There is a god in the sky

Chapter 224 The Mummified Corpse Case 17

"Lord Xiao is so young, it's hard to get promoted just by solving ordinary cases, isn't it? If Lord Xiao solves a cold case that's been unsolved for over a decade, you can imagine how smooth your career path will be!"

Sui Feng tore off a piece of rag and stuffed it into Sun Wei's mouth, saying, "Shut up, stop spouting nonsense!"

As the wind carried people into the cave, Shen Lan walked towards Xiao Ji.

She hesitated, then pointed to the earthen kiln and said, "I...stuffed someone inside."

Xiao Ji: "..."

His stunned expression made Shen Lan regret her actions for a moment.

If I had known earlier, I wouldn’t have said anything.

"Liu Xianyang?"

"Yes," Shen Lan admitted, bowing her head.

Xiao Ji glanced back and instructed Shen Qing, "You'd better add some more firewood to the stove."

Shen Qing asked in surprise, "Aren't you going to arrest us?"

Xiao Ji looked into the distance and said in a low voice, "Three years ago, when I first took over the Jianzhou Criminal Division, I encountered a case."

Every few months, a corpse appears in the mass grave outside the city. They are all brutally murdered, and their identities cannot be found.

I was reprimanded by Lord Liu for this case. He felt that I was too young to handle the case and I almost got demoted and investigated.

However, no more deaths were found afterward. It is unknown whether the murderer stopped or changed his method of disposing of the bodies, and the case became an unsolved mystery.

For three years, I never gave up investigating this case, and many clues pointed to the Liu family.

The deceased were all from the Liu family, but they were not recorded as servants.

At that time, I also found out that the eldest son of the Liu family liked to hit people, but I didn't think of him because he was too young.

It wasn't until I heard Sun Wei's accusation this time that I suddenly understood: his young age was not a reason why he wouldn't kill someone.

Some people are born bad.

Shen Qing smiled bitterly, "I've been in the Liu family for over six years, and I've always tried to get close to the master of the Liu family."

I finally caught Liu Xianyang's attention and was chosen by him to be his servant. At the time, I didn't even think about why the servants in the mansion didn't dare to approach the young master.

Even if I knew, I would still go; this is my best chance to get close to Liu Engui.

I was with him for a little over a year, and gradually I learned about his quirks and habits.

I don't want to die, and I can't die, so I'll deliberately guide him when he's an adult, at least to prevent him from having murderous thoughts towards me.

Shen Qing took off his outer clothes, revealing a body covered in unscathed skin; just looking at it was painful.

Shen Lan regretted letting Liu Xianyang die so quickly; she should have paid back tenfold or a hundredfold.

“If you want to catch the murderer, just catch me. I killed him because I couldn’t bear his torture.”

Xiao Ji walked towards the cave with his hands behind his back, leaving behind the words: "Liu Xianyang has gone missing. The Liu family and the academy will definitely do everything they can to find him. You should think about how to clear your name."

After walking a few steps, seeing that they hadn't followed, Xiao Ji turned back and asked, "Aren't you leaving? Are you waiting to be discovered?"

Shen Lan quickly followed and asked in a low voice, "Xiao Ji, do you think he deserves to die?"

Xiao Ji did not answer directly, but said: "There are many unfair things in this world. The people he killed were all unregistered people without identities. They were not even considered ordinary citizens. Even if he is exposed, he is innocent."

As an official in the Ministry of Justice, my judgment on whether a person deserves to die is based on the law, not on my conscience.

He stopped and turned to look at her, saying, "However, what makes us human is that we have emotions and desires. Some people go with the flow, some are indignant at the world, some speak out for the injustice, and some stand by and watch."

With your temperament, you're probably not suited to be a coroner in the Criminal Investigation Department. You're bound to run into trouble eventually; I don't want to one day find myself throwing you into prison.

Shen Lan was well aware of this.

She was also formally educated, a law enforcement officer, and a firm believer that criminals should be punished by law.

But when she became a family member of the victim, she found that she simply could not stand idly by.

She could not bear the thought of her cousin being abused by a heartless man for so long.

She also couldn't stand by and watch a crime go unpunished.

She followed quietly behind Xiao Ji.

After exiting the cave and climbing the cliff, she saw that the officials, the headmaster, and the teachers of the academy had all arrived.

News spreads so fast.

"Sun Wei, it's you!" Headmaster Tong looked disappointed.

Master Sun was furious, as Qian An and Gao Dounan were his prized students.

He himself came from a poor family and valued these two people highly.

He put in a lot of hard work to achieve what they have today.

And what about Sun Wei? Although he was also a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial examination), he had been in the academy for more than ten years but had never passed the imperial examination.

His talent was mediocre, and even if he passed the high school entrance exam, he would not achieve much in his life, so Master Sun did not think highly of him.

"Why did you kill him? Wasn't the academy good enough to you? What did they ever do to offend you?" Master Sun was heartbroken.

Sun Wei, with a fierce look on his face, roared at Master Sun: "Old scholar, stop pretending. If you hadn't been using me to motivate Qian An all the time, why would I hate him?"

"If the authorities hadn't arrived quickly, you would have been my next target!"

Madam Sun was startled.

"You...you..." He pointed at Sun Wei, speechless for a long time before finally saying, "You've really wasted your education!"

He turned his back and stopped arguing with Sun Wei.

"Hahaha... I'm dead, so be it. Anyway, there are plenty of people who will take my place!" Sun Wei left behind a vague remark and was taken away by the officials.

Master Sun asked angrily, "What does he mean by that? Does he intend to kill someone?"

Shen Lan glanced around at everyone present.

There might be some secrets within Yishan Academy that Sun Wei knows, and these secrets may concern many people.

Could there really be a cheating scandal?

She made a point of observing Tong Shanzhang's expression; he was actually the calmest among everyone.

It's unclear whether they were unafraid of the threat or simply didn't take Sun Wei's words seriously.

Daylight had broken, and another night had passed.

When they returned to the academy, the rest of the students were just getting up.

Once the news spread, Sun Wei was being discussed everywhere, and many people were criticizing him.

After all, no one expected that the serial killer was right next to them.

He even killed his own friends, which shows his cruel nature. If he was jealous of them, wouldn't he also want to kill them?

"Something terrible has happened!" A student ran over with his coat open.

Headmaster Tong angrily rebuked, "How can you be so disheveled? What kind of behavior is this?"

"Headmaster... Lord Xiao, I've discovered that Liu Xianyang is missing!"

Many people's eyes fell on Shen Qing.

"His page is here; perhaps he just went to the outhouse?"

"Impossible. I went to look for him early this morning, wanting to discuss the policy discussion that the Master had assigned yesterday, but I waited for a full hour and he still didn't come back."

His room was spotless, and the blankets on the bed weren't made, as if he had gone out during the night and hadn't returned.

Shen Qing stepped forward and said, "Last night I saw Sun Wei sneaking out, so I followed him. Then I met Lord Xiao, who rescued me and helped me escape from Sun Wei's clutches. I haven't returned to my room yet."