Chapter 40: Zhou Zheng Presides Over the Case

"Where is Zhou Tong?" Lu Chuan asked in a deep voice.

"Zhou Tong went to Lady Shiyu's room. Lady Shiyu's room is at the far east end of the second floor!" The servant's voice was hurried, blurting out the information as fast as he could.

Without a moment of hesitation, Lu Chuan chopped the servant squarely on the back of the neck with the edge of his hand, knocking him unconscious instantly.

Then, taking advantage of the deserted surroundings, he stealthily slipped into the pavilion.

After confirming that the person inside the room was indeed Zhou Tong, Lu Chuan waited quietly until the noises from within gradually faded away. Carefully reaching out to the eaves of an adjoining room, he snapped off a sharp icicle.

He then propped the window open and slipped inside on tiptoe.

At that very moment, Zhou Tong was surrounded by warmth and comfort, holding a fair and delicate beauty in his arms as he slept soundly in bed.

First, Lu Chuan covered the woman's head directly with the quilt.

Then, without the slightest hesitation, he thrust the icicle straight into Zhou Tong's throat.

Zhou Tong's eyes snapped open instantly. He struggled, wanting to move, but there was nothing he could do. His body trembled violently as he tried to make a sound, but his entire windpipe had been completely severed!

The woman was thrashing rather fiercely. Aiming at the quilt, Lu Chuan delivered a ferocious chop with the side of his hand to the back of her neck.

Silence fell over the bed immediately.

The entire process was clean, crisp, and utterly devoid of any dragging or hesitation.

Without uttering a single word, he carefully scanned his surroundings to ensure no clues had been left behind, then slipped back out through the window.

Returning to his own room, Lu Chuan stripped off all his clothes and tossed them directly into his portable spatial storage.

Then, he climbed into bed and fell into a deep sleep.

Regardless of everything else, Zhou Tong was now dead. The deed had been executed cleanly. He no longer needed to rack his brain for ways to suppress him, though whether Zhou Zheng would suspect him next remained completely unknown.

Although Lu Chuan had never met Zhou Zheng personally, he had managed to glean a slight understanding of the man from the village chief.

This man was intelligent, cunning, and exceptionally adept at concealment.

...

"Ah..."

Accompanied by a piercing scream, the Chunxiang Pavilion instantly erupted into a flurry of noise and commotion.

Lady Shiyu awoke from her slumber only to discover a corpse lying right beside her.

Frightened out of her wits, she tumbled straight off the bed.

Immediately afterward, numerous guards rushed into the Chunxiang Pavilion, sealing off the scene tightly.

Zhou Zheng had arrived as well!

His expression was grim, exuding a natural aura of authority that commanded respect. Striding quickly into Shiyu's room and gazing upon the lifeless body of Zhou Tong slumped there, his breathing hitched for a fraction of a second.

"Has it been investigated? Who did this?" Zhou Zheng's voice was freezing cold!

"I—I don't know..." The guard below stammered and shook his head. "The perpetrator was extremely clean; not a single clue was left behind."

"Humph!"

Zhou Zheng let out a cold snort, glaring at the guard who had answered.

"What? Do you expect clues to simply jump out in front of you?"

With that, Zhou Zheng took a deep breath.

A cold glare flashed in his eyes as he continued, "How could there not be even the slightest trace? Has Zhou Tong offended anyone recently? Does he have any enemies? And when you lot were investigating, did you offend anyone?"

Finally, a profound and unfathomable look appeared in Zhou Zheng's eyes!

"Lastly, which village was Zhou Tong investigating?"

Zhou Zheng's voice carried a sinister undertone, his eyes seemingly flickering with chilling flames. Taking another deep breath to force his emotions to steady, he looked at the guards before him and paused briefly before continuing, "Dig up every single possible lead and clue we can find!"

"Reporting to milord!"

At that moment, one of the guards stepped forward. A gleam of excitement flickered in his eyes as he said, "The last place Zhou Tong investigated was the Zhao Family Village. However, it doesn't seem like the people you're looking for are in Zhao Family Village!"

"It matters not!" Zhou Zheng's voice was calm, seemingly devoid of any emotion. "If the people we're looking for aren't there, we'll just find a way to make them be there!"

Saying this, Zhou Zheng gently clapped his hands together, a smile curling the corners of his lips.

"I've heard that Zhao Family Village is a hunter's village. They have their own hunting squad and frequently bag game up in the mountains. Aren't they also a famously wealthy village within a radius of ten miles?"

At this moment, Zhou Zheng spoke with a gentle smile, appearing entirely indifferent to the dead Zhou Tong lying on the bed.

However, deep within his eyes, an unquenchable fire was hidden.

"Understood!"

The guard instantly understood what needed to be done and nodded hurriedly. "Each and every one of them is a fat sheep!"

"Mmm." Zhou Zheng nodded. "Since they are fat sheep, I shall personally go and see them when the annual tribute is collected!"

After saying this, he asked, "Who was accompanying Zhou Tong last night?"

Zhou Zheng's voice rang out once more.

"Milord, the one accompanying Young Master Zhou last night was Lady Shiyu!"

The madam of the brothel swallowed hard, a trace of fear in her eyes. "However, Lady Shiyu seems to have suffered a terrible shock; she can't utter a single word right now!"

"Can't utter a single word?"

Zhou Zheng furrowed his brows slightly. Then he continued, "Is it because of what happened to Zhou Tong? I suppose I should apologize for the disturbance. Come, let's go and see Lady Shiyu!"

With that, Zhou Zheng led his men directly into the adjoining room.

Shiyu was trembling in fear over there. Hearing the sound of the door being shoved open abruptly, she sat bolt upright in bed, a fierce and desperate look flashing in her eyes.

"Who is it?!"

"N—no, don't come near me!"

As she spoke, Shiyu's hands shook uncontrollably. "I—I don't know anything! I don't know anything!" she cried out, practically in tears.

"Lady Shiyu, do not be afraid."

At that moment, Zhou Zheng slowly stepped forward with a smile that looked as warm as the spring sunshine. "Think back carefully. Exactly what happened last night?"

"Rest assured, this official will see to it that justice is served for you," Zhou Zheng said.

"I—I don't know. Suddenly, someone covered my head with a quilt—it was a man. Then, my neck hurt, and I passed out! When I woke up, Young Master Zhou was already dead!"

Shiyu's voice was hurried, but she stammered heavily.

Zhou Zheng let out a long breath. Staring at the woman before him, the smile on his face vanished completely.

"In other words, you truly know nothing at all?"

"If that is the case, this official cannot help but suspect whether you have some kind of connection with the murderer!"