Qingyun's Love: Tiger Boy Falls in Love with a Pretty Lawyer

After a thorough examination, the coroner reported to the magistrate that there were two unusual findings on the body: poison marks in the mouth and strangulation marks on the neck. It was currently impossible to determine the primary cause of death.

The men exchanged glances, their minds further resolute. Ran Mo analyzed, "The victim couldn't have strangled himself to death. If it was someone else who did it, suicide can be ruled out. Whether the victim ingested or was force-fed poison first, or strangled first, can be used to determine the injury process."

If the death was caused by poison, strangulation seems unnecessary; if the poison was then administered after strangulation, the venom would have difficulty reaching the stomach. Therefore, a laparotomy would be appropriate to determine the cause.

The people nearby shook their heads upon hearing this. Even Qingsheng was a little shocked. The magistrate also said that the deceased's family would definitely not agree.

Ranmo thought that the Great Moon Kingdom probably didn't have autopsy procedures, so he didn't force it. He simply said that he had a general understanding of the situation and could verify it through other channels.

After leaving the basement, they felt the sunshine and breeze outside and breathed a sigh of relief. They also felt sorry for those who could no longer feel the light of nature and life.

The magistrate asked Ranmo what the next steps should be. Ranmo thought for a moment and said, "Before we summon Lü Da, let's make a model."

The others were stunned. What was a model? Ranmo explained that it was a simple wooden upper body carving of the man's appearance, with a complete head and neck.

The magistrate didn't ask any further questions, simply ordering his men to find a craftsman and start production. Ranmo then detailed his interrogation plan with the magistrate and Qingsheng. Now, a dramatic performance was about to unfold.

By mid-afternoon, the wooden head model had been completed and delivered, and it looked quite realistic. Ranmo then took out powder and ink and painted on it.

According to Ran Mo's instructions, the magistrate immediately ordered Lu Da to be brought to a small room connected to the basement for interrogation.

The room was dimly lit, with only a flickering candle. On the center table sat the half-cast wooden model, gleaming faintly in the candlelight.

Ranmo asked the magistrate and the others to wait and watch from the dark. She and Qingsheng stood in the house waiting for Lü Da to arrive. Qingsheng stood behind her, protecting her at all times.

The next moment, Lydda was brought in. The officers then left, leaving only the three of them in the room.

Lu Da was a little surprised by the atmosphere in the room. Seeing Ran Mo, he forced a smile and said, "I wonder why the Lord summoned me here? Are you going to perform a ritual here?" There was a hint of sarcasm in his words.

Qingsheng was about to explode, but Ranmo told him not to bother. He said to Lu Da calmly, "Lu Da, look at what's on the table."

Only then did Lü Da notice the table in front of him. He took a closer look at the items on the table and couldn't help but gasp.

The pale human-shaped sculpture's two empty eyes seemed to be staring at him, especially the black handprint on its neck that was clearly visible.

Lu Dazhan was too timid to move forward. Ranmo winked at Qingsheng. Qingsheng walked over and politely invited Lu Da to the table for a closer look.

Then she took his hand and gently placed it on the model's neck, letting it rub the black spot continuously.

Lu Da was breathing heavily, and Ran Mo and the others were observing his expression.

Qingsheng exerted force suddenly, covered the back of Lu Da's hand with his palm and grabbed it downwards, tightly strangling the model's neck.

Lü Da's whole body trembled. At this moment, a wailing and struggling sound came from the nearby block, as if someone was choking the neck and unable to breathe.

Hearing this horrified voice, Lu Dawen suddenly collapsed, screaming and collapsing to the ground. Then he used the hand that had just pinched the model to strangle his own neck, and screamed.

Ran Mo walked over to him, squatted down, and asked in a controlled voice, "Lü Da, do you still remember what you did to Zhu Sheng?"

Luda paused for a moment, without answering, but just kept calling out while gasping for breath.

Ran Mo continued in a threatening voice, "Since you don't want to tell me, I will take you to see my body. It still bears the mark of your sin..."

Qingsheng dragged Lü Da up and took him to the basement next door, where Zhu Sheng's body was stored.

Lü Da could barely walk. With Qing Sheng's support, he climbed the stairs step by step into the dark basement.

Before he even finished descending the stairs, Lu Da saw a body lying on the table in front of him, its arms slightly outstretched toward him. Even more terrifying, a pair of eyes set in a pale face stared at him intently, as if emitting a blaze of anger. Lu Da felt a chill run through his body.

Ranmo stood on a higher ground and asked him in an even hollower voice, "Lyda, won't you confess yet? Come closer and I'll whisper in your ear."

Then, in a voice of pain and tears, he cried out, "Why are you so cruel to me? Give me your life, and I will become a ghost to take your life!" Behind the basement fence, the faces of evil ghosts flashed...

Lu Da's face was pale and sweat was pouring down. His psychological defenses had collapsed. He muttered:

"Mr. Zhu, I didn't mean to harm you. I just lost my temper that day. Please don't seek revenge on me. I will kowtow to you at your grave every year..."

At this time, the magistrate led his men into the basement and tied up Lu Da. Lu Da was drowsy and wanted to struggle, but the magistrate shouted, "Hey, you bold lunatic, how dare you kill someone! If you dare to resist, be careful of the severe punishment!"

The group took Lu Da out of the basement and took him to the county government office for trial and detention.

Ran Mo and Qing Sheng smiled at each other in the sunlight, excited about the good show they had just put on together. They subconsciously high-fived.

Under the magistrate's intense interrogation, Lü Da gave up arguing. After calming down, he slowly recounted what had happened.

That day, he went to the Zhu family to talk to the woman. Neither the mother-in-law nor the daughter-in-law was home, but he ran into Mr. Zhu. Mr. Zhu seemed to have noticed that his wife had an unusual relationship with him, so he coldly drove him away.

Lu Da came here with the intention of clarifying the matter with Zhu Sheng. He rebuked Zhu Sheng for being harsh towards his wife and suggested that if that was the case, he should let her go and find a good family.

Zhu Sheng refused to give in and said, "Even if we look for someone else, we won't find a soldier like you." Lu Da was furious and started fighting with Zhu Sheng.

Zhu Sheng was weak and unable to struggle or cry out after being grabbed by Lü Da's neck. Lü Da was also furious and forgot to let go, causing Zhu Sheng to be strangled to death.

Lu Da was horrified. He sat on the ground for a long time, then suddenly remembered that he had come to Zhu's house a few days ago and had accidentally seen Zhu's wife fiddling with something in the cupboard with her back to him. Curious, while Zhu's wife was busy in the kitchen, he opened the cupboard and found a package of arsenic with a label on it.

At this moment, he thought of an idea. He moved Zhu Sheng to a bench, tidied him up, and then dissolved arsenic in a bowl of water and poured it into Zhu Sheng's mouth. This would create the illusion that Zhu Sheng had committed suicide by taking poison.

Sadly, the marital discord between Mr. Zhu and his wife was well known, and with the arsenic poisoning, the scene was so convincing that it temporarily fooled the Zhu family and even the coroner. If it weren't for the diligent investigation by the government and Ran Mo, Mr. Zhu's injustice would have been undone.

Everyone in the hall was furious, yet couldn't help sighing. If this case were solved, the murderer would pay with his life, and Lu Da would definitely not escape the death penalty.

When the news reached Zhu's family, his mother burst into tears, grief-stricken and wanting to tear the criminal into pieces. She wept tears of gratitude and prostrated herself before the county magistrate.

Zhu's wife was also deeply moved. She blamed herself for not showing her husband enough love and care, causing him to die so miserably. Ran Mo saw this, and a thought flashed through his mind.

After everyone had dispersed and their emotions had calmed down a little, Ran Mo called Zhu's wife out alone and came to a secluded abandoned post.

Ran Mo comforted her for a few words, then asked, "Although the case has been investigated, I still have some questions in my mind."

The woman turned around and asked calmly, "I wonder what you want to say, sir?"

"It's not a major doubt. Lu Da said that he saw you placing arsenic in the house. Since you said that you would no longer have any contact with Lu Da, how could he see such a secret thing?" Ran Mo looked at her and said.

The woman sneered and said, "If you want him to see it, then he will see it, right?"

Ran Mo's heart trembled and he said, "Could it be that your arsenic is..."

The woman interrupted Ran Mo and said, "Young Master is very smart and should know that talking too much is useless. Now that the matter is settled, I will move out of the Zhu family soon.

Although my mother-in-law treats me poorly, I will continue to care for her and support her, even after a hundred years. This is to make up for the kindness my husband showed her when he was still alive."

Ran Mo sighed, her suspicions confirmed. She asked her one last question, "Do you have true feelings for Lu Da?"

The woman chuckled and said, "Men in this world are all the same. My husband was very loving and affectionate in his early years, but later he became like this. And Lu Da is not a god, how can he guarantee that he won't become the next person like my husband?"

Then, she added a philosophical remark, "Women, you still have to learn to take control of your own destiny and life."

After saying that, she walked forward without looking back.

There was a solemn atmosphere in the air. Suddenly, a crisp cat cry pulled Ran Mo back to his thoughts.

Looking down, he saw the familiar tabby cat circling around his feet with its tail cocked, occasionally rubbing Ranmo's legs with its soft body. Occasionally, it would look up at Ranmo, as if expressing some kind of inner thoughts, looking adorable.

Ran Mo picked it up and rubbed it with his cheek. He whispered, "Baby, let's go home."

Then he carried it back to Zhu's house and returned it to the old woman so that it could keep her company.