The Demon Lords-Chapter 586 - 83: Wu Zuo_1

Tian Wujing waited for the National Master to descend the mountain. Then, he rose and left the Marquis's Mansion without his troops. Around Li Tian City, it mattered little whether he brought soldiers or not. In this world, many could assassinate Dujuan, but those who could assassinate Tian Wujing were extremely rare. Perhaps Tian Wujing was now wishing for someone to step forward and assassinate him.

What surprised Zheng Fan was that Tian Wujing hadn't left him any additional instructions, aside from telling him to find his child. Never mind whether the child was still alive; even if he was, if Tian Wujing wanted me to find him, he should have left me something, shouldn't he? The Yan Emperor had even given me a token back then, instructing me to visit the Third Prince at the Lake Heart Pavilion whenever I was free. I didn't expect Tian Wujing to directly hand over the Jingnan Army's Tiger Talisman, but at the very least, he should have granted me some authority to mobilize troops. This was Li Tian City, not Shengle City.

The whole affair, up to this point, seemed shrouded in mystery. Everyone had their own way of handling affairs, a way that wasn't just about practical methods. For instance, in later generations, an ordinary person trying to get a permit might have to run around to several relevant departments and still get the runaround. But if a leader wanted it done, a single phone call would suffice. Tian Wujing had sat on the threshold all night, seemingly doing nothing. In reality, he was just waiting—waiting for a response from certain quarters.

But Zheng Fan's suspicions hadn't dissipated. Chief Zheng was a "pragmatist." Perhaps due to his profession in his previous life, he often approached problems by moving from a point to a line, then to a plane. If this matter were to be truly investigated, it would have to start from the very beginning.

He subconsciously scanned his surroundings.

I have to start the investigation from this Marquis's Mansion, Zheng Fan thought.

But Tian Wujing hadn't done so. The armored soldiers who should have been guarding Dujuan were kneeling row upon row in the front courtyard. The two generals responsible for the internal and external security of Li Tian City knelt in the covered walkway. The army should have been the force Tian Wujing trusted most. Yet now, those who should have been taking action were doing nothing.

Surely Tian Wujing wouldn't have ordered the Spy Bureau to investigate secretly, right? After something like this, could the Spy Bureau even be trusted? Is he avoiding something?

Zheng Fan didn't know, nor did he know where he could find answers.

Just then, the captain who had previously signaled him with his eyes at the gate walked over to the covered walkway and called out, "Lord Zheng, one of your men is here to see you."

My man? Calculating the time, there's no way the blind man could have arrived so quickly.

Zheng Fan crossed the covered walkway and found that the two commanding officers, Chen Yang and Luo Ling, who had been kneeling there earlier, were gone. The rows of armored soldiers pleading for punishment were also gone. Tian Wujing must have issued some orders when he left.

Since Tian Wujing had already uttered the words "quell the rebellion," the army naturally couldn't remain paralyzed.

So, if they really couldn't reach an agreement, was he planning to rebel?

Truth be told, Chief Zheng wasn't actually prepared for a rebellion, even though the band of fiends under him, himself included, had always harbored a little ambition called "rebellion." But this wasn't how it was supposed to be done. Besides, if Lord Jingnan wanted to rebel, he faced immense difficulty. Many factions wouldn't compromise with him because Lord Jingnan had once exterminated his entire clan. Thus, a negotiation table didn't even exist for him. For Lord Jingnan to successfully rebel, he would have to rely solely on the troops under his command to forcibly crush all his opponents.

Zheng Fan was surprised to see A Ming at the entrance of the Marquis's Mansion; simultaneously, a sense of security washed over him.

Zheng Fan led A Ming into the mansion. It seemed desolately quiet inside, and the stationed armored soldiers didn't try to stop him. After passing through the courtyard and crossing the covered walkway, Zheng Fan led A Ming to the mourning hall.

"My lord, when I arrived, I saw Lord Jingnan leaving."

"He went to Tianhu Mountain to find that old master," Zheng Fan replied.

"There were quite a lot of eunuchs from the palace."

"What about you?"

"My lord, I accompanied Master Zhang, who is with the Sixth Prince, to Li Tian City. It was on the way, anyway."

Zheng Fan nodded. "The blind man will probably arrive tomorrow."

"If Lord Jingnan really intends to rebel, then things will get interesting."

"Are you pleased?"

"My lord, I am deeply grieved."

"Oh."

Zheng Fan motioned for A Ming to follow him into the mourning hall.

The coffin was unlidded. Dujuan lay inside. It was evident her body had been attended to. Judging by the arrangements in the mourning hall, her subordinates must have prepared it, but Lord Jingnan had halted everything upon his return.

"A Ming, help me examine Dujuan's wounds."

"That would be highly disrespectful," A Ming reminded him. "The Marquise's body—can others just touch it as they please?"

"If I tell you to examine her, then examine her. I know you have a high degree of expertise in surgery."

Someone who was frequently dissected and also used as an archery target—how could he not be familiar with human anatomy and its details? Perhaps even renowned anatomists weren't as proficient as A Ming, for he could cut himself open to observe anytime he wished.

"Your subordinate... obeys."

A Ming undid the silk brocade gown on Dujuan's body.

The entire scene was exceptionally strange. Within the imposing and heavily guarded Marquis's Mansion, perhaps no one would believe that two men were currently examining the Marquise's body. No one dared approach the main hall, making it, ironically, an extremely safe place. They had no fear of being seen or disturbed.

Of course, from a modern perspective, few would consider coroners and forensic pathologists to be desecrating the dead, especially when the cause of death was bizarre. Such experts were needed to speak for the deceased.

While A Ming examined the body, Zheng Fan leaned against the coffin, looking at Dujuan's face. In truth, he hadn't interacted with Dujuan much. His initial impression was of a very capable woman. However, as his own relationship with Lord Jingnan deepened, Dujuan, as Lord Jingnan's wife, had increasingly felt like a "sister-in-law" in Zheng Fan's heart.

"My lord, there are two types of wounds. One appears to be from something like a caesarean section and has been sutured. The other is a sword wound, and this sword wound is the fatal one."

"I know that." That's what Lord Jingnan had said. What Zheng Fan wanted to know were the things Lord Jingnan hadn't uncovered.

"It seems this woman forcibly delivered the child herself."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, My lord. From the entry angle of the incision and the suturing technique on the abdominal wound, one can determine the operational direction of the practitioner's hands..." A Ming raised his own hands as he spoke. "When I used to cut open my own abdomen or perform sutures on myself, I would often create wounds just like this."

He was speaking from experience, using himself as an example. His argument was powerful, irrefutably so.

Zheng Fan nodded. "So, we can be certain Dujuan delivered the child herself?" 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"It should be. If it were done by another's hand, it would be very difficult to replicate such wound characteristics and suturing patterns. This is because factors like the force applied and the posture during suturing would vary, making forgery exceedingly difficult. Most importantly, such suturing couldn't have been achieved if Dujuan was unconscious. And if she were conscious, who could have performed such a procedure on her abdomen?"

"That makes sense."

There were many details here that someone not accustomed to regularly dissecting and suturing themselves wouldn't be able to discern.

"As for this sword wound..."

"What about the sword wound?"

"She died on Tianhu Mountain."

"I know."

"But the exact manner of her death has always been unclear to the outside world."

"I just found out too."

"My lord, look here." A Ming gently lifted Dujuan's upper torso. "Look here. The internal injuries and bone fractures here indicate she must have fallen from a height before she died."

"Fallen from Tianhu Mountain? That's right, Ma Kui mentioned Dujuan had 'disappeared' for a period. She must have fallen from somewhere, was found, and then brought back to the Marquis's Mansion."

"My lord, judging from her internal organs, there are no signs of poisoning."

"The fatal wound is the sword wound," Zheng Fan stated.

"Then that brings us to the problem."

"What problem?"

"This world is different from the one we came from. Here, beings like martial artists exist. In short, the physical capabilities of cultivators can far exceed those of ordinary people. That's why this woman was able to perform a 'caesarean section' on herself and not die instantly."

"Yes."

"This sword wound..." A Ming mimed a stabbing motion with a sword. "My lord, Mr. Chen is still in our city, isn't he?"

"In Shengle."

"My lord, you've seen Mr. Chen use a sword, haven't you?"

"Yes, I have."

"Well, anyone capable of assassinating Dujuan would have to be an expert. Perhaps not on Mr. Chen's level, but not too far beneath him either." Because Dujuan herself was a martial artist. Setting aside her guards, assassinating her wasn't something an ordinary person with a sword could accomplish.

"Just what are you trying to say?"

"What I mean, My lord, is that this sword thrust... it was too plain, too unadorned. She was truly, simply, stabbed to death by a sword."

Zheng Fan was speechless.

My bow?

"My lord, when Mr. Chen uses a sword, it's like... SWOOSH, SWOOSH, SWOOSH! There's a glow—what they call Sword Energy or Sword Qi. Even you, My lord, when practicing your saber techniques, can channel your qi and blood into the blade and manifest Blade Aura, correct?"

"You mean...?"

"That's precisely the issue. In truth, compared to the physical damage caused by a sharp weapon like a sword, the Sword Qi imbued in the blade is often the real killing blow. This Sword Qi creates an effect somewhat like an explosion... well, 'explosion' isn't quite accurate. For instance, when your subordinate was previously struck by an arrow imbued with your qi and blood, My lord, my body wasn't just pierced by the arrowhead. The qi and blood adhering to it would rapidly inflict secondary damage, exacerbating the wound."

"I see what you mean."

"No, My lord, it's more than that. Firstly, this sword wound shows no signs of such secondary damage. Secondly, it appears that, ruling out other fatal injuries, Dujuan was indeed killed by this sword thrust. And because she was stabbed in the abdomen... How should I put this? The abdomen is actually a difficult place to inflict an instantly fatal wound. In vicious street brawls, when someone is stabbed in the stomach, they bleed a lot, but the cause of death is often excessive blood loss. This is a process that takes time; you might even have a chance to stuff your intestines back in if they spill out."

"Get to the point."

"The point is, My lord, you've been injured on the battlefield before, haven't you? What's your first reaction when you're hit by an arrow or slashed by a blade?"

"Use my qi and blood to control my muscles to constrict the wound, preventing excessive blood loss or the wound tearing open further, then wait for subsequent treatment."

"Exactly. When an ordinary person is stabbed, their muscles instinctively contract. Martial artists, however, have much finer control over their bodies, so the degree and effectiveness of this contraction are far greater. Every time your subordinate blocks a blade or sword for you, My lord, I do this too. It minimizes the wound's impact on my mobility, allowing me to better protect you. Then, whenever I treat such wounds, I find they are markedly different from the external injuries sustained by ordinary people."

"So Dujuan..."

"Her wound is very smooth. In fact, it's almost... too smooth."

"So..."

"So, it means..." A Ming mimed gripping a sword with both hands, then thrust the imaginary "blade" into his own abdomen. He said, "Based on your subordinate's understanding of his own anatomy... Your subordinate speculates that Lord Jingnan's wife, the Marquise... very likely... committed suicide."