Chapter 386 - 284: The Whole Truth (Second Update)

Chapter 386: Chapter 284: The Whole Truth (Second Update)

The man’s eyes widened suddenly, looking at Xu Jing with disbelief, "You... how do you even know this!"

In fact, when he saw the people from the county government coming to his wooden house, he already knew that his crimes were most likely exposed, although no matter how hard he thought, he couldn’t figure out how they knew he was the murderer.

And it took them less than a day!

He had imagined that the county government people would come here to ask questions and search, but he never thought that they would know right away that he was the perpetrator!

Now, they even knew that he was acting on someone’s orders!

Everyone couldn’t help but look silently at Zhu Shunxi.

The person who ordered him, could it be this Manager Zhu?

Otherwise, why would Miss Xu insist on bringing him along?

Under their gaze, Zhu Shunxi’s hair stood on end, and he quickly said, "Not me! It’s really not me! I... I really didn’t kill anyone!"

"It’s not him."

Xu Jing’s voice suddenly came from the front. She didn’t even look at Zhu Shunxi, just stared at the man in front of her, speaking calmly, "Moreover, who knows, he might have almost been one of the victims himself.

I ask you, answer truthfully, did the person who ordered you to kill also tell you who else to kill?"

The man was stunned for a moment. It took him a while to find his voice, "Yes... he instructed me to kill two people in total, one was that man with the surname Yang this morning..."

His face was dejected, resigned to his fate.

In front of this woman who seemed to know everything, he knew that no matter how much he struggled, it was useless.

"Who’s the other one?"

"The other one is Manager Zhu from Guangming Hall in the county. Originally, after killing the man with the surname Yang, it should have been his turn."

This answer surprised everyone.

Moreover, he apparently didn’t recognize that the second person he was supposed to kill was right in front of him.

Zhu Shunxi was dumbfounded, suddenly, his legs went weak, and he fell to the ground.

Thinking about the tragic state of Yang Shao after his death, he trembled like a sieve. And thinking if the county government hadn’t caught this murderer in time, he would have been the next to end up like that.

Xu Jing’s face remained unchanged, and she continued to ask coldly: "Did the person who instructed you give you a time limit?"

"Yes, he said I must kill them both within three days, the sooner the better. He said he would try to lure Manager Zhu over alone before tomorrow night, and this morning he told me that the man with the surname Yang would pass by here yesterday afternoon..."

"So, you didn’t know in advance there would be another person?"

"Yes, but the one who instructed me said if there were others with Mr. Yang, kill them all..."

So for Lin Fanghe, this really was a disaster out of nowhere.

Xu Jing sneered coldly and continued, "There are plenty of hunters around here, why did that person specifically find you?"

"Nonsense!"

Even in this situation, the man couldn’t help boasting, "I’m the best hunter within ten miles, killed a tiger barehanded, who else would he find if not me?"

Xu Jing remembered the tiger skin hanging in his house and nodded, "When did he contact you?"

"About... about five days ago..."

"What kind of reward did he offer that made you willing to do such a heartless thing?"

"He said, after it’s done, one thousand taels of silver per person..."

Two people, that’s two thousand taels!

For ordinary folks like them, this amount of money only appeared in dreams, how could he not be tempted!

Xu Jing just chuckled softly.

This guy dealing with a tiger, still thinking he could really receive those two thousand taels of silver.

Once he killed them, he might suddenly meet an ’accidental’ death some day.

Yang Shao and Zhu Shunxi were both Lin Chengzhao’s confidants. If both were to meet an ’accidental’ death, it would definitely arouse suspicion.

But if done this way, eventually letting the murderer meet an ’accidental’ death, and guiding the county government folks to find the culprit behind their deaths, no one would ever know who really wanted them dead.

The truth about the epidemic twenty-four years ago would also be completely buried!

Through this event, Xu Jing was sure that Yang Shao and Zhu Shunxi indeed knew something, which made Lin Chengzhao eager to silence them.

She paused, then asked the question that everyone present was very concerned about, "Who ordered you?"

The man’s face turned slightly pale and he said, "He didn’t want to reveal his identity, but he gave me a deposit of five hundred taels beforehand, said if I was willing to do it, do it, if not, he... he would find someone else. Of course, I said I was willing.

But I’m not a fool, I didn’t know who he was, no way to ask him for money after it was done, so when he came that time, I secretly followed him, and finally saw him... enter the Lin Family in Anping County."

The Lin Family is one of the top families in Anping County, even if he didn’t know their house, anyone on the street could tell him by asking.

Xu Jing just quietly stared at him.

With Lin Chengzhao’s ability, he would have easily guessed that this hunter would follow his person. If he intended to, he would have a thousand and one ways to conceal his identity.

But he didn’t, because in his eyes, he didn’t really care if this hunter knew who was instructing him, after all, he would die sooner or later.

Perhaps letting him successfully track his person was also to stop him from having second thoughts, and make him work better for him.

Chen Hu heard this and couldn’t help clicking his tongue, "So, the cause of this case is actually the internal strife within Guangming Hall!"

During the man’s speech, Xu Jing had been observing Zhu Shunxi on the side, seeing him turn pale as he heard that the person trying to harm him and Yang Shao was from the Lin Family, his face looked as ghostly as in the forest at night.

Xu Jing chuckled softly, shifted her toes, and turned towards Zhu Shunxi, "Manager Zhu should have an idea who in the Lin Family is trying to harm you. That person thought this plan would be foolproof, but who would expect us to solve the case so easily, unveiling everything inside, and also... saving your life.

But do you think he can tolerate you continuing to live in this world?"

Besides, Lin Chengzhao had already sought someone to kill them five days ago.

Zhu Shunxi discovered she was having someone follow Yang Shao and himself the day before yesterday, then reported it to Lin Chengzhao.

It shows that, upon realizing Xu Jing was competing with him for the right to supply medicine to the army, Lin Chengzhao truly panicked. Something he thought was in the bag suddenly encountered a rival comparable in every way, the strong sense of crisis made him instinctively want to remove all his vulnerabilities.

Zhu Shunxi shivered violently, his eyes wide with terror and helplessness.

Of course, he knew that person could never tolerate him living in this world.

In fact, he had always vaguely sensed that this person would eventually not tolerate him, but over the years, this person had never mistreated him and Yang Shao, even marrying his own younger sister and cousin to them, creating an illusion of trust as if treating them like family.

He thought of himself as loyal and devoted, always doing his utmost for him over the years, never once harboring other intentions.

He never expected in the end, he still aimed to strike at them!

The tragic state of Yang Shao was still vivid, he almost... almost became the second Yang Shao!

Xu Jing saw Zhu Shunxi’s expression and knew that his defensive line had completely collapsed, with a slight smile on her lips, she said, "It seems Manager Zhu is well aware of his current situation, I can offer you a way out. Lin Chengzhao is prudent and cautious, even if he has someone kill you, he certainly wouldn’t do it himself. Even if I bring this man to the Lin Family, let him identify the person who instructed him, there’s a great chance it wouldn’t point to Lin Chengzhao.

And I suspect, Lin Chengzhao already has arrangements, by then he probably would take all the blame himself, then just like Manager Feng before, one day suddenly ’commit suicide’."

Manager Feng, the Guangming Hall manager mentioned earlier by Zhou Qi, who mysteriously ’committed suicide’ after accidentally saying something wrong.

Zhu Shunxi shivered violently again.

Apparently, the Manager Feng incident had once again harshly stimulated him.

"It’s very difficult to make Lin Chengzhao pay the price through this matter, but if Manager Zhu is willing to assist me, I can use another method to make Lin Chengzhao pay, this way, Manager Zhu might still have a way to live, and I can guarantee, your family will continue living without worry about food and clothing, unaffected by anything."

Zhu Shunxi was at this moment almost like a dead man, as if he had no bones. He suddenly pulled his lips in self-mockery, speaking weakly, "Miss Xu... what do you want to know?"

"I want to know the truth about the epidemic twenty-four years ago."