Xie Qingyan nodded, clearly thinking the same thing. "The employees said he dressed well, never mentioned money matters, seemed very well-off. They also said he gave certain customers 'special attention'—regardless of gender—but the specifics of what that attention entailed, everyone was vague about." He paused. "But a person who's truly wealthy wouldn't keep someone's secret for two thousand dollars."
"A facade." Yin Wuwang said. "His wealth was an act."
"Yes." Xie Qingyan jotted down a few words in his notebook. "This is a lead. We'll need to investigate his financial situation later."
He set down that document and picked up another. "What about Zhang Yunxiang?"
Yin Wuwang leaned over to look. Zhang Yunxiang's name appeared on the bottle storage list, with supplementary notes from the employees beside it.
"He's also a regular. His frequency is even higher than Su Xiaoqing's." Xie Qingyan said, a hint of surprise in his voice.
"More frequent than his wife?" Yin Wuwang raised an eyebrow.
"Yes."
Little Deer Assistant 9527's voice chimed in: "The employees said Zhang Yunxiang sometimes comes with his wife, but more often he comes alone. He frequently drinks until very late, sometimes staying until closing. And he often orders hard liquor."
Yin Wuwang leaned back against the couch, an image of Zhang Yunxiang forming in his mind. This man who claimed to have "killed in a moment of impulse" came to the bar more often than his wife, drank until late, sat alone, ordering hard liquor... For him, this was clearly habit, and also escape. Deep in his heart, there must be some buried unease.
Xie Qingyan set down the documents, lost in thought.
The Zhang couple were regulars who stored bottles at the bar. Zhang Yunxiang visited even more frequently than Su Xiaoqing, so they would have been quite familiar with the bar staff and would have had some understanding of Chen Wan.
He thought of the employee statements he'd just read—Chen Wan's "special attention" wasn't a secret in bar circles. Zhang Yunxiang couldn't have been completely unaware of these rumors.
So when that "woman with the lovely voice" told him "your wife too," he believed it so easily.
Xie Qingyan drew a question mark in his mind. That woman chose to use "Chen Wan seduced your wife" for a reason. She was certain Zhang Yunxiang would believe it, because she knew the rumors circulating in the bar, knew Chen Wan's reputation, knew exactly what words would strike at the heart of an insecure husband.
This woman understood the bar's situation very well. Something about this wasn't right.
"Fuguang." Yin Wuwang's voice interrupted Xie Qingyan's thoughts. "Mortals in this world don't have divine sense. They can't search souls. How do they confirm who the killer is?"
Xie Qingyan looked up at him, a glint of interest in his eyes. "What are you thinking?"
"Lin Zhiyuan said Zhang Yunxiang hit Chen Wan, but the fatal wound was the ligature mark on his neck." Yin Wuwang frowned. "The one who hit him was Zhang Yunxiang. The one who strangled him might be someone else entirely. I want to know if mortals have any way to distinguish between these two things."
Little Deer Assistant 9527's voice echoed in Yin Wuwang's mind: "Modern forensic science has lots of methods! Fingerprint identification, DNA testing, surveillance footage, phone location tracking, eyewitnesses..."
"DNA?" Yin Wuwang's interest was piqued.
The Little Deer Assistant explained: "Everyone's DNA is unique. If DNA can be found on the murder weapon, it can confirm who used it. The accuracy rate is very, very high."
Yin Wuwang was somewhat surprised. Mortals don't have divine sense, yet they can invent something like this to compensate. They do have some skill after all.
Xie Qingyan pulled out his phone from his pocket, his fingers sliding across the screen a few times to open a search page. He typed in several keywords. Results flooded the screen, and he quickly scanned through them, his brow gradually furrowing.
"DNA testing requires samples." He said. "Skin cells, hair, blood, saliva... as long as there's contact, traces might be left behind."
Yin Wuwang craned his neck to peek at the screen. The densely packed text gave him a headache, but he understood the gist. "So if we can find the weapon that strangled Chen Wan, there might be the killer's DNA on it?"
"Correct." Xie Qingyan nodded. "The problem is no weapon was found at the scene. Zhang Yunxiang said he didn't bring any rope or similar items to the bar, and nothing that could be used for strangling was found at the scene either."
Yin Wuwang fell into thought. Zhang Yunxiang hit Chen Wan—he admitted that himself. But the fatal wound was a ligature mark, and Zhang Yunxiang said it wasn't him. If Zhang Yunxiang was telling the truth, then there was a third person at the scene—someone who, after Chen Wan was knocked unconscious, used some kind of tool to strangle him.
"That woman." Yin Wuwang spoke.
Xie Qingyan stopped moving, waiting for him to continue.
"The woman with the lovely voice." Yin Wuwang's gaze turned sharp. "She told Zhang Yunxiang his wife was having an affair, provoked him into hitting Chen Wan. If she's the real killer—"
"She needed a scapegoat." Xie Qingyan picked up the thread, his voice calm. "Zhang Yunxiang hit Chen Wan and left evidence. All she had to do was act after Zhang Yunxiang left, and all the blame would fall on him."
Yin Wuwang nodded. This line of reasoning matched his own. That woman wasn't randomly stirring up trouble—she was laying a trap. She chose Zhang Yunxiang as her scapegoat, used "your wife is cheating" to enrage him, made him go hit Chen Wan. Then she made her move, completing the actual killing.
"But this is just speculation." Xie Qingyan stood up and walked to the window, arms crossed over his chest. "We have no evidence that woman exists, let alone evidence that she's the killer."
"Tomorrow we interrogate Zhang Yunxiang." Yin Wuwang said. "Make him recall every detail of that night. What state was Chen Wan in when he left the bar? Was anyone else present? Did that woman ever appear again?"
Xie Qingyan turned around, looking at him. "You think Zhang Yunxiang will tell the truth?"
"It doesn't matter if he doesn't." The corner of Yin Wuwang's mouth curved into a cold smile. "This sovereign has lived for three thousand years. What lie haven't I seen? If he dares to lie, I'll see right through it."
Xie Qingyan glanced at him. The corner of his mouth lifted slightly—a very shallow, faint arc, but Yin Wuwang still caught it.
"Alright."
Just one word, simple and decisive. But Yin Wuwang felt his heartbeat skip. He turned his head, pretending to look at the night scene outside the window, hiding the slight warmth at the tips of his ears.
Damn it. It was just one "alright." What am I getting so worked up about?
[City Center Luxury Apartment · Late Night]
One in the morning. Yin Wuwang lay in bed, tossing and turning, his mind fixated on "the woman with the lovely voice."
She knew about Su Xiaoqing and Chen Wan. She knew Zhang Yunxiang was prone to jealousy. She knew how to manipulate an insecure husband. She lurked in the bar, waiting for Zhang Yunxiang to get drunk before approaching him, saying the same thing over and over until he believed it.
This reminded Yin Wuwang of the heart-bewitching techniques in the demon realm. Those who'd been hit with heart-bewitching curses would have a thought planted in their minds, and that thought would slowly take root and sprout until it became their own idea. They would willingly do anything for that thought—even kill.
That woman didn't use magic. She used words. But the principle was the same—say it repeatedly, again and again, exploit the target's weaknesses, seep in bit by bit.
She didn't just want Zhang Yunxiang to hit Chen Wan.
She was turning Zhang Yunxiang into a blade—a blade ready to be drawn at any moment.
Yin Wuwang closed his eyes.
Tomorrow's interrogation of Zhang Yunxiang—he had to ask clearly about that woman. Who was she? Why did she want to kill Chen Wan? What grudge was there between them?
This case was far more complicated than he'd imagined.
But it doesn't matter. With Fuguang here, any puzzle can be solved.
[End of V2_Chapter 17]
Next: The interrogation continues—what secrets is Zhang Yunxiang still hiding?