allonlinenovel Chapter 323 I Exposed Itself?
Chapter 323 I Exposed Itself?
"Just based on this powder, Brother Jiang asserted that I was there?"
"Of course it's not just based on this." Lin Lezhi paused, a hint of melancholy in his eyes as he continued, "I once said on Lake Island that words can be deceiving. Just like County Magistrate Chang concealed the existence of a third person in his letter to give Qi Xi a way out, and Qi Xi said that it was him and County Magistrate Chang who saved him and Feng Yuan that night to prevent you from being exposed to the public. With just a little thought, you can find the mistakes in Qi Xi's words."
"What's the mistake?"
"Feng Yuan's broken leg." Lin Lezhi's eyes were firm as he spoke. "Human bones are incredibly strong. County Magistrate Chang was unarmed, and Qi Xi only had a small knife, about the width of a finger, hidden in a lantern. Without martial arts training or weapons, it would have been nearly impossible for them to relieve Feng Yuan's pain by simply severing his left leg. Therefore, besides the two of them, there must have been another person present that night. And the only people on the island capable of doing so were Xiao Xu, Yun He, Hong Mingxu, and Brother Luo."
Lin Lezhi paused, then continued, "Hong Mingxu is the culprit in this case. Needless to say, if he encountered this situation, he would definitely not care, as he wanted to kill everyone. Xiao Xu was traveling with me that night, and Yun He was also traveling with Qingchuan and the civilians and soldiers. If he left midway, he would naturally arouse suspicion. The only one left is you, Brother Luo, who is traveling alone."
Luo Zhifeng raised the corner of his mouth slightly, nodded, and said with approval: "It is true that no one can testify for me."
"Even if someone can testify for you, it won't work. Because there's another condition that's equally important."
"What conditions?"
"Qingchuan said that the person who saved Feng Yuan's life from his severed limb must have some medical knowledge. Brother Luo could prepare a medicine bag, so he must have some knowledge of medical principles. So, apart from Brother Luo, no one else could have done this. This also explains why Feng Yuan's severed limb couldn't be found. The fire burning technique can cover the wound to a certain extent, but if the severed limb was found, someone who understands martial arts would definitely be able to find the person who stabbed him. His skills are quite good. This is one of the mistakes."
"What about the second one?"
"The poison is taking effect at the wrong time for County Magistrate Chang." Lin Lezhi's eyes were calm, and he spoke clearly. "According to Qi Xi, he and County Magistrate Chang separated before dawn, but County Magistrate Chang had already been bitten by a snake before he met Qi Xi in the forest. Even if County Magistrate Chang tied his clothes tightly with a straw rope, it could only delay the spread and onset of the poison. He could never last until dawn, let alone carry Guo Yong's severed limb to the earth temple. Either Qi Xi is lying, or someone has medicine to delay the onset of the poison."
Lin Lezhi's eyes darkened slightly, and he swayed slightly as he spoke, "If Qi Xi hadn't had someone else with him at the time, someone he trusted very much, I don't think County Magistrate Chang would have let Qi Xi leave alone. This is the second mistake."
"And a third one?"
"The third one wasn't a mistake. It was when I lied and said Qi Xi swam to the other side, he hesitated for a moment before confirming my guess. The tomb was already arranged, so he couldn't have left through the passage, and he couldn't have swum across."
Lin Lezhi boldly speculated, "Brother Luo's Qinggong skills are exceptional and his techniques are impressive. Even Xiao Xu, with his astonishing hearing, was unaware of your presence. So, I imagine... for Brother Luo, using the lanterns on the lake to lead Qi Xi to the other side and back shouldn't be a difficult task."
Luo Zhifeng didn't deny this, and jokingly said with a smile, "It seems that in front of Brother Jiang, I have to control my facial expression." Luo Zhifeng asked curiously, "Brother Jiang, do you have a fourth point?"
Lin Lezhi shook his head and said, "It's not the fourth point, I'm just a little curious?"
As he spoke, Lin Lezhi lifted up his left sleeve, revealing the smoke-cloud scar on his arm. The moment he saw the scar, the expression in Luo Zhifeng's eyes changed slightly.
His eyes narrowed slightly as he asked, "Brother Jiang, what do you mean?"
"I'm curious and want to ask Brother Luo for an answer."
Lin Lezhi's gaze left the smoke-cloud scar and turned to Luo Zhifeng, saying, "Brother Luo, since you can perfectly replicate the scar on my arm, and you said when we met just now that you weren't wearing a mask to get along with us, it was you who taught Qi Xi the art of disguise."
Listen and.
Luo Zhifeng's eyes trembled slightly, and a hint of reminiscence seemed to appear in his eyes.
Seeing Luo Zhifeng's expression falter and waver, Lin Lezhi lowered his eyes and said bluntly, "Actually, there's a simpler way. Since you know Xing Tianqi and know how to enter the secret room in the abandoned house, you two must be from the same clan and have the same goal. He and his clansmen all have marks on their shoulder blades, and I'm sure you're no exception. Brother Luo, just unbutton your clothes and you'll know for sure."
Hear the words.
Luo Zhifeng's eyes tightened, then he smiled calmly and said, "I told you that you need to hide your emotions in front of Brother Jiang."
"So, Brother Luo, are you still not going to tell the truth?"
"As Brother Jiang said when we met just now, if I really wanted to hide something, I wouldn't be here tonight to meet you all. Wouldn't it be better to leave this place forever like Qi Xi?"
He admitted it the moment he showed up.
He just wanted to hear Lin Lezhi say it himself to see if he really had the ability to unravel the mystery.
Luo Zhifeng smiled, nodded slightly, clasped his fists and saluted, saying, "My name is Qiao Ying, the guardian of this place. I'm very happy to meet you all."
Knowing from Lin Lezhi that Luo Zhifeng is Qiao Ying is one thing, but hearing Luo Zhifeng admit in person that he is Qiao Ying is still very shocking and difficult to accept in a short period of time. It feels disconnected and absurd.
Facing the shocked gazes of the crowd, Qiao Ying looked at Lin Lezhi, her eyes unable to conceal her curiosity as she asked, "I'm a little curious too. I wonder if Brother Jiang could explain this to me?"
"Brother Qiao, please speak."
Lin Lezhi felt somewhat awkward calling Luo Zhifeng "Brother Qiao".
Qiao Ying said bluntly, "Since Brother Jiang has expressed so much suspicion about me, I'm sure you've been suspicious of me for a long time. I'm curious, when did Brother Jiang become suspicious of me?"
Lin Lezhi answered truthfully, "If I were to say I had suspicions, I was suspicious of you because you didn't bring your sword with you when you arrived on the island. After all, to destroy the carvings on the basement wall, you'd need a handy tool. Your absence from your sword inevitably made me second-guess it, wondering if you were worried about someone discovering the dirt on your sword and deliberately concealed it. However, that was just speculation; it's possible you didn't bring it because it was too much trouble. It's not concrete evidence. What really made me suspicious of you was what happened later, and it was you who revealed it yourself."
"Oh?"
"I just said that Xiao Xu has exceptional hearing. When you appeared at the Earth Temple that day, Xiao Xu was concerned about the same thing, and his expression was solemn and wary."
"What's the matter?"
"I was at the Hundred Bone Pit, but I didn't hear any movement."
After hearing what Lin Lezhi said, Qiao Ying's eyes immediately showed a hint of understanding, and then she smiled with a calm expression.
Guan Ziheng was confused and asked, "What's wrong?"
Lin Lezhi looked at Guan Ziheng and explained, "You weren't on the island, so you naturally didn't know. That night, when Xiao Xu returned to the Hundred Bone Pit to look for me, Luo Zhifeng also separated from Qingchuan and his group shortly thereafter, saying he was going back to look for Qiao Ying. Qiao Ying didn't go to the Hundred Bone Pit with them, but instead slept against a tree next to the Doll Cave."
Luo Zhifeng appeared in the earth temple early in the morning.
"Brother Xiao, didn't I tell you that I separated from everyone last night before you went to find me? Village Chief Wang and his family entrusted Qiao Ying to me, and I couldn't abandon her. However... I searched everywhere all night and couldn't find her. At daybreak, I thought Qiao Ying might have returned to the village, so I turned back and looked for her. That's when I found a clue and brought me here."
After listening to Lin Lezhi's recounting of what happened that day, he suddenly realized, "I understand! If he really did go back to look for Qiao Ying, the fog in the forest would have made it difficult to find her. Besides, Qiao Ying's mind wasn't like an ordinary person's. He would have definitely shouted Qiao Ying's name to find her. It's only a mile away. If he really was shouting everywhere looking for her, no matter if one's hearing was exceptional, he would have definitely heard something."
"That's right. He said he searched all night but didn't find anyone. Either he didn't, or he didn't need to look at all. He and Qiao Ying had already agreed on a meeting place."
In fact, Lin Lezhi was worried that there were snakes lurking near the puppet cave, so he asked Xiao Yihuo if he heard any movement, but Xiao Yihuo looked doubtful about the fact that he did not hear any movement.
And after that, I asked myself again.
He realized that Xiao Yihuo might have discovered something, so he asked immediately, but before Xiao Yihuo could answer, Luo Zhifeng appeared.
After listening to Luo Zhifeng's recounting of the previous night, they noticed the mistakes in his words, realized that Luo Zhifeng was hiding something from them, and became wary of him.
Listen and.
Luo Zhifeng sighed and shook his head helplessly, but there was no embarrassment or helplessness in his eyes, nor was he furious at being exposed. Instead, he looked brighter, more relaxed, and had a hint of sincere conviction.
"I didn't expect that I was the one who let the cat out of the bag. Since Brother Jiang knew from the beginning that I was hiding something, why didn't he also express his suspicions about me when he exposed my identity in front of everyone?"
Lin Lezhi spoke frankly, "Because you truly have nothing to do with this case. You helped Qi Xi out of loyalty. You approached and persuaded County Magistrate Chang to impersonate Jiang Lian'an under the guise of Luo Zhifeng in order to lure me into the scheme. Your goal was me, not anyone else."