The Killer

"Don't touch anything at the scene!" Song Tian shouted, warning everyone not to make any rash moves. Once the scene was disturbed, it would be much harder to find out who the murderer was.

Tao Yaoye and Lanting carefully observed the layout of the study. The study was simply furnished, with two rows of bookshelves, two paintings on the wall, and a few yellow talismans that were believed to ward off evil spirits. Apart from that, there was a desk, a wooden chair, a coffee table, and a vase on the coffee table... It was no different from an ordinary study.

The door was tightly shut, and according to the housekeeper, the windows were also tightly shut; they couldn't be opened from the outside.

"This is..."

The window was broken, Tao Yaoye discovered that someone had poked a hole in the corner of the window.

The butler explained, "Before breaking the window, I poked a hole to see if the master was really in trouble."

"It must have been you, eldest brother, who killed Father!" The second son, Song Qing, grabbed the eldest son, Song Tian, by the collar and roared angrily, his eyes bloodshot, like a mad dog.

Song Tian was displeased, his brows furrowed, and he shoved his second brother aside, angrily shouting, "What nonsense are you spouting!"

"I'm not making this up. Don't think I don't know. Ever since you took over Father's business, it's been losing money. Recently, you even suffered a huge loss from a failed investment. You didn't dare tell Father, for fear that he would get angry and stop letting you manage the Lineage business!"

"Now that's settled, you killed your father, you're the first heir, and the Lineage business is all yours!"

Song Tian flew into a rage. "Nonsense! If we're talking about motives, yours is even more serious than mine. You failed the Xiucai examinations several times, and your father got angry and broke your legs, saying that if you didn't pass the exams, you could forget about inheriting a single penny from the family! I once heard from your friend that you were buying wine and having fun, and that you even said you were determined to kill your father!"

You bribed my friend!

"Your friend is just greedy."

Song Lian'er pointed at Song Yuanwai's corpse, trembling, and said, "Stop arguing, everyone! Look, Father's eyes are still open. He died with his eyes open, unable to rest in peace."

Everyone looked and it was indeed true; Master Song tilted his head, opened his eyes, and stared straight at the coffee table.

The youngest son, Song Qi, followed Song Yuanwai's gaze and saw a blue-and-white porcelain vase on the coffee table.

"Blue and white porcelain vase... blue and white porcelain... blue... second brother Song Qing! This is the clue Father left behind before he died! Second brother, you killed Father!"

The second son, Song Qing, became furious. "Nonsense! How can you say I killed him based on such nonsensical evidence?"

"Father extended one finger from his right hand; this was clearly a hint to my eldest brother!"

"Besides, as for motives, everyone present had one. Third brother, you resented Father for cutting off your allowance, which made you lose face among your cronies. You killed Father, inherited a portion of the family fortune, and naturally you'd have money!"

"And my little sister, Father told you to break off your relationship with that Zhou boy, but you wouldn't listen and kept secretly contacting him. Now that Father is dead, there's no one left to stop you from marrying that Zhou boy!"

Song Qing pointed out the three men's ulterior motives one by one, revealing that they all had a reason to commit the crime.

Tao Yaoye suddenly asked, "What was the last time you saw Master Song?"

"I saw my father in the courtyard when I was reading aloud in the morning, and then I went inside to read. That was about two and a half hours ago."

The third son stammered, "An hour ago, I went to the study and took some money. When I came out, I bumped into Father walking into the study, and he scolded me."

Song Lian'er said, "I brought a bowl of tea to the study for Father half an hour ago."

The butler chimed in, "I happened to be outside the door when Miss served the tea, and I haven't seen Master since."

Lanting nodded. "In that case, Master Song has been dead for less than half an hour."

"What were you all doing half an hour ago? Who can prove it?"

The eldest son, Song Tian, spoke first, "I was checking the accounts in the shop at that time, and the employees can all testify to that."

The second son, Song Qing, also said, "I was reading at the time. Although no one saw me, I have a habit of reading aloud, so the maids in the house should have heard me when they passed by."

The third son, Song Qi, said, "I was drinking and watching dances with friends at a brothel. The second son of the Wang family, the eldest son of the Kong family, and the Sun family were all with me. However, I drank too much and fell asleep. When I woke up, I was at home. I don't know who brought me back."

Song Lian'er said with tears in her eyes, "After delivering tea to Father, I stayed in the room until my elder brother came looking for me."

Can anyone prove this?

Song Lian'er's voice trailed off as she spoke, "No."

Tao Yaoye sensed something was amiss. "Wait, you said you delivered tea to Master Song, where's the teacup?"

There was only a blue and white porcelain vase on the coffee table; there was no coffee table itself.

Song Lian'er couldn't possibly wait until Master Song finished drinking his tea before taking the teacup away.

Song Lian'er stammered, unable to utter a single word.

"Little sister, tell me quickly!" the third son, Song Qi, said hurriedly, sweat beading on his forehead.

Song Lian'er finally made up her mind and said, "The steward said that there is no conflict between father and daughter that cannot be resolved, and encouraged me to talk to my father about Zhou Lang. I served my father tea to ask him to agree to my relationship with Zhou Lang. After hearing this, he got angry on the spot and threw the teacup on the ground. The steward took the teacup away, and then I went back to my room and cried."

Song Tian frowned at the butler, a hint of accusation in his eyes. "If that's the case, why didn't you mention it, butler? Besides, you should know Father's attitude; he would never agree to my younger sister's situation!"

The butler met Song Tian's eyes, then hurriedly looked away.

"Look me in the eyes! Tell me, what exactly do you want?" Song Tian shouted sternly.

Seeing the unfriendly looks on everyone's faces, the butler knew he couldn't avoid it and sighed helplessly, "Actually, Miss's sweetheart is my illegitimate son. I wanted to bring them together, but I didn't expect Master to be so adamant."

Song Lian'er stared blankly at the steward, never expecting that the steward and Zhou Lang had this kind of relationship.

The butler kept saying encouraging words to me, but weren't they encouraging me to pursue love?

Song Lian'er's gaze was blank, as if something inside her had collapsed.

Tao Yaoye said in a low voice, "In that case, the most likely explanation is that Song Lian'er and the steward worked together. The steward probably shot a poisoned ice needle through the window, killing Master Song, and then, under the pretense of checking, punctured the paper window to cover up the needle hole."

Lanting shook her head, having her own perspective. "If that's the case, how can the steward guarantee that the eldest young master will let him go to see Master Song? You know, the steward doesn't know we're coming."

"In my opinion, it could be the second son, Song Qing. He said he was reading in his room, but if you buy a recording device from the Chamber of Commerce and play his voice continuously, you can easily forge an alibi!"

The two argued quietly, but couldn't reach a conclusion. Finally, they both turned to ask Lu Yang.

"Senior Brother Lu, who do you think is the murderer?"

Lu Yang didn't answer, but silently walked over, squatted down next to Master Song, and took out the Resurrection Pill.

He bought this from the mission hall when he went to the desolate state, fearing he might encounter some unexpected events, but he hadn't used it yet.

The elixir melted in Master Song's mouth, and he slowly awoke, looking somewhat dazed.

Lu Yang explained, "Master Song isn't dead. His soul was taken away, but I used a soul-restoring pill to bring it back."

Lu Yang was frequently possessed, making him far more experienced in matters of the soul than his two junior sisters.

"Master Song, the three of us came from the Immortal Sect. Who stole your soul?"

Master Song was initially somewhat confused, but upon hearing Lu Yang's words, his eyes hardened, and he revealed the murderer:

"It's a painting."

Lu Yang turned to the crowd and said, "Look, the murderer has been found."

The Song siblings. "..."

Housekeeper. "..."