Chapter 109: Verifying the Identity of the Corpse

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Now, all that was needed was to confirm whether the body was indeed Lin Zhinan’s. They discussed the matter briefly. Upon hearing the news, Lord Lin of Jingzhao Prefecture was unable to sleep that night. He immediately rushed to Blue City. Overwhelmed with grief, tears streaming down his face, a flicker of ferocity shone through his eyes. He insisted on staying there for several days, declaring he would not leave until the murderer was found. Under such pressure, the Cloud Summit Inn was forced to close.

During these days, Chen Tianwei remained cautious and discreet. Today, he dreaded the accountability that Lord Lin might impose on him. Indeed, no culprit had been uncovered. No one even knew how the perpetrator had infiltrated the place that day. Moreover, the registered guest list showed no sign of any suspect. In a fit of anger, Lord Lin demanded the inn’s manager be arrested immediately. Was this not a direct accusation against Han Qing? Han Qing, however, remained calm and prepared to handle the matter with composure.

“Are you the one in charge of this Cloud Summit Inn? How do you manage your people? How could such a grave negligence occur? My poor youngest son, just at the age to be studying, and only two days since I last saw him, and yet...” Lord Lin wept bitterly. The more he spoke, the deeper his sorrow grew. He was aged and had only just one son, now brutally taken from him. The injustice was unbearable.

“Sir, are you certain this is your son?” someone asked.

“Yes. I have known his face for over ten years; how could I mistake him?” Lord Lin looked at him with confusion, wondering why such illogical excuses were being made to evade responsibility.

“I understand your urgency, my lord, but we cannot accuse an innocent person without cause. Although I oversee the entire inn, I cannot watch over every moment. There’s no telling if a homicide could occur here,” he said calmly but with a hint of dissatisfaction.

“Can you find the murderer?” Lord Lin asked fiercely.

“Since it happened within the inn, we bear an unshirkable responsibility. I will certainly solve this case,” he declared resolutely.

Though Lord Lin harbored doubts, there was little else to be done. His child was gone, but he could not swallow this anger. He vowed not to return to Luojing without the culprit in hand. Han Qing nodded, offering a chance to defuse the situation at least, avoiding immediate execution.

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Meanwhile, everyone else was in a state of frantic worry. Young Master Zhu sought information from various sources, even reaching out to contacts in Luojing. Yet, what they learned was scant and vague. Amid the turmoil, Han Qing appeared unusually composed.

“Do you have any leads? Are you truly confident you can find the killer?” someone asked.

“No, not a single clue,” he shook his head.

“But we have no other choice now. Should we delay for a while, or find someone to take the fall?” they pondered.

“Impossible. There’s no need to evade this matter. Though we have no evidence yet, since the killer murdered that person, the body itself must hold many secrets,” Han Qing insisted.

Young Master Zhu was baffled, unable to grasp the meaning behind these words, his face full of confusion.

“Are you sure this will work?” he asked.

Zhu arranged for the body to be secretly moved into a courtyard. Under Lord Lin’s watch, it was impossible to remove the corpse easily without some subtle trickery.

“Let’s just try,” Han Qing said, then proceeded to dissect the body. No toxins were found—poisoning was ruled out. The corpse bore no visible injuries. Yet the hands were unusually rough, unlike those of a young noble living in comfort. They resembled the hands of a laborer who had toiled for years. This was peculiar.

“Any discoveries?” someone inquired.

“The body has no scars, but the arms and feet are extremely coarse, unlike a privileged youth. The skin is notably dark, with signs of sunburn,” Zhu observed carefully. Indeed, the markings on the arms suggested long exposure to the sun, likely a servant who worked outdoors. But why did this person look exactly like the young master? Was he first abused, then killed?

Just as this thought was forming in Zhu’s mind, the man before him dismissed it.

“Those marks on the hands take years to develop; they cannot appear overnight.”

That would mean this body was not Lin’s son. But how could two people look so identical? It seemed impossible.

Zhu nodded and then shook his head in disbelief.

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“Isn’t there a secret technique in the martial world? Disguise art?” he blurted out suddenly. He had read strange tales describing such methods, which once seemed unbelievable. But now, it was the only plausible explanation.

“Are there no marks on the face?” Zhu examined closely. It looked like an ordinary person’s face.

“Wait a moment.” Han Qing went into the room and prepared a potion, then poured it over the corpse’s face. Within fifteen minutes, strange sounds emerged.

“Sizzle!”

A thick white smoke slowly evaporated, revealing the corpse’s true face. It was indeed not Lin Zhinan.

The spectacle was astonishing, even Young Master Zhu was amazed. Having traveled extensively, he had never seen such a thing. The face was almost indistinguishable from an ordinary one, nearly fooling them all.

“So that means, Lord Lin’s youngest son is not the victim, and this has nothing to do with our inn,” Han Qing concluded.

“Yes, but the boy’s mysterious disappearance is even more terrifying,” Han Qing added calmly, holding the human-skin mask carefully, examining its craftsmanship. It was finely made, though the material was slightly coarse. The mask nearly deceived them all. If not for Han Qing noticing subtle fluctuations under the light, they might never have uncovered this deception.

The next morning at dawn, they immediately conveyed the news to Lord Lin, assuring him they would find the real killer soon. But the man was not his son, so there was no need for excessive panic.

“What did you say? Only one night has passed, and now you claim that person isn’t my son?”