They knocked on the gate of the courtyard, but there was no response.
“Is he not home?”
“No, he should be at home at this time,” Miao Qingfeng replied.
“Who is it?” A voice came from a room. It sounded stuffy.
“It is I, Qingfeng.”
“Wait a moment.” The voice in the room sounded out again.
After they had waited for a while, they heard footsteps.
With a creak, the door opened. The person who opened the door was a tall and sturdy man. He had thick eyebrows and a dark face. He looked at Yang Guanfeng and the others with a cold gaze.
“Qingshan, what are you so busy with, opening the door after such a long time?”
“What can I do for you?” Miao Qingshan asked without answering.
“Ah…” Yang Guanfeng was just about to speak when Miao Qingfeng, who was beside him, tugged him.
“It’s like this, Brother Qingshan, something has happened in the stockade today. A man has died.”
“That has nothing to do with me!” Miao Qingfeng’s words were interrupted before he could finish speaking. He had been interrupted rudely.
“There’s a clue outside pointing to your yard. Can we come in and have a look?”
“Clue? What clue?” Miao Qingshan’s tone was obviously colder.
It was a bit hostile.
Yang Guanfeng felt a strong sense of hostility and rejection from him.
“Well, these two are forensic experts from the province.” Miao Qingfeng pointed to the two of them.
“People from outside?”
Yang Guanfeng realized that the people in the stockade were interesting. It seemed that their name for outsiders was “people from outside.”
“Yes, I hope you can cooperate with us.”
“When has the stockade been so polite to people from outside?” Miao Qingshan asked.
“Someone has died in the village. They are here to investigate the case. Let us go in and have a look. This is what the chief wants.” Miao Qingfeng’s ton had also changed.
Upon hearing that it was what the chief wanted, Miao Qingshan’s expression had an obvious change. He reluctantly made way for them.
Yang Guanfeng thought, It seems Chief Miao’s authority in this stockade is unusually high!
The three of them went into the yard.
Woof! Woof! Woof! A medium-sized dog barked. It gave off a ferocious aura.
Yang Guanfeng carefully searched the small yard. The only evidence he could find were traces of blood left by the man while he had been running and the muscle fibers and skin tissue dropped along the way. This was quite a test of a person’s experience and level of meticulousness. If there were police dogs onsite, the work would be easier. Although he did not have a police dog’s keen sense of smell, Yang Guanfeng still managed to discover some clues. He could now confirm that the dead “outsider” had been there.
“Have you had any strangers come here recently?”
“Yes, you two.”
“What about people other than us?”
“There were no more.”
“Are you sure?”
“I am sure.”
“Have you been in the house all day today?”
“Yes.”
Yang Guanfeng stared carefully at the man, whose gaze seemed a little cold.
“What is the matter, Captain Yang?”
“That man has been here before,” Yang Guanfeng said.
“What? Are you sure about that?”
“I’m sure. You can take the tissue debris on the ground back for a DNA comparison. It will be the same as the DNA of the deceased.”
The man looked down at the almost invisible debris on the ground. His eyes grew colder.
“Brother Qingshan, is what he said true?” Miao Qingfeng’s expression had changed. “This kind of thing can’t be joked about.”
Miao Qingshan did not speak.
“Things have gotten troublesome,” Miao Qingfeng softly said.
“Let us go.”
“What?” Yang Guanfeng was stunned. The biggest suspect was standing in front of them. What they needed to do next was enter his room and search for more suspicious clues. If they were to leave, it was equivalent to giving him the chance to destroy clues and evidence.
“Let’s go over there and talk.”
Miao Qingfeng half dragged him to the outside of the yard.
“This man is very suspicious. I want to go into his room and have a look. If we leave now and let him go, he will probably destroy the traces left.”
“Are you sure about this?”
“What are you worried about?”
“There is something special about this man’s identity.”
“Special? How special can it be? Does he have a gold medal for avoiding death?” Yang Guanfeng angrily asked.
“He is the grandson of the last chief.”
“What about that?”
“You don’t know how much authority the last chief of this stockade had.”
“All I know is that he is now an important suspect,” Yang Guanfeng said. He did not care about the last chief or any other matter.
“He is the only one left in their family.”
“What about it?”
“I will have to ask the chief about this matter.”
“Hurry up and go find him,” Yang Guanfeng said. “Do not dawdle. Is five minutes enough for you?”
“You must wait for me to come back. I will go and find the chief.”
“Don’t bother looking for me.” A voice rang out as Miao Xihe appeared beside them.
“Hello, Chief Miao.”
“Hello, Captain Yang.”
“Let’s go. I will go and talk to him.”
“Uncle.” After seeing Miao Xihe, Miao Qingshan’s attitude changed. He became very respectful.
“Qingshan, tell me the truth, have you ever met that person from outside?”
“I have never seen him, or the dog would have barked.”
“Captain Yang?” Miao Xihe turned around and looked at Yang Guanfeng.
“I want to go in the house and have a look.”
“Qingshan, let him in the house to have a look.”
“Yes, Uncle.”
Miao Xihe’s authority was quite extraordinary. He just said a few words and managed to make the other side obediently yield.
The group of men entered the room, which was very messy and had a pungent medicinal smell.
“What were you doing here?” Miao Xihe looked at Miao Qingshan as he asked.
“Umm…” Miao Qingshan did not answer the question.
There was the scent of blood in the room.
It was not Yang Guanfeng’s first time smelling that scent. He was very sensitive to it.
Was it from a human or an animal?
He followed the scent as he searched.
Wait a minute!
Miao Qingshan suddenly blocked him.
“Qingshan!” Miao Xihe’s face changed. “Are you not listening to me?”
“Chief, I did not kill anyone.” Miao Qingshan’s way of addressing him had changed.
“So, what are you afraid of?”
“I am afraid of being framed,” Miao Qingshan said.
“Get out of the way!”
Miao Qingshan’s gaze turned cold again.
This was not good.
Yang Guanfeng pulled out his gun. A man suddenly appeared in front of him. Miao Qingshan fell to the ground and fainted.
How fast!
Yang Guanfeng looked at Miao Xihe in front. The head of the Miao clan was an expert martial artist. He had not expected that.
“OK, Captain Yang, you can investigate as much as you like now.” Miao Xihe’s tone had turned a little cold.
Yang Guanfeng did not care about that. He followed the smell now and quickly began searching. He found a passage leading underground. He opened the floor. The strong smell of blood rushed out from the underground. It was pungent and disgusting.
“That is the smell of human blood,” Yang Guanfeng said.
