Wu Shusheng sighed, "It's come to this, there's nothing to argue about! I and Cui He truly conspired to kill the person. The Fragrant Beauty was given by me to Qian Xiang, and the Sleep Dream Snow was also brought by Cui He at my instruction."
The moment Xie Weilou mentioned Fragrant Beauty and Sleep Dream Snow, he knew that he and Cui He would have no way out.
"Then what was your true reason for killing them?"
A Captain asked with a grim face.
Just now, he had sympathized with Wu Shusheng, but unexpectedly, the situation reversed in an instant, making him extremely displeased and feeling deceived.
Wu Shusheng said indifferently, "Reason? It's simple! Qian Xiang pretended to be pure to deceive me. Actresses are heartless; all that talk about selling art but not her body was false. She secretly played around with a group of men, which made me very angry. She shouldn't have, absolutely shouldn't have, deceived my feelings and then cheated me out of my money. She deserved to die!"
"Those three thought they had killed Qian Xiang and wanted me to take the blame, but they really did find the right person. Qian Xiang's death truly is related to me."
"Why did Cui He conspire with you to kill someone?"
Xie Weilou looked at Wu Shusheng.
"Because I hate her!"
Before Wu Shusheng could answer, Cui He immediately spoke.
"Oh?"
Xie Weilou stared at Cui He.
Cui He gave a self-deprecating smile, "Qian Xiang and I are from the same village. There was a famine back then, so we had no choice but to enter the brothel. Being brothel women is already shameful, and we dared not let our families know what we were doing."
She said with a pained expression, "As a result, when I went home some time ago, I found out that my story had already spread throughout the village. My elderly mother, after learning of this, was actually angered to death, and this was all Qian Xiang's doing. She had already told the villagers about my situation! I naturally couldn't let her off."
"This seems to be true."
Some of the sisters at the door immediately said.
Qian Xiang and Cui He indeed came from the same place. Some time ago, Cui He had returned home once, and she was extremely sad after returning. At that time, Qian Xiang also told them that Cui He's prostitution had been discovered by her family.
Thinking about it now, Qian Xiang's remarks at the time were clearly filled with schadenfreude.
"In that case, it's barely plausible."
Xie Weilou nodded slightly, but many things, when spoken by others, are not necessarily entirely true; they might be half-truths.
A Captain looked at Wu Shusheng, "Back to the previous question, Wu Shusheng, why did you agree to take the blame for those three? You can't keep saying you were afraid they'd kill your whole family."
"Of course not! Why do you think this case was reported to the Tianquan Division this time?"
Wu Shusheng's smile was eerie: "If this case had fallen into the hands of those incompetent officials at the Jingzhao Prefecture, they'd take money and handle things, and I'd surely die. But if it fell into the hands of the Tianquan Division, it would be different. I first accepted the hush money as they demanded, then I had Qian Xiang secretly arrange for someone to report the case to the Tianquan Division."
He then said triumphantly, "I knew that once the Tianquan Division investigated this case, they would definitely find the loopholes in my words. Then I would go with the flow, guiding you to investigate those three. At that time, I could clear my name, and those three would surely die. This is called 'putting oneself in a desperate situation to find a way out'! Unfortunately, it was still discovered."
"You did so much just to kill one Qian Xiang? How much credibility do your words have?"
A Captain said with a grim face.
Wu Shusheng said with an extremely serious expression, "When a person does something, the more they want it to be flawless, the more complex it naturally becomes. Moreover, this was a plan to kill four birds with one stone. Qian Xiang is a slut; she deserves to die. Those three are not good people either; relying on their power and influence, they did despicable things with Qian Xiang and even wanted me to confess. They won't get off lightly either."
What happened between him and Cui He was already difficult to refute.
But those three were not innocent either. Regardless, Qian Xiang died while flirting with them on the bed, so they are not entirely blameless.
Fragrant Beauty combined with Sleep Dream Snow can indeed take a person's life, but how can you be sure who strangled Qian Xiang when she had her last breath?
Lin Qinghuang saw this and said calmly, "Detain Wu Shusheng and Cui He. I will personally escort them back. Also, go and arrest Ma Huai and the other two. There's still something amiss with this matter, and it needs a thorough investigation!"
This case was indeed amiss. It could basically be confirmed that Wu Shusheng and Cui He were indeed the murderers of Qian Xiang, but they were clearly just tools; there was likely another hand behind this.
However, these matters clearly could not be delved into here. With so many people, it was better to return to the Tianquan Division to discuss it!
"Understood!"
Two Captains immediately took action.
------
After the Tianquan Division personnel came out, the guests in Wansha House also noticed that something was wrong and left one after another.
Xie Weilou walked out of Wansha House. The goose feather snow was still falling, and the biting cold wind, merging with the hazy streetlights, obscured his vision.
There were still vendors on the street, with their stalls set up, exhaling warm breaths.
For them, life was already difficult, and other matters unrelated to them did not affect them yet.
Lin Qinghuang looked at Xie Weilou, "Still that question, why did you destroy my Lin family? Or perhaps you know something."
Xie Weilou looked at Lin Qinghuang, smiling, "Lin Qinghuang, it's getting cold. Wearing so little won't do; you'll easily catch a cold. How about coming to my Zhenxi Marquis Manor? I'll buy you a fox fur coat! My bed is big, soft, and warm."
......
Qinghuang glanced at Xie Weilou indifferently, then turned and left.
For three years, she had asked this question countless times, and Xie Weilou's answers had never once been serious.
Xie Weilou looked at Lin Qinghuang's retreating figure, a thoughtful expression on his face.
This case at Wansha House seemed like just a murder born of passion, but it was far from as simple as it appeared on the surface, because Fragrant Beauty had appeared!
How could a poor scholar obtain such a thing? And that poor scholar even managed to gather five hundred taels of silver.
To the wealthy, five hundred taels was a small sum, but to the poor, it was probably an amount they couldn't earn in a lifetime.
With Lin Qinghuang's intelligence, she wouldn't fail to consider these things.
She wanted to personally escort Wu Shusheng and Cui He...
Xie Weilou walked towards a vendor selling trinkets, picked up a ghost-face mask, dropped a piece of silver, then picked up a black robe nearby, and turned to leave.
------
In an alleyway, heavy snow fell, and the lanterns hanging on some houses swayed continuously, their light dim, creating a strangely oppressive atmosphere.
Two Captains escorted Wu Shusheng and Cui He, while Lin Qinghuang, holding a long sword, walked in front, a pensive look in her eyes.
Whoosh~
A gust of cold wind swept over, bringing snow to their faces.
Lin Qinghuang stopped, her fingers instantly gripping the hilt of her sword.
She looked around and found four black-clad figures appearing in front and behind them, respectively, while on the rooftops on both sides, there were also four black-clad figures each, all holding cold blades, exuding a strong killing intent.
"Sixteen Xuanhuang Realm cultivators."
Lin Qinghuang thought to herself.
The two Captains immediately drew their weapons, their eyes vigilantly fixed on the people around them.
"Kill!"
Without any unnecessary words, one of the black-clad figures waved his hand, and all sixteen simultaneously charged at Lin Qinghuang, their cold blades flashing, full of murderous aura.
......
A faint light flashed in Lin Qinghuang's eyes, and a Shackle Realm (Peak) aura erupted from her body. Her three-foot green blade instantly unsheathed, and sword energy swept in all directions.
Boom!
After one sword strike, the sixteen black-clad figures instantly turned into blood mist, which merged with the heavy snow, an indescribably bizarre sight.
After crushing these sixteen, Lin Qinghuang did not relax, because she sensed a powerful aura hidden in the shadows.
Clang!
A piercing sound of a blade being drawn rang out, and a Mysterious Person wearing a gold-edged black robe and holding a blood-red long blade suddenly appeared in front.
He moved, rushing before Lin Qinghuang, and violently slashed down with his long blade. Blood-red blade energy swept out, powerful and domineering, splitting the snow curtain and creating a long crack in the ground.
Lin Qinghuang immediately swung her sword to block.
Boom!
Blade and sword clashed, an explosion echoed, ice crystals splattered, and white snow melted.
Lin Qinghuang only felt a tremendous force strike her, and her entire body was instantly sent flying ten meters.
"Commander Lin."
The two Captains' faces changed drastically when they saw Lin Qinghuang being knocked back.
After stabilizing her body, a trace of blood spilled from Lin Qinghuang's lips, and her expression became extremely solemn: "Tuojiang Realm Mid Stage?"
The Mysterious Person did not waste words and slashed at Lin Qinghuang again.
......
Lin Qinghuang did not try to resist directly, stepping on the white snow, she decisively dodged.
The Mysterious Person seemed to have anticipated this. He turned the blade and plunged it violently into the ground.
Buzz!
Ice and snow splattered, the ground exploded, and a powerful blood-red blade energy erupted, sweeping up the white snow on the ground like a herd of galloping horses, carrying terrifying pressure as it slammed towards Lin Qinghuang.
Lin Qinghuang's expression hardened, knowing she couldn't dodge at all. She gritted her teeth, formed a sword incantation with one hand, and as her long sword vibrated, a ten-meter-long green sword energy slashed out.
Rumble!
The green sword energy and the blood-red blade energy clashed, the green sword energy was instantly shattered, and the terrifying blade energy swept over, engulfing Lin Qinghuang.
Lin Qinghuang instantly rushed out from within, her green dress stained with blood. She spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, her face extremely pale.
"Die!"
The Mysterious Person's tone was chilling. He took a step, suddenly appearing in front of Lin Qinghuang, giving her no chance to react, and directly slashed down with his blade.
"Commander Lin, be careful."
The two Captains quickly spoke.
......
Lin Qinghuang watched the approaching long blade, her pupils constricting. She couldn't dodge at all at this moment. This blade had already sealed off heaven and earth; once it fell, she would surely die.
Whoosh!
Just as the long blade was about to strike Lin Qinghuang's body, a black long sword instantly shot down from above. The sword had not been unsheathed, yet it carried sharp sword energy, aiming directly for the Mysterious Person's neck.
The Mysterious Person reacted extremely quickly and immediately retreated.
Boom!
The long sword struck down, slamming into the ground, and a powerful surge of energy swept out, like ripples on water, causing the surrounding ice and snow to undulate.
Ten meters away.
The Mysterious Person was bent over, his right hand holding the blade, his left hand using his sleeve to block in front of him. He waved his sleeve, and the powerful surge of energy was dispersed. He raised his head and looked forward.
On the black long sword, a Mysterious Person appeared, clad in a black robe and wearing a ghost-face mask. He stood with his hands behind his back, silently watching him.
The newcomer was none other than Xie Weilou.
Lin Qinghuang looked at the ghost-faced man in front of her, slightly startled, feeling that his figure was somehow familiar.
......
The Mysterious Person gripped his blood-red long blade tightly, his eyes sharpened, and he quickly charged towards Xie Weilou. The long blade flashed with blood-red light, blade energy burst forth, and he viciously slashed out.
Seeing the Mysterious Person attack, Xie Weilou kicked off the ground. His long sword, still in its scabbard, thrust violently towards the Mysterious Person, moving at an extremely fast speed.
The Mysterious Person's blade energy was directly shattered. Seeing the long sword thrusting towards him, he immediately swung his blade to block in front of him. The scabbard struck the blade, and the powerful force sent the Mysterious Person flying over ten meters.
Xie Weilou instantly advanced. He grabbed the long sword, drew it fiercely, and his body, like a ghost, brushed past the Mysterious Person in an instant.
Chirp!
A sharp and fierce sword energy sliced across the Mysterious Person's neck.
Appearing again.
Xie Weilou had already reached ten meters behind the Mysterious Person. His Burial Flower Sword slowly returned to its scabbard, and a faint image of a cluster of spider lilies emerged.
Crack!
The Mysterious Person's expression froze, the blood-red long blade in his hand snapped, and his head flew high, blood immediately gushing out as a headless corpse fell to the ground.
......
Xie Weilou didn't say another word to Lin Qinghuang and flew away directly.
Lin Qinghuang looked at Xie Weilou's retreating figure, feeling a little lost.
Who was this person who made a move?
To instantly kill a Tuojiang Realm Mid Stage cultivator with one sword, this was definitely a Tuojiang Realm Late Stage or higher expert.