Because it had been raining, and two days had passed before the discovery, the footprints on the ground had long since disappeared. All they could find were blade marks that could not be erased.
After studying the scene carefully for a long while, Ye Jingtang leaped over the courtyard wall.
Dongfang Liren and the officers all turned to look in puzzlement.
Shing-
The sound of a saber being drawn rang out beyond the wall, then a figure shot into the air.
His robes billowing, Ye Jingtang held his saber in one hand and swooped like a gray-winged hawk diving on a rabbit, thrusting straight at the flower bed inside the courtyard.
Whoosh-
His blade struck precisely where the broken branches and shredded leaves lay in the flower bed, then lifted and stopped short. His right elbow smashed into the air beside him.
Thump!
His robes shuddered!
Then he thrust again, his blade brushing past a pillar beneath the eaves, matching the mark on it perfectly.
The "imaginary opponent" under attack seemed to have realized they could not beat Ye Jingtang and tried to flee over the courtyard wall.
Ye Jingtang immediately leaped up and swept his saber horizontally, its tip passing over the wall, forcing the air back to the ground. Then he raised his left hand and struck out to the side, pointing toward the main room's window...
Dongfang Liren and the officers were initially somewhat bewildered, but soon understood-he was reconstructing the fight between the killer and the victim. Their gazes gradually filled with astonishment and doubt.
Without an opponent, many movements simply could not be performed alone. After striking out with his palm, Ye Jingtang stopped, reversed his grip, and sheathed his saber. He considered briefly.
"Hmm... the victim used a walking stick, a wooden rod, or