Chapter 649: Fabricating a Story? The Only Item on the Corpse!

"The murderer wanted to torture her; perhaps something happened in between that forced them to kill?" Tang Youning asked.

"Or perhaps…"

Su Yang's gaze fell on the exquisitely decorated Small Knife, and he said slowly, "This knife might be her only means of seeking Liberation."

His mind couldn't help but simulate the woman's final moments.

She, as always, was being tortured by the murderer and was forced to eat rotten Meat.

Even raw meat that hadn't been processed at all!

She had had enough of the torture, could no longer bear the humiliation, and chose to fight back.

Unfortunately she didn't succeed; the murderer, enraged and ashamed, directly dealt a killing blow!

"So what was her identity? A Maid? A relative of the Count?" the Countess asked, puzzled.

"I think it's most likely a Maid; if she were a relative, the Count certainly wouldn't tolerate it."

"You shouldn't judge by the monk's face but by the Buddha's; as the saying goes, when beating a dog you must consider the owner—who would be that bold?" the Coachman said.

"Not necessarily…" Su Yang slowly shook his head, "What if it was the Count himself who acted?"

"What do you mean?" Tang Youning's eyes flashed with Cold Light.

"What I'm saying should be in Blue Star language; you all can understand, right?" Su Yang smiled and continued:

"Since the Count is also one of the identities that a player can have, that means he could also be the murderer."

"Based on age, if the Dead Person were a relative, she must be the Count's daughter."

"As a member of the Nobility, she would have been placed under great expectations since childhood; upon reaching adulthood she would either achieve great deeds on her own, or be forced into a marriage alliance with another noble's young master."

"Or perhaps… desperately trying to escape this cage that has held her for over twenty years."

"Along the way, perhaps some unknown events occurred, causing the Count to rage and spare no effort to strike down his own flesh and blood!"

Pa‑pa‑pa…

Tang Youning clapped his hands in admiration, "Su Xiong truly is supremely clever; with just this little information from the corpse he can fabricate a fully formed story."

"This ability… I, Tang, feel humbled."

Su Yang merely smiled at his taunt, "As you said, the living have a mouth that can lie; asking a thousand or ten thousand questions may still not reveal the truth."

"But the Dead Person does not; they present the most genuine state, even if a single hair is missing it's the truest depiction."

"According to your wording and logic, the Dead Person being a Maid would be even easier to explain." the Coachman held a different view.

He explained, "Imagine a Maid of low status; when entering the profession she must sign a contract of selling herself, endure beatings and scoldings, the Count wants everything from her, and she cannot refuse."

"And peers can freely bully her, for example if a Maid dislikes her, they will find ways to harass her."

"Compared to your fabricated possibilities, I think what I say aligns more with reality."

Su Yang and the Coachman each held their own argument, both speaking with conviction.

But solving a case relies on evidence, not merely a mouthful of words.

The Dead Person cannot be spoken alive, and the truth will not spring forth from a mouth.

At that moment, Zhai Sixin made another major discovery; she lifted the Dead Person's left hand and whispered, "Look…"

Su Yang followed the voice, and his gaze suddenly grew solemn.

He saw that the Dead Person's left hand little finger was severed halfway.

It resembled the portrait he had seen not long ago in one of the Maid rooms!

"Severed Finger…" Tang Youning murmured silently.

"Just cut?" the Countess asked.

"No, it looks like the wound has been there for a long time," Zhai Sixin shook her head.

"I recall… one of the Maids also had a Severed Finger!" Liang Kaiqi suddenly spoke up.

"Could the Severed Finger be a symbol of this Nobility, or perhaps some... totem?" the Security Guard asked curiously.

"If that's the case, then we can confirm the corpse is a Maid!" the Coachman said.

Su Yang recalled the golden strand of hair on the bed.

Could it truly be as his first hypothesis, that the Count took a liking to this Maid and consummated a relationship with her?

Paper cannot contain Fire; the scandal was exposed, the Countess enraged, and she dealt a killing blow to her?

At this thought, Su Yang couldn't help but look at the plain‑looking yet refined female player.

Based on the information gathered so far, the Cook, the Count, the Countess, and the Maid are all suspects.

And the Cook's suspicion is the greatest.

Because the one who used this Small Knife to kill cannot be identified.

Nor can we determine who administered the flogging.

Only the Rotten Meat in the Stomach can be traced to its source!

This is not a good sign.

Although no cyanide evidence was found inside, the spear now points invisibly toward Su Yang.

"The toe is intact, the private parts show no injury marks, and aside from the back, no other skin is wounded," Zhai Sixin explained.

At that remark, Su Yang had a flash of insight, "Smell her clothing!"

Zhai Sixin was startled; though she didn't understand, she complied.

She cut off a corner of the garment, smelled it, her willow‑shaped brows furrowed, "It seems like… pine resin?"

Indeed!

A spark of brilliance flashed in Su Yang's eyes.

He was not wrong; the Dead Person must have slept in that bed!

Precisely because of that, her body was tinged with the scent of pine resin.

Just…

The maid's room we visited last also had that smell.

And the first maid's room, because Liang Kaiji had defecated there, cannot be distinguished.

"Neither the Coachman's nor the Security Guard's rooms have it; could the Count be a lecher?" Su Yang stroked his chin.

The Nobility circles are mostly chaotic, often erupting with nauseating incidents.

After extravagance, Desire becomes hard to satisfy.

They habitually commit perverse acts to fill the inner emptiness.

Moreover, as time passes, their behavior becomes increasingly uncontrollable, spiraling out of hand.

"What role does the Countess play, and why is there no trace of her throughout the Ancient Castle?" Su Yang was puzzled.

Logically, as the Ancient Castle's lady of the house, she should occupy a place.

And the Security Guard, the two of them seem like invisible people, silent.

"There's a box in the corpse's pocket!" Li Zhenhua suddenly exclaimed.

"Open it and see."

Li Zhenhua gently opened it and saw a Silver Coin inside, stamped with the profile of a woman.

On the other side of the Silver Coin there was a groove, presumably for another one.

"Strange, where did the other piece go?" Li Zhenhua checked around, worried it might have fallen somewhere.

While others helped search, Su Yang subconsciously reached for his trouser pocket.

From its style and size, it was clear that the missing Silver Coin now lay in his pocket.

"The corpse's only item…"

Su Yang tried to calm his racing thoughts, recalling the scene when he first entered the Ancient Castle.

He clearly remembered that the Silver Coin had been under the carpet.

And now the corpse's sleeping spot…

Exactly matches the Silver Coin's position!

"Could her death…"

Su Yang slightly lifted his eyelids, "Related to the Silver Coin?!"