272: Chapter 272 The Deceased, Identity

Outside the city, Shili Slope.

The night wind howled, whipping up flying sand across the sky.

When Lin Wan brought a group of Constables to the scene, the surroundings had already been sealed off by people from the Six Doors.

The air was filled with a thick smell of blood, mixed with the earthy stench, which was nauseating.

"Sir."

Seeing Lin Wan, the Deputy Chief Constable hurriedly went up to greet her, with a solemn expression.

Lin Wan nodded slightly, her gaze sweeping across the surroundings.

The surrounding trees were broken, the ground was pockmarked, and everywhere were traces left by the rampage of True Qi.

Obviously, a fierce and tragic battle had just taken place here.

"Where is the corpse?" Lin Wan asked coldly.

"Over here."

The deputy Constable led Lin Wan to a depressed earthen pit.

At the bottom of the pit lay a corpse.

Or rather, a withered skeleton.

The flesh on the corpse had completely shriveled, clinging tightly to the bones, as if all its vitality had been instantly sucked dry by something.

The state of death was extremely miserable, with a distorted face, and empty eye sockets staring fixedly at the night sky.

Lin Wan frowned tightly and squatted down to examine it carefully.

"What does the coroner say?"

An old coroner carrying a tool case nearby hurriedly stepped forward and respectfully replied:

"Reporting to Sir, the deceased's whole body has withered Qi and blood, and the Meridians are broken inch by inch. Looking at this state of death... it seems that Qi and blood were sucked dry by some extremely domineering Demonic Technique."

"Demonic Technique?" Lin Wan's eyes narrowed.

"Yes." The coroner nodded, "And judging from the traces at the scene, the deceased should have been a top expert during lifetime, with residual traces of Zhenyuan on the body, with at least a cultivation level above the third rank. But even so, he was still forcibly sucked dry by someone."

An expert above the third rank?

Lin Wan's heart trembled.

The experts who could reach the third rank in the capital could be counted on one's fingers, and every single one of them was a well-known big shot.

Who had such great ability to kill an expert above the third rank right here?

And still used such a cruel Demonic Technique?

"Can the identity be confirmed?" Lin Wan asked.

The coroner shook his head, looking troubled:

"The face of the deceased is completely destroyed, and there are no objects on the body that can prove identity, but..."

The coroner paused and pointed to a jade thumb ring on the corpse's right hand, saying:

"The texture of this thumb ring is extremely fine, definitely not an ordinary item. Moreover, although the deceased's Qi and blood are exhausted, this person's identity is definitely extraordinary."

Lin Wan stared at that jade thumb ring.

Could it be... this was the "gift" Shansun gave her?

A corpse of an expert?

What was the use of sending her a corpse? Could it be that there was still some secret hidden behind this corpse?

Lin Wan took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the shock in her heart.

If this was really done by Shansun, just how terrifying had his strength reached?

Even an expert like this could be easily killed, and he even dared to openly provoke the Six Doors like this.

"Sir, what should we do now?" The deputy chief Constable asked carefully from the side.

"Take the corpse back first and guard it strictly." Lin Wan stood up, "In addition, send people to investigate whether any experts have gone missing in the capital recently."

"Yes!"

...

A few days later.

The Six Doors, Lin Wan's private single office.

Sunlight spilled onto the desk through the window lattice, and the air was filled with a faint fragrance of ink.

Chen Ran stood behind Lin Wan, gently placing his hands on her shoulders, kneading her sore muscles for her.

"Is the strength okay?" Chen Ran asked softly.

"Mhm, just right."

Lin Wan closed her eyes, enjoying this rare moment of relaxation.

The days of rushing about and investigating had left her physically and mentally exhausted.

The identity of that withered skeleton had not been ascertained yet, and there was no news of any experts missing in the capital.

The case seemed to have hit a dead end.

"Don't work too hard, just investigate the case slowly." Chen Ran's fingers slid from her shoulders to her neck, gently pressing the Acupoints.

Lin Wan gave a comfortable soft hum, her body involuntarily leaning back and pressing against Chen Ran's body.

"How can it be that easy." Lin Wan sighed, "The higher-ups are pressing hard, and... I always feel that this matter is not that simple."

"Oh? How so?" Chen Ran asked calmly.

"That corpse..." Lin Wan opened her eyes, her brows slightly furrowed, "I always feel it has an inseparable connection with Shansun."

Chen Ran's hand movement paused slightly, and then returned to normal.

"Shansun? Is that the guy who wrote a letter to tease you in the teahouse?"

"It's him." Lin Wan gritted her teeth, a trace of anger flashing in her eyes, "He deliberately left that note just to lure me to Shili Slope. What on earth does he want to do?"

Chen Ran smiled and didn't speak.

What did he want to do?

Naturally, it was to eliminate potential enemies and incidentally send a big gift to his own woman.

"Dong, dong, dong!"

At this moment, a burst of hurried knocking suddenly came from outside the door, instantly breaking the atmosphere in the room.

Like a frightened rabbit, Lin Wan bounced up abruptly from the chair, quickly getting rid of Chen Ran's hands.

Her face flushed slightly, and she straightened her somewhat messy lapels before clearing her throat, recovering her usual coldness and dignity.

"Come in."

The door was pushed open, and a Constable walked in quickly with an excited expression.

"Sir, it's out!"

"What has been found out?" Lin Wan's heart stirred.

"The identity of that withered skeleton!" The Constable swallowed his saliva, his voice shaking, "It's... it's Eunuch Cao, Cao Yong from the cabinet!"

"What?!"

Lin Wan's pupils shrank, and the whole person froze.

Cao Yong?

That powerful eunuch of the Second Rank Innate Realm, a person of real power in the cabinet?

He actually died outside the city at Shili Slope?!

No wonder there was no news of any experts missing in the capital.

For a figure of Cao Yong's level, his whereabouts were inherently secretive, and the cabinet side would definitely try their best to block the news.

"Are you sure it's Cao Yong?" Lin Wan took a deep breath.

"Absolutely true!" The Constable nodded repeatedly,

"We went to check with that jade thumb ring. That was an imperial bestowal. Only Eunuch Cao has one in the entire capital. Moreover, news has also spread from the cabinet saying that Eunuch Cao has... has passed away."

"Sir, this is a monumental merit!" The Constable said excitedly, "During his lifetime, Cao Yong committed countless evils and offended quite a few people. Now that he is dead, the higher-ups will definitely reward you heavily!"

Lin Wan didn't speak, just turned her head to glance at Chen Ran standing behind her.

Chen Ran still maintained a calm expression, as if all this had nothing to do with him.

But Lin Wan knew clearly in her heart that this matter was definitely not that simple.

Cao Yong was a Second Rank Innate Realm expert, and his strength was unfathomable.

The people capable of killing him could not be found among a few in the entire capital.

Was it killed by Shansun?

If it really was him, why did he want to kill Cao Yong?

And why did he deliberately give this credit to her?

Lin Wan only felt as if her eyes were shrouded in a thick layer of fog, unable to see the truth clearly no matter what.

"I know, you may withdraw first." Lin Wan waved her hand.

"Yes!" The Constable retreated excitedly.

The room fell into silence once again.

Lin Wan turned around, looking at Chen Ran with complicated eyes.

"Who do you think... could have done it?"

Chen Ran shrugged, looking innocent.

"How would I know, I'm just a lowly prison guard, but it sounds like good news."

"Cao Yong is dead, and the cabinet's black glove is also ruined. Now wanting to promote the Family tax decree is probably impossible."

Hearing Chen Ran's comfort, Lin Wan stared at him for a while and slowly sighed.

"Forget it, no matter who did it, this case... can be considered closed. However, the wanted order for this Shansun seems to need to be elevated to the next level."

Chen Ran stood behind Lin Wan, looking at her slender back, the corners of his mouth hooking into an imperceptible arc.

Investigate then, investigate slowly.