Chapter 19: A Flaw

Chapter 19: A Flaw

"Let me give you an example," Jiang Yunxin said. "If a person is found dead on the street with a knife in his chest, then the cause of death would be that knife, right?"

Long Qiao nodded, acknowledging the straightforward explanation. It was a simple and obvious conclusion for anyone.

Jiang Yunxin continued, "But without a thorough examination, how can you be sure that this person only had one wound? A stab to the chest may be fatal, but perhaps he was also poisoned simultaneously, suggesting a second perpetrator. If upon undressing him, you find other lethal wounds, it might imply another murderer was involved."

"Furthermore, if there's only one wound on his body, it implies the killer appeared suddenly and attacked without warning. The victim wouldn't have had a chance to fully defend themselves."

"But if there are scattered wounds, it's likely that the victim fought back against the attacker. This changes the entire scenario. The killer could have been someone familiar to the deceased, and their strength difference wasn't significant."

Long Qiao, being part of the Criminal Bureau, understood these principles.

What he didn't understand was that Feng Li's death seemed very straightforward, at least on the surface, leaving no room for doubt.

It was because of Jing Fenghua's close relationship with Jiang Yunxin from the Criminal Bureau that she was asked to re-examine the case. Otherwise, everyone would have considered it a closed case, without any need for further inquiry.

However, since Jiang Yunxin made the request, Long Qiao agreed.

Despite the societal distinction between men and women, an undertaker's work transcends such barriers, much like a physician's. If you were to tell a doctor that there are gender differences in treatment, how would they heal their patients?

A healer's heart is like a parent's, and the same applies to undertakers. To them, the deceased is merely flesh, without gender differentiation.

So Long Qiao offered, "I'll assist you."

That was indeed the best solution.

Long Qiao fetched several lanterns, arranging them around Feng Li, illuminating the area brightly.

Then, Long Qiao asked, "Shall we proceed? Should we undress him?"

Indeed, this was typically the first step, and it involved stripping the body completely to ensure no detail was overlooked.

However, Jiang Yunxin pondered and decided not to overwhelm Long Qiao.

She suggested, "Let's do this—remove his outer garments and then examine him."

It wasn't a complex task. First, they would check for any additional wounds or peculiarities, such as irregular bruising or bleeding points on the skin. Essentially, anything unusual that deviated from what one would consider normal in a human being.

Long Qiao acknowledged the situation, and immediately, the two of them thoroughly examined Feng Li on the lawn.

To Jiang Yunxin's disappointment, there were indeed no other visible injuries on Feng Li's body.

However, on the left ankle of Feng Li, there was a tiny red dot.

It was Long Qiao who noticed it. Initially, his gaze had swept past it, but later, remembering Yunxin's words about not overlooking any detail, he called out, "Little Jiang, come take a look."

Jiang Yunxin quickly approached.

She saw that on Feng Li's left ankle, there was an insignificant red spot, barely the size of a grain of rice.

There was no broken skin, as if it had been caused by some small, sharp object pressing against it.

Jiang Yunxin examined the red dot repeatedly and asked, "Brother Long, you know martial arts. In your opinion, what kind of force could leave such a red mark on the body?"

The degree of force required was difficult to gauge. If it was too light, it would vanish quickly; if too heavy, it might break the skin.

Moreover, the object responsible was incredibly small.

It could be a grain of rice, a protrusion on an object, or even a tiny pebble on the roadside.

Long Qiao pondered, "Hard to say, but I can certainly do it."

The strength was indescribable. Jiang Yunxin suggested, "Then hit me, let me feel it."

Long Qiao refused. He said, "No way. Don't underestimate it; it hurts a lot."

Reluctantly, Jiang Yunxin had to drop the matter since Long Qiao was insistent.

Long Qiao asked, "Do you find anything suspicious about this red dot?"

Jiang Yunxin replied, "It's hard to tell if it's suspicious, but for now, it's the only injury found on Feng Li."

As she spoke, Jiang Yunxin suddenly stood up.

She stepped back and paused before saying, "Brother Long, could you help me move Feng Li?"

Long Qiao inquired, "Where to?"

Jiang Yunxin said, "By the rock."

She crouched by the rock, directing Long Qiao to move Feng Li back to where he originally fell.

Although Feng Li hadn't moved much, it wasn't entirely impossible that he had moved at all.

It would be impossible not to move at all since someone would surely attempt to rescue him upon discovery. By the time they realized it was too late, he would have been laid flat on the nearest spot.

Therefore, the spot where Feng Li currently lay couldn't have been where he first collapsed.

But the original location was still discernible due to the bloodstains on the rock. Jiang Yunxin, studying the stains, instructed Long Qiao to position Feng Li as he was when he fell.

With this placement, Jiang Yunxin finally saw the light. She punched the air in excitement, "I know what the issue is now. Brother Long, Feng Li wasn't killed by Jing Fenghua."

"Really? You found the problem?" Long Qiao was equally delighted.

What could the problem be?

Jiang Yunxin remarked, "Feng Li's position was incorrect. When I arrived, Jing Fenghua was explaining the incident to the headmaster, meticulously describing how he and Feng Li tangled, fought, shoved, and how Feng Li fell."

In truth, under such circumstances, unless there was a video recording that could be slowed down for analysis, neither distant onlookers nor the participants themselves could accurately recount what had transpired.

Amidst the chaos, by the time one realized what was happening, everything would have already settled into place.

Long Qiao had heard this part too, but at the time, he hadn't made any connections.

Jiang Yunxin pointed to where Feng Li had fallen, then walked to another spot. She pulled Long Qiao along with her.

Positioning himself as instructed by Jiang Yunxin, Long Qiao stood ready.

She continued, "Brother Long, now imagine I'm Jing Fenghua and you're Feng Li. In our scenario, Feng Li has silver coins he intends to use to frame me, while Jing Fenghua wants to seize them. So, Jing Fenghua reaches out to grab Feng Li's clothing."

With that, Jiang Yunxin reached for Long Qiao's collar, leaving him no choice but to nod in submission. Then, the two pretended to struggle with each other.

Certainly, the tugging was one-sided now, with Jiang Yunxin pulling Long Qiao, while Long Qiao dared not pull her back, lest he be labeled a lecher in an instant.

After tugging twice, Jiang Yunxin forcefully pushed Long Qiao backward.

Long Qiao retreated two steps using her momentum.

Jiang Yunxin quickly said, "Stop."

Long Qiao immediately halted.

Jiang Yunxin continued, "Brother Long, look."

Long Qiao turned and saw the stone that Feng Li had bumped his head on, situated on the other side.

Something seemed off. After some thought, Long Qiao asked, "You pushed me with your left hand?"

If he had retreated in the opposite direction, he might have ended up hitting his head too.

Jiang Yunxin explained, "Jing Fenghua is left-handed, you know."