The mind-reading coroner drove the court crazy

Wen Zhu came back exhausted and saw two familiar figures at the entrance of the village.

"Master, why are you here?"

"Where have you been? We've been looking for you for a long time."

"Master, I went to check for people who were not in the village five years ago. I just came back from their mother's home."

Wen Zhu turned to look at Qin Miaoxi and said, "Miss Qin, those people's families all said that they haven't been back in the past few years."

Qin Miaoxi couldn't help but frown, "If the person didn't go back, then in the past five years, neither party noticed that the elderly person in the family was missing?"

"It's like this. Every year, the children of the elderly who left home would send some food to their parents' home. That's why they always thought they were still alive. Fengshui Village is poor, and they don't want to come here, for fear of being forced to spend money and labor. That's why they didn't realize the elderly were not in the village."

"What about the old man's family and the children?"

"They thought their mother was living with her parents, so they saved some food and sent it to her every year, hoping that she could live more comfortably with her uncle or cousin."

Lu Qingchen sneered, "Haven't you visited in all these years? If it were a normal day, it would be fine, but don't we need to take the elderly home for a reunion every Chinese New Year? This doesn't make sense."

"That's not true. Every Chinese New Year, those families go out to find work, just to make a little extra money. They don't even have any Chinese New Year atmosphere at home."

Lu Qingchen was a little bit unbelievable, "If this is the case in one family, is it the same in every family?"

Wen Zhu nodded, "That's exactly what they said."

"That's what they said? Anyway, I don't believe it."

Qin Miaoxi did not comment on this. It was indeed too much that she had not seen her mother for five years.

Wen Zhu continued, "According to my investigation, apart from the elderly who have returned to their natal families, there are also those who have gone out to make a living. There are a total of 28 people in the village."

Lu Qingchen shouted excitedly, "That's right, this is the same number as the skeletons in the moat and the number found in the traps."

Qin Miaoxi gave all the bones she had just found to Wen Zhu, and asked him to take them back to the Ministry of Justice for comparison. Once it was confirmed that these bones came from those skeletons, he would immediately bring people to thoroughly investigate Fengshui Village.

Wen Zhu took the order and left, but Lu Qingchen frowned, "It's really strange, who would want to kill these elderly people?"

Qin Miaoxi had a vague guess, but she quickly ruled out such inhumane behavior.

"The leaf-cutter ants should have crawled out by now. Let's go back to the Earth Temple."

When they came back again, just as they expected, the ants had disappeared.

Lu Qingchen jumped into the pit and found that it was a pit half a meter deep. He found some remaining leaves in the corner.

"Look, the leaves are moldy."

Qin Miaoxi took the leaves and examined them. "Leafcutter ants eat the mold on leaves. These leaves are still fresh."

“Is it still fresh if it’s all moldy?”

"These leaves are artificially molded, so even though they are moldy, the leaves still retain their fresh texture."

Lu Qingchen couldn't believe it, "You mean someone is raising these ants."

"Ah."

Qin Miaoxi suddenly had an idea. "Does the worm in the soil you showed me before look like half of a leaf-cutter ant?"

After hearing her say this, Lu Qingchen nodded repeatedly, "It really is, it's the leaf-cutter ants that were dismembered."

Qin Miaoxi pursed her lips tightly, lowered her head and saw that there were several familiar plants growing on the wall behind the Buddha statue. They were cattails.

Her heart suddenly shook, "Come with me to another place."

Then she pulled Lu Qingchen straight to the solitary courtyard outside the village. She squatted by the courtyard and saw the fallen cattail again.

"Go in and have a look."

The two of them found a corner, and she pulled Lu Qingchen and jumped in.

The yard was overgrown with weeds, the house was in tatters, and even the thatched roof had several large holes in it.

Lu Qingchen waved his hands to scatter the flying insects. He asked in confusion, "There's no one living here, so what are you doing here?"

Qin Miaoxi didn't say anything, but pushed the door open and took him into the house.

However, the scene before them shocked them greatly.

From the outside, it looked like a deserted yard, dilapidated and lifeless. But when they stepped inside, they found that the inside was completely different.

The house was spotlessly clean, as if newly built. Pots, pans, and bowls were neatly arranged and scrubbed to a gleaming shine. Opening a cabinet revealed a pile of crop leaves, each dripping with water. There was also a basin of water in the cabinet, which smelled damp and musty.

There is an atmosphere of life everywhere inside, which forms a strong contrast with the desolation outside.

"Ahem! What's that smell in here? Why is it so pungent?"

Qin Miaoxi covered her mouth and nose and said, "It's not the smell of mold, it's the smell of something burning."

"Someone is really raising leaf-cutter ants here. What is he doing? Could it be that the reason Fengshui Village can't grow anything is because of these ants?"

Lu Qingchen exclaimed, "That person knows how to find a place! There is no one here, no matter what he does inside, he will not be discovered."

Qin Miaoxi discovered something else, "Everything in the room is complete, except for the bedding."

"What does this mean? That person doesn't live here?"

"That means that person is very close to here, so he doesn't need to live here. He just needs to come here occasionally to prepare food for the ants."

Lu Qingchen was shocked. "Could it be someone from the village?"

"Not impossible."

Only those who are familiar with each other know what everyone cares about and how to avoid the eyes and ears of the public.

"This guy is amazing! He has been destroying the land of Fengshui Village for so many years. He has a very vicious heart!"

He couldn't understand what grudge this man had with the village. He even took away their land and food. This really made them hate him.

Although the grain production of Longyuan Kingdom was quite abundant, in an era when grain was the most important thing, destroying land and grain was not only a moral issue, but also violated the laws of the court. Once the person was caught, he would be severely punished.

Qin Miaoxi checked other corners of the house and suddenly smelled a different smell. She began to search and soon locked onto the clean bottom of the bed.

There were indeed several wooden boxes hidden underneath. When they were opened, countless gray-black dust floated out.

"Cough cough!"

Lu Qingchen pulled her back a few steps, and after a while, when the choking sensation subsided, he stepped forward and said with certainty, "That's the smell. What's burning?"

He found a wooden stick and poked at it, but he couldn't tell what the long, round thing inside was.

Qin Miaoxi's eyes flashed and her heart sank instantly.

"let's go!"

Lu Qingchen had already guessed something from her expression, but seeing that she was in a bad mood, he didn't dare to say anything and could only follow her and leave obediently.

Qin Miaoxi said with suppressed emotion: "Please do me a favor."

Lu Qingchen chuckled and said, "Given our relationship, there's no need to be so polite. You say."

"Go ask the owner of this courtyard." Qin Miaoxi paused, "What's going on with that village guard?"

"no problem."

Seeing her leave, Lu Qingchen hurriedly asked, "What are you going to do?"

He found that ever since he became dependent on Qin Miaoxi, the phrase he said most often was: What are you doing? Where are you going? Wait for me.

However, Qin Miaoxi left without looking back.