Chapter 40 - 39: Xiao Yi’s Mischievous Streak

Chapter 40: Chapter 39: Xiao Yi’s Mischievous Streak

Seeing this woman here, Xiao Yi was somewhat surprised.

However, he was always adept at hiding his thoughts. After pausing for just a moment, he withdrew his gaze and continued walking toward the fire scene.

Xu Jing’s eyes flickered slightly.

Now was not the time to focus on the subtle relationship between her and Xiao Yi.

Someone had harmed her people, and she was not magnanimous enough to let the mastermind remain at large.

In fact, she was extremely angry at this moment, but her professional ethic required her to hide all her emotions deep in her heart.

This situation was clearly set up against her.

Cheng Qingqing was merely a scapegoat in her stead.

This made her even angrier than if she had been directly involved.

Just then, guards, along with citizens who came to help extinguish the fire, carried out a tall and thin man from the now extinguished house. However, the man’s clothing was severely burnt, exposing patches of skin that were too horrible to behold. Some skin was clearly charred black.

Yet, perhaps due to the timely rescue, the level of burns on the man varied. On the not particularly severe parts, there were several visible cuts, as if someone had slashed at it with a small knife.

Xu Jing’s mind clicked, and she immediately walked over.

Xiao Yi, who had intended to walk over, was momentarily stunned. One of the guards by his side tried to stop her instinctively, but Xiao Yi discreetly prevented him.

One of the guards, who found Xu Jing familiar, was surprised by her bold actions and exclaimed with joy, "You are... Miss Xu? You were wearing a veil; I almost didn’t recognize you!"

It was Chen Hu, an assistant who had once helped Xu Jing with an autopsy.

Xu Jing was not in the mood for pleasantries. She glanced at him briefly and then went straight to the corpse to inspect it closely.

One of the guards quickly approached, checked under the man’s nose with a finger, stood up, and reported to Xiao Yi, "Vice Minister Xiao, he is gone."

The woman who had been quarreling with Xu Jing just now immediately wailed, throwing herself beside the deceased and crying out, "Ming Zhao! Ming Zhao! How could you be so heartless and leave us mother and daughter behind! Ming Zhao!"

Crying, she suddenly turned and glared angrily at the Cheng Brothers and Sisters, kneeled before Xiao Yi, and sobbed, "Sir, you must seek justice for my husband! My husband was definitely... definitely killed by that little wench over there! She must have set the fire!"

Cheng Xianbai didn’t have the time to be shocked that Xu Jing knew people in the county government. Hearing the woman’s accusations, he immediately defended his sister with clenched teeth, "Don’t slander us! My sister would never do such a thing!"

"Then how do you explain why only that little wench was there when our house caught fire? What about the used bucket of oil and the fire lighter?"

"This... this..."

Cheng Xianbai didn’t know how to explain and could only say irritably, "Obviously, someone’s framing my sister!"

But the woman didn’t listen to him at all and turned back to cry to Xiao Yi, "Sir, look! Look at how they lie, trying to deny everything. You must do justice for us!"

Poor Xiao Yi was blocked by her before he could even take a closer look at the corpse.

Just as Xiao Yi was a bit impatient, a calm female voice suddenly rose, "No, this man wasn’t burned to death. He was already dead before the fire started."

Everyone present was stunned, subconsciously looking at the woman speaking, their hearts filled with shock.

Who is this woman? How does she know the deceased was dead before the fire?!

Xiao Yi couldn’t help but lift his gaze, staring solemnly at Xu Jing.

The woman was also stunned for a moment but quickly regained her composure and glared at Xu Jing in anger, "You’re with them! Are you spouting nonsense to help them wash away their sins?!"

Xu Jing, however, didn’t look at her and instead directed her gaze to Xiao Yi, "Vice Minister Xiao, you’re familiar with the wounds on the deceased, right? I heard that recently in Anping County, there have been two murder cases, where the discovered victims were covered with wounds.

I don’t know what the wounds on the previous two cases’ victims were like, but on this current victim, the wounds show no sign of scabbing, the blood hasn’t coagulated and remains liquid, and the edges of the wounds show no obvious shrinkage, indicating they formed posthumously!"

This situation is the same as the previous wound on Peng Shi’s chest!

The people around were all shocked, except for Xiao Yi and a few guards who recognized Xu Jing, who remained composed, some guards even showed expressions of excitement.

This time, could it be that Miss Xu will showcase her extraordinary skills again?

Xiao Yi gave Xu Jing a look, then slowly moved his gaze to the deceased on the ground, stared for a moment, and said calmly, "Indeed."

The crowd around erupted in an uproar.

A perplexing woman suddenly snatched the forensic doctor’s role, and even the wise and mighty Vice Minister Xiao was joining in on the absurdity?!

The woman’s eyes widened suddenly, going crazy, "I don’t believe it! I don’t believe it! You, woman, are just talking nonsense! This should be handled by a forensic doctor, who do you think you are!"

Xiao Yi looked at her, his impatience no longer concealed, an aura of heaviness pressing on everyone present, suddenly said coldly, "Rest assured, the forensic doctor will be here soon."

Xu Jing couldn’t help but glance at Xiao Yi, thinking that his words seemed filled with mischief.

Coincidentally, just as Xiao Yi finished speaking, a guard’s shout came from outside, "Vice Minister Xiao, Wu Wuzuo has arrived!"

Soon after, a short old man in a grey robe with his tool kit on his back shuffled in, was about to salute Xiao Yi, when he suddenly noticed something from the corner of his eye, and shivered as if a cat whose tail had been stepped on, shrieked, "You... how come you’re here!"

Although this woman was now wearing a veil, but she was the cause of the greatest shadow in his career, he would recognize her even if she turned to ashes!

Seeing an old acquaintance, Xu Jing couldn’t help but raise her eyebrows, showed him a friendly smile, suddenly remembered he couldn’t see it, and cheerily said, "Wu Wuzuo, we meet again."

Wu Wuzuo: "!!!"

He... he definitely doesn’t want to meet her!

Surely, tonight when he goes back, he will have nightmares again!

The woman, who was still shouting, was now looking at Xu Jing, then Wu Wuzuo in disbelief.

What on earth is going on?!

Xiao Yi glanced at the woman from the corner of his eye, saying calmly, "Wu Wuzuo, Miss Xu said the deceased was already dead before the house caught fire, go see if that’s true."

Wu Wuzuo: "..."

The painful memory of being shamed in public and last unable to raise his head overwhelmed him once again, Wu Wuzuo, still, exhaled in terror, his body trembling as he repeatedly waved his hands, "No... no need to check, Miss Xu is skilled in this matter, even I, the old me, am in awe, what Miss Xu says must be right!"

The people present: "???"

They must have misheard right?!

Xu Jing almost certain, the man was doing it on purpose, couldn’t help but look at him with a faint smile.

Couldn’t tell, beneath this man’s serious exterior, lies this mischievous side.

The woman still kneeling on the ground was dumbfounded, but even with her face flushed, she was unwilling to accept, desperately struggling to say, "Even if... even if those wounds really appeared after my husband died, it can’t prove it wasn’t that little wench who killed him!

Who knows if it’s not this venomous woman stabbing my husband after killing to vent her hate, and then setting a fire to burn our house!"