Senior Brother Zhou possessed the brisk and decisive manner typical of Sword Cultivator from the Sword Sect. Having made up his decision, he promptly led the group out the door.
Hou Jing, still young, hugged Xiaobai tightly and cast a grievously wronged look at Mu Youzhi.
Mu Youzhi felt a chill run down her spine. When she turned her head back, she saw that both Chang Le and Chen Wei were also looking at her. Their expressions were clear and entirely identical.
For a moment, Mu Youzhi was speechless, and could only whisper, "It must just be our bad luck..."
"Your luck is indeed bad." Senior Brother Zhou was sharp-eyed and quick-witted. He turned back, looked at the four junior martial brothers and sisters, and spoke in a calm tone. Wei City was populated mainly by mortals, and the Sword Sect members who came here naturally mostly did so with the intention of slacking off. Senior Brother Zhou had seen this sort of thing often enough that he understood it and held no other thoughts.
With that, he strode forward, and the four behind him hurriedly quickened their pace to keep up.
Leaving the street, Senior Brother Zhou glanced around beside him, bought a bag of steamed buns, handed one to each of them, and said, "Such murders do not happen often in Wei City, but since you are here, consider it a chance to broaden your horizons... Eat up."
Chang Le picked up a large steamed bun, shoved it into her mouth, and her eyes lit up instantly. Although the texture of the white flour was not as delicate as modern bread, the meat inside was savory, juicy, full, and delicious. Having endured a bumpy journey all the way at the Gushan Sword Sect and living in wretched conditions—surviving entirely on the Bigu pills tucked away in her storage bag—when had she ever tasted such a delicious big steamed bun!
"Delicious!"
As soon as Chang Le spoke, Hou Jing ate one too, her eyes shining brighter than Xiaobai's. The remaining two had no choice but to start eating as well.
"Good, right?" Senior Brother Zhou said with a smile. "Eat, eat. Only when you're full will you have anything to vomit."
"Yue..."
The sound of vomiting rang out. Hou Jing returned after throwing up outside the mortuary, her face pale. She dragged herself to Chang Le's side, and Chang Le handed her a cup of water.
Hou Jing hurriedly took it, just about to open her mouth, but the lingering stench of corpses in the air mixed with the scent of the funeral flowers made her face turn pale again, and she ended up hugging the water flask to her chest instead.
It wasn't that Chang Le didn't want to vomit; it was simply that she had vomited first and now had nothing left in her stomach.
She never imagined that less than three days after transmigrating, she would go from a wretched and miserable beautiful maiden to a fighting-and-brawling beautiful maiden in the Punishment Hall, and now transform into a beautiful maiden spectating at a corpse investigation.
This pace was moving a bit too fast; she couldn't quite handle it!
"You've all seen the corpse by now."
Senior Brother Zhou covered the corpse with the white cloth once again and bowed his head to light a stick of incense in front of the coffin. The calming scent miraculously diluted the stench of death.
Senior Brother Zhou clapped his hands and said, "Which of you would like to share your thoughts?"
Mu Youzhi said cautiously, "There are livor mortis and signs of decay all over the body. He should be a mortal who has not entered the Dao and has not undergone Qi Refinement. I just probed him with Spiritual Power, and his bone age is around forty, right in his prime."
Hou Jing's eyes widened, and she quietly moved a bit farther away from her Senior Sister. Spiritual power that had touched a corpse! She wouldn't let her Senior Sister touch her with spiritual power for the next three days.
Senior Brother Zhou nodded. "This man's name is Wei Huai, forty-five years old, and he is indeed a mortal."
Chang Le lowered her head. "He is not only a mortal, but he should also be a well-known good person."
Senior Brother Zhou looked at Chang Le.
Chang Le began, "His clothes are made of coarse cloth, so his family shouldn't have had much surplus money, but his coffin is heavy, and there are these wreaths all around with words of gratitude written below. The handwriting doesn't belong to family members."
Senior Brother Zhou clapped his hands, a smile breaking through his stern face. "Well said, your powers of observation are extremely meticulous."
Chang Le smiled and said no more. Meanwhile, Hou Jing looked left and right, scratching the back of her head. "I can't see anything at all."
Senior Brother Zhou looked at Chen Wei next.
Chen Wei kept a stiff face. "Me neither."
Senior Brother Zhou frowned. "Is that all?"
The four of them stared eagerly at Senior Brother Zhou, having no idea what he meant.
Senior Brother Zhou sighed. "It seems that not only have you never seen a dead person, but you also don't practice much with blades in your daily lives."
With that, he pulled back the white cloth and pointed to the wounds on the skeleton, saying, "The wounds are huge and uneven, which indicates that this person used a blade. Furthermore, the blade force is heavy, capable of chopping and hacking, showing he is a person of great physical strength. However, the cuts are not clean, which means he is not adept at using blades."
Chang Le was gradually getting used to the foul odor as well. Watching Senior Brother Zhou analyze everything so lucidly, she couldn't help thinking that Senior Brother Zhou must be some sort of ancient detective or bailiff. Next, he should start deducing the murderer's height and the specific saber technique used to kill the victim.
This wasn't the plot described in the novel, or perhaps because they had moved far away from the Gushan Sword Sect, the anxiety in Chang Le's heart slowly settled down.
She looked at Senior Brother Zhou with curiosity.
Who would have thought that after transmigrating, she would actually get to witness an ancient version of *Collected Cases of Injustice Rectified*?
Hou Jing grew excited as well and asked, "Then can we find the murderer from these wounds?"
Senior Brother Zhou shot her a chilly glance and said, "We are cultivators."
All four of them tilted their heads and stared blankly at Senior Brother Zhou.
Senior Brother Zhou let out a helpless sigh, produced a talisman, pressed two fingers together, and chanted, "Condense resentment to wash away grievances! Track!"
A low, buzzing hum vibrated through the air. The talisman pinched between Senior Brother Zhou's fingers ignited without fire; the smoke drifted upward flutteringly before suddenly pausing and tilting toward a specific direction. Senior Brother Zhou said, "The resentment guides us to the killer. The direction is clear. Let's pursue!"
Chang Le: ......Ah, so cultivators in the cultivation world actually use talismans to hunt down murderers... It really is illogical yet entirely logical.
It gave one a feeling that was both unexpected and completely expected.
Yet the sight of the few of them running forward following a wisp of blue smoke... really looked rather silly.
The four of them hurriedly followed behind Senior Brother Zhou, charging forward all the way.
Hou Jing whispered, "I thought Senior Brother would solve the case like a mortal detective, but in the end, he still used a talisman... Then why did he make us look at the corpse?"
The other three silently glanced at Hou Jing. This was also the question on all their minds; thank goodness for Hou Jing, who had asked the question they all wanted to voice.
Ahead, holding the talisman and running along the guidance of the resentment, Senior Brother Zhou gave a cold chuckle. "I just wanted to see if any of you had ever seen a corpse. As it turns out, not only have you never seen one, but you don't even practice much with swords and sabers on ordinary days. You couldn't even identify the wounds."
At these words, all four of them looked up at the sky and down at the ground, saying nothing more.
Although the resentment manifested through the burning of the talisman paper, it was remarkably persistent. Even if some mortals in Wei City caught sight of their strange appearance, they still hastily cleared a path for them. Chang Le even noticed some mortals bowing to them from afar; it seemed that the Gushan Sword Sect was quite beloved in Wei City.
The Gushan Sword Sect...
Thinking of the plot in the later stages—where, to protect mortals, countless disciples of the Gushan Sword Sect drew their swords, formed battle arrays, and perished entirely—Chang Le was struck speechless and let out a heavy sigh.
She glanced at the others beside her. They were following behind Senior Brother Zhou, running about like a bunch of blockheads, yet their young faces carried a faint hint of pride.
Everything in Wei City was proof enough that their sect was worthy of their pride.
After running through more than half the city, the group finally came to a halt following Senior Brother Zhou. None of the four were Sword Cultivators, and in their current Qi Refining stage, their physical fitness was merely slightly better than that of ordinary mortals. They were all panting heavily, supporting their knees as they gasped for breath.
Meanwhile, Senior Brother Zhou raised his head, his expression turning slightly grim. "The resentment has broken."
"How could the resentment break?" Hou Jing asked instinctively.
Mu Youzhi said, "If this place itself is filled with dense resentment, the resentment would blend right into it, making it very difficult to trace... Xiaogai, when we were reading books the other day, did you not listen to the lecture again?"
Hou Jing looked up at the sky with a wailing expression. "No such thing! Didn't you check my homework yourself?"
"..." Mu Youzhi frowned, then said sternly, "Did you sneakily copy someone else's homework?"
Hou Jing's eyes widened abruptly, and by the time she wanted to cover for it, it was already too late. Mu Youzhi drew her umbrella and grabbed Hou Jing by the ear.
"Senior Sister, Senior Sister, don't use the spiritual power that touched the dead to touch me."
After everyone enjoyed watching the older sister violently discipline the child for a moment, they all turned their gazes toward the small alley ahead. The space here was wide enough for two carriages to pass side by side. On both sides stood two- and three-story wooden buildings, with red lanterns hanging under the eaves and plaques bearing names like "Yihong Courtyard" and "Xunfang Tower".
A few listless men and women stood near the roadside, dressed in vibrant reds and greens. They glanced at Chang Le and the others, yawned, and shrank back a little, wearing an expression that clearly said, "You are not our target clients."
Chang Le let out an "Oh," and said, "It's a red-light district."
As soon as her voice fell, the other three turned and stared at Chang Le in unison.
Chang Le looked at them with some surprise. "Wh-what is it?"
Hou Jing snapped her head around and let out a gasp. "So this is the legendary pleasure quarter!"
Only then did Chang Le remember that Hou Jing was still young. By this time, Mu Youzhi had already grabbed Hou Jing's ear with a dark expression. "You are not allowed to come to a place like this by yourself!"
Chang Le then looked away. The young girl had already been subdued and probably didn't have the guts anymore. Yet, a restless urge still stirred in Chang Le's heart. She looked at the frowning Senior Brother Zhou and asked eagerly, "Senior Brother, what should we do then? Go in?"
Senior Brother Zhou released his grip, and the talisman in his hand turned to ash and scattered on the ground. He drew his Judge's Brush from his waist, looked at the alley before him, and finally said in a deep voice, "No matter what, Wei Huai is connected to this place. Perhaps the killer is here, or perhaps this is even the crime scene. Let's go, we'll go in and ask around to investigate the truth."
Since Senior Brother Zhou had spoken, the others naturally followed.
They were cultivators; even if the people in the alley were displeased, they wouldn't dare refuse to receive them. Chang Le looked around. These pleasure houses were exquisitely built with painted beams and carved pillars. Even the main hall was scented with incense, smelling countless times better than the corpse-filled mortuary.
If not for the resentment of the talisman, who would have thought that a place as dazzling as this could be so ridden with resentment, a place where the grievances of wrongful deaths could easily blend in? One could only wonder how many sins were hidden beneath this glittering nightlife.
Chang Le sighed silently in her heart as she followed Senior Brother Zhou. Senior Brother Zhou quickly learned from a madam where Wei Huai usually frequented.
"This guest ah, although dressed plainly, was secretly generous and gentle with the girls. We really like such guests. But he only came occasionally; the place he frequented most was Xifanghua." The madam doing the questioning was a middle-aged woman in her forties, giggling as she spoke.
She sized up the four cultivators before her and asked, "Did he commit some offense?"
"Do not ask what you ought not to ask," Senior Brother Zhou said, his brow furrowing slightly.
The madam hurriedly patted her mouth, curtsied with a slanted body, and said, "Look at this mouth of mine. That Xifanghua is at the very end of the alley. Walk slowly, Immortals."
Senior Brother Zhou grunted in response. Disliking such places, he turned on his heel with clean, decisive movements. The rest hurriedly followed behind him. Understanding nothing, they naturally had to follow along like little chicks.
Chang Le was the same, except her footsteps suddenly paused, and she asked, "Madam, why did you ask if he committed an offense rather than what harm befell him?"
The madam was taken aback, staring at the woman before her.
Chang Le was naturally blessed with a pair of affectionate eyes, stunning and bright, with a hint of charm lingering between her brows and eyes. She truly possessed a fine appearance that left even the madam—who had seen countless beauties—momentarily dazed. Yet, the other's eyes were pure and clear. Having seen many people, including immortals, the madam rarely encountered such eyes.
A surge of goodwill arose in her heart. She fluttered her round fan and smiled, "Guests who come to a place like this dressed in plain cloth yet spending extravagantly are usually people with stories. We ah, have seen plenty of them."
Chang Le was slightly startled, and she cupped her fists in salute. "Many thanks."
The madam hurriedly stepped aside, repeatedly saying, "No, no, I cannot bear a salute from an Immortal."
Who knew? Perhaps this red-lipped and white-toothed little immortal before her was even older than her great-grandmother. Immortals, after all, were always inscrutable.
Chang Le smiled. She felt inside her robes—she had no gold or silver, but she did have spirit stones. Hesitantly, she fished out the smallest piece of Spirit Stone and left it behind. "This is a consultation fee."
With that, she turned around, glanced briefly at the shrine on the wall beside her, and left without looking back.
The madam was stunned. When she raised her eyes again, Chang Le had already run far away. She picked up the Spirit Stone, smiled with a shake of her head, pressed her hands together, and bowed toward the shrine at the side. "May the gods and Buddhas bless us. I hope good people meet with good rewards."
Chang Le ran out the door and caught up with Mu Youzhi and the others. Mu Youzhi turned back to look at Chang Le, and Chang Le recounted the conversation she had just had.
Mu Youzhi fell into thought. "Put that way, this person might not actually be a good person after all."
Ahead, Senior Brother Zhou said, "Whether a good person or a bad person, they are still mortals, and it has nothing to do with us." His tone carried the coldness unique to cultivators. "Although we and mortals depend on each other, what we cultivate and the path we must walk is the Supreme Dao. The karma of mortals has nothing to do with us. The purpose of finding the true killer is to maintain the permanence of order, not for personal preferences."
With that, Senior Brother Zhou paused his steps, looked up at the large characters "Xifanghua" before him, and then said, "I hope you all understand. We are cultivators, not mortals."
Chang Le was momentarily stunned. She looked at the others and saw that their eyes were very calm, obviously agreeing with Senior Brother Zhou's words.
Cultivators and mortals...
Chang Le thought, is the difference really that great?
Suppressing the thoughts rising in her heart, she watched as Senior Brother Zhou knocked open the gates of Xifanghua. Inside the doors, several people were sprawled about in disorder. Standing at the very front was a plump young master dressed in brocade, with several sturdy guards standing sternly behind him. The young master shouted loudly, "Hurry up and call your courtesan out to entertain guests!"
Hearing the commotion, he turned his head, saw Senior Brother Zhou and the others, and glared angrily. "And who might you be? Are you rogue cultivator helpers called by Mother Rong? Truly overestimating your capabilities! I'll have you know I am the manager's son of the Xiaojin Pavilion!"
Chang Le's eyebrows twitched, and she let out a soft "Wah."
Then she looked at Senior Brother Zhou and asked in a low voice, "Do cultivators come to places like this too?"
Didn't they say mortals and cultivators were different?
Senior Brother Zhou's face instantly darkened.