bookpub Chapter 89 Afterlife
Chapter 89 Afterlife
"Five months?"
Lu Lin turned to look at the coroner who was giving a report.
He held in his hand a long needle that was half silver and half red.
The head constable of the yamen was also stunned. "Impossible. This fire only started tonight. How could the deceased have died five months ago?"
"Five months? Do you know when that is? Late August or early September. By now it would be rotten and stinking."
The head constable pointed to the other corpses, "What about these? They haven't been dead for five months either, have they?"
"No, that's not true." The coroner shook his head. "They've only been dead for seven or eight days, and they weren't burned to death, but... they died first and were burned later."
"That's utter bullshit!"
The head constable was furious; he felt that the new coroner was challenging his intelligence.
"My lord, this is what the Life and Death Needle told me. It can accurately determine the time of death for each person, which is why I came to the yamen to work as a coroner."
"Furthermore, sir, don't you find it strange that these people are sitting here instead of running away when the fire is raging?"
"As the neighbors around the Chen residence just said, the fire didn't start small and grow gradually, but rather it grew larger and larger. This wasn't an accidental fire, it was arson."
"set fire?!"
The head constable paused, then said, "You mean they didn't die accidentally in the fire, but were murdered? And the murderer even burned the bodies to destroy evidence?"
The coroner nodded.
This put the head constable in a difficult position.
The bodies at the scene were charred, and they could not determine the cause of death.
It's only the beginning of the year, and we've already encountered such a major case; it's clearly not something a mere constable could decide.
"You continue, focus on the dead. I'll go report the situation to the experts of the Spirit Monkey Guard."
The constable left.
Lu Lin quickly moved closer to the coroner, "Brother, are you sure all the dead people are from the Chen family?"
"I'm sure, well, not entirely sure, but these four should be Chen Dingkun's sons. This is their butler, Chen Tong, whom I've met before."
"Can you tell which one is Chen Hongzhi and which one is Chen Hongming?"
"This one, and that one too!"
Lu Lin hurriedly went forward to check.
The corpse does indeed look very similar to Chen Hongzhi and Chen Hongming.
Lu Lin had known the two of them for a long time, and from their charred appearance, he could basically determine that it was them.
Just then, a wail sounded from outside the door, and a large, fat man rushed in.
"My son, my daughter, my grandson!"
The newcomer began to weep while holding a corpse. The coroner quickly said, "Master Zheng, this is Hu Sanshan, the guard captain who was burned to death. Those over there are Madam Zheng and your two grandsons."
"what?"
Fatty Zheng was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly went to Madam Zheng and cried loudly and wailed.
Lu Lin couldn't believe that Chen Hongzhi and Chen Hongming were dead.
They were fine when they parted ways before the Lunar New Year.
Chen Hongzhi also said he would work hard to cultivate and join the Three Swords Pavilion with Lu Lin, but in less than a month, the two of them were burned to death.
Do not!
They weren't burned to death; they were killed first and then burned to death.
"Hmph, it's those bastards from the Kiseiji Temple again!"
A voice suddenly rang out.
Immediately afterwards, two figures flew in from outside the courtyard and landed.
One was burly, the other thin.
Both men were dressed in plain-colored robes, their eyes filled with murderous intent.
The one who spoke was the burly man.
Where is the coroner?
The burly man was arrogant and bossy.
The coroner noticed the three swords emblem embroidered on the cuffs of the two men and hurried over.
"Cut open the chests and abdomens of those four men and see if they are missing their hearts."
"Yes, sir."
The coroner agreed and cut open the chests of Chen Hongzhi, Chen Hongjie, and Chen Hongming, and sure enough, he found that their hearts were missing.
"Just as I thought. No need to look anymore, it must be Chen Dingkun again. The files in the archives show that this man has been committing crimes frequently for thirty years. I didn't expect that we couldn't find him all these years, but he was hiding right under our noses."
"And they don't even change their names, it's outrageous."
The burly man was furious.
"Third Brother, the Heavenly Cultivation Exercise explicitly requires practitioners not to conceal their names, otherwise all its effects will be lost."
"Chen Dingkun has committed a series of crimes and we don't know where he has run off to. I will send a message to the Spirit Monkey Guard and tell them to keep an eye on all people named Chen Dingkun in Qinbei Prefecture."
"It's no use."
The burly third brother, named Suo Yan, waved his hand and said, "Chen Dingkun will definitely not appear in the short term. Moreover, this person has practiced the Tianlun Health Preservation Technique three times, and his cultivation level is at least at the level of Refining Second-Grade Innervate. He can pass through the mist and go to other prefectures."
"It's okay to be a thief one day, but you can't guard against thieves a thousand days in advance. We did manage to get the attention of government departments at all levels before, but it was fine for a short time. But if it goes on for a long time, who will keep an eye on this matter all the time?"
"Hmph, we should find the lair of the Laisheng Temple and wipe them out in one fell swoop. In recent years, the number of crimes committed by this race has been rampant throughout Daliang. One Chen Dingkun is dealt with here, and another Qian Wanguan, Luo Youcai, and Tian Dahu have emerged there."
"Forget it, just seal this place up, compile it into a case file, and put it in a high place."
Suo Yan gave the order, and the coroner dared not neglect it.
"Please wait a moment, gentlemen."
Just then, Lu Lin came to Suo Yan's side.
"My name is Lu Lin, and I am a good friend of Chen Hongzhi and Chen Hongming. May I ask what you two mean by the Tianlun Health Preservation Exercise you just mentioned?"
"Lu Lin?" Suo Yan frowned. "This is a matter for the cult. It has nothing to do with you ordinary people. Don't ask too many questions, or if the cult targets you, your whole family will be finished."
"etc."
Lu Lin grabbed Suo Yan's sleeve again. Suo Yan tried to break free, but he didn't expect Lu Lin to be so strong that he couldn't break free at all.
"My lord, since ordinary people cannot ask these questions, is this matter under the jurisdiction of the Three Swords Pavilion?"
"Yes and no!"
Suo Yan looked up and sized up Lu Lin. "The Three Swords Pavilion only deals with cults. We will send people to hunt down Chen Dingkun, but we will not get involved in murder cases like this."
"Then could you please give me a chance to join the Three Swords Pavilion?"
Lu Lin was resolute.
"Join the Three Swords Pavilion?"
Suo Yan paused for a moment, then exchanged a glance with the person next to him. "Young man, you're overthinking it. The Three Swords Pavilion requires at least the Five Organs level to join. You'll need to train for a few more years, understand?"
"And even if you are at the Five Organs level, you may not be able to join the Three Swords Pavilion, like him," Suo Yan pointed to the thin young man beside him.
"He's already at the five-organ level, but he needs to accumulate merit at least three times before he can officially join. Right now, he can only be considered a candidate member and doesn't have the authority to view files."
Suo Yan pushed off the ground and leaped away.
The man next to him patted Lu Lin on the shoulder and said, "Don't rush, young man. I'm just like you. I want to join the Three Swords Pavilion to avenge my brothers. My name is Yang Jianye. I look forward to seeing you in the Three Swords Pavilion. Good luck."