VIP Chapter 129: A Bizarre Homicide

After lunch, the bald man, thoroughly intoxicated, sprawled out on Ye Xiaoxuan’s bed and fell fast asleep. Yuer, meanwhile, couldn’t wait to bring out her cross-stitch to study it with Jiaran and Yuan Caiyi.

Guan Ling, having no interest in needlework, borrowed Jiaran’s phone, tucked it into her pocket, and began wandering aimlessly through the village. Ye Dajun had been intended as the guide for this "sworn sister," but he was whisked away halfway by the "Silly Girl." Left with no other choice, Guan Ling dragged Ye Xiaoxuan along. Since he had been abandoned by everyone else, he decided to accompany her.

They roamed from the east end of the village to the west, then from the south to the north. By the time they were done, Ye Xiaoxuan felt like his legs were about to snap, yet Guan Ling remained as energetic as ever.

Unable to take it anymore, Ye Xiaoxuan grabbed her arm. "My lady, I can’t run anymore. If you’re interested, keep exploring on your own; I’ll wait for you here! I honestly don’t understand—it’s just a tiny village, what is there to explore?"

Guan Ling rolled her eyes at him. "Do you think I’m here for a vacation? I’m looking for clues to solve a case!"

Ye Xiaoxuan gestured indignantly with his arms. "And you think running around like a monkey with its tail cut off will find you clues? Don’t make me laugh! If that’s how you solve crimes, I’d be a far better detective than Sherlock Holmes!"

Guan Ling sneered. "Oh? Sherlock Holmes? You? Fine, then tell me, what did you see on this loop?"

Ye Xiaoxuan pursed his lips. "I saw that everyone is at home sleeping with their doors wide open! Everyone just finished eating; who would be bored enough to wander around the village?"

Guan Ling gave a cold huff. "Wrong! We passed about 120 houses. Only about 80 had their doors open, which is two-thirds. The third house on the east side belongs to the old shepherd we saw this morning. The fifth house on the north side has someone sick, bedridden for years. The first house on the south side is the most suspicious! Whose house is that?"

Ye Xiaoxuan was stunned. How could she possibly know all this? The third house on the east was indeed the shepherd’s. The fifth house on the north belonged to Hao the Six-Fingered, and his grandfather, Old Man Hao, was indeed bedridden.

As for the first house on the south, that was Chen Jiatang’s! His house had been burned down by assassins from the Qitian Group just a while ago.

Ye Xiaoxuan looked at the young policewoman with newfound respect. She wasn’t just a pretty face; she clearly had a sharp mind. Convinced, he gave her a thumbs-up. "Spot on! How did you know?"

The young policewoman lifted her chin triumphantly and shot him a glance. "Simple. The shepherd’s house smells like goat, and even if he takes the herd out, that scent doesn’t just vanish. As for the bedridden one, the herbal residue dumped at their doorstep contains a lot of black fungus dregs—it’s a folk remedy for stroke patients."

Ye Xiaoxuan looked at her with pure adoration. "I am absolutely blown away by you!"

Guan Ling felt smug, though she scoffed, "Save the flattery. I’m asking you, whose house was it that caught fire? Even the screen wall was scorched like that; it’s obvious someone doused it in paint thinner! This was a hit to silence someone!"

Ye Xiaoxuan sighed. "That was the home of Chen Jiatang, the uncle of Chen Tianlei. Chen Tianlei had nowhere to hide in the township, so he came to Reed Village to seek refuge with his uncle, which unfortunately brought this disaster upon them. A real shame."

Guan Ling leaned in close, her large eyes fixed on him without blinking. Her delicate, flawless face was so close to his that he could almost smell a fragrance as subtle as musk and orchids.

Ye Xiaoxuan pulled his neck back awkwardly, frowning. "What are you doing?"

Guan Ling smiled like a little fox, squinting at him. "Watching you lie! I don’t see a shred of pity on your face; if anything, you look like you’re relishing their misfortune!"

*Hey!* This girl was becoming a real mastermind. Ye Xiaoxuan decided to stop pretending and grinned broadly. "Fine, I admit it—it feels good! But I didn’t start the fire!"

Guan Ling rolled her eyes. "I know you didn’t! Do you want to take a ride outside with me? Don’t worry, we’ll take the motorcycle."

Ye Xiaoxuan hesitated. "Where to? Let’s get one thing straight: no staying out overnight! It’ll ruin my reputation!"

Guan Ling kicked out at him. "Forget it! You might want to, but I wouldn’t touch you with a ten-foot pole! We’re going to the township road to see the crime scene."

As they walked back toward his house, Ye Xiaoxuan asked, "Is this case a big one?"

Guan Ling glared at him. "Duh! Three people are dead—how could it not be? How many cases this big have we had in our township in years?"

Ye Xiaoxuan immediately pointed at her, scolding, "Oh, quit it! Aren’t you afraid of biting your tongue? The Daxian Lake tragedy was only a few days ago!"

Guan Ling blushed and gave a cold huff. "That case was never officially filed, so it doesn’t count!"

Ye Xiaoxuan knew this was just self-deception, but he didn't want to provoke the policewoman or draw the attention of the Qitian Group, so he changed the subject. "How did these three people die?"

Guan Ling frowned. Her beauty wasn't the kind that needed to be enhanced with penciled brows; she had naturally curved, willow-leaf eyebrows. She looked dainty, but in her uniform, she carried a sense of heroic spirit. Ye Xiaoxuan loved looking at her brows.

"They died in very strange ways. The first one had his Adam’s apple shattered; judging by the marks, it was smashed with a wrench! The second died from a ruptured kidney. The strange part is, the thing that pierced his kidney was one of his own vertebrae!"

A look of disbelief, mixed with a hint of fear, crossed Guan Ling’s face. Ye Xiaoxuan continued to press her, "And the third one?"

Guan Ling’s cheeks flushed, and she whispered, "The third one died in the strangest way—his 'parts' retracted entirely into his stomach!"

Ye Xiaoxuan blinked, not quite understanding. "His where?"

Guan Ling’s face turned even redder. She glanced down at Ye Xiaoxuan’s crotch and snapped, "You know, a man’s parts!"

Ye Xiaoxuan suddenly realized, and burst into laughter. "Oh! Retracted yang! I’ve heard of that condition, but it’s the first time I’ve heard of it killing someone!"

Guan Ling said blankly, "I don’t understand it either. We took him to the county hospital for an autopsy last night, and the whole thing had retracted into his abdomen, like an iron rod had been shoved inside. It was terrifying!"

Ye Xiaoxuan stared at her, wide-eyed. "Are you saying that it retracted into his lower abdomen while still in an erect state?"

Guan Ling blushed. "It was like a nail had been hammered in, piercing through the abdominal cavity!"

Ye Xiaoxuan knitted his brows, as if talking to himself. "Then that’s not retracted yang! It’s impossible for it to remain rigid like that if it’s retracted!"

Guan Ling didn't dare look up, muttering, "I don’t get it either, and I was too embarrassed to ask. I don’t know if it was a disease or a wound!"

Ye Xiaoxuan grabbed her hand. "I’m curious to see how such a thing could happen myself! This case is actually quite interesting. Come on, I’ll go to the scene with you and take a look!"