Chapter 614: The Winds of Change Rise Again

Gu Jiu Ling! Lin RuJun cried out, her face turning dark.

Gu Jiu Ling glanced at her and said, "Let the deceased speak for themselves."

Lin RuJun was momentarily speechless, collected herself, and slowly sat down.

Gu Jiu Ling took out a sharp scalpel, looked at Lin RuJun, and said, "I need to cut open Young Master Lin's skin, and ask Young Madam if she wishes to continue?"

Lin RuJun drew a breath, her voice hoarse, and said, "Continue."

Gu Jiu Ling nodded, raised her hand, and slit Lin Jingyuan's throat; the pallid skin was cut open, revealing the collarbone.

Ordinarily bones are white, but at this moment Lin Jingyuan's collarbone was a patch of black‑blue, clearly a sign of poisoning.

The surrounding crowd gasped in surprise, finally understanding why Princess Consort of Rui had the corpse lifted—only from this angle could it be seen clearly.

Gu Jiu Ling's scalpel continued downward, peeling open the chest cavity to reveal one side of the bone, which remained black.

Seeing that, the poison had even spread through the chest cavity into the five viscera and six bowels.

Gu Jiu Ling then lifted the fatty tissue above the chest cavity; although it looked gruesome, the layers of flesh varied in color.

Gu Jiu Ling said calmly, "If I'm not mistaken, Young Master Lin was poisoned to death."

As soon as Gu Jiu Ling finished speaking, a low murmur rose from the crowd, and the officials' faces shifted slightly.

Some officials whispered, "Yes, didn't Young Master Lin say he had already been poisoned? It's no surprise his bones turned black..."

As they went on, those people could hardly continue speaking.

Gu Jiu Ling snorted coldly, "Make it up! Keep making it up! Why can't you keep going?"

"I did say that Young Master Lin's body also contained gu poison, but those gu poisons spread through his blood vessels."

"It certainly didn't reach his bones!"

Gu Jiu Ling had someone support Lin Jingyuan's corpse, turned it slightly, lifted his dry hair, and discovered a needle‑sized hole on his neck.

Gu Jiu Ling said, "You surely recognize this hole, don't you?"

"I recall Elder He saying you wander the jianghu, have traveled far and wide, seen much—what weapon made this hole? Now I ask you to guess."

He Wanshan's eyes flickered; he instinctively stepped back a few paces, his face darkening severely.

Gu Jiu Ling snorted, "Are you unable to guess, or unwilling to say?"

Gu Jiu Ling chuckled, turned to Xiao Yin on the side, and said, "Prince, what do you say?"

By now Xiao Yin had already grasped Gu Jiu Ling's meaning and said slowly, "In the jianghu there is a hidden weapon called the Rainstorm Pear Blossom Needle."

"Though it's called the Rainstorm Pear Blossom Needle, it is actually a modified version of that hidden weapon."

"Inside a black‑iron tube, a hollow poison needle is placed."

"A person with deep inner strength and high martial skill blows this at the victim's neck, and the needle instantly sinks in."

"Because the needle is hollow, it holds poison—rare and deadly toxins from the jianghu that can kill instantly."

"Afterward, pulling the needle out leaves no trace unless one dissects bone and flesh; otherwise it remains undetectable."

Gu Jiu Ling turned slowly to He Wanshan: "Elder He, what do you think?"

"If I'm not mistaken, Young Master Lin was first killed by a poison needle, then his chest was pierced with a heavy sword or similar sharp instrument."

"Moreover, wounds made before death and after death differ, at least in the amount of blood they release."

"Before death, such a large wound would naturally bleed profusely—look at this skin, can you see clearly? There is much bruising; clearly, after Young Master Lin died, his corpse was further mutilated to this extent."

"I don't even know who earlier insisted that Young Master Lin died from a heavy sword piercing his chest."

"Now you give me an explanation—how do you know so clearly the cause of Young Master Lin's death, or are you deliberately concealing something?"

Gu Jiu Ling looked at Bai Xiaosheng and said, "Please, Crown Prince, have these purveyors of false rumors arrested and interrogated; perhaps the killer of Young Master Lin is hidden among them."

Bai Xiaosheng frowned fiercely; Xiao Yin needed no order, he raised his hand and pointed at the officials opposite and at He Wanshan, whose face had drastically changed.

"Seize them!" Xiao Yin commanded, and his personal guards rushed forward.

In an instant the sound of swords being drawn rang out; in the silent night it made hearts tremble.

Suddenly a large group burst from the surrounding civilians; though dressed in ordinary clothes, their agile movements revealed them to be experts.

Those people also drew the weapons they had concealed.

The civil and military officials were stunned; they had originally come with Bai Xiaosheng to perform the Spring Sacrifice.

At this moment the peaceful Spring Sacrifice site turned into a battlefield of life and death; in an instant the civil and military officials fell into chaos.

The Spring Sacrifice venue became a hell on earth.

Gu Jiu Ling saw the scene, her face twitched slightly, and before she could speak Xiao Yin pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly.

The Longquan Sword in his hand also emitted a low hum.

Suddenly the manor buildings around caught fire; this area, often used by the imperial family for sacrifices, had been regarded by the locals as a blessed land, with mansions packed closely together, and now the manor complex was engulfed in a sea of flames.

Seeing the flames shoot skyward, trapping Xiao Yin and company here.

The onlookers who had been watching finally panicked and tried to flee.

Who would have thought that not only was their manor set ablaze, but the individuals mingling among the civilians had already torn off their disguises, brandishing swords and charging toward Xiao Yin's side.

Who had time to worry about harming the innocent?

He Wanshan snorted coldly, "Xiao Yin! Today is your day of death!"

Xiao Yin chuckled, stared fixedly at He Wanshan, and said nothing.

He Wanshan waved his arm, and a large group of black‑clad men wielding swords hurriedly surrounded Xiao Yin from that side.

For this Spring Sacrifice Xiao Yin brought only a little over a hundred personal troops; after all, holding an imperial rite, bringing too many would invite criticism.

Yet the crowd that gathered numbered over a thousand, pressing in tightly from all sides.

This was no mere manor militia—it was a well‑trained army.

Bai Xiaosheng's eyes flickered, and He Wanshan suddenly spoke again.

Crown Prince, Prince Rui used improper means to place the current emperor under house arrest; now we, unable to bear to see it, have risen in loyal defense of the ruler to restore governance to the emperor.

"Your Highness is the Emperor's own son; associating with these petty people, what good could come of it?"

"Please, Your Highness, quickly understand the situation and help us apprehend Prince Rui, this dog thief!"