Yin Yang Soul Searcher

The three people in the room were startled by Bai Jueming's sudden outburst of madness.

Han Xueshan rolled her eyes at him, annoyed. "Why are you so surprised? What do you know?"

"I know who the killer is!" Bai Jueming exclaimed excitedly.

"Who is the murderer?" Cheng Yanbing asked with great interest. He couldn't think of any way to make someone unknowingly inhale large amounts of miasma.

Bai Jueming's lips curled slightly as he said firmly, "Lianzhu, the courtesan of Qingyue Pavilion!"

"If I'm not mistaken, Lord Yang went to great lengths to touch that bowl of chicken soup because he wanted to tell us which Lotus Pearl was the murderer. Perhaps, Lord Yang realized where the poison came from before he died."

"The most beautiful courtesan at Qingyue Pavilion?" Yang Jiang asked, looking puzzled. "How can you tell?"

"The best way to make Lord Yang inhale a large amount of miasma without his knowledge is to have him gasp for breath when he is extremely excited," Bai Jueming said with a mysterious smile. "A courtesan would certainly have plenty of perfume and fragrance on her body."

"Think about it, Lord Yang must have been very tired when he was in battle. He must have been panting heavily while lying on the courtesan, and the courtesan's body was covered by a strong fragrance of perfume..." As he said this, Bai Jueming rubbed his left hand and his right index finger together, making a gesture that all men would understand.

"Therefore, I think that Lord Yang, in his heightened state, probably didn't realize for a moment that he had inhaled a large amount of miasma. This explains Brother Cheng's autopsy findings. The sudden influx of miasma into his internal organs caused Lord Yang to lose his life force and die a painful death!"

Han Xueshan's usually stern face was unusually flushed with a hint of shyness. How could this slut be so familiar with matters of the heart? Back at the black market, those seductive women had tried to seduce him... She really wasn't a good person...

Yang Jiang's face darkened. The more he thought about it, the more he realized Bai Jueming's analysis made sense. His father had actually died at the hands of a prostitute! How would his colleagues view him? How would they view the Yang family? It was a disgrace to the Yang family!

"There's just one thing I don't understand: how can this courtesan possess such a large amount of miasma? How does she do it?" This touched upon Bai Jueming's blind spot in his knowledge. He knew that this world was different from his previous life; it was a world with cultivators, and there were always some unbelievable methods that he had never understood.

This was his area of ​​expertise. Cheng Yanbing smiled, pointed to Han Xueshan's blushing face, and suddenly asked in surprise, "Miss Han, why is your face so red? Are you feeling unwell?"

"No, I'm fine." Han Xueshan's expression was slightly flustered, and she stammered. She quickly waved her hand. It was all that bitch's fault for saying those nonsensical things... making her overthink...

Bai Jueming covered her mouth and chuckled. It turned out she was still a virgin, blushing even when she heard such things.

Cheng Yanbing didn't seem to mind and continued, "When Chu Jiangyuan injured Miss Han before, I gave her a pill. Brother Bai, do you remember what I said back then?"

Bai Jueming frowned and thought for a moment, carefully recalling what Cheng Yanbing had said when he saved Han Xueshan that day: "Brother Cheng said that you refined that pill in a blessed land, around some vibrant herbs. You infused the pill with the essence of those vibrant herbs, which helped with the regeneration of flesh and blood."

"Junior Sister also said that those auras would escape everywhere during the refining process, which was very difficult."

Han Xueshan thanked her somewhat embarrassedly, not expecting the elixir to be so valuable. After speaking, she took out some Taoist talismans from her person to express her gratitude.

A stack of talismans made Bai Jueming's heart itch with desire; there were at least twenty of them!

Cheng Yanbing waved his hand in refusal, indicating that she shouldn't take it to heart, and then said, "That's right, Brother Bai remembers it very clearly. This is a small technique in alchemy, guiding Qi into the elixir. If I'm not mistaken, that lotus pearl used this technique."

Cheng Yanbing explained these things in great detail: "She must have introduced some miasma into the pill and then taken it beforehand. Later, during the battle with Lord Yang, she forced the miasma out of the pill so that Lord Yang could inhale it."

Finally, Cheng Yanbing stated with absolute certainty, "This Lianzhu is no ordinary prostitute. She possesses cultivation!"

Listening to Cheng Yanbing's eloquent explanation, something suddenly came to mind!

If I'm not mistaken, the people queuing up to buy herbs at Chen's Pharmacy that day were poisoned by miasma that had escaped during their alchemy process!

This case is probably not simple! Bai Jueming had some guesses about it; it might be related to the demon race! But he wasn't 100% sure yet, so there was no need to say it.

"In that case, Brother Cheng, would you be willing to come with me to Qingyue Tower?" Bai Jueming asked sincerely, his eyes clear. Cheng Yanbing's strength and knowledge far surpassed his own, and if he were willing to go, there was a high probability that he could be of help.

To everyone's surprise, Cheng Yanbing shook his head and refused. Investigating cases was not like performing autopsies; he couldn't be of much help. Besides, Yang Yongyuan was dead, and he would have to find someone else to discuss the transportation of ore to the Craftsmen's Hall.

Although Bai Jueming felt some regret, he expressed his understanding. Led by Yang Jiang, the group left the Yang residence.

After leaving the house, the three mounted their horses and then went their separate ways.

The clatter of horses' hooves echoed on the bluestone streets of the capital.

Han Xueshan and Bai Jueming walked side by side, a handsome man and a beautiful woman. The woman's face was full of heroic spirit, and her high ponytail swayed back and forth. The man, on the other hand, looked deep in thought.

Before long, the two arrived at the entrance of Qingyue Tower, where some horses from the Yin-Yang Palace were parked.

The black-clad warriors had already sealed off the entrance to Qingyue Tower. The once bustling streets had been cleared out and were now deserted.

There were also some martial artists on guard along the riverbank. All the pleasure boats were moored, and the beautiful and skilled women on board were all lining up to enter the brothels and wait; they were allowed to enter but not leave.

Pedestrians and vendors on the street kept a great distance from Qingyue Tower, only daring to chirp softly from afar. This was the infamous reputation of the Yin-Yang Palace!

The two men slowly approached on horseback and stopped at the entrance of Qingyue Tower. The two martial artists responsible for sealing off the main gate of Qingyue Tower merely glanced at them indifferently and did not stop them. After all, they recognized Bai Jueming's face.

Han Xueshan, on horseback, glanced around several corners of Qingyue Tower and said, "Judging from the number of martial artists, Zhou Dahai and the other two should all be here."

"Not bad, very observant." Bai Jueming affirmed her keen observation. Then, he casually pointed to Zhou Dahai and the other two's horses: "Actually, there's no need to observe those martial artists."

"..." Han Xueshan.

It seems Zhou Pangzi and his two companions have finished investigating those three officials. This should be the last stop! Bai Jueming dismounted and asked a martial artist outside the door, "How long has Zhou Dahai been here?"

"Reporting to Officer Bai, Officer Zhou and the others have been here for about half an incense stick's time," a martial artist at the door replied respectfully.

Bai Jueming nodded and stepped through the vermilion gate, where a warm, sweet scent of perfume wafted towards him. Inside the hall, the lights were brilliant, and the glass lamps hanging from the carved beams poured out their light without reservation.

The most eye-catching feature was the circular stage made of white marble. A group of graceful girls, dressed in gossamer-thin dance costumes, their breasts half-exposed, exuded allure. However, their faces lacked their usual lively and seductive charm; they simply stood quietly in place.

There were only a few guests below the stage, who were ordered to squat in place and not to come or go.

Following behind, Han Xueshan covered her mouth and nose and said with disgust, "Why do you men all like to come to places like this? The smell of perfume is so strong, it's really unpleasant."

Bai Jueming said with an upright expression, "Don't generalize. I just don't like places like this. If it weren't for investigating a case, I would never have set foot in a place like this in my life."

"Pah!" Han Xue shouted with a mocking smile, her words hitting the nail on the head: "It's not that you don't like it, it's that you can't afford to come to a place like this!"

Wow, you've got a really good eye for people! Anyone who's not interested in a place like this is a true fencing warrior...

Bai Jueming straightened his back and said with a serious expression, "Think what you want, I'm not that kind of person."

Suddenly, a loud slap shattered the tranquility of the lobby on the third floor. The skilled women on the stage jumped in fright.

Bai Jueming's ears twitched, and he could faintly hear Zhou Dahai's angry voice: "What are you good for? You don't know anything!"

After exchanging a glance with Han Xueshan, the two hurried upstairs.

The door to the third-floor room was slightly ajar. As soon as Bai Jueming entered, he saw Zhou Dahai, his face contorted with rage, pointing at the madam and cursing her. Wu Yuan and Wang Pang were rummaging through the room.

The madam, dressed in red, fell to the ground, clutching her swollen face, and cried out, "My lord, I really didn't know!"

Zhou Dahai glanced at Bai Jueming, who had just entered, and suppressed his anger: "Moyu, how's the investigation going?"

"If nothing unexpected happens, it will be this lotus pearl," Bai Jueming said.

Zhou Dahai sighed, "I knew it was this lotus pearl, but unfortunately I'm a step too late."

"Has he already escaped?" Bai Jueming already had a guess in his mind. So much time had passed since the incident, the murderer must have been prepared.

"No." Zhou Dahai slowly stepped aside, revealing the female corpse lying on the bed: "She's dead!"

On the bed lay the courtesan's corpse, her figure alluring, eyes wide open, face purplish-blue. Except for the posture, her death was identical to Yang Yongyuan's; her tragic appearance was unmistakable. Without a doubt, it was malaria poisoning!

"It seems that this lotus pearl is most likely a discarded pawn." Bai Jueming shook his head. He couldn't get any more information out of it, so he could only take it back to Brother Shan for soul searching.

"Miss Han and I went to find Cheng Yanbing and re-examined the body..." Bai Jueming revealed the situation at the Yang residence and his own speculations.

"It seems that my officials don't need to investigate anymore," Zhou Dahai and Bai Jueming exchanged information.

Bai Jueming nodded slightly, then squatted down and looked at the madam who was covering her face and sobbing. "How long will it take for this lotus pearl to die?"

The madam, lying on the ground sobbing, finally looked up and recognized Bai Jueming at a glance as one of the customers who had come with Jia Qingshan the day before. She cried out, "My lord, yesterday you..."

"Shut up, you old hag." Bai Jueming, quick as a flash, slapped her again, effectively stopping the madam from speaking. "You want to ruin my tall and imposing image?"

Then, with an unfriendly expression, he said, "Just answer my questions, don't try to ramble on."

Han Xueshan, standing to the side, tilted her head and looked at Bai Jueming with some suspicion. Why did he suddenly resort to violence? This didn't seem like his usual style.

The madam covered her other cheek and nodded somewhat fearfully, "Sir, Lianzhu was summoned to the residence of a high-ranking official yesterday and didn't return until midnight. After returning, Miss Lianzhu said she was a little tired and went to bed early."

"We didn't know Miss Lianzhu was dead until this lord sealed off Qingyue Tower. You should know us well, sir. We're in this line of work, serving people until midnight. We usually sleep until the afternoon. So I really didn't know she was going to die." The madam's voice trembled with a hint of tears as she finished speaking.

How the hell do I know you guys so well? Bai Jueming really wanted to strangle this madam.