Seeking Truth with a Sword-Chapter 453 - 404 Bolt

Chapter 453: Chapter 404 Bolt
"Talisman board murder?"
The Talisman Master, Dai Xu, paused then mused, "The operating principle of a talisman board is essentially replacing talisman paper with a metal plate engraved with a Divine Evil Cloud Talisman. By leveraging the metal plate’s durability, it extends the lifespan of the talisman. A slight alteration to the Divine Evil Cloud Talisman on the metal plate can change its function. Most likely, the talisman board would crack and be rendered useless, but there’s a small chance it would transform into a different talisman."
"You mean," the captain caught on, frowning, "someone tampered with the talisman board last night, turning it into part of a murder mechanism?"
"Um... there’s a slight possibility. The Divine Evil Cloud Talisman on the talisman board is a relatively simple Micro Light Talisman, which has numerous hollow structures. By placing some metal blocks in specific locations, it could indeed alter the patterns of the Divine Evil Cloud Talisman." Dai Xu rubbed his chin, recalling knowledge from books about Divine Evil Cloud Talismans. "
Let me think... what kind of Cloud Talisman could it be transformed into? Dust Cleaning, Boiling Water, Wind Talisman, Ice Talisman...
"
"Could it be the Ice Talisman?" Sikong Qiu, a Guest from the Prince Mansion, asked. "For example, after the Heir Prince turned off the talisman lamp switch, it triggered a mechanism. This mechanism not only kept the talisman board running but also transformed it into an Ice Talisman, gradually forming ice on the surface of the metal plate and extending along...
"Because the talisman board was located just above the cabinet clock, the ice pillar would form at an incline. Its downward extension would be aimed precisely at the Heir Prince’s neck. In this way, everyone who entered Room 9 last night becomes a suspect—they had enough time to insert metal blocks into the talisman board while the Heir Prince turned to pour tea or wine."
Following Sikong Qiu’s train of thought, Talisman Master Dai Xu continued, "However, the ice pillar would extend very slowly. If the Heir Prince were stabbed in the neck by the ice, he would surely wake up. Also, if someone did put metal blocks inside the talisman board, where are those things now? It’s hardly likely that the murderer was hoping the people who discovered the Heir Prince’s body this morning would be drawn to the Fine Gold metal blocks inside the talisman board and secretly remove them, right? That would be too improbable."
"Maybe it didn’t have to be through the talisman board," another Guest from the Prince Mansion, Sikong Ji, proposed. "The talisman board’s energy comes from the copper wires in the wooden board layers of the ship’s hull. The wires draw Spiritual Power from the Spiritual Energy Machine and feed it into the talisman board. If there were a high-level Talisman Master who clutched the front end of the wire, replacing the attributeless Spiritual Energy in the wire with their own, couldn’t they cast a paperless talisman through the talisman board, across a layer of cabin wood? It’s entirely possible, theoretically. First, forming an ice pillar that spanned half the room, suspended above the Heir Prince’s neck, then above the ice pillar, forming an ice dagger. The ice dagger would glide along a groove on top of the ice pillar, striking the Heir Prince lying on the bed. Since the talisman board was part of the room itself, the entire process would not trigger the room’s Alarm Talisman."
As Sikong Ji spoke, his gaze slowly turned toward Feilian and Yan Fu, who resided next to Xia Yuanjia in Room 7.
The captain asked, "Mr. Feilian, may we inspect your room for any evidence of tampering with the wooden boards on the wall?"
Feilian spread his palms. "Help yourselves."
The group arrived at Room 7. The furnishings were undisturbed, and the walls showed no signs of boards being pried open and then replaced.
"Satisfied?" Feilian sneered. "Our names have been cleared. If there’s nothing else, Yan Fu and I will be going ashore for some leisure. You’ve wasted half our day; you ought to compensate us for our tickets."
Before the captain could apologize, Sikong Qiu stepped forward, blocking Feilian’s way. "Mr. Feilian, please use this." He took a palm-sized Compass from his bosom, very similar to what the Academic Palace uses to test students’ Spiritual Vein Talent. "This is a device used by the Zhou Kingdom to test Cultivators. Could you and your servant touch the Compass?"
Feilian narrowed his eyes. "You still suspect me?"
"Merely reasonable doubt," Sikong Qiu said. "Even for the hearty Jing Country people, it’s just too risky for a nobleman’s son to go out with only a Kunlun Slave, isn’t it?"
Feilian looked around the room at each person and said indifferently, "Fine. But let me make it clear in advance that the results of the test might be beyond your expectations. Whatever consequences arise, you’re on your own."
With that, Feilian raised his arm slowly and reached towards the Compass.
Meanwhile, Yan Fu stood in the corner of the room, a smile plastered on his face, arms folded in front of him, the picture of a simple and honest servant.
ZIP!
Out of the blue, a chill crept up the back of Li Ang’s neck.
The black demon cat in the corridor also arched its back as if it had been shocked by electricity, its fur bristling as it let out a howl.
"Wait a minute." Sensing something amiss, Li Ang stepped forward and stopped Feilian from touching the Compass. "I was wrong," he said. "There’s nothing wrong with the talisman board."
"Hmm? What do you mean?" Sikong Qiu was taken aback.
"The moisture content," Li Ang explained. "An Ice Talisman doesn’t create ice out of thin air; it condenses the moisture in the air into ice. To produce ice pillars and ice daggers that can span half a room, there simply wouldn’t be enough free moisture in the air here—Room 9 is completely sealed off from the outside airflow."
TSK.
Feilian clicked his tongue silently and dismissively withdrew his hand.
He had already prepared for the Compass to detect an overload of Spiritual Power and explode outright. The people in this cabin, upon seeing the talisman plate explode, would realize he was actually a Candle Cloud Cultivator. After being exposed, he would then go on a killing spree, slaughtering most people on the ship and the island. As two Candle Cloud Realm experts, he and Yan Fu were unstoppable. They would only need to spare a small number of crew members to pilot the SS Sea Charm to the civilized world before finishing off any remaining witnesses.
Completely oblivious to the fact that he had just skirted the edge of the Ghost Gate, the captain frowned and asked, "So how did the killer..."
"
Let me think.
" Li Ang raised his arm, his hand stroking his beard, concentrating hard.
The locked room, the broken clock, the puddles on the floor, the missing murder weapon...
"Meow."
The black cat trotted into Room 7, looking dispirited. Su Xinghuo, concerned, picked it up and cuddled it in his arms.
"Is this the ship cat?" Talisman Master Dai Xu asked curiously upon seeing this.
"Yes. When I worked as a ship doctor on various ships, it was very efficient at catching mice in the rooms," Su Xinghuo nodded.
Dai Xu suggested, "The couple in Room 5 upstairs said they heard strange rustling noises yesterday afternoon; maybe a mouse got into the walls. Why don’t you lend them the cat? It might also help the ship cat regain some energy."
While deep in thought, Li Ang suddenly lifted his head and asked, "What did you say?"
Talisman Master Dai Xu, not quite understanding, responded, "Uh? It might also help the ship cat regain some energy?"
Li Ang gestured. "The sentence before that."
Talisman Master Dai Xu repeated, "The couple in Room 5 upstairs said they heard strange rustling noises yesterday afternoon; maybe a mouse got into the walls..."
"
Yesterday afternoon, yesterday afternoon...
" Li Ang’s eyes lit up. He pushed open the door of Room 7, went to Room 9, stepped onto the bed, and reached up to touch the nuts on the ceiling one by one.
Found it. So that’s how it was; no wonder he could deceive the captain.
After feeling one of the bolts and noticing something unusual, Li Ang breathed a sigh of relief. He hopped off the bed and looked at the crowd that had rushed into the room, utterly clueless. He smiled and announced, "I’ve figured out how the murderer did it."