Fang Han knew this very well, but didn't care about it, and never tried to explain or please.
He spent most of his energy on two things: one was to silently observe and learn the investigation methods of Zhao Gan and others and accumulate experience; the other was to use all the fragmented time to continue practicing <Spirit Nose Technique>.
Even when he is on the road and waiting for inquiries, he will dedicate part of his mind to guide Internal Qi and hone his sense of smell.
At sixteen times Secret Technique Talent Amplification, his cultivation of <Spirit Nose Technique> has progressed extremely quickly, and his perception and control of smell are improving every moment.
That evening, after the investigation was fruitless again, the group stayed in an inn named "Black Stone Town".
The night outside the window is getting darker, the lights in the town are lighting up one after another, and the noise of the market can be faintly heard.
In the guest room, Fang Han held his breath and concentrated once again, immersed in the practice of <Spirit Nose Technique>.
Minor Accomplishment is already proficient in the secret skills of the level. Internal Qi operates smoothly and has exquisite control over the sense of smell.
He kept trying to break through the invisible barrier leading to a higher realm.
I don't know how long it took, when the long sound of the watchman's bang was heard outside the window--
Fang Han's body shook slightly, and something seemed to penetrate deep in his nose!
A torrent of smell that was far more majestic and sharper than Minor Accomplishment surged into his perception!
The smell of the world around you instantly becomes "clear" and "three-dimensional" like never before.
He could even faintly "smell" the scent of vegetable oil left over from the guests' dinner in the next room, the smell of ink on the fingertips of the shopkeeper downstairs when he was fiddling with the abacus beads, and even the faint smell left by a wild cat passing by in the lane dozens of feet away outside the window...
The various scents have distinct layers, as if they have colors and shapes.
"<Spirit Nose Technique>, Proficiency Realm!"
Fang Han sniffed gently, feeling this completely reborn olfactory ability, and the corners of his mouth raised a slight arc uncontrollably.
Compared with Minor Accomplishment, Proficiency Realm level <Spirit Nose Technique>'s smelling ability has once again made a qualitative leap!
Now, if you go to Yellow Stone Village, you might be able to find something.
The next morning, in the lobby of Black Stone Town Inn, there were only a few early-rising guests sitting there.
Seven disciples of the Law Enforcement Hall, including Zhao Gan, Li Ming, Zhang Yuan, sat around a table and were discussing today's investigation plan in low voices. The atmosphere was a bit dull.
There has been no progress for several consecutive days, making everyone feel an invisible pressure, with fatigue and a hint of imperceptible anxiety in their brows.
Fang Han walked down the stairs calmly and came to their table.
Zhao Gan raised his eyes and caught a glimpse of him. He did not stop talking, but nodded his head imperceptibly as a greeting and continued to talk to Li Ming.
"Today we will go to the 'Justice Gathering Gang' stronghold in the west of the city. The deputy gang leader 'Soul-Severing Blade' Liu Mang is the most suspected person on the list. We need to carefully interrogate his whereabouts..."
Fang Han stood quietly for a moment, then Zhao Gan paused for a moment before speaking.
"Senior Brother Zhao, everyone, I plan to return to Yellow Stone Village today and investigate it carefully again."
The words were not loud, but the whispers around the table stopped abruptly.
Seven eyes instantly focused on Fang Han.
The muscles on Zhao Gan's face tensed unnoticeably for a moment. He held Teacup's fingers with slight force, then slowly put Teacup down, and his eyes darkened.
Li Ming twitched the corner of his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, but suppressed it, turned his face away, and snorted softly in his nose.
Zhang Yuan frowned and tapped his fingers on the table unconsciously.
Sun Yi directly crossed his arms and leaned back on the chair, with an unabashed look of ridicule on his face.
The two female disciples Liu Yun and Chen Xue exchanged glances, and both saw helplessness and a hint of dissatisfaction in each other's eyes.
Zhou Bo lowered his head and stared at the texture of the desktop, as if he could see flowers.
After a brief silence, Zhao Gan took a deep breath, his voice was filled with suppressed anger and his tone was stiff.
"Junior Brother Fang, we have repeatedly inspected the inside and outside of Yellow Stone Village no less than ten times. If there are any clues, we have already discovered them. Why waste time on this trip?"
He stared at Fang Han sharply.
"Now the correct way is to check the list. Although the progress is slow, it is progressing after all. What is your purpose of turning back alone at this time?"
Fang Han's expression remained unchanged as he met Zhao Gan's gaze.
"I just thought there might be something missing and wanted to try again."
"Try?"
Sun Yi finally couldn't help it and sneered, his words acrimonious.
"Junior Brother Fang, didn't Senior Brother tell you that tracking and investigating cases relies on experience and meticulousness, and it is not child's play. How can you say that you can get the results just by trying it?"
"The seven of us are working hard here, but you have to turn back alone. Could it be that you feel that following us will delay your practice?"
This statement has an obvious sting.
Zhang Yuan also sighed, with an admonishing tone.
"Junior Brother Fang, you need to be down-to-earth in investigating the case. You can't aim too high. Yellow Stone Village If there are really easily accessible clues, why should we waste our efforts here?"
Liu Yun shook his head slightly and said in a low voice.
"Junior Brother Fang, it's better to stay and investigate together. More people can help each other."
Fang Han had a panoramic view of everyone's reactions and understood clearly.
They believed that they were looking for excuses to leave the team and no longer wanted to participate in this boring and seemingly hopeless investigation.
Explanations are redundant.
He said no more, and just gave Zhao Gan a slight hand.
"In this case, junior brother will take the first step. If there is any discovery, I will inform you all."
Having said that, without waiting for Zhao Gan to say anything else, he turned around and walked out of the inn, his back determined.
"You!"
Zhao Gan looked at his leaving back, his chest rose and fell slightly, his face completely darkened, and the fingers that pinched Teacup turned white from the exertion.
Sun Yi slammed the table, causing the tea cups to rattle, and said angrily.
"That's unreasonable! Do you really think that this investigation mission is just a sightseeing tour? You can come and go when you want!"
Li Ming looked gloomy.
"That's all, he has no intention of doing this, and it's useless to force him to stay. He's just giving us a hard time and has to share the work for him."
Chen Xue frowned and sighed.
"I thought the sect would send a capable helper, but I didn't expect... Well, when this mission is over and I return to the sect, I must report this to Deacon Elder!"
Zhou Bo finally raised his head and said in a low voice.
Zhao Gan exhaled heavily, suppressed his anger and said coldly.
"Don't worry about him! We will proceed as planned! Whether we can find the murderer or not depends on our ability!"
Having said that, the atmosphere at the table was already freezing, and the seven people's dissatisfaction with Fang Han had reached its peak.
Fang Han left the inn, ignoring the angry or mocking eyes behind him.
He cast <Wind Shadow Step>, his figure was like the wind, and galloped along the path he came from, in the direction of Yellow Stone Village.
With no worries in mind, focus on rushing and adjusting your own state to maintain <Spirit Nose Technique> in the best sensing state.
In the afternoon, Fang Han once again stepped into the dead silence of Yellow Stone Village.
The pale afternoon sun shone on the deserted village, not only unable to dispel the haze, but instead made it even more eerie.
He walked directly to the east end of the village, the courtyard where five of his fellow disciples were killed.
The courtyard door was ajar, and when it was pushed open, a harsh and soft "squeak" sound was heard, which spread far and wide in the silence.
There are still some dark brown stains on the ground in the courtyard, which are blood stains that have long since dried.
Fang Han held his breath and concentrated, standing in the courtyard with his eyes slightly closed, pushing the Proficiency Realm level <Spirit Nose Technique> to the extreme!
In an instant, the surrounding scent world unfolded before his eyes like a scroll, which was several times clearer and three-dimensional than at Minor Accomplishment!
The fishy smell of soil, the musty smell of rotting vegetation, the faint remaining body odor, the smell of weathered wood... countless odor molecules are coming in one after another, but they are layered.
His mind was as calm as the most precise sieve, and he began to carefully filter and distinguish these complex information.
Ignore the smells that should belong to the villagers, fellow sects, and the natural environment, and search with all your strength for any faint traces of foreignness that may exist and belong to the murderer.
Time passes little by little.
Suddenly!
An extremely weak, vague, slightly pungent smell mixed with a strange smell that resembled a mixture of rust and some kind of herbal medicine penetrated into his perception like a gossamer.
This breath was so light that it almost blended into the air. If he hadn't elevated Spirit Nose Technique to the Proficiency Realm realm, he would never have been able to detect it.
Fang Han's heart skipped a beat, and he concentrated instantly, firmly remembering this smell.
Without hesitation, he immediately turned around and walked towards several other houses where villagers were killed.
Under the strong perception of the Proficiency Realm-level Spirit Nose Technique, he indeed captured the same, extremely weak smell in the other three houses that suffered the worst damage and had the most blood stains!
Although it is also thin, the smell is exactly the same!
"This smell remains in many scenes... it is definitely the smell of the murderer!"
Fang Han stood at the door of the last house, a trace of certainty flashing in his eyes.
The murderer acted cautiously and used medicinal powder to cover up the smell, but this cover-up does not mean that there will be no trace of the smell remaining.
But the remaining smell is extremely weak, even Tracking Secret Technique is difficult to find.
Now <Spirit Nose Technique> has reached Proficiency Realm, and I can finally smell the smell.
Fang Han Memorize the smell carefully, trying to imprint it deeply in the memory.
Suddenly, he frowned slightly.
"This smell... seems a bit familiar?"
It's not something you hear every day, but it's something you've been exposed to recently... on a specific occasion?
He closed his eyes and tried his best to recall the scene in the past few days when he followed Zhao Gan and others to investigate the suspects on the list.
Those various faces, the smells on their bodies...
The screen flashed back quickly.
Suddenly, the memory was fixed on Yellow Leaf City East District Zhou Mansion, a warrior named Zhou Tong whom I had inquired about two days ago.
At that time, Zhao Gan asked Zhou Tong about his whereabouts last month, and Zhou Tong responded naturally, without any abnormalities at all.
But now this smell has completely confirmed that Zhou Tong, who shows no abnormalities at all, is the murderer.
"Zhou Tong..."
Fang Han slowly opened his eyes, and a cold light suddenly appeared in his eyes, like cold lightning piercing the sky.
"Found you!"
Fang Han whispered to himself, his voice cold.
He no longer stayed, and moved, turning into a light green figure, quickly and silently swept out of the dead Yellow Stone Village, and galloped away in the direction of Yellow Leaf City.