Knowing the identities of those present,Su Xinchang breathed a sigh of relief.Now,even if he were foolish,he understood that he was being framed!
It's likely that Zhang Qingfang had long been dead,and the person who had attacked him earlier deliberately led him here.
"I've said it before,I didn't kill the man,and I was brought here by someone else.When I arrived,Zhang Qingfang had already died.If you don't believe me,you can come and examine the body."
Su Xin was not one to enjoy arguing,but he didn't want to take the blame for someone else.Meng Changhe sneered,"Caught red-handed,why bother with an examination?Just take him down!"
Su Xin had caused such a big mess himself,and Meng Changhe was delighted.Killing someone from the three major families in Southern Lakes,Su Xin was in deep trouble this time.
"Wait!Mingyue,go examine the body,"Jiang Yuandong said in a stern voice.He wasn't a fool;Meng Changhe had a deep-seated hatred with Su Xin,so he wouldn't listen to him.
With a few hundred people surrounding them,Su Xin couldn't escape.If he really killed the man,they could capture him later.
Ruan Mingyue nodded and walked over to check Zhang Qingfang's injuries.She shook her head,"Zhang Qingfang hasn't been dead for long.He was killed by a sword,and there's nothing unusual about it."
Jiang Yuandong's gaze towards Su Xin suddenly filled with murderous intent.The suspicion on Su Xin was still the greatest.
If it were before,he wouldn't have believed that Zhang Qingfang could be killed by someone.However,just now,he felt Su Xin's strength,and now he believed that Meng Changhe hadn't deliberately exaggerated Su Xin's achievements before.
If caught off guard,Su Xin had the ability to kill Zhang Qingfang with a single sword!
At this moment,a voice calmly said,"You are mistaken;a wound can reveal a lot."
In the darkness,Jiang Ling walked out.
"Master Jiang,why are you here?"Jiang Yuandong frowned.
Jiang Ling chuckled,"There are too few members of the Iron Knife Society,so I had to search for clues day and night.I am free,so I followed them."
No one believed his words.They thought he was just here to watch the excitement.Unexpectedly,Jiang Ling walked directly to Zhang Qingfang's corpse and said,"You young people nowadays are really careless.Today,I'll teach you a lesson.Sometimes,a corpse can speak and reveal many clues about the person who killed him."
Although Jiang Ling was only in his thirties,he had been in the gang since he was a teenager,rising from the lowest-ranking member to the current leader of Xia Tan Lixia Hall.His experience was similar to Su Xin's.
Pointing at the wound on Jiang Ling's throat,he said slowly,"From this wound,we can see that Jiang Ling was killed by a sword that sealed his throat.But Jiang Ling himself is a postnatal perfection-level warrior.The one who could kill him with a single sword is either a congenital warrior or someone who attacked unexpectedly and killed him with a ruthless hand.But now we can rule out the suspicion that the other party is a congenital warrior."
"Why?"Ruan Mingyue asked subconsciously.
"It's simple.Zhang Qingfang had already drawn his sword,but unfortunately,his sword wasn't as fast as the opponent's.However,if the other party was a congenital warrior,Zhang Qingfang wouldn't have had the chance to draw his sword."
Jiang Ling pointed to Zhang Qingfang's left hand.He was holding the scabbard,and the long sword inside was about to be drawn,but he didn't have time to draw it before being killed by a sword to the throat.
"Moreover,judging from the wound,the person who drew the sword is a master of swordsmanship.The attack was mysterious and ruthless,and most importantly,they used a left-handed sword!"
Su Xin suddenly lifted his head and looked coldly at Jiang Ling.However,Ruan Mingyue couldn't accept it and said,"Nonsense!How can you tell whether the person used a left-handed or right-handed sword?"
Jiang Ling sneered,"Indeed,you are a group of young rookies just starting to roam the martial world.Even my lowest-ranked gang members can see such small details.The angle of the left and right hands when drawing a sword is symmetrical.When the left hand sword injures,the wound angle is upward to the right;when the right hand sword injures,the wound angle is downward to the left.Hmm,no wonder you Southern Barbarians can only dominate in that barren land,and your direct disciples are only at this level?"
Ruan Mingyue's face turned red with anger.Jiang Yuandong also secretly cursed him for losing face;he should have personally checked it earlier.
Jiang Ling turned to Su Xin and said with a smile,"Master Su,do you have anything to say now?According to what I know,there is only one left-handed swordsman among the entire Changning Mansion.Moreover,Master Su,you are extraordinary.Although you are young,your achievements are remarkable.With your strength and your cunning and ruthless fast sword,killing a newcomer like Zhang Qingfang is quite simple."
Su Xin clapped his hands,his face showing no expression,"Well said,even I believe that I killed him.Master Jiang,are you possessed by Conan today?"
Jiang Ling raised an eyebrow,"Who is Conan?The legendary detective from the Six Scepters?It's not my inference that matters;it's the caught-in-the-act situation.Anyone would think you're the murderer."
"Exactly!Caught red-handed is undeniable,"a cold voice chimed in,surprisingly from Fang Dongting and Gong Qingfeng of the Godwind Society,leading a group of people.
Fang Dongting had initially heard news from the Godwind Society's members about a large influx of people from the Three Heroes Society into the territory of the Feiying Gang.He thought they had found the fifth key and started fighting over it,but he unexpectedly witnessed such a spectacle.
The guy who had embarrassed him during the day seemed to be in trouble now.Fang Dongting didn't mind adding insult to injury.
"Sometimes,what the eyes see may not be true,and the Lord Jiang's deduction is a bit too arbitrary,"a clear voice spoke up.
Xie Zhiyan arrived with Huang Bingcheng and Li Huai,along with tens of thousands of Feiying Gang members.This was the territory of the Feiying Gang,and with such a commotion,they had noticed it early.Huang Bingcheng and Li Huai had informed Xie Zhiyan immediately,who then gathered thousands of members to the scene.
The combined forces of the Three Heroes Society and the Godwind Society were less than two thousand,all brandishing weapons and vigilant,blocking the entire street.Gong Qingfeng coldly said,"Su Xin,do you intend to kill and silence everyone?With your mediocre subordinates,do you really think you can challenge those at the Innate Realm?"
Su Xin sneered,"Master Gong,don't make baseless accusations.I didn't kill the man,so why would I silence anyone?"
He turned to the Feiying Gang members and said,"Put away your weapons;there's nothing major happening.No need to make it so tense."
Under Su Xin's absolute prestige,the Feiying Gang members obediently sheathed their weapons,easing the tension for the Godwind Society and Three Heroes Society members.
Su Xin pointed at Zhang Qingfang and said,"I have no acquaintance with this young master from the Southern Lakes.In fact,I've never even seen him before tonight.Why would I kill him?Moreover,have any of you thought about this?Even if he were really killed by me,where are we?This is Jinyue District.What was Zhang Qingfang doing here?"
Upon hearing this,Jiang Yuandong and the others felt that something was amiss.They had been together before,and Jiang Yuandong could guarantee that Zhang Qingfang didn't know Su Xin.
But tonight,Zhang Qingfang had suddenly come out on his own,coincidentally seen by a gang member who then informed them.Jiang Yuandong had thought Zhang Qingfang had discovered clues about the key and,driven by greed,came alone.That's why he had specifically brought Ruan Mingyue and Meng Changhe to see what Zhang Qingfang was up to.
Unexpectedly,due to the slow pace caused by the interference from the Three Heroes Society,they lost track of Zhang Qingfang and only found him again after he was already dead.
Jiang Ling smiled faintly,"Reasons are simple.As I said before,the corpse will tell us everything."
Saying that,Jiang Ling lowered his head and searched Zhang Qingfang's body.Astonishingly,he pulled out a letter and grinned at Ruan Mingyue,"Young master from the Ruan family,let me teach you another lesson.Examining a corpse is not just about observation;sometimes,you need to get your hands dirty."
Ruan Mingyue's face turned black.Why involve her at this moment?
Opening the letter,Jiang Ling revealed a mysterious smile on his face.He unfolded the letter for everyone to see,and it was written:'Come to Linhua Street in Jinyue District at the hour of the dog;the fifth key is in my hands.'Signed by Su Xin!
Jiang Ling ambiguously said,"Master Su,is this your handwriting?Now,everyone finally knows why Zhang Qingfang came here.Master Su,my current doubt is whether you deceived Zhang Qingfang about the key,or did he end up in your hands?"
Everything seemed to point at Su Xin,and Fang Dongting and the others'gazes became even more icy.
If the key was truly in Su Xin's hands,they had to intervene.
At this moment,Xie Zhiyan suddenly said,"Something's not right.If I'm not mistaken,this paper should be the special product,Qingzhu Paper,from Haizhou Zhushan.Qingzhu Paper is expensive but extremely tough,making it popular.However,it has one downside—it doesn't withstand heat well.In hot and humid regions like Xiangnan,it decays much faster than in other places.This is Xiangnan,and Central Plains merchants wouldn't sell Qingzhu Paper here.Even if Su Xin wanted to write a letter,he would use local paper.How could he possibly have Qingzhu Paper?I suspect someone forged this letter,using the Qingzhu Paper they brought with them!"
Such a minute detail was noticed by Xie Zhiyan,leaving others stunned.Jiang Ling's expression changed momentarily but was quickly concealed.
