There is a god in the sky

Chapter 240 The Mummified Corpse Case 33

Bianjing was placed under martial law, with the Imperial Guards and the Imperial Household Department patrolling the streets daily and arresting many people.

Ordinary people don't care which official is assassinated, nor do they care about the official's life or death.

Moreover, the city was only under lockdown for two days, yet it imprisoned a huge number of people from all walks of life.

However, none of them were the people the government was looking for. Instead, they captured many criminals wanted by the imperial court, thus purging many evildoers from Bianjing.

Xiao Ji has been staying at the Xiao residence under the pretext of recuperating from his injuries, and has not left the house except for the funeral.

But only a few people in the Criminal Investigation Department knew that Lord Xiao had been secretly investigating the mummified corpse case.

“My lord, look, this is the place Wu Chunniang visited in the last two days before she died. One of her neighbors, who was also her good friend, clearly remembered that she had been to Jiufeng Mountain.”

"In that case, the female corpse among the eight bodies is most likely her, otherwise it would be too much of a coincidence."

Shen Lan helped take notes. The clues they could find each day were very limited, and they also had to make reasonable inferences and eliminate useless information. It was indeed difficult for a group of ancient people without advanced equipment.

Xiao Ji compared Wu Chunniang's information with the female corpse's information. "She is twenty-seven years old, and her height and build are close to what Miss Shen calculated. It is probably her."

“Wu Chunniang was just an ordinary woman from the city, and it was impossible for her to offend anyone. Her murder also shows that the murderer killed randomly and there was no personal grudge involved.”

Such murderers are the most despicable.

They killed people at will, treating human life as worthless. Perhaps even after killing so many people, he felt no fear whatsoever.

"Sir, what should we investigate next?"

Even if the victim's identity is found, everyone thinks it will be difficult to find the murderer.

After all, there was no connection between the deceased and the murderer.

Perhaps they just met by chance in the mountains and were then brutally murdered.

"Next, we need to find someone, a martial artist who came to Bianjing from another place to make a living fifteen years ago. Maybe he's a bodyguard, maybe he's a martial arts master, or maybe he's a street thug. We'll look for someone based on his height and build."

Officer Xing gestured to indicate the height, then said with a bitter face, "Sir, there aren't many people this tall, but there are still quite a few, especially one who died fifteen years ago."

Such a person might disappear and no one would even report it to the authorities; finding someone who knows him is extremely difficult.

How is this any different from finding a needle in a haystack?

Shen Lan pulled out a stack of portraits from the side, picked one out, and handed it to Constable Xing.

"This is a portrait I drew based on the skull of the deceased. It may not look exactly the same, but it may serve as a reference."

Shen Lan had received special training in this skill during her university years: creating three-dimensional models of human skulls to deduce what he looked like when he was alive.

In the past, with computers, modeling could be adjusted at any time, and there was a huge database for comparison.

With just a slightly similar portrait, it's difficult to find someone who has been dead for over a decade, let alone a living person.

Everyone gathered around, heads down, studying the portrait.

"Don't say that, he's just like a living person."

"Nonsense, this was originally a person, even after turning into bones he was once a person."

"No... Officer, this is too lifelike! Look at the eyebrows, the eyes, the nose, it's exactly the same as the real person!"

"That's amazing! If I had seen this person before, I would have recognized him at a glance."

"How did Miss Shen manage to paint this? No one has ever seen what this person looked like in life, so how could Miss Shen have painted it?"

Everyone looked at Shen Lan curiously, waiting for her to explain.

Shen Lan pointed to their faces and said, "You can touch your own faces and go down from your forehead. Everyone's cheekbones, eye sockets, and nose bridge are different."

The deceased was strong and robust, probably a man with a rather cold and stern face. He was in his early twenties, very young.

Such people leave a lasting impression wherever they go. I remember there were several tea stalls and small eateries near the city gate that had been in business for many years; you could go there and ask around.

Officer Xing clapped his hands suddenly. "Impressive! Let's go, let's go find it. Maybe we can really find some clues."

He glanced furtively at the stack of portraits in Shen Lan's hand and tentatively asked, "Should we look for the others too?"

Shen Lan only took out Wu Chunniang's drawing. "Due to time constraints, it's a bit rough. I need to revise the others. I'll give them to you when they're done."

At first glance, Constable Xing thought that Wu Chunniang's appearance was just like the painting, just as he had heard from others.

"It's really amazing!"

For the first time, he realized that being a coroner was truly a technical job.

After they left, Suiying placed a portrait in front of Xiaoji.

"My lord, this man is Qian Tai. He is the magistrate of Tongzhou County. He has been in this position for seven or eight years. The rest of the Qian family have all returned to their hometown in Shu."

"Find some time to ask about the provincial examination back then, preferably after you're drunk."

"clear."

Xiao Ji picked up the two portraits with great interest.

One was painted by Qian Tai, and the other was painted by Shen Lan for the deceased.

Judging solely by her painting skills, Shen Lan's expertise is immediately apparent; every stroke is placed precisely, and the figures she paints are incredibly lifelike.

He thought of that book of beautiful women's bone analysis pictures. If Shen Lan were to draw it, it would definitely be even more thrilling!

On another note, he hasn't shown that painting to Shen Lan yet. What would she think if she knew she had become the person in the painting?

"My lord... my lord..." Shen Lan called him twice.

Xiao Ji snapped out of his reverie and put down the portrait in his hand. "What's wrong?"

"My lord, as I just said, simply searching for people like this is not a solution; it's too slow. Why don't we start our investigation from Yishan Academy?"

"You mean to start the investigation from Headmaster Tong, right?"

"Yes, there are also a few old scholars. They are all senior members of the academy and must know something."

"That being said, they are all highly respected senior figures in the literary world. Without sufficient evidence, it would be presumptuous to even question them, let alone arrest them."

"Based on my intuition, a habitual killer wouldn't suddenly stop for no reason. Perhaps there have been some murders we don't know about over the years?"

No one has yet found out the reason for the mummified corpse case from back then. It wasn't a revenge killing, a crime of passion, or for money or profit. Will such a habitual offender really stop killing?

Xiao Ji tapped the table lightly with his finger as he pondered, then said, "We need a legitimate reason to enter the academy."

He wrote a name on the paper, and Shen Lan laughed when she saw it.

"Young Master Fu is certainly willing to cooperate, but who would be the best person to go with him?"

Xiao Ji's companions, Sui Feng and Sui Ying, were familiar faces. Shen Lan, being a woman, was not suitable to enter the academy, and the others might not be of much use.

"I'm going to Marquis Pingyang to demand the release of the prisoners."

This person needs to protect Fu Qingyan's safety and cooperate with their investigation; ideally, they should be skilled in both literature and martial arts.

The Xiao family doesn't have such people, but the Pingyang Marquis's mansion does.

Just as he finished tidying up the mess on the table, a servant came to report that the eldest son of the Zhao family had come to visit Xiao Ji.

Shen Lan avoided him and walked away. As she brushed past Zhao Huan, he grabbed her arm.

If this weren't the Xiao family's residence, Shen Lan would have instinctively retaliated.

"What does Young Master Zhao mean by this?"

"You're the coroner?" Zhao Huan's gaze made Shen Lan very uncomfortable; it seemed to be filled with a wicked sense of amusement.