Seeking Truth with a Sword-Chapter 456 - 407: Agreement

Chapter 456: Chapter 407: Agreement
Chen Qiwei tried to stand up and flee, supporting himself with his hands on the ground.
However, Sikong Ji in the room below was not going to give him that opportunity.
Sikong Ji floated up, telekinesis pouring out through the rivet holes, firmly grasping Chen Qiwei’s clothes and dragging him to the ground.
Detecting an excessive fluctuation of Spiritual Power, the Alarm Talismans still affixed in the room emitted a deafening noise.
The water in the pitcher on the table rippled, and the doors, windows, and floor were all vibrating.
Sikong Qiu burst out of the door, rushing towards the upper cabin to apprehend Chen Qiwei.
The Talisman Master, Dai Xu, flung his sleeves, summoned the Alarm Talismans from various parts of the room, and, enduring the intense noise, destroyed the talismans one by one.
It was resolved.
Li Ang calmly lowered his hands from his ears and nodded to the grateful Su Xinghuo.
One had to admit, Chen Qiwei’s murder plan was meticulous and well-thought-out, with the only flaw being the fake bolt.
Once the SS Sea Charm docked and Su Xinghuo, the prime suspect, was detained, Room 9 would be unsealed. Chen Qiwei could have then used his position as a crew member to enter Room 9, replace the fake bolt with a real one, and completely erase all traces.
TAP TAP TAP.
The captain of the SS Sea Charm, his expression somber, strode out of the room, chasing after Sikong Qiu.
The others exchanged glances and decided to follow.
Everyone arrived at Room 3 on the upper level, only to see Sikong Qiu had already handcuffed Chen Qiwei, who wore a grim expression and remained silent.
"Why?"
The captain took a deep breath. "The Heir Prince had no quarrels with you. Why would you want to kill him? Was someone instructing you from behind?"
After all, Chen Qiwei was an employee of the ship. For an employee to plot the murder of a passenger and attempt to frame another would be an utterly intolerable scandal if it got out.
"..."
Chen Qiwei’s facial muscles twitched slightly, and he said bitterly, "They forced me."
"They? Who are they?!"
Sikong Ji bellowed, "Confess honestly, and you might not have to suffer too much..."
Before he could finish, Sikong Qiu’s expression changed drastically, and he lunged to pry open Chen Qiwei’s mouth.
Alas, it was a step too late. Chen Qiwei’s face turned a deathly hue, and he spat out a mouthful of foul blood, his back arching as he fell to the ground.
Su Xinghuo immediately rushed over with a medical kit, attempting emergency treatment.
However, blood splattered from Chen Qiwei’s nose and mouth. After a few convulsions, he lay motionless, his wide-open eyes lifelessly staring at the ceiling.
"..."
Su Xinghuo paused. He checked Chen Qiwei’s heart rate, pulse, breathing, and pupillary reflexes, confirming that the man had no vital signs.
"He bit through his ceramic molar. It likely hid a potent poison inside."
Su Xinghuo stood up slowly, shaking his head at the grim-faced Sikong Ji.
With the murderer taking his own life, the case came to a close.
The captain first apologized for his earlier suspicion and for disrupting the passengers’ vacation.
He asked everyone to return to their rooms, leaving Sikong Ji and Sikong Qiu to discuss how to handle the aftermath of the incident.
Li Ang returned to his Room 13, sat on a chair, and began to wait.
After a while, there was a knock on the door. Su Xinghuo stood outside, holding the black cat.
"Come in and talk."
Li Ang nodded, beckoning Su Xinghuo and the black cat into the room.
"We owe Manager An a great deal this time," Su Xinghuo said gratefully yet reservedly. "If it hadn’t been for your help, Sir, I would have been treated as the murderer and thrown into a Zhou Kingdom prison. The one who truly killed Yuan Jia would also have gone scot-free."
"It was nothing."
Li Ang waved his hand dismissively. "Chen Qiwei was merely a tool. He wouldn’t have killed Xia Yuanjia, with whom he had no grievance, without someone instructing him from behind. By the way, do you know who Chen Qiwei meant by ’they’ in his last words?"
"This..." Su Xinghuo hesitated. "Although Yuan Jia was the Heir Prince, he had never been to his Prince Manor, nor did he concern himself with the affairs of his domain. He bore no grudges against outsiders. Whoever benefits most from his death is most likely the murderer."
"I see."
Li Ang nodded. The suspect Su Xinghuo had in mind was none other than the Prince of Zhou’s eldest, though illegitimate, son, who had recently suffered a serious fall from his horse.
According to Zhou Kingdom law, illegitimate Commandery Princes had no right to inherit their father’s title of Prince.
Originally, Xia Yuanjia, who firmly believed in the curse and hadn’t set foot on land for several years, wasn’t considered the ideal successor in the eyes of the Zhou nobility.
But then his brother’s serious injury from the fall prompted the old Prince to recall Xia Yuanjia, to return to the Zhou Kingdom and inherit the princely title.
This naturally affected the interests of others.
The mastermind could be the Commandery Prince himself, or perhaps an interest group connected to him, scheming behind his back.
The usual sordid mess of powerful families.
"Alright." Li Ang clapped his hands, took a soundproof talisman from a drawer and activated it, then turned to the black cat in Su Xinghuo’s arms. "My part is done. Now it’s time for your repayment."
"What?" Su Xinghuo looked confused.
The black cat in his arms gave a soft cough and quickly explained, "The man before you isn’t some Western Regions merchant, An Xuehai. He’s an Ink Silk Clone of a certain Cultivator. To save you from imprisonment, I made a deal with him. He helped you avoid being branded a criminal, and now we must help him with something in return. I had initially assumed he would stage a jailbreak, or fabricate evidence to frame another passenger. I didn’t expect him to actually catch the real killer..."
The black cat paused, glancing at Li Ang, and hesitated.
"Wondering about my real identity?" Li Ang signaled with his hand. "Personally, I’d advise against delving too deeply. Once we leave the SS Sea Charm, we’ll have no further contact. That’s for the best for both of us. Anyway, Su Xinghuo, you’re a descendant of the Su Family of the Yiyuan Trading Company from the Pre-Sui Period, right?"
"Yes." Su Xinghuo hadn’t expected Li Ang to ask this. "From the Tenth Year of Daye to the Thirteenth Year of Daye during the Former Sui, members of the Su clan fell ill one after another, and many died. Subsequently, during the chaos of the Late Sui period, the Yiyuan Trading Company and the Su clan gradually declined. Now, I’m the only one remaining whose lineage is traceable in the family records."
"Besides the family records, you must have inherited something else from the Su Family, right? Those great noble families always knew the importance of having several backup plans; they would surely leave something for the direct main lineage." Li Ang said gravely, "For instance, do you know of a ship that belonged to Su’s Yiyuan Trading Company, named Wu County Changmen Sea Hawk No. 39?"
After years of waiting and gathering clues, the crucial moment had finally arrived. The Ink Silk Clone wore a solemn expression.
Thousands of miles away, the real Li Ang, who was out shopping with Li Leqing and Chai Chai, also couldn’t help his expression turning solemn. Noticing this, Chai Chai whispered, "Young Master, do you need to use the restroom? The jewelry store we just visited has one."