There is a god in the sky

Chapter 37 Poisoning Case in a Dilapidated Temple in the Wilderness (Part 5)

Fu Qingyan had heard since childhood that his cousin was intelligent and had a photographic memory, and was always praised by his parents.

He used to be a little unconvinced, but now that he's actually faced with a problem, he realizes how stupid he really was.

"You're making it sound like you saw it with your own eyes. How did you manage that?"

Xiao Ji ignored him and asked Luo Yuemei, "Are we right?"

Luo Yuemei looked flustered and buried her head in Zhang's arms.

Zhang hugged her tightly and retorted loudly, "You're talking nonsense! We didn't do anything like that. Who knows how they died? Maybe these wandering ghosts are here to claim their lives!"

Shen Lan walked up to them. "I have more evidence."

Ms. Zhang, clutching her daughter, retreated repeatedly, utterly terrified.

This little girl is so strange; her clear, bright eyes seem to see right through people's hearts.

"If a person's hand has been touched by arsenic, it will leave a mark. But if you apply my special solution, it will turn blue. Do you dare to extend your hand to test it?"

There was no water around the dilapidated temple, so they probably hadn't washed their hands since last night.

Shen Lan took out a porcelain bottle and approached them step by step.

The Zhang mother and daughter had nowhere to retreat and were in a panic.

Luo Yuemei broke free from her mother's embrace and rammed into Shen Lan, knocking the porcelain bottle from her hand to the ground.

The porcelain bottle shattered, and colorless liquid spilled all over the floor.

She let out a shrill laugh, "Hahaha...you wicked woman, let's see what other evidence you can produce!"

Shen Lan looked at her sympathetically, "Look at your hands."

"What?" Luo Yuemei stretched out her hands, palms up, and then saw that her right palm had turned blue.

"How could this be? How is that possible? I... I didn't touch that medicine!"

Xiao Ji then said, "I remember you ate the pancake with your left hand last night and didn't use your right hand at all. I thought you were left-handed."

Seeing this, Zhang's heart raced, and she closed her eyes in despair.

She didn't know her daughter had poisoned the group of bodyguards, but everything that happened today forced her to believe that her daughter was indeed the murderer.

She raised her hands and shouted, "I did it! I poisoned her! My daughter has nothing to do with it!"

She stepped forward, pulled her daughter behind her, and said with her head held high, "Sir, arrest me. I did it all. What does she know at such a young age? How would she know about arsenic?"

Luo Yuemei stared at her hands and smiled wistfully.

"Bad people! Bad people all deserve to die!"

Fu Qingyan couldn't bear to watch, so he helped Guan Shu walk out of the dilapidated temple.

Sui Feng gathered the evidence from the dilapidated temple and took it with him, while Sui Ying went to move the corpse.

They only had one carriage, and even a coroner like Shen Lan didn't want to ride in the same carriage as a corpse.

In the end, they had no choice but to let Fu Qingyan ride the horse that followed the wind, with Shen Lan sitting beside him while he read the book and drove the carriage.

As for Zhang and her daughter, they were escorted by Sui Feng on their journey.

Zhang pleaded desperately, "My lord, I confess. I did all of this. Please, my lord, spare my daughter!"

Sui Feng sighed, "The law does not tolerate taking the blame for others, nor will it wrong an innocent person."

"No, I killed her. My daughter was only ten years old. How could she have killed someone?"

Luo Yuemei shouted, "You corrupt officials, you're no better than anyone else, letting bad people go unpunished!"

“Young lady, you should speak with your conscience. You didn’t report the case to the authorities, nor did you provide any evidence. How can the authorities judge the case based on just your words? Besides, this is not a reason for you to kill someone.”

Xiao Ji rode his horse alongside Shen Lan and asked in a low voice, "What was that blue color just now?"

How come he's never heard of arsenic turning blue when it comes into contact with medicine?

Shen Lan replied casually, "Just a little trick to fool a young girl."

Xiao Ji chuckled. Shen Lan herself was just a young girl, yet she always appeared calm and composed, and was incredibly shrewd.

"That porcelain bottle contains corrosive water, which was quite expensive to make, and the bottle itself is also very pricey. Could you reimburse me, Lord Xiao?"

Shen Lan reached out her hand to him.

The bottle actually contained salt water, and she also had a bottle of vinegar water, both used to test for poison components.

Xiao Ji's purse was empty, and he replied awkwardly, "It's alright, I'll make it up to you when we get back to the yamen."

Shen Lan withdrew her hand and reminded him again, "Pure arsenic cannot be tested with a silver needle. The silver needle test has great limitations and cannot detect many poisons."

"So the silver needle turning black just now was also a trick?"

"No, it's because the arsenic they used was impure, that's why they had that reaction."

Xiao Ji understood after a little thought, and cupped his hands, saying, "I have learned a lot."

Halfway there, a fast horse galloped towards them.

"Lord Xiao..." the man said loudly, brandishing his riding whip, "Sir, a major case has occurred in the prefectural city. The prefect requests that you return as soon as possible!"

"Whoa..." Xiao Ji tightened the reins and stopped.

His expression was grave as he asked, "What happened?"

The constable, panting heavily after riding for half a day, reported: "A major case has occurred! The entire family of Master Wu, a wealthy merchant in the south of the city, has been wiped out. All forty-odd people in the household have perished!"

Everyone was shocked, and Fu Qingyan even fell off his horse.

Shen Lan frowned slightly. Could it be that this Master Wu was the Wu Zhongjin that Zhang had mentioned?

Xiao Ji asked the same question, "Master Wu? Is it Wu Zhongjin?"

"Yes, that's him."

What a coincidence.

Xiao Ji glanced back at Zhang and her daughter. If they weren't there, he would have suspected they were the ones who killed them.

Zhang was stunned for a moment, then laughed happily, "Wu Zhongjin is dead? The Wu family was wiped out? Has Heaven finally taken revenge for our Luo family?"

She said to her daughter, "Yuemei, did you see that? Bad people will be punished!"

Luo Yuemei's smile was more like a grimace. "Yes, bad people deserve to die. Mother, our wish has come true."

Xiao Ji did not believe in ghosts and gods. If ghosts and gods could kill people, the world would have been in chaos long ago.

"I'll head back to the city first. Suiying, you can escort everyone slowly."

Xiao Ji, accompanied by Sui Feng, took the lead and galloped away on horseback, while the yamen runner hurriedly followed.

Just as Guan Shu helped his master onto his horse, he saw his cousin riding back on horseback.

He stretched out his long arm, grabbed Shen Lan's arm, lifted her onto the horse's back, and placed her against his chest. Then, in the blink of an eye, he disappeared again.

"Miss Shen, the situation is urgent, please forgive me."

Shen Lan had never had such an experience before.

It was too fast; the scenery along the road was rushing past. A gust of wind tousled her hair.

If it weren't for the strong chest behind her, she probably would have screamed.

Xiao Ji gradually felt the person in his arms relax, and asked loudly, "Does Miss Shen like horseback riding?"

Shen Lan nodded.

Whether she likes it or not, it's a survival skill she has to learn.

Xiao Ji's voice, carried by the wind, reached my ears, "If Miss Shen helps me solve this case, I will reward you with a fine horse, how about it?"

Shen Lan thought to herself: Is such a high reward going to make her go through fire and water?

"Okay, it's a deal!"