Seeking Truth with a Sword-Chapter 463 - 414 Throat Brush

Chapter 463: Chapter 414 Throat Brush
Sui Yi frowned slightly. She also picked up a thin wooden stick and used it to meticulously sift through the area.
Xing Pengyue continued his from the side, "Each of the three corpses had a different section of the Diamond Sutra in their intestines. Apart from Gao Fuyun, the landlord from South City whose abdomen ruptured upon death, the other two corpses had no abdominal wounds, and their stomachs contained no foreign objects."
"A Demon Cultivation Technique?"
Li Wei looked up and asked, "Is there an Evil Skill that could achieve such an effect—penetrating the abdomen without causing external injury?"
"We’ve compared Cultivation Techniques from various schools; there are as many as nineteen with similar effects. These include, but are not limited to, Telekinesis, witchcraft, Gu Poison, Evil Thought Technique, and curses. Of these, thirteen Cultivation Techniques are now lost. Four were confiscated by the Academic Palace and the garrison respectively, and only a very few garrison soldiers have dabbled in them."
Xing Pengyue did not hide anything, adding, "However, their whereabouts are all traceable, and they had no opportunity to commit the crimes."
Sometimes, to deal with special types of demons, garrison soldiers would practice unorthodox arts under strict supervision. These individuals, influenced by Mutated Objects, were unable to write down the Cultivation Techniques in their minds, nor could they teach them to others.
Li Ang asked, "What about the other two?"
"One is the Whipping and Carving Technique from the Judgement Court of Taihao Mountain. They hang heinous criminals who have defied the will of Haotian upside down, flogging them with special whips while chanting incantations. With each lash, the Confession Spell of the Haotian Taoist Sect is imprinted on the criminal’s skin. Each time the incantation is recited, the Confession Spell burrows deeper into the body—first beneath the skin, then into the bones, and finally into the internal organs."
Xing Pengyue continued, "The other is the Regret Scripture from Tiantai Mountain’s Esoteric Sect. Monks who violate monastic rules chant the scripture to themselves, causing the words of the precepts to appear on their skin. Only when a monk regains inner peace do these words fade."
Tiantai Mountain’s Esoteric Sect?
Li Ang raised an eyebrow. Tiantai Mountain was currently the foremost Zen institution in Yu Country, and its abbot, Jianquan Monk, had gained widespread renown thirty years ago. The Esoteric Sect, moreover, was an inner sanctum of Tiantai Mountain, accessible for Cultivation only to eminent high monks widely recognized by the monastic community.
Seeming to guess Li Ang’s and the others’ thoughts, Xing Pengyue added, "There are no Tiantai Mountain monks in the temples around Xingzhou, but we cannot rule out the possibility of outsiders disguising themselves and infiltrating the city."
He Fanshuang thought for a moment and asked, "Have there been similar cases before?"
Xing Pengyue shook his head. "Using the Bookworm Immortal in the Taiyuan Prefecture garrison, we reviewed case files from the Hedong, Henan, and Hebei Roads spanning the last thirty years, but found no similar incidents."
Serial deaths. Bizarre causes. A lack of clues.
Sui Yi pinched her chin and looked up. "Please ask the Colonel to send some people to lead us to the scenes where the bodies were discovered and to investigate the residences of the deceased," she said.
It was still broad daylight, with Yang energy at its peak, so malicious spirits wouldn’t dare cause trouble. Even if some Demon Cultivator was behind the case, they wouldn’t dare act rashly after seeing garrison soldiers mobilized for an investigation.
Sui Yi divided everyone into three teams.
She, Qiu Feng, Li Leqing, and Zhang Yuyan formed one team to investigate the recently deceased wife of a wealthy young master in the city.
Li Wei, Yang Yu, and Yong Hongzhong formed another team to investigate Huang Yusan, who had died of suffocation.
Li Ang, He Fanshuang, and Ji Linglang were to investigate Gao Fuyun, the landlord from South City who had edly died from overeating.
All three teams carried signal flares and were accompanied by garrison soldiers. If they encountered danger, they were to launch a flare immediately to summon support.
Compared to the prosperous and bustling Chang’an and Luoyang, Xingzhou was far less impressive. This was especially true when leaving the city proper and heading towards the outlying farmsteads. As far as the eye could see, there were only rutted dirt tracks, sallow and emaciated tenant farmers, dilapidated thatched huts, and the pervasive sight of ox and horse dung.
Yet, at the highest point of a low hill, stood a grand and opulent mansion, its carved beams and painted rafters a stark contrast to the humble dwellings nearby.
Gao Mansion...
Li Ang gazed at the signboard hanging high above the mansion’s gate, adorned with flamboyant, artistic calligraphy. A corner of his eye twitched; he knew this was another local tycoon.
Sure enough, the moment he stepped into the mansion, he was met by a cacophony of voices arguing, the crash of shattering porcelain, and sounds of mutual revilement.
In the mourning hall, draped with white funeral cloths, men and women in mourning attire were arguing heatedly. They accused one another of being unfilial, of gluttony and sloth, or of dallying with lovers during the vigil.
These were Gao Fuyun’s wives, concubines, children, and other relatives. Gao Fuyun had been immensely wealthy, and upon his death, his family members were immediately at each other’s throats, faces flushed as they fought bitterly over their share of the inheritance.
Even an honest magistrate struggles to settle family squabbles, and Li Ang had little interest in such tawdry inheritance dramas. Flashing his garrison credentials, he led his team into the bedroom where Gao Fuyun had died.
Two afternoons prior, a servant had discovered Gao Fuyun dead and alone in his bedroom. The servant quickly ed it to the authorities. The garrison then secured the scene, using Liliang Talismans to lower the room temperature and preserve the bedroom’s condition at the time of death.
"There’s a large spread of food and wine on the table, but only a single cup, one bowl, and one pair of chopsticks."
Ji Linglang examined the tabletop and asked a Gao Mansion servant, "Was your master entertaining guests that day? Or had it been a long time since he’d eaten?"
"In reply to Your Excellency, this was our master’s usual portion for a single lunch."
The servant replied cautiously, "Our master loved to eat, truly loved it. He spent lavishly to hire renowned chefs from all over. A single meal for him would consist of seven or eight courses—cold and hot dishes, chilled meats, pastries, and fruit. The Gao Mansion banquets were famous throughout Xingzhou City."
Li Ang skillfully put on his mask and gloves. He checked the dried bloodstains beneath the table and said calmly, "The blood sprayed outwards, centered on the chair, then pooled beneath it. Around the blood pool are traces of yellowish-green bile. It indeed appears as though his abdomen ruptured, causing death. Of course, assassination is also a possibility."
He Fanshuang scanned the bedroom, examining the bed and wardrobe. Her gaze finally came to rest on the dressing table, pausing on an exquisitely crafted, flat wooden box that exuded a faint fragrance.
The wooden box had previously been opened by garrison personnel. He Fanshuang used her Telekinesis to open it. Inside were not jewelry or curios, but a collection of bird-feather dusters.
Hmm?
He Fanshuang squinted. These dusters were about two fingers long and half a finger thick, adorned with bird feathers of various colors, looking exceptionally ornate. They didn’t resemble typical Chicken Feather Dusters used for cleaning clothes, nor did they seem to be decorative accessories for garments.
"What is this?" He Fanshuang asked.
Outside, the arguing among Gao Fuyun’s family members grew louder. The servant, looking embarrassed, replied, "To answer Your Excellency, these are Throat Brushes from our master’s collection."
Throat Brush?
He Fanshuang, unfamiliar with the term, frowned slightly. "What do you mean by that?"
"They’re dusters used for inducing vomiting," Ji Linglang explained. "Some wealthy gentry are extremely fond of banquets. To satisfy their gourmand desires and continue eating, they have Chicken Feather Dusters specially custom-made to reach into their throats. Whenever they’re about to feel full, they insert a Chicken Feather Duster into their throat to induce vomiting, emptying their stomach. After a quick rinse of the mouth, they can continue to indulge in delicacies. Sometimes, a single banquet can last for three consecutive days."