Chapter 491: The Ancient Poetry Murders (1/2)

”That’s amazing!” he uttered. “As expected of the Great Detective who’s solved so many cases! You’ve obtained so much information based on the bodies alone.”

”I thought I could keep up with your reasoning, but it looks like I’m still a long way off,” sighed Xiaotao.

I turned to Captain Tang, ”How many high schools are there in Jiangling City?”

”Well, there are hundreds, not including the surrounding towns and counties,” replied Captain Tang.

It seemed the clue was still a bit slim. ”Then let’s use a two-pronged approach! We’ll investigate which restaurant recently hosted class reunion dinners. On the other hand, we’ll also check the high schools in Jiangling City. The murderer is a male teacher, around 28 years old. He appears gentle, neat, introverted, has high self-esteem and lives alone. ”

Captain Tang nodded, ”Alright! I’ll mobilize the police force for the investigation.”

As soon as Captain Tang left, Xiaotao patted me on the shoulder, “You’ve made the Nanjiang mayor look good again!”

”Who cares about that?” I smiled wryly. “According to the murderer's cycle, the next body will appear on the weekend, which is in three days.”

”Let's continue analyzing,” said Bingxin. “Why did the murderer rape the dead victim?”

Fixing my attention on the eviscerated victim, I said, ”She might have been the object of the murderer's secret love in high school. For certain reasons, the murderer had to kill her, but he showed reluctance.”

”Had to kill her…” frowned Xiaotao. “There must be a hidden motive.”

”Could the murderer be a Chinese teacher? I doubt a science teacher could come up with such poetic murders,” mused Bingxin.

”That may not be true! It took him three days to go from killing and disposing of the corpse. His cautiousness wouldn’t allow such blatant exposure of his profession. I think this might be related to the motive.”

What was the relationship between ancient poetry and murder? I didn't have a clue at the moment. Although it might sound pessimistic, I'm afraid I might have to wait for the next body to appear.

It was already late by the time I was done examining the bodies. Bingxin complained of hunger as soon as we exited the morgue.

”I’ve booked a hotel,” remarked Xiaotao. “Let’s get something to eat—my treat! We rarely visit Jiangling City, so we certainly can’t miss out on Jiangling cuisine!”

”Xiaotao-jiejie, you’re so thoughtful!” beamed Bingxin.

After a delicious meal, Xiaotao and Bingxin were enticed by the beautiful night scene in Jiangling City and proposed to go to a spa.

Naturally, us three men couldn’t go with them. We decided on a bathhouse where we could rewind, relax, and discuss the case.

At around ten in the evening, we returned to the hotel to rest for the night.

”Although I’m here to hide from my aunt, we have business to do. Let’s visit the suspect's home!” I suggested.

The suspect I was referring to was the owner of the Hanfu store Captain Tang had his eyes on. According to my deductions, this man wasn’t the murderer, but he was related to the case.

Xiaotao smiled, ”I was just thinking the same thing. We’ll have the opportunity to drop by Daming Temple as well!”

”Perfect!” agreed Bingxin.

The suspect's name was Ke Wenyuan. His store was located near Daming Temple, with a workshop in the back. He hired several tailors to create Hanfu, and was famous within the area.

Ke Wenyuan was missing at present, but according to people who knew him, this man held great respect for the traditional clothing of the Hans and loved dressing like them. He also wore his hair in a bun like the ancients, and was often mistaken for a Taoist priest.