Yanfu: Starting with the Six-Eared Macaque

Chen Xing suddenly stood up, his eyes snapping open. He immediately gripped the [Flowing Light], which was already fully charged, and warily scanned his surroundings.

The ground beneath my feet was damp, soft soil that sank slightly underfoot. All around me grew dense reeds that reached waist height, swaying gently in the wind and making a soft rustling sound.

He sniffed carefully; in addition to the damp, fishy smell of grass and trees, there was also a faint, almost imperceptible, burnt smell in the air.

He was dressed in a black and red official robe, the fabric of which was crisp and neat. A heavy broadsword was hanging at his waist, and the cool touch of the hilt of the sword came through his palm, giving him a more composed demeanor.

Officials?

As Chen Xing was pondering his identity, a few wisps of yellow-green smoke suddenly drifted slowly out from the depths of the reeds, condensing in the air into several lines of clear small characters.

Time period: 810-811

Location: Linjiang City

In November 755, An Lushan launched a rebellion in Fanyang. In 756, An Lushan proclaimed himself Emperor of the Great Yan, with the reign title Shengwu. In June of the same year, the rebel army captured Chang'an.

An Lushan shattered the Great Array for Protecting the Nation set up by Yuan Tiangang during the reign of Emperor Taizong, plunging the Tang Dynasty into chaos and causing a surge of heretical and evil forces.

In a time of chaos, the disciples of Mount Shu were ordered by their sect leader to descend the mountain to suppress evil spirits.

In 763, the Tang army counterattacked Chang'an and quelled the rebellion. The leader of the Shu Mountain sect was ordered to enter the capital to repair the Great Array that protected the nation, and the Tang Dynasty entered a period of stable development from then on.

However, the damage to the Tang Dynasty's dragon energy still brought irreversible consequences. Evil cults sprang up throughout the territory, and even though the government and the Shu Mountain Sect tried their best to suppress them, evil and wicked worship continued unabated.

Cultivating immortality and seeking the Dao alongside flesh and blood sacrifices—this was the era of the Tang Dynasty's revival!

The tasks for this Jambudvipa event are as follows:

1. Investigate the truth behind the death of the woman's body by the river.

2. Investigate the truth behind the pawnshop arson and theft case.

3. Kill three cult elites

Once any of the above requirements are met, the Yanfu event will officially begin.

Your status has been elevated in this Yanfu incident.

Your current identity is: Head Constable of Lin'an County.

After reading the prompt, a black and white image suddenly appeared in Chen Xing's mind.

The original owner was a constable in Lin'an County. Today, someone reported that a burned body was found by the river. He is leading his men to the scene of the crime.

Just as his thoughts settled, a loud shout suddenly came from ahead: "Boss! Found it! This way!"

Chen Xing followed the sound and hurried over. Sure enough, he found a body that was mostly burned at the edge of the reeds.

The corpse was curled up in extreme pain, crawling, with its fingertips slightly bent, pointing towards the river not far away, as if it was struggling to get closer before it died.

Not far behind the body, there were two black marks, one large and one small, with some ashes scattered on the ground, clearly traces left after the grass was burned.

Chen Xing sniffed. In addition to the strong smell of burning, there was also a faint smell of kerosene in the air.

"Xiao Wu, quickly go and fetch the coroner to examine the body." Seeing the scene before him, Chen Xing made a decisive decision and turned to instruct a young constable beside him.

Xiao Wu's real name is Shi Wu. He lives in Shitou Village, Lin'an County. Because he is smart, studious, and hardworking, he was taken back to the yamen by the original owner of the body and carefully taught. Now he is a seasoned and experienced constable.

After responding, Xiao Wu immediately ran towards Lin'an County, his figure quickly disappearing beyond the reeds.

Chen Xing then turned to his other men and said in a deep voice, "Brothers, split up and search the surrounding area to see if there are any clues."

He paused, then added, "Be careful, don't touch the body, and avoid disturbing the crime scene."

The constables responded in unison and immediately dispersed to carefully examine the area around the body.

Not long after, a constable's voice rang out: "Boss, we've found something!"

Chen Xing walked over quickly and looked in the direction the constable was pointing. He saw a red embroidered shoe lying in the mud, with a lot of wet mud still stuck to the toe.

He crouched down and gently examined the embroidered shoes with his scabbard. Seeing that the shoes were intact and without any damage, he said, "Remember, a red embroidered shoe was found ten feet southwest of the body. The shoe surface is intact and without any damage."

After speaking, he carefully examined the area around the embroidered shoes and found that the shoe prints on the ground were very clear and quite similar in size. "Remember, the shoe prints near the embroidered shoes are clear and of the same size, so they must have been left by the same person."

Following the direction of the footprints, which pointed directly to the large area of ​​scorched grass, Chen Xing continued to instruct: "Remember, the footprints follow the same route, all pointing to the burned grass behind the deceased. Only one person's footprints have been found at the scene so far."

Then, he looked up at the crowd and said, "Expand the search area; we must find the other shoe!"

Chen Xing used the scabbard to pick up the embroidered shoe, walked to the corpse, placed it behind the corpse's feet, measured the size, and confirmed that it was indeed the shoe the deceased had worn.

Chen Xing focused his mind and activated the skill [Insight], his gaze sweeping across the entire crime scene.

There are two charred grassy areas about three zhang (approximately 10 meters) behind the body. The larger one is located further away and is most likely the location of the first crime scene.

How did the deceased get here? Judging from the fallen shoes, she must have been extremely flustered or in a hurry.

But there were only her footprints at the scene. Why did she come here? And why was she in such a hurry?

Chen Xing stared at the traces at the scene, his brows furrowed, pondering the key to the matter.

Just then, another shout rang out: "Boss, found it! There's another one here!"

Chen Xing immediately walked over and saw another embroidered shoe lying in the mud. It was exactly the same style and size as the one he had found before, and it was also undamaged.

"Note: Twenty feet southwest of the deceased, an embroidered shoe was found. It was the same pair as the one previously found and was undamaged."

He looked up at the location where the first shoe was found. The two shoes were in a straight line, extending southwest, which was the direction of Lin'an County!

"Remember, judging from the position of the shoes, the deceased must have run from the direction of Lin'an County," Chen Xing added, then carefully checked the surrounding area again. "No second person's footprints were found around the shoes."

Chen Xing looked around again and said, "Remember, there are no other footprints around the shoes."

With the discovery of the second shoe, Chen Xing gradually formed a general idea.

The deceased was likely a resident of Lin'an County or a nearby village. For some reason, he was forced to rush here, and the situation was so urgent that he lost his shoes and didn't even have time to pick them up.

He pondered silently, then recalled the faint smell of kerosene at the crime scene.

The deceased must have used kerosene to ignite the flames after running all the way here.

The excruciating pain of being burned alive caused her to roll on the spot. She then tried to crawl towards the river to put out the fire, leaving a second burn mark on the grass. However, she failed to reach the water and collapsed halfway there.

Why? If it were homicide, the deceased would either be held in place and unable to move, or would rush to the riverbank immediately.

Looking at the distance from the first burning site to the riverbank, Chen Xing estimated that the person whose body was set on fire should have had enough time to run to the riverbank.

As for how Chen Xing knew, he had witnessed it with his own eyes two months ago!

If it was a homicide, why were there no second person's footprints left at the scene?

If it was suicide, then where did the jar containing kerosene go?

Chen Xing squatted on the spot, his gaze sweeping over the scorched grass, the crawling corpses, and the two scattered embroidered shoes, his brows furrowing even more tightly.

The entire crime scene exuded an inexplicable strangeness, with eeriness permeating every corner.