"This is a highly likely direction that neatly ties together all the current clues."
"Although these are all speculations, I strongly agree."
Mi Wenjie's face was filled with excitement, and at this moment, he didn't have the mood to flatter Jiang Heng. Instead, he began to deduce step by step following this direction.
"Generally speaking, murder can be accidental, due to personal enmity, driven by interests, or to silence someone."
"First, we can rule out accidents."
"Given the status and the mysterious nature of the person who killed the guards compared to five miners, it's unlikely to be a result of personal enmity or disputes over interests."
"Their deaths could only be to silence them."
"So, they probably stumbled upon some secret in the mine, which led to their deaths."
Mi Wenjie pondered deeply, speaking to himself.
"What kind of secret could be in the mine? And how could it be related to the deaths of the guards?"
"Miners discovering a secret, the cargo being robbed, the guards being killed, and Gu Chengping possibly being aware..."
"Could it be that Gu Chengping was involved in some clandestine dealings, such as embezzling mine assets, and unintentionally left behind clues in the mine, which were discovered by a few miners..."
Jiang Heng shook his head.
"No, if that were the case, the other party could have simply discreetly killed the miners and covered it up, without causing too much commotion."
"But now, they've not only orchestrated an ambush and murder but also killed the guards."
"With such bold actions, it has attracted the attention of the sect. For the mastermind behind this, isn't it bringing more trouble upon themselves?"
"So, I believe there must be a reason why they had to kill the guards, and perhaps..."
"The secret in the mine has a direct connection to the guards."
Mi Wenjie couldn't help but shudder.
Jiang Heng continued:
"Of course, all of this is based on the premise that the ambush and murder were part of a conspiracy. If it was just a straightforward martial artist attack, these speculations wouldn't hold."
Mi Wenjie's expression turned serious as he nodded.
"No! Your speculations are very likely."
"After all, the deaths of the five people at the mine are too suspicious, and the timing is too coincidental."
"If there's no connection between the two incidents, even if there were other reasons to kill the five people, they would have waited until after the commotion from the ambush had died down before doing so."
"Next, we'll have to visit the mine again tomorrow. Although it's very likely that we won't find any clues, we have to give it a try. After all, at the moment, there's no decisive evidence to confirm Brother Jiang's speculations."
The two of them further proposed and discussed many speculations. There was no other choice; the current clues were insufficient, so they had to rely on logical reasoning, even baseless conjecture, to conduct rational discussions.
After Mi Wenjie returned to his room, Jiang Heng continued his cultivation.
The next day, Mi Wenjie personally went to investigate the mine. As expected, there were no discoveries.
While Mi Wenjie was deep in thought, Jiang Heng brought up another idea.
"Since all the clues have dried up, why not dig deeper into the very first clue?"
"The initial clue?"
Mi Wenjie looked at Jiang Heng in surprise, waiting for him to continue.
"The coroner!"
"I've always believed that there must be something unusual about the bodies; otherwise, there was no need to cremate them so hastily."
"While the sect doesn't adhere to this practice, in ordinary families, there's a custom of burying the deceased within seven days. The hasty cremation of these five bodies was certainly an attempt to conceal something."
"The most likely person to know about any abnormalities in the bodies would be the coroner."
Mi Wenjie's face darkened, and he said firmly, "I'll go and bring the coroner here, torture him thoroughly, and then question him again. I don't believe he won't talk."
He was about to turn and leave when Jiang Heng stopped him, shaking his head, and said, "If he knew, why do you think he didn't tell you earlier?"
Mi Wenjie sneered, "For what reason? He must have been threatened by the mastermind behind this. I'll finish the investigation and leave, but the other party is likely rooted here. If he leaks any information, he won't escape death."
"But this time, he won't have a choice but to talk."
He clenched his fists, looking as though he was ready to use force to make the coroner talk.
"I think that since the other party has already decided to conceal the truth, they will likely continue to do so all the way. Otherwise, they would have offended you and the mastermind behind this, making enemies on both sides."
"You might want to find a way to bluff him."
"Being able to make the coroner fear the mastermind behind this more than us suggests that the mastermind behind this has significant influence here."
Mi Wenjie calmed down a bit and nodded, then left again.
When he arrived outside the coroner's residence, he heard miserable crying coming from inside, and his heart sank. He hurriedly entered the courtyard and found the place filled with mournful cries. The coroner's lifeless body lay face-up on the ground, a look of terror on his face, clearly dead for some time.
Two police officers were investigating the scene and questioning family members.
When Mi Wenjie entered the courtyard, he immediately attracted the attention of some people. A middle-aged woman pointed at him and shouted loudly, "He came to question my husband yesterday, and afterward, my husband became increasingly uneasy. His death must be related to him!"
Under the panic and grief of the head of the household's death at home, her awe of the sect disciples had completely disappeared.
The two constables looked conflicted. Under the pressure of the sacred place, the relationship between the court and the sect had generally been harmonious, even cooperating with each other.
As a top-tier sect in Qingzhou, they were naturally recognized.
Based solely on the woman's words, they couldn't question him as if he were a suspect.
Fortunately, Mi Wenjie had some information he wanted to inquire about and took the initiative to talk to the two constables.
After a brief communication, he learned that the coroner had died less than an hour ago, and there were no useful clues left behind before his death.
Mi Wenjie had no choice but to take his leave.
Although the coroner didn't leave any information, his wife had inadvertently revealed a bit of information.
As Mi Wenjie rushed back while deep in thought, he considered, "She said that after questioning yesterday, the coroner became increasingly uneasy. Combined with his silencing today, it's clear that he was hiding something."
"With that in mind, it seems that Brother Jiang's speculations are generally correct, and there are indeed clues on the bodies."
"Even if they were burned, there were still traces that the coroner could detect..."
"Unfortunately, I still can't deduce the most crucial point."
"What exactly is the secret in the mine?"
When he returned to the courtyard and informed Jiang Heng of everything, Jiang Heng pondered for a moment, then smiled and said, "In that case, I have a solution!"
"Go and fetch Gu Chengping."
Jiang Heng smiled confidently.
Mi Wenjie left in confusion.
Before long, he brought Gu Chengping over.