Chapter 27

"Qixia." Zhang Chenze crossed his arms and said expressionlessly, "Han Yimo called out your name first after he was injured. Did you know each other before?"

Qixia didn’t even lift her eyelids, and with her right hand supporting her forehead, she replied, "No, I didn’t."

"Then do you have any leads on his death?" Zhang Chenze continued to ask.

Qixia didn’t answer but instead began to examine the giant sword on Han Yimo’s body.

The sword was ancient and elegant, like a fine piece of art.

It was covered in battle scars, as if it had been through many fights.

But in this day and age, who would wield such a giant sword in a fight?

"Qixia, I’m asking you a question," Zhang Chenze said irritably, "Aren’t you going to explain anything?"

"What do I need to explain?" Qixia asked, "Are you saying I killed Han Yimo?"

"Whether you are the killer or not, you should say something to clear your name, right?"

Qixia didn’t answer but instead reached out to pull the sword.

"Hey!" Officer Li hurried over, "Qixia, whether you are the killer or not, we need to protect the crime scene! Otherwise..."

"Otherwise what?" Qixia interrupted, "Otherwise, when the police come to investigate, it will be easier to lose evidence?"

Officer Li’s mouth moved slightly, but he was speechless.

At this point, it wasn’t just a matter of waiting for the police to investigate; even whether he could get out of there alive was a question.

Seeing Officer Li’s silence, Qixia used both hands to pull the sword with all his might.

He almost used all his strength to finally pull the sword completely out of the ground.

Qiao Jiajin also came to help, only to find that the giant sword was even heavier than he had imagined. The entirely black ancient sword, made of some unknown metal, weighed about 150 pounds, equivalent to a strong adult man.

Qixia panted heavily and threw the iron sword on the ground, making a loud noise.

After a while, Qixia calmed his breathing and finally said to Zhang Chenze, "Lawyer Zhang, let me confirm with you. This iron sword is about as tall as a person and weighs over 150 pounds. You suspect that I lifted this iron sword and silently killed the immobile Han Yimo at dawn, and then deeply embedded the sword into the ground?"

Zhang Chenze pursed his lips, his expression not very pleasant.

"And before that, to avoid being discovered, this iron sword was hidden in my pocket, right?" Qixia asked again.

Seeing the atmosphere turning tense, Officer Li stepped in to mediate, "Qixia, if you didn’t kill Han Yimo, why do you have to pull out the sword?"

Qixia didn’t argue with Zhang Chenze but instead looked down at the blood-soaked giant sword.

He examined it carefully, shook his head, and then flipped the iron sword over.

Sure enough, on the other side of the hilt, there were three small characters: "Qihēi Jian" (Seven Black Sword).

The information Han Yimo had provided was limited; he seemed to be trying to accept some fact, but unfortunately, he never figured it out before he died.

The only information Qixia remembered from his words was "Qihēi Jian."

"Is this sword called 'Qihēi Jian'?" Qiao Jiajin asked.

Qixia gently stroked his chin and muttered, "These three characters are on the other side of Han Yimo, so he shouldn’t have known the name of the sword when he was stabbed. Why did he mention 'Qihēi Jian'?"

"I think your thinking is quite unconventional," Officer Li shook his head and said, "Why care about the name of a murder weapon? The issue now should be considering the cause of Han Yimo’s death, right?"

Qixia glanced at Officer Li and said, "When Han Yimo was stabbed, it was already light. Even if he was sleeping, such a severe injury would definitely make him open his eyes. Theoretically, he should have seen the killer, but he didn’t mention the killer’s name at all, instead mentioning 'Qihēi Jian' twice. Isn’t that strange?"

"But he called out your name..." Xiao Ran said softly, "Regardless of what sword it was, Han Yimo did call out your name first..."

"So what?" Qixia asked.

"So you are the killer..." Xiao Ran was a bit timid, hiding behind Officer Li, not daring to look at Qixia.

Qixia didn’t argue but just stared at Xiao Ran, seemingly trying to determine whether this woman was the real killer or just foolish.

"And our companion died, and you’re not at all sad, yet you’re calmly analyzing here. You’re a liar! What use is your analysis?!" Xiao Ran almost cried, "Who among us would believe you?"

"Sadness?" Qixia frowned, as if he didn’t understand, "You mean... I should be sad for someone I’ve known for less than a day?"

"You’re so cold-blooded, that’s why I say you look like the killer!" Xiao Ran’s voice grew louder, "You were going to leave last night, why did you stay overnight? If you think about it, you must have stayed intentionally to kill someone."

At this point, Qixia had a good idea that the woman in front of him wasn’t necessarily the killer but was definitely foolish.

She had also shouted in the room at the beginning, "Why should we believe this liar?"

For her, "logic" was useless; she only believed what she wanted to believe.

Qiao Jiajin couldn’t stand it anymore and said to Xiao Ran, "Hey, stupid girl, if you don’t like to think, don’t interrupt others. I think the liar’s analysis makes sense."

"But you three aren’t good people!" Xiao Ran retorted, "With a death here, you three are the most suspicious. What’s wrong with being stupid? I’m stupid, but I wouldn’t do bad things!"

This statement targeted not only Qixia but also Qiao Jiajin and Tian Tian.

Yes, the three of them weren’t exactly good people.

Qixia nodded and said, "You’re right."

He gave up examining the body and the giant sword and slowly stood up: "There’s no need to continue looking. I killed him."

Hearing Qixia say this, everyone was expressionless.

Only Xiao Ran seemed a bit agitated: "See! He admitted it himself! All that talk earlier was just to divert attention with the name of the sword!"

Officer Li frowned, deep in thought.

"Hey! Liar!" Qiao Jiajin was confused, "Even if you admit it, who would believe you? Not to mention you, even if you and I moved the sword together, it would be impossible not to make a sound."

Qixia waved his hand and walked out of the convenience store.

"It doesn’t matter. There’s only ten days left. What difference does it make to be labeled as the killer? Besides, I don’t like arguing with foolish people."

Hearing Qixia say this, Qiao Jiajin also shrugged and followed.

Then came Tian Tian, who had decided from the beginning to follow Qixia and Qiao Jiajin. There was no reason for her to stay now.

Lin Qin turned back and gave Officer Li a meaningful look, as if he wanted to say something but didn’t. He shook his head and left.

The remaining eight people split into two groups.

The four who stayed behind had complex expressions, while Xiao Ran looked relieved: "Great... those bad-looking people are finally gone..."

"Xiao Ran, we seem to have forgotten something..." Doctor Zhao said softly to Xiao Ran.

...

Xiao Ran ran out of the house and shouted to the four people.

"Stop!"

Qixia coldly turned back, not knowing what she wanted.

"Did you forget something?" Xiao Ran asked, "The 'Dao'?"

"The 'Dao'?"

"Exactly, the four 'Dao' we won with our lives. You can’t take them all, can you?"