Double Kill

For a time, discussions turned into accusations. The townspeople demanded that the barrier be lifted and they be allowed to leave the town.

But the thick smoke from the fire at the He residence, which blotted out the clouds and moon, was not only visible to the people in the town.

The neighboring towns had been watching all night and were very vigilant. Knowing that something must have happened, they sent a large group of people with hoes before dawn to guard the barrier between the two towns, terrified that the people from this town would come out.

And after this night, the protective barrier around the town had already developed some cracks, as if something had forcefully rammed into it. Several places were already on the verge of collapsing.

And so, through the barrier, the people inside and outside started arguing again. Although they didn’t come to blows, they threw slop at each other, which seeped through the cracks into the ground. The scene was also very chaotic.

At this point, it was far from just being about a demon and people. The conflict between the townspeople was even more difficult to handle.

Fortunately, the Three-legged Golden Crow on Lu Wu Jiu’s robes still had some effect. He repeatedly promised that nothing like this would happen again, barely managing to persuade the townspeople. But in this way, the barrier had to be reinforced, so he stayed behind while Lian Qiao took the others to West Mountain.

However, as she was leaving, Lu Wu Jiu called out to her and said unexpectedly, “Are you sure this demon will be at West Mountain? You might as well save your energy and stay here to help me repair the barrier.”

Lian Qiao had no desire to stay. She snorted and told him to fix it himself.

But the further she walked, the more she felt something was wrong. Why did Lu Wu Jiu say it would be useless to go?

Calming down, she suddenly realized she had been led by the nose the whole time.

Wasn’t it a bit too convenient that Gu Sheng found that fox fur?

Besides, after such a huge fire, how could that single fox fur have not burned?

Also, she had taken full precautions, even giving her protective spirit bracelet to Miss He. Why was Miss He still able to have her heart ripped out by a demon right under their noses?

Even if they had been negligent, it couldn’t have happened so silently, right?

Unless…

Lian Qiao pursed her lips, handed the compass to Yan Wushuang, and told her to go to the West Mountain Pavilion to investigate. She herself, along with Zhou Jiannan, turned back to the He residence, returning to the boudoir where Miss He had been murdered.

Due to the fear of demonic energy, the ruins had been left untouched for the time being.

After a night of turmoil, everyone was tired and had gone back to rest.

Councilor He, however, was awake and in a rage. He had all the maids and servants who were on duty yesterday tied up, intending to sell them off.

One of them was the same maid who had been so frightened last night that she had to lean on the doorframe to vomit. At this moment, her face was pale, her eyes were red and swollen from crying, and she was kowtowing repeatedly, admitting her mistake, saying that she really hadn’t been slacking off last night, it was just that she never heard the lady call out, which was why she was late.

But Councilor He wouldn’t listen. He waved his hand, about to have her dragged away.

Lian Qiao happened to walk in at this moment and couldn’t help but say, “Councilor, please calm your anger and wait a moment. I have something to ask her.”

At this time, Councilor He, who had just lost his beloved daughter, had a red mark creased between his brows and his eyes were full of fatigue. His attitude toward Lian Qiao was not very warm. He only said, “What does the fairy have to say now?”

Lian Qiao was not angry. She asked the maid, “I just heard you say that Miss He did not struggle last night?”

The maid immediately crawled on her knees to Lian Qiao’s side, crying, “It’s the absolute truth, fairy! Last night, our lady made a scene three times. By the third time, everyone was a bit tired, so when we heard her call out, we all suspected she was just deliberately making trouble again, so we weren’t so quick to go. It wasn’t until after that cry that there was no more sound, and everyone realized something was wrong, since our lady was not one to give up easily. Who would have thought that when we pushed the door open this time, we would see blood all over the floor…”

Councilor He was very impatient. “In the end, isn’t it still all your fault? If you had gone earlier, could our lady have been killed by the demon?”

But Lian Qiao turned her eyes. “What she said is not necessarily false. Miss He may not have been killed by a demon.”

Councilor He instantly looked up. “What did you say… not killed by a demon?”

Lian Qiao corrected him, “No, I’m saying it wasn’t necessarily a demon that killed her. I remember you said, Councilor, that the previously deceased all had smiles on their lips, is that right?”

Councilor He said, “That’s right. But what does that have to do with Mei Niang’s death?”

“Councilor, you are mistaken. Not only does it have a connection, it is a very important one.” Lian Qiao frowned in thought. “Everyone else was smiling, which is why this town is called No-Laughing Town. But Miss He’s face was a bloody mess, as if it had been smashed. Doesn’t the councilor want to know why she is the exception?”

The councilor’s heart felt like it was being cut by a knife whenever he thought of that scene. He said, “Perhaps it was an accident, or perhaps Mei Niang was too beautiful and aroused the demon’s jealousy. In any case, it was my daughter’s ill fate!”

Lian Qiao shook her head. “Perhaps. But I always felt that Miss He’s face seemed to have been deliberately smashed, as if to cover something up.”

Councilor He’s heart was in turmoil. He snorted. “What exactly has the fairy found out? If you have something to say, you might as well say it directly. I have no intention of blaming the fairy. In the end, it’s just that our fate is not good.”

Lian Qiao could tell he was suspecting them of failing to protect his daughter, so she explained, “Actually, I did not let my guard down last night. The first two times, I was by Miss He’s side. Although I was not there late at night, as a precaution, I gave her my protective spirit bracelet. This bracelet can protect her from harm by demons and evil spirits. Even if a demon is very powerful and the bracelet cannot completely block it, it should at least emit a warning sound to notify me, and I would be able to rush over in an instant. But when Miss He was murdered last night, I heard no disturbance, and upon inspection today, the bracelet is completely intact.”

Councilor He finally understood. “So, the fairy suspects that the one who struck last night was not a demon at all, which is why the bracelet made no sound?”

“Precisely.” Lian Qiao nodded. “The same goes for Miss He’s face. I suspect someone imitated this demon’s heart-ripping method to commit the crime. But he couldn’t make the person smile at the time of death like the demon could, so he simply smashed Miss He’s face to a pulp, so no one would notice anything unusual. But it was precisely this that made Miss He’s death unusual.”

Councilor He felt a chill run down his spine. He pressed on, “Then, who exactly committed this vicious act? Does the fairy have any leads?”

Lian Qiao coughed into her fist. “I didn’t at first. After all, I’ve just arrived and don’t know who Miss He might have offended in the past. But just now, the maid said something, and I suddenly figured it out.”

“The maid?”

Councilor He carefully recalled the maid’s words. In fact, he already had a faint guess in his heart, but… but he didn’t dare to think too deeply.

Lian Qiao glanced at him. Seeing his furrowed brow and tightly clasped hands, a look of someone who had already guessed, she continued, “The councilor’s love for his daughter is deep, so you must see things more clearly than we do. The maid said that Miss He was making a scene all night, which means she was awake. But when she was murdered, she only let out an extremely short cry. This is strange. Logically, a person wouldn’t be so calm when being murdered. At the very least, she should have noticed when the murderer entered. But she didn’t struggle. There is only one explanation, unless…”

Lian Qiao paused. “Unless the person who did it was someone Miss He knew. No, it should be said, someone close to her. That’s why she was so defenseless!”

Councilor He shot to his feet. “You’re saying… it was Gu Sheng?”

“That ungrateful wolf! I knew he was restless, but I never thought he could do something like this! Mei Niang was still carrying his child! How could he be so heartless? I shouldn’t have persuaded Mei Niang last night…”

Councilor He was instantly enraged, pounding the table heavily several times. The teacup lid was shaken off, and tea spilled all over the table.

Just in case, Lian Qiao added, “But this is not necessarily the case. After all, it’s just speculation. Of course, it’s also possible that it was indeed the fox demon, as the young master said.”

Councilor He clearly knew Gu Sheng better than they did. He snorted coldly through his nose, then angrily led his men to the wing where Gu Sheng was temporarily staying in the He residence.

However, when they arrived at the door, the serving maid said that Gu Sheng had just left a quarter of an hour ago, saying he was going home to get a change of clothes.

His wife and child had just died, and in such a tragic manner, yet he even had the leisure to care about his clothes?

Keep in mind that Councilor He hadn’t even washed his face or had a drop of water since last night.

Now, there was another layer of suspicion.

Councilor He was furious and immediately drove to the Gu residence, vowing to drag Gu Sheng out and demand an explanation.

Lian Qiao naturally followed along. However, what was even stranger was yet to come. When Councilor He was about to smash open the main gate of the Gu residence, the door opened on its own.

And then came another shrill scream—

When Lian Qiao quickly rushed forward, she saw Councilor He had fallen to the ground, and what he had stepped on was clearly a neat, severed hand.

The fingernails of the severed hand were full of blood, but the fingertips were calloused, like the hand of a scholar.

And the owner of that hand—Gu Sheng—was nailed to a peach tree in the courtyard.

Although his death was clearly extremely painful, the corners of his lips were slightly smiling, and his other hand was even plunged into the bloody hole in his chest, deeply embedded in the flesh.

It was as if he had ripped out his own heart while still alive…