Chapter 651: Famous in the Capital

Translator: Henyee Translations | Editor: Henyee Translations

Ren Buqing inquired with genuine curiosity, “Miss Qingzhi, who is Da Bai?”

“Da Bai is a white tiger I’ve raised,” Chu Qingzhi explained. “Tigers have a very sensitive sense of smell, and I plan to have it help us find the head of the corpse.”

Ren Buqing was astounded, “You’ve raised a white tiger?”

“Yes.” Chu Qingzhi, donning gloves and a mask, began examining the body. “By assessing the spread of livor mortis and the rigidity of the corpse, we can deduce that the victim died more than six hours ago, before midnight.”

“The cut on the neck is smooth with signs of abrasion, indicating the head was sawed off with a tool like a saw.”

“There are purple strangulation marks on the neck, suggesting the victim was strangled from behind before death. The pattern of the marks indicates the weapon might have been something like a hemp rope.”

“The victim’s clothes are luxurious, embroidered with a unique technique. We can trace where these clothes were purchased to help identify the victim.”

Ren Buqing immediately ordered an investigation based on the embroidery pattern on the clothes.

Chu Qingzhi undressed the corpse, “There are bruises on the chest, back, and limbs, indicating the victim struggled fiercely before death. From the angles of the bruises, it’s likely there was more than one assailant.”

Someone asked, “Why would the murderer cut off his head?”

“There are two possibilities,” Chu Qingzhi explained. “One is out of rage, which happens when there is a significant grudge between the murderer and the victim. The other is to hide the identity, likely to keep some secrets concealed.”

“For this corpse, I lean towards the latter. If it were out of rage, the murderer wouldn’t have the patience for a meticulous act like sawing off a head. In anger, one would likely choose a cleaver or an axe for quicker, more furious action.”

Everyone nodded, agreeing with her reasoning.

Chu Qingzhi continued, “Saws aren’t often used, but the other party used a saw to cut off the head. This means that it was premeditated. Why would the murderer not kill the person before, but choose to kill at this time?”

Ren Buqing pondered, “According to our speculation, something must have happened recently that made the murderer fear their secret was about to be exposed, leading them to silence the victim.”

Chu Qingzhi nodded. “I think so too, so we can come to another conclusion. The murderer and the victim know each other.”

“Roar— ” When Da Bai saw Chu Qingzhi, it was extremely excited. Before it could even get close, it roared to express its excitement.

This roar scared everyone so much that their legs went weak. “White, white tiger…”

“Don’t be afraid, Da Bai won’t harm anyone,” Chu Qingzhi reassured as she went to greet the tiger.

Da Bai ran over, playfully rolling around and rubbing against Chu Qingzhi’s legs, acting more like a big cat than a fearsome tiger.

Seeing Da Bai’s demeanor, the crowd’s fear turned to fascination, finding the tiger quite adorable.

“What a remarkable young lady, not only raising a white tiger but having it so well-behaved, just like a big cat.”

“So impressive.”

“I wonder if I could pet its head without getting bitten?”

Amid the bustling comments, Chu Qingzhi placed her hand on Da Bai’s head, subtly enhancing its sense of smell with her spiritual energy, “Da Bai, I need your help with something.”

Da Bai nuzzled her palm, eager to assist.

“The head of that body over there has been hidden. Help me find it, or if you can track the scent to the victim’s home, that would also work.”

With a tiger’s ability to smell prey from up to five kilometers away, enhanced, reaching ten kilometers was feasible. Any clue related to the victim within this range wouldn’t be missed.

Da Bai shook its head, regaining its majestic aura, and transformed from a playful cat to a dignified white tiger. With a dignified stride, it approached the corpse, sniffed it, then looked up before heading upstream along the Ruan River. After a few steps, it looked back at Chu Qingzhi.

Chu Qingzhi followed closely.

Ren Buqing instructed a few officers to transport the corpse to the mortuary while he followed to search for clues.

The crowd, curious to see if Da Bai could find the victim’s head or home, followed along, eager to witness the outcome.

Da Bai walked along the riverbank. Fortunately, there were not many people on the riverbank. Otherwise, who knew how many people would be frightened.

However, the news of Da Bai’s presence spread quickly, attracting many onlookers.

Chu Qingzhi shared her initial analysis of the victim with Chu Xujin, “These are the only clues we have for now. Once we’re back, you can check if there’s anything we missed.”

“Okay.”

Ahead was a riverside area long soaked by river water, covered in aquatic plants that showed signs of disturbance, forming a path like a trail.

Da Bai stopped at the beginning of this path and looked back at Chu Qingzhi.

Chu Qingzhi patted Da Bai’s head and said to Ren Buqing, “The victim’s head is among the aquatic plants. Have someone dig it up.”

Ren Buqing promptly ordered two officers to search the area.

The crowd spread out around the riverbank, watching as the officers moved.

Soon, the officers unearthed a small square box from the mud. One of them carried it back, cleaned it off, and presented it to Ren Buqing.

Ren Buqing cautiously opened the box…

Inside was a dead rat wrapped in cloth.

“Fooled!”

He said to Chu Qingzhi, “Let’s have Da Bai continue the search.”

Chu Qingzhi nodded, “Let’s go, Da Bai.”

But Da Bai refused to move, still staring at the center of the aquatic plants.

Chu Qingzhi questioned the officers, “Are you sure you’ve retrieved everything?”

The officers were certain, “There was only this box, nothing else.”

Chu Qingzhi looked down at Da Bai, “There’s nothing left. Let’s search elsewhere.”

Da Bai, however, lay down, refusing to budge.

Chu Qingzhi thought for a moment. Da Bai wouldn’t lie. “Dig again, deeper this time.”

The officers went back, digging deeper, about a meter and a half down, until their shovel hit something solid. They quickly uncovered another box.

After cleaning, it was placed before Ren Buqing.

He opened the box…

It was a human head.

“The murderer was cunning. Without Da Bai’s insistence, we might have never found the victim’s head.”

Chu Qingzhi gently patted Da Bai’s head, “Well done.”

Da Bai stood up, looking proud.

Ren Buqing smiled, “Da Bai, you’ve done a great service

Admiration filled everyone’s eyes as they looked at Da Bai, whose tale quickly spread throughout the capital, becoming a sensation.

Chu Qingzhi announced, “Da Bai, let’s find the victim’s home.”

With a majestic and dominant stride, Da Bai led them back into the city, through streets and alleys, until they arrived at the gate of a rather grand mansion.

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