Chapter 137

First Volume, Chapter 137: Nocking the Arrow but Not Releasing It

From the very beginning, Xie Yun'er never believed this murder case had anything to do with Qin Feng; after all, on the day of Ji Wang's birthday banquet, she had personally witnessed Qin Feng's intelligence and knew he would never do something so foolish as to ruin his own reputation.

At this moment, seeing Qin Feng deduce the entire sequence of events merely from what he saw and thought, Xie Yun'er couldn't help but admire him deeply.

This damned fellow, though his conduct was detestable, could not be denied—he was truly a rare genius.

Xie Yun'er's emotions grew increasingly conflicted: she both admired and disliked Qin Feng.

The Princess of Qiyang was far more direct, letting out a light snort: "I never would've guessed Qin Feng knew so much. It's strange too—he's never been heard of traveling the lands, yet how could a mere wastrel from Jingzhong possess such broad experience?"

Qin Feng observed the reactions of Qi Cheng and the others, silently sneering inside: if this were just petty mischief, fine—he'd play along as long as they liked.

But now it had escalated to murder for profit; he could no longer afford to be merciful.

"Qin Xiaofu." Qin Feng called out.

Qin Xiaofu hurried over: "Young Master, what are your orders?"

Qin Feng smiled slightly—a smile that sent chills down Qi Cheng and the others' spines: "This is a matter of life and death; no room for carelessness. Close the wine house door, then gather every clerk on duty today."

At Qin Feng's command, the entire wine house was sealed off; every worker inside, from top to bottom, assembled in the DaTang.

Qin Feng wasted no time: "First, identify the victim's face. Then recall who touched his cups or chopsticks today."

"Think hard! We won't wrong an innocent—but we won't let a guilty man slip away either!"

"Yes!"

The wine house workers stared at the corpse for a while; soon, a running clerk suddenly remembered something and darted over to Qin Feng: "Young Master, I recall!"

As he spoke, the clerk scanned the guests, his gaze locking onto a man in White Clothes, and declared firmly: "Young Master, it was this man—he asked me for two cups earlier, claiming he'd broken one and needed a replacement. And he sat right beside the victim."

In an instant, every eye in the room fixed on the man in White Clothes.

The man in White Clothes's eyes darted wildly; he stammered in protest: "Lies! I… I just came to eat! You're trying to pin the blame on me!"

Qin Feng didn't bother with words: "Bring him to me."

Qin Xiaofu didn't hesitate—he and several servants lunged forward, pinned the man in White Clothes to the ground, and dragged him forcibly to Qin Feng's feet.

Qin Feng knelt down, gazing at the terrified man in White Clothes, and offered a smile as gentle as spring wind, speaking softly: "Brother, pufferfish poison is deadly—once ingested, you're dead. For safety's sake, you must've used something to smear the poison on the cup. I've thought it over—what's the most convenient thing to use in public without raising suspicion? …Was it a handkerchief?"

The man in White Clothes stared at Qin Feng, expression as if seeing a ghost.

Qin Feng ordered Qin Xiaofu to search him; within moments, a white silk handkerchief was indeed found on the man.

Qin Feng carefully took the handkerchief himself, dropped it into a basin of water, then had a servant bring a dog and feed it the water soaked with the handkerchief.

Less than one cup of tea time passed—the large yellow dog showed signs of poisoning, collapsing on the ground, barely breathing.

Seeing this, the man in White Clothes turned ashen, his body instantly collapsing—he knew execution awaited him.

Xie Yun'er's eyes were filled with astonishment—not because the man in White Clothes dared such audacity, but because Qin Feng's logic was terrifyingly precise.

With no concrete evidence, merely sparse clues observed with his eyes, he had woven an entire chain of proof—it was beyond belief.

The Princess of Qiyang couldn't help murmuring: "This brat is truly formidable—no wonder Mother wanted to marry you to him."

Hearing this, Xie Yun'er froze, staring incredulously at the Princess of Qiyang: "You… what did you just say?"

The Princess of Qiyang realized she'd spoken too much, but offered no explanation—only told Xie Yun'er that the Chang Princess would tell her herself.

At that moment, a thunderous roar echoed through the wine house.

Ji Wang's eyes blazed with fury—he hadn't been this angry in years: "You audacious dog! To frame Qin Feng, you dared commit murder for profit! Confess—who ordered you? If you dare lie, I'll make you taste the full horror of the prison's tortures!"

The man in White Clothes nearly fainted, his body trembling violently, yet he kept his head bowed, silent.

Qin Feng cast a meaningful glance at Qi Cheng and the others; these so-called Jingzhong elites were now utterly guilt-ridden, daring not meet Qin Feng's gaze.

Qin Feng reached out, ruffled the man in White Clothes's hair, and grinned: "Brother, don't panic—I'll give you a way out. Whisper the name of the mastermind to me, and I'll make your death quick, no torture like Old Wangye promised. Otherwise, I guarantee you'll wish you were dead the moment you step inside."

"You know I, Qin Feng, always keep my word. If you don't believe me, go ahead and test me…"

For someone so easily manipulated into poisoning innocent Common People, Qin Feng felt nothing but contempt.

Now was the time to use the most effective method.

True enough, the moment the man in White Clothes heard "worse than death," he turned pale with terror, his mouth shut tight.

He was no professional killer, no Dead Soldier—under the combined pressure of Ji Wang and Qin Feng, he gritted his teeth and whispered a single name into Qin Feng's ear.

"Oh? Him?" Qin Feng feigned utter shock, deliberately sweeping his gaze over Qi Cheng and Gao Song and the others.

Ignoring their reactions, he called Qin Xiaofu over, ordered him to take the man in White Clothes to the Rear Kitchen, write down the true mastermind's name and the full account on paper, then sign and seal it.

Soon, Qin Xiaofu returned with the confession.

"Heh—heh. For the sake of his career, he obeyed another's orders and murdered ordinary Common People… tsk tsk, what a scholar with a heart eaten by dogs!" Qin Feng took it, glanced once, then shoved it into his robe, and kicked the man in White Clothes in the buttocks: "Alright. Take this bastard away. Make sure the jailers treat him well—give him a quick death. After all, this Young Master is a merchant—even if this man is despicable, we must keep our word."

Seeing the man in White Clothes led away, Ji Wang hurriedly asked: "Qin Feng, who is the murderer?"

Every single person in the room turned their gaze to Qin Feng; Qin Feng relished this moment of all eyes upon him, but he had no rush to reveal the killer's identity.

Qin Feng leaned close to Ji Wang's ear and whispered: "The murderer is right here. Why ask me what you already know? This matter runs too deep—I cannot name him openly."

Hearing this, Ji Wang's gaze shifted repeatedly, then he sighed, murmuring: "You're young, yet your scheming runs deeper than mine—I'm outmatched."

Qin Feng grinned, feeling a heavy weight in his chest—not a piece of evidence, but a money tree.

As long as he held this paper, he could extort the killer until he bled dry.