Chapter 44: Chapter 44: Bizarre Bloody Case

CHOP CHOP CHOP~~

Unsure how long he had slept, Zhao Jian was groggily woken by the sound of bones being chopped.

He realized his wife was no longer in bed; she seemed to have gotten up early.

Zhao Jian yawned and pushed open the door.

The sky was just beginning to lighten, but it was gloomy and overcast.

The chopping sound continued to emanate from the kitchen.

’That woman... Chopping bones first thing in the morning. Does she expect anyone to get any sleep?’

Annoyed by the incessant chopping, Zhao Jian cursed under his breath and headed straight for the kitchen, intending to tell his wife to stop.

CREAK!

As he pushed open the wooden kitchen door.

He froze on the spot, his eyes widening in terror.

A bloody, severed head came into view.

It was his wife’s head. Someone had cut it off and hung it from the iron hook used for curing meat.

The head wore an eerie smile, staring right at him.

Blood was still dripping from it.

Inside the kitchen.

Another person was there—it was unclear when they had appeared. Due to the dim light, their features were obscured. All Zhao Jian could see was a figure holding a blood-stained Bone-Cutting Saber, chopping relentlessly at some bones.

If Zhao Jian wasn’t mistaken, it was a leg bone.

The gory, terrifying scene made his legs go weak. He couldn’t even run.

"No..."

"Stay away!!!"

THUD THUD THUD...

A moment later, there were no more screams. Only the sound of chopping echoed from the kitchen.

.......

Inner courtyard of the County Yamen.

Han Yuan was bare-chested, his muscles bulging ferociously. Hot qi and blood surged through his body, and his skin radiated intense heat.

THWACK THWACK THWACK~~~

Two constables, wielding thick rods, were frantically beating Han Yuan.

Thighs, waist, abdomen, chest, even the back of his head.

These were all places Han Yuan had ordered them to strike.

The Iron Rods smashed against Han Yuan’s skin, producing a series of CLANGS.

It sounded more like they were striking sheets of metal.

THUD!

A heavy blow landed squarely on Han Yuan’s chest.

The next moment.

A beastly roar erupted from his throat, "Hit me harder!!!"

"Use your Power!"

Hearing this, the two constables didn’t dare to slack off. They quickly gathered their internal Power and swung their Iron Rods.

WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH~~~

The Iron Rods became a blur, whistling through the air as they rained down on Han Yuan’s body.

Using Power really made a difference. Han Yuan could feel a constant pain in his muscles.

Yet, his nerves only grew more excited. The qi and blood in his body circulated wildly, and his veins bulged like snakes.

"Harder!!!"

Hearing his command, the two constables could only put more force into their blows.

After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, both of them collapsed from exhaustion.

Han Yuan waved them away, took a large gulp of a medicinal soup, and looked at his system panel.

Arhat Iron Cloth Shirt: Great Success (30/1800)

Through his bitter training these past few days, Han Yuan had long since ground his Arhat Iron Cloth Shirt to the Great Success stage.

Not only was his Qi Power terrifyingly great, but his muscles were also as hard as iron.

’Only 1,770 more proficiency points to grind, and I’ll reach Perfection.’

’When that happens, the Arhat Iron Cloth Shirt will form a new Martial Arts Divine Power.’

Han Yuan’s eyes filled with longing.

He wanted to see what kind of Martial Arts Divine Power the Arhat Iron Cloth Shirt would form.

It was just about noon.

Han Yuan was just about to go to a restaurant to get something to eat and fill his stomach.

Outer Forging consumed a great deal of the body’s nutrients, so in addition to replenishing his qi and blood, meat was also essential.

Lately, Han Yuan’s appetite had been growing larger and larger.

He had to eat over a dozen pounds of meat a day to satisfy his body’s needs.

Just then.

Yang Sen walked in, a panicked look on his face.

"Chief Constable, there’s been a murder in White Stone Lane."

"A husband and wife were killed in their home."

Han Yuan was unconcerned. "You can investigate that kind of case yourself."

’Robbery-homicides, while less common now, still happen from time to time.’

"No... Chief Constable Han... this case is a bit unusual."

Yang Sen seemed to be fighting the urge to vomit.

Han Yuan could also see something was wrong with his expression. "Tell me about it."

"I can’t really explain it... Chief Constable, you’ll know once you see it for yourself."

As if remembering something, Yang Sen finally couldn’t hold it back and started to dry heave.

Han Yuan was instantly curious.

’Yang Sen has worked at the County Yamen for over a decade; what hasn’t he seen?’

’What kind of case could possibly affect him like this?’

"I’ll go take a look then," Han Yuan said softly.

Yang Sen led Han Yuan to a residence in White Stone Alley. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

The place had already been cordoned off by Government Officials, but a large crowd of commoners had still gathered to watch.

"I heard it was a horrible death!"

"I wonder what kind of enemy they provoked?"

"This isn’t something a human could have done."

Just then, Yang Sen pushed through the crowd. "Make way, make way! Chief Constable Han is here!"

Hearing the three words "Chief Constable Han," the commoners hastily parted, afraid of getting in his way.

Ever since he killed Hong Mingchang and He Rongsheng, Han Yuan had rarely appeared in public.

This made him seem even more mysterious.

And mystery often equates to a certain unknown fear.

Thus, the awe and fear the county’s commoners felt for Han Yuan had only grown.

It had even reached the point where his name could be used to stop children from crying at night.

Han Yuan was a bit speechless.

’I haven’t killed anyone recently, have I? Why do they look at me like I’m some kind of monster?’

Passing through the crowd and entering the residence, Han Yuan was hit by a foul, coppery smell.

"The owner of this house is named Zhao Jian. He had a wife, named Mrs. Wu."

"The couple hadn’t been seen for two days. Their next-door neighbor thought something was wrong, so they came to the County Yamen to report it."

"I happened to be on duty, so I brought some men over to check... and then..."

Yang Sen didn’t even dare to look toward the kitchen.

Han Yuan’s gaze flickered for a moment. Not forcing Yang Sen, he walked toward the kitchen himself.

The closer he got, the stronger the foul, coppery stench became.

When he pushed open the wooden kitchen door, it was as if he had pushed open the gates to a Hell of flesh and blood.

An indescribably gory scene appeared before his eyes.

Seeing this, Han Yuan finally understood why Yang Sen had been dry-heaving earlier.

Even he found it hard to stomach.

It was too bloody, too nauseating.

He closed the kitchen door again.

Han Yuan asked Yang Sen, "Did this Zhao Jian have any enemies?"

"We’re still investigating," Yang Sen replied quickly.

"This case isn’t simple... find out the truth as soon as possible."

"Also... don’t let word of this get out, or it could cause a panic."

Han Yuan said in a low voice.

"I understand." Yang Sen nodded, then his eyes grew hesitant again.

"If you have something to say, say it."

Han Yuan noticed Yang Sen’s odd behavior.

"Chief Constable Han... do you think a person did this... or..."

Yang Sen’s eyes held a trace of fear.

"I don’t know. We’ll find out after a proper investigation."

"Don’t worry... even if it wasn’t a person... it doesn’t matter."

"It’s not like I haven’t killed one before."

Han Yuan grinned.

Yang Sen froze for a moment.

By the time he came to his senses, Han Yuan was already gone.