Investigation

The boy who had been kneeling before the coffins stood up and was now hiding behind the old servant, peering out with bloodshot eyes to observe her.

"Young Master, this is an Immortal Master from the Xiaoyao Immortal Sect. She has come to the manor to investigate the case," the old servant said, his hand trembling as he stroked the boy's hair.

Gu Ningyun saw the boy's tears suddenly spill over, though she wasn't sure which word had triggered him.

The old servant hurriedly explained, "Please do not take offense, Immortal Master. The young master lost his mother at a young age and has always been introverted. Now, having gone through this catastrophe at the Miao Manor and losing all his kin, he is in extreme grief. If he is impolite, I beg for your understanding."

Seeing the dark circles under the boy's eyes and his pale, haggard face, Gu Ningyun waved her hand. "Take him down to rest first. I will examine the bodies."

The old servant nodded repeatedly and was about to lead the boy away.

Gu Ningyun walked to the central coffin. Just as she was about to open the lid, she heard a commotion behind her.

She turned around and saw the boy clutching the doorframe, staring at her intently with red eyes, his teeth clenched in silence.

Having spent much time with Jun Luo, who was habitually expressionless, Gu Ningyun had developed a certain level of insight into micro-expressions and subtle movements.

Although the boy didn't speak, Gu Ningyun vaguely understood something from his reaction. She asked, "Do you want to stay and watch me investigate?"

The boy's eyes widened, and more tears fell.

"They were your kin and elders; it is only natural that you wish to follow the investigation. However, there is one condition."

The boy's breath hitched.

"I see that your body is weak. You may follow me during the day, but you must return to your room to rest at night. Can you do that?"

Seeing the boy hesitate, Gu Ningyun's tone grew more serious. "I don't want to have to stop halfway through the investigation to treat you because you've collapsed."

Gu Ningyun paid close attention to the boy's micro-expressions this time. When she mentioned the words "have to stop," she clearly saw his pupils contract.

Sure enough, after she finished speaking, the boy nodded with red eyes.

"I will be good, Sister Fairy. Please don't stop the investigation."

His voice was raspy, as if he hadn't spoken for a long time.

Hearing him speak, the old servant turned away and wiped the corners of his eyes with his sleeve.

Gu Ningyun averted her gaze and opened the coffin.

Inside was a middle-aged man with a pale, calm face. There was a crease between his brows, likely caused by years of frowning.

On the left side of his neck was a large gash; the meridians and windpipe had been severed in a single stroke, leaving a clean wound.

Gu Ningyun wrapped her fingers in spirit energy and touched the faint golden light around the wound.

The light was sharp and did not dissipate upon contact.

Gu Ningyun withdrew her hand. The wound appeared to be from a sword, and the golden light was gold-attribute sword qi. The two pieces of evidence corroborated each other; the murder weapon was a sword.

After examining the neck, she swept her divine sense over the deceased's limbs and back; there were no other injuries.

There were calluses on the web of the right thumb and the palm. The bone and muscle structure of the right arm were much stronger than the left, but judging by the degree of hand deformation, it didn't seem to be from practicing the sword.

She grasped the deceased's wrist and sent spirit energy into his dantian.

Without a spirit-testing stone, she could only roughly sense that he had three spirit roots of mid-grade quality.

Observing the dantian and meridians, the strength of the residual aura indicated his cultivation was at Qi Refining level six before his death.

Pulling the sleeve back over the wrist, Gu Ningyun closed the coffin.

The old servant came up to assist. "I wonder what the Immortal Master has discovered from the master's wound?"

"I will finish examining the other two first before I say."

Gu Ningyun examined the remaining two bodies in turn. Their situation was similar to Master Miao's; aside from the fatal neck wounds, there were no other injuries, not even signs of a struggle.

Both elders had low-grade five spirit roots and were at Qi Refining level three.

"Where were they killed?"

"In the study. Please follow me."

The old servant led the way while holding the boy's hand. "Two nights ago, the master and the two elders were discussing matters in the study.

"We had run out of tea leaves at the time, so I led some people away for a short while to fetch more from the storehouse.

"Who would have thought that shortly after leaving, I would hear the young master's scream?

"By the time I rushed back, I only saw the young master unconscious in the middle of the study, along with the master and elders who had already met their ends."

The old servant pushed open the study doors. "Knowing that an Immortal Master would come to investigate, I only moved the bodies of the master and elders. The scene in the study has not been touched at all."

Gu Ningyun nodded, her divine sense sweeping over the blood splatters, the desks, and the meditation mats.

The mat at the head of the room was flat, and the desk was tidy.

The desks on either side were somewhat cluttered, and the mats had been kicked aside as if someone had stood up in a hurry and accidentally struck them.

She pointed to the mats. "Have the desks and mats here really not been moved?"

"I personally watched the servants as they removed the bodies; not a single thing was touched."

Gu Ningyun's finger moved over a pool of blood on a desk. "When you saw the scene, what did your master and the two elders look like?"

"Replying to the Immortal Master, the master was slumped over the desk, while the two elders were lying on their backs on the floor. By the time I came to check, they had already breathed their last."

Gu Ningyun looked at the bloodstains on the floor and the desk; they matched the scene she had envisioned.

"When the two elders were lying on the floor, were their heads closer to the door or their feet?"

"Their heads were both closer to the door."

"If my deduction is correct, it is highly likely that this was the work of an acquaintance."

"Why is that?"

Gu Ningyun pointed to the bloodstains on the bookshelf and the screen. "The bookshelf is to the left of the main seat. Judging by the position of the blood splatter, your master was killed while sitting down.

"Master Miao had no signs of a struggle other than the fatal wound.

"He was at Qi Refining level six. Either the perpetrator's cultivation was much higher, allowing for a lethal strike before he could react,

"Or it was an acquaintance—someone he trusted—which is why he didn't have his guard up and was killed in one blow."

She then pointed toward the doors and windows. "There are no signs of a forced entry through the windows, so the murderer came through the main door.

"Either they were hidden in the room beforehand, or they suddenly pushed the door open and entered.

"But regardless of how they entered, when they killed Master Miao, the two elders would have certainly reacted."

Finally, Gu Ningyun pointed to the desks, the mats, and the two pools of blood on the floor. "They had time to react, yet there are no signs of a fight in the room.

"They fell backward with their heads facing outward, which means their backs were to the door before they died.

"If the newcomer were a master who could kill Master Miao in an instant, the two elders would have known they were no match. Their first instinct should have been to bolt for the door, rather than having their backs to the door and facing the murderer.

"Therefore, the most likely scenario is that it was someone they knew. They were in disbelief and perhaps even tried to step forward to stop the person, leading to the situation you saw: falling backward with their heads toward the door."

Gu Ningyun narrowed her eyes. "Have you come into possession of any treasures lately that might have drawn unwanted attention?"

"Replying to the Immortal Master, we have not. In the Miao Manor, only the master and the two elders were cultivators.

"The master did not enjoy cultivation and had not left the Miao Manor for a long time. The two elders had meager cultivation and were responsible for managing the manor's business dealings. Where would they get any treasures to incite such greed?"