There is a god in the sky

Chapter 140 The Mystery of the Dock 7

"Make way! The government is investigating a case, make way!" Chen Shi led his men to cordon off the dock.

When Xiao Ji arrived, it was too late to survey the scene; there were footprints and things left behind by onlookers everywhere.

"Who was the first to discover the body? Bring them here for questioning."

A man with a scar on his face and a knife in his hand walked over; he looked like a江湖 (jianghu, a world of martial arts and outlaws) man.

He said gruffly, "I don't care where you are from, I found the dead body, but I definitely didn't kill it. If you dare to slander me..."

"You're going to kill me?" Xiao Ji asked, amused.

The man kept a straight face and sneered, "It's not impossible."

"I don't mean to doubt you. Please tell me what it was like when Steward Jiang's body was discovered. Was he like this at the time?"

The deceased was naked, wearing only a pair of underwear.

"Yes, that's how it looked when I saw him. Either he did something stupid and froze to death while having sex in the wild, or he was skinned alive after he died."

It's clearly not the first one.

It's not surprising that people are stripped of their clothes after they die; in the dead of winter, there are plenty of people who have no clothes to wear.

Shen Lan put on gloves and went to examine the body.

The onlookers, seeing a woman perform an autopsy for the first time, all craned their necks in curiosity to watch.

"There's a difference between men and women. Manager Jiang is a man, yet she just touched him like that?"

"As for corpses, it doesn't matter if they're male or female."

"Coroners are of low social status, so a woman who can enter this profession must not be from a respectable family."

"Can they find out who killed Manager Jiang?"

Shen Lan wanted to know if it was the same murderer, so she first examined the victim's neck.

But this time he didn't die from having his neck broken.

The body was naked, and the wounds were clearly visible. His body was covered in bruises, indicating that he had been brutally beaten before he died.

"The fatal wound was to the back of the head, caused by a blow from a hard object; the weapon was not sharp."

Xiao Ji told Sui Feng to continue questioning the witnesses, while he squatted down next to Shen Lan to watch her examine the body.

"Sir, please look at these marks on his chest. Some are from punches, and some from kicks. Judging from the severity of the injuries, the person who attacked him was quite strong."

"Can you tell whether the blow was delivered before or after death?"

"Before death."

The marks left after death from injuries sustained before death are different from those left after death.

Besides, the person is already dead; to desecrate their corpse would require immense hatred.

"The body had already been searched before we arrived, so it's unknown whether there was anything useful on it, but we can't tell much from the body."

Xiao Ji instructed Suiying to find Steward Jiang's clothes.

Yesterday, he wore a lake-green cotton coat with satin fabric, which was definitely the most eye-catching outfit on the dock.

"Hey, why is there dirt under his fingernails?"

Shen Lan scraped off the mud with a sharp knife and found that some small stones were mixed in with it.

She looked around and saw that the area around the dock was mostly fine sand and large rocks, and she couldn't see any mud and rock mixture like this.

"This is not the primary crime scene."

"Another case of disposing of a body after death?" Fu Qingyan stepped forward and said, "It must be the same person who killed Miao Niang."

Although such a judgment is arbitrary, Shen Lan agrees.

Three people died within a day of each other. Although the methods of death were different, the killer was efficient and it is highly likely that it was the same person.

Xiao Yi's death was mostly devoid of personal emotion.

Miao Niang made an appointment with someone, who was most likely someone she knew, but she didn't know why he killed her.

Miao Niang's identity is shrouded in mystery, making it difficult to find out who her acquaintances are.

But Manager Jiang is different.

He was the local tyrant at this dock, and he had quite a few henchmen under his command, yet he was murdered and his body dumped. The murderer was not only strong, but also audacious.

"Since Manager Jiang is dead, does that mean our hotel fees will be waived?"

"Dream on! Try to renege on your debt and see if you can even leave this dock."

"If you ask me, Manager Jiang is like Zhou Bapi, plundering every feather that passes by. He must have offended some martial arts master and was killed by someone who was chivalrous."

"Although Ji Yan Wharf is a shady place, at least it provided us with a way to survive. This chivalrous man meant well but did something wrong."

Xiao Ji instructed Chen Shi: "Take the body to the inn, let the innkeepers identify the body first, and then question them one by one."

The group moved to the inn, and most of the onlookers were also guests of the inn, so they followed them back.

"Steward Jiang is dead? What do we do? What are we going to do? How are we going to explain this to the master?"

The person who reacted the most was another manager at the inn.

His surname is Wang, and he's in charge of the dock when Manager Jiang isn't around.

Sui Feng moved a chair behind Xiao Ji and brought Steward Wang over.

When was the last time you saw Jiang Zheng?

Manager Wang cried uncontrollably, "Last night, we were reconciling the accounts together, and it was already past midnight when we parted."

"After you broke up, did you find out where he went?"

"They must have gone home. There's not much to do at the dock in this heavy snow..."

Manager Wang's tone shifted abruptly, and he began to cry again, "Oh dear, my poor Brother Jiang, you died such a tragic death!"

Fu Qingyan walked over, grabbed his collar, patted his head, and asked, "Is there some place hidden at this dock that we don't know about?"

"No...no."

"Impossible! I just heard someone at the dock talking about casinos and brothels. I'd like to try my luck too."

Manager Wang breathed a sigh of relief. "Young master, those places are not for people of your status. They are just filthy places for those men who live on the edge to relieve their boredom."

"Does Steward Jiang have a family here?"

"No, but there are two concubines serving in the mansion."

Xiao Ji gave Sui Feng a wink, and the latter immediately went to call someone to ask questions.

Besides Manager Wang, all the inn's waiters, accountants, and grooms were interrogated.

Mr. Su was the last to arrive.

He entered the bustling inn in the heavy snow wearing a white robe and a white fur cloak, like a breath of fresh air.

"My name is Su Qiyu. I have met you, sir. May I ask where you hold your official position?"

This was the first person to ask Xiao Ji which government office he belonged to; he was indeed different from those who wandered the martial arts world.

"I am a judge of the Judicial Bureau on my way to the capital. I happened to be staying at the dock when one of my accompanying officials and one of my maids died. Now that another murder has occurred, I will investigate them together."

Su Qiyu bowed and said, "Please ask me anything, my lord. I will answer whatever I know."

"Did Mr. Su see Steward Jiang last night?"

"Yes, I saw them. I was reconciling accounts with the two managers, and I left first afterwards."

Manager Wang nodded in agreement, “Yes, yes, Mr. Su left half an hour earlier than us.”

Xiao Ji continued to ask, "Did you see him again after that?"

"That's all. The students went back to their accommodations afterwards."

Where does Mr. Su live?

"It's in the houses not far behind the inn; all of us who work at the inn live there."

"I see," Xiao Ji said, ordering someone to set out paper and pen. He smiled and said, "I have a favor to ask."

"I will obey your orders, sir."

"I did not bring a clerk with me on this trip. Would you please help me record my statement, Mr. Su?"

Su Qiyu readily agreed.

"As long as the adults don't mind that the student's handwriting is ugly, that's fine."