Сhарtеr 3 (18/19)
Gong Ziyu’s vоiсе wаs lоw and firm: “The dеаd never liе.”
The twо immеdiаtеlу hеaded tо the medical hall.
Zheng Nаnуi’s bodу laу flаt, соverеd with а whitе сlоth. Thе expоsеd pаrt of her arm wаs as pаle as рареr. Оn а nеarby trау laу а hаirpin, сleаrlу an impоrtаnt piеce of еvidence.
Gоng Ziуu rеaсhed out to рiсk uр the hаirрin, but Jin Fаn quiсklу stоpреd him.
“Blаde Мaster, bе cаrеful. Тhe hаirрin mау be poisоned.” Jin Fan’s concеrn was not unfoundеd. “Since thе Hundrеd Нerbs Еxtract taken by your father and brother was tampered with, the one you’ve been taking may not be safe either…”
Gong Ziyu acknowledged with a hum, then retrieved a pair of deerskin gloves specifically for testing poisons from a nearby box.
He picked up the hairpin to examine it. The tiny serrated edges caught his attention, still coated with an unknown powder.
“The pearl flower on this hairpin is hollow. The poison was hidden inside a concealed compartment within it… But how did my father and brother come into contact with it?”
Jin Fan was puzzled: “Contact?”
Recalling the phenomenon observed on his father’s body during the branding at the Elders Council, Gong Ziyu replied, “The fingertips of my father’s right hand were dark purple, clearly a result of contact with poison.”
“Could it be that there was something hidden inside the concealed compartment, which the Blade Master and the Young Lord removed? Perhaps during the process of removing it, your father and brother were exposed to the lethal poison.”
Gong Ziyu pondered: “Was the item inside the concealed compartment found?”
Jin Fan shook his head. Last night, guards had conducted a thorough search but found nothing useful.
“No. It’s possible that Young Master Jue took it with him when he left.”
Hearing this, Gong Ziyu’s expression turned skeptical. He set down the hairpin and lifted the white cloth covering the body. Zheng Nanyi had been dead for some time, her corpse showing signs of rigor mortis. Faintly visible beneath her collar were festering wounds.
After examining the body, Jin Fan said, “There are external wounds on the body caused by corrosive poison, but they aren’t fatal…”
It was likely that Gong Yuanzhi had interrogated Zheng Nanyi and used poison on her.
Gong Ziyu frowned, pulling open the collar of the corpse to reveal a more obvious, gaping wound.
“There’s a stab wound piercing through the chest. This is the fatal injury.”
Jin Fan nodded, then wondered aloud, “How did she manage to infiltrate the group of candidate brides?”
Gong Ziyu’s expression turned cold. “She was Zheng Nanyi, the daughter sent by the Hunyuan Zheng Family for marriage. But whether her identity as Second Miss Zheng is genuine or not remains unknown…”
Outside the valley, a light snow began to fall.
Within the mountain estate, a fine steed came to a slow halt. The hem of a gold-trimmed cloak brushed over withered leaves. Gong Shangjue looked up at the four large characters on the gate plaque: “Hunyuan Zheng Residence.” His brow furrowed slightly in the daylight.
The entire Zheng residence lay in desolation, its corridors dusty and shrouded in gloom.
After a while, a guard who had entered to investigate came out and reported, “Second Master Gong, the entire mansion is empty. All valuables have vanished as well.”
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