Chapter 309 - 307: A Peculiar Death

Chapter 309: Chapter 307: A Peculiar Death

Xu Jing was momentarily stunned and quickly ran to the outside of Wang Man’s house. When she saw Wei Muqing jogging towards her, she felt both surprise and delight.

The man beside Wei Muqing, who else could it be but Cheng Xiao?

Cheng Xiao’s presence here indicated that he and Yan Ci had completed their task.

But why was Wei Muqing also here?

Xu Jing hurriedly went to greet them, and before she could say anything, Wei Muqing clasped her hand and said excitedly, "Jing, I just found out that you’re the wife of Vice Minister Xiao! You have no idea how terrible Vice Minister Xiao looked when Chunyang found me and asked me to help deliver the note you wrote to him.

But Vice Minister Xiao is really kind. After I delivered the note, he said that the situation in Lingzhou was unusual and that it might be dangerous for me to leave at this time, so he let me temporarily stay in Lingzhou City.

Who would have expected that a battle would actually break out now!"

So Chunyang had sought Wei Muqing’s help to deliver her note.

No wonder Wei Muqing and Cheng Xiao were together.

Xu Jing quickly looked at Cheng Xiao and asked, "How’s the situation in the city?"

Seeing Xu Jing safe and sound, Cheng Xiao finally relaxed and said, "Reporting to Madam, Doctor Yan and I arrived in Lingzhou before Li Yuan’s army and successfully met with the Lord. Rest assured, Lord and Prince Zhao have already realized that this incident is related to Li Yuan, although they do not know that it was all orchestrated by him.

Prince Zhao had already contacted the garrison in nearby towns. Yesterday, upon noticing unusual movements among Li Yuan’s troops, he had them rush to Lingzhou. They arrived just as Li Yuan’s army reached Lingzhou, and more reinforcements are on the way. In terms of strength, we are not outmatched by Li Yuan’s forces, who are probably now confused.

However..."

Seeing Cheng Xiao hesitating, Xu Jing felt uneasy for some unknown reason and urged, "However, what?"

Before Cheng Xiao could speak, a villager hurried over from a distance, "Goddess! Doctor Mo says he can’t hold on any longer and hopes the Goddess will quickly go to assist."

Cheng Xiao could only say, "It’s just a minor matter, it can wait a moment. Madam, please attend to your business first. The Lord was concerned you wouldn’t manage everything alone, so he had me bring Nurse Wei along. Originally Doctor Yan also wanted to come, but there are many injured in Lingzhou as well, so she stayed back to help."

During times of war, the most needed are soldiers and doctors.

Thinking about the things at hand, Xu Jing could only suppress her unease and say to Wei Muqing, "Mu Qing, please help Doctor Mo treat the injured. There’s a family massacre here, and I must capture the culprit quickly."

Wei Muqing never imagined that even at this time, there would be a murder case.

Moreover, it was a massacre; this killer sure knows how to pick the timing.

After a brief shock, she nodded and said, "Rest assured, Jing, I’ll handle the injured with Doctor Mo."

After speaking, she turned and went to meet the villager who had come for Xu Jing, asking him to take her there.

Xu Jing glanced at Cheng Xiao and said, "You stay and help me."

Saying that, she turned and went back into Wang Man’s house.

The villagers, hearing that another highly skilled doctor had arrived, were both excited and moved, and quickly asked, "This is all thanks to the Goddess! Goddess, is there anything we can do to help?"

Hearing the villagers calling his madam "Goddess," Cheng Xiao appeared somewhat stunned.

Xu Jing also found it unspeakable, having corrected them many times, but ever since she saved Zhang Si’s wife, they stubbornly believed she was a Goddess sent by Heaven to save them from peril, refusing to change their name for her.

For them, Xu Jing had become a spiritual support.

Whether she was really a Goddess didn’t matter; as long as she was there, they found comfort.

She thought for a moment and said, "I’ll first investigate Wang Man’s house thoroughly. Mr. Huang is quite familiar with the Wang family, so I may have questions for him later. The rest of you don’t need to stay with me. If possible, organize some strong men to patrol the village in case the killer is still hiding here."

Hearing this, everyone became nervous, quickly acknowledged, and went out to get to work.

Xu Jing had already examined the front hall of Wang Man’s house earlier. It was where they usually dined and rested; apart from a table, four long benches, a shrine, and a cabinet for misc items, there was nothing else.

Now, all those things were knocked over, mingled with large pools of blood, looking chaotic.

After scanning these things, Xu Jing’s gaze fixated on the overturned shrine on the ground, and she walked over directly, crouched down, and picked up three tablets.

The inscriptions showed two were for Wang Man’s parents, but the third was for... Wang Man’s son.

She was slightly taken aback and asked Huang Jin, "Wang Man had a deceased son?"

Huang Jin seemed to have forgotten about this person. After a pause, he slapped his forehead and said, "Yes, Wang Man and Mrs. Ye had a son who passed away earlier. He was their youngest son, died about ten years ago. Because it’s been so long and their youngest was barely noticeable, I would have forgotten if the Goddess hadn’t mentioned it.

Xu Jing frowned slightly, "Barely noticeable? A family suddenly losing a child should be a big deal in the village, right? Especially since it was Wang Man’s son."

Though it’s unfair, in ancient times, sons were valued more than daughters. The weight of losing a daughter versus losing a son was incomparable.

Huang Jin replied, "Mainly because the child was very young when he died. I remember he was only about five or six at that time. Also, Wang Man seemed to particularly dislike his youngest son, never letting him out to meet people. The family rarely mentioned the child. During that time, when I passed by Wang Man’s house, I often heard him cursing his youngest son and Mrs. Ye too, for giving birth to such a child.

We all guessed that Wang Man’s youngest son must have been difficult, surely often disobedient to Wang Man. That’s why Wang Man disliked him so much.

The year he suddenly passed, Wang Man’s old mother also died around the same time. Evidently, Wang Man valued his mother more, making a big affair of her funeral while his son’s seemed like an afterthought, so many villagers barely remembered the child."

Cheng Xiao couldn’t help but frown, "This father is too much. No matter how naughty, it was just a five or six-year-old child. Was there a need to treat him like an enemy?"

Xu Jing lowered her head in thought for a moment and asked, "Do you remember how Wang Man’s young son died?"

Huang Jin seemed troubled, "I think it was a sudden illness? I don’t remember precisely. Everyone was focusing on Wang Man’s old mother at that time because she died in an unusual way. It’s said that one night, Wang Man didn’t come back, and she went out worried to find him. Who knew... she encountered a wild animal and was bitten to death on the road..."