bayedsolid Chapter 421 Broken Bones
Chapter 421 Broken Bones
Upon hearing Ding Yun's arrangement, Zhang Lai immediately responded, "Okay, have someone lower the bamboo curtain over here."
After saying this, Zhang Lai immediately arranged for several boatmen to go to the first floor of the pleasure boat and instructed them to lower the bamboo curtains on both sides of the boat a little, instead of lowering them all the way down at once.
As the bamboo curtain slowly descended to two-thirds of the way down the pavilion, leaving a half-meter gap between it and the seats, the corpse wrapped in the black cloth drooped limply. The bamboo curtain billowed in the wind, and the weight of the body caused it to sway back and forth in the air, dripping blood onto the three-story pavilion, the second-floor deck, and the windows.
Many people looked horrified at the sight, and feeling uneasy, their stomachs churned, and they ran to the sides of the pavilion to vomit. Most people also moved away from the scene of the crime.
Even though they could eat and drink for free in this pavilion, seeing such a chilling scene made them lose all interest in having fun and eating. They just hoped to get off the boat as soon as possible.
Guan Ziheng also wanted to run away, but seeing that none of the group intended to leave, he felt that it would be cowardly for him to leave. So he had no choice but to suppress his discomfort and stay, standing slightly behind Lin Lezhi, trying his best not to look at the corpse.
Bamboo curtains hung down on both sides, blocking much of the sunlight. The once bright pavilion was now slightly dim, and the atmosphere became increasingly oppressive.
"Don't just stand there, hurry up and turn on all the lights in the market, so as not to interfere with the official's investigation."
The crew on the ship were terrified by the corpse, but after Zhang Lai shouted several times, they gritted their teeth, suppressed their fear, and ran to various parts of Ting City to light lamps.
The lights were lit one by one, and the market town became much brighter, but seeing the corpses under the bright lights was even more gruesome.
Ding Yun stepped forward and squatted down, pulling aside the wide cloak covering the corpse. The body was covered in blood in many places, with a small pool of blood around the body. There were marks on the waist and abdomen where the body had been cut by a sharp blade, and the exposed hands were dark purple.
Two bones were clearly visible piercing the trouser leg, showing signs of being broken outwards.
Although they hadn't yet lifted the clothes covering the face, just seeing the style of the deceased's clothes made Lin Lezhi and Xiao Yihuo's eyes immediately turn serious.
Liu Yunhe also recognized the owner of the clothes, his eyes filled with disbelief. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but held back.
Upon seeing the man's clothes, Zhang Lai clearly recognized him, and exclaimed in disbelief, "These clothes... how could they be... no way, no way...!"
Ding Yun looked at Zhang Lai and asked, "You know him?"
"No...this...I..."
Seeing Zhang Lai stammering and looking flustered, the officer next to him shouted angrily, "No, what do you mean no? Stop being so coy. If you know him, you know him; if you don't, you don't."
Zhang Lai waved his hand in fright and said, "I...I don't know him."
"Then why are you panicking?"
He scratched his head in a panic, explaining hastily, "I...I'm afraid I can't explain it clearly. I...I saw his clothes, and he looked like a distinguished guest on my ship. Last night...there was a commotion on the ship, and not only me, but many people on the ship saw him too. But based on just a piece of clothing, I can't be sure if it's him."
"last night?"
Ding Yun asked, his gaze fixed on her.
Zhang nodded and truthfully recounted what had happened last night.
At this moment, the last group of guests came up from below, including the sedan chair bearers and maids who had accompanied the bride the previous night. The shop assistant who had gone down to call them up clearly wanted to say something to Zhang, but seeing that the scene wasn't a good place to interrupt, he kept quiet for the time being.
Ding Yun scanned the people who came up with a scrutinizing gaze. After a moment of thought, he used his hand to lift the hood covering the deceased's head.
The moment the deceased's face was revealed, everyone around was horrified.
The deceased's face was contorted, his face and lips were bluish-purple, his lips were tightly closed, his eyes were wide open and bloodshot, and his neck was almost broken off, with only a layer of skin and flesh barely connecting his head and body. His appearance was extremely gruesome.
The deceased was the middle-aged scholar who spoke up for the old beggar last night.