When Chen Ping saw Chen Xiaobei, it was like seeing a relative, and he cried loudly.
"Brother Xiaobei, you're here! My grandfather died so horribly!"
Chen Xiaobei walked over and saw that both Chen Anbang and Yang Shi had blackened faces, and his heart skipped a beat.
Although he wasn't sure what had happened, his experience told him that they had probably been poisoned.
In his past life, he had watched plenty of TV dramas, and it was only poisoning that would cause someone's face to turn black. Moreover, the exposed skin was swollen and blackened.
Not far away, Liu Ce saw this and leaned toward Liu Rumai, whispering in her ear, "Miss, they've been poisoned."
Chen Xiaobei took a step forward, about to reach for Chen Anbang, when Liu Ce hurriedly shouted, "Mr. Chen, please wait!"
Chen Xiaobei turned his head, looking at Liu Ce with a face full of confusion.
The unspoken question was, "Why are you still here?"
Liu Ce stepped forward and loudly said, "Mr. Chen, these two died from poisoning. It's best not to touch their bodies just yet."
Of course, Chen Xiaobei understood the hidden meaning in Liu Ce's words. If he touched them, he might get poisoned as well, and that would be troublesome.
He gave Liu Rumai a grateful look and turned to Liu Ce, asking, "So, what should we do?"
Liu Ce stepped forward, crouched down, and began carefully examining the bodies of the two. Soon, he pointed to the back of Yang Shi's hand and said, "Brother Xiaobei, look here, there are two very fine puncture marks, and black blood is seeping out. This must be a wound, and it looks very much like a snakebite."
When the villagers heard "snakebite," they exchanged nervous glances and instinctively took several steps back.
Chen Xiaobei was also filled with emotion upon hearing this.
In such times, a snakebite was nearly incurable.
But just then, an elderly man with white hair and a long beard spoke up.
"That's not right. Over all these years, no one in our village has ever died from a snakebite."
"Moreover, I've heard from my ancestors that Qingniu Mountain is a gift from the heavens, and there are no venomous snakes on that vast mountain."
Chen Xiaobei recognized the speaker.
This man was the oldest in the village. In fact, even Chen Anbang was of his grandson's generation. From the time Chen Xiaobei could remember, everyone had referred to this elder as "the ancestor."
What he said now undoubtedly carried weight.
This statement left Liu Ce dumbfounded.
The two small puncture marks clearly looked like traces left by a venomous snake's fangs, yet this man was adamant that there were no venomous snakes.
Just then, someone suddenly pointed and shouted in shock.
"Snake, there's a snake!"
Following the direction of everyone's finger, Chen Xiaobei saw several small, bright green snakes climbing up the corner of the courtyard wall. It seemed that the crowd's presence had made them feel threatened, so they were trying to escape.
Seeing the color, Chen Xiaobei's heart skipped a beat. He remembered from school that brightly colored snakes were usually venomous.
Liu Ce, seeing the snakes, couldn't help but exclaim, "Bamboo viper, it's highly poisonous."
Bamboo viper.
Chen Xiaobei also shuddered in fear.
Fortunately, in the next moment, Liu Ce swiftly dashed forward, and with a flash of cold light, the few small green snakes were sliced into several pieces. They struggled on the ground for a while before finally stopping.
Liu Ce then checked the courtyard again, and after confirming there were no other venomous snakes, he walked out.
This time, Chen Xiaobei became much more respectful. He cupped his hands in gratitude and said, "Thank you, Liu Housekeeper."
"It was nothing," Liu Ce said, patting Chen Xiaobei on the shoulder, winking at him, and turning to leave.
Chen Xiaobei understood that Liu Ce had something to say to him. He immediately turned to the villagers and said, "Everyone, please lend a hand. I'll see the guests off."
Chen Xiaobei followed Liu Rumai and Liu Ce until they reached the big locust tree in the center of the village, where Liu Ce finally stopped.
"Brother Xiaobei, there's something I need to clarify with you."
"The old man was right. The bamboo viper isn't native to our Dacang Kingdom."
After speaking, Liu Ce exchanged a glance with Liu Rumai. The two mounted their horses and rode off.
Chen Xiaobei was left feeling a bit confused.
Liu Ce's words had been very clear.
Under normal circumstances, the bamboo viper should not have been in Chen Anbang's house.
So that raises a question. Who had Chen Anbang offended? Who wanted to see him dead?
And why did they resort to such vile methods?
As he was returning, the villagers were already lifting Chen Anbang and Yang Shi into the house with help from everyone.
When the elder saw Chen Xiaobei, he immediately grabbed him.
"Xiaobei, this situation is suspicious. We've never had snakes like these in our village."
Chen Xiaobei glanced at the sorrowful and heartbroken Chen Ping and sighed slightly. "The elder probably offended someone, but look at how Chen Ping is. Maybe we should wait and ask later."
The elder shook his head. "This child was raised by Anbang since he was young, and they have deep feelings for each other. He won't rest until he finds the culprit."
Chen Xiaobei thought to himself, if he won't rest until he finds the culprit, then what should I do...?
At this moment, Chen Xiaobei suddenly realized something. According to what Chen Ping had told him earlier, in Hetou Village, the only two people who were registered in the county and received a salary were the village chief, Chen Anbang, and himself, the captain of the village guards.
Now that something had happened to Chen Anbang, it meant that as the captain of the village guards, he had become the highest leader in Hetou Village.
Thinking about it, it really was true what they say: fate is unpredictable, and life is full of twists and turns.
At the beginning, he had been discouraged about this whole time-travel situation, but now, though the conditions were difficult, it wasn't without rewards.
In just over a month since arriving here, he had gotten married and become the highest leader of the village.
If this were his past life, he would have reached the peak of his life by now.
Thinking of this, he helplessly shrugged. "Sigh, if he won't rest until he finds the culprit, I really have no choice."
The elder coughed a couple of times and said to those around him, "Go and bring Chen Ping here, Xiaobei has something to ask him."
As he had said, Chen Ping, wiping away his tears, approached Chen Xiaobei, knelt with a thud, and hugged Chen Xiaobei's legs, crying uncontrollably.
"Xiaobei, you have to help me! My grandparents died so horribly!"
Chen Xiaobei patted his shoulder, said a few comforting words, and then gently asked, "Alright, stop crying for now. Let me ask you, did your grandfather offend anyone?"
Chen Ping wiped his tears, stood up, thought for a while, and shook his head slightly.
"My grandfather was always kind to others, rarely argued with anyone, and I never heard of him having any quarrels with anyone."
"Has your grandfather done anything unusual recently?"
Chen Ping tilted his head, thinking. "Yesterday, he spent the whole afternoon in the house, staring into space. I don't know what he was thinking, and when I asked him, he didn't say anything. In the evening, he went out for a bit, but when he came back, he didn't say anything and went straight to bed. And then, today, this happened."
Well, there wasn't much to be learned from Chen Ping, so Chen Xiaobei had to give up.
He decided to approach it from a different angle.
He called over a few village guards who were on duty at the village entrance that day and told them to go and ask the villagers if they had seen anyone near Chen Anbang's house.