The innkeeper lay on his bed in his room, turned on his side facing inward. When the attendant came to call him and gave a push, he discovered a knife lodged in the innkeeper’s chest, half the bedding soaked in blood. He had been dead for some time.
Everyone exchanged uneasy glances. As Lan Tianyu took a step forward, Jin Baohui immediately sneered, "Did your innkeeper have any valuables on him? If so, best collect them now before someone else does."
Lan Tianyu scowled. "Then you do it."
"I'm no coroner." Jin Baohui pulled out a snow-white handkerchief to cover his nose, standing disdainfully against the wall.
The handsome middle-aged man who had just come downstairs, along with the master and his two servants, stood far in the corner observing, showing no intention of approaching.
Zhou Zhiqin glanced at the youthful faces of Cai Zhao and her two companions before stepping forward to examine the corpse himself—though not a coroner, he had seen countless bodies over the years.
"The body is stiff, and lividity has just set in, the color still faint. The innkeeper was likely killed about two hours ago." Zhou Zhiqin turned the body over. Under the dim glow of the tallow candle, the innkeeper’s wrinkled, ugly face looked indescribably eerie and horrifying.
"A single stab to the chest was fatal, no other wounds. Bruising on the lower half of the face suggests his mouth and nose were covered when he was stabbed to prevent him from crying out." Zhou Zhiqin inspected the bedding and clothing. "The killer pressed the bedding against the wound while stabbing, preventing blood from splattering onto themselves—this was done by someone experienced."
He pulled out the murder weapon, frowning. "What kind of knife is this?"
The slender, curved blade was stained with dark blood. Cai Zhao recognized it at once. "This is a boning knife—used in the kitchen!"
At her words, the four attendants immediately clamored to drag the cook out for questioning.
Qian Xueshen muttered dazedly, "Since when are adulterers so decisive and quick to act?"
"Don’t just accuse people," Cai Zhao whispered sharply before turning back. "Senior Zhou, can you tell anything about the killer’s martial arts from the wounds?"
Zhou Zhiqin shook his head. "It was a straightforward stab to the chest—no technique needed. Any man with some strength could have done it."
"Man?" Cai Zhao caught the key point.
Zhou Zhiqin reconsidered. "Not necessarily. A woman skilled in martial arts could also manage it."
Cai Zhao was about to press further but suddenly realized she was being too assertive. She quickly let out a delicate sigh. "Oh dear, this is so frightening! I’ve always been terrified of violence and bloodshed."
Then she heard Mu Qingyan stifling a quiet laugh behind her— You’re asking for a beating, Mu!
The four attendants soon hauled the cook over, along with the innkeeper’s wife, forcing them to kneel before the crowd.
Zhou Zhiqin, by default, became the lead investigator of the murder case and began questioning them.
The cook, named Wang Erniu, swore up and down that he was innocent. The attendants shouted over him—
"Sir Zhou, you don’t know—these two have been carrying on for a while! The innkeeper was kind-hearted, patiently advising Wang Erniu that if he repented, he’d let bygones be bygones!"
"The innkeeper scolded this shameless woman several times—she must’ve held a grudge and goaded Wang Erniu into killing him!"
"The innkeeper showed them mercy again and again, and this is how they repay him!"
"Sir Zhou, you must deliver justice for our innkeeper!"
Zhou Zhiqin demanded angrily, "Do you two confess to this crime?"Wang Erniu's face flushed crimson as he stubbornly refused to confess. "That old beast was inhuman—I've long wanted to kill him, but I didn't! Go search my room if you don't believe me. Qin Niang and I had already packed our belongings. We were planning to escape while the old beast led you all up the mountain later. Why would we bother killing him now?!"
Zhou Zhiqin's face darkened. "The innkeeper treated you well. Committing adultery with his wife shows no righteousness, and your complete lack of remorse shows no humanity. What good is a shameless scoundrel like you remaining in this world?" As he spoke, murderous intent flashed across his face.
"Who's shameless?! That old beast hasn't acted human for years—why has no one ever stood up for me?!" Qin Niang suddenly raised her head. Though sallow and sickly, her delicate features and pointed chin revealed she had once been quite beautiful.
Jin Baohui grew interested and unconsciously stepped forward, earning a mocking sideways glance from Lan Tianyu.
Qin Niang's eyes burned with fury: "Erniu and I were betrothed since childhood and would have married, but that old beast threatened my parents' lives to force me to wed him!"
Jin Baohui said softly, "Regardless of the circumstances, once married, you should have observed wifely virtues. How could you betray your vows?"
Cai Zhao shot him a sharp glare.
Qin Niang sneered, "True—five years ago, I thought the same. Since I was married, I'd serve my husband faithfully till death, at least so my parents wouldn't starve or freeze. But... but that old beast wasn't human..."
She violently tore open her collar, revealing shoulders, neck, and chest covered in scars. Rolling up her sleeves exposed two emaciated arms similarly marred—burns, whip marks, bruises, and bite wounds layered horrifically.
Dongfang Xiao gasped, "This... this is truly... utterly savage!"
Zhou Zhiqin's face turned livid with rage.
A servant muttered, "So what if he beat you for adultery?"
Qin Niang retorted, "Lies! Erniu's been away learning culinary arts all these years and only returned last year. Do these wounds look like they're all from the past year?!"
Dongfang Xiao nodded. "Indeed, these overlapping scars show some are at least four or five years old."
—Everyone present were Martial World veterans who could recognize such injuries at a glance.
Another servant, sensing trouble, wailed, "The master often drank fearing his wife would leave him for his age! He only hit her when drunk and always regretted it afterward!"
Jin Baohui remarked airily, "Exactly. Couples quarrel but reconcile—a few beatings don't justify murdering one's husband."
Cai Zhao finally snapped, narrowing her eyes. "Does Master Jin have a wife?"
Jin Baohui blinked. "My late wife passed years ago."
"Perfect." Cai Zhao smiled darkly. "Upon returning, I'll arrange a splendid match for you—a formidable female warrior as your bride. Then you can experience firsthand what 'quarreling and reconciling' means!"
Mu Qingyan drawled lazily, "Little sister, don't speak nonsense. Where would you find a female warrior willing to marry this fatty? Don't ruin some poor honest warrior's life."
Jin Baohui nearly choked on his fury, while Zhou Zhiqin stifled a laugh.Waiter C also began to cry: "Although Wang Erniu only returned last year, the proprietress had seduced many others before! The innkeeper endured it time and again, only resorting to hitting her a few times when he couldn’t take it anymore!"
Dongfang Xiao pressed, "Who did she seduce? Give me names."
Waiter D’s eyes darted around: "They were all traveling merchants, not from this town."
Qin Niang suddenly let out a sharp laugh: "Since you insist on slandering me, I’ll expose all your dirty secrets! This old beast—" she pointed at the innkeeper’s corpse, "was a useless coward who couldn’t perform in bed!"
At these words, most in the room grew awkward, except for the handsome middle-aged man and his two servants, who remained unfazed.
"This old beast not only enjoyed doing it himself but also loved watching other men whip me, insult me, and burn me with charcoal!" Qin Niang’s eyes blazed with fury, and the four waiters shrank back in fear.
She pointed at them, "That’s right, these four were his accomplices!"
"Worse than beasts!" Zhou Zhiqin slammed the tea table to pieces, his rage erupting.
The four waiters immediately knelt, begging for mercy, claiming they had only followed the innkeeper’s orders and never went too far.
Wang Erniu, tears streaming down his face, said, "I thought that even though the innkeeper was older, he was wealthy and powerful. Qin Niang could live a good life with him. I never... never imagined..."
"Never imagined the innkeeper was torturing your beloved, so you stabbed him to death?" Lan Tianyu interjected coldly.
Wang Erniu shouted, "No, absolutely not! Last night, after this guest and his entourage arrived—" He pointed at Jin Baohui, "I realized the number of people going up the mountain was far more than the innkeeper had prepared for. There wasn’t enough food, so I rushed to Old Yu’s place at the end of town overnight and bought all his dried meats, sausages, and sweet potatoes. I only got back less than an hour ago—how could I have had time to kill the innkeeper?"
Qian Xueshen suddenly asked, "Are you really just back now?"
"Old Yu’s family can vouch for me. I was at their place counting supplies until nearly dawn. Then his two sons helped me haul two carts of food back. We just finished unloading!" Wang Erniu insisted.
"Then the innkeeper probably wasn’t killed by Chef Wang," Qian Xueshen suddenly spoke up. Noticing everyone’s eyes on him, he scratched his head sheepishly. "Well, last night I got hungry, right? Just then, Master Jin’s group arrived. They had so many people and luggage that the waiters were busy unloading and ignored me. So I went to the kitchen myself to ask the chef to cook me some noodles."
"When I got there, I happened to catch Chef Wang and the proprietress hugging and crying. I lingered at the door for a while, but they kept whispering endlessly, so I gave up. On my way back, I saw the innkeeper talking to a waiter. He said he hadn’t slept either, since he had to guide us up the mountain the next day. Now that Master Jin was settled in his room, he could finally rest and told the waiter to finish up without disturbing him."
"A few steps later, I saw the proprietress emerge from another direction. I thought the lovebirds were finally done, and the chef could make my noodles. So I hurried back—only to see Chef Wang leaving through the back door just as I reached the kitchen courtyard! I was furious. In the end, I rummaged around the kitchen myself, settling for some cold wine and stale buns. By the time I finished, the chef still hadn’t returned."Dongfang Xiao summarized for Qian Xueshen: "You first saw Chef Wang, then the living innkeeper, followed by Chef Wang leaving and only returning an hour ago... How long does it take to go from the inn to the end of the town?" He glanced at a waiter.
The waiter replied softly, "At least half an hour."
Dongfang Xiao looked around. "A round trip from here to Old Yu's place at the end of town would take at least an hour, plus the time needed for shopping and loading the cart. Chef Wang simply didn’t have time to kill the innkeeper."
He pointed at Qin Niang. "The proprietress is frail and delicate, with no martial skills—she couldn’t have delivered a fatal blow with one strike. That means the innkeeper was murdered by someone else."
Initially, everyone had assumed this was just another case of an unfaithful wife conspiring with her lover to murder her husband. But after all this back-and-forth, they realized it wasn’t that simple at all.
Lan Tianyu, the most vigilant among them, scanned the room. "Killing the innkeeper with a single stab to the chest while he slept isn’t particularly difficult. That means nearly everyone in this inn could be the murderer."
—His blunt words laid bare the hidden suspicions among the crowd, sending a chill down everyone’s spine.
"Will this damn mess ever end?"
A lazy voice spoke up, and everyone turned to look.
Mu Qingyan leaned against the doorframe. Tall as he was, the purple-gold and white jade crown atop his raven-black hair nearly touched the lintel. He drawled, "A scumbag died—is it really worth everyone’s effort to investigate this?"
"How can you say that?" Jin Baohui said awkwardly.
The waiters who had witnessed Mu Qingyan’s ruthless methods earlier didn’t dare utter a word.
Mu Qingyan clasped one hand behind his back. "This innkeeper first forced a marriage through coercion, then subjected his wife to endless abuse—his methods were so appalling they defy description. He was a bad man."
"And since he was a bad man, his death is a good thing."
"The death of a bad man is good, it’s wonderful, it’s well-deserved. We’re all good people—why should good people dwell on the death of a bad man?"
—The expressions of those present gradually froze. Cai Zhao covered her forehead, unwilling to listen any further.
"As they say, justice is clear as day, and retribution is inevitable. That old beast committed countless atrocities—who knows, perhaps some righteous hero saw injustice and leaped through the window to slay him."
"What a fine thing that would be. The only pity is that we can’t invite this hero for a drink."
"Don’t you all agree with me?"
Mu Qingyan’s clear, cold eyes fixed on Jin Baohui.
Jin Baohui forced a smile. "O-of course, you’re right."
Clap clap clap —suddenly, applause rang out from the corner of the room. It was the handsome middle-aged man, clapping with a smile.
"Well said, young master," he remarked. "We all have urgent matters to attend to on the mountain. It’s absurd that we’re being delayed here by this wretched old man’s misdeeds."
Zhou Zhiqin sighed deeply. "True enough. Heaven’s retribution can be survived, but self-inflicted retribution cannot."
Dongfang Xiao glanced out the window. "Let’s have an early lunch and hurry up the mountain. The days are short here—we shouldn’t delay until nightfall again."
"But... what about the innkeeper’s body?" a waiter whispered timidly.
Mu Qingyan waved a hand dismissively. "Feed it to the dogs—" The crowd gasped, and Zhou Zhiqin looked ready to speak again.
"—is, of course, unacceptable," Mu Qingyan continued. "Just store it in the icehouse for now. Deal with it when you have time."
Cai Zhao, startled, clenched her little fist and thumped him on the back.
Mu Qingyan’s eyes only brightened further with amusement.Wang Erniu and Qin Niang had prepared to die together, yet now found themselves completely unharmed, leaving them both shocked and overjoyed.
The four servants dared not argue, bowing their heads with venomous expressions, plotting revenge once the group departed.
After painstakingly serving these masters in the inn until they were well-fed and packing their belongings, Mu Qingyan suddenly proposed that the four servants guide them to the snow mountain.
The four servants were stunned.
"With your manager dead, if you don’t guide us, who will?" Mu Qingyan's expression turned cold.
The others also thought it a good idea. Despite the servants' loud complaints, they had no choice but to agree.
Zhou Zhiqin lingered behind and smiled at Cai Zhao, "Your brother is quite the decent man."
Cai Zhao: "?"
"By the time these four return from the snow mountain’s edge, Wang the cook and Qin Niang would have long fled," Dongfang Xiao murmured. "Your brother intends to protect them."
Cai Zhao nearly retorted that they were overthinking—Mu Qingyan simply enjoyed tormenting others—but then remembered her "role" and quickly adopted a proud yet bashful expression: "Thank you for your praise, elders. My brother has always been so kind and considerate..."
"Little sister, what are you saying about me?" Mu Qingyan turned back with a smile.
Cai Zhao twitched her lips: "I was praising you."
Mu Qingyan spread his hands, revealing a thick, gray-furred cloak, which he draped over the girl’s shoulders.
His eyes warm as sunlight, he whispered tenderly, "The mountain is cold. Don’t catch a chill, little sister."
Dongfang Xiao’s eyelids twitched again—Are you two really siblings?
Several snow sleds waited outside the inn. The group either rode horses or boarded the sleds, heading straight for the snow mountain.
After galloping for half an hour, they finally glimpsed the golden peak of the snow mountain, bathed in a soft glow.
One servant pointed ahead. "This is the southern slope. You can ascend from here."
Another, fearing Mu Qingyan might make further demands, quickly added with a forced smile, "Even our manager only guided people this far before stopping."
Mu Qingyan stepped off the sled, stood still, and smiled. "You four have worked hard, accompanying us all this way."
The servants hastily dismissed the thanks, but before they could finish their polite refusals, a flash of silver light streaked past. Their throats chilled, followed by four soft thuds as they collapsed into the snow, twitching briefly before lying still.
Each corpse bore a split crimson line across the throat, warm blood seeping out, soon staining the pristine snow.
A jade-like, elegant young man stood calmly in the snow, holding a long sword.
The suddenness of it all left the group stunned.
Jin Baohui, in particular, recognized the sword in Mu Qingyan’s hand—it belonged to one of his guards. Yet Mu Qingyan’s movements had been so swift that the guard hadn’t even noticed, let alone resisted.
"What is the meaning of this, Young Master Mu?" The handsome middle-aged man’s expression darkened.
Mu Qingyan countered, "Do you all think these four were good men or villains?"
Jin Baohui cursed inwardly—You’ve already killed them before asking! As if we could say they were good now!
The others remained silent, but Zhou Zhiqin pondered briefly before answering, "They aided a tyrant and committed evil. They were no good."
Dongfang Xiao added, "For years, they joined the manager in tormenting a helpless woman. After the murders, they repeatedly fabricated excuses to frame Qin Niang. Their deeds were vile."Mu Qingyan turned the hilt of his sword and slowly walked toward Jin Baohui: "I killed these four villains, so does that make me a good person?"
Jin Baohui's face stiffened: "O-of course you're a good person."
"Ah, another good deed done today." Mu Qingyan sheathed his sword, his mood cheerful. "Indeed, doing good deeds lifts the spirits. From now on, I must do more good deeds."
Most of the people present: "..."
OpenNovel