarkable is that it can control the duration of the poisoning by adjusting the dosage."