Iron-Mouth Diviner

On the way back to the county seat, Old Liu deliberately tried to develop Xiang Yuan's ability to solve cases independently, laying out all the clues he had gathered.

Xiang Yuan analyzed them one by one.

"The River of Wrath runs fast, and its fish are plump and delicious. Where the current slows, Lin Family Village and Zhao Family Village sit on its banks. Both villages make their living fishing, and they're constantly at odds over the prices at the fish market..."

"Old Liu, you mentioned Zhao Family Village, but Lin Jianze didn't take the opportunity to frame them. He didn't even say a single bad word like 'they might have done it.'"

"There were no signs of a struggle inside Lesser Morality Temple..."

"Lin Baoyi must have gone to the temple at night to meet someone he knew. He had Acupoint Opening cultivation and was skilled in martial arts. He didn't expect the killer to ambush him, which was why he was killed with a single slash."

At this, Xiang Yuan looked at Old Liu for confirmation. "Lin Jianze has plenty of suspicious points. Even if he isn't the killer, he's trying to mislead us and conceal the killer's tracks."

"Exactly. That's why we shouldn't linger at Lesser Morality Temple."

Old Liu sighed. There were more than a dozen people at the Qi Refining Stage, plus Lin Jianze at the Acupoint Opening Stage, and they were close to Lin Family Village's territory. He would never dare arrest Lin Jianze on the spot and take him to the yamen for questioning.

Xiang Yuan nodded to himself. That's what you call professional.

"Old Liu, Lin Jianze has plenty of suspicious points. His excuses were obviously improvised in a hurry. He probably guessed who the killer was—most likely someone from Zhao Family Village. His own elder brother was killed, yet he can let go of his hatred for the murderer. Could he and Zhao Family Village have some sort of shady dealings?"

Xiang Yuan continued, "He was so flustered just now. Once he gets back, he'll surely realize he's given himself away. If we return to the yamen and summon him for questioning, will he still be there?"

"It'd be better if he wasn't."

"Huh?!"

"We're not Six Doors. To solve a case, we need witnesses and physical evidence. At the very least, we have to find the murder weapon. Reasoning alone is useless. Captain Liu won't listen to that, and Lord Sima can't be bothered to hear it. If we summon Lin Jianze to the yamen and he flees out of guilt, the case will actually be easier to handle." Old Liu spoke meaningfully.

"The murder weapon might be in Zhao Family Village..."

Xiang Yuan trailed off, then realized what Old Liu meant.

So what if we know the murder weapon is in Zhao Family Village? Can we go looking for it? What if people from Lin Family Village show up too? Together, the two villages have more than a hundred burly men.

By then, we can forget looking for anything. Old Liu and I will be at the bottom of the River of Wrath, each with our own private booth.

With the case analysis more or less complete, Xiang Yuan asked, "Old Liu, when we get back to the county seat, should we go straight to the yamen, or should we go to West Street to find the Iron-Mouth Diviner?"

"West Street, just in case."

Old Liu imparted another lesson. They shouldn't get hung up on Lin Jianze's suspicious points for now. Since he had mentioned the Iron-Mouth Diviner, they had to follow up on that lead. There might be something wrong with the diviner too—perhaps he was a fake Taoist priest who killed for money.

"If the Iron-Mouth Diviner did it, then Lin Jianze's suspicious behavior would make sense..."

Following the train of thought, Xiang Yuan said quietly, "Lin Family Village and Zhao Family Village may seem at odds on the surface, but they secretly help each other. They've probably done plenty of illegal things. Lin Jianze must have tried to clear Zhao Family Village because he was afraid an investigation would uncover something."

Old Liu stared at Xiang Yuan in surprise. This ability to draw one inference from another hardly seemed like that of a half-grown boy cooped up in a martial arts school.

Xiang Yuan blushed. "Old Liu, did I get something wrong?"

"No. You were born to be a constable."

Old Liu teased him, then said, "And you don't need to put on an act. There are plenty of clever people in this world. You're not the only one, so there's no need to hide what you can do."

Xiang Yuan sighed inwardly. There are too many clever people in this world. That's not good news for an outsider like me.

If possible, I hope the average intelligence in this world is only seventy.

They passed Yulin Academy and went another five li before spotting the county seat's western gate in the distance, along with a fortune-telling Taoist carrying a banner over his shoulder.

The Taoist wore a simple black robe that looked a little shabby. The banner on his shoulder depicted the yin-yang symbol and the Eight Trigrams, with two lines of writing beside it:

"Tongue of Iron and Teeth of Steel Speak the Truth;

Golden Eyes and Fiery Gaze See Through Heaven and Earth."

His long beard fluttered in the breeze. He made a striking impression, and at a glance, he did seem to have some skill.

Xiang Yuan was dumbfounded. Though the fortune-telling Taoist hadn't introduced himself yet, Xiang Yuan had a pretty good idea who he was.

The Iron-Mouth Diviner!

Old Liu was also a little taken aback. He dismounted and walked over. "Daoist..."

"You two constables, I've been waiting for you. Earlier, your horses were too fast, and I couldn't catch up on foot."

The Iron-Mouth Diviner cut Old Liu off and took a short blade wrapped in white cloth from his satchel. "I'm here to report a crime. Just after the city gate opened, someone left this at my doorstep. It gave me quite a fright."

"..." x2

If you're reporting a crime, go to the yamen! Why block our way here?

Old Liu and Xiang Yuan exchanged glances, both feeling a chill run down their spines. Xiang Yuan was especially shocked. So there really are immortals in this world who can predict the future!

While Xiang Yuan was still reeling, Old Liu recovered first. He took the cloth-wrapped knife and asked, "May I ask who killed Lin Baoyi, Iron-Mouth Diviner?"

"His own greed."

"..." x2

Now Old Liu was speechless too. Of course he knew that Lin Family Village and Zhao Family Village were up to no good. That wasn't what he'd asked. The Iron-Mouth Diviner was pretending not to understand, and it was no fun at all.

What, do I have to pay you before you'll tell my fortune?

Thinking this, Old Liu reluctantly dug out two taels of silver and asked earnestly, "Immortal, who killed Lin Baoyi?"

"Zhao Zhifan of Zhao Family Village. Lin Baoyi's murder weapon is buried in the grove behind his house, in the third row from the left, fourth column. Dig down three chi and three cun beneath the tree, and you'll find it."

The Iron-Mouth Diviner weighed the silver in his hand and said, "The two Baoyis were dealing in illicit goods from the Five Poisons Cult in the Southern Border. They couldn't agree on how to divide the spoils, and so this calamity befell them."

Good heavens, is the case solved just like that?

Wait, he only got two taels of silver. That was enough to do something this big?

Xiang Yuan gaped. The Iron-Mouth Diviner continued, "Of all people, they had to frame me. If I don't explain myself today, the yamen will surely take my head."

"Th-that won't happen."

Old Liu raised his sleeve and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. He stared awkwardly at the Iron-Mouth Diviner, wanting to speak, then stopping himself, then wanting to speak again.

"Constable, there's no need to worry. I'm due for a spell in prison today. It's a way to escape this fate, and I couldn't be happier. I'll come with you to the county yamen." The Iron-Mouth Diviner handed the two taels of silver to Xiang Yuan.

"..." x2

You know that too. x2

The Iron-Mouth Diviner had explained things so clearly that it was as if he'd been watching from nearby. He might even have been an accomplice, so they had to take him back to the county yamen and question him.

Of course, if he refused, Old Liu wouldn't insist. He'd rather not invite a prediction of disaster upon himself.

How much do we make in a month, anyway? Why risk our lives?

Xiang Yuan took the silver and behaved very respectfully. "Rest assured, Immortal. Over the next few days, I'll make sure you have plenty of meat and wine, so you'll eat and drink well in prison and won't suffer the slightest grievance."

Beside him, Old Liu nodded repeatedly in agreement.

"Good. Sorry for the trouble..."

The Iron-Mouth Diviner stroked his grizzled beard and narrowed his eyes as he studied Xiang Yuan for a few moments. Xiang Yuan was so unnerved that his scalp prickled. Only then did the diviner look away.

"Wonderful!"

"Wonderful!!"