Thought

After arriving at Old Qin's study, Zhou Yi found some Talisman Paper and materials for drawing talismans on Old Qin's desk.

Beside the materials, there was also a very exquisite jade box. The jade box was placed in the center of the table, looking out of place with the surrounding materials. It seemed Old Qin had just taken it out.

Zhou Yi looked for a while before shifting his gaze, sitting quietly on the side to wait for Old Qin, while pondering the events that had happened to him.

Before long, Zhou Yi heard Old Qin's voice coming from beside his ear.

"Zhou Yi, what brings you to visit this old man today?"

Zhou Yi snapped back to attention. He had been too engrossed in his thoughts and hadn't even noticed Old Qin had returned.

After telling Old Qin what had happened to him, Old Qin frowned and pondered for a moment before saying to Zhou Yi, "I have heard of such matters, but I'm not entirely sure if what happened to you is what I'm thinking."

After speaking, Old Qin glanced at Zhou Yi and then asked, "Have you touched a corpse recently?"

Zhou Yi nodded at Old Qin.

"Then, you've likely encountered 'resentment'!" Old Qin explained to Zhou Yi.

"'Resentment'?" Zhou Yi looked at Old Qin in confusion.

"Most people only know that corpses undergo corpse transformation due to resentment and Yin Energy. Resentment, in simple terms, is the emotion of hatred, while Yin Energy is brought by the mist. 'Resentment' is the condition for generating resentment."

"Before death, most people have unfulfilled wishes, thus feeling unwilling. Unwillingness then generates resentment. If resentment is strong, it leads to hatred!"

"Resentment is not very strong when it first appears, but it will eventually turn into hatred."

Old Qin explained the origin of 'resentment' to Zhou Yi.

Zhou Yi pondered for a moment and then said to Old Qin, "The corpse I touched was Shopkeeper Liu's daughter, whom I just met."

"Oh? Shopkeeper Liu just came to me, asking me to help send his daughter's corpse home as soon as possible. He even gave me a Fire Date. Here, it's in the jade box on the table."

Old Qin said as he picked up the jade box and handed it to Zhou Yi.

Zhou Yi took the jade box and opened it. Inside was a fiery red fruit. The red patterns on the fruit looked like flames adhering to its surface. Upon closer inspection, spiritual energy flickered in the minute details. Even with Zhou Yi's current financial resources, obtaining such a fruit would not be easy.

"This Fire Date is a good thing for martial artists. Ordinary people who eat it will only strengthen their bodies, but martial artists who eat it can improve their cultivation by a small realm. Even if they can only eat it once and it has many restrictions, the Fire Date still makes people flock to it."

Old Qin explained the function of the Fire Date to Zhou Yi.

Zhou Yi's pupils contracted, and he said to Old Qin, "Shopkeeper Liu is truly generous."

With the existence of the modifier, improving his cultivation was as easy as drinking water for him, but for ordinary martial artists, this item was incredibly precious.

"Since this corpse has generated 'resentment', it definitely wasn't a suicide as Shopkeeper Liu claimed. Go to the yamen and investigate," Old Qin said to Zhou Yi.

"Alright!" After Zhou Yi replied, he hurried towards the door. If he didn't resolve the matter happening to him, he wouldn't be able to sleep well for a single day. Who knew what that 'resentment' would do to him next time he slept? Although Old Qin said the threat of 'resentment' was not great, he still felt uncomfortable.

"Oh right, take this Fire Date with you," Old Qin said to Zhou Yi.

Zhou Yi hesitated for a moment before accepting the Fire Date. Although the Fire Date wasn't very useful to him, it could explain why his strength had improved so rapidly.

After thanking Old Qin, Zhou Yi headed towards the yamen.

As soon as he arrived at the yamen, Zhou Yi asked the young servant at the entrance, "Is Captain Li Yuanfang here?"

The servant looked at Zhou Yi, who was wearing the Patrol Team uniform, and didn't understand why someone from the Patrol Team was at the yamen. However, he enthusiastically replied to Zhou Yi, "Yes, yes, I'll take you to him."

Led by the servant, Zhou Yi met Li Yuanfang.

Li Yuanfang, who was playing cards with his subordinates, stood up from his stool upon seeing Zhou Yi's arrival and said to Zhou Yi, "Lord Zhou, what brings you here?"

"Is the female corpse delivered yesterday still here?" Zhou Yi said to Li Yuanfang.

"Yes, yes, my lord. The corpse is still in the morgue."

"Take me to see it."

"Certainly, my lord."

Upon arriving at the morgue, Zhou Yi looked at the woman lying on the table. After careful observation, Zhou Yi could confirm that this was the 'resentment' that had appeared in his dream.

"Is there an autopsy report?" Zhou Yi asked Li Yuanfang.

"Yes, I'll go get it for you." Li Yuanfang said as he searched a nearby cabinet. After a while, Li Yuanfang handed over the report.

Zhou Yi took the report and read:

Liu Xue, daughter of Liu Yuantong of Qingzhu Village.

Cause of Death: Drowning. No obvious external injuries. Hands were bent - presumed to have struggled before death.

Body Condition: Pregnant (estimated 3 months).

After reading the report, Zhou Yi stood by and pondered quietly.

Under normal circumstances, after becoming pregnant, a woman would instinctively develop a protective instinct towards her child. Of course, there were exceptions, but it shouldn't lead to her jumping into a river, right?

Zhou Yi couldn't figure it out after thinking for a long time, so he asked Li Yuanfang beside him, "Yuanfang, what do you think?"

"My lord, there must be something fishy about this matter!"

Zhou Yi had asked the question subconsciously, but he didn't expect Li Yuanfang to have actually discovered something.

"Tell me first what you've found."

"My lord, do you remember Master Gui from yesterday? Yesterday, when he saw you, his eyes darted away and his body trembled. Moreover, I don't think Liu Xue had any motive to jump into the river."

After Li Yuanfang shared his thoughts, he stood quietly to the side and watched Zhou Yi.

"Master Gui was probably just afraid we'd make him a scapegoat yesterday. As for the woman's motive for jumping into the river, I heard a story at the tavern yesterday. I don't know if it's true or not."

Then Zhou Yi told Li Yuanfang the story he had heard at the tavern.

After hearing it, Li Yuanfang pondered for a moment before speaking to Zhou Yi, "Since both Your Excellency and I feel the case is not simple, we can investigate separately. I will investigate Master Gui, and Your Excellency can investigate the storyteller from the tavern. I can also have a few constables assist Your Excellency."

Zhou Yi nodded. Since he didn't know the storyteller from the tavern, Zhou Yi wondered if he could ask the constables to look for him. He then had someone find paper and, using his memory, drew a likeness of the man from the tavern on it. To his surprise, a constable actually recognized the person.

"Isn't this Scholar Li!" said the constable Li Yuanfang had found.

"What is your name?" Zhou Yi asked the constable.

"Your Excellency, my name is Wang Er."

"Very good. Do you know where Scholar Li lives?"

"Yes, Your Excellency."

Zhou Yi followed a few constables to Scholar Li's residence. Looking at the dilapidated house before him, Zhou Yi said to Wang Er, "Are you sure this is a scholar's house?"

Wang Er sheepishly explained to Zhou Yi, "Your Excellency, this Scholar Li is a gambling addict."

Hearing this, Zhou Yi understood Wang Er's meaning and immediately gave him a look, signaling him to knock on the door.

Knock, knock, knock.

Seeing no one answer the knock, Wang Er became impatient and kicked the door.

The old, dilapidated wooden door fell open with a creak.

Seeing this, everyone rushed into the house. After searching, a constable returned and said to Zhou Yi, "Your Excellency, Scholar Li is not at home."

At this point, Wang Er spoke to Zhou Yi, "If Scholar Li is not at home, he must be at the casino right now."