Water Ink Panel: Starting with Bow Technique to Hunt the Sun and Patrol the Skies

Chapter 220 46: Investigation, Deadlocked

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"Boss, it's here."

Shen Qing stood in front of a residential building with an officer.

"The first carpenter in the city to die at the hands of a demon died in this house," the officer said respectfully.

This officer's name was Ji Youwu, a small merchant's son from Yongzhou City.

Since childhood, he practiced martial arts and mingled with gangs, and he eventually paid a sum to secure a position in the Guardian Martial Department as an officer, which allowed him to eat official food.

Among the many officers in the fourth group, his background was not impressive, nor was his cultivation high, but he was known for his cleverness.

After Shen Qing became their Xi Chasi of the fourth group, Ji Youwu didn't resist much and continued to energetically investigate cases as instructed.

After several trials, Shen Qing found him handy and handed over many clues to him for tracking.

"Let's go in and take a look."

Shen Qing took a step forward and lightly placed a hand on the door, giving it a gentle push.

The door was unlocked, and as it creaked open to both sides, a layer of white dust fell off.

Inside the house, it was deathly silent.

At first glance, the interior was covered in a thick layer of dust, and the light from outside filtered through dense cobwebs, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

It seemed as though it had been uninhabited for a long time, the air heavy with a damp, musty smell that made Shen Qing involuntarily wrinkle his nose.

He held onto his long knife and entered first, Ji Youwu following closely behind.

The clean official boots stepped on the ground, stirring up circles of dust that floated in the beams of light coming through the windows.

"The carpenter died here about two months ago, right?" Shen Qing asked as he investigated the surroundings.

Ji Youwu replied, "Specifically, seventy-eight days ago. This carpenter died after having his heart and liver removed. The demon must have cut open his belly while he was still alive, then ate from the inside out, until only half of his body remained."

"So, this person watched himself being eaten alive?"

"More or less."

Shen Qing looked around.

The room wasn't large; a quick glance and everything came into view.

Apart from the cobwebs and dust, there was nothing else—abandoned for a long time.

However, a dry bloodstain on the floor was quite conspicuous.

Shen Qing walked towards the bloodstain, examining it closely. He saw that there was only one bloodstain and no large splatters, indicating that the carpenter was either hanging or standing while being eaten.

There were no other footprints on the ground, which suggested that the demon either had high-level spiritual wisdom to cover its tracks or had the means to float.

Either scenario indicated that this demon in the city was an extremely troublesome character.

"Whose house is this?"

"It's the Zhou family's."

Shen Qing raised an eyebrow, immediately alert.

"Specifically, this was a place under the main house's steward of the Zhou family. After the steward died last year, the house has been vacant ever since," Ji Youwu explained in detail.

Shen Qing asked, "Did this carpenter have any connection to the Zhou family?"

"No," Ji Youwu replied. "The carpenter was just a lowly worker living in the Outer City, unlikely to have any ties to the Zhou family, who were at the top of the Thirteen Lines."

"Have you investigated how the Cat Demon rumor started?"

"During the recent demon cases in the city, we secretly found that each time a murder happened, people around heard an eerie cat sound. So everyone thinks the demon is a Cat Demon."

Shen Qing remained silent, seriously observing the room again before saying, "Let's go ask this carpenter's family if there's anything unusual."

"Yes."

...

In the Outer City.

Shen Qing rode a tall horse, surveying the continuous view of the Outer City streets.

Compared to Taiping County's Outer City, Yongzhou's was similarly rundown and cramped, but seemingly more orderly.

He and Ji Youwu walked to a somewhat noisy street area, the air thick with the market smell of mixed cakes and rotten cabbage leaves.

People were either wrapped in heavy coats or tucked their necks, moving hazily through the rising smoke.

Shen Qing, in his official robe and cloak, stood out somewhat awkwardly in this market scene.

Soon, they led their horse into a dining venue.

"Boss lady, two bowls of noodle soup and a plate of offal, please."

Shen Qing tossed the reins to Ji Youwu and chose an empty seat to sit down.

After tying up the horse, Ji Youwu sat beside Shen Qing.

After a while, a half-grown child followed a woman, both bringing the braised offal and noodle soup to Shen Qing. Smiling apologetically, the woman said, "Enjoy your meal, sirs."

Shen Qing nodded slightly, drawing out his chopsticks to eat the hot soup noodles.

Nowadays, he managed his energy consumption better, needing less food, and with the refinement of True Qi, his demand for common grains decreased greatly.

Ordinarily, he preferred foods or medicinal soups containing vital essence to maintain or enhance his cultivation.

However, occasionally he indulged in small eateries to satisfy his taste cravings.

Shen Qing looked up and noticed the dining venue seemed rather somber.

Not that there were no people—it was noon, and many came to eat—but it was unusually quiet, distinct from the lively scene in Yongzhou Inner City.

The people here just ate quietly, neither sad nor joyful, displaying an apathetic demeanor.

With his presence and their knowledge of his Guardian Martial Department status, people were even more silent.

Some timid ones hastily ate, left some copper coins on the table, and quickly departed.

After finishing his meal, Shen Qing turned back and called to the woman, "Boss lady, come here, let me ask you something."

The woman, busy behind the stall, looked at him with a start and, exchanging glances with the man beside her, walked over nervously and said, "Is there something we're lacking, officer?"

"Your food is good, that's not what I'm asking," Shen Qing said, turning to her. "I want to ask about your former husband. Did anything seem unusual before he died?"

"You are…" the woman said, surprised.

"Investigating why your husband died."

Before coming, Shen Qing had learned from Ji Youwu that the carpenter's wife and children had remarried and were now the wife and son of the dining stall owner.

In Great Zhou, those on the lower rungs lived precariously and did not hold chastity in high regard; remarriage was common.

Seeing that Shen Qing wasn't there to trouble her, the woman breathed an unspoken sigh of relief and considered before saying, "Nothing unusual happened the day my husband died. He left for the city as usual that morning to look for work. I waited all day, and when he didn't return, I learned of his death the next day."

Recalling this, the woman couldn't help but redden her eyes.

"Anything else?"

"No, I've yet to see his body."

"Alright, thank you."

Shen Qing stood up, pulled out a few pieces of broken silver, and tossed them on the table. He said to Ji Youwu, "There's no clue here. Let's go check the scene at Xi Chasi."

Ji Youwu rose and followed.

Over the next ten days, Shen Qing visited various crime scenes in efforts to investigate the Inner City demon case, yet achieved no progress.

There were hardly any clues, stalling the demon case entirely.

The date Zheng Yuanqiu had set for him was already halfway past.

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