Chapter 60: The Saber Just Happened to Be Stolen

"It was meant to throw people off," Lu Chengfeng analyzed.

"The murderer is most likely someone from Huangjia Village. They were probably afraid of running into acquaintances on the way down and being asked what they were doing up the mountain."

"If they were carrying a sack of bamboo shoots, everyone would naturally assume they had just been up there foraging."

Wang Qiang suddenly understood. "Right, Captain Lu, your insight is brilliant."

Lu Chengfeng stood up. "Take the bamboo shoots and the knife back. Send the knife in for forensic testing and compare it with the victim's wounds."

"Understood, Captain Lu," Wang Qiang replied.

Lu Chengfeng instructed Dachuang to help Wang Qiang load the physical evidence into the vehicle.

The water in the pond was soon nearly drained. After confirming there were no other suspicious items, Lu Chengfeng told the villagers to turn off the pump and withdraw.

The village chief was still lingering nearby, craning his neck.

Lu Chengfeng walked over. "Village Chief, would you be so kind as to take me to see the people who were chatting with Zhang Lanying at the village committee office yesterday afternoon?"

"Of course," the village chief replied, seizing the opportunity to ask, "Captain Lu, did you find anything just now?"

Lu Chengfeng countered with a question of his own. "By the way, Village Chief, where did you go after selling your bamboo shoots at the market yesterday? You left the market at two o'clock, but didn't get back here until three. Why did the trip take a whole hour?"

The village chief froze for a moment. "Oh, I just wandered around the streets for a bit and bought some things."

Lu Chengfeng nodded. "Then I'd trouble you to lead the way. Which house should we visit first, or could you help me gather everyone at the village committee office?"

The village chief said, "I'll have them all gather at the village committee office."

Ten minutes later.

A large crowd had gathered in the courtyard of the Huangjia Village committee office.

However, most of them were just onlookers.

Only a few individuals had been summoned by the village chief for Lu Chengfeng to question.

Their accounts matched what Zhang Lanying had said; Zhang Lanying had indeed been chatting with them there yesterday afternoon.

Once the questioning concluded, the village chief pulled Lu Chengfeng aside.

"Captain Lu, is there anything else you wish to know?"

Lu Chengfeng's expression remained stern. He did not answer.

The village chief pressed on, "Captain Lu, Liu Na was murdered in the afternoon, and Zhang Lanying stayed right here the entire afternoon. She couldn't possibly have gone into the mountains to commit murder. I feel you're just wasting your time."

"Who says we're wasting time?" Liu Xun strode over, turning to Lu Chengfeng. "I've traced the information on that knife. The shopkeeper said Huang Shixiong bought it, and that he bought two knives in total."

"I called Zhang Yong and cross-checked the serial number of the knife left beside Liu Na. It is indeed one of the knives purchased by Huang Shixiong. The other one is the knife we fished out of the pond."

"Let's go, Village Chief. Please take us to Huang Shixiong," Lu Chengfeng said.

The village chief kept silent, simply turning on his heel and leading the way.

Lu Chengfeng gave Liu Xun a look, and Liu Xun motioned for everyone to follow. The other villagers, seeing this, tagged along as well.

A substantial procession arrived at the entrance of Huang Shixiong's house.

The village chief shouted at the top of his lungs toward the interior, "Huang Shixiong, Zhang Lanying, come out! Captain Lu has some questions for you."

Zhang Lanying and her son rushed out from the house.

"Haven't we told you everything already? What else is there to ask?" Zhang Lanying demanded, visibly impatient.

The village chief was equally impatient. "They found your family's knife in the small pond at the triangular fork in the road. I want to know why your family's knife was abandoned there."

Huang Shixiong looked perplexed. "Village Chief, what knife? When did my family ever lose a knife?"

A flicker of panic flashed across the depths of Zhang Lanying's eyes.

A moment later, she suddenly slapped her thigh and exclaimed, "Ah, that's right! Our family did lose a knife a few days ago. Shixiong, wasn't that the knife you bought at Old Liang's shop? You bought two, didn't you? One of them went missing."

Liu Xun exchanged a glance with Lu Chengfeng.

"Ma'am, what a coincidence that the knife your family lost just happens to be the murder weapon used against your daughter-in-law," Liu Xun mocked.

Huang Shixiong was dumbfounded. "Officer, are you serious?"

Liu Xun retorted, "That's what we should be asking you. When did your family lose the knife? How did it go missing, and where?"

Zhang Lanying curled her lip. "If I knew, wouldn't I have found it already? Liu Na was the one who told me a knife was missing from the house. Who knows when it vanished?"

At a loss for what to do next, Liu Xun turned his head toward Lu Chengfeng.

Lu Chengfeng simply looked at Zhang Lanying and her son without speaking.

The village chief lifted his chin and scolded Zhang Lanying.

"Speak properly to the police officer. No one is accusing you of being the murderer; we've already confirmed you have an alibi."

"You were indeed chatting at the village committee office all afternoon. The officer is simply asking for your cooperation to figure out who might have taken that knife. Once we find out who took it, we'll find the killer."

Zhang Lanying's attitude softened somewhat.

"Village Chief, I genuinely don't know when the knife went missing. The gate to our courtyard is open all day long, and anyone can wander in and out at will."

Lu Chengfeng raised his eyelids to look at Huang Shixiong. "May I have a look around your house?"

Huang Shixiong looked momentarily puzzled, but after processing the request, he nodded. "Captain Lu, please, look around as much as you like."

After pacing around the courtyard, Lu Chengfeng pointed to a narrow path nearby and asked, "Where does that lead?"

Huang Shixiong replied, "It leads to the pigsty and the vegetable garden in the back."

Lu Chengfeng stepped toward the path, and Huang Shixiong hurried after him.

Zhang Lanying wanted to follow as well, but Liu Xun stopped her. "Ma'am, you don't need to come. Our captain is just taking a casual look around."

The village chief looked at Liu Xun and frowned, saying, "My dear Captain Liu, if you don't get on with investigating the case, the killer might just get away. You should really check who went up the mountain yesterday afternoon."

Liu Xun replied with a smile, "Village Chief, don't be anxious. We are investigating the case right now. Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains—however improbable—must be the truth. Our captain has everything under control, so rest assured."

Lu Chengfeng walked down the narrow path, where an overpowering stench assailed his nostrils, forcing him to cover his nose and mouth with his hand.

Yet his pace did not slacken as he headed straight for the pigsty.

Huang Shixiong, following closely behind, looked utterly bewildered and asked, "Captain Lu, what are you looking for?"

Lu Chengfeng stopped by the shed next to the pigsty, pointed to the feed inside, and asked, "Is this the feed your family uses for the pigs?"

Huang Shixiong was entirely at sea. "Yes."

Lu Chengfeng fixed his gaze on Huang Shixiong.

In a solemn tone, he stated, "The sack we found in the small pond is identical to the bags you use for this feed. Inside the sack were a few bamboo shoots and that knife of yours. Are we to believe the thief who stole your knife also happened to make off with one of your feed sacks?"

Huang Shixiong froze.

Lu Chengfeng stepped closer to him. "Your relationship with your mother-in-law was quite strained, wasn't it?"

Huang Shixiong lowered his head.

After a moment, he looked up and said, "But my mother was at the village committee office the entire afternoon yesterday! She couldn't possibly have been in two places at once and gone up the mountain to kill my wife. Captain Lu, I'm not just trying to shield my mother."

"It's true that my mother and my wife didn't get along. They've bickered and fought over the years, but once they finished shouting and fighting, it was over. Murder is not something an ordinary person could actually do."

Lu Chengfeng stared at Huang Shixiong with deep, unreadable eyes.

"Have you ever heard of crimes of passion? The majority of domestic violence and homicide cases are crimes of passion, committed in a momentary impulse."

Huang Shixiong froze once more.

At that exact moment, Lu Chengfeng's phone rang.

He pulled out the device to check the screen; it was a landline call from the forensic center.

He quickly answered, "Hello."

Shu Yan's voice came through: "It's me. We've just finished the autopsy, and we have two major discoveries."

Lu Chengfeng asked, "Oh? What discoveries?"