I have been bound in a forbidden place for five hundred years. Why are you crying when I am a casual

Zheng Tuo: ? ? ?

Gu Xiu: ???

Upon hearing Fei Boyuan's words, the two couldn't help but exchange a glance, both seeing helplessness in each other's eyes.

"Cough cough!"

Zheng Tuo coughed lightly, reminding him, "Brother Fei, if you're going to kill someone, and kill them with a single, fatal blow, who would turn their back to you and stab them to death with a dagger? Even setting aside the lack of accuracy and strength, it would be very difficult to do it..."

"That's right!" Fei Boyuan belatedly realized, carefully examining Li Changgong's back for a while before turning to Gu Xiu:

"Is it possible that..."

"He did this on purpose to clear his name?"

"Killing someone from behind is certainly not easy, but... if someone is determined to do so, it's not impossible, is it?"

“If he was determined to kill someone with his back turned, it wouldn’t be easy, but it’s certainly possible. However, there was no blood on his right sleeve, and…” Gu Xiu said, pointing to the location of the bloody footprints on the ground:

"Although there are a few bloody footprints here, which seem to indicate that the scene has been disturbed, you can still make out that the bloodstains have a break at this point, just as I predicted..."

"When this Lord Liu was killed, Li Changgong was also lying on the ground."

This……

Fei Boyuan blinked, looked at Gu Xiu, then at the bloodstains, and then at Li Changgong's right hand.

"He means that when Liu Gong was killed, Li Changgong may have also been unconscious, and he collapsed right next to Liu Gong. The bloodstains on his back and the bloodstains on the ground should match," Zheng Tuo reminded him.

Fei Boyuan still looked bewildered: "And then what? Couldn't he have just lay down beforehand and stabbed Liu Gong to death?"

"There's no blood on Li Changgong's right sleeve!" Zheng Tuo said helplessly, but still patiently reminded him:

“If he killed him, even if he really stabbed Liu Gong to death while lying on the ground, the blood would have splattered on his sleeve. But his sleeve was clean, without a trace of blood, which means that he may indeed have been wronged, and the dagger was put into his hand by the murderer.”

Faced with the gaze, Li Changgong nodded:

“I came to see Master Liu last night. After eating a piece of pastry, I lost consciousness in a daze. When I woke up, there was a knock on the door. I was lying next to Master Liu with a dagger in my hand.”

"Before I could react, Officer Fei kicked the door open, and in my panic, I dropped the dagger!"

"I...I didn't kill Liu Gong, I've been framed!"

He had clearly said this many times before, but this time, even someone as slow-witted as Fei Boyuan sensed something was wrong.

indeed.

Judging from the scene, this should be the truth. Even the blood on Li Changgong's chest was from Liu Gong's blood after his death, which is why it looked that way.

"But besides him, who else would kill my father for no reason!" Just then, Young Master Liu, his eyes red, roared:

“Just now, Officer Fei had someone check. My father died at the hour of Chou (1-3 AM) last night, while Li Changgong came to talk to my father in secret at the hour of Zi (11 AM-1 PM) last night. After that, the doors and windows were closed. My father is dead. Only Li Changgong was at the scene!”

"If he didn't kill him, then who could it be? Could someone really kill someone with a dagger from inside a room?"

Upon hearing this, everyone frowned.

This time, Fei Boyuan didn't make a fuss; he simply said to Gu Xiu:

“Brother Gu, that’s exactly what happened at the scene. All the doors and windows inside the house were locked inwards, and there were no signs that the windows had been opened. If there were another murderer, they certainly couldn’t have just left out of thin air.”

"Moreover, this room is protected by divine forbidden techniques. Not to mention divine experts, even spiritual cultivators would not be able to use their abilities here."

Hear this.

Even Gu Xiu couldn't help but frown, his gaze sweeping across the room once more.

"Li Changgong, stop acting!" It was Young Master Liu who was unusually agitated at this moment.

"You have always been a spy for Haoyu, a traitor to Niehai, and even wanted to harm Wuwei City. You knew that my father was a powerful Confucian master and wanted to use his power to cooperate with your rebellion. When my father refused, you cruelly murdered him!"

"I didn't!" Li Changgong hurriedly explained, "My master treated me like his own child, I... how could I... kill him..."

"Then tell me, why did you sneak up on my father last night for no apparent reason?"

"I...I..." Li Changgong was a little anxious, but he didn't know how to answer.

Young Master Liu seized the opportunity: "You've been exposed, and you can't say anything now? You clearly killed Father. If I hadn't discovered you in time and cornered you inside, you probably would have already succeeded in your crime and escaped!"

"……I don't."

"You murderer, how dare you try to deny it!"

"me……"

Young Master Liu was very agitated. In front of everyone, he pointed at Li Changgong's nose and started cursing. Li Changgong, who was considered the murderer, seemed to feel guilty or something, and finally shut up. He just lowered his head and looked at the floor, but tears kept falling down his face.

He didn't look at Liu Gong's body, as if he was somewhat afraid to look.

Zheng Tuo and Fei Boyuan, who were standing next to him, also frowned instantly.

They all looked at Li Changgong.

Liu Gong was not only an academy teacher but also a Confucian and Taoist instructor. His innocent murder was already a significant case. If it also involved the safety of Wuwei City and Haoyu's spies, the situation would become even more complicated.

Gu Xiu, however, ignored Young Master Liu's rebuke. He simply used his divine soul power to thoroughly search the room, and after a moment, he raised an eyebrow:

Why is this cabinet locked?

These words finally interrupted the argument between the two. Young Master Liu spoke first, saying that those were his father's books, which were usually kept locked and not allowed to be touched by outsiders. Gu Xiu nodded and then asked Li Changgong:

Was this cabinet locked when you came last night?

Li Changgong nodded, indicating that the lock on the cabinet was already there when he arrived last night. This wasn't surprising; after all, of the row of bookshelves filled with various books, only this one had a door and was locked—it was impossible not to notice.

"Open the cabinet," Gu Xiu said, turning to Young Master Liu.

Young Master Liu hesitated, "This...this contains things my father forbade anyone to see, not even me. He was just murdered..."

"Stop dawdling! Brother Gu told you to open it, so just open it now!" Before Young Master Liu could finish speaking, Fei Boyuan started cursing as he walked to the cabinet door and slashed at the lock with his long knife.

But I didn't expect it.

"Ding!"

With a crisp sound, the longsword in Fei Boyuan's hand shattered, but the lock remained intact. Zheng Tuo stepped forward to inspect it, then shook his head at Gu Xiu:

"This is a method of Confucianism and Taoism called the Qiwu Lock. Unless the owner of this lock guides it with his own divine power or has the key to unlock it, even a highly powerful outsider will find it difficult to open."

Upon hearing this, Gu Xiu turned to look at Young Master Liu.

But Young Master Liu shook his head directly: "I don't know where the key is either. I've said it before, my father never lets me touch his things."

"Is that so?" Gu Xiu gave the other person a meaningful look.

Facing Gu Xiu's gaze, Young Master Liu's eyes darted away, but his attitude remained firm:

“My father was a teacher at the academy and a powerful figure in Confucianism and Taoism. He also served as an instructor at the Confucian Temple. According to the rules of Wuwei City, even though my father did not hold any official position, he was entitled to not bow to officials and was not allowed to be dishonored after his death.”

“The things inside this cabinet are things my father doesn’t want outsiders to see. Even if I had the key, I have no reason to open it for you to see.”

Upon hearing this, even Fei Boyuan was a little intimidated. Zheng Tuo gently tugged at Gu Xiu and whispered, "Although Lord Liu only serves as the temple's instructor, there is indeed such a rule in the city to show respect for the gods."

"Then if I tell you that the truth about Liu Gong's murder is inside, you still can't open it?" Gu Xiu asked.

what?

As soon as he said this, everyone was stunned, and Young Master Liu looked on incredulously.

"What, not even that?" Gu Xiu asked again.

Zheng Tuo thought for a moment and replied, "Well... according to the city's rules, it is indeed forbidden to touch Lord Liu's personal belongings, but if it is to assist in investigating Lord Liu's death, it is indeed permissible to open them."

“But without the key, we can’t open this lock,” Fei Boyuan said from the side.

"Who said there's no key?" Gu Xiu smiled, looking at Young Master Liu. "You agree, right, Young Master Liu?"

"What...what are you saying? I don't understand!"

Young Master Liu's expression changed several times, and he even subconsciously took a few steps back. He then added, "My father was an instructor at the Confucian Temple. Now that my father has passed away, according to the rules, I am now considered an instructor at the Temple. If you use your spiritual energy methods against me, it will be considered disrespectful to the Temple!"

This statement made Gu Xiu frown slightly. He turned to look at Zheng Tuo, who nodded in agreement that there was indeed such a rule.

"Did you hear that? You can't lay a hand on me, and you can't force me to do anything I don't want to do." Young Master Liu's confidence immediately returned.

“My father died tragically in his home, with the doors and windows tightly shut. Only Li Changgong was inside. The facts are clear, yet instead of arresting and interrogating him immediately, you keep pursuing my father’s secrets. I now suspect that you may be trying to seize my father’s belongings or even explore the secrets of the temple!”

When this serious accusation was slapped on their faces, Zheng Tuo and Fei Boyuan's expressions changed instantly.

The temple holds an extremely important position in Wuwei City... or rather, in the entire Three Realms Sea of ​​Sin. If someone were to falsely accuse the temple of seeking its secrets, the charge would be quite serious.

For a moment, both of them hesitated.

but.

Just as the two were considering whether they should take Li Changgong back for further interrogation to avoid conflict, Gu Xiu suddenly made a startling remark:

“A cleric died, and the one who killed him was the person he trusted most.”

"And according to what you said, this cabinet may also contain the secrets of Confucianism and Taoism. So, can I suspect that this is not just an ordinary murder case, but one that may threaten the temple?"

"What...what did you say?" Young Master Liu was startled.

Gu Xiu turned to Zheng Tuo and said, "Officer Zheng, it seems this matter is beyond our ability to resolve. In that case, I suggest we seal off the scene now and immediately invite the temple priest to investigate. What do you think?"

"No!" Before Zheng Tuo could speak, Young Master Liu blurted out in a panic. When he saw that all three of them were looking at him, Zheng Tuo's face turned ugly. After hesitating for a long time, he still took out a key from his pocket.

The key had always been on him!