Chapter 17

## Chapter 17. The Suspects

On the way back after visiting the Jiangxi branch of the Wu Lin Alliance.

"Dark arts...?"

Akyanho still looked dazed, as if the shock of the story he had just heard from Gao Zhuyue hadn't worn off.

"Brother, if it's true, this is really a big deal, isn't it?"

"It might not be. And even if it is, it's no big deal."

"Why is it no big deal! Someone is practicing dark arts right next to the Wu Lin Alliance branch."

Noticing that his voice had risen, Akyanho moved closer to me and whispered in my ear.

"It's hot. Go away."

Pushing Akyanho, who smelled of a sweet, sticky fragrance, to the side, I said nonchalantly.

"Is dark arts no big deal?"

Dark arts (魔功) refer to martial arts that involve abnormal cultivation methods, which strain the body or mind (usually both) to achieve rapid success.

It's not just about emitting a sinister, dark aura from the entire body.

'...But there are such cases.'

In fact, the Yekian Shen Gong I practiced would be considered dark arts by the standards of the orthodox schools.

However, the reason dark arts are dangerous is that most people who practice them can't handle the strain and go insane. If the side effects can be eliminated later, it's called a divine technique (神功).

Ultimately, the results speak for themselves.

'There were quite a few in the Blood Sect. People who wanted to become stronger and ended up crippled or insane.'

Some of them did truly crazy things, like drinking the blood of young boys and girls or absorbing toxins from corpses.

But I was confident that the perpetrator in this case wasn't one of those.

Akyanho, who followed me with an anxious expression, didn't seem to think so.

"Brother, aren't you worried? We might have to fight a dark arts expert from the evil sect..."

I turned to Akyanho with a look of disbelief.

He was a newcomer to the martial world, and he didn't seem to know his own level in the martial arts.

"If they're stronger than you, it means they're a peak expert. Why would a peak expert from the evil sect tear an old man to pieces?"

"Well, because they're evil dark masters, right?"

From my experience as a former member of an evil dark master group, I wanted to dispel this innocent misunderstanding.

"You must have read too many martial arts novels. Once you reach peak expert in the evil sect, you're too bothered to do such things. You just have your underlings do it."

"Oh, is that so..."

"Besides, if the situation were that serious, the Wu Lin Alliance wouldn't have assigned us this task. It might not even be dark arts, and if it is, it's probably just a beginner."

I recalled the conversation I had with Gao Zhuyue earlier.

- It might be dark arts... Can you really tell me this?

- Of course, not officially.

Gao Zhuyue smiled and continued.

- But the alliance is facing a severe manpower shortage these days. With the Qinglong Academy admission period, many martial artists are flocking in, causing more incidents... And there are some things I can't say.

Gao Zhuyue drew the line, saying he couldn't elaborate on the things he couldn't say.

- Didn't you recognize evil sect martial arts at a glance before?

The Jinwu Hall incident.

Gao Zhuyue remembered that the evil sect members who had impersonated the Nan Gong family and tried to teach martial arts were caught by me.

Indeed, when it comes to dark arts, I am the expert.

- It's not certain yet if it's dark arts. The murderer's methods were excessively cruel, and the body was severely damaged, which is why I'm suspicious...

- So, we just need to confirm if it's dark arts?

At my words, Gao Zhuyue's eyes widened, and he soon smiled and said.

- It would be better if you could catch the perpetrator. If you help solve the case, the alliance will give you a commendation plaque.

A commendation plaque from the Wu Lin Alliance.

It would certainly be a big help to me, who has no background or experience.

- What do you think? Will you investigate?

- Yes, I'll do it.

- Good decision. Even if you don't find the perpetrator, helping with the investigation will add a line to your resume.

"A line on the resume..."

In any case, that's how we ended up on our way to the government office where the old man's body was.

"But do you really need to come with me?"

I asked Akyanho, who was still following me nervously.

"Me?"

Unlike me, Akyanho was a scion of the Shan Dong Ake family.

Moreover, he was a peak expert himself.

With his background and skills, he would almost certainly not be rejected from the interview unless he beat up the interviewers.

Akyanho smiled sheepishly.

"Since I have plenty of time until the entrance exam, I thought I'd follow Brother around as a pastime."

"You were scared just now when you mentioned the evil sect expert."

"Hey, it's not boring at all when I'm with Brother."

"Being a scion of a prestigious family, you must have had good upbringing. You pretend not to hear when it's to your disadvantage."

"Hey! Isn't that a brothel with five floors?"

We arrived at the government office, chatting casually.

As if a message had been sent by carrier pigeon, a young, stern-faced constable greeted us after we mentioned Gao Zhuyue's name.

"You must be from the Wu Lin Alliance. I'm Qing Tian, the constable in charge of this case."

"I'm Bai Shulong. I'm new to the martial world, so I don't have a nickname yet."

"I'm Akyanho! Nice to meet you!"

Constable Qing Tian looked at us with a doubtful expression for a moment but quickly returned to his poker face.

"Shall we start by looking at the body?"

"..."

Approaching the body without hesitation, I saw Constable Qing Tian's slightly surprised expression.

With his permission, I put on gloves and carefully examined the old man's wounds.

'This could be dark arts.'

The body was so mutilated that it was hard to tell it was once a person.

I couldn't tell who the murderer was, but I could feel the intense hatred and anger towards this old man.

'But this...'

As I examined the body, I felt that the wounds were similar to a martial arts technique I knew.

...They weren't exactly the same.

But the similarities were enough to make me feel uneasy.

'To be sure, we need to catch the murderer.'

After organizing my thoughts, I took off my gloves and turned to Constable Qing Tian.

"I've seen enough."

"Did you find anything special?"

I shook my head.

I had indeed found something, but it wasn't the kind of thing I could share with others.

"I can't tell much from this alone."

"I see."

"A few days ago, you said the same thing after visiting the body. What did you say?"

"Something similar."

The old man's body was put back into storage.

Akyanho, who had been standing back with a pale face, approached me and poked my side.

"Brother, you look like a scholar, but how can you touch a body so well? It's creepy."

"Do you want me to touch you with these hands?"

"Yikes!"

Akyanho retreated in fear at my joke.

Constable Qing Tian, who had no expression on his face, stared at us intently.

Ahem, I cleared my throat and asked him.

"Can you tell me more about the murder case?"

"Sure."

According to Constable Qing Tian, the case was as follows.

A few days ago, Mr. Xu, a prominent loan shark in Nanchang, was found murdered in his mansion.

The estimated time of the crime was between 9 PM and 5 AM.

The servant who brought him meals every day went to call him when he didn't come down for dinner and immediately reported the dismembered body to the government office.

"Are there any suspects?"

"Based on the circumstances, there are three suspicious individuals. Mr. Xu's son, a middle-aged woman named Lady Sun who runs a brothel owned by Mr. Xu, and his bodyguard."

Constable Qing Tian said that among the people who could freely enter and exit Mr. Xu's residence, these three had the strongest motives.

"Lady Sun had an affair with Mr. Xu and had a big argument with him recently over the management of the brothel. She and Mr. Xu's son had a poor relationship, and they had recently cut ties. The bodyguard is a former wandering martial artist with a questionable past."

While Mr. Xu was a loan shark and could have other enemies, these three were currently the most likely suspects.

I asked Constable Qing Tian.

"Can I meet these three people? I need to see them in person to determine what martial arts they practice."

"Sure. I'll take you to them."

A short while later, we followed the expressionless Constable Qing Tian to meet the first suspect.

* * *

"I am truly wronged."

Lady Sun was a gracefully aged middle-aged woman.

She looked to be in her forties, but Constable Qing Tian had mentioned that she was actually well over fifty.

"That night, I did argue with him. But such arguments were common even before that."

We were listening to Lady Sun's story in a private room of the Chihua Brothel (赤化樓), which belonged to Mr. Xu.

There was a lavish spread of food and alcohol in front of us.

However, Constable Qing Tian sat stiffly with a blank expression, and I barely touched the food.

Akyanho, on the other hand, was busy looking around the brothel.

'Is this his first time here?'

For a scion of a prestigious family, he seemed more like a country bumpkin the more I looked at him.

Anyway, Lady Sun continued to assert her innocence.

"I never practiced martial arts. I'm so scared I can't even kill a chicken. Killing a person... I could never do that."

If I let her continue, I would only hear more excuses, so I interrupted her.

"Didn't you have a special relationship with the deceased Mr. Xu?"

"..."

Her face turned red, either from anger or embarrassment, at my blunt words.

But she soon snorted and looked at me directly.

"Yes, it was a known relationship, so there's no need to be ashamed. But are you, young master, amused by teasing an old woman?"

"I apologize if it came across that way. I just want to verify the facts."

Depending on the martial arts practiced, there can be physical changes when someone is angry.

"May I ask why you often argued with Mr. Xu?"

Lady Sun grumbled, wondering if she had to explain everything, but seeing Constable Qing Tian's blank face, she slowly began to speak.

"...He wanted to hand over this brothel to another woman. He told me to step aside. I refused. He may have provided the money, but I built Chihua Brothel to its current size."

Lady Sun seemed to have a strong attachment to Chihua Brothel.

Indeed, it was one of the largest brothels in Nanchang.

Naturally, it must have generated a considerable amount of money.

"I loved him. The world pointed fingers at him for being a loan shark, but he had a caring side... "

At some point, we found ourselves listening to Lady Sun's grievances.

"..."

Constable Qing Tian, who had been silently listening like a stone statue, seemed to be leaving it all to me.

"Sure, sure. I've heard your story."

I had heard enough of Lady Sun's story and had seen enough with my eyes.

She hadn't practiced martial arts.

This meant she didn't kill Mr. Xu directly.

But she might be indirectly involved.

"Let's go meet the next person..."

We got up to leave, and Lady Sun followed us to see us off.

That's when it happened.

Bang!

"Get out of my way, you brats! Do you know who I am?"

The sound of something breaking was followed by the voice of a heavily drunk man.

"Bring out the old hag right now!"

Lady Sun's expression twisted.

And then, Constable Qing Tian, who had been silent until then, spoke.

"We don't need to meet the second suspect separately, it seems."