34: Chapter 34 Poisoning

Being watched by everyone, a trace of annoyance flickered in the depths of Lin Qing's heart.

He secretly clenched his fists, his heart filled with caution. Ultimately, he was still too careless and could not truly keep his emotions from showing on his face. If this were a life-or-death situation, such a flaw would be enough to doom him eternally.

It seemed that no matter what happened in the future, he had to firmly restrain his mind; even if his heart was in turmoil, his face had to remain as calm as a placid lake.

Lin Qing swore secretly in his heart that he would polish himself to the Realm of 'thunder in the chest but a face like a calm lake.'

Although he had sensed in that instant that Wang Xiaolong's sudden death held many peculiarities and was by no means as simple as it appeared on the surface, Lin Qing truly did not want to get involved.

Firstly, he was naturally reserved and had never been one to seek the spotlight or meddle in others' business; he only wanted to steadily increase his strength and gain a firm foothold in this martial world. Secondly, for someone to be able to silently kill a Third Stage Middle Stage martial Prodigy within the Prince's Mansion, there was no telling who might be involved behind the scenes. One wrong move could lead to getting burned.

Better to have one less thing to worry about; staying out of it was the safest choice. Having reached this conclusion, Lin Qing made up his mind and was about to speak up to politely refuse and avoid getting involved in this trouble.

However, the fleeting hint of hesitation in his eyes was caught by the anxious Wang Qingwan standing nearby.

Wang Qingwan was exceptionally clever. Seeing Lin Qing's expression flicker, she knew he intended to retreat. Her brother's death was suspicious, and she was determined to uncover the truth.

Before Lin Qing could utter his refusal, Wang Qingwan quickly stepped forward and lowered her voice, her tone urgent and pleading:

"Young Master, I know this matter is tricky. But if you can help me uncover the truth and bring justice for my brother, my Wang family is willing to reward you with ten thousand gold. In the future, should the Young Master ever need anything from my Wang family, I, Wang Qingwan, will never refuse!"

Since things had reached this point, refusing further would be somewhat impolite.

Lin Qing pondered for a moment. He did not answer immediately but slowly turned his head to look at Zhao Feng.

Zhao Feng was a Centurion of the Zhenwu Division and was the lead investigator for this case. Even if Lin Qing had suspicions, he needed to seek Zhao Feng's opinion first and could not act on his own authority.

Zhao Feng was incredibly sharp and saw through Lin Qing's thoughts at a glance. He had always acted honorably and was not narrow-minded or bound by trivialities. Seeing Lin Qing look over, he immediately gave an imperceptible nod, his gaze steady, indicating that Lin Qing should feel free to speak and could directly state any discoveries.

Having received Zhao Feng's tacit approval, Lin Qing no longer had any misgivings. He immediately cupped his hands toward the crowd, his voice steady and powerful:

"Everyone, as a member of the Zhenwu Division, since I have sensed anomalies in this murder case, I will naturally investigate to the end to bring justice to the deceased. I cannot allow the true culprit to remain at large."

After speaking, Lin Qing said no more and walked slowly toward Wang Xiaolong's corpse lying on the ground. His pace was steady, each step taken without haste.

As he walked, Lin Qing spoke, his gaze falling upon the clothing on Wang Xiaolong's body, saying slowly:

"As far as I know, Young Master Wang was a Third Stage Middle Stage Martial Artist. When one reaches the Third Stage in martial Cultivation, their Qi and blood are so vigorous that they are already immune to heat and cold. It is currently only the beginning of autumn; why would Young Master Wang have put on a Silk-padded jacket so early?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the members of the Wang family immediately burst into discussion. A middle-aged man standing nearby, who looked like a manager of the Wang family, stepped forward and quickly replied:

"The Young Master might not be aware, but our Eldest Young Master studied hard from a young age, single-mindedly pursuing the martial Dao. He practiced excessively year-round, and over time, he developed a chronic condition. This led to muscle strain and the entry of cold evil into his body. He has suffered from physical weakness and an aversion to cold for several years now. Even if the weather isn't cold, he needs to wear thick clothes to stay warm; otherwise, his whole body feels cold and his Internal Energy becomes sluggish."

Lin Qing looked up at the middle-aged man, his eyes calm and expressionless. He did not press further or argue; he simply nodded slightly and then said no more.

He walked straight to the corpse, slowly crouched down, and extended his fingers, carefully avoiding the vital areas of the body as he began a detailed examination.

His movements were gentle and professional. First, he checked Wang Xiaolong's eyelids, then squeezed his fingers to examine the nails, and subsequently lightly felt the corpse's neck and chest, refusing to miss a single detail.

In just the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Lin Qing slowly stood up, brushed off non-existent dust from his hands, and turned to look at Zhao Feng.

Seeing this, Zhao Feng once again gave an imperceptible nod, indicating that he should speak freely and make all his findings public.

Lin Qing took a deep breath and then spoke, his voice clear and powerful, spreading distinctly throughout the entire courtyard of the Wang Mansion so that everyone present could hear him clearly:

"You all only knew that Young Master Wang was averse to cold and physically weak, so you took it for granted that it was due to overexertion in practice and the entry of cold evil. But have you ever considered that a martial Prodigy naturally has Qi and blood like a Dragon and a solid Foundation? Even with overexertion, it would only lead to stagnant Internal Energy and slow progress in cultivation. Why would he waste away for no reason and eventually die so suddenly?"

These words were forceful and resonant, instantly causing the noisy discussions of the crowd to come to a screeching halt. Everyone's eyes focused squarely on Lin Qing, their faces full of shock and confusion.

Lin Qing's gaze swept over the crowd as he continued in a deep voice:

"Young Master Wang's fingernails have an abnormal grayish-blue tint, there is subtle pale congestion in the corners of his eyes, his pupils are of unequal size after death, and his body's Qi and blood have dissipated despite having no external injuries. All these symptoms are by no means caused by a backlash from martial Cultivation, but rather by the erosion of his heart Meridians by trace amounts of plant toxins over many years."

"This poison is extremely sinister, colorless, and odorless. It can easily be mixed into daily tea, meals, or incense. Its nature is mild but persistent, and ordinary doctors simply cannot distinguish it, treating it only as physical weakness and overexertion. But over time, these toxins slowly eat away at the Martial Artist's Foundation, destroying their Meridians and exhausting their Qi and blood, causing the Martial Artist's reactions to become sluggish and their Internal Energy to dissipate. Someone has been plotting this for a long time!"

By the end, Lin Qing's tone suddenly turned sharp, his eyes like torches as he scanned the crowd and asked in a deep voice, "May I ask everyone, who was specifically responsible for Young Master Wang's daily diet, living arrangements, tea, and meals?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire place fell into a dead silence, followed by an instantaneous explosion of noise!

The faces of the Wang family members changed drastically, and their gazes turned in unison toward the maidservant kneeling by the corpse, who had just been weeping piteously and was overwhelmed with grief. That maidservant was named Chun Tao, and she was usually specifically responsible for Wang Xiaolong's diet and daily life; she was the person closest to him.

Stared at by everyone, Chun Tao trembled all over. Her already pale face instantly became bloodless, and her eyes were filled with panic. She immediately looked up and screamed at Lin Qing in disbelief:

"It wasn't me! I didn't harm the Eldest Young Master! On what basis do you wrong me! I am loyal to the Eldest Young Master, how could I possibly do such a thing!"

She desperately tried to argue, but the panic and fear in the depths of her eyes could not be hidden at all, and her hands and feet were shaking slightly.

However, Lin Qing did not even look at Chun Tao.

He knew that a mere personal maidservant had neither the motive nor the courage and means to use such sinister and hidden plant toxins to poison a Third Stage Middle Stage Martial Artist over many years.

This Chun Tao was, at most, a mere pawn. The true mastermind behind the scenes was certainly someone else.

While stating his deduction, Lin Qing had been imperceptibly scanning the members of the Wang family, secretly observing the changes in everyone's expressions.

Sure enough, just as he finished speaking and pointed out that this was a long-planned poisoning, two people in the Wang family crowd immediately showed something unusual.

One was a middle-aged man dressed in a brocade robe whose aura momentarily and imperceptibly stagnated. However, this person was extremely deep; in just an instant, he hid all his emotions, his face still bearing a look of extreme grief. Had Lin Qing not been intentionally paying attention, he would not have noticed this flaw at all.

The Young Master in fine clothing standing beside the middle-aged man had much less composure. When he heard the words 'poisoning,' his body shivered almost imperceptibly, and his eyes darted around.

These two were certainly connected to this murder case!

Wang Qingwan was already beyond furious. Following everyone's gaze, she looked at the panicked Chun Tao. Her willow-like eyebrows immediately slanted upward, and she pointed her jade-like finger directly at Chun Tao, questioning her sternly:

"Chun Tao! Usually, my Wang family does not treat you poorly, and my brother trusted you even more. Why would you be so malicious as to secretly poison my brother! Hurry up and confess the truth, who exactly ordered you to do this!"

Wang Qingwan's voice carried extreme anger and grief, instantly igniting the emotions of the entire crowd. The courtyard suddenly became noisy as the Wang family clansmen and servants all showed angry expressions, pointing and gesturing at Chun Tao with accusations and curses of disbelief. No one had expected that the seemingly gentle maidservant would actually be the murderer who killed the Eldest Young Master.

Taking advantage of the chaos when no one was paying attention, Lin Qing imperceptibly stepped to Zhao Feng's side and lowered his voice, whispering in a tone only the two of them could hear:

"Lord Zhao, things are by no means this simple. Although Young Master Wang had been afflicted with chronic toxins for years and his physique was damaged, with his Qi and blood Foundation as a Third Stage Middle Stage Martial Artist, even with toxins in his body, it would be impossible for him to suddenly suffer a fatal toxic breakout. Today's events must have been pushed along by a mastermind; someone secretly made a move to accelerate his death!"

At this point, Lin Qing slightly turned his face, his chin imperceptibly tilting toward the middle-aged man and the Young Master in fine clothing in the crowd who had shown unusual expressions. He signaled Zhao Feng with his eyes to look at those two, his tone certain:

"Those two showed panicked expressions and many flaws just now when I mentioned poisoning; they must have a great connection to this case."