Chapter 71: Washing Away Suspicion

At this moment, Zhao Congwu and the masters of the other three sword sects entered. Zhao Congwu asked, "Zhuo Qingfeng, Zuo Yue, what happened here?"

Zuo Yue, his face pale, said, "Master, I don't know exactly what happened. Lord Zhuo was investigating the killer, so I brought him here to find Seventeenth Junior Brother. Just as we reached the door, we heard a scream. When we came in… we… we saw Seventeenth Junior Brother dead, killed by… by… a cat demon!"

"Nonsense!" Zhao Congwu rebuked, "There are no demons in this world!"

Zuo Yue took a deep breath, clearly not yet recovered from the fright of the cat demon's appearance. He said, "Master, I'm not making things up. Just now… just now we all saw it, a white cat as big as an ox. And… Swordsman Gu even fought it!"

Zhao Congwu and the others looked at Gu Mo.

Gu Mo nodded slightly.

"This… doesn't this resemble the legendary Bloodtear Stone Clam?"

In the oppressive atmosphere of the room, Zhuo Qingfeng suddenly spoke. Everyone looked over to see him crouching on the ground, holding an oil lamp. In front of him was the pile of blood-red glazed shards that everyone had noticed upon entering.

Zhuo Qingfeng handed the oil lamp to Gu Chudong, then began piecing the shards together with both hands. In a short while, he assembled them into a palm-sized clam shell.

Zhuo Qingfeng said, "According to legend, the Bloodtear Stone Clam of Lingyun Villa is entirely crystal clear, blood-red in color, and glows at night. Is this it?"

Zhao Congwu shook his head and said, "I've heard of the Bloodtear Stone Clam, but I've never seen one." Then, Zhao Congwu looked at Zuo Yue and asked, "Zuo Yue, your father and Mo Qingxian, the master of Lingyun Villa, are close friends. Have you ever seen one?"

Zuo Yue nodded slightly and said, "Yes, I've seen it. It truly looks like this. Master Mo is currently staying at my house; we can send someone to ask him to come and verify if it's real."

Zhuo Qingfeng looked up at Zuo Yue and asked, "Your esteemed father is Zuo Ze, the head of the Zuo family? The Zuo Ze for whom Mo Qingxian sent the Bloodtear Stone Clam to Qingyang Commandery for treatment?"

Zuo Yue nodded and said, "Yes. My father and Master Mo are sworn brothers. Some time ago, my father encountered a powerful enemy and was severely wounded, in critical condition. Master Mo then sent the Bloodtear Stone Clam to heal my father. We didn't expect it to be robbed even after reaching Fang County."

"So, how is your esteemed father now?" Zhuo Qingfeng asked.

Zuo Yue sighed softly and said, "He's relying on the Bloodtear Pills sent from Lingyun Villa, but I fear his time is limited. I was originally serving him at home, but the sect needs to hold a martial arts tournament, and my master is old, so I had to come and preside over it. I planned to return home once everything was arranged after the tournament started tomorrow."

Zhuo Qingfeng sighed and said, "So Master Mo is currently at your house?"

"Yes," Zuo Yue said, "He arrived a few days ago. After the Bloodtear Stone Clam was stolen, Master Mo rushed here with the few remaining Bloodtear Pills from Lingyun Villa, hoping to help my father last until the Bloodtear Stone Clam was found. But now, this…"

Despair filled Zuo Yue's eyes.

He had been anxious when the Bloodtear Stone Clam couldn't be found, but at least there was still some hope. Now that it was found, if it was indeed real, he had no hope left, as the Bloodtear Stone Clam had been destroyed.

"Brother Zuo, please quickly go and invite Master Mo to take a look!"

Zuo Yue nodded, turned, and left the room.

Zhuo Qingfeng then said to Zhao Congwu, "Senior Zhao, please have someone seal off this courtyard. No one should be allowed to enter before the yamen officials arrive."

"Understood."

Zhao Congwu nodded. He had no intention of concealing anything, as the commotion today was significant, especially coming at the critical juncture of the Four Sects Martial Arts Competition. It would be impossible to keep it secret, so it was better to be open about it. If the Bloodtear Stone Clam was verified as real, while it would affect the reputation of their Dongshan Sword Sect, it wouldn't be enough to shake the sect's foundation.

Immediately, Zhao Congwu ordered his disciples to seal off the courtyard.

Zhuo Qingfeng, holding the oil lamp, looked around the room and soon discovered a loose-fitting black garment under the bed.

Zhuo Qingfeng pulled out the garment and saw some bloodstains on it. Based on his experience, he could tell at a glance that they were no older than two days.

"Is Song Zu left-handed?" Zhuo Qingfeng asked.

Zhao Congwu nodded and replied, "Yes."

Zhuo Qingfeng said gravely, "I'm afraid the Bloodtear Stone Clam is real then."

Zhao Congwu frowned slightly and asked, "Is he the killer you've come to my Dongshan Sword Sect to investigate this time?"

"It's largely confirmed to be him, but further investigation is still needed."

Zhuo Qingfeng continued to inspect the surroundings of the courtyard. As dawn approached, he heard commotion outside, indicating the yamen officials had arrived. He quickly went to Gu Mo's side and whispered, "Gu Mo, you and your sister should remain here at Dongshan Sword Sect until this matter is resolved. I'll go ahead. I'll wait for you at the Yunlai Inn in Qixian."

Gu Chudong asked doubtfully, "Commander Zhuo, why?"

Zhuo Qingfeng said helplessly, "If I don't leave now, once the Fang County yamen officials arrive, I won't be able to."

"Huh?" Gu Chudong was surprised.

Gu Mo explained, "Commander Zhuo is a government official; his every action must adhere to regulations. He has neither a transfer order nor an official document. If he's caught by the local authorities operating outside his jurisdiction, he'll be in trouble. Moreover, he's currently in a sensitive period because of the case involving the descendants of King Mu. If he's caught again for unauthorized cross-jurisdictional investigation, he might lose his official position."

"Is it that serious? Then Commander Zhuo, you should hurry and leave," Gu Chudong said.

Zhuo Qingfeng nodded slightly and said, "All the evidence now points to Song Zu as the thief of the Bloodtear Stone Clam. Once the Fang County yamen officials arrive and verify everything, Qu Heng and the others will be cleared of wrongdoing. Our mission here will have been accomplished, so you don't need to worry."

Gu Mo asked with a faint smile, "What about the cat demon, then? Is Commander Zhuo not going to investigate it? Besides, this whole matter is filled with inconsistencies from beginning to end. Song Zu's death is far too coincidental."

Zhuo Qingfeng replied, "You believe it was a demon at work, so why do you still find it unreasonable?"

Gu Mo said, "I believe in demons, but that doesn't mean Commander Zhuo believes in them, does it?"

"You understand me, haha," Zhuo Qingfeng chuckled. "However, there's nothing I can do for now. I must first return to Linjiang Commandery and apply to Yunzhou Headquarters for a cross-jurisdictional investigation order to continue. I'm leaving now. I'll wait for you in Qixian. If anyone asks about me later, just insist you don't know anything. As long as I'm not caught red-handed, I'll deny everything to the death, and they'll have no way to deal with me!"

With that, Zhuo Qingfeng turned to leave. As there were too many people at the door, he chose to climb over the wall instead.

Just as he climbed onto the wall, Zhuo Qingfeng suddenly stopped. He slowly raised his hand and noticed some fine white powder on it. He brought it to his nose and sniffed; there was a strange fragrance. Hallucinogen.

He immediately used his sword to gently scrape the powder from the top of the wall and wrapped it in a handkerchief.

At that moment, a team of yamen constables entered. Zhuo Qingfeng immediately jumped over the wall and departed.