246: Chapter 246 Murder Case

This alley was called Huai Tree Alley, one of the poorest places in the capital of the Great Wei.

The residents were all small-time merchants: melon sellers, water carriers, and a few families who made a living washing clothes for others.

Scabby Zhang lived in the most dilapidated shack at the end of the alley.

He was nearly forty, idle and shiftless, scraping by on odd jobs and the occasional bit of ill-gotten gain. Neighbors often took a detour whenever they saw him.

"Crack." It sounded as if a stone structure had collapsed.

Scabby Zhang snapped his eyes open and scanned his surroundings; it was still pitch black.

The nights in Huai Tree Alley were always quiet. The neighbors were honest folk, and at this hour, even the stray dogs wouldn't make a sound.

Yet, he had distinctly heard a noise.

Scabby Zhang pricked up his ears and listened for a long time, vaguely discerning that the sound had come from the abandoned house at the northernmost end of the alley.

"Boom!"

Suddenly, it felt as though something had collapsed; a dull vibration shook the ground beneath him.

He rolled over, having no intention of getting involved.

When a Martial Artist fought in the capital, they were not to be trifled with.

Yet, he couldn't fall back asleep.

He lay there for about half an hour before the commotion finally ceased.

Scabby Zhang climbed up in the dark and peered through a crack in the wall.

The street was empty.

Over at the abandoned house, it was pitch black, and he couldn't make out anything.

He rubbed his chin, the worm of greed in his heart beginning to wriggle.

It was just a fight; once they were done, they would leave.

That abandoned house was usually unoccupied. If these people left in a hurry and accidentally dropped something... he might be able to pay off his debts.

Finding an excuse for himself, he threw on his clothes and crept out on tiptoe.

The bluestone road of Huai Tree Alley was still wet, and his footsteps made a soft splashing sound.

Scabby Zhang walked to the entrance of the abandoned house and poked his head in to take a look.

The courtyard gate was half-ajar, and there was no sound from within.

He swallowed hard and squeezed inside.

As soon as his foot touched the courtyard, he nearly stepped into a pool of dark liquid.

He looked down.

Blood.

A large pool of dark red, still steaming, shimmering with a chilling luster under the moonlight.

Scabby Zhang's throat tightened, and he stopped dead in his tracks.

He slowly raised his head, following the trail of blood forward—

Half the courtyard wall had collapsed.

Rubble was scattered everywhere, and bricks had smashed deep craters, as if something had flown from inside to outside, smashing through the entire wall.

The thing that had been smashed out was lying in the pile of rubble.

It was a person.

A burly middle-aged man lay on his side amidst the debris, a deep saber wound across his chest, his robes already soaked through with blood.

Dead.

Completely dead.

Scabby Zhang's legs went weak, and a half-choked scream caught in his throat, which he forced himself to swallow back down.

He instinctively turned to retreat toward the entrance.

But at that moment, he caught sight of an even larger pool of blood on the street outside the courtyard gate.

Following the trail of blood was another person.

Or rather, half a person.

The head was half a zhang away from the body, resting quietly on the bluestone road, its dead eyes wide with terror, staring up at the sky.

Scabby Zhang's legs gave out completely.

He stumbled out of the abandoned house, ran to the mouth of the alley, and screamed at the top of his lungs:

"Murder! There's been a murder!"

The sound shattered the silence of the alley entrance.

As the news spread, the Six Doors arrived quickly.

In less than half an hour, over a dozen Constables, carrying lanterns, had the entire Huai Tree Alley sealed off.

Hemp ropes blocked the road, men stood on both sides, and the neighbors were dispersed. The crowd craned their necks, whispering and buzzing with commotion.

A young Constable emerged from the abandoned house and walked toward the old Constable who stood with his hands behind his back outside the gate, bowing respectfully.

"Master Liu, the search inside is complete."

The old Constable's surname was Liu, known as Old Saber Liu. He had been in the business for twenty years and had seen every major case imaginable.

But the scene tonight made even him frown.

"Speak."

The young Constable lowered his voice: "One body inside, clean saber wound, killed in one strike. The courtyard wall was smashed through from the inside out; the craters in the rubble are two inches deep, and the crossbeam was severed halfway, the cut as clean as if sliced by a blade."

He paused. "The one on the street... the head is gone."

"Are both of them Martial Artists?"

"Yes." The young Constable nodded. "They have calluses, solid bone structure, and thick residual Qi. If not for the lack of a heartbeat, we would have almost thought they were still alive during the inspection."

Old Saber Liu didn't speak.

He held up his lantern, walked slowly around the courtyard, and examined the breach from beginning to end.

The wall had collapsed from the inside out, suggesting immense impact. The direction of the flying debris and the landing points all indicated that the strike possessed extraordinary power.

Looking out at the street again, the paving stones were cracked, the stone slabs shattered, and there were a few thin silver needles scattered about, their tips slightly bent as if they had snapped against the ground.

Old Saber Liu picked one up, rolled it between his fingers, and his expression grew increasingly grim.

The scale of this fight and the degree of the traces left behind were not matters they could handle.

He tucked the silver needle into his sleeve and turned to give orders: "Report this to the superiors. Seal the scene; no one is to enter or leave."

About the time it takes for an incense stick to burn later, a carriage stopped at the mouth of Huai Tree Alley.

The carriage curtain was lifted, and a figure jumped out.

The lantern light shone over, illuminating a face with sharp, stern features.

Dressed in black and white martial attire, a sword at her waist, her long hair tied up high, she looked heroic and spirited.

"Old Saber Liu, where is the scene?"

Before Constable Lin had finished speaking, she was already striding into the courtyard.

"Constable Lin, both of these men were full of Qi, yet I don't know why they were hiding here. I suspect there is something suspicious about them."

Old Saber Liu hurried to catch up, reporting as he walked.

Constable Lin crouched down in front of each of the two corpses in turn, examining them closely.

A moment later, her eyes flickered.

Even though these two were already dead, the residual Qi in their bodies was still thick; even she could feel its power.

Although she didn't know their exact Realm, they were definitely not ordinary people.

She stood up and walked slowly around the courtyard.

"Could this be a Jianghu vendetta?"

Constable Lin muttered to herself: "Two Martial Artists, not low in strength, killed unilaterally by someone. No signs of struggle or escape. The strike was clean, leaving no survivors. The grudge must be deep."

Old Saber Liu nodded: "There have been cases like this in previous years. Jianghu grudges, according to the old customs..."

"But it's a bit strange."

Constable Lin didn't follow his train of thought. She stopped in front of the broken beam, her eyes fixed on the cut, her brows slightly furrowed.

But this clean, efficient method of killing felt somewhat familiar.

Something suddenly flashed through her mind, but she couldn't grasp it. It felt like she had seen it somewhere, but she couldn't quite place when or where.

Seeing her expression, Old Saber Liu asked in a low voice: "Constable Lin, have you discovered something?"

Constable Lin shook her head, not answering directly: "Let's check their identities first."

"Yes."

The Constables were efficient. In just a moment, they brought over a tray containing loose silver, a few waist tokens, and a blank jade pendant.

Constable Lin picked up one of the waist tokens and flipped it to the back.

Her fingers paused.

On the back of the waist token, two extremely small characters were engraved.

In the capital, not many people recognized these two characters.

She stared at the two characters for a long time, saying nothing.

"Cao Yong."

These two men were Cao Yong's subordinates.

Constable Lin slowly tucked the waist token into her palm, rose slowly, and her eyes grew deep.

Cao Yong's men had died in an abandoned house in the capital, killed cleanly and efficiently, leaving no survivors.

That strangely familiar saber technique...

She took a deep breath and suppressed the thought that was vaguely emerging.

It couldn't be confirmed yet.

Just then, the sound of footsteps came from the direction of the alley entrance.