Qiang Jin Jiu (Author : Tang Jiuqing 唐酒卿)

Chapter 87 : Imperial Heir

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The door panel fell to the ground with a loud "thud", strewing accumulated dust all over. Fei Sheng covered his nose and mouth and strode in to check all the corners, not missing a single one.

This was the former residence of Prince Qin. Although it had fallen into a state of disrepair for years, one could still get a glimpse of its former opulence and grandeur. Fei Sheng lit the candle he carried on him, extinguished the lighter, and headed into the inner chamber.

"The bed-curtain and beddings are all new." Ge Qingqing lifted the drape and looked at the bed.

"There were still people staying here a few days ago." Fei Sheng stopped beside the table and pushed aside the teapot cover to reveal the residual tea stains within. "They drank spring tea from the Baimazhou Prefecture of Juexi. Looks like Xi Hongxuan did not treat them shabbily."

Ge Qingqing saw the bloodstains when he inspected the bed, and his heart began to pound. He lifted the entire quilt, then took a sudden step back.

Hidden under the quilt on the bed was a putrid-smelling corpse with obvious signs of livor mortis. This person had obviously been dead for a few days. Fei Sheng held up the light to inspect the corpse.

"This person was strangled to death." Fei Sheng pointed to the corpse's throat. "It was crushed outright."

"There are bloodstains." Ge Qingqing said. "He had wounds inflicted with a blade before he died."

"Not only that. Look at his neck. There are two sets of strangulation marks, which means that the first time did not kill him. How could those men Xi Hongxuan hired from the martial fraternity alone be capable of forcing the shifu into such a corner?" As Fei Sheng spoke, he used his blade to prop up the corpse and slowly turned the body over. "There's no anomaly with the livor mortis; so he shouldn't have been poisoned. The gashes on his back are in such a mess. Obviously, a layman who knows nothing of swordsmanship had haphazardly hacked away at him. The blade missed the vital points; that's why he chose to choke him to death. They should have joined forces to kill this man. I suspect the shifu was injured. It's likely he was too physically weak, and the Teacher had no choice but to take up the blade himself as a last resort."

The more Ge Qingqing heard, the more alarmed he was. He said, "Since the corpse could be laid out in such a neat and orderly manner, does it mean that Teacher and Shifu have not reached the point of panic yet? As long as..."

"It's possible that the corpse was laid out by others." Fei Sheng surveyed the place again. "There are no traces of a fight here either... I think Shifu was injured and did not have the means to display his prowess with ease, that's why he needs Teacher's help. But their second transfer was definitely not arranged by Xi Hongxuan, because none of those martial artists he hired from the martial fraternity would dare to set themselves against the Imperial Bodyguards for just a bit of money. Whether or not this corpse is one of the martial artists remains to be seen. If it isn't-"

Fei Sheng's words came to an abrupt halt. He was willing to work for Shen Zechuan because he was eyeing the lucrative post. If this matter was not a personal grudge, then it was going to involve court strife. He did not want to put himself right in the middle of it, so he did not finish the second half of his words-If it wasn't a martial artist, then this kind of highly skilled expert could only come from the imperial palace, and this corpse was possibly from the Imperial Bodyguards themselves.

Ge Qingqing understood his concerns. Both men fell into a silent stalemate. This house was creepy and eerie, so continuing to stand here like this was not an option.