The collection of night soil is done at night, and with night patrols, if the murderer chooses to dispose of the body at night, it is easy to attract attention.
But it's different during the day; there are more people, making it easier to hide and take action.
“I don’t think we should be too hasty. The murderer may be someone from the vicinity of Guozixiang. First, the murderer is familiar with the surrounding environment, and second, it is easier for the murderer to hide himself in a familiar environment. We should first investigate people in Guozixiang and the surrounding area who match the characteristics of the murderer.”
"But Lord Shen, doing this is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Any adult male can dismember a body, and besides a butcher, it's not like anyone else can't make those dismembering tools."
I think we should first investigate any suspicious individuals in the vicinity. If this is the killer's first time committing murder, a normal person in a state of fear of killing would behave differently from an ordinary person.
"If the murderer premeditated the killing from the beginning, he would definitely be very calm and wouldn't be able to see anything unusual at first glance. It's simply unrealistic to expect to accurately identify a suspect."
“I agree with what Lord Shen just said. The murderer must be familiar with this environment and will most likely continue to dump the body in this location. I think we should first search the places where suspicious persons frequently appear before we can find the location of the remaining bodies.”
Shen Yao thought about it. He knew how difficult the dismemberment case was, but at least he had a direction and wasn't running around like a headless fly. So he agreed with Su Yan's idea.
Before long, the two arrived at the street corner of Guozixiang.
The residents of Guozi Lane are mostly people who have lived here for generations, so when Su Yan and Shen Yao appeared in the market, everyone looked at them with strange eyes.
Feeling uneasy being stared at with strange eyes, Su Yan was quite uncomfortable. She had been to countless murder scenes, and although there were onlookers around, most of them were just there for the spectacle. But the way the people around her were looking at her was inexplicably strange.
"Lord Shen, don't you think the way people around us are looking at us is strange?"
Shen Yao hadn't paid attention to this at first, but after Su Yan mentioned it, he looked up and saw several people staring at him. Before they could even make eye contact, the other person immediately looked away.
However, Shen Yao didn't take it to heart. "It's probably because I'm wearing official robes... There's no need to pay too much attention to these things..."
To avoid Princess Jingning, Shen Yao didn't have time to change his clothes, and now he's too lazy to go back and change.
After saying that, Shen Yao led Su Yan to a teahouse.
The teahouse was small, just a small shed made of a piece of cloth, and even the stools were tattered. Although it didn't look very nice, it was not far from the stage, so it could be considered a prime location for doing business.
"Lord Shen, why did you bring me here?"
"Weren't we supposed to be investigating suspicious individuals? This teahouse is on the only way to get here. If there really were suspicious people, how come the owner didn't notice anything at all..."
Su Yan thought about it and agreed that Shen Yao's words made a lot of sense.
At this moment, the teahouse owner is lying on a recliner under a sycamore tree, holding a palm-leaf fan and basking in the sun leisurely.
At this moment, Shen Yao and Su Yan had already walked up to him. Shen Yao's tall shadow blocked the sunlight, and the teahouse owner lazily pointed to the side.
"Tea is three coins a bowl, pour it yourself if you want..." After saying that, he continued to doze off.
Su Yan stepped forward, pushed the teahouse owner's chair, and called out, "Boss, I have a question. Two days ago, were there any suspicious people around here, carrying bags or something?"
The teahouse owner ignored Su Yan, not even opening his eyes, and impatiently tossed out, "No..."
As soon as he finished speaking, a cold touch came from his neck. When he opened his eyes, he saw a fierce-looking man in official robes holding a knife to his neck.
The teahouse owner was so frightened that he froze, stammering, "This...this sir, what...what do you want to do..."
"Give me a proper answer to whatever I just asked you..."
The teahouse owner looked pleadingly at the man beside Shen Yao, "I was saying... two days ago... let me think... it seems there was..."
"But I don't know if I'm considered a suspicious person..."
Shen Yao moved the knife away from the teahouse owner's neck and said coldly, "Speak..."
The teahouse owner dared not be negligent in the slightest. "Two days ago, there was indeed a person who was in a hurry and bumped into the stool I had placed by the roadside. However, I didn't notice whether he was carrying any luggage..."
"He came from that place, and he went to that place?"
"Sir, you're making things difficult for me. So many people pass by my stall every day, how can I possibly care who comes from where or where they're going..."
"Isn't he from around here?"
The teahouse owner shook his head, "He looks unfamiliar..."
At this moment, Su Yan went to the fortune teller next door to borrow a pen and paper, preparing to draw the suspect's appearance. "Boss, what does that person look like..."
Shen Yao was quite surprised to see Su Yan holding a pen and paper. "You can draw portraits?"
Su Yan smiled and said self-deprecatingly, "I can't be bad at painting landscapes, flowers and birds, but I'm still quite confident in myself when it comes to painting portraits."
After saying that, Su Yan looked at the teahouse owner, "Boss, please describe it in as much detail as possible..."
The teahouse owner scratched the back of his head, frowning as he pondered, "Let me think... He seems to have a square face, narrow and small eyes, dark skin, and a somewhat round face. He's probably about the same height as this gentleman, but very thin."
It was nearly dusk that day, and I didn't get a good look at his face; that's all I can remember.
"Is there anything special about the clothes he's wearing?" Su Yan pressed.
"He was dressed similarly to a dockworker. I saw him hurrying in that direction that day, but I had no idea what he was going to do..."
After saying that, the teahouse owner pointed to the alleyway on the right.
"Thank you, boss..."
Su Yan put down her pen, stood up, and thanked the teahouse owner.
According to the teahouse owner's description, the portrait was quickly drawn and handed to Shen Yao.
Shen Yao unfolded the paper and saw a kind and honest-looking person reflected on it, leaving him speechless with surprise.
He hadn't expected Su Yan's painting skills to be so superb, and his gaze towards her was filled with admiration.
Su Yan felt extremely uncomfortable under Shen Yao's admiring gaze. "Lord Shen, let's go check out the direction the teahouse owner mentioned first..."
Shen Yao folded the portrait and stuffed it into the lining of his clothes. "Okay..."
After saying that, the two headed towards the alley entrance.
The alley was filthy and messy, as if no one had cleaned or lived there for a long time.
The further you go in, the worse the surrounding environment becomes.
This place seemed to be a no-man's-land, with many stray cats and dogs darting around in front of the two of them, as if begging for food.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com