Fang Han had a panoramic view of the reactions of the seven people, and he understood clearly, but he was not too angry.
He knew very well that if he had been in another position and had been waiting for many days, only to receive a helping hand that could be regarded as a "novice", he would probably have the same reaction.
From a certain perspective, the seven Zhao Gan people were implicated by him.
If Tu Baichuan hadn't taken advantage of the situation and forced this task on him, the person sent by the sect was probably an experienced Deacon who was good at tracking and investigating.
Maybe we will be able to find clues soon and complete this mission.
Now, the seven people have to spend time with him, a "newbie" here. Whether the final task can be completed is still unknown. It is normal to have some resentment in their hearts.
His expression remained normal and he nodded slightly.
"I'd like to ask you, brothers and sisters, to take care of you from now on!"
After that, he followed Zhao Gan and others and stepped into the dead silence of Yellow Stone Village.
The scene inside the village is even more heart-stopping than when viewed from a distance.
The winding dirt path is lined with low adobe huts with wide open doors and windows, many of which show signs of violent damage.
The air was filled with the smell of dust and a hint of blood.
There were some debris scattered on the ground, but there were no signs of fierce fighting. It was as if the disaster had struck in a very short time, and the villagers did not even have time to react.
As Zhao Gan walked, he introduced the situation in an emotionless tone, speaking slowly, as if he was completing a set process.
"There are 183 people in the village, totaling 47 households. None of them survived. According to the inspection, they were all injured by long knives. Most of the wounds were in the throat, heart and other vital parts. The technique was clean and neat. They should have been killed while sleeping at night."
"The five killed Zi Courtyard juniors were found in the larger courtyard at the east end of the village."
Zhao Gan pointed to a yard ahead.
"There were signs of a fight at the scene, but the area was not large... They were all killed with one knife."
Fang Han looked along, his eyes slightly focused.
Although the five Zi Courtyard disciples who were killed were not the best among Zi Courtyard, after all, they had been Beginner stage for a year, and they should have at least had the cultivation level of Ninth-rank middle stage.
And his strength is not comparable to that of ordinary Ninth-rank middle stage warriors.
Facing five disciples who were at least Ninth-rank middle stage, he killed them all with one blow. The murderer's strength was definitely extraordinary.
He pondered for a moment and then asked.
"Senior Brother Zhao, what is the current progress of the investigation into the identity of the murderer?"
"Based on the traces on the scene and the judgment of the wounds of the five junior brothers, the perpetrator used a knife, and his cultivation level is not weak, at least Eighth Grade Martial Artist, maybe even stronger."
Zhao Gan replied without stopping or looking back.
"We used the sect's intelligence network to investigate swordsmen with such strength who might have appeared in this area around the time when the five junior brothers were killed."
He paused and said.
"There are a lot of people who meet the requirements, 37 of them, with different identities. There are lone thieves, small gang leaders, and unknown wandering warriors. They are scattered in several surrounding cities."
"There are 37 people?"
Fang Han frowned.
There are fully 37 people who meet the conditions. It is impossible to treat all 37 people as murderers. Azure Profound Sect is not overbearing to this extent.
How to identify the real murderer among these thirty-seven people is a huge problem.
And I'm afraid it cannot be ruled out that the murderer's whereabouts have not been discovered, or he has hidden his martial arts skills and is not among these thirty-seven people.
He pondered for a moment, looked at Zhao Gan, and tried to come up with his own ideas.
"Senior Brother Zhao, can you identify the murderer among these 37 people through the smell Tracking Secret Technique?"
Zhao Gan shook his head, with a hint of helplessness in his tone.
"To be honest, Junior Brother Fang, I have practiced a secret technique of scent tracking. Although it is only Beginner stage, ordinary smells remain, and I should be able to sense it within a few days."
"However, here, whether it is the place where the five junior brothers were killed or the houses where the villagers were killed, except for the strong smell of blood and decaying corpses, I did not smell any suspicious smell."
He paused, his eyes serious.
"The murderer most likely used some kind of special pharmaceutical powder in advance to completely cover his own scent. With my current Beginner stage level of occult attainments, I cannot detect the murderer's scent."
"Powder to cover up..."
Fang Han's eyes flashed slightly. This murderer acted very cautiously and had a strong sense of anti-tracking.
He thought for a moment and asked again.
"Then... can we judge from the shape, depth, and angle of the wounds of the five junior brothers and the villagers what kind of sword and martial arts the murderer used? If the number of martial arts can be determined, the scope of suspicion can be greatly narrowed."
This time, without waiting for Zhao Gan to answer, a Law Enforcement Hall disciple named Zhang Yuan next to him couldn't help but sigh and interjected.
"Junior Brother Fang, we have naturally considered what you are thinking, but... well, I am ashamed to say that although we have practiced at the Law Enforcement Hall for several years, our experience in martial arts identification is limited after all."
"You can't tell what kind of martial arts caused it just by looking at the wound."
Zhao Gan took over the conversation, with a hint of fatigue and darkness in his tone that was barely noticeable.
"Because there were very few clues and the investigation was at a deadlock, we asked the sect for help. We were hoping that an elder Deacon would come who is good at this. With his rich experience, he might be able to find out the clues that we had overlooked, but we didn't want to..."
He didn't finish his words, but his meaning was already clear.
Fang Han heard this, nodded silently, and asked no more questions.
The situation was more difficult than he expected.
The murderer was powerful, thoughtful and clean, leaving almost no obvious flaws.
On our side, our tracking methods are limited and our experience is insufficient.
"Senior Brother Zhao, I want to do some research inside and outside the village."
Fang Han said to Zhao Gan.
Zhao Gan glanced at Fang Han, without much expectation in his eyes, and just nodded businesslikely.
"Junior brother, please take care of yourself. If you find anything, please inform us at any time. We still need to conduct another inspection in the courtyard at the east end of the village."
"Okay."
Fang Han responded, then separated from the seven Zhao Gan, walking slowly in the village alone.
He used all his strength to activate <Spirit Nose Technique>, which reached Beginner stage, and raised his sense of smell to the limit that could currently be maintained.
Focus on exploring places that are relatively closed and where the smell is not easy to dissipate quickly, such as the inside of villagers' houses and some leeward corners.
However, the results disappointed him.
Except for the strong stench of dust, mildew, blood and decomposed corpses, he was unable to capture any smell that was completely different from the villagers and suspected of belonging to the murderer.
The murderer's powder concealment was extremely effective, and it was obviously not something he could crack with his current Beginner stage level <Spirit Nose Technique>.
"Beginner stage level is really not enough..."
Fang Han stood in an abandoned house, his brows furrowed and then relaxed again.
Since the existing methods are ineffective, then improve the methods!
He found a secluded corner and started practicing <Spirit Nose Technique>.
At sixteen times Secret Technique Talent Amplification, his comprehension speed of the secret technique reached an extremely exaggerated level.
According to the secret method, Internal Qi accurately stimulates the subtle meridians near the nasal cavity. With high concentration, you can carefully appreciate the olfactory changes brought about by each vibration of Internal Qi.
Try, adjust, try again...
Time passes quietly in the focused practice.
The sun sets in the west, and the sky lights up with gorgeous sunset glow, dyeing the dead village with a sad and warm color.
When the last ray of sunlight is about to disappear over the mountain ridge--
Fang Han Inside the nasal cavity, the invisible barrier seemed to be completely broken open by a soft and tough force!
In an instant, the surrounding smell information flooded into his perception like a tide, and its clarity and resolution were improved several times compared to Beginner stage!
Many flavors that were difficult to detect before have now become distinct.
The subtle differences in different minerals in the soil, the types of wild flowers in the distance... can all be clearly captured and analyzed.
"<Spirit Nose Technique>, Minor Accomplishment!"
Fang Han A faint hint of joy flashed across his eyes, and he soon returned to calm.
He once again walked towards the houses that he had previously inspected, using all his strength to activate the Minor Accomplishment level <Spirit Nose Technique> to conduct a more detailed inspection.
His olfactory perception ability has greatly increased, and he can separate more subtle clues from mixed smells.
However, after repeated inspections, the results remained the same.
Still couldn't find any suspicious smell belonging to the murderer.
The covering of the medicinal powder was like a perfect shield, protecting the murderer's aura tightly.
Minor Accomplishment level <Spirit Nose Technique>, still can't smell the murderer's scent!
"It seems that a higher level is needed..."
Fang Han stood at the entrance of the village, looking at the distant mountains that had completely sunk into the night, with calm eyes.
In the next few days, Fang Han followed the seven people Zhao Gan, left the dead Yellow Stone Village, and began to visit and investigate the list of thirty-seven suspects.
They traveled between several surrounding towns, and based on the information on the list, they searched for knife masters who might have appeared near Yellow Stone Village at the time of the crime.
The process is boring and slow.
Facing the inquiries from the Azure Profound Sect Law Enforcement Hall disciples, these suspects had different reactions.
Some are extremely cooperative, while others are unwilling to disclose their whereabouts because they are engaged in shady business.
Zhao Gan is quite skilled in questioning skills, but the clues Nai He has are really limited. Without more characteristics of the murderer, it is difficult to screen out the murderer from these suspects.
Over the past few days, more than ten people have been investigated, but little progress has been made. The investigation seems to have reached a deadlock.
During this process, Fang Han spent most of the time just standing aside and observing silently, rarely interrupting.
He was new to this field and lacked experience. He knew that he was far inferior to Zhao Gan and others in terms of questioning skills and observation of words and expressions. Speaking rashly might disrupt the rhythm, so he chose to read more and learn more.
However, in the eyes of the seven Zhao Gan people, Fang Han's silence undoubtedly confirmed the impression that he was "inexperienced and embarrassed to be useful".
Although everyone still maintains basic courtesy on the surface out of friendship, the invisible feeling of alienation becomes more and more obvious as time goes by.
When discussing the case, Fang Han rarely takes the initiative to seek his opinions.
During breaks, the seven of them would gather together and chat in low voices, while Fang Han would often be alone, adjusting his breath or thinking.
Occasionally, when their eyes met, Fang Han could clearly feel the trace of hard-to-conceal... disgust hidden under those seemingly calm eyes.