Chapter 129: Bloodstains Hide Traces

Yu Yunhang waved to Lang Xiao Ba standing by the door: "Come in."

Lang Xiao Ba entered and bowed with clasped hands: "My lord."

Xu Yuan asked: "Did you hear everything I just said?"

"You're right to suspect it—the coroners and veteran captains in the office share the same view."

"What exactly do they think about this point?"

"Nothing—they're just puzzled and confused."

This answer made Xu Yuan frown; he glanced outside again: "Lu Police Inspector hasn't arrived. No one else from the office came back to examine the scene? Did everyone follow Lin Daoren away?"

Lang Xiao Ba shook his head: "This subordinate truly doesn't know."

Yu Yunhang scoffed coldly: "Are they completely dumping this case on us?"

Lang Xiao Ba protested: "Zhancheng has hundreds of thousands of people, plus all the demonic incidents in the outlying prefectures, counties, and villages—we're already severely understaffed..."

Before he finished, a short captain sprinted in, found them, and gasped in anguish: "Lu Police Inspector was murdered last night!"

"What?!"

Everyone in the room gasped in shock.

He Jun'an died yesterday; Lu Qiuyang was killed tonight! A rank-eight officer of the Purification Office—not some common cat or dog—slaughtered so casually by a demonic force?

Today's ban on "street racing" meant news traveled painfully slow; this short captain, having learned the news at Zhancheng Office, could only trudge briskly to Nancheng Patrol House, then sprint the moment he crossed the gate.

Lu's family did the same—weeping as they walked, yet dared not hurry.

By the time they reached Zhancheng Office, Xu Yuan and the others had already left.

Xu Yuan's group hurried toward Lu's home, sprinting to the patrol house gate; though desperate, they forced themselves to slow down as they walked toward the Lu residence.

Artificers could indeed craft devices for long-distance message transmission, but they were rare and prohibitively expensive—impossible to deploy on any large scale.

Another half-hour passed before the group finally reached Lu Qiuyang's home in the eastern quarter.

The courtyard echoed with wailing—Lu Qiuyang was the head of the household, a rank-eight Police Inspector of the Purification Office, a man of considerable influence even in Zhancheng Prefecture.

His death had shattered the family completely.

Another Zhancheng Office Police Inspector, Zhu Silǐ, had already arrived and ordered his subordinates to cordon off the scene, but Lin Zi was nowhere to be seen.

"Zhu Police Inspector," Xu Yuan bowed to Zhu Silǐ: "I'll go in first to inspect."

Zhu Silǐ's expression was grim; he merely waved his hand, signaling his captains to clear a path.

Lu Qiuyang died in his study—his study was several times larger than Qiao Zia's, with an outer room for reading and receiving guests, and an inner room with a bed for rest.

The corpse hung from the rafters, chest and abdomen hollowed out, blood splattered everywhere.

The two coroners had already arrived; upon seeing Xu Yuan enter, they bowed and stepped aside.

The two coroners trembled, convinced this demonic force wasn't just targeting the Purification Office—it wanted their lives.

One corpse after another—if even once, during examination, the body suddenly twisted and lunged at them, they'd be dead.

Xu Yuan merely glanced over the corpse, then began inspecting every bloodstain in the room.

About a quarter-hour later, Xu Yuan stepped out and asked Zhu Silǐ: "Where's Lin Daoren?"

"Lin Daoren has official duties," Zhu Silǐ replied stiffly. "We subordinates have no right to inquire after our superiors' whereabouts."

It was a reminder to Xu Yuan to know his place.

Xu Yuan glanced around once more, then said: "In that case... let's begin the autopsy."

The hour was still early; there was time to perform it.

Zhu Silǐ hesitated: "This is old Lu... we should wait for Lin Daoren to give the order himself."

"But if Lin Daoren doesn't return, we might miss the window—and lose crucial clues."

Zhu Silǐ hesitated again, then gritted his teeth: "Wait a moment—I'll consult the family."

Lu Qiuyang was a Purification Office officer; they had to consider the family's feelings. For an ordinary person, a single captain would just deliver the news, and the autopsy would begin immediately.

Zhu Silǐ hadn't been gone long when chaos erupted from the back courtyard—maids and old nurses screamed: "Auntie's tried to kill herself!"

Lang Xiao Ba had no choice but to go ask again.

He returned shortly with the report: He Lüshi, mother of He Jun'an, had thrown herself down the well.

He Lüshi's husband died right after giving birth to He Jun'an; the widow and orphan were shunned by the husband's clan, but luckily she had a brother to turn to.

For decades, He Lüshi had lived in Lu Qiuyang's home, laboring tirelessly to raise her son—and He Jun'an proved worthy: though he benefited from his uncle's influence, he also earned real merit, rising steadily to Deputy Police Inspector.

He Lüshi had just arranged a fine marriage for her son—the families had already agreed—when her son suddenly died.

Upon hearing the news, He Lüshi collapsed on the spot.

Before she could recover from the grief of losing her son, her brother—who had cared for her all these years—was murdered less than half a day later.

She'd had many attendants around her, but after Lu Qiuyang's death, the household no longer paid her any attention.

Taking advantage of the servants' distraction, He Lüshi ran out and hurled herself into the courtyard well.

She'd been pulled out, but now her body was stiff, her eyes glassy—she'd surely fall gravely ill, and likely wouldn't survive.

Everyone fell silent. It was too tragic.

Song Lu's eyes were red—he realized the demonic force was deliberately destroying the Lu family, leaving them broken and dead.

Xu Yuan's chest tightened; he stepped into the courtyard and exhaled.

Zhu Silǐ rushed over, fury blazing from him like fire, barely contained.

"Autopsy!" he ordered the two coroners.

The coroners quickly lowered the corpse and prepared the side chamber for the examination.

Xu Yuan entered the study; Fu Jingyu followed immediately.

Xu Yuan moved through the bloodstains, then stopped before a pool of it; he opened his mouth and twisted his internal fire into a thin flame, beginning to cleanse the blood.

Fu Jingyu: "You..."

Xu Yuan raised his hand to signal him to stay silent.

Fu Jingyu glanced outside, then closed his mouth.

A pool of blood dried from burning; Xu Yuan frowned, lost in thought, then selected another bloodstain to burn.

Xu Yuan's Rank Dan Xiu had reached the Seventh Flow, and his control over Fu Zhong Huo was extremely refined.

He slowly burned, finishing one pool and moving to the next.

Fu Jingyu stood beside him, silent and no longer asking.

Although Fu Jingyu understood that Xu Yuan, at Seventh Flow Rank Dan Xiu, could fill the entire study with one burst of Fu Zhong Huo and precisely control it to burn only these bloodstains without igniting any furniture or books.

When Xu Yuan reached the fifth pool of blood, he suddenly beckoned to Fu Jingyu, who immediately stepped over — beneath the bloodstain was a faint shoe print!

Xu Yuan pointed to Fu Jingyu's official boots; Fu Jingyu lifted his sole — the shape of the print matched the boots exactly!

(End of Chapter)