CHAPTER 29: CHAPTER 28: SIN

Upon hearing Lu Qing’s words, Rune also felt that it indeed seemed to be the best option at the moment. So he said nothing more and gave Lu Qing a bow: "Master, don’t speak doleful words! You are blessed, and fortune will surely protect you from harm!"

Lu Qing smiled and waved his hand: "Go on, you and Fu Lu also take a rest, tomorrow we shall head to Qingshui County."

Rune quickly responded and left the room.

Meanwhile, after returning to his room, Zhu Yu couldn’t sleep at all. He sat by the bedside, lost in thought, his mind filled with scenes from the cave he witnessed during the day.

If the perpetrator repeatedly took lives, they must consistently follow the same modus operandi, leading to very similar outcomes.

From the five skeletons in the cave, it can be largely deduced that four of them died by the same method.

The corpse found in the ruined temple was the most intact and was observed the clearest. There were no signs of struggle before death, suggesting they were perhaps incapacitated with a seductive fragrance before being bled to death.

Given this, why was it that the bloated skeleton, though outwardly intact, had ribs broken and piercing the heart and lungs?

Such internal injuries might have been inflicted by a strong man like Fu Lu with a single punch.

But a warrior of such prowess, who would have the patience for bamboo mechanisms and bloodletting induced by a seductive fragrance?

If he had such skills, he could almost slaughter a village by himself!

The most reasonable explanation is that the malicious perpetrator lacked physical advantage and could only use unorthodox means.

A person without a strong physique breaking someone’s ribs, and even deviating from their previous method of killing, was most likely driven by intense hatred.

Out of sheer hatred, they lose their senses, accidentally kill someone and, discovering there’s no room for bloodletting, have to abandon it.

Suddenly, she remembered something.

When they first arrived in Qingshui County, the young waiter at the eatery mentioned to them that the old shopkeeper secretly went to the Ghost Immortal Temple to seek wealth and disappeared afterward, only to be found stuffed inside the hollow of a dead tree, pallid as if he had been drained of something, which was truly terrifying.

At that time, she thought that aside from the corpse behind the idol in the ruined temple which hadn’t been dealt with in time, other people dying at the Ghost Immortal Temple might have suffered the same kind of sensational body disposal as the old shopkeeper.

But what they saw today were several bodies discarded in a secluded cave, no different from being exposed in the wilderness.

If the old shopkeeper also died because of the Ghost Immortal Temple like the others, why wasn’t he dumped in the cave like them, but rather stuffed into a tree hollow where he could be discovered?

Is it because the hollow of the dead tree wasn’t very big, and the old shopkeeper’s slim figure could just fit inside?

Just as this conjecture came to mind, Zhu Yu dismissed it.

When it comes to slimness, the few corpses seen in the cave today weren’t necessarily less slim than the old shopkeeper, so what is the real reason...

Puzzled beyond words, Zhu Yu restlessly turned over, suddenly realizing she seemed to have slipped into an old habit, hurriedly closed her eyes, intending to eliminate all distractions, and focus on sleeping.

After a long while, Zhu Yu sat up abruptly in the dark, with not a hint of sleepiness in her eyes, only excitement from solving a puzzle.

The old shopkeeper looked like the most bizarre death, being stuffed into a tree hollow posthumously was indeed quite scary.

But think about it carefully, after people discovered his body, how would they deal with it?

Naturally, they would prepare the corpse for burial, conducting the proper funerary rites.

As for those in the cave... the answer seems glaringly obvious—one had already turned to mere bones.

Therefore, the old shopkeeper in the tree hollow, while leaving a fright for those who discovered him, was decently buried.

And those in the cave became the vanished legends of Qingshui County, missing both in life and death, left exposed in the wilderness.

Between decent burial and exposure in the wild, which side bears more guilt seems quite evident.

And the old shopkeeper’s "appearance in the tree hollow" seemed to quietly convey something to others.

Outsiders who knew nothing would only think that seeking wealth at the Ghost Immortal Temple brings misfortune if one gets greedy, possibly resulting in backlash.

But those who truly knew what the old shopkeeper and the people in the cave had done in the past, upon seeing the old shopkeeper’s death, would likely be terrified, living in constant fear.

This makes sense now!

Zhu Yu let out a long sigh of relief, feeling at ease after untangling the confusion in her mind.

However, as for the identities of the corpses in the cave, and what connections the old shopkeeper had with them, what those individuals had done in the past that led to such necessary killings to end them quickly...

After figuring out this crux, a satisfied Zhu Yu lay down again, turned over, and finally fell into a deep sleep.

Possibly due to overthinking the night before, Zhu Yu woke up the next day to find the morning light already bright, the sun high in the sky, prompting her to hastily get up and open the bundle given by Fu Lu, finding a set of black clothing inside.

The clothing was a tight-fitting, short-sleeve design, with a black leather belt around the waist, making the originally slightly long hem look less cumbersome and even compensating for Zhu Yu’s somewhat slender and small build compared to men, lending her a touch of valor.

After changing clothes, she hurriedly went downstairs to find the old post house manager was nowhere to be seen, with only Fu Lu waiting there.

"No need to rush, Master! There’s still time," he said with a grin when he saw Zhu Yu in black attire, "The others are waiting ahead, and I’m here to accompany you, then we will go to join them!"

He also wore an identical set of black attire to Zhu Yu, except his bulging muscles almost filled the sleeves. If not for the big smile on his face now, he would have looked quite menacing.

The two of them mounted their horses and, after riding for a while, saw Lu Qing and Rune waiting in the distance, both were dressed in black attire too.

Lu Qing’s hair was tied with a small golden crown adorned with a tiger-head pattern, identical to the one on the token he showed Zhu Yu at the post station, which now hung at his waist.

While Lu Qing was originally a tall man when clothed in long robes, the black attire now emphasized his broad shoulders and narrow waist, exuding a robust and impressive aura throughout his body.

While Zhu Yu was observing Lu Qing, he also scrutinized her and seemed quite pleased.

As they approached, Rune greeted Zhu Yu with a cupped fist, handing over a leather mask and a veiled hat: "Master, wear these on the way to the county government to avoid drawing attention."

Zhu Yu accepted the items from Rune and happened to see Lu Qing also putting on a black-veiled hat, so she nodded.

She didn’t think her attire was particularly attention-catching, instead, if it were Lu Qing riding into the city like this, it would be strange not to get stared at.

All four dressed in black with veiled hats, riding to Qingshui County, Lu Qing seemed in no hurry, proceeding slowly.

Along the way to Qingshui County, they didn’t encounter many people, but once they entered the county, the surroundings became lively.