Chapter 69
The release time came in a blink of an eye, and the official website of Xinghuo released the viewing link on time.
Stay under the Star Network, support their own director Huan's fans and support the Youtian people who are friendly to the merged star director, and click to enter the movie viewing channel at the same time.
The overall tone of the promotional poster is dark, and the blurred streets are shrouded in hazy dark light.
In the center of the poster is the male lead played by Fenghuo artist Wan Zijia, who is wearing the dark blue official uniform of the Six Gates, a black gauze hat on his head, a long sword hanging from his waist, his sword-like eyebrows slanting into his temples, and a firm gaze.
The male protagonist holds an oil lamp in his hand, and the light emitted by the oil lamp dispels the black fog, revealing the other main and supporting characters behind him.
Behind Wan Zijia on the left is the young coroner played by Chu Fan, who is dressed in cloth and holds an open cloth bag in his hands. In the bag is a row of ancient autopsy tools of various shapes.
Standing back to back with Chu Fan on the right is Lin Yi, a harmless young master dressed in gorgeous brocade robes.
The entire promotional poster is dominated by a serious tone. Whether it is the captain of the police responsible for investigating the case, the coroner responsible for the autopsy, or the supporting characters appearing in the background, the expressions on their faces are either serious or uneasy.
Only the young master played by Lin Yi has a simple and innocent smile in the corners of his eyes and eyebrows, like a little fool.
The last row consisted of several supporting characters dressed as county magistrates. However, compared to the three main characters whose faces were clearly visible under the shroud of oil lamps, they stood at the boundary between light and darkness, their shadowy figures making it difficult to discern their expressions.
The shadows behind them were stretched in all directions and were also distorted.
Below the slogan, a one-sentence introduction echoes the promotional poster: A lone lamp shines, hundreds of ghosts roam the night.
Watching the link record, the audience communicated enthusiastically.
[Just looking at the poster, does it look good? ]
[The main and supporting characters and the setting on the poster page are a bit interesting, I'm not sure yet.]
[Director Huan, don't scare me. Can you even handle suspense?]
I heard this is Lin Yi's younger brother's transformation film. He might have gone from a reckless young man to a little fool. The eyes and smile on the poster are really silly and innocent.
…
The plot begins.
The long and bustling street, with people coming and going.
The camera turned upwards, and the windows on the second floor of the restaurant were wide open. The male protagonist Li Ming, who had changed out of his official uniform and was wearing casual clothes, showed half of his profile. He was no longer as indifferent as he was in the government office. With a faint smile on the corner of his lips, he looked at his friends across the table.
The camera slowly zooms in.
Opposite Li Ming were his two good brothers, the young but skilled coroner Han Jianchun, and the silly young master Qiao Shengyao.
Li Ming smiled helplessly and said, "Xiao Qiao, you've been busying around since we sat down. Aren't you hungry yourself?"
"I... I'm not hungry, you... you..." The silly young master wanted to say something anxiously, but the more anxious he was, the less effective his mouth became.
Han Jianchun comforted her: "Don't worry, talk slowly."
After a pause, Master Qiao slowed down and spoke word by word: "You guys, eat more, solve the case, thank you for your hard work, I'm not hungry."
Li Ming and Han Jianchun looked at each other and could see the helplessness in each other's eyes.
Young Master Qiao, who said he was not hungry, suddenly felt his stomach rumble.
Li Ming sighed: "You still say you're not hungry?"
Qiao Shengyao opened his eyes slightly:!!!
Han Jianchun silently continued to put food on the little fool's plate.
The plate was already piled high with food, but the little fool forgot to eat when he was busy.
Li Ming tapped the plate in front of Qiao Shengan with his chopsticks: "Do you remember what the Master taught me when he said, 'I'm hoeing the fields at noon's heat,' what's the next line?"
Qiao Shengyao: "Remember, remember, every grain of rice is hard-earned!"
Li Ming: "That's right, we can't waste the hard work of the farmers."
"Da, Dali is right. I'll eat first and finish it."
Halfway through the meal, Qiao Shengyao suddenly looked up and looked at Li Ming with sparkling eyes.
Li Ming raised an eyebrow: "What?"
Qiao Shengyao: "Da Li, kill, the murderer, have you really caught him?"
Li Ming raised his hand and tapped Qiao Shengyao on the head, not too hard or too lightly: "How could this be false?"
"Thanks to Jianchun's autopsy, we were able to deduce the murderer's method and time of attack, which allowed us to catch him more quickly."
"That's great!" Qiao Shengyao breathed a sigh of relief, his signature smile on his face. "I was afraid he would come and arrest me. Finally, I can rest assured."
Seeing this, Li Ming said slowly, "Don't be afraid. Everyone knows that the young master of the Qiao family is the best man in Fengshui County."
Qiao Shengyao blinked: "Good man, live a long, long life."
Li Ming smiled and said, "Yes, good people live long."
"Da Li, Jianchun, and I, let's go boating tomorrow?" Young Master Qiao's thoughts were jumping. He was just afraid of the murderer, but after being comforted by his two friends, he immediately wanted to take everyone out to play.
Han Jianchun shrugged and said, "I can go tomorrow, Mu Xiu, but Constable Li is very busy, I don't know if he has time."
Li Ming is affiliated with the Six Gates and came to Fengshui County to assist in the case.
Being teased by Han Jianchun, Li Ming rolled his eyes in annoyance: "No one is allowed to be absent tomorrow."
This trip was due to the serial murder case reported by Fengshui County, and Fengshui County was Li Ming's hometown. When he was assigned abroad, Li Ming volunteered.
Now that the case has been solved, Li Ming will have to go back to report on his work soon. After this separation, I don’t know how long it will take before I can see my old friend again.
Let’s say a formal farewell tomorrow while boating on the lake.
The three of them left the restaurant. The old butler sitting on the first floor immediately stepped forward and bowed to them, "Young Master, Master Li, Master Han, are you alright?"
"Uncle Shouyi, you're too polite." Li Ming and Han Jianchun hurriedly helped up the old housekeeper of the Qiao Mansion.
Before everyone parted ways, Qiao Shengyao looked back reluctantly: "Tomorrow, no, see you there."
Li Ming smiled and waved his hands: "Being late is a puppy."
After the three left, the other people in the restaurant followed and chatted.
"When I first came in, I saw Master Qiao buying steamed buns for those beggars."
"Although Young Master Qiao's work here isn't very good, he's a good person." The old man who spoke nodded and sighed, "Reminds me of Mr. Qiao back then. His family were all kind people. What a pity."
"Yes, the whole family died just like that, leaving behind a little master who was so frightened that his brain was damaged. God is so unfair."
Through the casual conversation of other people in the restaurant, the audience also learned about Qiao Shengyao's life experience.
The Qiao family is a family that loves charity. In the past, Mr. Qiao was a well-known philanthropist. The current wharf in Fengshui County was built with the help of Mr. Qiao, who donated money and effort, and it still benefits the people in the city.
However, Qiao Shengyao was born with congenital deficiencies. He was thinner and smaller than his peers, and his brain was not very good. While his peers could walk, he could only crawl. He did not learn to speak until he was five years old.
A fire that year burned down most of the Qiao Mansion, leaving only Qiao Shengyao, who climbed out the window in the middle of the night and sneaked to the pond to catch fireflies.
"Later, relatives of the Qiao family came to take care of him. They said that Young Master Qiao had been burning for three days and three nights. Although he survived, his brain was completely burned and he spoke incoherently. His mind was forever frozen in the year of the Qiao family fire, and he would always be a child."
"I don't know what kind of tyrant the Qiao family offended. They are unlucky. At least they had relatives to help them before. But who knew that family would be killed by bandits on their way out to pray for Young Master Qiao."
"Thank goodness, only Young Master Qiao is left..."
[Young Master is so miserable.]
[Perhaps because reality was too cruel, he stayed forever in the year when his whole family was together.]
[Confused? So the opening case has already been solved. Is it in reverse order?]
【I always feel that things are not that simple. I will wait and see if I am not sure.】
The story continues, with the sounds of cocks crowing and dogs barking, Fengshui County welcomes a new day.
However, a scream broke the peace of the small town.
In the dark alley, a man rushed out, tumbling and crawling: "Dead, dead!!!"
When the police arrived, the brave onlookers moved away on their own.
The people lowered their voices and whispered to each other: "Why is there another death?"
"Who knows? Will we be able to live a good life?"
"Oh right, Zhao Ergou saw the one kneeling inside before."
"Kneeling?! That murderer? How could that be? Didn't the officer catch the murderer before? Could it be a lie?"
"Hush, keep your voice down, or you might hear me and get me thrown into jail."
Li Ming's ears moved and he heard the people's discussions. He certainly would not arrest anyone and send them to jail just for a few panicked nonsense words from the people. However, his face became completely gloomy at this moment.
The most obvious feature of the Yinshi case in Fengshui County is—
The murderer committed the crime at the hour of Yin, and the victims were found at dawn. Without exception, the bodies of the victims were dressed in prison uniforms, their hands were tied behind their backs, and they were kneeling in a posture of repentance.
Three consecutive cases were reported to the Fengshui County Government. After Li Ming arrived, he immediately launched an investigation and captured the culprit, the night watchman Wang Hu, as quickly as possible.
However, Wang Hu was still imprisoned in the county jail, and in the blink of an eye, the fourth case occurred.
This time the dead were not ordinary people.
Li Ming looked into the alley. Han Jianchun was kneeling on one knee, looking at the old man who had his eyes cruelly gouged out and was forced to pose in humiliating positions even after his death. His lips trembled as he called out in disbelief, "...Uncle Cao?"
The fourth deceased was Cao Li, the old coroner of the county government.
Li Ming stepped forward and pressed Han Jianchun's shoulder: "My condolences."
"Uncle Cao can't be a sinner." Han Jianchun still remembered that when he first entered the government office, it was Uncle Cao who noticed his discomfort, and since then, he has always taken him with him and helped him.
Until he became a qualified coroner.
As a family craft, Uncle Cao never hesitated to keep it hidden and passed on his many years of experience and guidance to him.
A few days ago, Uncle Cao smiled and told him that he would invite him to attend his grandson's wedding, and that he would go back to enjoy his retirement once his grandson's wife became pregnant, and he would focus on raising the child with four generations living together.
In the blink of an eye, the old man with a face full of hope appeared before him.
Han Lichun looked up at Li Ming, his eyes bloodshot, and said hatefully, "Li Ming, find the murderer."
The hand on Han Jianchun's shoulder slowly exerted force, and Li Ming responded in a deep voice: "Okay."
No matter who the deceased is, he will catch the murderer himself and give the deceased justice.
The scene changed and they arrived at the county government office.
The son of the old coroner Cao Li wiped the tears from his face and took Han Jianchun's arm: "Chunzi, Dad will leave him to you."
Han Jianchun's expression was cold: "I will give Uncle Cao justice."
After examining the corpse, it was found that Cao Li died at 3:15 am. The fatal wound was a knife wound in the abdomen. However, the knife wound would not kill Cao Li immediately. The real cause of Cao Li's death should be excessive blood loss.
Han Jianchun closed his eyes, as if imagining how the murderer tortured Cao Li last night when everything was silent.
He first knocked Cao Li unconscious from behind. Cao Li slowly woke up, but found that his hands and feet were tied, and a cloth strip was stuffed in his mouth so he could not make any sound.
Under the dim moonlight, the murderer stabbed the dagger into Cao Li's abdomen, skillfully controlled the force, and did not remove the dagger immediately.
As Cao Li looked terrified and begging for mercy, the other party gouged out Cao Li's eyes. After Cao Li shed tears of blood, he slowly took out the dagger and stood not far away, watching Cao Li struggle and waiting for death.
After Cao Li died, he took Cao Li's body to a dark alley.
That’s right, the dark alley was not the first place where Cao Li was killed, because there was not so much blood in the alley.
On the other side, led by Li Ming's two constables, the county constables also took action to investigate Cao Li's route of action yesterday.
After Cao Li left the county government office yesterday, he did not return home immediately.
Cao Li's grandson, Cao Mancang, provided a clue: "My family was short of some money for my marriage, and my grandfather told me not to worry. He said he had connections and would find a way to borrow money from old friends to help me get the money together."
"I don't know if Grandpa went out to find a way to raise money last night, and I don't know if his departure was related to this incident. If I had known earlier..."
Cao Mancang squatted down and hugged his head in pain. Even if he was a bachelor for the rest of his life, he didn't want his grandfather to be killed for him and for money.
Behind the dark alley was the red-light district where the wealthier people went for pleasure. The pimps who solicited customers there also recorded a confession:
"Yesterday evening, I saw an old man wandering around, as if he was waiting for someone."
As for when the old man left and where he went later, Gui Gong couldn't say.
Li Ming also followed outside to investigate for clues. In the evening, when Li Ming had just returned to the government office, he discovered a sneaky figure wearing a crescent-shaped white shirt nearby.
"Xiao Qiao."
"Ah, Da, Dali."
Li Ming frowned and said sternly, "What are you doing?"
"I..." The little fool spoke even more incoherently in a hurry. He gestured for a long time but still couldn't make sense. He was so anxious that he broke out in a cold sweat. The young master looked at the old butler for help.
The old housekeeper helped Qiao Shengyao explain to Li Ming, "Master Li, you made an appointment with Master Han and the Young Master to go boating yesterday. The Young Master booked a boat early in the morning and waited for you two."
Li Ming then remembered that he and Han Jianchun were so busy with the murder in the dark alley that morning that they even forgot to send someone to tell the little fool.
"You waited on the boat all day?"
Qiao Shengyao was shaking his head rapidly at this moment. He seemed to know that it was difficult for him to speak and would delay Li Ming's business, so he simply continued to gesture to let the old butler speak on his behalf.
Qiao Shouyi: "We waited until noon, and after noon, the waiter from Weiquan Pavilion finally arrived with the food we ordered."
"The young master just found out now. Something happened in the city again, so he naturally knew about it. I'm afraid the two masters are busy again and can't come."
"Catching people is important." Qiao Shengyao tried not to stumble and uttered the four words seriously.
Li Ming exhaled, his eyes softening for a moment: "Sorry, I was negligent."
Qiao Shengyao said nothing, turned around and ran, which scared Li Ming. Before Li Ming could catch up with him, he saw Qiao Shengyao climb onto the Qiao Mansion's carriage and dragged out a wooden box from the carriage.
Shouyi trotted after him and took the wooden box from Qiao Shengyao.
"Dali, you guys are investigating the case for another night. I'll bring some food for everyone. After you're full, you'll have enough energy to catch the bad guys."
Only then did Li Ming understand why Qiao Shengyao, this cowardly guy, was so afraid of the murderer, but dared to run out and hang around outside the government office after hearing that another murder had occurred in the city.
Just to bring food to him and his brothers.
"How long have you been waiting?"
Qiao Shengyao: "Just arrived."
Qiao Shouyi: "One hour."
Qiao Shengyao looked at the old housekeeper angrily, and Uncle Shouyi, who had spoken out of turn, lowered his head in guilt.
Li Ming: “…” Qiao Shengyao, that little idiot, can also lie.
Li Ming knew that Qiao Shengyao had a childish nature and looked good-tempered, but he was actually very persistent. He simply called out to the people behind him and instructed, "Next time you see Young Master Qiao, ask someone to go in and wait."
Glancing at the sky, Li Ming said, "I'll accept the meal. I'd also like to thank Master Qiao on behalf of my brothers. It's getting late, so let's go back home."
"No, no rush." Qiao Shengyao took a step forward, craning his neck to look inside the government office. Thinking this wouldn't be a good idea, he quickly retracted his gaze. "Jianchun, is he okay?"
It was no secret that the deceased was an old coroner, so Qiao Shengyao was not surprised to hear it.
Li Ming is from Fengshui County. His father and Mr. Qiao are good friends. When he was a child, he also knew Qiao Shengyao. He was like an older brother, protecting little Qiao and taking his quiet brother to experience different scenery.
Climbing walls, climbing trees, climbing over walls and peeling off tiles... Father Li would catch the little brats in the back, while Mr. Qiao would be the peacemaker. When he heard Xiao Qiao's happy giggles, Father Li would flick his sleeves and snort coldly, "I'll spare you this time."
Later, misfortunes occurred in the Li and Qiao families one after another.
Li Ming was taken in by his uncle, and later became an apprentice and joined the police station.
When Li Ming returned to Fengshui County to investigate the case, he passed by the Li Mansion and originally just wanted to revisit the old place. However, he never expected that after he introduced himself, Qiao Shengyao actually remembered the little brother Li from that year.
Well, because he has grown up, he has become Brother Li again.
Han Jianchun is a coroner in the government. Logically speaking, a coroner should not have anything to do with the young master.
Later, Li Ming heard from Uncle Shouyi that Xiao Qiao sneaked out of the house, but was ridiculed and bullied by other teenagers. Xiao Qiao wanted to play with them, but they called him a little fool and threw stones at him. It was Han Jianchun who passed by and drove away the other teenagers.
After that, Xiao Qiao, who couldn't find Brother Xiao Li, became Brother Xiao Chun's follower.
After the young Jianchun found that he couldn't get rid of the little follower, he accepted him. Although there was a gap in their status, Han Jianchun himself was not inferior, and Young Master Qiao himself did not care, so the two naturally became friends.
The friend of my young master is the master respected by Uncle Shouyi.
At work, Li Ming and Han Jianchun met, and with Qiao Shengyao as a bond, the three naturally became friends.
However, Li Ming was unable to answer Qiao Shengyao’s concerns now.
He didn't know whether Han Jianchun was good or bad.
When I say good things about him, I can still vividly remember the way his veins bulged.
Although he was not a good person, he was able to quickly get back to work and personally performed an autopsy on Cao.
Fortunately, Li Ming didn’t have to worry about it as he heard footsteps behind him.
Li Ming and Qiao Shengyao looked back together and saw Han Jianchun walking out of the government office with an expressionless face.
Approaching the two, Han Jianchun nodded to Li Ming, then looked at Qiao Shengyao, his tone softening but unable to conceal his fatigue: "I'm fine. It's been a mess outside these past few days, so stay in the mansion and don't run around, okay?"
If something really happened, neither he nor Li Ming would be able to take care of it.
Xiao Qiao opened her mouth and said, "I, I want to help too."
"That's very kind of you. Besides, you've even sent us lunch boxes, haven't you?" Looking at the top of Qiao Shengyao's head, Han Jianchun's cold expression eased slightly. "Come on, I'll take you home first."
"Da Li, I, we're going back first."
Li Ming waved his hand: "Go back."
"Jianchun, I'd better take you home first. You're alone. What if you run into danger?"
"Compared to me, you and Uncle Shouyi, one old and one young, are in greater danger. Send you back before dawn when there are more people on the road. It's okay for me to go home."
The carriage drove all the way to the Qiao Mansion. Qiao Shengyao stood in front of the door and was told by his mother-in-law, "Chun Ge, hurry, go home."
Han Jianchun smiled and said, "I'll be right back. You and Uncle Shouyi should stay at the mansion, especially after dark. Don't go out. Remember?"
"Yeah, I remember. Brother Chun, you remember too."
Han Jianchun turned and left, but instead of going home, he walked around the street.
There was a knife hidden under his sleeve. Every coroner had his own set of equipment. This knife was a gift he gave to Uncle Cao on his birthday after he found that Uncle Cao's knife was blunt.
Because of the serial murders that occurred again, the shops on the streets closed early, and even the brothels that were usually brightly lit at night looked much more deserted from a distance.
It’s a pity that Han Jianchun didn’t catch the murderer.
Li Ming, holding a long sword, stepped out from the shadows, frowning and saying disapprovingly, "The Buddha fed an eagle with his own body. Could it be that Han the coroner wants to follow suit and feed a tiger with his own body?"
Han Jianchun said coldly: "Master Li is in the dark, can't he protect the safety of a commoner like me?"
Li Ming walked forward and asked: "Has the coroner Han ever committed a crime?"
Han Jianchun frowned: "What do you mean?"
"I previously reviewed the case and re-interrogated Wang Hu. This time, he finally admitted that the last crime was a copycat of the previous two. In other words, Wang Hu was just an imitator."
"But during the retrial of Wang Hu, a statement he made gave me some ideas."
"Wang Hu was a sinner, but he was also a pitiful man. He and his sister had been dependent on each other since childhood. The man Wang Hu killed had once bullied Wang Hu's sister, causing her to commit suicide by jumping into the river."
Before Li Ming could speak, Han Jianchun said coldly, "Uncle Cao is a good man."
"Being a good person doesn't mean you never make mistakes. I'm thinking that after killing those people, the prisoner dressed them in prison uniforms and made them kneel down in repentance. Maybe it wasn't just some kind of interest, but something else. Maybe it was hatred, or perhaps practicing what he considered justice."
"Uncle Cao..."
"Jianchun, calm down and listen to me."
"I'm calm." Han Jianchun took a deep breath and calmed down: "Go ahead and talk. I'm listening."
Li Ming: "The Cao family wasn't wealthy. His wife was seriously ill, which drained the family's wealth and left them with numerous foreign debts. More than a decade ago, the Cao family's sons couldn't even start families because they had no money."
"However, when Cao Da was 22 years old, the Cao family suddenly became wealthy. Not only did they pay off all their foreign debts, but within a year, several of their sons got married one after another."
"I asked the three sons of the Cao family, but none of them could explain where their father had raised the money. They only said that he borrowed it from a friend, but no one knew who that friend was. Later, their father never paid the money back, and no friend came to ask for it back."
After a moment of silence, Han Jianchun said hoarsely, "Do you think it has something to do with this money of unknown origin?"
Li Ming said cautiously, "We need to investigate further. In addition, I will send someone to investigate the interpersonal relationships of Cao the coroner tomorrow."
"So, Jianchun, you should go back first. There's no need for you to get involved."
Han Jianchun was about to say something when he heard Li Ming say quietly, "Or do you want me to bring Xiao Qiao with me to persuade you to go home?"
Thinking of that nagging young master, Han Jianchun rubbed his forehead and said, "I can go back by myself. No need to send me off."
After some investigation, Li Ming locked onto an unexpected person who had a conflict with Cao the coroner, Zhu Dayong, the county jailer.
There is another important clue. Zhu Dayong was a frequent visitor to the brothel. On the day Cao Li was murdered, Zhu Dayong went to the brothel again after leaving the yamen.
Tie Yi, one of Li Ming's men, analyzed, "That is to say, Cao Li was wandering outside the brothel, most likely chasing Zhu Dayong."
Tie Er also rubbed his chin, then made a gesture of wiping his neck: "Is it possible that the two of them had an argument, and Zhu Dayong gave the person to..."
"Captain, are you going to arrest someone?"
Li Ming narrowed his eyes and said, "We should monitor them secretly. We should not be in a hurry to alert the enemy. The most urgent task is to investigate the private relationship and contact between the two."
In front of the desk, under the dim candlelight, Li Ming was flipping through the files, sorting out the case bit by bit in his mind.
"The first case occurred three months ago. The victim was a wealthy man from Qingshan Village outside the city. His body was found kneeling in his own fertile fields. The criminals had dug out his heart."
"The second victim died less than half a decade after the first. She was the mother of the owner of a pastry shop in the east city. She was found in the backyard of her shop. Besides being in a kneeling position, her lungs and internal organs had also been removed."
In the third serial murder case, Wang Hu has confessed to the crime. He framed the murderer to avenge his sister.
Li Ming took out the information about the Wang Hu case and put it aside.
"In the real third case, the Cao Li case, the victim's eyes were gouged out by the criminals."
Li Ming muttered to himself, "Apart from the possibility that they themselves had done something evil and the murderer happened to know about it, what else could the heart, lungs, and eyes suggest?"
Suddenly, Li Ming thought of a word: ungrateful and treacherous.
Will there be any connection?
Li Ming himself rejected this idea. A rich farmer, a woman in the back house, and a coroner, from identity to status, there was no overlap. Whether it was the investigation of the officials or the household registration that Li Ming found, this was confirmed.
Li Ming turned his head to look out the window and whispered two names: "Cao Li, Zhu Dayong."
Compared with the first two victims, Cao Li may become a breakthrough, and the person with the most motive for committing the crime found so far is Zhu Dayong.
Coincidentally, both of them worked in the government office, and more people knew or had seen them. If there was really a problem, it would be more likely to be witnessed.
Finally, the testimony of Li Ming and others arrived, and Tie Yi brought a young jailer to Li Ming.
The young jailer was obviously very nervous and hesitated. Tie Yi's eyes turned fierce and he was about to scold him, but Li Ming raised his hand to stop him:
"Today, all you have to do is confess what you heard and saw. If you can provide clues that can help solve the case, you will be credited with a merit."
The jailer's eyes lit up when he heard this, but before he could open his mouth, Li Ming used both kindness and force, saying, "But you must know that if you conceal anything, or if what you say is false, I, the chief constable, will regard you as deliberately obstructing the investigation. Do you understand?"
"My Lord, I have spoken the truth. Even if I had a hundred thousand guts, I would not dare to deceive you."
The title of captain of the police was earned through fighting in the blood and rain. Looking at the official uniform on Li Ming, the jailer even felt that this gentleman was three times more terrifying than their immediate superior, the county magistrate.
The jailer, filled with a mixture of respect, awe, and anticipation, quickly explained what he had witnessed: "About last month, Coroner Cao and Prisoner Zhu met."
"Prisoner Zhu has a bad temper, and the two of them looked like they were arguing about something. When I saw them, I immediately hid behind a tree and didn't dare show my face, fearing that Prisoner Zhu would make things difficult for me in the future."
"Because we were quite far away, I couldn't hear clearly. I only vaguely understood that they seemed to be discussing something about money."
"As they were talking, they started to wrestle. Coroner Cao pushed prisoner Zhu to the ground, and it seemed that Zhu's palm was cut by a stone."
"Wait, Coroner Cao is much older than Zhu Dayong, right? How could he push someone down? Are you sure you didn't say anything against him?"
Tie Er, who was in charge of recording, asked in confusion.
"It's absolutely true. Prisoner Zhu often spends the night in the red-light district. His body has long been drained. He was drunk that day..."
Li Ming: "Continue."
The jailer said, "The two exchanged a few more words. Then, Coroner Cao stepped forward and angrily punched the prison guard Zhu. Before he left, I saw him gesture with his hands."
"It should be said that they asked Zhu the jailer to prepare the money within ten days. Then Cao the coroner turned and left. I saw Zhu the jailer spit at Cao's back and raise his voice in resentment, shouting—"
"You want to blackmail me? You old man, you are tired of living. If you make me angry, I will kill you first."
The young jailer shuddered. "Then, Coroner Cao disappeared. Sir, do you think it was Prisoner Zhu who..."
Li Ming didn't say yes or no, he just asked his men to send the clerk away, while he personally led people to interrogate Zhu the jailer.
"Boss, this Zhu the prisoner might really be a murderer. He used to love going to brothels, but since the incident, he has changed his ways and stopped visiting prostitutes. He has stayed at home honestly."
"What kind of person do you think is capable of committing serial murders and digging out hearts, livers and eyes?" Li Ming guided his subordinates to think as they walked.
Tie Er didn't understand, but still replied, "That must be an extremely cruel executioner who kills without blinking an eye and even enjoys watching people struggle and beg for mercy..."
At this point, Tie Er realized, "If Zhu Dayong is really the murderer, then he must be very strong-minded. It's impossible that he would be so guilty that he wouldn't even go to the brothel after something happened. So, he didn't kill the person?"
"Or perhaps, this is a deliberate trick he put up to clear himself of suspicion." Li Ming narrowed his eyes. "Whether it's true or not, he definitely knows something that outsiders don't know."
For example, the good-natured coroner Cao has an unknown side hidden in the shadows under the sunlight.
At the Zhu family, facing the arrival of Li Ming and his group, Zhu Dayong's initial reaction was panic, and he tried his best to deny his relationship with Cao Li.
"I don't know Old Man Cao. How many times do I have to tell you that the murderer is still at large and might be committing another crime? Go and catch him quickly and don't waste your time with me."
When Li Ming wanted to bring him back for questioning, Zhu Dayong initially showed resistance, but then he suddenly thought of something and his attitude suddenly changed. He also changed his words:
"You're right. I know that old guy. He blackmailed me before. I'm the suspect."
Zhu Dayong was temporarily detained in a cell. Outside the cell, Tie Yi and Tie Er's brows were furrowed into a shape of "川".
"Boss, Zhu Dayong's reaction is not right. His attitude is also inconsistent. Sometimes he admits and sometimes he denies. Is he pretending to be crazy?"
"Yes, sir. And, he seemed relieved to be in our cell. He was afraid we'd torture him, but now he's like he's back home."
"That only means that there is something chasing him outside that scares him more than torture." Li Ming said in a deep voice.
The two subordinates looked at each other and said in unison: "Murderer!"
The author has something to say:
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com