Chapter 00272: The Eldest Young Master Truly Possesses Extraordinary Insight
# The Eldest Young Master Truly Possesses Extraordinary Insight
Chapter 272
Novel: After the Immortals Disappeared
Chapter 272: The Eldest Young Master Truly Possesses Extraordinary Insight
When Hong Chengluo left, it was impossible for him to take all these local belongings with him, right? He was invited back to be the commander for the Beijia Kingdom, not to switch from one town to being a cook!
He Lingchuan focused on the bedroom: “There’s blood on the floor, and it has been deliberately cleaned up. Hong Chengluo didn’t want us to find any useful clues here. So, you all better open your eyes wide and search thoroughly!”
The three of them nodded and began a meticulous search.
However, it was clear that Hong Chengluo was quite professional in this regard.
The four of them worked together for a quarter of an hour, leaving no crack in the tiles unchecked.
They even discovered hidden compartments in the walls near the bed, but still found no valuable personal belongings.
“At that time, he had already killed three officials and had to clean this place up immediately. Plus, he had to carry his paralyzed wife away, hmm—” He Lingchuan suddenly noticed that Mao Tao was signaling to him, so he nodded in response.
Mao Tao then stealthily slipped to the gate of the courtyard and suddenly pulled the door open—
“Ah!” A little old woman stumbled in from outside.
Her back was hunched, her lips were thin, but her movements were surprisingly agile.
She staggered but quickly regained her footing and turned to escape.
Mao Tao swiftly grabbed her collar and dragged her in front of He Lingchuan.
He Lingchuan crossed his arms and asked, “Are you eavesdropping while the state office is conducting business?”
“Ah?” The old woman, stretching her ears, looked confused and raised her voice, “What did you say!”
“Are you also a resident of this alley?”
“Speak louder!”
Mao Tao smiled and said to He Lingchuan, “Boss, this old woman is deaf. Let’s ask someone else.”
Ten copper coins clinked in He Lingchuan’s hand, “Go with a bounty, that shows sincerity.”
Upon seeing the ten copper coins, the old woman’s eyes immediately glistened, and her voice shrank in volume since that represented several days’ worth of meals: “Ah, I can hear, I can hear! What do you want to ask?”
“Are you familiar with the couple who lives here, Hong Chengluo and his wife?”
The old woman nodded, “Familiar, I often come to visit. A-Jin is bedridden and can’t move; I often bring her water. A few days ago, there was a murder here. I was the first to discover it and then reported it to the officials.”
“What happened during the murder? Do you have any clues?”
“Ah, I remember several things happened that day. First, a few of the Liu family’s youths were beheaded. Then the officials came to search for grain. Oh, even in my house…”
He Lingchuan interrupted her, “Wait, why did the officials come to search for grain?”
“Liu Yalin borrowed courage from the heavens. A few days ago, he stole military rations and then went door-to-door distributing it, thinking he was some kind of legendary hero?” The old woman popped her lips, “He got caught, and the officials said the military grain had to be returned, so…”
He Lingchuan asked, “What did you just say about where you are from?”
“The Summer State Office.”
“Isn’t that higher ranking than the officials here?”
“Much bigger.” Jiao Tai's voice was deep and resonant, “Much bigger indeed.”
“Oh, after those officials came in, they didn’t only search for grain! Several of my rabbit feet were also taken. Sir, could you help me get them back?”
“Weren’t there several things that day?” Mao Tao reminded her, “What else happened?”
“After Hong Chengluo returned, I heard A-Jin crying. At this time, three officials suddenly arrived, holding shackles, intending to take someone? But once those three entered his house, they never came out again.”
The old woman smacked her lips: “After a little while, a cart stopped in front of the Hong family’s door. The people who got out were dressed in satin, looking like merchants, and they also entered the small courtyard of the Hong family. After more than half an hour, the couple of the Hong family left in that cart. When I asked Hong Chengluo where he was going, he wouldn’t say.”
“Ah, I just felt it was strange that those three officials didn’t come out. Later, I pushed the door inside and saw a leg sticking out from the kitchen floor. Realizing something was off, I reported it.”
“So, you were the first one at the scene?”
“Uh, I guess so.”
He Lingchuan smiled lightly, “Since you were the first to come in, that means the pots and utensils in the kitchen were taken by you, right?”
The old woman would not admit it: “Not me! I didn’t!”
Mao Tao patted her shoulder, startling her greatly: “Hey, old woman, we need the items from the Hong family as evidence. If you dare to hide them, it’s considered sheltering a criminal, and you’ll be charged as an accomplice; at least, they’ll snap two of your fingers!” After saying this, he pressed down on her fingers, making a snapping sound that made the old woman shudder.
He Lingchuan couldn’t even be bothered to smile, but such nonsense could easily scare the old woman in this town.
The old woman stopped being sly: “Well, well, they are in my house.”
The four then followed her back home.
This old woman lived directly opposite Hong Chengluo’s house, and her family only had an elderly man who was not home.
As soon as He Lingchuan stepped into her house, he was hit by a greasy, stale smell, and then saw her room and courtyard were piled high with countless odds and ends.
Everywhere were bottles and jars, rotten wood, long hemp ropes, and torn bags… It looked like he had stepped into a junkyard.
Had this old woman never thrown anything away in her entire life?
She led the four inside and began rummaging around.
Indeed, the cooking pots and bowls from the Hong family were all here.
There were many other miscellaneous items as well, and she claimed they all belonged to the Hong family.
Remembering A-Jin was bedridden and Hong Chengluo often went out, it was clear the old woman had been pilfering from his home.
For He Lingchuan, this was a pleasant surprise.
After some examination, he pointed to a comb among the clutter and asked, “Is this A-Jin’s? Have you seen her use it?”
“Yes, yes.” The old woman went along with it.
“Have you used it yourself?”
“No, no.” Most of the things she took back hadn’t even been used yet.
He Lingchuan picked up the wooden comb and held it up to the light: “Then the hair on it must belong to either Hong Chengluo or A-Jin?”
“Well, it should be.”
He Lingchuan then placed the ten copper coins on the table: “Is there anything else I should know?”
The old woman truly thought about it for a moment before shaking her head: “Nothing more.”
Thus, the four left.
He Lingchuan sent Dan Youjun to the northern logging site of Bailu Town.
There were indeed many traces left by people there, even fresh horse manure, but it was clear the place was deserted.
Evidently, after Hong Chengluo struck and left with his team, he didn’t leave them any opportunity to catch a chicken.
After they left, more than two quarters of an hour passed before someone sneaked into this alley.
They checked to see if the surroundings were clear and then jumped over the wall into the old woman’s courtyard.
The old woman was in the yard sorting firewood for cooking when she suddenly felt a grip on her neck, and a low voice warned her: “What did those people just ask you?”
“Ah…” Why were there still people coming? The old woman was terrified, “They, they are from the state office, wanting to ask about yesterday’s situation…”
Before she finished her sentence, there was a muffled thud behind her, and the hands clutching her neck loosened.
Turning around, she saw a man lying on the ground, and behind him stood a grinning Mao Tao.
“Indeed, there are eyes left in the town.” The young master truly was insightful, having secretly returned halfway to catch mice, and in the end, it surprised himself by coming to his doorstep.
Mao Tao pointed at the man on the ground and asked the old woman: “Is this person from the town?”
Shaken, she shook her head vigorously: “Never seen him, never seen him!”
Following this, Mao Tao carried the man back to Hong Chengluo’s empty house and stuffed a towel into his mouth.
When the captive was splashed with a ladle of water and woke up, the first thing he saw was Dan Youjun, who was cracking his knuckles with a sinister grin walking towards him…
After less than a quarter of an hour, the courtyard gate of Hong Chengluo’s house opened without warning.
The old woman stumbled again, nearly falling inside.
Once again, it was Mao Tao who caught her.
This old woman had an obsession with peeking through door cracks.
“Ah…” This time, she felt a bit embarrassed herself, unsure of what excuse to make.
Initially, there was some noise coming from inside, like someone was covering their mouth and calling out, but then it went quiet.
No matter how much she strained her ears, she couldn’t hear anything.
But Mao Tao didn't mind: “Old woman, do you know about the abandoned mine in the northwest?”
“The mine?” The old woman rolled her eyes, “I think I heard something about it?”
Mao Tao spread his hands, revealing the ten copper coins again: “I just saved your life. You remember that, right?”
The old woman chuckled awkwardly: “There’s only a small mine in the northwest, and it hasn’t produced anything in ten years. Do you want to go there?”
“Indeed.”
The old woman fixated on the copper coins in his hand: “That place is deeply hidden in the jungle and hard to find. If you pay more, I can find you a guide, how does that sound?”
“Alright.” Time was tight, and Mao Tao didn’t haggle.
Didn’t the boss have plenty of money?
“Then wait here.” The old woman waddled out, surprisingly quick for her age.
After a few moments, she returned with an old man, not yet sixty, lean but still with a straight back.
“This is my husband. He worked in the mine for two years and knows the way!”
He Lingchuan invited both into the house: “What did you do in the mine, sir?”
“Everything.” Unlike his wife, the old man appeared quite honest, readily answering any questions, “Quarrying, mining, digging roads, supporting, and handling explosives.”
He Lingchuan was taken aback: “You still use explosives?”
How modern.
He had been to the mines in Qiansong County, which relied solely on manual labor.
“Ah, yes, it’s more labor-saving. We’ve been using gunpowder for many years now.” In other words, it was an old traditional skill. “Even after that mine was abandoned, there was still a lot of gunpowder left unused.”
Dan Youjun and the others couldn’t help but curse under their breath.
Now they finally knew where the explosives used to blow up the Dunyu grain transport team officials had come from.
He Lingchuan similarly considered this, his eyes flickering as he asked the old man: “You wouldn’t happen to have any gunpowder left at your place, would you?”
“Not that I know of.” The old man shook his head repeatedly, “How could I do something so foolish? What if I blew up the house? That would be quite a loss.”
“Uh…” The old woman beside him revealed a look of embarrassment, “You wouldn’t have hidden the gunpowder in a black and white jar, would you?”
Having been married for decades, the old man understood his wife from just one look and exclaimed: “Don’t tell me you hid gunpowder at home! I clearly threw that out!”
The old woman sheepishly smiled: “Throwing it away would be such a waste.”
He Lingchuan snapped his fingers; truly, heaven was helping him.
“Then please retrieve it for me.” He looked at the few people behind him, “We should say something to Hong Chengluo; it’s only proper to reciprocate.”
The chapter ends here.