Chapter 49 - 48: Tacit Understanding (2nd Update)

Chapter 49: Chapter 48: Tacit Understanding (2nd Update)

Doctor?

Chen Hu felt like he couldn’t keep up with Miss Xu and Vice Minister Xiao’s conversation.

The suspect might actually be a doctor? How come it feels like this case, which has troubled countless officials for years, suddenly has made such rapid progress?

Xiao Yi nodded in agreement, pondering, "If it’s a doctor, it fits with what you just said. They could easily enter and leave the Fang Family to gather information without arousing suspicion.

Not only can they access the Fang Family’s information, but as a doctor in contact with many patients daily, if they were so inclined, they could even monitor the victims’ movements and secrets without leaving their home."

For example, Cheng Qingqing’s whereabouts these days. Xinglin Hall has recently been under scrutiny, so Qingqing’s movements are naturally watched and discussed by many people.

Additionally, there are those who might have spoken ill of Xinglin Hall in secret previously.

Today, Zhu Dalang’s wife firmly accused Cheng Qingqing of being the murderer because the couple previously bad-mouthed Xinglin Hall privately, assuming Qingqing wanted revenge and killed Zhu Dalang.

They might have been chosen by the murderer for this reason.

Xu Jing only knew about the recent cases.

However, Xiao Yi was very familiar with the earlier cases, and by saying this, he implied that in previous cases, the murderer also had a certain understanding of the victims’ movements before committing the crimes!

Seeing Xiao Yi adopt her suggestion, Xu Jing didn’t continue speaking.

After all, given the currently available intelligence, this is all they could deduce.

Xu Jing looked up at the sun and said, "It’s getting late, Chen Hu, bring out the other two bodies."

She wanted to see if she could find the same small round marks on them using a similar method.

But Xiao Yi said, "No rush, let’s eat something first. Chen Hu, Dongli, set up the food in the next room."

Although shocked, Chen Hu, trusting Xu Jing in his heart, had already accepted Xu Jing’s dissection decision. Upon hearing this, he immediately trotted out with the tray.

Dongli was still unable to accept it, though. He could only sulk silently, glancing at Xu Jing with a secret glare and followed Chen Hu out.

Xu Jing couldn’t be bothered with someone’s resentful and angry looks. After hearing Xiao Yi, she suddenly felt her stomach even more uncomfortable, took off her gloves and mask, carefully washed her hands with soap water, and then left the yard.

Next to this yard, there was a small room for the officers to rest. Although it wasn’t as elegantly furnished as the previous tea room, it still had tables and chairs. Xu Jing sat by the table, took a bite of a round, chubby bun, and sighed contentedly.

The bun was still hot, indicating Chen Hu had just bought it from outside.

Chen Hu was also hungry, but whenever he wanted to eat, he couldn’t knock the monstrous corpse of Mr. Lv and its gut-wrenching stench from his mind, losing all appetite even for exotic delicacies.

Seeing Xu Jing unaffected, enjoying her food, made him swallow hard, asking, "Miss Xu, doesn’t it bother you?"

Xu Jing glanced at him, drank a sip of tea, and said, "Not really, I’ve seen enough... Ahem, it’s the normal process for the human body. When you die, you’ll go through the same process. Thinking like this, does it make it any better?"

Chen Hu: "..."

Not better at all!

Why would he think about his own death!

And imagining turning into such a creature after death completely killed his appetite!

Xu Jing looked at him amusedly, recalling her own early days in forensics, she wasn’t much better. She felt a tenderness towards him, warmly saying, "Really not eating? It’s meat-filled, tastes quite good."

"Ugh!"

Chen Hu immediately reacted.

Xu Jing coughed lightly and said nothing more.

At that moment, someone sat opposite her—Xiao Yi.

The room was simple, with just one table and several chairs, suggesting he had no other seating choice to sit far from her.

Xu Jing glanced at him and retracted her gaze.

The man simply picked up a cup and drank some tea, without eating anything.

But, considering he was a Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, he wouldn’t be too disgusted to eat like Chen Hu.

Meanwhile, Chen Hu, trying to distract himself, said, "Speaking of which, a few days ago I heard a story about Mr. Lv’s romantic affairs. Mr. Lv was quite respected in Anping County, and whenever my brothers and I patrolled, people familiar with him would inquire about his case’s progress.

The other day, while on patrol, we overheard an old woman selling handkerchiefs by the roadside saying that despite Mr. Lv’s current image, he was quite the philanderer in his youth, falling for a married woman and having a secret affair.

Eventually, when the affair was exposed, the woman’s husband nearly drowned her. Fortunately, her family had some influence and saved her, but she was divorced. Out of conscience, Mr. Lv married her after becoming a scholar, and they left their hometown for Anping County, where less gossip occurred.

However, it’s said that last year, the woman’s ex-husband tracked them down to Anping County and spread the story. Mr. Lv paid him a large sum to stop, so many in Anping knew but respected Mr. Lv enough not to believe it."

Already frustrated by Xu Jing’s situation, Dongli chuckled coldly, "Who knows if these gossips are true or not? They might mislead and hinder the case’s progress..."

However, before he could finish, two voices suddenly interjected from not far away—

Xiao Yi: "No."

Xu Jing: "That’s not entirely accurate."

After speaking, Xu Jing found herself a bit surprised, glancing at the man opposite. She saw him looking at her, his deep black eyes seemingly flickering with a hidden light.

She quickly withdrew her gaze, calmly saying, "Such street rumors can indeed vary in truthfulness, but sometimes they might serve as leads for solving a case. After all, everyone has secrets they may not wish to share, and gossip is often a way to glimpse those secrets.

Regardless of whether such rumors prove useful, it never hurts to see and hear more."

Chen Hu’s eyes sparkled with excitement, "Yes! Ms. Xu, if I hear anything related to the case, I’ll report it to you and Vice Minister Xiao immediately!"

Good heavens, this coordination—who would doubt they were meant for each other!

Next to him, Dongli’s world seemed to crumble while Chen Hu looked thrilled.

No, no, he mustn’t overthink! The Lord now needs this woman for autopsies! His regard for her is solely because of the case!

The Lord even said last time he had no other thoughts about her!

As the person involved, Xu Jing felt no excess emotions, calmly taking another bite of her bun.

She and Xiao Yi were essentially peers. Sharing similar thoughts was normal.

In fact, meeting a sensible peer made work much more fulfilling.

After a brief rest, Xu Jing proceeded with the remaining autopsies. They discovered that Mr. Fang’s body was relatively intact, and the wound showed matching small circular marks. Mr. Lv’s body had damage covering two-thirds of the circular mark. Without Mr. Fang’s body for comparison, it would have been hard to determine the origin of the marks.

Zhu Dalang’s body had severely burned skin on the abdomen, and though an injury was visible, the circular mark was not discernible.

As the sky behaves unpredictably as a toddler’s mood, a heavy downpour shortly followed Xu Jing’s examination of Zhu Dalang’s body.

Chen Hu enthusiastically offered, "Miss Xu, let me escort you..."

A voice suddenly interrupted, "I’ll take her."

Startled, Xu Jing turned to Xiao Yi, her expression saying, "Have you lost your mind?"

Xiao Yi had already picked up a red oil-paper umbrella used for autopsies, handing Xu Jing a cyan umbrella previously stored in the morgue, "I have some things to discuss with Miss Xu."

Chen Hu slyly glanced between Xiao Yi and Xu Jing, covering an eager-to-speak Dongli’s mouth for good measure.

Xu Jing looked at Xiao Yi, seeing his calm demeanor and steadfast black eyes, she casually stepped forward to accept the umbrella, laughing, "Then I’ll trouble Vice Minister Xiao."

The man shifted to an official attitude, and she couldn’t be too reserved.

They were merely temporary partners, no different from her past colleagues.

The woman’s smile bloomed like a flower, brightening the gloomy atmosphere.

Xiao Yi’s gaze flickered as he raised the umbrella, softly saying, "Let’s go."

Then he stepped into the rain first.