Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
"Remove the body of the Vice Hall Master. Do not tidy it up or change the clothes. Place the fine coffin in the side hall for now," Nie Qiuyuan commanded calmly.
Although I had no idea what his intentions were, I knew that he was giving me an opportunity.
The side hall, located on the west side of the conference hall, was a seldom-visited place, making it suitable for underground work. I planned to sneak in tonight to take a look at Guan Sheng's body and see if I could find anything that had been overlooked.
But I was a frail woman. Although I had some rudimentary skills, they seemed almost useless compared to those of ancient people. Going alone would be dangerous.
I certainly couldn't go to Nie Qiuyuan for help; I couldn't let him see this side of me. I also couldn't rely on Luo Dachun or Han Meilan, so they were out of the question. In the end, there was only one person I could think of.
I felt incredibly foolish, but I still found a moment when no one was paying attention and shouted into the air three times: "Young Master Youye!"
As if it were a magic lamp, how could that possibly work? I was anxious about my lack of intelligence.
However, to my astonishment, at the third watch of the night, Night Phantom really appeared like a ghost, sitting on the edge of my bed. But that's a story for later.
For now, let's get back to the main events. The above content should have been placed in parentheses.
After a flurry of activity at the scene, about two hours had passed. The current situation was as follows:
The news of Guan Sheng's death was being kept under control. The task of investigating suspects fell to Han Meilan. I saw Nie Qiuyuan looking at her with trust, and she blushed, both frightened and excited as she accepted this task. My heart felt like it had been doused in hydrochloric acid.
But this clearly demonstrated my idol's ability to recognize talent. Within just two hours, Han Meilan managed to gather a wealth of information without alarming anyone by helping out and chatting casually.
Though I was reluctant to admit it, this woman truly had some skills. Her aura made people let down their guard easily. She didn't have much intelligence or cunning, but extracting information from others seemed to be her instinct.
What was even more infuriating was that she often acted with genuine sincerity.
Such a woman seemed more like the protagonist of a novel, didn't she? So why had I traveled across millennia only to become cannon fodder? That simply couldn't be!
However, I didn't have time to think too much and found myself immersed in the case, feeling rather unaccomplished. I wondered if my demeanor still held up as I focused intently. Being a lady, it turned out, required practice just like mastering a martial art.
The suspect identified by Han Meilan was the lead singer of the opera troupe, a mature beauty named Shen Hongyuan. This troupe seemed to perform quite elegant Grand String Operas, and Shen Hongyuan was undoubtedly their star. Not only did she sing beautifully, but she also played the pipa exceptionally well, earning her a fair amount of fame both near and far.
It was quite a coincidence that this morning, due to a ritual ceremony, Second Mother had whimsically requested them to perform a specific play that happened to be favored by my unfortunate father. However, the troupe had never performed this particular piece before, so they spent the entire night rehearsing to avoid ruining their reputation.
To not disturb the villagers' sleep, they relocated to a temporary residence halfway up the mountain, where the entire troupe gathered—except for Shen Hongyuan. She was unwell and, given her high skill level, there was no need for concern; thus, the troupe leader allowed her to rest in his bedroom.
Last night at the banquet, Shen Hongyuan had toasted us three times and had even approached Young Master Mu, who complimented her beauty. Didn't that add a touch of suspicion?
Shen Hongyuan wore a light purple half-sleeve robe with multiple layers of flowing skirts and a red shawl adorned with embroidered birds and insects. She looked stunningly vibrant. I couldn't help but drool a little; her outfit was even more beautiful than those in The Song of the Daming Palace. It was just a pity that it wasn't revealing enough. I felt somewhat regretful; having been here for almost a month, I hadn't had the chance to dress up like that myself. Always appearing like some street girl, how could I expect to catch the attention of my ideal man?
Yet Shen Hongyuan was an actress; despite her flamboyant attire, there was an air of aloofness about her. Although she smiled on the surface and seemed unremarkable at first glance, there was something about her demeanor that felt out of place for someone in her profession.
Her peculiar aura didn't necessarily imply guilt; it merely indicated she had an opportunity to commit the crime. However, those present glanced at this delicate suspect and couldn't help but shake their heads with sighs.
This actress had such slender bones that she hardly seemed capable of martial arts or possessing any significant strength. Just look at Guan Sheng's tragic state of being hanged by the neck; it was clear she couldn't have done that alone. Even if she were involved, there must have been an accomplice.
"May I ask why you gentlemen have summoned me?" she asked calmly as she raised her head.
Her attire was dazzlingly bright, yet her features were strikingly beautiful with a hint of allure in her gaze. She appeared several years older than me; this mature woman's charm and charisma were something we plain girls could never hope to emulate.
Suddenly, I felt a twinge of jealousy. But Nie Qiuyuan showed no interest in her whatsoever; he merely replied coolly, "There has been an incident in our village that requires your patience in this room for a while. Once we clarify matters, we will naturally apologize to you." His tone was calm yet authoritative, leaving no room for doubt.
At that moment, the door suddenly creaked open with a "ya," revealing Luo Dachun accompanied by two others.
One of them was Zhang Dalang, another deputy from Zhongtong Hall, while the other was Mo Wangyu—a long-bearded man dressed in blue who served as an information broker under Luo Dachun's command and was known for being quite mysterious.
From his nickname "Information Broker," it was clear how mismatched his given name Mo Wangyu was. Luo Dachun turned out to be quite capable as well; he brought these two individuals along with him and also two crucial pieces of information.
The first piece of news is good, albeit a bit shocking. This morning, at the late Chief's Full Moon Festival, the people on the mountain surprisingly managed to turn their grief into strength. Most of them were out on assignments, and they wouldn't be coming back anytime soon. Therefore, there weren't many people left on the mountain last night, and the entrance was heavily guarded, with hardly any outsiders coming or going. As for those who remained at home, somehow almost all of them had alibis.
Now, those without alibis were just Young Master Mu, Shen Hongyuan, and Zhang Dalang. Zhang Dalang had always had a poor relationship with Guan Sheng. Last night, while drinking, he happened to sit very close to Young Master Mu, making him quite suspicious.
The other piece of news is rather explosive. The Vice Hall Master was not actually the first victim but the third!
This information was provided by Information Broker Mo Wangyu. While working down the mountain, he was constantly gathering intelligence; it was his talent. As soon as he heard about Guan Sheng's death, he immediately reacted: "In the past month, there have already been two similar cases reported in the city—it's exactly the same Strangulation Case!"
***The Author's Dramatic Side Note***
This marks the first time since Harvest started writing that I received a nasty comment. Oh, please allow my heart to skip a beat or two. I happily thought to myself—does this mean I'm starting to gain some attention? Someone is actually criticizing me!
This commenter calling themselves "Tourist" said: "The author is a master of deception; all their achievements are fabricated! Before even publishing a few words of the main text, they already have a bunch of long reviews, recommendations, and collections..." I pondered that even if my friends supported me out of friendship, it shouldn't be to the extent that this person would be so furious, right? Besides, if I went through all this effort to fabricate something, wouldn't I make it bigger? So I simply replied and didn't pay much attention afterward. However, quite a few friends couldn't stand it and responded to the comment.
So this commenter returned! This time they had a name—a newly registered account! They exclaimed: " ￥%￥……%……··%……！！" (This is an array of inappropriate language that has been filtered out by the system.) Then they continued: "As a Tourist, I'm just a pseudonym; you put on so many named outfits and you're not a pseudonym? I can conclude that all of this is just you disguising yourself!"
I gasped in shock; I was completely taken aback. The only thing left swirling in my mind was one phrase: "What on earth?!" Counting up the dozens of pseudonyms gifted to me by this Tourist friend adds up to several dozen works with millions of words combined. It seems like this Tourist wants to crown me as a "Great Deity," no—more like a "Giant Deity"! Ever since I started writing with a hint of dramatic flair, why have things become so dramatic as well? Is it destined that my writing style should be like this?
Although it's not very proper, such an amusing incident deserves to be recorded for everyone’s enjoyment; otherwise, it would feel like a missed opportunity. In any case, Tourist friend, please don’t come back again; if you do, I'll have no choice but to delete your comments. Otherwise, if I accidentally laugh myself to death, who will take responsibility?
Comment 0 Comment Count