Taking advantage of the situation, Elder He led his men to surround Cui Banxian, separating him from the villagers.
After all, even if he was the killer, they couldn't kill him right there. They had to take him back to have Hu Fan determine his guilt.
The rising public outcry only made Cui Banxian more fearful. He could feel his stomach trembling.
If it hadn't been for Chen Xiaobei and the others desperately holding him back, he would have probably been hacked to death by Chen Ping by now.
So, the only option left for him was to stay silent. Even if he confessed, he would have to wait until they got to the county office.
Chen Xiaobei called over the village guards. In front of the constables, they formed another wall to keep the villagers as far away as possible.
Then, he spoke to Chen Ping. "Let's first let Head Constable He clarify things. When it comes time for the real punishment, you can act then."
After some persuasion, Chen Ping was finally convinced.
However, when faced with Elder He's questions, Cui Banxian decided to play the silent game. He shut his eyes tightly and refused to speak, no matter what.
At this moment, Elder He was in a dilemma.
Though Cui Banxian was suspicious, he hadn't confessed. If they took him back like this and he turned out to be the killer, that would be fine, but if they made a mistake, and the case was mishandled, the blame would fall on him, and he could lose his position as head constable.
Not only was he anxious, but now Chen Xiaobei was anxious as well. Until things were cleared up, his own suspicions couldn't be cleared either.
Seeing that the interrogation was at a standstill, a lightbulb went off in his head. He called over Chen Xiaowei and whispered a few words to him.
Chen Xiaowei nodded and quietly moved back. He went half a mile away, stayed for a moment, and then hurried back. "Captain, Captain!"
Hearing the shout, the villagers instinctively parted to give him a clear path.
Chen Xiaowei pretended to be out of breath. "Captain, Captain, we found something in Cui Banxian's house... we found the bamboo viper."
Upon hearing this, Cui Banxian suddenly opened his eyes wide, and instinctively shouted, "No, no, it's impossible. The snake isn't in the house."
Once he said this, he froze.
Because he saw Chen Xiaobei tilting his head, looking at him with a half-smile.
"Chen Xiaobei, you... you tricked me!"
Chen Xiaobei sneered coldly. "Yes, I tricked you. You fell for it."
Elder He looked at Chen Xiaobei with admiration, thinking to himself, this village guard captain is better at solving cases than I am. With just a small trick, he got Cui Banxian to speak.
Chen Xiaobei stared at Cui Banxian. "Now, do you still want to argue? If I tell the village guards to leave, Chen Ping will kill you immediately. The only chance you have to survive is to confess and let Head Constable He take you back to the county office."
Cui Banxian sighed helplessly. "Chen Xiaobei, you're ruthless. I've lived most of my life, and yet I was fooled by your little trick."
With that, he leaned back and let out a long laugh. "It's all my fault for being kind and soft-hearted in the beginning. I should've let Chen Anbang kill you first."
Then, he turned to look at Elder He. "Sir, I killed Chen Anbang, I admit it."
Hearing this, Chen Ping, who was standing in the distance, became agitated again, swinging his kitchen knife and charging forward. However, Lidong and his men held him back tightly.
"Cui Banxian, I curse your ancestors! What did my grandfather do to you, for you to treat him this way?"
Cui Banxian suddenly became very agitated. "Your grandfather's deeds, they can't even be finished in three days and three nights. Let me put it this way, if I didn't kill him, he would've killed me. Of course, I had to strike first."
After saying that, he looked around at everyone present. "Today, I'll tell you the truth. Don't be fooled by Chen Anbang's seemingly honest appearance. He had plenty of dark schemes hidden inside."
"He set his eyes on our village's Cui Fuguo's wealth and secretly plotted to kill Chen Xiaobei, then have Chen Ping marry Cui Hongyu, seize the Cui family's wealth, and sell Cui Hongyu into the Baihua Building."
"You— you're talking nonsense..." Chen Ping cursed, but inside, he was shaken. How could Cui Banxian know about this?
Chen Xiaobei was also shaken. No wonder the beautiful woman appeared from nowhere. It turns out this wasn't a windfall—it was a trap.
Suddenly, Chen Ping spoke to Chen Xiaobei. "Brother Xiaobei, don't listen to him. This is impossible. Cui Hongyu is unlucky in marriage. How could I marry her..." As soon as he said this, he realized it sounded wrong and quickly stopped.
But Cui Banxian, on the other hand, seemed quite pleased with himself. "Of course, you don't want to marry Cui Hongyu, because after you take the Cui family's wealth, what woman wouldn't be available to you? You'd sell her to the Baihua Building."
Chen Xiaobei was furious. He took two quick steps forward, reached Chen Ping, swung his arm, and slapped him hard across the face. "Cui Hongyu is my wife now, show some respect."
That slap was well deserved. Chen Ping covered his cheek and didn't dare say a word.
Next, it was Cui Banxian's turn. This time, Chen Xiaobei hit him even harder, knocking out two of his teeth. "Cui Banxian, this is for Hongyu. If you keep talking dirty, I'll beat you to death."
The onlookers were all stunned by Chen Xiaobei's aura. He didn't hesitate to act; he was willing to fight just because someone talked badly about his wife.
Meanwhile, at the outer edge of the crowd, hidden in a corner, Cui Hongyu was watching, her heart feeling sweet.
This man, who defends his dignity at all costs, can't stand even a few disrespectful words from others and immediately takes action.
A man like this feels so reassuring.
Taking advantage of the moment, Elder He stepped forward. "Alright, everyone, since Cui Banxian has confessed, I will take him back to the county office. Once County Magistrate Hu has questioned him thoroughly, we'll determine his punishment."
Of course, Chen Ping wasn't having it. He jumped up and shouted, "Sir, since he's confessed, just chop off his head and use it to honor my grandfather!"
Elder He looked at him and said in a low voice, "Don't worry, he's as good as dead."
After saying that, he glanced at Chen Xiaobei.
Chen Xiaobei understood Elder He's meaning—he wanted him to try and calm Chen Ping down, to prevent him from being too extreme.
Chen Xiaobei cleared his throat. "Alright, everyone disperse now. Brother Chen Ping, don't worry, the authorities will give you a proper answer."
Surprisingly, Chen Ping nodded and said, "Alright, I believe you."
After that, he stopped speaking.
Well, a slap really did get him to submit.
Even Elder He was a bit surprised. He didn't expect that Chen Xiaobei's one sentence would settle everything.
As Elder He left with his men, the crowd immediately gathered around Chen Xiaobei.
Seeing the way the crowd treated him like a star, Chen Xiaobei couldn't help but feel a little emotional. The common folk really are the most practical.
"Alright, everyone disperse. Go about your business tomorrow."
After saying that, he turned to Chen Ping. "Your grandfather's funeral will be taken care of tomorrow, it's too hot today."
Chen Xiaobei didn't say anything more, but the villagers understood his meaning. With the heat and the poisoning... the smell...