TEFSCBSS Chapter 15

Chapter 15: On-Site Investigation in Locust Tree Village (Part 3)

He had an immature thought in his mind, remembering the figure of the person who used to play with him and Han Yueyi when they were young…

Wait, no, no, he couldn’t let the story distract him. Nothing had happened, and this was just a story.

When they were children, Su Li and that person didn’t get along. They were always fighting, always quarreling. It could be that Su Li was using this opportunity for some personal revenge—he couldn’t believe it.

Wang Bokao patted his chest and thought to himself that Su Li, that little girl, really held grudges. Fortunately, he always brought her food and treats; otherwise, who knew how she would have written him into this script?

But he didn’t expect that he played an important role in this story, providing a key piece of information—the secret to faking death.

To be honest, he had read a lot of miscellaneous articles not long ago and had come across such a little pill. It was said to be from the Miao region, but it wasn’t some miraculous elixir; it contained a worm known as a “gu.” After taking it, the worm would temporarily stop the person’s vital signs, but it would cling to their heart, protecting their life force.

If the worm wasn’t removed after three days, the person would die, and the only way to save them was to cut their wrist, allowing the worm to escape through the blood.

However, that was just a rumor. Besides, the Miao region was hidden deep in the mountains, so how could such a worm be found in the capital?

This was just a story made up by Su Li, using many elements she had read in books.

It seemed that she was bored during her time in the Cheng family’s residence, otherwise, how would she have had the time to read these idle books? She could have already turned the entire capital upside down.

He thought about it this way, but for some reason, he couldn’t shake the unease in his heart, as if he were afraid the events in the script might come true.

While he was lost in these thoughts, Wang Qingmu interrupted his train of thought.

“Master Wang, I think we’ve been deceived!”

“What?”

Wang Qingmu had reviewed the letters and reorganized some of the relationships. Liu Tuhu had a lot of suspicions surrounding him.

If the bride were truly innocent, then why did everyone think she was arrogant and domineering, and accuse her of killing her mother and sister? These were all things that happened within her own family, so how could rumors spread outside without anyone saying something? As the bride’s father and the family of the two victims, Liu Tuhu was a prime suspect.

At the very least, he knew a lot but chose to hide it. Moreover, according to the letters, Liu Tuhu had intentionally wanted the groom to marry his eldest daughter, but she died unexpectedly. The reason behind her death was crucial.

Most importantly, the death of this eldest daughter seemed very suspicious. If there were indeed such a thing as faking death, then this was probably a setup!

As for Wuzhen?

He had never believed in ghosts or spirits, and had even mentioned that this place was filled with vengeful energy, almost saying that the deceased mother and sister had returned as vengeful ghosts to collect their debts. Something was very wrong here.

Especially since his testimony contradicted that of Zhao Si.

If the sister had faked her death, then where did the two vengeful spirits come from?

Wang Qingmu sneered. Everything pointed to human interference, and the mastermind was hiding deep, with no concrete evidence to fully support his suspicions yet. But without a doubt, Liu Tuhu was the culprit.

Now, he just had to figure out how to turn the tables and share the forty taels of silver with Liu Tuhu!

Wang Qingmu smiled at Wang Bokao, as if he could already see the betrothal gifts for his stepmother.

“Master Wang, we’ve been deceived!” he continued, redirecting suspicion away from Liu Tuhu, “I suspect the real killer is the evil tiger, Li Tiezhu!”

He spoke with such certainty that Wang Bokao froze.

What? He never suspected this honest and straightforward nine-foot-tall man.

“Isn’t Li Tiezhu the one who always listens to the groom?” Wang Bokao asked.

Wang Qingmu smiled and shook his head. “Master Wang, you’re a charming gentleman, but how could you understand the heart of a man made of iron?”

What the…?

Wang Qingmu continued to elaborate his theory that Li Tiezhu was a “devoted fool,” crazily in love, and had killed in a fit of passion. He tried to convince Wang Bokao that Li Tiezhu was the killer.

Wang Bokao listened, and without realizing it, he started to overlay the image of the “devoted fool” from the story with the figure of Li Tiezhu in his memory, his hand clutching his chest. He was genuinely worried the story might become reality.

Meanwhile, another scene of tangled emotions was unfolding on the first floor of the western building.

After Zhao Si left Wang Bokao and Wang Qingmu, he wandered to the bride’s home, which was now being played by Liu Tuhu as the father-in-law.

To be honest, his boss had invested a lot into the scenery; Liu Tuhu’s entire house was built with blue bricks, essentially moving the whole room into the village. It was certainly one of the most impressive homes in the village!

Zhao Si entered the small courtyard of the blue-tile house, where a group of players were already discussing in the middle of the yard.

“I never expected Liu Tuhu’s luck to be so good. Even the character he plays in the game is this wealthy.”

“Yeah, look at this two-entry courtyard, look at the servant rooms next to it, look at the bright guest hall in the middle!”

“There are a lot of us, should we search separately?”

“Let’s go, go, go!”

They scattered and started rummaging around the large courtyard.

Three of them seemed to have some experience in searching. They rushed straight into the backyard, one went to the master bedroom, another went to the study, and the third went into the room where the children lived.

Zhao Si narrowed his eyes. As the boss’s right-hand man and a local, he was very familiar with the identities of these three people. They were bailiffs from Mu Xiu, and he hadn’t expected them to be drawn into the Western Building script shop.

These people had the professional skills his boss had mentioned and might be able to find some key clues. Zhao Si quickly followed them, standing by the window, watching their actions.

He saw the three of them go into the study, where they began discussing something.

“Boss, the master bedroom I went to, honestly, it was really clean, with pink and green decorations, hard to describe. But it was not just Liu Tuhu living there—there had to be a woman too. Otherwise, how could it smell so nice and look so beautiful?”

The one with the dark skin and a blue scarf spoke.

The bearded man added, “And in the room, we found women’s clothes and some lipstick that had been recently used. It doesn’t look like the wife had passed away.”

“Yeah, that makes sense! He said his wife died, but then he said his children’s mother was packing up yesterday. I bet he’s got a new lover!”

“Tsk, tsk. If I were that wife, I’d come back as a ghost and slap him twice!”

The quiet older brother slapped the younger one on the head. “Spare me your dirty talk. Ghosts are not to be trifled with!”

The dark-skinned man grinned without saying a word.

The older brother wasn’t expecting the two younger ones to find any clues. He waved his hand, holding something up.

“See this?”

The dark-skinned man and the bearded man looked at the bronze key in his hand, eyes wide.

“Dumbass, remember when we raided that house and found the cellar? I’ve been looking all over the backyard for a corresponding box and couldn’t find it. This key probably opens the secret passage!”

Zhao Si covered his mouth. These three were impressive—they even found the key. But as soon as he thought of the secret passage’s entrance, he shuddered, too afraid to think about it.