Li Cheng arrived at the scene full of enthusiasm.

Along the way, he had learned some general information from the junior official’s account.

The main gate in the middle of the city entrance had already been sealed off. The old merchant and his workers were all detained on the spot. On the ground were toppled boxes and scattered stones.

Behind them was a carriage with a broken wheel.

Before Li Cheng had even approached, he stretched his neck and shouted loudly, asking, “Where’s the skull? Where is it?”

Anxious and flustered!

How could he miss this good show?

The lead guard at the city gate quickly replied, “Over there!”

Pointing at the stone and skull that had been moved to the side.

Li Cheng’s eyes widened to look, and he immediately lost his nerve.

He had always been deathly afraid of such things!

So after looking from afar, he asked again, “Who killed the person?”

Getting straight to the point.

The guard paused, not knowing what to say.

Because right now it still wasn’t certain who the murderer was.

Seeing his conflicted expression, Li Cheng raised his voice, “This official is asking you a question! Why are you hemming and hawing?”

“Sir, this subordinate still doesn’t know. That skull was chiseled out from inside the stone, but those stones belong to them.” The guard pointed at the old merchant who was still trembling.

Li Cheng immediately stepped forward to the old merchant and interrogated him, “So, you killed the person?”

The old merchant’s whole body shook. “Sir, I didn’t kill anyone.”

With tears in his eyes.

“But the stone is yours.”

“But… the skull inside isn’t mine.”

“You stuffed it in there!”

“We’ve been wronged, sir! Even if I had tremendous abilities, I wouldn’t dare do such a thing. Moreover, I don’t have the skill to stuff a skull into a stone. I beg you to see clearly, sir.”

Li Cheng stroked his chin and thought for a moment, then glanced at the distant skull and pondered for a while.

He asked again, “You truly didn’t know there was a human head in the stone?”

“I truly didn’t know.”

“Then where did you get these stones?”

“I’m in the gambling stone business. These stones were all purchased in bulk from merchants in Ruili in the south, then transported all the way to Gaoding. Before these stones were loaded onto the cart, I inspected them all—there were no problems, and none were this light.”

“So you’re saying that stone was switched out during transport?”

“That’s not right either!”

“Why not?”

“Because once these boxes were locked, they weren’t opened again. The key has been in my possession the whole time—no one could have switched anything!” The old merchant spoke truthfully.

Li Cheng squinted his eyes and thought again, then reached a conclusion. “So, the person with the greatest suspicion is still you!”

Going in circles, the suspect was still the old merchant.

Uh!

The old merchant was immediately at a loss for words.

He didn’t know what to say.

He truly was the most suspicious.

Li Cheng was very certain of his answer. “You yourself can’t explain the situation clearly. Now this official is going to arrest you until the matter is clarified.”

“Sir…”

“If you didn’t kill anyone, this official naturally won’t wrong you. When the time comes, I’ll give you justice too.” Li Cheng had a very experienced appearance.

The old merchant had no way to defend himself!

The stones were his!

He had inspected the stones!

The key to open the boxes had been in his possession the whole time!

Therefore, he had nothing to say.

He could only temporarily accept his fate.

And the old merchant’s workers couldn’t escape calamity either—they were all arrested as well.

They were taken to the prison at the City Bureau.

After the people were taken away, the city gate guard quietly asked Li Cheng, “Sir, what do we do now?”

He said, “Take all these things back. This official will investigate slowly and will definitely get to the bottom of this.”

Full of confidence!

But the guard immediately poured cold water on him, asking, “Then where should you start investigating this case?”

This…

Li Cheng didn’t know. The guard threw several more questions at him, “The deceased is just a skull—identity unknown! Moreover, how did that skull inexplicably drill into the stone? How did it get in there? Also, the old merchant just said the stones had already been inspected before being boxed, and the boxes were locked the entire journey. So when was that stone switched out?”

Li Cheng’s mouth twitched. This truly stumped him.

The deceased was only a head—how was he supposed to know who it was?

He wasn’t the Heavenly Emperor!

Just as he was worrying, he suddenly caught sight of a carriage behind them.

Why did it look so familiar?

He shuffled his steps to get a closer look.

Examining it carefully from front to back.

“Isn’t this… their carriage?”

The “them” in his mouth referred to Jingrong and Ji Yunshu and their group.

He was incomparably surprised!

And his face lit up with joy.

Because Ji Yunshu was here!

That extraordinary woman who could reconstruct bones to solve cases!

With her here, how could he fear this case couldn’t be solved?

He quickly turned and asked those guards, “Whose carriage is this?”

The guard said, “Some young people’s.”

“What are their names?”

“Not… not very clear.”

“Go check!”

“Yes.”

The guard turned and went to check the entry registration book.

He soon returned carrying a small booklet to Li Cheng’s presence, saying, “It’s several traveling merchants and a scholar participating in the imperial examinations. That scholar’s surname is Song. The other few…”

Before he finished speaking, Li Cheng snatched the booklet away.

With one look!

It was indeed them.

He was so excited his eyes narrowed into slits.

Blooming with joy.

He laughed once.

The guard stared in bewilderment, asking in confusion, “Sir, what’s come over you?”

He stopped laughing and tossed the booklet in his hand back to the guard, instructing, “Quickly go investigate and see where these people are in Gaoding now. After you find out, immediately come tell this official. Remember, the faster the better.”

“Sir, why are you looking for these people? Are they related to this case?”

“Of course they’re related!” Li Cheng was very certain. He patted the guard’s shoulder and said, “As long as we find them, the case can be solved.”

Hitting a high note.

Then waving his sleeves, he strode away!

The guard still hadn’t understood.

Could it be… they were the murderers?

Thinking of this, he immediately ordered people to search.

Li Cheng excitedly returned all the way to the City Bureau, waiting for news.

He was truly overjoyed.

Previously he had been thinking that when he found an opportunity, he would definitely leave Gaoding to find them. Unexpectedly, they had actually come.

What fate!

…

Following the address Zhang Xiaobai had given him, Song Zhi finally found that ancestral home.

It was in the east of the city!

Behind an alley.

The residence looked very concealed. If one didn’t walk inside, one would have no idea that this place actually concealed an ancestral home.

And because no one had lived there for a long time, the main gate of the ancestral home was covered with spider webs.

But the gate looked very sturdy at a glance. Apart from being somewhat old, there was no damage whatsoever.

Song Zhi had originally been worried the inside would be too small, or too dilapidated, and was even more worried that Ji Yunshu and the others wouldn’t like it.

Who knew that when he pushed open the door to look, inside was actually quite spacious.

The first thing visible was a courtyard. Of course, this couldn’t compare to the courtyards of wealthy families.