Volume 1: Storm in the Western Region Chapter 59: Lost Things
Ximen Dazhuang saw Zhao Rang's cold eyes and serious face. He expected that he must have discovered something terrible, so he immediately waved to Shen Liushu and others, indicating that they should leave, and asked for a torch, which he held. He stood next to Zhao Rang.
"Brother Jean, what did you find?"
Zhao Rang was silent for a long time, then pointed at Yun Lifei's hand and asked:
"If you were attacked and your life was at stake, how would you react?"
Ximen Dazhuang replied without even thinking:
"Does this need to be said? Of course you have to risk your life and fight with the other party! Use whatever you have at hand, but you can't bite it with your teeth!"
Zhao Rang nodded and said:
"You're right, normal people would react this way."
Then he pointed at the other two dead people besides Yun Lifei and said:
"Look at the sword king's hands, they are tightly grasping the handle of the sword, and the joints of the ten fingers are turning white. This is right."
Ximen Dazhuang suddenly became enlightened and asked:
"Brother Rang, are you saying that there should be something in Yun Lifei's hand, but it was taken away?"
Zhao Rang nodded.
Although he didn't know what this thing was, it must be very important for a person to keep thinking about it before he died. It was not an exaggeration to say that it could determine life or death.
If you think about it, could it be that these people were willing to kill the Zhong family class just for something like this? If that is the case, then what exactly this thing is becomes the key to this tragedy.
When I think of this, I have reached a dead end.
Zhao Rang has no clairvoyance, and there are no immortals in the world. No one can truly see things they have never experienced, and they can only explore the truth from the clues left behind.
During this scene, Zhao Rang got two important pieces of information. The first was the woman's shoe print, and the second was what Yun Lifei was holding.
The woman's shoe print appeared in front of King Kuaishou's body. However, there were a few drops of blood next to the shoe print that were different in color and shape.
King Kuaishou died after being hit by a hidden weapon, with wounds all over his body, like a hedgehog. Therefore, the blood flowing out of his wounds would not rush out like others, so the blood droplets next to the footprints were very likely. It was left behind by the murderer who was injured when King Kuaishou struggled to resist.
After sorting out the clues in his mind, Zhao Rang said to Ximen Dazhuang:
"Let's go, there's nothing interesting here anymore!"
Ximen Dazhuang held a torch and walked out of the main hall with Zhao Rang one after another. Chen Liushu immediately stepped forward, cupped his hands and asked:
"Mr. Zhao, Mr. Ximen, what clues can you two see?"
Zhao Rang did not reveal his findings, but asked instead:
"This time the Zhong family came to investigate Gan Toluogai. Apart from performing a show to repay the favor to your benefactor, what else can I do?"
Among the people present, Shen Liushu was the only one who had been in contact with them and was still alive.
Zhao Rang concluded that Zhong Jiaban's purpose of coming to investigate Torogai this time was definitely not simple, and the so-called "repaying the favor" was probably a cover to cover up their true purpose of coming here.
"Back to Mr. Zhao, I also thought this was a bit strange at first..."
When asked by Zhao Rang, Shen Liushu started talking.
About two months ago, spring had just begun in the Western Region. Because it was in the mountains, the weather in Chagan Tologai was different from other places. But this year, it was uncharacteristically hot. It was hot very early, and it even rained heavily.
"I have been here for a few years since I was a kid. In the midsummer of July and August, it rains a lot in the mountains, but it only comes intermittently and never lasts long."
"But in the spring of this year, sometimes there were continuous rains for two days and one night! As a result, flash floods broke out, cutting off trade routes, and the place became a wasteland, isolated from the world, and completely cut off from the outside world. "
Because Tongbao Bank has a large business and many employees, it usually reserves a lot of food. The continuous heavy rains did nothing but make Shen Liushu and the others relax.
However, other forces did not have such wealth, so they could only leave in the rain. Shen Liushu said that many forces and businesses had died. Either they were robbed and killed by bandits along the way, or they were carried away by flash floods. No bones left after being hit by rolling stones...
But under such circumstances, late one night, a lonely outsider came.
He neither belongs to the various forces of Chagan Tologai nor is he an ordinary person on the road.
He is here to deliver a message!
"Delivery? What kind of person is he?"
Zhao Rang asked.
Chen Liushu shook his head in shame and replied:
"Mr. Zhao, the bank was very quiet in those days, so I went to bed very early every day. When the man came, I had already gone to bed, and only two night watchmen saw him."
Upon hearing that someone had seen it, Zhao Rang continued to ask:
"You can call those two guys over later. I have something to ask them!"
Shen Liushu said:
"The two guys asked for leave three days ago and said they wanted to go home, but they haven't come back yet."
Zhao Rang frowned and asked:
"Both of them have something going on at the same time? Ask you for leave at the same time?"
How could there be such a coincidence in the world? Zhao Rang immediately felt that the two clerks must have known something in advance, so he took leave and left, using his absence to completely clear himself of suspicion.
"Mr. Zhao doesn't know something. These two are brothers from the same mother. They studied martial arts with a master in the early years, so although they are assistants, they still have martial arts skills. Since I came here as the shopkeeper of Semicolon, These two brothers have been cooperating with the guards, working on duty at night, working conscientiously and never being lazy!"
Chen Liushu's explanation makes sense.
Since they are blood brothers, there is only one family. If something really happens in the family, it is normal for the two brothers to return home. It's just that the time three days ago was too coincidental, and Zhao Rang had to think more about it.
"Well, keep talking!"
Shen Liushu said that the man who came here alone wanted to see Shen Liushu by name at first. But it was late at night, the bank had already closed, and the shopkeeper had also laid down, so the two brothers did not agree to his request.
Seeing this, the man didn't insist, so he took out a kraft paper envelope from his pocket. There was no signature on the envelope, and no address was written on it. He said that as long as Shen Liushu saw it, he would understand!
"When it rained heavily at night, it became a bit noisy! The two brothers didn't say much when they saw the person who came to deliver the letter. They were polite and had good intentions. They wanted him to take shelter from the rain and wait until he was younger before leaving, but the person didn't Stay.”
Zhao Rang asked:
"What did the letter say?"
In fact, Zhao Rang had already guessed the content of the letter, but what came out of Shen Liushu's mouth was different after all, so he still had to ask clearly.
"The letter was written to me by Yun Lifei. He just said that he was coming to celebrate Yun Yun. The rest were just polite and official articles."
Zhao Rang's eyes narrowed and he asked:
"The Zhong family is far away in the north. How did they know that Shopkeeper Shen was planning a happy event?"
Shen Liushu replied:
"As the branch manager of Tongbao Bank, I have to report important events such as weddings and funerals to the main office in advance. As for how the Zhong family learned about it, I haven't asked. But there must be someone with good intentions. It's normal for the gossip to be spread, given the Zhong family's connections in the world."
This statement was so watertight and impeccable that Zhao Rang couldn't find any clues for a while.
It suddenly occurred to me that since the letter was still there, at least it was a real object, and maybe if I looked at it myself, I would be able to find something that Shen Liushu hadn't noticed.
"Master Zhao...I'm sorry...the day before yesterday...the day before yesterday, my wife was so angry that she smashed everything in the house and even tore up this letter..."
After hearing this, Zhao Rang smiled slightly and said:
"Haha, it's inevitable for an old husband and a young wife to be like this. Shopkeeper Shen, a manly man, should be more tolerant towards women!"
Chen Liushu nodded hurriedly and said:
"What Mr. Zhao said is that the young master has learned a lesson! Please invite the two young masters back to the table, and the young master will bring a toast to the two young masters!"
On the way back, Zhao Rang and Ximen Dazhuang were walking in front of them. Ximen Dazhuang opened his mouth several times, but he didn't speak.
Zhao Rang quickened his pace, and soon he was far away from Shen Liushu and others behind him. Ximen was a tall man with long legs, so it was effortless to follow him.
"Brother Rang, why are you walking so fast!"
Zhao Rang glanced at him and said:
"Doesn't this allow you to speak with peace of mind? Tell me, what do you want to ask?"
Ximen Dazhuang chuckled and asked:
"Brother Rang, do you doubt Shen Liushu?"
Zhao Rang took a deep breath, neither confirming nor denying, but said calmly:
"All the Zhong family members who saw him are dead. The two guys who saw the messenger went home, and his wife tore up the letter when she got angry. If it were encountered by ordinary officials, this decision would be a dead end case!"
Even Ximen Da Zhuang's brain felt that everything Shen Liushu said was too coincidental. Even if it sounded logically logical and could be justified, there was something vaguely wrong.
"Okay, don't think about it. Otherwise, if you drink too much and keep your mouth shut and reveal a few words, we will be even more passive!"
Zhao Rang has not yet told Ximen Dazhuang his true purpose of coming here, but looking at the current situation, he feels that there is no need to worry.
He and Yuan Mingkong can deal with each other more freely and smoothly. Otherwise, if everything is on the surface, it will be like a knife between fish and meat, and no one will have time to guard against it whenever they want to cut it.
But towards Shen Liushu, Zhao Rang always had an indescribable feeling... If there was a reason, it was that the story he told was too perfect.
It's so perfect that no detail can be mistaken.
But there are also extreme opposites!
That is, the people or things that can prove any of the details are either gone or no longer exist!
In this way, the right and wrong in this matter all depends on Chen Liushu opening his mouth and saying whatever he wants. No one else can check it anyway.
However, in comparison, Zhao Rang was more concerned about the person who used projectiles to convey information, and the killer holding a short knife!