Wu Shuangren forced down his nausea and moved closer to examine the body. He found an obvious wound on Li Youcai's neck, which was probably the fatal injury.
Holding his saber, he equipped the [Match for One Person] Trait and carefully entered the house.
The killer might still be at the scene, so he had to be careful.
Wu Shuangren walked around the house and saw clear signs that it had been ransacked.
He also saw two corpses, probably Li Youcai's wife and a servant of the household.
The woman's body lay on the bed, pale and naked. She might even have been violated before she died...
The entire household had been murdered!
Wu Shuangren walked out of the house, his expression grim.
He said to Zhang Li, "Get back to the county seat as fast as you can and tell Head Constable Liao what happened. I'll wait here."
"Understood!"
Zhang Da's expression turned grave, and he turned and ran out through the courtyard gate.
Wu Shuangren then instructed Dong Yan, "Go ask the villagers when they last saw Li Youcai. Also, ask if there have been any suspicious people in the village recently."
"Understood!"
Dong Yan turned and ran out of the courtyard as well.
Seeing how calm and methodical Wu Shuangren was in handling the matter, the three salt bosses were even less inclined to underestimate him.
Zhang Da hesitated, then asked, "Head Constable Wu, may we leave?"
Now that this had turned out to be a murder case rather than Li Youcai deliberately dragging his feet on payment, there was nothing more for the three salt bosses to do here.
Wu Shuangren had intended to nod and let the three leave, but then he thought again.
Li Youcai, a salt boss, had been perfectly fine before his entire household was suddenly wiped out. Could the other three salt bosses be in danger too?
So Wu Shuangren said, "There's no hurry. We still don't know why Li Youcai was killed. I think the three of you should stay a little longer."
None of the three were fools. They understood what Wu Shuangren was implying, and fear showed on their faces. None of them left.
The group waited in the courtyard, and Dong Yan, who had gone to ask around, was the first to return.
"Brother Wu, I've asked around. People in the village saw Li Youcai last night. Also, someone saw two outsiders enter the village this morning, both with sabers on their backs!"
Dong Yan said.
"Did anyone get a good look at the two of them?"
"Yes."
Wu Shuangren's expression grew grave.
The two outsiders who had entered the village today were probably the ones who killed Li Youcai and his family.
They had entered the village and killed people in broad daylight, without even concealing themselves. Were they really so brazen?
More than two hours later.
Liao Yu arrived with a group of constables, including Hou Huai.
The old constable, the most experienced in the entire constabulary, took charge of examining the bodies and the scene from start to finish.
"All three died less than six hours ago."
A moment later, Hou Huai gave his findings. "The person who killed Li Youcai wielded his saber with his left hand. The one who killed his wife and servant has trained in claw techniques, has very strong fingers, and is somewhat twisted in the head..."
Wu Shuangren recalled the body on the bed, covered in bruises.
He instinctively tightened his grip on the saber hilt at his waist.
Liao Yu had no doubts about Hou Huai's judgment and immediately ordered the bodies removed from the scene.
Liao Yu looked at Zhang Da and the other two salt bosses and said in a low voice, "I'm afraid this wasn't aimed at Li Youcai, but at the Mo Family. I suggest you don't go home tonight. Go to the county seat and seek the Mo Family's protection."
The three salt bosses went deathly pale at his words and thanked Liao Yu with trembling voices.
After a flurry of activity, Liao Yu had the bodies taken away from Li Youcai's home.
The three frightened salt bosses followed the others back to the county seat.
On the way back, Wu Shuangren walked beside Liao Yu and asked in a low voice:
"Uncle Liao, do you know what's going on?"
Liao Yu nodded slightly. "The bandit whose hand you cut off that night confessed everything in prison. He said someone over in the provincial capital paid them to come to Bo County and kill Mo Zhengxing, the head of the Mo Family's third branch. From the looks of it, the trouble the Mo Family stirred up elsewhere isn't over. Their enemies have come killing again..."
22 Cavalry
First, someone hired killers and sent them straight into the Mo Family's home to commit murder.
Now they had sent people to kill the entire family of a salt boss under the Mo Family!
The Mo Family was, after all, the local tyrant of Bo County. Wu Shuangren was curious what kind of force could be so brazen.
"Do you know who hired the killers?"
Wu Shuangren asked.
Liao Yu shook his head. "That bandit didn't know either, but there aren't many in all of Yi Province who would dare act this way."
The bodies of Li Youcai and his family came back to Wu Shuangren. "Then are we still going to investigate this case?"
Liao Yu said decisively, "The waters here run too deep. Let's not bring trouble on ourselves!"
After saying that, he glanced at Wu Shuangren. Worried that youthful hot blood might go to his head, he added, "The force behind this dares to be so unbridled. They must be formidable! Now that you've officially started working, the first thing you need to learn is this: when it's time to yield, you must be able to swallow it!"
"..."
Wu Shuangren nodded silently.
As the two were talking, Hou Huai came up from behind. Looking at Liao Yu with a smile plastered across his face, he asked cautiously, "Head Constable, what should we do about this case next?"
Liao Yu patted Hou Huai on the shoulder and said softly, "Old Hou, the waters in this case run too deep. We're staying out of it."
Hou Huai pressed his lips together and hesitated. "But it's a major case, an entire household wiped out, several lives lost. I think..."
Liao Yu cut him off bluntly. "Old Hou! I said we're leaving this case alone!"
"..."
Hou Huai lowered his head and said nothing.
Liao Yu glanced at him and snapped, "There are more unsolved cases in this world than you can count. Can you take care of them all?!"
Hou Huai still said nothing.
Liao Yu's patience ran out completely. "Fine. If you want to go looking for trouble, suit yourself!"
With that, he strode ahead.
Wu Shuangren looked at Hou Huai, who had lowered his head as though he had done something wrong, and felt a little uncomfortable.
Hou Huai seemed to notice Wu Shuangren's gaze. He raised his head and smiled at him. "It's all right. Head Constable Liao only has my best interests at heart."
"...Yeah."
In the end, Wu Shuangren said nothing more. He quickened his pace and silently followed behind Liao Yu.
Late at night, at the Mo residence.
In the main hall.
The three brothers had gathered: Mo Zhenglin of the first branch, Mo Zhengshang of the second, and Mo Zhengxing of the third.
The Mo Family's old patriarch was bedridden with illness, so the three brothers were in charge of the family.
"This is intolerable!"
Mo Zhenglin slammed his palm heavily onto the table, cracking the wood and displaying considerable palm strength.
All three Mo brothers had practiced martial arts since childhood. Everyone in Bo County knew that Mo Zhengshang of the Mo Family was an expert.
But few knew that Mo Zhenglin, the eldest of the Mo Family, was also highly skilled in martial arts.
"Does the Mist Hidden Temple really think it has the final say over all of Yi Province?!"
Mo Zhenglin wore a beard and had an imposing bearing. At that moment, his face was full of anger.
Zhang Da and the other two salt bosses had already come to their door and told them that Li Youcai's entire family had been killed.
The salt bosses all belonged to the Mo Family. At such a critical moment, the sudden slaughter of Li Youcai's household could only have been the work of enemies from outside.
The Mo Family had settled the three men in the county seat for the time being, while Mo Zhenglin summoned the other two heads to discuss a response.
"Eldest Brother, the way I see it, the Mist Hidden Temple is no longer just trying to warn us and make a show of force. They really want to reach their hands over here."
Mo Zhengxing, the third brother, spoke in a sinister tone.
Of the three brothers, Mo Zhenglin was imposing, Mo Zhengshang was heroic and valiant, while Mo Zhengxing had a more sinister look.
"This is Bo County. If the Mist Hidden Temple dares reach its hands over here, we fight!"
Mo Zhengshang said, his gaze cold and sharp.
Mo Zhengxing sneered. "They've already sent killers into our home, Second Brother. Can we beat them?"
Mo Zhengshang raised an eyebrow, and the scar between his brows seemed ready to jump out.
Before he could speak, Mo Zhenglin cut in. "Enough. Don't say such dispiriting things. Outsiders have come to attack us, so we must stand united against them!"
Mo Zhengshang glanced at Mo Zhengxing and remained silent.
The Mo Family's main business was selling illicit salt. Its supply had expanded further in recent years, and they were no longer content to sell salt in Bo County alone. They had been trying to expand beyond it.
In the end, this move struck a nerve with the Mist Hidden Temple, Yi Province's "great salt smuggler," which immediately struck back!
Not only had the Mo Family lost men outside the county, but killers had even made their way into their home.
The Mo Family had held sway in Bo County for many years. When had they ever suffered a loss like this?
So Mo Zhengshang had immediately joined forces with the constabulary to wipe out Peng Tianlang's gang, then sent Peng Tianlang's head to the provincial capital to claim the reward, as a response to the Mist Hidden Temple.
They had thought that would be the end of it. Though the Mo Family had suffered a loss, they had demonstrated their strength as the local tyrant of Bo County, and the Mist Hidden Temple would not strike again.
But to their surprise, the other side had come killing again!
"First, we need to find out what they hoped to gain by sending people to kill a salt boss."
Mo Zhenglin said.
If the Mist Hidden Temple intended to continue attacking the Mo Family, it should not have targeted a mere salt boss. That would only put the Mo Family on guard.
The three thought about it for a long time, but none could figure out why the Mist Hidden Temple had done this.
"Could it have been someone other than the Mist Hidden Temple who sent them?"
Mo Zhengshang said.
Mo Zhenglin said gravely, "Whether it was them or not, we can't let our guard down. Second Brother, transfer thirty skilled men from the militia into the county seat tomorrow. Have them guard the area around the Mo Family for the time being."
"Third Brother, send more men to gather information. Keep an eye on the Mist Hidden Temple's movements."
"I'll arrange to meet Lord He tomorrow."
He laid out his plans methodically.
Mo Zhengshang and Mo Zhengxing both nodded in agreement.
Though all three were angry, they were not in a panic.
The Mist Hidden Temple was powerful, but the Mo Family had deep roots in Bo County and feared no enemy.
The next morning, at dawn.
Morning light pierced the thin mist, and the village buzzed with voices.
In an open area, militiamen dressed in the militia's matching uniforms raised their spears and practiced thrusts in perfect unison.
"Kill!"