“Someone was spying on us?” Xu Qi’an was taken aback. He walked to the window, his gaze sharp as he scanned the surroundings. After a moment, he withdrew his gaze and asked, “How do you know we were being spied on?”

He hadn’t felt any presence of an observer. Although his Third-Grade Martial Artist cultivation had been sealed, the Sky Gu should have been even more sensitive in this aspect.

“It was after you left. She suddenly said someone was watching us,” Mu Nanzhi explained, still a bit shaken. “I looked out the window for quite a while but couldn’t see anyone spying. It frightened me.”

Xu Qi’an turned to the little white fox with a grave expression. “Do you have a natural talent for this kind of detection?”

The little white fox shook her head and said in a sweet voice, “My talents are in stealth and speed.”

Xu Qi’an questioned, “Are you sure it wasn’t just your imagination?”

The little white fox shook her head vigorously. “My instincts have never been wrong!”

“I see…” Xu Qi’an said. “You two should stay in the Pagoda for now. I’ve been encountering some strange things while investigating this case recently.”

He called for the inn’s attendant and prepared some dry rations, water, and daily necessities. Then he summoned the Floating Pagoda and had Mu Nanzhi and the little white fox enter it.

After completing these preparations, Xu Qi’an didn’t leave immediately. He walked to the table, spread out some paper, and began to review the Chai family case, as was his habit. Although he had given it some attention and analysis before, Xu Qi’an had always prioritized obtaining dragon qi, only giving cursory consideration to the case details. But now, having witnessed the death of a family of three, he decided to set the dragon qi aside temporarily and fully immerse himself in the case, ready to play a game of wits with the mastermind behind it all.

“Tailing me, killing to silence witnesses, monitoring Mu Nanzhi… Very well, let’s play,” he muttered.

With his extensive experience in criminal investigation and knowledge of criminal psychology, his analysis of problems was far more precise and insightful than the smartest people of this era.

“The root of everything is the murder case that occurred at the Chai mansion two weeks ago. The victim: Chai Jianyuan. The suspect: adopted son Chai Xian. Witnesses: Chai Xing’er and the Chai family members. The motive for murder: love!”

He added a note: “The eldest daughter, Chai Lan, is missing.”

Xu Qi’an continued writing without pause:

“The motive is insufficient to support the suspect’s patricide and familicide. Either there’s another reason, or he’s been framed. Chai Xing’er’s previous husband died because of Chai Jianyuan, so she harbors resentment. Chai Jianyuan’s biological children are mediocre and incapable of inheriting the family business. Therefore, Chai Xing’er is the greatest beneficiary and has ample motive for murder.”

After writing this, Xu Qi’an summarized:

Primary suspect: Chai Xian; Secondary suspect: Chai Xing’er.

Although in his deduction, Chai Xing’er was more suspicious than Chai Xian, the fact that there were witnesses to Chai Xian being the murderer meant he remained the primary suspect. Criminal investigations couldn’t be based solely on intuition.

Xu Qi’an picked up his teacup and took a sip. Maintaining his posture, he began writing about the second phase of the case after several seconds:

“Subsequently, Chai Xian committed multiple murders in Xiangzhou and even throughout Zhangzhou, specifically targeting martial artists before affecting civilians!”

He noted: “This behavior doesn’t align with that of a suspect who committed patricide for love.”

In essence, Chai Xian’s motive for the original crime and his subsequent rampage in Xiangzhou was completely contradictory and unreasonable.

This could only lead to three possibilities:

“Conclusion: Chai Xian’s motive for murder can be refuted. It wasn’t for love; there’s another reason. Chai Xian was framed, and this case has hidden complexities.”

After outlining the case, Xu Qi’an wrote down two points of doubt:

“Are the people who committed the murders in the small village to silence witnesses the true culprits behind everything?”

“What’s the purpose of committing multiple murders in Xiangzhou?”

Xu Qi’an put down his brush and analyzed carefully:

“If last night’s killers were the masterminds, they would have had the ability to ambush and eliminate Chai Xian. But they didn’t do so. If the mastermind is Chai Xing’er, shouldn’t she have gotten rid of Chai Xian as quickly as possible?”

Another contradiction emerged here.

The entire case had three contradictory points. If Chai Xian was the murderer, then the Chai family murder case and the subsequent killing spree were mutually contradictory.

Based on this contradiction, the possibility of Chai Xing’er, the main beneficiary, framing Chai Xian became more prominent.

But last night’s massacre in the small village once again contradicted the deduction that “Chai Xing’er is the mastermind behind it all.”

The first phase of the case, the Chai family murder, pointed to Chai Xian as the suspect.

The second phase, the frequent murders in Xiangzhou, pointed to Chai Xing’er as the suspect.

The third phase, the small village massacre, again lessened the suspicion of Chai Xing’er as the mastermind, making the case even more perplexing.

“What about Chai Lan? Where did she go?”

“Let’s assume Chai Xing’er is the mastermind, but the small village massacre was done by Chai Lan. Then the previous deductions could barely stand without being overturned. But what would be Chai Lan’s purpose in doing this?”

“I can’t make such assumptions. Chai Lan has never appeared, and there are no clues related to her. Making such a hypothesis rashly would only lead me into a dead end.”

Analyzing this point, Xu Qi’an vaguely felt something was amiss.

This was an old detective’s instinct.

Xu Qi’an leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and remained in this position for over ten minutes. When he opened his eyes, he had the answer in his mind.

Chaos!

Yes, the biggest problem with the Chai family case was its chaotic nature. There were contradictions everywhere, but what made him realize something was wrong were the motives!

“All the contradictions stem from unreasonable motives. Chai Xian’s motive for killing Chai Jianyuan is unreasonable. The motive for the small village massacre is unreasonable. Killing so many people just to leave Chai Xian behind is equally unreasonable.”

“It feels like using a cannon to kill a fly. If Chai Xian was truly a lovesick fool who would commit patricide for Chai Lan, then simply hiding Chai Lan and using her as leverage would have been enough to keep him in Xiangzhou.”

“So, this case has hidden depths. It’s not as simple as it appears on the surface.”

“Tracing back to the source, we need to start investigating from the Chai family…”

Xu Qi’an flicked his hand, setting the paper ablaze and letting it turn to ash. He casually tossed it into the small celadon water container used for washing brushes, then left the inn.

…

Half an hour later, the innkeeper sat behind the counter, fiddling with an abacus and organizing the accounts.

A gentle voice chanting Buddhist sutras reached his ears:

“Amitabha!”

The innkeeper looked up to see a monk with Central Asian features, dressed in travel-friendly robes, exuding calmness and restraint.

“Master, are you looking for lodging or just stopping by for a meal?” the innkeeper asked with a welcoming smile.

Having run this high-class inn in Xiangzhou for most of his life, he had rarely seen monks. In the Central Plains, Buddhist monks were quite a “rarity.”

The young monk put his palms together and spoke in a voice as gentle as a spring breeze: “This humble monk wishes to inquire if a couple has recently stayed here – a man in blue robes and a plain-looking woman, riding a warhorse.”

The monk’s words seemed to have persuasive power, making the innkeeper feel a strange sensation as if the monk before him was an authoritative father figure.

“Yes, there were such guests,” the innkeeper truthfully replied. “If you had just mentioned a plain-looking couple, I wouldn’t have remembered. But when you mentioned the warhorse, I knew exactly who you meant. Unfortunately, that guest just checked out and left.”

Jingxin nodded and said, “Thank you for the information, innkeeper.”

…

Late at night, at the Chai mansion.

A shadow stealthily moved through the darkness, silent and undetected. The torchlight from the patrolling guards distorted the shadows of the landscaping, momentarily revealing the creeping shadow.

But in the next instant, it vanished soundlessly, reappearing further away in the pitch-black night, continuing towards its destination.

Soon, it arrived at a secluded small courtyard.

The shadow didn’t immediately enter, as there were many additional guards around the courtyard, including some Lianshenjing Martial Artists.

But the shadow didn’t retreat. It circled to the back of the courtyard.

Inside the room, candlelight burned brightly, and the rich aroma of meat permeated the air. Three men sat around a table, eating from an antique tureen – essentially, a hot pot.

Ever since Chai Xian had invaded the underground vault, the Chai family had strengthened the security of this area.

Not only were there extra guards posted outside, but there were also experts “stationed” in the room day and night.

Xu Qi’an, just a wall away from the room, focused his senses:

“There are three Lianshenjing or higher-level Martial Artists inside. A sneak attack would only alert them to my presence prematurely, drawing the attention of the outside guards… In the past, I might have had to rely on brute force to charge in, but now I’m no longer just a crude martial artist.”

A few seconds later, in a burrow beneath the courtyard’s foundation, a sleeping rat awoke, opening its blood-red eyes.

This was no ordinary rat. Its entire body was poisonous, and toxic fumes emanated from its breath, infecting all living creatures around it.

…

Inside the room!

“Why did Chai Xian come back?” asked a burly man.

“I heard from the clan elders that he was looking for Xiao Lan. The madman thinks Xiao Lan was killed and hidden in the underground vault,” another man said, shaking his head. “Wasn’t Xiao Lan abducted by him?”

As they were speaking, they heard a “squeak squeak” sound. Looking toward the source, they saw a large black rat standing in the shadowy corner of the room, its crimson eyes staring silently at the three men.

As Martial Artists with an extremely keen sense of danger, the three men’s instincts began to warn them the moment they saw the rat.

They instinctively grabbed their weapons leaning against the table and were about to shout to alert the guards outside.

But in the next moment, the three men collapsed softly onto the table, unconscious.

A few seconds later, a shadow emerged from under the table. Xu Qi’an looked around, listening carefully to confirm that the guards outside hadn’t noticed any disturbance inside. He then turned to the entrance of the underground vault and lifted the heavy stone cover.

The poison that had knocked out the three men in the room had a strong paralytic effect but wouldn’t endanger their lives. At most, they would feel weak for a few days before recovering.

As the stone cover was lifted, a dark opening appeared. Xu Qi’an took out a prepared candle, lit it, and holding the orange glow aloft, descended the stairs into the vault.

He passed through rows of corpses, his steps light and quick, feeling that this was the most comforting and comfortable place in the world.

But the case investigation was urgent, so he forcibly suppressed the urge to talk and interact with the corpses, heading straight for the secret room deep in the vault.

The Chai family had a custom: after a family member died, their body would either be cremated or donated to the family to be turned into a walking corpse.

This was to prevent outsiders from exhuming the family members’ corpses.

Before taking action, Xu Qi’an had already obtained information from Li Lingsu that Chai Jianyuan’s corpse had been turned into a walking corpse by Chai Xing’er and stored in the underground vault.

Chai Xing’er explained that the Chai family was facing a great crisis and urgently needed strength to protect the family’s safety.

This reason won unanimous approval from the Chai family members.

But Xu Qi’an believed there was a personal motive of “an eye for an eye” behind it.

Of course, Chai Xing’er’s thoughts weren’t important. Xu Qi’an’s purpose for this infiltration was to examine the corpse.

A corpse could provide a lot of information. The appearance of the wounds, the injury patterns, and so on could tell Xu Qi’an whether it was likely committed by someone familiar to the victim.

Soon, he arrived outside the secret room deep in the vault.

The door to the secret room was locked tight.

Xu Qi’an placed his palm on the lock core and suddenly exerted force. With a “clang,” the lock core was directly shaken off, raising a cloud of dust.

There weren’t many corpses in the secret room, four on each side, all wearing hoods and identical gray clothes.

From the slightly protruding chests, he could tell that three of them were female corpses.

Xu Qi’an removed the hoods from the corpses and, after examination, recognized the third corpse on the left as Chai Jianyuan.

Interestingly, the third corpse on the right was a man with clear features. Based on Li Lingsu’s description, “he” was Chai Xing’er’s former husband.

“Tsk, facing each other. Chai Xing’er harbored resentment towards Chai Jianyuan,” Xu Qi’an mused.

Without delay, Xu Qi’an knocked over Chai Jianyuan’s corpse, stripped off the gray clothes, and held up the candle to examine the body.

On Chai Jianyuan’s chest, there was a sutured wound, but the widespread postmortem lividity had obscured other injury marks.

Xu Qi’an moved the candle, the orange glow shifting from the chest downwards, stopping between the legs. He wrapped his hand with the gray clothes and felt the genitals.

“Ruling out an attack to the groin!” he muttered.

This area was a relatively weak spot for Martial Artists with bodies as tough as copper and iron.

Moving further down, the candle’s glow illuminated Chai Jianyuan’s feet.

In the dim light, Xu Qi’an’s pupils dilated slightly, his gaze fixed.

Chai Jianyuan’s left foot had six toes.