Suspicion Deepens

After Zeng Anmin brushed aside all objections and insisted on coming to the grave to exhume the coffin and examine the corpse.

Xu Yunfeng fell silent, not uttering another word from beginning to end.

"Pfft~"

As the laborers' final shovel struck the earth, a black coffin was suddenly exposed before everyone.

The moment the coffin was dug out, someone cried out in horror:

"T-the head nail is gone!!!"

At those words, everyone instinctively looked over.

The long nail that should have been driven into the coffin was gone, leaving behind only a tiny hole invisible to the naked eye!

In an instant, everyone stared at Zeng Anmin in shock.

This single detail powerfully confirmed the official's deduction!

"Open it."

Zeng Anmin's gaze casually swept over Xu Yunfeng.

Though it was no more than a fleeting glance, he saw it clearly.

When Xu Yunfeng saw that the coffin's nail was missing, there had not been the slightest trace of surprise on his face!

Under normal circumstances, anyone witnessing such a sight would show at least some astonishment.

Yet Xu Yunfeng remained utterly unmoved.

This point alone.

Could reveal countless clues from the side!

Zeng Anmin temporarily suppressed his suspicions and looked calmly at the coffin.

"Open the coffin!"

"Yes!"

The two Red-robed Guards did not hesitate. With grave expressions, they walked toward the coffin.

Bang!!!

Without its head nail, the coffin was easily opened.

In an instant, the entire scene fell silent.

Inside that enormous coffin, there was indeed nothing at all!!!

"This..."

After a brief silence came a wave of fierce cries of astonishment.

"Lord Zeng solves cases like a god!!"

"Heavens! It really was exactly as this lord had predicted!!"

"Even such a bizarre case could be solved?!!"

"This is wonderful, Young Master!! Your innocence has been proven!!"

"Most importantly, the master isn't dead!!!"

"Our ancestors have blessed us!!"

"..."

Some were horrified, some stunned, some utterly bewildered, and some jubilant.

Yet all of them still instinctively turned to look at the young man in Official Robes standing in the middle of the scene, his face calm and indifferent.

Their gazes upon the young man carried both fear and reverence.

Zeng Anmin seemed unsurprised by this. He said calmly:

"Don't celebrate too early. Although Shen Jun has now been cleared of suspicion, what we must do next is..."

Zeng Anmin paused, his eyes shifting toward Xu Yunfeng, his voice crashing down like thunder:

"Spare no effort in hunting down Shen Liu!!"

His words froze every member of the Shen Family who had been celebrating Shen Jun's innocence.

In an instant, their excitement vanished.

The young master had been cleared, but the master had murdered his wife...

"He staged such a grand farce just to fake his death..."

"I would like to see exactly what tricks this Shen Liu has been playing!"

Zeng Anmin sneered and turned to leave at once.

"Dachun! Withdraw!"

"Yes!"

"Clerk Zeng, please wait."

Shen Jun's voice suddenly rang out.

Zeng Anmin paused slightly, his expression unchanged as he turned back to Shen Jun.

"If you mean to plead for your uncle, then save your breath."

"Jun thanks Lord Zeng for restoring my innocence."

Shen Jun's expression was incomparably solemn. He gave Zeng Anmin a deep bow, all the way to his toes.

After completing the bow, he raised his head and said gravely:

"But my uncle treated me as his own son. Jun has no way to repay him, and is willing to accept punishment in his stead."

As his words fell, everyone was shaken to the core, their gazes toward Shen Jun filled with complicated emotions.

He had only just regained his innocence, yet he was already eager to enter the Imperial Prison of the Xuanjing Division?

This...

Shen Jun ignored those looks and continued to face Zeng Anmin openly.

"Since Uncle faked his death to escape, though I do not know why, he must have had his own unspeakable hardship..."

Hmph!!

Boy, that was not how you played the sentimental card.

Zeng Anmin gave a sharp snort, cutting him off. His face turned grim as he looked at Shen Jun.

"The state has its laws, and families have their rules. If everyone acted as you do, would not the world descend into chaos?!"

Zeng Anmin sat atop his horse, his gaze tranquil.

He looked at Xu Yunfeng, who rode alongside him.

The Aunt Murder Case involving Shen Jun had now, somewhat dramatically, become the Wife Murder and Disappearance Case involving Shen Liu.

The facts lay right before him.

Through this case, he had also obtained several clues.

First, the reason Shen Jun's Aunt Murder Case had remained unresolved for three months.

Was because Xu Yunfeng had not wanted Shen Jun dead. If he had wanted to kill him.

Then he would not have spent three whole months without going to the Jiaofang Division to verify Shen Jun's testimony with An Shiyi.

Thus, there was a paradox here.

Today, at Shen Manor, Xu Yunfeng's words had been meant to guide him into confirming Shen Jun's guilt.

He wanted to use Zeng Anmin's hand to kill Shen Jun!!

When Zeng Anmin thought of this, his eyes narrowed slightly.

"In other words, he wanted Shen Jun dead, but did not want Shen Jun to die by his own hand..."

"He has concerns... What are those concerns?"

Without sufficient clues, even if Zeng Anmin were a deity, he could not possibly divine the answer from thin air.

However, as long as they threw all their strength into finding Shen Liu next, every problem would be solved as easily as a knife cutting through bamboo.

Moreover, Zeng Anmin felt that this case definitely had countless threads and ties connecting it to Prince Jiang's Estate.

"Clip-clop, clip-clop~"

As the horses slowly arrived at the Xuanjing Division.

Burdened with thoughts, Zeng Anmin dismounted and headed into the Clerk's Office.

Prince Jiang's Estate.

Prince Jiang sat boldly in his chair, his expression dark as he looked over the news sent from the capital.

"The Profound Formation Division says it never forged this short blade."

"Could it be that Black Cat Martial Artist made it himself?"

Mr. Qi, seated across from him, had a weathered face, and a trace of gloom colored his voice.

"Since formation master Master Xu began crafting Spiritual Artifacts, I can think of no one besides the Profound Formation Division capable of making Spiritual Artifacts containing formations."

"It seems the trail of finding Black Cat Martial Artist through his weapon has gone cold."

Hearing this, Prince Jiang said expressionlessly:

"The Profound Formation Division has no reason to falsify this matter."

Mr. Qi was about to say more when a voice interrupted him.

"Prince, a secret letter has arrived from the Xuanjing Division."

"Present it."

Prince Jiang looked toward the servant.

"Yes." The servant entered the hall deferentially and presented the letter with both hands.

Prince Jiang took it and opened it to read.

"Idiot!"

After reading the secret letter.

Prince Jiang viciously slammed it onto the table with a resounding bang!

His face became incomparably ugly as he said through gritted teeth:

"More than capable of ruining things, utterly incapable of accomplishing anything."

Mr. Qi's complexion had already recovered. The last time he had deployed the formation, it had consumed a great deal of his Yuan Qi, but Prince Jiang's Estate had no shortage of Spiritual Medicine, which had helped him recover.

"What happened?"

Prince Jiang handed him the secret letter. "See for yourself."

Taking the paper, Mr. Qi's aged face looked exceptionally grim beneath the flickering candlelight.

"Prince, Xu Yunfeng meant well but ruined everything. Zeng Anmin must have already sensed that something was wrong. If we do not wish for our great plans to be ruined, we must..."

At this point, ruthlessness seeped into Mr. Qi's voice.

"He who hesitates to cut will suffer the chaos it brings."

Prince Jiang's hand paused slightly. Then he raised his head without expression, his gaze drifting toward the tabletop.

On the tabletop stood the figure of Black Cat Martial Artist, holding a short blade.

A sharp gleam flashed through his eyes.

"Mm. Make it clean."