Chapter 312 - 310: At the Cost of Life (Second Update)

Chapter 312: Chapter 310: At the Cost of Life (Second Update)

They all belonged to the same village, sharing similar lifestyles, and naturally knew that every household had a cellar for storing food, and they roughly knew where it was located.

Before long, the villagers who had gone in came out, faces full of shock and disbelief, "Heavens, do you know what I just saw? The cellar door of Wang Man’s house indeed had a lock, but it was broken. When I arrived, the cellar door was slightly ajar and opened with a push.

After going down, I realized that the cellar of Wang Man’s house was different from other people’s! There are actually two rooms inside! The outer room is similar to ours, used for storing food, but the inner room... whew! It’s practically a prison cell, with nothing in it aside from a bed and a tattered trunk! The bed, although simple, is relatively tidy and clean, and the trunks are filled with clothes that are neither old nor new, with a pair of large, torn straw sandals on the floor.

What is most terrifying is that there is an iron chain full of rust and bloodstains tied to the wall next to the bed. It seems the chain was broken, and it looks like someone snapped it...

Moreover, the room is piled with things used for beating people, like whips, sticks, and planks... many of these are stained with dried blood, and several sticks and planks have been broken...

I can’t even imagine who lived in there before and what they went through!"

The listeners frowned, faces turning pale, unable to fathom how such outrageous events could happen right in their own village.

Xu Jing, upon hearing this, said calmly, "The murder weapon was very likely taken from this cellar..."

Just as she finished speaking, Cheng Xiao arrived driving a carriage, saying, "Madam, I have already sent someone to Gao Village, we should set off as well!"

Xu Jing nodded and looked at Gold Yuan, saying, "I need someone who can recognize Wang Man’s two daughters, Mr. Huang, do you have time to accompany us?"

Gold Yuan immediately nodded, "No problem, our family wasn’t hurt much this time, a few of my kids and my wife just had minor injuries, so my brief absence won’t affect anything.

Moreover, you’ve come to the right person, both of Wang Man’s daughters were seen off by me when they got married, and I still remember the location of their husbands’ homes."

This was indeed ideal.

Without further ado, Xu Jing had Cheng Xiao take Gold Yuan, and they quickly made their way to Gao Village.

To their surprise, just as they turned a corner without leaving the village, they saw several footprints mixed with mud and blood on the ground not far away.

Those bloody footprints had come from the adjacent fields, indicating that the culprit had entered the fields and quickly turned onto this road.

By the time he arrived here, the blood on his feet had probably dried somewhat, leaving unclear footprints.

A little further on, the bloody footprints disappeared completely.

Gold Yuan, who was leading the way, took a deep breath and said, "This road leads to Gao Village, so the culprit did indeed head to Gao Village!"

Xu Jing glanced at him and called out, "We need to speed up!"

It was already getting late when they arrived at Gao Village; it was dusk. Fortunately, Li Yuan’s army had not passed through Gao Village, so it was spared from their attack, appearing peaceful and calm.

Guided by Gold Yuan, they went straight to the home of Wang Man’s eldest daughter’s husband. Before reaching it, they saw villagers gathered outside, with obvious expressions of sheer terror and shock on their faces.

Xu Jing felt a sinking feeling in her heart.

They probably arrived too late.

Indeed, as she approached Wang Man’s eldest daughter’s house, the people Cheng Xiao had sent ahead came to greet her with a salute, saying gravely, "Madam, by the time we arrived, Wang Man’s eldest daughter’s family... had already met with a tragic end. Wang Man’s eldest daughter, her two children, her father-in-law, mother-in-law, and her still-unmarried sister-in-law, all... were gone, their deaths were as tragic as those of Wang Man’s family, not a single body was intact...

The only survivor was the husband of Wang Man’s eldest daughter, who happened to be out at the time and wasn’t home..."

Through the crowd, Xu Jing saw a man kneeling in the yard with a face full of hopelessness and numbness.

She sighed softly and stepped over him, entering the crime scene. The scene was even more gruesome and brutal than that at Wang Man’s home.

The most brutally killed was Wang Man’s eldest daughter, who had been almost split in two with an axe. When she died, she was holding her two children tightly in her arms...

The guards who followed her in wore expressions of grief. They couldn’t help but shiver at the thought of such a murderous madman still roaming free.

No wonder our madam kept saying that this criminal is extremely dangerous and must be caught quickly.

But how do you catch such an irrational madman? How could normal people predict what this madman would do next?

Xu Jing walked around the house and noticed the leftovers in the kitchen, scattered and gnawed as if by rats. Her eyes grew darker, "The killer, after committing the murders, even found food for himself to eat. When I was in the room of Wang Man’s eldest daughter earlier, I saw a set of blood-soaked clothes, which is likely the killer’s clothing. He must have changed clothes here before leaving..."

The husband of Wang Man’s eldest daughter was also well-built, and the killer likely managed to squeeze into his clothes.

The crowd was shocked, realizing this madman had the presence of mind to change clothes and fill his stomach before leaving.

The guard who had arrived earlier said at this point, "I asked other villagers, and they said they heard terrifying screams from Wang Man’s eldest daughter’s house around noon. When they checked, they saw a wild-looking man with an axe, killing people viciously... They were too scared to go in. After killing, the man lingered briefly and left.

He exited through the back door, leaving bloody footprints on the ground.

I’ve sent some people to follow those bloody footprints."

Though he changed clothes, he was still barefoot.

Xu Jing shook her head, "The blood on those footprints will eventually dry, and when it does, the trail will disappear. Following the footprints won’t lead us to him."

Just like the trail of bloody footprints they had seen gradually vanishing earlier.

Cheng Xiao anxiously asked, "Then what can we do? We can’t let him continue killing, can we?"

Gold Yuan said, "Assuming the Goddess is right, the culprit likes to target familiar places, so his next destination might be the home of Wang Man’s second daughter. But Lingshui Village is not close, and there are many paths leading there. How do we know which one he will take?"

Suddenly, Xu Jing’s eyelids lifted slightly, and she chuckled softly, "Who says we don’t know?"

The crowd was taken aback, listening as she said with cold precision, "Thanks to the tragic death of Wang Man’s eldest daughter’s family, I’ve confirmed some facts. I now know how to find that murderer..."

Before her words finished, a surprised female voice came from outside, "Why are there so many people here? Did something happen to my sister’s family? S... Sister-in-law?!"

Xu Jing hesitated momentarily before walking out of the kitchen, finding a woman in her twenties standing in the yard, accompanied by a dark-skinned, honest-looking man.

Gold Yuan was surprised to see her and exclaimed, "Shu! Why... why are you here?!"

He then turned to Xu Jing and introduced, "Goddess, this is Wang Man’s second daughter; we usually call her Shu."

Shu, at this point, also noticed the horror inside the house, her legs almost giving way as she leaned heavily on the man beside her, incredulous, "What... what happened here! What happened to my sister’s family?!"

Xu Jing looked at her directly and said bluntly, "Your sister was killed. The killer was your brother, the one who’s always been confined in the cellar, and his next target is likely your family."

Their appearance here was either a stroke of luck or misfortune.

Wang Huishu’s face turned pale, too much in shock to even question how they knew about such an explosive family secret, suddenly bursting into a cry, "How could he kill my sister! Let him kill others, but not my sister and Mom! They were the only ones in our family who still treated him like a person!