There is a god in the sky

Chapter 220 Ghosts or Monsters 13

Sui Feng untied the handkerchief from the bamboo and handed it to Xiao Ji.

They only discovered that Shen Lan was not in the house in the middle of the night.

Xiao Ji originally didn't plan to go out to look for her, as he knew that Shen Lan often went out in the middle of the night.

But he only learned today that Young Master Liu had a habit of abusing his pageboys, and he guessed that Shen Lan was targeting Liu Xianyang.

After waiting for a long time without her returning, Xiao Ji grew anxious, fearing that she might have murderous intent like last time.

So he took Sui Feng straight to Liu Xianyang's bedroom, and sure enough, no one was inside.

“Sir, this handkerchief doesn’t have any special markings, but it must have been left by Miss Shen because it was tied here.”

Xiao Ji held the handkerchief to his nose and smelled it. It had a faint medicinal scent, similar to the scent on Shen Lan.

She deliberately left a mark, which means she wasn't there to kill anyone.

"Who's there?" A shout came from behind, and the two were immediately surrounded by patrolling officers.

The officials held torches in one hand and knives in the other, the tips of their knives pointed at Xiao Ji and Sui Feng.

Once he recognized the person, Officer Xing quickly put away his knife.

"So it's Lord Xiao! I deserve to die! Did you come here so late at night to discover the murderer?"

Without waiting for Xiao Ji's reply, he immediately sent someone to fetch reinforcements.

Xiao Ji extended his hand halfway and then withdrew it, coughing as he said, "Not yet. I couldn't sleep at night, so I came out to see if I could find any clues."

Officer Xing said admiringly, "Sir, you have truly devoted yourself to this case!"

"Alright, you guys go ahead and get busy, I'm just going for a walk."

Officer Xing scratched his head and said cautiously, "Perhaps you should bring a few more people with you; it's not safe here."

In fact, he and the others in the academy thought the same thing: they all believed that these two cases were not caused by human intervention.

How can someone kill someone and then become a dried-up corpse while still wearing the clothes they were wearing?

It's obvious that his life force has been drained by a monster.

"No need, as long as Sui Feng is here, just be vigilant during your patrols and send a signal if anything happens."

"Yes, sir!" Constable Xing led his men away.

Xiao Ji turned and walked into the bamboo forest, carrying a lantern as he walked along the side.

"My lord, what is Miss Shen doing in the bamboo forest?"

"Perhaps they saw the murderer."

"Then why don't you go back first, and I'll go with you to take a look?" Sui Feng was also afraid that he wouldn't be able to take care of his master for a while.

"No need. She didn't bring anyone to chase after her, so she must be confident."

When Xiao Ji saw the wall so close at hand, he frowned slightly.

"out?"

The lantern, lifted by the wind, illuminated the wall, and then a bamboo branch was seen stuck on the top of the wall, like a small flag.

Xiao Ji saw it too and laughed, "She certainly knows how to pass on messages."

The long strip of paper on the bamboo stick stretched out beyond the wall, as if guiding them.

Xiao Ji took a few steps back, then ran and jumped onto the wall.

Shen Lan noticed that the people in front of her had stopped.

She heard the whistling wind and realized that this was the cliff edge she had visited during the day.

The people in front pulled a rope up from the cliff edge, tied it to the sack, and then lowered the sack little by little.

The moonlight shone on the person on the cliff edge. Although it was only a silhouette, Shen Lan recognized him as her cousin, Shen Zhiyuan.

She accidentally stepped on a branch, making a slight sound.

The sound was barely noticeable amidst the howling wind.

Shen Qing was always on edge, so even the slightest noise would set off his alarm bells.

"Who?" He turned around.

Shen Lan quickened her pace and walked over.

She had mixed feelings, and a faint sense of fear lingered in her heart.

If those two people died at Shen Zhiyuan's hands, would she hand them over?

of course not!

But she wanted to know why he did it.

“It’s me.” Shen Lan walked up to him and saw the cold glint in Shen Qing’s hand hidden behind his back.

Upon seeing it was her, Shen Qing panicked and almost loosened the rope holding her hands.

The sack landed quickly, but he held it tightly in his hand.

"What's down there?" Shen Lan walked over and looked down.

She only saw the sack and guessed that there was a person inside, but she didn't know that Shen Qing had stuffed Liu Xianyang inside.

Shen Qing pleaded, "Lan'er, please go back and pretend you never saw me, okay?"

Shen Lan stared into his eyes and asked, "Did you kill Qian An and Gao Dounan?"

Shen Qing's eyes widened, and she shook her head vigorously: "It wasn't me! I didn't kill them!"

Shen Lan secretly breathed a sigh of relief, reached out and grabbed the rope, tilted her head and asked, "Can I lift him up?"

"No!" Shen Qing grabbed her hand, not daring to look Shen Lan in the eye, and whispered, "This is the best time. Kill him and frame the previous murderer. No one will trace it back to me."

Shen Lan sighed, "But it's too late, I saw it."

"Can't you just pretend you didn't see it? Lan'er, he's the son of our enemy!"

"I didn't kill him before because I wanted to use him to bring down Liu Engui, but now that I've met you, I can't risk it all. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"

It turned out to be Liu Xianyang; Shen Lan had expected it.

She glanced back at the dense forest, wondering if Xiao Ji had noticed she had left.

If he catches up, he'll find this place very soon.

Shen Lan rolled up her sleeves, grabbed the rope, and jumped down.

Shen Qing was startled and shouted, "Lan'er!"

Shen Lan gripped the cliff face and looked up at him. "I'm fine. I'll go down and check on you."

There must be something strange down there, otherwise my cousin wouldn't have thought of bringing people down.

She grabbed the rope and climbed down, quickly reaching a narrow platform.

Behind the platform was a hole, and it wasn't small.

Soon the sack hit the ground, the rope swayed, and Shen Qing was climbing down.

After waiting for a while, Shen Qing finally climbed down, panting, and carried the sack on his shoulder.

The sound of the wind mixed with the sound of the water, making it impossible for Shen Lan to hear what he was saying.

He looked like he wasn't a first-timer here, as he skillfully carried the sacks into the cave.

Shen Lan only heard his voice after they entered the cave.

"The two students you mentioned were brought here by the murderer after they died. There is a small cave inside. After passing through it, you will reach the other side of the mountain, where there is also an earthen kiln."

Shen Qing turned to look at her and said unhappily, "You shouldn't have come along. This is not a good place."

Shen Lan walked past him and forward, finding it increasingly quiet as she went deeper, but a light guided them ahead.

"Who is the murderer?" she asked.

Shen Qing said a name, and Shen Lan stopped in her tracks, lost in thought.

"It was him after all. He's quite the disguiser."

When the two of them passed through the cave and stood in front of the earthen kiln, they found that a fire was burning inside, and a strange fragrance was wafting out.

Shen Qing threw the sack on the ground and whispered, "I discovered this place by accident. It's even older than him. I heard that this kiln was built by a scholar more than ten years ago to fire porcelain."

As for why this location was chosen, it's because there's clay for firing porcelain up ahead.

"He's not here?" Shen Lan looked around.

“He only comes in the middle of the night, stays for an hour or two, and then sneaks back, otherwise he will be discovered.”

No wonder no one in the academy knew he had come out; he must have chosen the right time.

"But no one from the academy has gone missing. Who did he kill this time?"

Shen Qing shook his head, "I don't know. Actually, I never know who he killed, nor do I care who is missing from the academy."