Not only were there cries of “ghost,” but also the resounding clang of a copper basin hitting the floor.
Travelers from the inn, along with a number of players, rushed to the scene. They found the inn waiter sitting on his butt on the ground, his face drained of color as if he’d been scared witless. His fingertips trembled nonstop while he pointed at a room door, stuttering, “D-dead… a dead person!”
The crowd was taken aback and peered inside. It was Room Eight in the Heavenly Character block. A puddle of still-warm, clean water lay on the floor, and in its midst sprawled a girl in green robes. From her deathly pallor, she had clearly been cold for some time.
The martial artists in the crowd gasped in surprise before quickly regaining their composure. After all, the rivers and lakes were a chaotic place, full of peril and unrest.
One lived vibrantly today, only to die tomorrow; one’s head sat snug at the waist this morning, gone by evening. Such things were all too commonplace. Only an ignorant local like the inn waiter from Jinling City’s inn would make such a fuss over a corpse. What a pity, though—this girl had been truly beautiful, at the flower-like age of youthful prime, yet she lay dead in the room with an expression frozen in terror.
Of course, the timing of this incident was particularly sensitive.
With Peacock Manor’s grand birthday celebration approaching, all sorts of factions were converging on Jinling City amid swirling undercurrents. The local Head Constable Zheng from the Six Gates was a man with eyes that brooked no grit, a fierce foe of evil. He had long been eager to nab a few typical cases of martial artists flouting the law with their fists. A death at the inn like this might not end well.
“This lady seemed quite fond of her beauty,” the inn waiter explained, his face crumpled in misery. “She specially instructed me to prepare a basin of hot water scented with rose essence every morning during her stay. She even promised me a silver ingot as a tip once she left. So I came knocking this morning as usual.”
Clearly, stumbling upon a dead body first thing in the morning was too much shock for an ordinary fellow like him. No more silver, and now the girl was dead to boot.
“Who could have done this?” wondered one roadside NPC.
No sooner had he spoken than a chorus of excited player voices rang out: “Holy shit, is the plot this intense? A dead body in the inn after just one night! This has to be major storyline, guys—no doubt about it!”
“@ the recording team! It’s morning already—get up and get to work!”
“On our way!” The recording team players perked up at the mention of plot. They hastily crammed buns into their mouths, then leaped into action with their lightness skills, soaring from their ground-floor sleeping spots in the main hall up to the Heavenly Character rooms on the second floor.
The other players weren’t about to be left out. “Let us have a look, let us have a look! We’re coroners—we know how to examine bodies!”
These newbie players, fresh to the rivers and lakes with their low-level martial arts, fearlessly shoved through the crowd. Even the forties- and fifties-level martial experts could only shake their heads in exasperation; one punch from them would flatten these hotheaded rookies. But true masters carried a pride that kept them from striking down the weak without cause, so they quietly parted to let the young upstarts—the little shrimp of the rivers and lakes—pass.
With even the high-fifties-level experts cooperating, the rest of the inn’s travelers had no choice but to follow suit.
[Coroner Newbie]: The lowest rank among local coroners, equivalent to a coroner apprentice. Equipping it activates profession effects.
Ruan Xuezong emerged from his room after hearing the commotion. He donned his bronze mask and draped a luxurious outer robe over his shoulders. Upon arrival, he saw players decked out in white masks, gloves, and coats, examining the corpse with professional flair.
They began with identifying the face to determine identity and possible cause of death.
“This green-robed heroine looks awfully familiar.”
“Are you blind? When we checked in, she booked her room right before us. She sat next to us at dinner in the hall yesterday too. How do you miss a beauty like that? What good are your eyes?”
“Sect Lord’s so charismatic—my eyes were only on Sect Lord QAQ.”
“Cut the clowning. The green-robed girl’s face is intact. Livor mortis is blotchy and widespread, rigor mortis extensively advanced, corneas clouded, lips shriveled. Preliminary estimate: death occurred five to six hours ago, around midnight to the hour of the rat—from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m.”
“Her pupils are dilated but reactive, death throes evident. No bruises on the body, no signs of struggle. She never saw it coming—killed in an instant. For details, we’d need to remove the clothes…”
The female players took over then. After inspecting, they silently redressed the body, having reached their conclusion.
“Palm print clear, bruised purple. Clearly, she was struck in the heart with a single palm strike and killed instantly. The print’s outline—not too big, not too small, between youth and young adult. Belongs to a man just come of age.”
“Holy shit! Who the hell did this—so ruthless?” The players erupted, roundly condemning the killer’s brutality and cruelty. Once they’d vented, they continued examining details. The girl’s palm clenched something tightly—an important clue, no doubt.
With rigor set in, prying it open took tremendous effort. The players strained mightily before finally forcing apart her cold, stiff fingers. When they saw what lay in her palm, they froze as if struck by lightning.
It was a lustrous green jade pendant, strung with green silk cord. The players knew Ruan Xuezong well—they’d seen him wear it a few times. Not as iconic as his bronze mask, which seemed practically fused to him, but familiar nonetheless.
“No way…” The players were dumbfounded. A just-of-age man who knew lethal palm techniques, with a telltale jade pendant… Investigating the case had led right back to their own Young Master?
The other martial artists, seeing the examination complete with apparent results, chimed in: “The inn waiter and innkeeper’s wife have already reported to the authorities. Six Gates officers will handle this soon. That jade pendant’s likely the culprit’s token—hand it over to Head Constable Zheng when he arrives.”
The players, ever savvy, shot back at once: “No, no, this isn’t it!”
Ruan Xuezong’s mood soured; he felt ensnared in a trap. Then came a warm, elegant sigh.
“Young friend, it seems you’ve landed in serious trouble.” Shen Jiangling approached, idly stroking his paper fan, a faint smile playing at his brows as if tempted to tease—the fresh arrival to Jinling already embroiled in drama. But considering the young man’s feelings, he swallowed the quip. “Your personal jade pendant in a lady’s hand… Did you have any interaction with this green-robed girl yesterday, young friend?”
“She was hired by someone to hide in my room. I gave her the pendant myself,” Ruan Xuezong murmured, confirming it.
Shen Jiangling’s eyes widened in surprise. After a moment, his expression turned grave. “It seems your moment of pity for the fairer sex was exploited by the one pulling the strings.”
Ruan Xuezong fell silent, his face darkening.
Truth be told, he was starting to doubt himself. His memory from seeing off this Green Apricot yesterday, extinguishing the candle, until waking at dawn… There was a gap in between.
As he pondered, a commotion erupted at the inn’s entrance—hooves, it seemed, as onlookers shouted, “Six Gates are here to investigate! Make way, everyone.”
The rivers and lakes were one world; the officialdom another. Save for those thriving on both sides, most river-lake heroes disdained these lackey constables and wanted nothing to do with them—lest they fall into their clutches over some misdeed.
Among them, Head Constable Zheng was second-in-command at the Six Gates and a household name in Jinling City. Be it river-lake feuds, official bounties, or common bandit hunts, he oversaw it all. His martial prowess ranked top-tier, and he made the jianghu denizens sweat. Many a guilty conscience prompted flight at the sight of his stern face.
“Who picks this exact moment to kill? Everyone knows Head Constable Zheng’s itching for a big merit badge.” The crowd muttered snidely—gossip like this was rife. Zheng merely shot a cold glance and ignored it. One hand on his waist saber, he strode into the inn’s hall.
Wherever he went, people scattered three feet back.
Meanwhile, the game forums exploded.
[Latest Jinling City Main Quest Intel: We’re screwed, fam! Early morning, green-robed girl found dead in inn room. Sect Lord admits contact yesterday, blank spot in memory— all evidence points straight at our Young Master. Sect Lord’s headed to jail! Heat: 500k+]
Ruan Xuezong was a forum legend; slap his name on a title, and it hit fifty thousand views in minutes. Replies poured in.
“I got intel too. Six Gates’ chief constable’s ironclad impartial, hates river-lake folk. With all these martial artists flooding Jinling, he’s been waiting for someone to slip up…”
“Jailing the protagonist? Plot this wild, Rivers and Lakes devs? Sect Lord’s misery-lad arc confirmed.”
“Come on, process of elimination: Ruan Xuezong didn’t do it, so everyone else in the inn’s suspect!”
Head Constable Zheng arrived with his posse and immediately dispatched a coroner to examine and collect the body. The results matched the players’.
Next, they searched Ruan Xuezong’s room. On the table: a wine cup, a half-drunk pot of peach blossom brew…
Gradually, Zheng’s hawk-sharp eyes fixed on Ruan Xuezong. “One-strike kill, physical evidence in hand, crime under drink’s influence. The perpetrator is Heart Washing Manor’s Young Master. Men, seize him!”
With that, he drew his blade.
“Hold, Head Constable Zheng! Too coincidental—likely a frame job. Shen suspects foul play.” Shen Jiangling stepped in front of Ruan Xuezong, using his fan handle to parry. It seemed effortless, yet halted the saber cold—testament to his superior skill.
Seeing him, Zheng’s scowl deepened. “Shen Jiangling! I haven’t settled your last stunt—barging into the imperial temple, alarming nobility. And now you dare cross me? Take them both!”
“Ancient history, and you’re still harping on it?” Shen Jiangling gave a wry smile. His interference backfired, nearly costing him his head. He hurriedly traded blows with the arresting officers.
Players leaped about too: “What kind of dumbass constable is this? Sect Lord’s the protag—the killer ain’t him!”
The scene was chaos incarnate.
“Aaah, disaster!” The inn waiter stumbled anew, nearly tumbling from the second floor right into Head Constable Zheng, clad in his constable garb.
“What’s with the hysterics?” Zheng’s face was ashen; he barely sheathed his saber.
“J-Jinling City’s richest heir! He checked into Heavenly Character Room One yesterday—now he’s gone!” The waiter’s face still bore traces of shock. “Big live guy’s vanished—no answer at the door. I broke in; luggage’s there, but person’s poof!”
Zheng’s brows knotted fiercely. “Such a thing happened?”
Before he finished, a hothead named Five-Colored Mottled Black burst in, barreling straight into him. “Bad news, fam! The horses we tied in the inn stables were fine, but when I went to feed ’em hay, they all collapsed!”
“Holy shit???” The players detonated.
