This Martial Saint is Too Cautious

Chapter 152: Chapter 17: Chasing the Murderer

Yantian Mountain Range!

A group of people gathered by a mountain stream.

Lin Mingchuan’s expression was icy as his gaze remained fixed on a corpse on the ground. Not far from this body lay several others.

Without exception, all the corpses had been severely mutilated, and some of their body parts were missing.

"Brother Chuan, my condolences."

Lin Mingguan looked at Lin Mingchuan’s frost-like expression and offered a quiet word of comfort.

Lin Mingchuan’s gaze didn’t waver in the slightest. He simply knelt and stroked the corpse on the ground.

Every disciple of the Lin Family consumes a special medicinal liquid at the age of three: Bone-Penetrating Fragrance.

After consuming this liquid, their bones emit a unique scent. The clan specially rears Fragrance Mice that can detect this scent within ten zhang and follow it to its source.

This was a clan secret, known only to members who had reached the Blood Exchange Realm, and clan rules strictly forbade it from being shared with outsiders.

Thanks to this secret, many murderers who had covertly harmed Lin Clan Members, believing their deeds were perfectly concealed, were later discovered and had their entire families annihilated by the Lin Family. This struck fear throughout the entire Qing State Prefecture.

Many factions in the Qing State Prefecture could guess that the Lin Family had some method for tracking down killers, but they would never have imagined the secret lay with the corpses themselves.

With this fear in their hearts, these factions in the Qing State Prefecture did not dare to secretly move against the Lin Family’s disciples lightly.

The person who had killed his brother this time was unaware of this secret about Lin Clan Members, meaning they were not from the clan.

If someone from the clan had done it, they wouldn’t have handled the body this way. They would have burned it to ashes or tossed it into a deep pool, where the Fragrance Mice would be unable to smell anything.

Without looking up, Lin Mingchuan asked in a deep voice, "What have you found out about the matter I had you investigate?"

"Brother Chuan, I’ve finished the investigation. During the time Mingyu entered the mountains, according to the registries at all the entrances to the Yantian Mountain Range, a total of fifteen people entered. Twelve of them were in groups—the smallest of which had three people—and the other two entered the mountains alone."

"Who is the most suspicious?"

Lin Mingguan fell silent. He hesitated for a moment before saying, "It’s unlikely that any of these people are suspects."

This time, Lin Mingchuan finally looked up, his gaze boring into him.

"Brother Chuan, the twelve who were in groups were split into three teams, with the smallest having three people. I doubt they would have the guts to move against Mingyu. As for the two who entered alone, one is from the First Branch and the other is from the Third Branch. Both are only at the Third-Time of Skin Smoothing."

"Was there no one else?"

"These are all the Martial Artists who registered at the entrances."

After answering, Lin Mingguan shared his own speculation, "Brother Chuan, the one who killed Mingyu might have been a Martial Artist secretly let in through one of the entrances."

In Lin Mingguan’s view, if Lin Mingyu could secretly bring Martial Artists into the mountains with Brother Chuan turning a blind eye, then it was highly likely the First and Third Branches were doing the same. The registration books alone wouldn’t reveal anything.

"Even if the First Branch secretly let people into the mountains, they wouldn’t have killed Mingyu to silence him. The murderer can only be from the Third Branch."

"I was thinking the same thing, Brother Chuan."

Lin Mingguan nodded. The First and Fourth Branches had no grievances with each other. Since everyone was secretly letting people into the mountains, if they had run into Mingyu’s group, they would have simply acknowledged each other tacitly and gone their separate ways.

A conflict would only have erupted if they had encountered someone from the Third Branch.

"But Brother Chuan, it would take a Blood Exchange Realm powerhouse to kill Mingyu. If Lin Minghai had come in, he could have cleaned up everything completely. We never would have found the body."

"That is precisely the effect he wanted to achieve."

Pulling his gaze away from his younger brother’s corpse, a chill filled Lin Mingchuan’s eyes. "I originally thought the same as you. But thinking about it now, not disposing of Mingyu’s body could be a diversion. It’s meant to make me think the killer isn’t a Lin Clan Member, which would conveniently clear his name. Besides... although Mingyu had begun the Blood Exchange process, it’s still possible for him to be defeated by a top-tier expert at the Fourth-Time of Skin Smoothing."

As if remembering something, Lin Mingchuan pressed, "When you went to see Lin Mingyuan, he just generously showed you the registration book?"

"Yes, Lin Mingyuan was very forthcoming. He said that although the Third and Fourth Branches have their grievances, they are ultimately from the same clan. Since a Lin Clan Member was killed, the Third Branch would cooperate in finding the murderer."

"Hypocrite!"

Lin Mingchuan sneered. If it had been someone from the Third Branch who died and Lin Mingyuan had come to him, he never would have let him see the registration book.

"Assign men to watch Lin Mingyuan and his people. Even if we can’t find the murderer, I refuse to believe Lin Mingyuan has kept his hands completely clean these past two years guarding the mountain range."

"I understand. Don’t worry, Brother Chuan. I’ll be sure to keep a close watch on Lin Mingyuan."

"Good. Thanks for your hard work." Lin Mingchuan stood and patted Lin Mingguan on the shoulder.

"It’s no trouble at all. I was also on good terms with Mingyu. Now that he’s dead, I’m determined to find the killer and avenge him."

Lin Mingguan shook his head. His words were not entirely from the heart. His friendship with Lin Mingyu was entirely due to Brother Chuan; Mingyu’s murder hadn’t affected him much emotionally.

Watching Lin Mingguan depart, Lin Mingchuan narrowed his eyes, a murderous intent simmering in their depths. While it was true that Mingyu had lost the clan’s support for his cultivation, he was still the blood brother he had raised since childhood. He would never let Mingyu die in vain. Someone had to pay for this with their life.

...

...

A month passed in a flash.

Over the past month, Lin Yan made a patrol circuit of the entrance every morning before returning to his courtyard to cultivate. Meanwhile, Zhao Tieshan would bring him some meat from Rare Birds every few days.

Every few days, the number of Martial Artists guarding Eagle’s Beak Gorge would decrease by a few.

Lin Yan knew what this meant. ’Those men have gone into the mountains. When they come back out, that’s when Zhao Tieshan will bring me more meat from those Rare Birds.’

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!