Lanting

Chapitre 10

Encountering a murder case like this is certainly unlucky, but what's even more unlucky is encountering a muddle-headed police officer.

After a thorough investigation, the head constable, looking at Jia Gong's murdered body, felt something was amiss. The problem wasn't the manner of his death, but rather the location: why was he killed in the inner courtyard?

"The murderer must be someone he knows well!" Constable Long said with absolute certainty, causing a slight stir among those around him. Someone he knows well? Doesn't that mean the murderer is right next to them?

Chapter Twentieth

"How can we determine this if it's not Chief Constable Long?" Old Man Rong asked.

Constable Long answered without hesitation: "First, this Master Jia died in the inner courtyard—according to what you said, the guests who left the banquet midway, either to take a walk to sober up or to rest, all went to the nearby woods or the side courtyards closer to the peach grove. Why would Master Jia come to the inner courtyard? If there was nothing wrong, he naturally wouldn't wander around aimlessly, but if someone had come to see him, for example, to discuss something, it's not impossible. Second, judging from Master Jia's manner of death, he didn't put up a fierce resistance before he died, so we can assume that the murderer was someone he knew, which is why he was completely unprepared."

—It's also possible that it was done by a master who simply didn't have time to resist.

Adi and Queyue both added a sentence in their minds without prior agreement.

"But...there might be other possibilities, right?"

“That’s right, there are other hypotheses, but none of the other assumptions can simultaneously satisfy both the two points of [Jia Gong died in the inner courtyard] and [he did not resist before his death], so this hypothesis is the most likely.”

"Wouldn't this be too much..." Old Rong was still somewhat hesitant, but Constable Long waved his hand, "Don't doubt it, this is my intuition from years of handling cases!"

Queyue was slightly bewildered for a moment, then glanced at Adi, only to see that Adi was already stunned.

—As expected… this Chief Constable Long is nothing but an arbitrary and muddle-headed fool? Looking at those thick eyebrows, big eyes, and heroic air, he clearly doesn't seem like it…

Adi smiled faintly at Queyue, meaning: Let it be. He was already thankful that his [years of intuition honed through investigations] hadn't fallen on them. Why should they meddle?

.

Constable Long, whose real name was Long Yan, had been a constable for many years, and was originally a government official in the capital. However, as his family would say, this boy was sometimes so stubborn it was both funny and frustrating, but ultimately he was an upright and good boy, just a bit simple-minded and inflexible. It was this inflexibility that led to his being demoted from a "capital official" to the remote Cangzhou region, where he would continue as a [stubbornly simple-minded] constable.

Ever since receiving the news of Jia Gong's murder and rushing here to efficiently arrange everything, he has felt stifled.

His intuition was not just empty talk; he could indeed be a bit slow on the uptake at times, and there were things he couldn't immediately grasp. However, his intuition made up for it. Those who had served under him knew that his intuition, though sometimes seemingly illogical, was frighteningly accurate. Perhaps there were things he simply "didn't think of," but subconsciously he might already be aware of them.

The murder case didn't seem particularly complicated, and the clues weren't chaotic, but he felt as if he were shrouded in a thick fog, suffocating him. His intuition gave him a direction, but he didn't know how to take that first step.

Perhaps we should find Boss Fang first to know what to do next.

He ordered his men to search for the people, then turned around and saw the two outsiders again. No, to be precise, his eyes were only on one of them—Duan Jin.

This was another source of his frustration.

That guy… he just couldn’t stand him. He was clearly a refined gentleman, but looking at him made him feel so uncomfortable. An inexplicable, severe sense of disharmony choked him up.

Before he could make a mistake by misunderstanding himself, Long Yan quickly shifted his focus and refocused on the case.

Until the case is solved, everyone here will be implicated. Long Yan arranged for the local gentry to return to their residences and obtain orders from the yamen, instructing them to stay at home, not to leave the city, and to be available at any time. Qin Lou, the dance troupe, and Que Yue and A Di were kept in the dance hall and not allowed to leave at will. In particular, those who had left during the banquet were gathered in a courtyard and guarded by yamen runners.

Upon admission, Queyue glanced at the owner of the clothing store, seemingly unintentionally… Did he already know something, and was this step something he had anticipated? Or…

Seemingly sensing her gaze, the shop owner turned to her with a slight smile and said calmly, "I was just lamenting that I might not have the chance to learn from Young Master Duan, but now we have quite a bit of time." Even when others were filled with anxiety after such an unexpected calamity, this man remained so serene and composed. Apart from the fleeting look of regret and disappointment that Queyue had seen on his face when the incident first occurred, he showed no other expression.

"Young Master Duan," Xiao Tao approached him with a smile, "the rooms have all been arranged, I'll take you there."

Her smile was just as it had been when she first arrived and led them to their room, dispelling any sense of unease or heaviness in the atmosphere. Queyue returned the smile, "What brings Miss Xiaotao here too?"

Xiao Tao smiled helplessly, "Yes, I changed my clothes before and after the dance, and then I was thrown here. But it's okay. The yamen is just keeping us here under the pretext of facilitating the investigation. It's not like we're being imprisoned. People from the dance hall can still come and go. If you need anything, please let me know."

Queyue could only smile, but out of the corner of her eye she caught a glimpse of Adi, who had been completely ignored by Xiaotao earlier, lazily chuckling.

In the past, at least they would address him as "Young Master Di," but this time they completely ignored him. Xiao Tao seemed to finally realize her mistake, blushed, and lowered her head without saying a word.

The crescent moon felt a rare chill; it seemed that once she left this place, she should quickly revert to wearing women's clothing.

"Captain Long! Captain Long!!"

"Just say what's on your mind! What's all the shouting about? Have you discovered anything?"

"Officer! We've found Boss Fang..."

"Where!?"

"He...he's dead too—"

"Dead?! Where's the body? Coroner, come with me!"

When Long Yan returned after examining Boss Fang's corpse with a livid face, he went directly into the courtyard of those who had left the banquet. He gathered everyone in the courtyard and said, "Please cooperate. From now on, I will speak with each of you individually. Please tell me everything you have done since leaving the banquet, whether there are any witnesses, and that you are not allowed to communicate privately!" After saying this, he ordered the constables to keep a close watch on everyone and not allow them to whisper to each other. He would start with one person and interrogate them one by one.

Queyue sensed a gaze, turned her head slightly, and saw Yi Moran looking at her indifferently. She shook her head almost imperceptibly, then turned away as if nothing had happened.

Queyue hesitated slightly. She understood his meaning, but she wasn't sure if it was the right thing to do, or even necessary. Did he not want her to bring up their private meeting? There was no one else in the courtyard at the time, and it was his servant who had come to summon her. If he insisted on it, her refusal to cooperate might cause trouble. Since that was the case, she had no other choice.

Adi had been standing by her side the whole time, seeing everything. So, with just a glance from Queyue, he understood what was being hidden and had no objection to Queyue's decision.

Episodes 21-22

As Long Yan asked each question one by one, he would occasionally get distracted, thinking that he would eventually have to ask that person. But when that person actually stood in front of him, calmly and respectfully preparing to answer his questions, an uncontrollable sense of unease would wash over him, making him want to tear his hair out—what was it? What contradictions existed within this person that made him so uncomfortable?

This feeling is like an artist who pursues the ultimate beauty and cannot tolerate the slightest flaw seeing a meticulously painted duck maliciously drawn on a beautiful freehand landscape painting, and feeling an unbearable urge to rush over and wipe it clean with their sleeve.

He always looked at the other person's face when he asked questions, so as to see the subtle expressions on their face. But he just couldn't bring himself to look at "Duan Jin"'s face.

Where did you go after leaving the banquet?

"Room."

"What did you do when you went back to your room?"

"rest."

"You're just a young man, and you don't seem drunk. Why did you leave so early to rest?"

"I have an old injury and should not stay out for too long."

"Injury? How did you get it?"

"Officer Long, this seems to be unrelated to this case."

"Just say it! Who knows if you're a scoundrel or not!"

"Yes, I just fell down a hillside and injured my bones and muscles all over my body."

"Are you really injured? And you still went out for a trip with injuries?"

"Officer, it was precisely because my old injury had just healed that my friend brought me out to relax."

Queyue really felt that the questions this person asked were meaningless; he was just putting on a submissive act and answering whatever was asked.

"...Stretch out your hand."

Queyue paused slightly, realizing that she was currently dressed as a man, and being too reserved might arouse suspicion, so she extended her hand. Long Yan glanced at her, then hurriedly looked away, reaching out to grasp her pulse and slowly channeling a wisp of his inner energy to test it. Where the energy flowed, it was like stagnant water, without any reaction. Moreover, there was indeed damage within her body, and she was somewhat weak. Only then did he feel relieved, believing that the young master before him was indeed without problems.

He had initially leaned towards believing the crime was committed by locals, but the arrival of these two outsiders was too sudden and the timing too coincidental. Moreover, the inexplicable feeling he had about this young master compelled him to pay attention, hence his increased scrutiny. However, the facts were undeniable: how could someone so injured, weak, and completely lacking in martial arts skills easily kill a robust young man more than twice his size?

"So, you've been inside the house with your companion the whole time?"

"yes."

"He didn't leave the room either?"

"yes."

"Alright, you can go now."

Queyue gave a slight bow and then turned to leave.

After her came Adi. The two brushed past each other, and Adi gave her a gentle smile.

Adi knew what to say and how to handle the situation; if it were Adi, she wouldn't have to worry at all. Just as Adi didn't have to worry about her.

After questioning them, Long Yan instinctively felt that something was amiss. He initially judged that the matter had nothing to do with the two outsiders, but the people's words subtly hinted at something unfavorable to them. Those faintly revealed clues all pointed to the two of them… Could it be that he had misjudged them?

The case was not yet closed, so he stayed here and occupied a room without leaving. After thinking it over, he couldn't sit still any longer, so he left the room.

Meanwhile, Queyue was in her room, which was cleverly arranged with Adi's room on one side and Xiaotao's room on the other. As a result, Queyue simply didn't want to leave the room, and even when she did, she would glance at Xiaotao's door first to avoid bumping into her.

However, upon looking, she saw a wisp of green flash by, gracefully disappearing into the depths of the corridor—such lightness skill! Even she, who was accustomed to seeing Crescent Moon's exceptional lightness skills, had to admit it. Yet, in the current situation, someone sneaking around like this was bound to arouse suspicion.

As soon as she opened her door, Adi's door opened almost simultaneously. The two exchanged a glance, clearly both noticing the figure. Adi hadn't seen it with his own eyes, but even though the person's lightness skill was quite good and their movements were swift, it would be difficult for Adi to pass in front of his room without being noticed. He subtly gestured to Queyue to stay there, and then he went to follow and see what was going on.

However, after taking only a few steps, a sudden gust of wind came from the side. Adi waved his hand to block it, and in a short moment, he exchanged two blows with the attacker. Adi glanced at him and saw that it was a masked person. The person then attacked again. He blocked the attack and did not have time to take a closer look, but he heard Queyue suddenly say respectfully, "Captain Long."

Adi withdrew his body and immediately stopped his attack. Seeing that he had been exposed, the masked man also stopped and took two steps back. He pulled off his mask, revealing himself to be Constable Long.

Ah Di had regained his composure and smiled gently, and bowed, saying, "Captain Long."

Their nonchalant attitude, their refusal to question Constable Long about his actions, and their natural composure made him feel uneasy. Seeing Constable Long's slightly embarrassed expression, Adi, not wanting to embarrass him further, asked, "Constable Long, is there something you need?"

Since things had come to this, Long Yan simply said what he meant, "You know martial arts!"

Moreover... his martial arts skills are not weak!

"This... is because I know a little bit of martial arts to protect myself."

"Young Master Di's martial arts skills are not just for self-defense. So why did you conceal this during the previous interrogation?"

"Please forgive me, Officer Long. It's not that I'm deliberately hiding anything, but when you're traveling, it's always better to avoid trouble."

Long Yan chuckled, "That's right, it's a time of great turmoil, and it's certainly better to avoid trouble. Besides, the timing of your arrival is so unfortunate, coinciding with this very event. It's quite a coincidence that it's not too early or too late."

"What, does Officer Long suspect us?"

“You,” Long Yan’s eyes swept over the two of them, “or just you alone.”

Adi smiled faintly, "I had no prior grudge or enmity with those two people who were killed, so why would I bother to come all this way to kill them?"

“Yes, I do believe this was done by someone they know well, and that remains unchanged. However, I cannot rule out two other possibilities—first, whether you, or all of you, are truly strangers to those two people; second, whether it was a hired murder.”

"Does Officer Long mean that I am the [fierce] one?"

"Whether it is or not, we will only know after investigation." After saying that, Long Yan turned his gaze from Adi to Queyue and asked, "Young Master Duan, may I ask you two questions?"

Crescent Moon smiled and nodded. "Officer Long, please ask."

Her smile, identical to Adi's, made Long Yan feel awkward for a moment. He thought to himself that these two were truly from the same boat; even their smiles gave off the same feeling—always so calm and indifferent. The more he looked at them, the more powerless and frustrated he felt. He tried hard to keep his gaze from leaving her face. "May I ask how Young Master Duan recognized me just now?"

"I am not very talented, but I am quite confident in my eyesight and memory. Chief Constable Long is a dragon among men, majestic and awe-inspiring, and his demeanor is naturally different from others."

Long Yan tried to ignore the barbed flattery, "Then I would like to ask, why did Young Master Duan lie?"