Chapter 34 Reappearance

"If you weren't so skilled in this technique, why did you unconsciously lower your shoulders and elbows when holding the bow during the competition that day? If you weren't so diligent in practice, why would you have scars on your hands from the arrow shaft exploding? The marks on that bow show that the archer's palm is slightly turned outward, a habit you developed as a result of your injury!"

"Yes, it was because of these injuries that I gave up practicing and neglected my archery." Su Yunzhong remained calm and said, "Besides, even if I had learned archery before and was indeed good at it, would that mean I would have a chance to kill you? The high pavilion where my wife lives is located by the water, and you, the county lady, know it very well. No one can get close to it!"

Qian Deng threw his hand away. "So you deliberately hacked open the gate, luring the rebels into the manor and diverting the guards stationed in the backyard. Then, you used your sister's ghost to play tricks and lure the sinister Nan Yu to the rockery. And you took advantage of this opportunity to pass through the unguarded corridor and sneak into the pavilion!"

Su Yunzhong listened to her words with a hint of sarcasm on his face. "What the county lady said is true. According to this method, we can indeed get up to the high pavilion. But if I go up, how can I get down? When the lady was murdered, everyone heard the noise and immediately chased up along the corridor. There is so little space in the high pavilion. Being trapped up there is like catching a turtle in a jar. How can I escape after killing someone? Jump into the water?"

As he spoke, he even turned to look at Shi Jingning, Shang Luo and the other two who were arranged to share a room with him, and asked, "If I jumped into the water to escape, would my clothes get wet that night?"

Shi Jingning shook his head hesitantly, still considering the possibility that he had jumped into the water naked and then put his clothes back on in the chaos. Shangluo spoke frankly, "No! That night, Brother Jingning and I were in the outer courtyard, and Brother Su went out on patrol. But within a moment or two, we heard a commotion in the backyard. They said something had happened to the Madam... We were scared on the veranda when Brother Su came back and comforted me, saying everything was fine..."

Qian Deng was not surprised and only asked: "So, do you remember where Su Yunzhong came from?"

Shangluo thought for a moment, raised his hand and pointed towards the grass path: "It seems to be over there."

"Okay." Qiandeng turned and said to A Zhong, "Move everything over there."

Ah Zhong responded and quickly went to the storeroom. A moment later, he came over, carrying a pine log as thick as a bowl on his left shoulder and the large bamboo mat in his right hand.

The two things were not heavy, and he was strong and healthy, so he walked quickly and placed the things on the grass.

Then, following Qiandeng's instructions, he placed one-third of the pine wood over the water and two-thirds on the stone path. He then spread out the bamboo mats and laid them along the edge of the pool with the stone path as the center, covering two-thirds of the pine wood on the ground.

Everyone looked at the pine wood that was mostly blocked by the bamboo mat, and no one knew what her intention was.

Qiandeng did not explain, but just whispered a few instructions to A Zhong.

Ah Zhong looked surprised. He looked at the thin bamboo mat, then at the pine wood that was only as thick as a bowl. He scratched his head in hesitation, but finally nodded, turned around and ran towards the corridor.

Everyone was puzzled as they watched Ah Zhong run along the corridor and up to the pavilion.

Qian Deng said: "Since Su Yunzhong has flatly denied it, then I will replay for everyone everything he did that day.

"That day on Leyou Plain, I don't know what triggered it, but you discovered that Nanyu was your sister's murderer. You quickly made your decision, forgoing the chance to choose him, allowing him to triumph and become the sole sharpshooter. I'm sure you were either planning to denounce him when he was chosen, or you were already planning to commit murder with your bow and arrow and shift the blame onto Nanyu.

"And just then, because of the rebellious army, we were forced to move to the manor, which gave you a golden opportunity. Nanyu, due to his exceptional archery skills, was guarding the veranda, so you cut the bolts, luring the rebels in. While the guards were away to protect the prince, you pretended to be your sister's ghost crying on the rockery, and indeed, you lured the sinister Nanyu away.

"As his accomplice, Nanny Tian naturally knew about this as well. She was terrified that it was the ghost of He Wei Niang, who was killed by Nan Yu, seeking revenge, so she hid in a small room and prayed to the gods. You followed the veranda up to the pavilion. At that moment, my mother, having heard no movement from outside, came out with a lantern to check on the situation. You saw her in the darkness and shot her with an arrow. My mother fell to the ground after being shot. Nanny Tian heard the noise and came out to call for help, and we followed her along the veranda.

"At this moment, you were standing on a high pavilion surrounded by water on three sides. You were originally in a desperate situation. However, because your sister was given to a bamboo craftsman when she was young, you may have discovered something there, which is..."

Having said that, Qiandeng raised his hand and gestured to A Zhong above.

Ah Zhong understood and stood on a platform more than ten feet high, looking at the pool below and the pine wood on the pool that was mostly covered by mats, feeling a little uneasy.

Below, the tortoise shell stomped its feet and yelled, "Brother, you coward, jump now!"

Hearing his sister's urging, A Zhong gritted his teeth and stomped his feet, and finally jumped towards the end of the pine wood.

The light bamboo mat, pressing down the half-length of pine wood hanging over the pool, made everyone hold their breath involuntarily. They could almost hear the sound of him overturning the bamboo mat and falling into the water.

But, no.

Ah Zhong's foot landed on the end of the pine log, but it didn't budge at all. The thin bamboo mat held the log firmly in place, and in the breathless silence surrounding them, only the dull thud of his foot hitting the wood could be heard, signaling that he had indeed landed on it.

Ah Zhong immediately used the force to rush forward, rolled over on the bamboo mat, and when he stood up, there was still an expression of disbelief on his face. He looked at the stunned people in front of him in confusion.

Even Cui Fufeng was stunned by this strange scene. After a long time, his gaze slowly moved from the bamboo mat to Qiandeng.

He saw her raise her chin slightly in the sunlight, her face full of cold and determined expression.

She is no longer the child who could only cry over her grandfather's corpse when he passed away.

She has grown into a determined woman, and in time, she will surely become a shining star.

As if he couldn't bear to look directly at her blazing beauty, Cui Fufeng subconsciously turned his gaze slightly to the side, and suddenly found that a tall figure had been standing under the corridor next to him.

The crape myrtle flowers blocked the other person's face and most of his body, so Cui Fufeng couldn't see his appearance clearly, but the imposing aura and unconcealable sharpness made him immediately know who the other person was.

Cui Fufeng leaned on the small table and tried to stand up to greet her, but she raised her hand to signal him to remain seated. He didn't appear to interrupt Qiandeng, but simply stood quietly behind the blossoming tree, waiting for her to reveal the final answer to the mystery.

There was a commotion on the lawn as everyone witnessed this incredible moment. Some were stunned, some exclaimed, some couldn't believe it, and Nan Yu was filled with surprise and joy.

Only Su Yunzhong knelt steadily on the table, his face slightly pale, and still said nothing.

Shangluo hurriedly asked Qiandeng, "County Lady, how is this possible? He jumped down with such force, how come he didn't overturn the bamboo mat above?"

Everyone also asked: "Yes, how can such a thin mat hold up the force of a person falling?"

"This is a principle my grandfather taught me. He said that on the battlefield, when the cloak over armor is blown by the wind, even if it can't stop the flying arrows, it can at least eliminate most of the force and accuracy. This reminded me of the mat in the warehouse that has been stored for months without gathering dust. It is as thin as the cloak and blocks the wind, so it must also be able to provide leverage. And this mat has recently been used on the grass by someone, but it wasn't from the village—"

Qian Deng said as he walked over, grabbed one side of the bamboo mat, lifted it up, and pointed to the debris on the path below. "And I found some pine bark that had fallen on the path. I went to the warehouse and found this pine log that had been half smashed on the ground. That's how I figured out the murderer's method of attack and escape that night."

In the silence at the scene, Cui Fufeng finally asked: "I still have a question, can you please help me answer it?"

Qiandeng nodded at him: "Please speak."

"I was at the manor when the incident occurred, and everything else was just as you describe. The only difference was that, to avoid attracting the enemy, the manor was completely dark. If the murderer really did use this method to escape, how could he have quickly found the pine tree in the dark, jumped down, packed up his belongings, and fled?"

Shangluo nodded vigorously. "Yes, this pine log is so thin, it would be difficult to jump onto it accurately during the day. That night, our village didn't dare to light a lamp to avoid the chaotic army. In the darkness, how could Su... how could the murderer identify the pine log?"

Qian Deng said: "Thank you for providing the clue on this point."

Seeing everyone's eyes on him, Shangluo's youthful mentality couldn't help but be overwhelmed. He asked in astonishment, "I...?"

"You once said that you didn't like being with Su Yunzhong because you thought he was not clean."

"Yes, he looks quite clean, but the night we arrived at the village, he secretly blew his nose and wiped the snot on his palms. It was so disgusting!" Shangluo wrinkled his nose with a look of disgust.

Everyone looked at the indigo clothes on Su Yunzhong. Although he had not been able to change them in the past few days at the farm and they were stained with some mud and dust, overall, they were not dirty. They were much cleaner than Shangluo who despised him.

"Do you think that shiny, sticky stuff he made is snot?" Qiandeng gestured for Ah Zhong to drag the pine wood over and throw it in front of Su Yunzhong. Pointing at the smashed snails on the top of the pine wood, he said coldly, "Actually, this is a mark he made on the pine wood with snails. After all, fireflies like to eat snails. In the dark, they will smell the scent and gather in the snail juice, forming a bright mark that is not noticeable but enough to indicate his whereabouts!"