Strange Ways of Dying

After chatting for a while, Butler Bai and Yun Yao entered.

Seeing that Yun Yao's face was still a little flushed, I raised an eyebrow at her.

Yun Yao stomped her foot and glared at me indignantly.

Then she said solemnly, "Someone has already found the expert guarding the hidden shop."

She then added with a hint of sadness, "But he's already dead."

Jiang Yujie and I exchanged a glance, then stood up and looked at Yun Yao.

I pondered for a moment and then said, "Let's go to the place where the expert had the accident to check the situation first."

Yun Yao and Jiang Yujie both agreed, and then we got in the car and set off.

We drove to a very secluded alley, and then we got out of the car, ready to go in.

I took the lead, walking at the very front. After walking for a bit, I realized the footsteps behind me had stopped.

Confused, I turned back to look, only to see Yun Yao and Jiang Yujie standing there, shrinking back.

I asked them with some confusion, "What's wrong with you two? Why aren't you walking anymore?"

Jiang Yujie said a little sheepishly, "Uh... could you go in and take a look? We'll wait for you here. Just tell us what you find when you come out."

Yun Yao nodded her head vigorously, like a pecking chick.

I sighed, shook my head helplessly, and then walked in by myself.

As soon as I entered, I saw a corpse. No, it couldn't even be called a corpse anymore, it should be called body parts.

This person had been dismembered, and the scene was bloody. Apart from the killer's extremely cruel methods, there were no other clues.

I called Butler Bai over and asked him how he was sure this corpse was the expert guarding the hidden shop.

Butler Bai said that there was a tattoo on the left arm, and the clothes were also Yun Family clothes.

I asked him to show me where the tattoo was. Butler Bai was quite brave; he didn't show any fear even in such a scene.

Instead, with a serious expression, he lifted the clothing from a piece of the body for me to see.

I saw a black character "Yun" tattooed on the arm of that piece of the body.

It looked quite old. Besides that, there were no other clues.

Butler Bai looked at me and said, "Young Master Li, what do we do now?"

I quickly cupped my fists and said to Butler Bai, "I don't deserve the title of young master. I'm just down on my luck and came to the Yun Family to make a living."

Butler Bai also cupped his fists and said to me, "Young master, you shouldn't underestimate yourself. What you're facing now is just a dragon in shallow waters. You'll soar to the heavens one day."

I smiled bitterly and shook my head, then told Butler Bai to dispose of the body, as there were no more clues.

Moreover, I felt that the person named Chen Hao did it, but I just didn't have strong evidence.

Butler Bai nodded, then signaled for people to clean up the scene, and I walked out.

Jiang Yujie and Yun Yao asked me in unison from outside, "How was it?"

I spread my hands, "Not good. No useful clues. We just know he was the expert from the Yun Family's hidden shop. The body was chopped into pieces, and there were no other clues."

"Ah...? You said the body was in pieces?" Jiang Yujie asked.

I nodded, confirming he was right.

Then the two of them simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief, as if not going inside was the best decision they had ever made.

My face darkened. I wanted to scold them, but then I thought better of it.

Then I asked Butler Bai if there had been any suspicious people in Yun City these past few days.

Butler Bai pondered for a moment and said, "There was one person who was quite strange, but he didn't break any of Yun City's rules, so it was difficult for us to make a judgment."

I looked at Butler Bai with interest, "How was he strange? Tell me about it."

Butler Bai organized his thoughts and said, "Under normal circumstances, people who come to Yun City are here for business or to buy and sell things. But this person has been in his room ever since he entered Yun City. No one has seen him leave. He didn't break any of Yun City's rules, so I arranged for people to question him. It turned out there were no problems, so we didn't press further."

"Is that person still in Yun City?"

Butler Bai said with certainty, "Yes, he is. I've also kept a close eye on him. I've had a few people watching him, in case the young lady or the master needs him."

I thought to myself that Butler Bai was indeed very meticulous. Then I told them I wanted to go take a look. Yun Yao and Jiang Yujie nodded and got in the car.

On the way, they asked me if I had discovered anything. I said I needed to see first, and that I wasn't sure yet, but this person was a bit suspicious.

When we arrived, Butler Bai pointed to a courtyard and said it was inside. I nodded, and we all got out of the car and walked directly towards the courtyard.

It was a rather old courtyard, with moss growing along the base of the walls.

The red paint on the two iron gates had also peeled off piece by piece. I signaled for Butler Bai to knock.

Butler Bai understood and stepped forward to knock.

I saw Butler Bai's knocking was quite rough; he directly clenched his fist and smashed it against the door, "Bang, bang, bang."

With every smash, some of the red paint on the iron gate would fall to the ground.

Perhaps Butler Bai had been running up and down these past few days and had some pent-up frustration. I thought to myself.

After a short while, an old man with a cloth tied around his head came out and opened the door.

I estimated this man to be around 60 years old. Looking closely, his face had a few age spots.

He was wearing a camouflage outfit, like those people who used to like traveling in the jungle.

It was the same kind of clothing, and on his feet, he wore a pair of liberation shoes.

Butler Bai frowned and asked the old man, "Why did it take so long to open the door?"

The old man cupped his fists and said obsequiously to Butler Bai, "Oh, sir, please don't be angry.

This old man is old and his hearing isn't very good, so I was late opening the door and have kept you all waiting."

Butler Bai nodded, then looked at me and said to the old man, "Answer this young master a few questions."

The old man nodded repeatedly, saying, "Yes, yes, yes."

Then he looked at me and said, "May I ask what questions you have for me, young master?"

I stepped forward and cupped my fists to salute the old man. He also cupped his fists and returned the salute.

I saw a thin layer of calluses on the palm of the old man's right hand. He noticed my gaze fixed on his hand with the calluses.

Then, the old man subtly tightened his grip on the hand with the calluses, so I could no longer see his palm.

"What do you do for a living here, old man?" I asked.

"This humble old man usually makes a living from the herbs brought in from outside, earning a small difference in price to barely get by," the old man replied.

I nodded and then walked into the courtyard to take a look.

Indeed, there were some chopped herbs drying in bamboo baskets inside the courtyard.

In an iron cage in the corner of the wall, there was a dirty dog.

The dog was large, its fur matted together, and a foul odor could be smelled from a distance.

Yun Yao even covered her nose and mouth, looking disgusted.

As soon as I took a few steps closer, the dog stood up, bared its teeth at me, and let out a series of barks.

The sound was a bit strange, as if it were being squeezed from its throat.

At this moment, the old man shouted loudly, "Beast, don't scare the distinguished guests, or I'll slaughter you tonight."

Then the dog lay back down in the cage and made no more sound.

I thought to myself that this dog was quite intelligent, just a bit dirty on the outside, and its bark was unpleasant.

Moreover, its bark sounded somewhat familiar, but I couldn't recall where I had heard it before.

Then I said to the old man, "Can I go inside the house to take a look?"