Chapter 1017: Dead People Don't Lie

Zu An put away the note. "Six personal bodyguards of the Duke of Yunzhong later died in the line of duty. I had my subordinates investigate their individual circumstances.

The deaths of three of them were not suspicious, and their remains were identified. However, the deaths of the other three were rather strange."

"What's strange about them?" Pei Mianman asked curiously.

Zu An explained, "For example, one of them was ambushed by demons and eventually decapitated with a single strike. His colleagues only recovered a headless corpse. Another went to investigate a medicinal smuggling case, but the warehouse he traced caught fire, burning him to a crisp. And yet another had all his vital essence drained by an evil entity, leaving only a mummified corpse."

Pei Mianman, being intelligent, immediately realized, "These individuals have one thing in common: their identities are difficult to ascertain."

"Exactly!" Zu An nodded. "I suspect someone used these methods to pull a switch, and those bodies might not be the real people."

"But how can we verify this?" Pei Mianman asked, somewhat worried. "After all, those people's identities are already unidentifiable."

"When a person comes into this world, they inevitably leave various traces. Even the most meticulous killer will leave unnoticed flaws," Zu An paused, then continued, "Moreover, the living can lie, but the dead cannot."

Pei Mianman's expression subtly changed. "You wouldn't be thinking of..."

Zu An smiled and nodded. "Beautiful lady, since we have nothing to do right now, would you be interested in accompanying me on a date to the cemetery outside the city?"

"Pah, what normal person goes on a date to a cemetery?" As a woman, Pei Mianman instinctively rejected the idea.

Zu An knew it was a difficult request for her. "Alright then, you go home and rest first. I'll come find you after I'm done."

Pei Mianman showed a conflicted expression, but ultimately couldn't bear to be separated from her lover. "No, I'll still go with you." For her, wasn't that home also a tomb? Anywhere with her beloved was home.

Zu An, also reluctant to part with her, took her hand and smiled. "Good. When a husband and wife are united, their strength can break metal."

"Who's your wife?" Pei Mianman pouted playfully, but ultimately allowed him to hold her hand.

Zu An smoothly swung onto his horse. "The cemetery is outside the city, a bit of a distance from here. It'll be more convenient if we ride." As he spoke, he patted the space in front of him, gesturing for her to sit there.

Pei Mianman's face flushed slightly. If they were in private, she would naturally have joyfully climbed on, but with people coming and going in the city, sitting in his embrace like that was too ostentatious. In Yunzhong Prefecture, while not everyone knew her, her outstanding beauty combined with her status as Miss Pei of the Pei clan gave her considerable fame. If someone with ill intentions saw them and reported it to her parents, it could lead to trouble.

So she tapped her toes and directly settled behind Zu An.

"Hold on tight," Zu An reminded her.

Pei Mianman pursed her lips. In private, let alone embracing him, she would readily agree to other things. But on a public street, to embrace another man's waist, her maidenly modesty still gave her some reservations.

"Giddy up!" To her surprise, Zu An suddenly nudged the horse's belly, and the horse galloped away. Pei Mianman lost her balance and nearly fell backward. Fortunately, with her profound cultivation, she reacted quickly, wrapping one arm around Zu An's waist and steadying herself.

Feeling the impact of her body against his, Zu An's expression became somewhat peculiar. Big Mianman truly lived up to her name.

"You did that on purpose, didn't you?" Pei Mianman playfully punched his back, but couldn't bring herself to hit him hard.

Zu An laughed heartily, flicked the reins, and galloped out of the city. A swift horse with a beautiful woman truly was one of life's great joys.

"Hey, slow... slow down, I can't take it anymore!" Pei Mianman, sitting behind him, nearly bounced off several times and could only hold onto his waist tightly.

"Speed is key in warfare. I've only recently begun investigating these guards, and the hidden forces might already be alerted. I'm worried they'll destroy evidence if we delay," Zu An explained.

"Oh." Pei Mianman was now pressed tightly against him. Even through their clothes, she could feel his broad, sturdy back and its warmth. She suddenly felt a sense of peace. Her heart filled with happiness. This was exactly the scene she had once fantasized about: riding horseback with her beloved. She never expected it to actually come true.

"A'Zu, do you know why I came to see you today?" Pei Mianman pressed her face tightly against his back. Having him in front, shielding her from the wind and snow, felt truly wonderful.

"Isn't it because you missed me?" Zu An replied with a smile.

"Hmph, that's just one aspect," Pei Mianman said, not feeling shy this time. "The other aspect is that the Crown Prince of Qi wants to know how far you've progressed in your investigation."

"Oh?" Zu An raised an eyebrow. Listening to Pei Mianman briefly recount Zhao Zhi's visit, he couldn't help but sigh, "Are all men in this world out of their minds? Why do they all like sending their fiancées or whatever to other men?" He thought of Sang Qian, that unlucky fellow. But now that Sang Qian was his convenient brother-in-law, it felt awkward to speak ill of him. However, he still approved of such behavior, thinking that the more people like this he encountered in the future, the better.

*Don't pity me for being a delicate flower. Let everything come at me. Let them ruthlessly ravage me.*

"Pah, who's his fiancée? I never agreed!" Pei Mianman, somewhat vexed, bit him playfully.

"Of course you're my woman! That Zhao Zhi is a toad trying to eat swan meat. This time, he'll learn what it means to lose both the wife and the army," Zu An chuckled.

Pei Mianman always found his words a bit strange, but hearing his bold declaration that she was his woman, her heart sweetened, and she simply held onto him, saying no more. All the way, Zu An felt as if he was leaning against a cloud of cotton. He thought, *no wonder those who rode motorcycles with women in his previous life always had them sit in the back. He had instinctively let Pei Mianman sit in front just now; he was still too young.*

Thus, the two of them were immersed in their respective emotions, neither willing to break this wonderful feeling.

Before they knew it, they arrived at the suburban cemetery. In this vast world, one couldn't simply be buried wherever they wished, as the land might not belong to them. For most common folk, the land they owned was barely enough to grow food. If a year of disaster struck, they could easily lose their land to landlords due to unpaid debts. The government often allocated a piece of barren land for those who couldn't find a burial place. However, such people often had no family left, and after a generation or two, there would be no one to offer incense or sacrifices. Their graves quickly became neglected, and over time, these barren lands would turn into mass burial grounds.

As trusted bodyguards of the Duke of Yunzhong, their treatment was clearly much better. Within his fiefdom, the Duke of Yunzhong had specifically allocated a plot of land for burying his subordinates who died in the line of duty. Although he was missing, this system had continued to be well-maintained. Various pine and cypress trees were planted nearby, and the area was also adorned with various flowers, though naturally, there were no flowers in bloom during the current deep winter. The mausoleum also had gatekeepers who, on ordinary days, trimmed the plants and trees and prevented wild beasts from entering and damaging the graves. However, on such heavily snowy days, they were all inside, warming themselves by the fire, and wouldn't come out to check.

Zu An and Pei Mianman easily slipped into the mausoleum. Following the information given by his subordinates, they found the graves of those several guards.

"Are we really going to dig up graves?" Pei Mianman turned around awkwardly. The ride had been too bumpy, and with their bodies pressed so tightly together, she still felt numb all over and didn't want him to see her discomfiture.

Zu An hummed in agreement. "You stand aside, I'll handle it."

Pei Mianman opened her mouth, wanting to offer help, but then, considering what he was about to do, she dismissed the thought.

"Good sirs, I do not wish to disturb you, but rather to bring you justice. After all, if someone truly harmed you, you wouldn't want to have died so unjustly, would you...?" Zu An took out a few sticks of incense he had prepared, bowed to the graves, and then began his work.

This was a world of cultivation, where people were like human excavators. Digging graves wasn't as troublesome as one might imagine. Soon, a coffin was unearthed. "This man is Cheng Ba. He was ambushed by demons and had his head cut off." As he spoke, he slid open the coffin lid, and a foul stench wafted out.

"Watch out for corpse poison." Pei Mianman, standing nearby, pointed a finger, and a wisp of black flame swept through, burning away the toxic gases.

"You're still the most thoughtful," Zu An smiled, then began to inspect the remains inside. Indeed, only the skeletal body remained; a wooden carving replaced the head. Although the person had been dead for several months, the cold climate of Yunzhong Prefecture meant the body hadn't completely decomposed into bones.

"With no head, what can you even tell?" Pei Mianman covered her nose and mouth with a handkerchief, offering one to Zu An as well. If not for accompanying her lover, she would never have stayed in such a place.