Seeking Truth with a Sword-Chapter 447 - 398 Suspect

Chapter 447: Chapter 398 Suspect
Trouble was brewing.
The Ink Silk Clone had its arms folded in front of its chest, frowning as it observed the scene inside the room.
Two guards from Zhou Kingdom were glaring at Su Xinghuo, their eyes nearly shooting flames.
Xia Yuanjia had lived on the SS Sea Charm for three years. Although he was the Heir Prince, he was approachable and lacked any sense of nobility. He often showed kindness and generosity, which made him popular on the ship.
Now, with his horrific death, everyone looked coldly at Su Xinghuo, the prime suspect.
The ship’s guards roughly twisted Su Xinghuo’s wrists behind his back, preparing to handcuff him.
The Ink Silk Clone narrowed its eyes.
It could not let Su Xinghuo be arrested.
Xia Yuanjia was a noble of Zhou Kingdom. If Su Xinghuo were determined to be his murderer, the case would inevitably attract widespread attention. The Ink Silk Clone would then have even less chance to approach Su Xinghuo and extract information about the origins of Ink Silk.
"MEOW—"
Su Xinghuo’s black cat softly called from under everyone’s feet, bit the leg of the Ink Silk Clone’s trousers, and tugged, jerking its head.
Li Ang looked down and met the black cat’s eyes.
The latter meowed, darted out between the legs of the crowd, flicked its tail, and signaled Li Ang to follow.
The Ink Silk Clone silently lowered its head and quietly followed the black cat out. Under the cat’s guidance, it opened the door to its own Room 13.
The black cat quickly ran into the room, sat down on the Persian floor mat, and lifted its chin towards the door.
The Ink Silk Clone closed the door, took out a soundproof talisman from its chest, activated it, then turned to face the black demon cat and frowned. "A demon cat daring to come onto a cruise ship full of Cultivators—you really are bold."
"Likewise," the black cat said calmly in a neutral tone. "Aren’t you also an Alien? Despite being flawlessly disguised from head to toe, you still lack a certain human scent."
Li Ang raised an eyebrow. "Human scent?"
"The smell of scalp oil, the scent of oils from pores, the breath carrying the odor of food fermenting in the stomach, the smell of foot sweat, the smell of armpit sweat..." the black cat detailed. "You chose the role of a Western Regions Hu Shang well. It naturally allows you to wear a lot of perfume without raising suspicion, and you can evade many detection methods, including the garrison’s fine dogs. However, you still stand out too much to certain demon beasts with sensitive senses."
He had been exposed because of the scent.
Li Ang rubbed his chin.
He had done everything possible to perfectly mimic human features, but still, things like scalp oil and body sweat could not be replicated.
Li Ang, controlling the Ink Silk Clone, asked, "You know I’m an Alien. Aren’t you worried about my intentions?"
"I don’t sense any malice from you," the black cat quickly stated. "I don’t care what your purpose is in approaching Su Xinghuo. Right now, he’s about to be jailed as a murder suspect. You should rescue him, then we can talk. You should know he’s innocent. He was Xia Yuanjia’s friend, and he isn’t foolish enough to commit a crime and then be the last one seen leaving Xia Yuanjia’s room."
"Why don’t you rescue him yourself?" Li Ang inquired. "With your abilities, escaping this ship with him shouldn’t be a problem."
"And allow Su Xinghuo’s identity to permanently become that of a wanted fugitive? With no home to return to?" the black cat quickly asked. "Are you going to help or not?"
"Help."
Li Ang thought briefly and then decided to help.
The black cat said, "Good. Just claim that after Su Xinghuo left Xia Yuanjia’s room last night, he came to your room and talked to you. At that time, you didn’t see any blood on him or him carrying any weapon..."
"That reason isn’t strong enough; it might make me a suspect as well."
Li Ang immediately rejected the black cat’s suggestion, his eyes twinkling as he said, "I have a better idea."
He tore up the soundproof talisman, put the talisman fragments into its pocket, took a book from the shelf, then turned and pushed the door open, burying its head low as it merged back into the crowded corridor.
At that moment, Su Xinghuo’s hands were already cuffed, and several crew members were pushing him out.
"Wait!"
Dressed as the Western Regions merchant An Xuehai, the Ink Silk Clone stepped forward and said, "Mr. Su, this is the book you borrowed from me a few days ago."
The Ink Silk Clone handed over the book titled *Forensic Pathology* by Li Ang, flipped open to the Chapter ’Estimating Time of Death from Various Early Postmortem Changes.’
The first mate of the SS Sea Charm, a heavily bearded man, furrowed his brows and asked, "And you are..."
"I am An Xuehai from the Qin He Trading Company of Chang’an," Li Ang smiled and said. "I am friends with Su Xinghuo, and I live in the room next to his, Number 13.
"Last night, around Xu Zheng, a quarter past the hour (8:15 PM), I and the other passengers were notified about the strong winds expected later that evening, so I returned to the SS Sea Charm.
"I then stayed in my room reading.
"Around Haichu (9 PM), I heard a door opening from the room next door..."
"Time of death!"
Su Xinghuo’s eyes brightened, and he immediately stopped, shouting, "Receptionist! Is it true that I left my room around Haichu last night to go to Xia Yuanjia’s room?"
The receptionist, caught off-guard by the question, paused to recall and said, "Yes. Last night, I was sitting behind the table at the end of the hallway. Behind me, there was a clock that chimed the Haotian Bell on the hour, so I remember very clearly."
"You should also remember that I left Xia Yuanjia’s room around Hai Zheng (10 PM) and returned to my own Room 11, right?" Su Xinghuo quickly said. "The clocks invented by Dr. Su Feng from the Academic Palace are quite expensive, so not every cabin has one. However, Yuan Jia’s room did. That’s why I also remembered the time I left."
The receptionist thought for a moment and nodded. "Yes, you indeed entered Room 9 around Haichu and left Room 9 around Hai Zheng."
"That’s where the problem arises." Su Xinghuo turned toward the clock on the wall of the cabin and pointed his chin at it. "The clock in Yuan Jia’s room was smashed and stopped at Chou Zheng (1 AM). If I had killed Yuan Jia and damaged the clock, how could it possibly stop at Chou Zheng?"
Sikong Ji’s expression was somber as he said, "That’s simple. You knew you would be arrested, so you intentionally smashed the clock after killing the Heir Prince and set it to Chou Zheng to create an alibi for yourself."
"Am I that stupid? Chou Zheng is already in the early hours; Yuan Jia would have been asleep, and no guests would visit. By setting the broken clock to Chou Zheng, am I not just increasing my own suspicion?"
Su Xinghuo argued, "Everyone, I have a Medical Practitioner Certificate in my possession. Yuan Jia invited me onboard precisely because I am a doctor. He wanted me to protect him and ensure he received prompt treatment if he got poisoned or injured. Moreover, this *Forensic Pathology* book provides sufficient evidence that I did not kill Yuan Jia."