The Locked-Room Murder
Lu Yang and his group arrived at Master Song's house without much trouble.
Lu Yang knocked on the door politely. The person who opened the door was a young man with no cultivation, just an ordinary person. His face was pale and his eyes were dark, which was probably due to lack of rest.
"Who are the three of you...?" The young master looked at Lu Yang and his companions with some wariness.
"The three of us are disciples of the Immortal Sect, invited by Master Song to resolve the matter of the painting."
"So they're disciples of the Immortal Sect!" The young master's eyes widened. The Song family had only gone to the Immortal Sect for help on a whim, never expecting that the lofty Immortal Sect would actually send someone over!
"My name is Lu Yang, and these two are my junior sisters, Tao Yaoye and Lan Ting."
"Lu Yang?! That invincible Golden Core cultivator Lu Yang?!"
The young master was even more shocked when he heard Lu Yang's name. Although he was a mortal, he came from a wealthy family and knew a little about the cultivation world. If we were to say who had mentioned the name of a cultivator the most in the past three months, it would be Lu Yang!
With the added promotion from the Silent Daoist, Lu Yang's name became incredibly famous.
However, in the cultivation world, Lu Yang is said to be the number one person in the mid-stage of the Golden Core, but when this young master heard it, he heard it as the number one person in the Golden Core realm.
For him, there was not much difference between the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm and the Golden Core stage.
"Song Tian greets the three Daoist masters. Please come in." Song Tian politely invited the three in, not daring to be negligent in the slightest.
Through Song Tian's introduction, Lu Yang learned that Master Song's full name was Song Jinju, and Song Tian was his eldest son. Master Song was now quite old, and the Song family business was mainly managed by Song Tian. He had heard about Lu Yang from his cultivator friend while doing business, and confirmed that the things mentioned in the story were true.
Besides Song Tian, Master Song also had two sons and a daughter. His second son was named Song Qing, a scholar. His third son was named Song Qi, a good-for-nothing who did nothing all day and was a typical playboy. Master Song was very disappointed in him. His youngest daughter was named Song Lian'er.
Madam Song passed away five years ago due to illness.
"Three immortal masters, you must save our Song family! That painting is so eerie, I can't sleep at night. That painting is definitely possessed by a spirit. Our Song family has moved twice, and each time the painting followed us."
When Song Tian saw Lu Yang and the other two, it was like seeing a savior; all the gloom that had accumulated over the past few days vanished.
He invited Lu Yang and the other two to sit in the main hall, had a maid serve tea, and summoned the steward to call Master Song, who was in the study.
Song Tian then went to call his family over.
The Song family had been living in fear and anxiety for some time, but with the help of the immortal sect disciples, they could finally feel at ease.
Lu Yang picked up the teacup and, ignoring the scalding hot water, drank half a cup of tea in one gulp.
Boiling water is nothing; he used to bathe in boiling water even before he started cultivating immortality.
Lu Yang put down his teacup and casually remarked, "The Song family has a Yin Qi."
Tao Yaoye nodded. "Indeed, and the Yin Qi is so strong, there must be a demon hiding in the Song family."
That being said, judging from the concentration of Yin Qi emitted, it did not pose a threat to Lu Yang and his companions.
All three had very keen senses and could hear the Song siblings walking towards them from afar, talking as they went.
"Brother, I'm not trying to be mean, but how many cultivators have we invited over? They've all returned empty-handed. Are you really that sure this time it'll work?" The one with the improper attitude was the third son, Song Qi.
"Third brother, don't talk nonsense. This time, the eldest brother invited disciples from the immortal sects, whose status is almost equal to that of the imperial court. They are true immortals. Wouldn't it be a piece of cake for immortals to deal with mere demons?"
Judging from the tone of voice, it should be the second son, Song Qing.
"And didn't you hear what your elder brother said? Among the cultivators who came this time is a Daoist named Lu Yang. Even if you're usually idle and good-for-nothing, you should have heard the storytelling 'Legend of the Ask Dao Sect.' As far as I know, the storyteller is the sect leader of an immortal sect, a top-notch master in the world. What such a master writes, although it sounds bizarre, must be true!"
"Stop showing off your knowledge, Second Brother. You didn't even pass the Xiucai exam. Father has yelled at you several times, saying what a load of crap you've read. Have you forgotten?"
"You!"
"I hope we can successfully take the scroll. Zhou Lang knows about our family's situation and doesn't dare to see me easily." The voice was somewhat timid; it was undoubtedly the youngest daughter, Song Lian'er.
"Little sister, you haven't broken off your relationship with that boy yet? Have you forgotten what Father told you? That boy is a good-for-nothing, all talk and no action. He's not after you at all, he's after the Song family's wealth!"
"Take my advice, break up with him quickly. If Father finds out you're still in contact with him, he'll break your legs!"
"No, Zhou Lang loves me!"
"Alright, everyone's about to see the Daoist priest, so behave yourselves, especially you, third brother. You'd better not cause any trouble in front of the Daoist priest, or Father won't forgive you!"
The Song siblings walked into the main hall as they talked.
Lu Yang finished the remaining half cup of tea in one gulp, smacked his lips, and rinsed his mouth to forget the taste of the wontons.
The Song family's interpersonal relationships are rather complicated.
When the Song siblings arrived, Lu Yang glanced at them and immediately identified them as the people who had spoken earlier.
The eldest son, Song Tian, has already been met.
The one dressed in a clean and tidy scholar's robe, with one hand resting on his abdomen, is the second son, Song Qing.
The short man with a displeased expression was the third son, Song Qi.
The one who avoided eye contact with Lu Yang was his youngest daughter, Song Lian'er.
"Greetings, Daoist Master."
Song Tian was quite authoritative at home. He told his younger siblings to behave themselves, and no one dared to act recklessly in front of Lu Yang, including his third son, Song Qi.
"Hasn't Father arrived yet?" Song Tian asked, somewhat puzzled. Judging by the time, his father should have arrived by now.
Just as Song Tian was wondering what was going on, a figure stumbled into the hall, panting, "Young Master, Young Master, something terrible has happened!"
Song Tian helped the butler up, a sense of foreboding creeping in. "What's wrong? Where's Father?"
"The master has passed away!"
"What?!"
The Song siblings were both startled, and the younger sister, Song Lian'er, almost fainted.
Even Lu Yang and his two companions were shocked to discover that their beloved was already dead before they even met!
"Let's go take a look!"
Song Tian, being the eldest brother, quickly calmed himself down and had the steward lead them to the study.
The study door was tightly closed. The steward led everyone to the window on the side of the study. The window had a large hole in it, and they could see Master Song lying on the ground, covered in blood, and lifeless.
As the butler led the group through the window, he said, "I went to the study to call the master, but he didn't respond after calling for a long time. The study doors and windows were locked, which is the master's habit; he feels safe that way. I immediately sensed something was wrong, so I broke the window and entered the room to find the master lying on the floor."
Tao Yaoye and Lanting were deep in thought. The doors and windows were locked, and no outsider could open them. Master Song died inside. This is a typical case of murder in a locked room.
Lu Yang remained silent, lost in thought.
The second update will be before 11 PM.