Chapter 276: The Fragility of Life

ng in the courtyard admiring the moon. 。On the stone table, various kinds of pastries were laid out. Compared to those mooncakes sold in the mountains, which weren't very appealing in appearance, thes..."Never expected to meet that destined person here!" The man slammed his fist onto the water's surface, sending a spray of droplets splashing onto his face, reflecting the frustration and defiance etched on it.

Sounds from the forest came closer and closer, and in a short while, a group of people appeared around the hot spring. The leader of the group, upon seeing the man in the hot spring, immediately bowed and greeted him, "Lord Li, what brings you here"

The man called Mr. Li was feeling resentful because of Qin Luo's matter, so his tone when he spoke was even colder, "Haven't you seen me bathing here How, do I have to report to you that I'm bathing"

"My subordinate didn't mean it, he just...just..." The man leading the group also wore a look of grievance on his face. What bad luck had he fallen into He was dragged into this mess in the middle of the night, and he was even more dissatisfied. Wasn't Li Yunfan just able to buy his way in because of his Geng Jin connections In the end, he was just someone in charge. Calling him 'sir' out of respect didn't mean he was actually someone important!

"What is the meaning of this" Li Yunfan roared, frowning at the line of people wielding sticks who had barged in.

Though the man at the head was displeased, he dared not show it. He could only respectfully say, "We are only chasing after the murderer because someone died in our workshop."

"Murderer…" Li Yun murmured these words, he had heard that woman mention something about a murderer earlier too. It seemed like something really bad had happened in the weapon workshop, "Just tell me what happened, quickly."

“Actually, it’s not a big deal. This time, the only silversmith who participated in the Weaponsmithing Workshop assessment was killed, so Master Fang asked us to lead people to hunt down the murderer. That’s why we ended up here.” The leading man quickly explained the situation in a few words, fearing that he might upset this unpredictable Lord Li again.

After listening, Li Yunshen just yawned boredly, "This little thing would disturb people's peace. Well, take off your clothes and give them to me. I won't hold it against you for disturbing my bath."

The leading man heard this and immediately pulled a long face, "I... I'm just a rough person, my clothes are dirty..."

"Are you taking it off" Li Yun shouted softly, a glint of killing intent in his eyes.

The leading man was still reluctant. Someone behind him quickly leaned into his ear and whispered, "Just give it to him already. You know he gives three points of face to the master of the weapons workshop. When has he ever looked favorably upon anyone else Don't you remember what happened to the last person who angered him The master killed him without hesitation! He protects his own so fiercely, who dares to say a word"

"Alright." The leader sighed, then began to take off his clothes.

Li Yunfan let out a cold snort. After the crowd turned their backs, he picked up his clothes from the ground and put them on. Then, in front of everyone, he swaggered back with a lantern in hand.

After he walked away, the remaining people couldn't help but spit on his back.

"You really think you're something, don't you"

"That's not quite right. I don't know if he used his face to deceive the master, making the master protect him so much."

"Oh, don't mention it. That person has resources at their fingertips. It is said that even the people in the palace have to please him."

"Having a pretty face doesn't necessarily mean she got there honestly! Psh!"

As they walked, the group discussed Li Yunfan's situation, their words laced with disdain. Unfortunately, Li Yunfan didn't hear any of it. Even if he had, he would probably just arrogantly retort, "If you have the ability, make everyone worship you too"

When Qin Luoyan returned to the courtyard, it was already brightly lit. Guards were going from room to room asking questions. Qin Luoyan was soaked through and shivering as she walked into the courtyard. Immediately, a guard came over to ask about her situation.

Luckily, she had shouted "fire" when she chased after him initially. Someone who reacted quickly saw her chasing the black shadow out the door when they went out. This proved her innocence, otherwise, if she had just gone out without anyone seeing, it would have been hard to explain things.

Having cleared her of suspicion, the guard did not embarrass her and allowed her to return to her room to change clothes immediately.

When Qin Luoyan changed her clothes and came out, she saw the body of the silversmith being carried out. She took a distant look and saw that the silversmith's death was very gruesome, his face covered in sores and black, foul-smelling fluid. It seemed that he wasn't simply killed, but more like poisoned to death.

She was astonished, and just then, the guard carrying the corpse tripped over a stone at his feet, nearly falling. He also inadvertently shook the white cloth covering the body. To her surprise, the silversmith's body was also horribly mutilated. Both arms had been severed cleanly, and especially, his chest was ripped open, revealing his flesh. A large piece of skin on his chest had been torn away, revealing bloody, terrifying wounds.

At this moment, everyone in the courtyard who was participating in the assessment saw it and immediately gasped. Some even fainted from fright.

The guards quickly covered the body and hurried away with it.

After the guards carried away the body, the courtyard fell silent. However, many people couldn't sleep and gathered in small groups to discuss what had happened.

Qin Luo'yan joined a group of people and overheard them discussing the most likely culprit for this incident. When something like this happened, the first suspects were always those who had come to participate in the assessment together. However, when Qin Luo'yan started the fire, everyone came out one after another. At that time, everyone in the courtyard was there, which cleared all of them of suspicion.

However, some have also put forward the idea that even if one wanted to eliminate competitors, they wouldn't be foolish enough to commit murder themselves; perhaps they had someone else do it. Therefore, this time, everyone being considered for recommendation was also included within the scope of suspicion.

Qin Luo'yan listened attentively and felt that there were still some intelligent people among these individuals. However... she always felt something was amiss in her heart. If it were simply a matter of eliminating competitors, why would they make the silversmith die so gruesomely Having his hands severed, disfigured, and flayed The brutality of the methods was jaw-dropping.

It's a pity she wasn't a detective; tracking down murderers was beyond her scope. Perhaps having witnessed the cruellest aspects of this society and the fragility of life too often, she had become numb. At least, she no longer reacted as she used to, petrified at the sight of a dead body.

If you think "Fu Zi Mo Qin Luo Yan" is good, please copy and paste the following URL to share it with your QQ, WeChat or Weibo friends, thank you for your support!

(: b/23/23838/)ially when their families back home rely on them for money to survive. 。 Therefore, many people immediately expressed their desire to withdraw from this assessment. However, things were far more com...