Chapter 22

“This is a major case, one that could send the entire Wang Family to prison and make their youngest son take the blame. Do you think any of the Scene-cleaning Officers would have the guts to mess with the crime scene at will?”

Wu Xiaojiu listened as he glanced at the Detective’s hand, which was stroking the old bloodstains. Suddenly, a chill ran down his spine.

Who in their right mind would get so excited touching years-old bloodstains? Wu Xiaojiu had this doubt in his heart. He curled himself up into a ball and, without making a sound, quietly shifted to the side.

The Bo Family villa looked huge from the outside, but it was even larger inside.

Just the living room alone was nearly a hundred square meters.

And in that hundred-square-meter space…

Back then, it had been filled to the brim with the mutilated remains of over a dozen Bo Family members.

“Don’t be afraid. No one actually died in this hall. It’s just that the killer was a psychopath-he probably piled up the bodies of those he killed here in the living room, admiring them like some twisted exhibition. The real crime scene isn’t here. Let’s keep moving.”

The Detective stood up and brushed nonexistent dust off his clothes.

Wu Xiaojiu watched as it looked like he was slipping something into his pocket.

Then he reached out the same hand that had just touched the blood toward him.

“This place is dark, and reeks of blood. It’s inevitable that stray cats, dogs, or even wild beasts from the nearby mountains might sneak in looking for food. Just to be safe, let’s stick together.”

Wu Xiaojiu looked at his calloused hand with a bit of distaste-what grown man needs to hold hands? And he was even more averse because the Detective had just touched blood. So, he crouched down and waved the offer away.

“No, thank you. It’s enough that we go together as a pair.”

“How can that be? The crime scene is all upstairs. This villa is quite old, and all the staircases are wooden. If they’re worn out with age, what if you slip? What if I slip? Wouldn’t that be a total disaster?”

As he spoke, the Detective grabbed Wu Xiaojiu by the collar, lifting him up in one go.

With the other hand, he firmly grasped Wu Xiaojiu’s left hand.

The moment their hands met, Wu Xiaojiu felt a sharp, scratching pain in his palm.

It was a kind of lingering ache.

He couldn’t help but grimace and hiss, raising his hand to see what had pricked him.

But the Detective just tightened his grip.

Wearing his usual cheeky grin, he dragged Wu Xiaojiu forward without a word.

Wu Xiaojiu stumbled, nearly losing his balance.

He cried out in a panic,

“Hey, don’t move. My hand hurts. I think something bit me around here. Let me check the wound.”

“What’s the big deal if a bug bit you? You’re a man-can’t you handle a little pain?”

But the Detective completely ignored him. The two of them, one leading and one being pulled along, ran forward as if he were walking a dog.

They crossed the staircase and arrived at the East Inner Room.

Wu Xiaojiu shone his flashlight inside. The beam, cast straight ahead, couldn’t even reach the far end of the room for a moment.

The Detective swaggered in and plopped himself down on the large bed hidden in the darkness.

He pointed with his toe at a bloodstain on the floor.

He said, “I’m exhausted. The first person who died back then was this poor guy, Bo Suihan’s brother, Bo Li. He was an Executive President who dominated the business world, overseeing the entire family’s Maritime Business.”

Seeing the way he acted, Wu Xiaojiu opened his mouth as if to speak, but then closed it again.

All of a sudden, he felt there was something off about the Detective, but he couldn’t put his finger on exactly what.

He could only listen as the Detective introduced the scene to him, just like a tour guide in a scenic spot.
He recounted all the events before and after Bo Li’s death-how he died, how he was tortured.

At the end, the Detective paused.

He sighed, as if with regret.

“Actually, as long as the eldest son was killed, the Bo Family was basically finished. Bo Suihan was only eight years old at the time, while the family head was already eighty-six. Such a young child, such a huge age gap.”

“But the killers were ruthless. Once the Bo Family collapsed and the Wang Family members died, the Su Family took over everything and became the new richest family.”

“All the Bo Family’s assets were inherited by the Su Family. Even a set of chairs made from Golden Phoebe Wood was taken by the Su Family. They really made wedding clothes for others.”

Wu Xiaojiu was carefully examining the room.

The flashlight shone on a gap that had formed in the house later on.

A bit of thatch poked out from the spot.

Wu Xiaojiu was about to reach out when he unexpectedly heard the Detective mention Golden Phoebe Wood.

His little face frowned, and suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Wu Xiaojiu, whose memory was usually poor.

He recalled the stunning set of furniture he had seen at the Su Family’s house a few days ago.

“What Golden Phoebe Wood table?”

“Golden Phoebe Wood. As a member of the Wu Family, you don’t know? It’s wood as precious as gold, extremely rare…”

“No! That’s not what I’m asking.”

Seeing the Detective was about to ramble on, Wu Xiaojiu quickly interrupted.

The phone’s light shone into his narrowed pupils.

The brightness was actually quite uncomfortable for the eyes.

But Wu Xiaojiu couldn’t care about that now.

Almost instinctively, he pressed on with his questions.

“You’re saying that both the Bo Family and the Wang Family were eliminated, the Su Family benefited, and they inherited the Bo Family’s Golden Phoebe Wood.”

The Detective nodded slowly, then looked at Wu Xiaojiu with confusion.

“Is there something wrong with that? Fate plays tricks. Although the Su Family had business conflicts with both the Bo Family and the Wang Family in the past, maybe they were just lucky and reaped the rewards.”

“There’s no such thing as luck that good in this world.”

As Wu Xiaojiu listened to the Detective, he casually pulled out the thatch from the hole.

Along with the long strand of thatch that fell out, there was a small white cloth doll covered in needles.

On the front was written Bo Li’s full name and birth date; on the back were five large characters: Su Tianze Invoking Deities.

Even the Detective’s words seemed to suddenly make sense to Wu Xiaojiu, as if his meridians had been cleared.

He abruptly stood up.

“Let me ask you, do you know the identity of the person who died in this case?”

“This time? The one who died was from the Liu Family, and apparently, the Liu Family also had conflicts with the Su Family. I heard the Su Family’s Eldest Daughter was even forced to…”

“I think I know now.”

Hearing this, even the dullest person should have realized.

Wu Xiaojiu clenched his molars tightly.

What was unclear now? It was obviously a power struggle among the wealthy families, each trying to seize the seat of the richest, and eliminate the others.

Thinking of this, Wu Xiaojiu instantly recalled what Su Zhishi had said when introducing the origin of the Golden Phoebe Wood.

She had tried so hard to cover it up, probably to prevent the dirty secret from being discovered.

Showing off the stolen treasure right in front of Bo Suihan, the rightful owner.

Wu Xiaojiu was so angry that his fists clenched tightly.

“What did you figure out?”

The Detective straightened up with interest, looking at Wu Xiaojiu curiously.