Chapter 56

* * *

At first, the Zhang Yun couple and the guild members were terrified, thinking the dead person was the wet nurse. However, the misunderstanding was quickly cleared up thanks to the corpse's fake hair and the fact that the disguise technique had partially worn off upon death. Afterward, Zhang Yun sent someone to the wet nurse's house.

The real wet nurse, Ms. Li, was found dead in her own home. She had lived a lonely life without any close relatives, so there was no one else to inform of her death. Only the Zhang Yun couple and the guild members felt sorrow.

The Wulin Alliance, which had a branch in Shenchuan, quickly dispatched an investigator when they learned that two people had died in their front yard. The investigator arrived at the Zhang family guild before the sun set that day.

She was a familiar face to Zhang Jian.

A large scar ran from her left forehead to her right cheek, and there were prominent knife marks below her lips and on her left cheek. However, her sharp features made her look more distinctive than menacing. She showed her Wulin Alliance badge as she appeared.

"It's been a while, Martial Artist Zhang. It's good to see you again."

She was Red Tide, Patrol Team 71 of the Wulin Alliance. Beside her, her colleague, Coral, raised her hand in greeting. Zhang Jian asked them:

"I thought the patrol teams were supposed to rotate among the branches."

"Not always. Usually, half of the patrol team rotates while the other half stays at the branch to handle simple tasks. When something happens in Shenchuan, we step in."

Red Tide put her badge back in her pocket and continued.

"First, Martial Artist Zhang, you are a murder suspect until the full details of this case are revealed. If you leave Shenchuan without permission, a bounty will be placed on your head, and you will be pursued by the Wulin Alliance. So, please stay put."

Hearing this, Zhang Yun was startled and exclaimed:

"Suspect? How can my brother be a suspect! Capturing the intruder who killed the wet nurse and disguised herself to enter the house was self-defense. The intruder died from poison..."

"Ah, calm down. I'm just saying this until the investigation is complete. If the report is true, the suspicion will naturally be cleared. Don't worry too much."

"But... still..."

Unlike Red Tide's stern expression, Coral smiled reassuringly and comforted Zhang Yun. Zhang Yun couldn't lash out at her and instead glared at the guild members. Someone had quickly reported the incident to the Wulin Alliance as soon as it happened.

Red Tide and Coral began by investigating the basic circumstances. Why didn't the wet nurse come out the previous day? Who heard that she was sick? Did all the guild members really not recognize her and let her in? They also asked about how Zhang Jian subdued the wet nurse.

After that, they looked at Zhang Jian and Zhang Yun and continued:

"We need to examine the intruder's body."

Red Tide, Coral, and Zhang Yun moved to the warehouse where the body was stored. Zhang Jian followed slowly behind.

Inside the warehouse, Red Tide sat next to the body, removed the covering, and extended her hand to Coral. Coral reached into the small bags at her waist, fumbled around, and placed a small lantern with a lit flame in her hand.

"Hmm."

She carefully examined the body with the lantern light, sniffed the smell from the mouth, and pressed various parts of the body. Then she looked up at Zhang Jian and asked:

"I have to ask. How did you know it wasn't the real wet nurse? Did you know her before?"

Zhang Jian shook his head.

"I only stayed here for one night. I don't know most of the guild members' faces."

"Then how did you notice this person wasn't the wet nurse? The other guild members didn't sense anything unusual and let her in."

"The child knew."

"Child?"

Zhang Jian crossed his arms and leaned against the warehouse door, continuing:

"There's a four-year-old boy named Zhang Ying. He must have sensed something different about the wet nurse and hesitated to approach her."

"…You were certain it wasn't the wet nurse just from the child's reaction?"

Red Tide asked again, sensing something in Zhang Jian's answer. Zhang Jian, noticing her tone and expression, remained silent and just looked at her.

After a moment, Red Tide turned to Zhang Yun and said:

"Excuse me, but please step outside for a moment."

"What? But this happened in my house, and I should know..."

"Brother."

At Zhang Jian's short words, Zhang Yun's expression changed. He looked at Zhang Jian, who avoided his gaze and stared at the floor, and then slowly walked out of the warehouse with a stern face.

Once he left, Zhang Jian closed the warehouse door. In the dimly lit warehouse, only the small lantern flickered. Closing the door, Zhang Jian turned to Red Tide and said:

"Ask again."

Red Tide's eyes glinted in the lantern light.

"…Did you really recognize the disguise just from the child's reaction?"

"I've seen a few people use disguise techniques, so that was enough."

Her eyes deepened.

"Then do you know who uses these disguise techniques?"

"Maybe. As far as I know, there's only one place."

He said that and fell silent, and a moment of silence filled the warehouse. Red Tide, who had been squatting next to the body and looking at Zhang Jian, suddenly spoke as the silence grew longer.

"There's a famous story about a secret organization of the empire operating in the shadows of the New Continent. Of course, few people have actually seen them. The Alliance is also putting a lot of effort into catching their trail."

She chuckled.

"I didn't expect to find any traces in such a back alley."

Zhang Jian tilted his head slightly.

"…I thought the Wulin Alliance received support from the empire. The Alliance leader was given a sword and a position by the emperor."

Red Tide folded her hands and placed them between her knees, continuing:

"Politics, or rather, the world, isn't that simple. This land is too far from the Central Plains, and there are too many ambitious people. The Wulin Alliance, the Imperial Army, ancient families, merchants, outlaws, those who practice dark arts, and the ones you mentioned. Among them, those who claim to uphold the emperor's order ultimately wield their swords for their own interests. The ones who suffer are always the powerless commoners."

Her eyes turned to the body on the dirt floor.

"I need to investigate more, but it seems you're involved in a complicated matter, Martial Artist Zhang. These people, who call themselves the Dark Dragon Corps, don't get involved in just anything."

Zhang Jian, who had been listening, crossed his arms and asked:

"So, what do you plan to do now?"

"We need to investigate step by step. From what I heard, your presence at this guild today was just a coincidence. If so, the intruder's purpose for infiltrating as a wet nurse might have been to kidnap or kill the children. If you weren't here, no one could have stopped the intruder and the children. This suggests that the children's father, Manager Zhang, had a special target. It could have been a threat, a warning, or a deal."

Zhang Jian realized that Red Tide had sent Zhang Yun out not just to hide the name of the Dark Dragon Corps but also because she needed to investigate him. He felt a bit puzzled. If so, did they really need to have this conversation?

"…I'm not part of the Wulin Alliance."

Red Tide smiled again, understanding his question.

"No, but you will be with me from now on. It's better to know the situation than to follow blindly."

"Why?"

"Because you killed a Dark Dragon Corps agent and disrupted their plans. You could be attacked at any time. The Imperial Army might suddenly attack you. The Wulin Alliance hasn't fully identified how many Dark Dragon Corps agents and undercover Imperial Army personnel are in Shenchuan."

With that, Red Tide stood up.

"I need to start interviewing the guild members individually. Coral?"

"Yes, Senior."

"Start with individual interviews and record everything carefully."

"…And you, Senior?"

"I'll interview Manager Zhang separately."

"Ah, yes."

Red Tide turned to Zhang Jian, who was staring at her, and said:

"Let's go."

Zhang Jian followed her out of the warehouse. As she said, this case involved complex interests of various forces, and her badge and the name of the Wulin Alliance would help find clues.

Outside, Coral immediately organized an empty room in the guild to start interviewing the staff. Zhang Jian and Red Tide headed to the annex where Zhang Yun was waiting.

Inside the annex were Zhang Yun, his sister-in-law Yan, and the siblings Zhang Shang and Zhang Ying. Yan, seeing Zhang Jian enter, asked worriedly:

"Master, I was so worried earlier. Are you hurt anywhere?"

"I'm fine."

Zhang Jian smiled lightly, and Yan and the siblings' faces brightened slightly. Then Red Tide spoke:

"Manager Zhang, do you have any idea what might have caused this incident?"

Zhang Yun met Red Tide's gaze with a stern expression.

"…The Zhang family guild has only been in Shenchuan for two months. We just obtained the deeds for the building and land. What could have happened? The guild hasn't even settled in or formed a merchant association. We haven't even finished surveying the goods, let alone decided what to buy and sell. There was no one to clash with."

Red Tide rubbed her chin and continued:

"Have you joined the Shenchuan Merchant Association?"

"Yes. I joined and paid the membership fee even before hanging the guild sign."

"Hmm, good. If you think of anything else or have any suspicions, inform Martial Artist Shan, who is investigating at the guild. Martial Artist Zhang? The murdered wet nurse..."

She glanced at the siblings in Yan's arms and continued:

"…We'll move to another scene. Let's go."

She turned and left the annex. Zhang Jian hesitated, then turned to Zhang Yun's family and said:

"Don't worry too much. Stay at home."

Zhang Yun looked at him with a complicated expression and nodded. As Zhang Jian was about to leave, Zhang Shang, who was in Yan's arms, suddenly shouted:

"Uncle! Punish all the bad guys!"

Zhang Jian chuckled. What did this little kid know?

"Sure, I'll give them a good scolding."

He turned to leave, and Zhang Yun watched him with a troubled look.

Zhang Jian and Red Tide headed to the wet nurse's house, not far from the guild. However, a man was loitering in front of the guild. Seeing the two of them, he approached and asked:

"Excuse me, is something wrong here?"

"What's your business?"

The man, surprised by Red Tide's face up close, continued:

"Ah, I was sent to pick up Martial Artist Zhang Jian and Manager Zhang Yun, who were invited to Mr. Jian's house today."

It was already evening, and the sun was setting. The Zhang brothers had been invited to dinner by Mr. Jian.

Zhang Jian stepped forward.

"I'm sorry, but there's been an issue. Someone died."

"Really? Someone died?"

"Tell him we'll come for dinner another time."

The servant, flustered, bowed and hurried away. Zhang Jian watched him for a moment, then left with Red Tide for the wet nurse's house.

* * *

In front of the wet nurse's house, not far from the guild, a Wulin Alliance martial artist was sitting in a chair, sternly keeping people away. The residents were murmuring among themselves.

The martial artist, who had been giving stern looks, stood up when he saw Red Tide approaching.

"Senior Red Tide, you're here."

"Yes. Has anyone else come?"

"No. No one was curious enough to come closer."

"That's because of your scary look."

After a brief greeting, she opened the door of the small shack and went in. Thanks to the quick action of the Wulin Alliance after the guild staff's report, the wet nurse's body was still lying where it had fallen.

Red Tide immediately approached the body. Zhang Jian, following her inside, calmly looked around the shack. The Wulin Alliance martial artist watched him curiously.

"Hmm. She was suffocated and stabbed in the heart while sleeping."

The large bloodstain and the body told that much. The killer had taken only the wet nurse's clothes from the wardrobe and left no other clues. Red Tide and Zhang Jian searched the small shack for a while but found nothing and had to leave.

"Please take care of the body."

"Yes, Senior Red Tide."

Red Tide told the Wulin Alliance martial artist and looked up at the darkening sky. Zhang Jian noticed she was slightly annoyed by the lack of clear clues, as her eyebrows were more inverted than when they first met.

"…We need to investigate the guild staff more. Someone who knew the internal situation must have planned to kill the wet nurse and take her place."

Zhang Jian nodded. Without any scientific investigation techniques in this era, they had to rely on questioning. So, the two of them turned to leave. Zhang Jian noticed a group of residents gathered a distance away, murmuring and looking at the scene.

"…That kid."

Among them, someone caught his eye and tried to hide. It was a face he recognized, like Coral. The person, hiding behind the residents, stiffened, realizing Zhang Jian was looking at him.

Zhang Jian walked over to him.

"Martial Artist Zhang? Where are you going?"

Red Tide, slightly surprised, followed him. The residents, seeing Zhang Jian and her approach, looked at them curiously and fell silent. Zhang Jian stood in front of them and said calmly:

"Come out."

The residents looked at each other, confused. Red Tide also looked at them and Zhang Jian, puzzled by his sudden action.

"Come out quietly. Before I drag you out."

"Martial Artist Zhang, can you explain the situation a bit..."

But among the flustered residents, someone slowly emerged. It was Yang Hong, who appeared with a slightly servile smile.