Scourge Messenger

Chapter 64 Interrogation
Luo Weijin, is he dead?

Qian Gongyu only then realized that the corpse belonged to someone she knew. Although Luo Weijin and she didn't get along, their relationship hadn't reached the point of deep hatred. After Jiang Shi punched him and Qian Gongyu met Jie Yuanshao and Shang Xinlei, Luo Weijin took the initiative to avoid them, clearly indicating a shift in the balance of power. Now, Qian Gongyu was the villain he couldn't afford to offend.

Qian Gongyu had planned to find him today and show off, to vent her anger. After all, life always needs some clowns to highlight one's own superiority. But now, seeing him die so tragically, Qian Gongyu felt no joy, only a strange sadness and a burning anger of shared hatred—how could a scion of a noble family be so cruelly murdered?

Upon hearing Lu Wangji say that Jiang Shi had been seen near the Luo family's carriage and even demand to inspect Jiang Shi's sword, she was first stunned, then pulled Jiang Shi behind her like a cat with its fur standing on end, and exclaimed loudly, "Impossible! Jiang Shi didn't do such a thing! She was with me all night!"

“Lu Xiaoqi, let’s not even talk about whether Jiang Shi’s sword matches the wounds on the body. Even if they do match, it doesn’t prove anything.” Jie Yuanshao raised his hand to block Jiang Shi and said, “Jiang Shi’s sword is just a regular straight-bladed sword. It’s not surprising that the real culprit used a similar weapon.”

"It's not for comparing wounds, but to check if the blade has been stained with the victim's blood." Lu Wangji took out a covered bronze mirror from his robes. "Do you recognize this token?"

Jie Yuanshao's pupils constricted sharply: "Blood Reflection Mirror!"

"What is the Blood Reflection Mirror?" Qian Gongyu asked.

"Reflecting blood for miles, revealing traces, the Blood-Reflecting Mirror can show the trajectory of blood flow. Even if the murder weapon is cleaned, it cannot erase the traces. It is an excellent token for the Ministry of Justice to handle cases." Jie Yuanshao introduced, "Although the Blood-Reflecting Mirror is only a second-tier token, it is only produced in third-tier secret realms, and it is extremely fragile. It is a treasure that needs to be carefully protected in any government office. Lu Xiaoqi actually carries it with him." She emphasized the last sentence, as if hinting at something.

"The Left Valiant Cavalry Guards patrol the world; how can they be without powerful weapons?" Lu Wangji said calmly, "Jiang Shi, please."

Jie Yuanshao and Shang Xinlei exchanged a glance, but they couldn't see anything wrong with Lu Wangji's request. Unless it was really Jiang Shi who killed him, the Blood Reflection Mirror wouldn't be able to see anything... Could it be...?
Using Jie Yuanshao and Qian Gongyu as cover, Shang Xinlei approached Jiang Shi and asked in a low voice, "Has your knife been lost? Or... did you really kill him?"

If it were anyone else, Shang Xinlei would be certain that the other party was slandering them, because no one would be foolish enough to murder someone they have a grudge against in a place like Mansu Forest. Friends who often kill people know that they should wait until the enemy is in the wild before killing and hiding the body, so as to delay the possibility of the murder being discovered as much as possible. But if Jiang Shi did such a thing, Shang Xinlei would not find it strange at all.

In her opinion, Jiang Shi was not a gentleman and would never wait ten years to take revenge. She had to resolve her grudges that very night, otherwise she might not be able to sleep and it would affect her health.

"My knife has always been in my hand."

Even in this situation, Jiang Shi remained calm and composed. However, after she answered only the first question, Qian Gongyu immediately added, "It's definitely not Jiang Shi—I held Jiang Shi while I slept last night, and she never left my side!"

“Lu Xiaoqi, you can check Jiang Shi’s sword, but you can’t just check Jiang Shi’s.” Jie Yuanshao said calmly, “Everyone in the camp is a suspect and should be thoroughly investigated.”

"I checked everyone in the camp before you returned," Lu Wangji said calmly. "Could it be that Jiang Shi, the ten guards, didn't even dare to let us inspect their weapons? If so..."

He gently raised his hand, and the soldiers guarding the perimeter raised their crossbows. Qian Gongyu, who was blocking Jiang Shi's way, was instantly overwhelmed by the killing intent. The back of her neck felt like it had been licked by a snake's tongue, and a chilling fear permeated her entire body along her spine.

"The brutal murder of a member of a prominent family concerns the dignity of the court and is a matter of great importance. It must be thoroughly investigated. I, Lu, would rather kill the innocent than let the guilty go free," Lu Wangji said coldly. "Whoever refuses to cooperate will be prosecuted as a murderer. Valiant Cavalry, listen to my order: kill without mercy!" "Yes, sir!"

The soldiers wielding the divine crossbows were no ordinary people; most of them were messengers, and the rest, even if not, were still full of vigor. Even though there were only a few dozen of them, their unified shouts were like a tidal wave, shaking the forest. Although Jie Yuanshao came from a noble family, he had never faced such a powerful and ruthless army before. He couldn't help but turn pale.

Qian Gongyu remained silent, still standing in front of Jiang Shi, but her legs were shaking uncontrollably, and the sound of her teeth chattering could be heard.

Shang Xinlei, however, had participated in the great robbery in Chang'an and witnessed the burning of Anguo Temple, so she remained calm at this moment. She said in a low voice quickly, "Jiang Shi, if you are confident, hand over your sword first. We can guarantee that they won't wrong you."

After a moment of silence, Jiang Shi unfastened the white iron straight sword from his waist and threw it at Lu Wangji.

Lu Wangji didn't hesitate when he got the Blood Reflecting Mirror. He first looked at the corpse on the bed. Everyone could see that the Blood Reflecting Mirror emitted a pale yellow light. Under the light, the blood of the corpse seemed to turn into light smoke and float away.

"This is a record of Luo Weijin's blood scent," Lu Wangji explained. "Now, if we look at anything else, it will only show the traces of his blood."

Then Lu Wangji brandished the white iron straight sword again. At this moment, countless people in the camp held their breath, and Qian Gongyu subconsciously gripped Jiang Shi's hand tightly, her whole body trembling.

Bathed in yellow light, the white iron straight sword shone brightly, devoid of any blood color.

"The result is obvious, Lu Xiaoqi." Jie Yuanshao let out a long breath and said loudly, "Jiang Shi is not the murderer, you've got the wrong person!"

"No one would kill someone in the Mansu Forest and not leave," Shang Xinlei mocked. "The murderer must have left long ago. Lu Xiaoqi, you should investigate the people who left the camp in the past two days, instead of having your men aim their crossbows at us!"

Lu Wangji seemed to have anticipated this situation, and his face showed little disappointment. He handed the white iron straight sword to the soldier behind him and said, "I will keep Miss Shang's suggestion in mind. However, there are only four of you left in the camp. If Jiang Shi is innocent, your personal weapons will also need to be... um?"

He raised an eyebrow, seemingly only now noticing that Qian Gongyu and the others had an extra weapon compared to when they went in, and asked, "What are these...?"

Shang Xinlei was taken aback, then realized a huge problem. But now, they couldn't fix this loophole.

“It’s a reward we brought out from the Mansu Forest,” Jie Yuanshao said.

"But why did you all receive a reward, but Jiang Shi didn't?" Lu Wangji said, "I heard that Guard Jiang Shi has a token for storing things? If so, the token also needs to be handed over for inspection, as the murder weapon may be hidden inside."

(End of this chapter)