Chapter 16 - The Demonic Creature Is Him!
This Old Qin caught Li Nan Ke's attention.
Landlord Lin continued the explanation, "Old Qin has worked in our Lin residence for almost ten years. He's diligent and conscientious, but a bit fond of drinking."
"Where is he now? Can we go find him?" Li Nan Ke asked.
Landlord Lin looked troubled.
"He doesn't work at the residence anymore."
"He doesn't? Why?" Li Nan Ke raised an eyebrow.
"Well..."
Landlord Lin seemed to have something he was hesitant to say. Finally, he sighed and explained.
"Half a month ago, Wen Jin Er and Wan Ying Ying came to the residence to play with my daughter. Old Qin got drunk and almost did something indecent to Wen Jin Er. In a fit of anger, I broke his leg and kicked him out of the Lin residence.
Because of this incident, Old Qin even reported it to the authorities, which led to an unpleasant investigation."
Hearing this, Leng Xinnan's beautiful face showed displeasure. Suppressing her anger, she asked,
"Didn't you just say that you hadn't made any enemies?"
"Even if Old Qin resents me, he wouldn't kill anyone, would he?"
Landlord Lin knew he was in the wrong and his voice lowered.
"I know Old Qin quite well. Although he can be a bit extreme at times, he doesn't have the guts to harm anyone."
"Do you know where Old Qin lives now?" Li Nan Ke asked.
"It seems to be in the old alley on North Street," Landlord Lin said uncertainly, looking at Xiang Er for confirmation.
Xiang Er immediately replied, "Yes, it's in the old alley on North Street. Old Qin has always been a single old man with no relatives. After being kicked out of the Lin residence, he lives there alone to recuperate."
"Could you please take us there?"
Li Nan Ke requested.
Xiang Er didn't dare make the decision herself and looked at Landlord Lin first. Seeing her master nod in agreement, she replied crisply.
"Alright, I'll take you there."
…
Led by Xiang Er, Li Nan Ke and the others arrived at Old Qin's house.
Although located in the old alley on North Street, it wasn't far from the Lin residence.
They only needed to go around a lush forest and take a shortcut to reach the back gate of the Lin residence.
But this area was quite secluded.
Patches of moss were visible everywhere on the low walls on both sides.
According to Xiang Er, a big fire had broken out here before, destroying many houses and killing people, so the residents had moved elsewhere.
Only Old Qin, who lived in the Lin residence at that time, didn't bother to move.
Now, kicked out of the Lin residence with nowhere to go, he could only temporarily stay in this dilapidated old house with no neighbors around to recuperate.
"Old Qin, are you there?"
Xiang Er called out.
A foul smell emanated from the dilapidated courtyard.
The tiles on the roof were scattered, and it probably wouldn't provide much shelter when it rained.
"No one?"
Seeing no response, Xiang Er raised her small face and said with confusion,
"That's strange. Old Qin's leg is injured, he shouldn't be wandering around outside."
"Something's not right."
Looking at the open door, Leng Xinnan felt a sense of foreboding.
Li Nan Ke was the first to enter the house.
The first thing that caught his eye was a pool of foul-smelling black blood on the ground, and the dilapidated furniture was scattered around in a mess, as if the house had experienced a fight.
There were also some scraps of clothing scattered on the ground, stained with blood.
"It's the Demonic Creature's blood!"
Leng Xinnan's expression changed drastically as she stared at the black blood mixed with fat.
"Someone transformed into a Demonic Creature in this house!"
"Can you tell when the transformation happened?" Li Nan Ke asked.
Leng Xinnan observed for a moment and said calmly, "The blood of a transformed Demonic Creature is different from that of an ordinary person. It takes more than ten days for their blood to change and gradually evaporate."
Li Nan Ke said, "In other words, the transformation happened within the last ten days."
"Was it Old Qin?"
Iron Ox voiced the answer that everyone had guessed.
Xiang Er's slender body slumped against the door, her hand covering her mouth in disbelief.
Iron Ox said in a deep voice, "Miss Lin just said that the Demonic Creature was the one that attacked them on Cuihong Mountain. Therefore, it can be deduced that Old Qin transformed seven days ago!"
To support his deduction, Iron Ox pointed to the dried meat and the spoiled roasted sweet potatoes on the ground.
"This food is clearly from a few days ago. After Old Qin transformed into a Demonic Creature, he went to Cuihong Mountain, which is why the attack happened."
"Why would he go to Cuihong Mountain?"
Li Nan Ke raised a question.
"Well..."
Iron Ox couldn't answer and stammered after a while.
"Demonic Creatures can't be understood with normal logic. Maybe he went there unconsciously?"
"No, Demonic Creatures that have just transformed usually retain some sanity and memories," Leng Xinnan said calmly.
"He wouldn't have traveled so far for no reason. There must be a strong purpose, just like the Demonic Creature, Old Qin, who broke into the Lin residence today. He clearly came for the Lin family."
"Revenge... He... He came for revenge!"
Xiang Er, who was slumped at the door, trembled all over, her voice changing.
"Revenge? What revenge?"
Everyone looked at her, keenly aware that there was a hidden secret behind this.
Xiang Er gripped the doorframe tightly, her knuckles turning white.
"Actually, this isn't really a secret. Old Qin was wronged. That day, Miss Wan Ying Ying and the others wanted to have some fun, so they deliberately teased Old Qin as a joke.”
“Miss Ying Ying asked Miss Wen Jin Er to seduce Old Qin and then play with him, making everyone laugh. But the joke went too far.”
“Later, the master and the others really thought that Old Qin had done something indecent to Miss Wen Jin Er, so in a fit of anger, they broke his leg and kicked him out of the Lin residence.”
"Old Qin didn't accept the injustice, so he reported it to the authorities.”
“After the investigation by the authorities, the young ladies finally told the truth. But the master and Shopkeeper Wan were afraid that the news would spread and damage their reputation, so they spent money to have the authorities suppress the matter.”
“After that, Old Qin completely fell out with the Lin family, shouting that he would take revenge..."
After listening to Xiang Er's account, Li Nan Ke and the others were silent, not knowing what to say. They also gained a new understanding of Lin Jiao Yue's group of friends.
These three young ladies weren't as well-behaved and pleasant as they appeared.
Calling them 'spoiled brats' would be an understatement. They were the embodiment of ignorance and arrogance bred from a sheltered life.
Thud!
Iron Ox slammed his hand on the dilapidated table.
"No wonder the Demonic Creature chased and attacked Wen Jin Er and the others! No wonder it's fixated on the Lin residence! This is their own fault!"
Leng Xinnan gently rubbed her forehead, her voice filled with helplessness and regret.
"Once a person transforms into a Demonic Creature, the resentment in their heart will be amplified, becoming extremely violent and bloodthirsty. These three girls are truly ignorant. It's too late for regrets now.”
“And this Landlord Lin, a typical selfish merchant. If he had handled this properly, it wouldn't have come to this."
Li Nan Ke also felt regretful.
It was now confirmed that the Demonic Creature was Old Qin.
Xiang Er's account wasn't fabricated. After all, the authorities were involved, and they could easily verify it by asking.
But the key question was—
How did Old Qin come into contact with Red Rain?
Or rather, where did he get the Red Rain?
"Has anyone visited Old Qin these days?" Li Nan Ke asked Xiang Er.
Xiang Er shook her head with a pale face.
"I don't know. Old Qin has no children, no wife, and no companions. There are no neighbors around here, and I haven't heard of him having any relatives or friends. No one should have visited him."
Li Nan Ke was puzzled.
Although they had confirmed the Demonic Creature's identity, he felt like he was missing something.
A crucial point.
He looked around the messy room again, from the bed to the wardrobe, to the kitchenware... scanning everything carefully.
"Usually, transforming into a Demonic Creature means consuming an excessive amount of Red Rain. Let's first check the house and see if there are any other clues."
Since they had determined that the Demonic Creature was Old Qin, Leng Xinnan decided to focus the investigation on this house.
The investigation went smoothly. It wasn't long before Iron Ox found a medicine jar under the table.
Upon inspection, they found that the jar contained 'Red Rain' components.
At the same time, Li Nan Ke also found four packages of herbs in the wardrobe, mixed with some small, conch-shaped particles with a fragrant smell.
"It's actually 'Red Conch.'"
Leng Xinnan's delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly.
Seeing Li Nan Ke's confusion, she explained,
"This is a medicinal herb that has been modified with 'Red Rain.' It's very helpful in healing injuries.”
“After the Red Rain incident, this medicine was extremely popular, but later the imperial court explicitly prohibited it, so it disappeared from the market. However, it's still sold on the black market."
"Would this amount cause someone to mutate?"
Li Nan Ke asked, not understanding.
Leng Xinnan stirred the herbs with her hand and said calmly,
"If it's just a small amount mixed in one package of herbs, it most likely won't. But if several packages of herbs all contain it, exceeding the acceptable limit, mutation is bound to happen."
Iron Ox snorted coldly.
"It seems there's a medicine shop here that's still secretly selling it."
Where there was profit, there was risk.
People were driven by profit. Even though many had been executed and their families ruined over the years, there were still those who dared to take the risk.
Especially in recent years, the Red Rain black market had become even more rampant.
It even infiltrated the imperial court, with many officials involved in the profit chain.
"Iron Ox, collect all these herbs and take some people to investigate which medicine shop sold them. Once you find it, arrest the people involved and conduct a thorough search of the shop," Leng Xinnan ordered.
"Understood."
Iron Ox collected the herbs and quickly left.
After Iron Ox left, Leng Xinnan continued to examine the scene.
Li Nan Ke walked around and suddenly asked Xiang Er, "Was your madam feeling unwell yesterday, or did she suddenly become unwell this morning?"
Xiang Er blinked her bright eyes.
"It was this morning."
"As her personal maid, why do you think your madam was feeling unwell?"
"I think..."
Xiang Er seemed hesitant, but looking at the handsome face of the man in front of her, she couldn't help but speak her mind.
"I think Madam was angered by Miss."