Chapter 34
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: A Killer's Logic
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If you want to claim you're not the culprit, you'll have to at least take some poison.
W-what?
Think about it. Why does everyone suspect you the most?
Because of my bad behavior?
Because you're the one who stands to gain the most if something happened to the Seo Family Head. As things were, you were about to be kicked out of the family.
Th-that's...
But if you take the poison, the story changes. To everyone else, it will look like someone is trying to frame you and poison you.
Seo Geum gulped.
No matter what, he couldn't muster the courage to drink poison.
It's not the kind that takes effect immediately. As long as you take the antidote in time, you don't have to worry.
B-but still.
If you don't want to, then you can just be dragged off to the Martial Alliance's prison, tortured for seven days and nights, and die without even a proper corpse left behind.
In the end, Seo Geum squeezed his eyes shut and swallowed the poison.
I-I took it. Now save me!
Empty-handed?
W-what?
Our past friendship is one thing, but this is another. You pay even to get a cold treated. Did you expect my help for free?
Seo Geum's mouth gaped in disbelief, while Jang Sam cast a pitying glance at him, as if to say, I knew that devil would do this.
Half of the Seo family's fortune.
...What?
If you want my help, donate half of the Seo family's fortune to the Medical Immortal Medical House.
W-what?!
If you don't want to, then forget it. It's no loss to me. Even if by some miracle you clear your name and survive, you won't be able to cure the poison you just took. It was made with a special secret formula.
Who was it that said?
To be good at negotiations, you have to be in a position of power over the other party.
In that respect, negotiating after having poisoned your opponent was the best kind of negotiation.
H-half is too much. I have debts to pay!
Debts?
...I have a lot of gambling debts. I have to pay them off when I inherit the family fortune.
How much do you owe?
Hearing the amount of Seo Geum's gambling debt, Wi Ji-cheon's eyes grew cold.
This reckless fool.
He had amassed a debt large enough to not only pull out the pillars of the Seo family but to bring the entire roof crashing down.
I-instead, I'll show my sincerity as much as I can. Please, just save me!
Wi Ji-cheon nodded.
He figured not setting a specific amount might be better.
Since he had poisoned him, Wi Ji-cheon would hold the upper hand in any negotiation, no matter when or how it happened.
Tsk, tsk, another victim has fallen into that devil's clutches. How pitiful.
Jang Sam found himself smirking before he caught himself.
The thought of having a companion in misery had made him lose control of his expression.
N-now what do I do?
You just need to control your expression.
I-I don't know how to do that.
It's fine. Just stay still. Let's go.
The conversation wasn't long.
A cup of tea's time, at most?
Ji-san said irritably.
I'm curious what kind of conversation you had that could possibly help the investigation.
Fortunately, I've found a major clue.
What clue?
To get straight to the point, Brother Seo Geum is not the culprit. In fact, he's a victim.
What?
Physician Ji-san, please check Brother Seo Geum's pulse yourself. You'll be able to confirm whether I'm right.
Ji-san frowned and placed his fingers on Seo Geum's wrist.
And then.
This is?
I was right, wasn't I? Brother Seo Geum has been poisoned.
The hall buzzed with murmurs again.
Young Master Seo Geum was poisoned too? Why?
What happened?
Faced with this unexpected turn of events, Ji-san bit his lip.
Wi Ji-cheon continued.
The poison Brother Seo Geum took isn't very harmful right now, but it becomes a problem over time. It seems the culprit planned to frame him and then eliminate him.
...In truth, it was all a scam concocted by Wi Ji-cheon, but it was the most convincing explanation in the current situation.
May I add something else I've been thinking?
...Speak.
Physician Ji-san, you said that forensic examination is like having a conversation with the dead, but I have a different opinion. I believe forensic examination is the art of killing the dead one more time.
Killing the dead one more time.
Everyone frowned at the bizarre statement, but.
-My boy. When you perform an examination, you must do it from the perspective of being the culprit yourself, as if you are killing the victim.
To catch a killer, you must put yourself in their shoes. You have to think about how they harmed the victim. What they were thinking. Why they did it. You must interpret the marks left on the body from that perspective.
This was what Wi Ji-cheon did best.
After all, in his previous life, he was one of those who had shed the most blood in the world.
Why did the killer use Omyeonsan? If they wanted Head Seo Ho to fall asleep, it would have been better to act later in the night.
......
The hall fell silent.
They understood the meaning behind Wi Ji-cheon's words.
May I perform an additional examination on Head Seo Ho, Brother Seo Geum?
Huh? Oh?
Aren't you the eldest son, Brother Seo Geum? I need your permission.
Y-yes! I permit it! Examine him right now!
Wi Ji-cheon stood before Seo Ho's body.
Seo Ho's face was contorted in a grimace.
A sign that he had died in extreme agony.
Wi Ji-cheon thought from the 'culprit's' perspective.
Why did the killer inflict such pain on Seo Ho?
Because they were a crazed demon?
But this wasn't a simple murder for pleasure. It was a crime with a clear purpose.
'Killing him so painfully must have been risky for the culprit too, right?'
Even if his pressure points were sealed, demonic energy stirring the blood could easily break the seal. If Seo Ho had screamed, the family members outside might have rushed in.
'Perhaps they were willing to take that risk because they wanted to kill Seo Ho painfully.'
One more thing.
'There's a blockage of qi in the Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian. This means he felt sorrow and anger as he died.'
Wi Ji-cheon explained what he had discovered.
The killer is someone who held a grudge against Seo Ho.
Seo Ho felt sorrow and anger toward the killer.
In other words, the killer must have been someone very close to Head Seo Ho. Someone who harbored a secret grudge.
People's reactions were divided.
Cheongsong of the Mount Hua Sect looked on with admiration.
'As expected. He's incredible. My judgment wasn't wrong.'
Ji-san scowled deeply.
His pride was wounded.
So what? How do you expect to identify the killer with just that?
It wasn't an unfair point.
A decisive clue was needed.
'If Seo Eun is the killer, why would he kill Seo Ho? Unlike Seo Geum, who was on the verge of being cast out, Seo Eun had a secure future. He had no particular reason to kill his father.'
Wi Ji-cheon examined Seo Ho's body again.
There was another noticeable detail.
The Chanjuk and Jeongmyeong points around his eyebrows were reddened.
Such marks appear when one resists, endures, and bears something.
He had often seen such marks on those who died under torture in the past.
'Seo Eun even tortured Head Seo Ho before killing him. Why? For what? Did he have another purpose besides simply killing him?'
He tried to think from Seo Eun's perspective.
What if, in reality, Seo Eun's future wasn't so secure?
What if, contrary to what was publicly known, Seo Ho was planning to leave his fortune to his eldest son, Seo Geum?
If so, everything would make sense.
Holding a grudge against his father.
Then what was the torture for?
The answer came to him.
The will.
What?
There must be something left for emergencies. Where is Head Seo Ho's will usually kept?
It's in the safe inside his bedchamber, where the family seal is kept.
The Seo family was a merchant family.
When the head of such a family met an unexpected end, it was common to have a will prepared in advance to prevent inheritance disputes.
And the key?
The Head and I, the steward, each keep a copy.
Have you checked the will?
Not yet. The procedure is to check it after the funeral is over.
Checking the will before the funeral was over was considered an act of filial impiety, a lack of respect for one's parents.
Please check it. You don't need to read the contents, just see if the will is in its proper place.
Understood. Please wait.
A moment later.
The steward's face turned pale.
It's gone. It should definitely be in the safe.
What about the seal?
The seal is still in the safe.
Are there any signs that the seal was used last night?
That is...
The steward's face hardened again.
The ink paste hasn't completely dried yet. Judging by its state, it seems to have been used last night, sometime after the Hour of the Ox.
Everyone began to murmur again.
That was after Head Seo Ho had died.
And on top of that, a missing will.
Wi Ji-cheon explained the whole story.
It seems the killer tortured Head Seo Ho to get the safe key, destroyed the original will, and then forged a new one. The forged will hasn't been put in the safe yet because the seal's ink is still wet. If you place it in a sealed safe before the ink dries, the impression could be ruined. They were probably planning to put it in the safe sometime this afternoon, once the ink was dry. After all, the killer must be someone who can easily access these quarters.
Everyone swallowed hard.
Hearing Wi Ji-cheon's explanation, one person came to mind.
Wi Ji-cheon turned his gaze.
It was toward Seo Eun, whose face had now turned completely pale.
What do you think of my theory, Young Master Seo Eun?
W-why are you asking me?
If my theory is correct, then the suspect must be one of the two young masters who would be named in the will.
Ha, so you're suspecting me?
Please don't misunderstand. I'm simply saying we need to investigate you as a suspect. Just as we did with Young Master Seo Geum.
!!
Seo Eun gritted his teeth.
His composed demeanor had vanished without a trace.
Daoist Cheongsong, may I ask you to search the quarters of both young masters? If my theory is correct, you'll find a forged will with ink that isn't yet dry.
I will investigate immediately.
Cheongsong sent another look of admiration toward Wi Ji-cheon.
If not for Wi Ji-cheon, he would have never guessed any of this.
If they had waited to check the will, the forged document would have already been placed in the safe by then.
'If it weren't for that young physician, I would have accused an innocent man.'
A chill ran down Cheongsong's spine.
He felt even more grateful to Wi Ji-cheon.
But it was then.
Kekeke. A little brat comes to ruin everything just as it's finished.
A chilling voice.
At the same time,
Fshhh!
Blood splattered.
Demonic energy?!
It's the Blood Cult!!