In the center of the Taoist temple stood a dilapidated altar, its surface marred by old, cracked incense burners and smoky incense ash, emitting a smell of decay.
On both sides of the hall, tattered lanterns and faded banners hung from the walls.
The deity statues within the temple were long since disfigured.
At the feet of the statues lay a corpse, with its belly ripped open, in a horrifying state of death.
The heart had already been removed.
Additionally, there was a remaining wisp of an evil aura, clearly the work of a demon.
The owner of the corpse was a male, approximately in his forties, of a thin build, with a fatal wound on his throat that seemed to have been caused by a sharp weapon; a large pool of blood had spread across his chest and clothing.
Confronted with Yuan Anjiang's interrogation, Jiang Shouzhong, who had already taken in the scene, said:
"At the moment we do not know where the demon that killed him is, only that the victim came from Yunchu Gambling House last night.
The Yunchu Gambling House is quite far from the Wufeng Temple, at least an hour's walk, so the fact that the victim came all this way indicates he must have been meeting someone in particular.
Furthermore, I am certain that he knew the demon that killed him..."
Jiang Shouzhong's statement left everyone present in stunned silence.
Lu Renjia and Zhang Yunwu looked even more bewildered.
What on earth are you talking about?
Although everyone knew that Jiang Shouzhong was intelligent and served as the brains of Wind Thunder Hall, they were all aware he had just arrived at the scene, so what was he prattling about?
Yuan Anjiang coldly asked, "Why are you so certain that the victim came from the gambling house?"
"The man was a habitual gambler, a permanent fixture in gambling houses."
"How can you prove that?"
Jiang Shouzhong pointed to the corpse on the ground and said:
"The man's right hand, specifically the pads of his index finger, middle finger, and thumb, all have calluses typical of a chronic gambler. Moreover, due to frequently rubbing dice, there are distinct dark abrasive marks on his hand that differ in color from the rest of his skin.
Besides, the pad of his ring finger's first joint has deliberate incisions made with a knife in a straight pattern.
Such a pattern is known as the 'gambling luck line,' symbolizing good fortune in gambling with more wins than losses. Only gamblers believe in this, and they carve such lines to deceive themselves into thinking it boosts their luck."
After Yuan Anjiang inspected the right hand of the corpse carefully, he asked, "There are so many gambling houses in the Capital, why are you sure he came from Yunchu Gambling House?"
Jiang Shouzhong then pointed at the sole of the corpse's shoe.
There, stuck to the sole, were fragments of flower petals.
"This flower is known as Purple Callicarpa Snow, imported from Xi Jing Country, and it blooms all year round, with each season producing differently shaped six-petaled blossoms, with a faint purple edge."
Jiang Shouzhong spoke at an even pace, "In the entire Capital, only the Silver Moon Tower cultivates this flower. And the closest, indeed the only gambling house on that street, is Yunchu Gambling House."
An official from the Judicial Council plucked a petal from the shoe sole, examined it, and then nodded subtly to Yuan Anjiang.
At that moment, a constable from the county office arrived in haste.
He was holding investigation records and greeted Yuan Anjiang with respect, saying:
"My lord, we have thoroughly investigated. The deceased is named Ge Dasheng, who lived in Antai Alley. He was known to be a gambler without wife or children, essentially a bachelor. Someone saw him leaving Yunchu Gambling House last night, and he was not seen thereafter."
As the words of the constable concluded, the atmosphere within the temple subtly shifted.
Finally, Lu Renjia's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, settled down.
Jiang, you are truly formidable.
Silently giving Jiang Shouzhong a thumb-up in his mind, Lu Renjia's horseshoe-shaped face squeezed out a smile as brilliant as a chrysanthemum, and he said to Yuan Anjiang:
"My lord, we are indeed investigating Yunchu Gambling House and believe we will have results soon."
Yuan Anjiang ignored him and looked at Jiang Shouzhong with a new light in his eyes, no longer that of derision and contempt but with unusual interest, and he asked again, "Then why do you also say that the demon and the victim were acquainted?"
Jiang Shouzhong replied, "Judging by the condition of the corpse, the victim has been dead for about three hours, which means Ge Dasheng was killed around two o'clock last night."
For an old gambler like Ge Dasheng, he should have been mingling in the gambling house at this time, but instead, he ran all the way to Wufeng Temple in the dead of night. It is highly likely that he was there to meet someone, and it must have been prearranged.
Furthermore, Ge Dasheng's fatal wound was on his throat, clearly cut by a sharp blade, yet the wound itself doesn't seem like the work of an expert—as it wasn't a clean and decisive cut."
Jiang Shouzhong slightly lifted the corpse's chin to show everyone, then raised Ge Dasheng's left arm.
"His left hand was stained with fresh blood, especially the index and ring fingers, which were completely smeared with blood. Clearly, after his throat was cut, Ge Dasheng instinctively used his two fingers to try to clear his airway.
Because most people who have their throats slashed don't die from excessive blood loss, but from choking on the blood.
The blood flowed out of the neck like a warm stream, and the windpipe was also filled with blood, making it impossible to speak, like being submerged in water, and also making it hard to cough. Under such circumstances, one would feel an itch in the throat and instinctively use their hands to scratch."
Jiang Shouzhong stood up, took out a handkerchief, and wiped his hands before slowly saying to Yuan Anjiang,
"Such a method of slitting the throat, coupled with the absence of any signs of a struggle in the temple, can only be accomplished by someone familiar, catching the victim off guard."
Yuan Anjiang narrowed his eyes and summarized, "So the killer isn't highly skilled and was acquainted with Ge Dasheng."
Jiang Shouzhong was about to nod and speak when Lu Renjia hurriedly chimed in with flattery, "My lord truly has a penetrating insight and brilliant intellect, earning the admiration of us all."
Jiang Shouzhong rolled his eyes.
Brown-noser!
Yuan Anjiang lifted his bright, starry eyes and stared at Jiang Shouzhong, "What is your name?"
"I am Jiang Mo."
"Jiang Mo..."
Yuan Anjiang muttered the name and gave a look to an official beside him.
The official nodded knowingly and secretly noted it down in a register.
"Hey, isn't that Big Turnip? I hear you've landed a supervisory position at the Judicial Council, not bad at all. When are you going to treat us to a drink?"
Just then, a charming and languid female voice suddenly drifted in from the entrance.
Accompanying the teasing words, a huge, dark blade entered everyone's view.
The newcomer was a young girl with a blade on her back.
She had a high-bridged nose, fair skin, delicate as carved ivory. Her petite and delicate face was more refined than a round and full goose egg shape, and she had a slender figure.
Although her waist was slim, her chest was noticeably full.
She also had a flask hanging at her side.
But what captured everyone's attention was the huge blade on her back.
The blade was dark as ink, extremely wide, about five feet and an inch long and more than forty centimeters wide, far exceeding that of ordinary blades. The blade was broad with a serrated edge.
The handle was designed to look like black dragon bones.
And the blade had no decorations, unadorned but exuding a strong aura of might.
At first glance, it even resembled a tombstone.
That's why it was called the "Tomb Blade"!
Such a heavy blade would have seemed mismatched even on the back of a rugged, burly swordsman, let alone on a delicate and frail young girl.
Yet the lazy and flirtatious ease mixed with an inherent boldness and bravado in her movements somehow fit perfectly with the Tomb Blade.
She was someone you'd know not to mess with at a glance.
Li Nanshuang!
The youngest Hall Master in the Liushan Division, and also the most lax superior.
Some even jokingly called her Mr. Li.
She slept until she woke naturally, indulged in eating and drinking, occasionally flying kites or fighting crickets, or fishing by the roadside, a young hire who was already like a retired old man.