The bloody head rolled across the deck as the rchant’s eyes were wide open with rage, staring intently at Mr. Yu.
Mr. Yu was stunned for a mont, his throat seemingly breaking free from its restraints, and he let out a scream that tore through the night, panicking, "Ghost... ghost... there’s a ghost! There’s a ghost!"
Mr. Yu staggered backward uncontrollably, and with a heavy thud, he fell to the ground, his back sticking to the cold deck, trembling.
The guests resting in the cabin were awakened and ca out to check.
Upon seeing the head on the deck, so of the faint-hearted turned pale, and even so vomited on the spot.
And with Mr. Yu shouting wildly, so of the others started to yell nonsensically as well.
For a mont, the ship was thrown into chaos.
"Quiet! Everyone quiet down!"
Just as Jiang Shouzhong was about to step forward to examine, a burly, angular-faced man suddenly spoke out.
The big man moved swiftly, stepping forward to the head, took out an Identity Token, and shouted, "I am an official from Qingzhou’s Liushan Division, everyone, don’t panic! Quiet down! Don’t panic!"
Under the authoritative intimidation of the Liushan Division official, the previously noisy and chaotic ship gradually returned to calm.
"Where’s the manager!?"
The big man turned around and barked the question.
The ship’s manager, wiping sweat off his brow and hurryingly yet respectfully approached, said, "Master, I am the manager of this passenger ship."
The big man pulled out the Token and said, "My na is Chu, an official from Qingzhou’s Liushan Division, from now on, get so crew mbers to lock down the scene, and allow no one to co close."
"Yes, yes."
The ship’s manager hastily responded, directing the crew to hold back guests who tried to crowd around the scene.
The big man pointed to the head on the ground and asked, "Do you know this man’s identity?"
The manager nodded with a pale face, "I know, he is the owner of Baotuo Trade Company from Fengcheng, his surna is Mo. He was on his way to Qingzhou to attend a friend’s funeral. I heard that not long ago there was a murder at a brothel in Qingzhou, and one of the deceased was his friend."
"He was alone?"
"Yes, he used to bring his family, but this ti he was alone," the manager promptly said.
The official nad Chu crouched down and closely examined the cut on the neck of the head, noticing that the wound was clean and caused by a sharp weapon, silently pondering the possible type of weapon and the strength of the killer’s blow.
The official nad Chu stood up and asked, "Which room is his, take there."
"Right, follow , Master," said the manager.
He took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat off his forehead and led the official nad Chu to a room on the third floor.
The third-floor rooms were quite luxurious, with red sandalwood furniture, Yunjin drapes, and celadon vases...a stark contrast from the common rooms on the second floor, clearly delineating the difference between the upper echelons and others.
However, what was surprising was that in the room, besides a pool of blood, the rchant’s body was nowhere to be seen.
"Where’s the body?"
The official nad Chu asked in confusion.
The manager was also baffled, hastily instructing the crew to search around.
But even after searching the entire lower deck, no body could be found. There was only that lone head, lying abandoned on the deck.
When they asked the guests in the neighboring rooms, all said they had not seen the body.
Nor had they heard any sounds of a struggle.
The manager whispered a guess, "Master, could the body have been thrown into the river by the killer?"
The official nad Chu countered, "Then why did the killer leave the head on the deck?"
The manager had no answer.
The official nad Chu recalled Mr. Yu, the first to find the head, and approached him to ask, "What is your na?"
At this point, Mr. Yu was still terrified, his face ashen. After being asked several tis, he finally collected himself, his legs still shaking, and he said with a quivering voice, "I... I am Yu Wuwei."
So na he had.
The official nad Chu curled his lip and continued to ask, "You’re the first one to see the head. Tell , did you see where the rest of his body went? Did you see who the killer was?"
"I... I didn’t see who the killer was," Mr. Yu shook his head.
The official nad Chu frowned, "But why did you start shouting ’ghost’ at the beginning?"
"I only saw a woman... a woman," Mr. Yu’s eyes filled with fear as he pointed toward his neighbor’s room, "I was returning from the latrine when I saw a woman in white standing in front of a door. She... she was floating."
"A floating woman?"
Upon hearing Mr. Yu’s words, the official nad Chu felt a surge of doubt.
Could it be a Demon?
He went to investigate the room that Mr. Yu had pointed to.
Inside the room, there was no one.
The following manager said, "Master, this room has not been sold yet, no guests have stayed here. I can guarantee that since the ship set sail, this place has been unoccupied."
The official nad Chu looked around once more, confirming again that there were no signs of anyone having stayed in the room, and he asked Mr. Yu, "Describe the woman for ."
Mr. Yu swallowed and said with a still trembling voice, "I didn’t see her face clearly, all I rember is that she was wearing white clothes. I glanced over unintentionally and saw her feet off the ground, which scared into tumbling down to the second floor."
The official nad Chu stroked his chin, pondering for a mont, and decided to ask other guests for information.
Upon reaching the deck, he saw a handso young man squatting in front of the rchant’s head examining it. The official nad Chu’s expression turned stern as he approached and demanded, "Who allowed you to tamper with the scene——"
But before he could finish his rebuke, he saw the other man pull out an intricately carved, elaborately designed Token.
The "Liushan Division" characters etched on it were clearly visible.
"You’re from the Capital’s Liushan Division?"
The official nad Chu was surprised.
Jiang Shou rose to his feet, smiling and said, "If Chu is not convinced, you can verify it yourself after the ship docks."
After examining the Token and seeing the na on it, the official nad Chu cupped his fist and said, "I apologize for the laughter, Master Jiang, I was not expecting to et a colleague from the Capital’s Liushan Division on this ship. I am Chu Qi of Qingzhou’s Liushan Division. Would Master Jiang be taking over this case?"
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