Chapter 434: Chapter 434: Bones, Clearing the Chaos of Thought!
Why did Chen Xiao say "Qu Ruogu, well played"?
The reason is simple.
He just met with Qu Ruogu.
Now the archaeology department of the Provincial City is calling to say they might have found Wu Liuxian’s father.
Clearly, the moment Qu Ruogu saw them, he had figured out who Wu Liuxian was.
But instead of saying it in person, Qu Ruogu informed the police afterward.
The intention is even simpler: Chen Xiao had displeased him earlier.
However, Chen Xiao didn’t pay much attention to this; finding Wu Liuxian’s father was a priority over these minor matters.
After finishing the call with Lin Xi, Chen Xiao looked at Wu Liuxian who seemed a bit lost and called out:
"Brother, take it easy."
Wu Liuxian seemed not to hear.
Liu Dayou stepped forward and patted Wu Liuxian’s shoulder, saying:
"Brother, what’s the matter? You’ve been absent-minded."
"Just thinking about something, what’s wrong?"
"Brother Chen is calling you."
Wu Liuxian looked over.
Chen Xiao walked up and said, "I just received a call from my wife; she said the archaeology department in the Provincial City called them and mentioned finding an unnamed male corpse in an ancient tomb years ago."
Wu Liuxian obviously didn’t consider it could be his father, looking puzzled while listening to Chen Xiao.
"The corpse is about fifty years old, right hand... six fingers!"
Wu Liuxian’s eyes widened immediately: "Right hand six fingers? Six fingers!"
Chen Xiao nodded, Wu Liuxian got excited suddenly, grabbing Chen Xiao’s wrist, opening his mouth to speak, but couldn’t say a clear word.
Chen Xiao patted his shoulder, comforting him: "Although the characteristics highly resemble your father, let’s stay calm until we see him firsthand."
Wu Liuxian nodded heavily.
But Chen Xiao could see that Wu Liuxian was quite flustered.
Such panic was quite understandable to Chen Xiao.
He had seen many families with missing relatives.
For those family members, their emotions were always contradictory.
They wanted news of their missing relatives but feared receiving such news.
Because oftentimes no news might be the best news!
Chen Xiao took Wu Liuxian and Liu Dayou back to Jingguang Village.
Lin Xi was waiting.
Upon meeting, Lin Xi said: "I’ve prepared the car, I’ll take you all there."
"Alright."
Chen Xiao responded and then looked toward the village, quickly spotting Qu Ruogu limping at the doorway of a house.
At the sight of him, Chen Xiao frowned.
He couldn’t ascertain what Qu Ruogu meant by his actions.
But for Wu Liuxian or the male corpse suspected to be his father, it might be good news.
Lin Xi drove, and Chen Xiao sat in the front seat.
The four of them headed towards the Provincial City.
The journey was only thirty kilometers, and they didn’t take long to reach the entrance of a hospital.
On the way to the morgue, Lin Xi spoke as they walked:
"According to feedback from the archaeology department, the body was discovered in 1999. The location was also in an ancient tomb, but be prepared as the body was already skeletal when found."
"Moreover, the deceased didn’t carry identification, leaving his identity a mystery, with the skeleton being organized and placed in the hospital morgue indefinitely."
As she spoke, Lin Xi glanced at Wu Liuxian’s six fingers, asking Chen Xiao: "Did you just meet Professor Qu from the archaeological team?"
Chen Xiao nodded, and Lin Xi murmured: "Why didn’t Professor Qu say it directly to you? This person is quite peculiar."
The group didn’t say much more and soon arrived at the morgue door.
Having informed someone in advance, they faced no obstacles to entry.
Hospital staff assisted in locating the cabinet where the six-fingered skeleton was kept, opening it, revealing the bones inside.
Wu Liuxian’s gaze immediately focused on the right-hand fingers when he saw the skeleton.
Sure enough, there are six!
Though having six fingers is uncommon, it is not extremely rare.
A staff member commented: "To confirm the identity, it’s best to conduct an identification."
Lin Xi simply nodded, but Wu Liuxian was already carefully observing.
Chen Xiao also began analyzing the skeleton with his abilities for some data identification.
The deceased’s age is likely around fifty, with a height estimated at less than 1.7 meters.
Chen Xiao finished observing, about to say something to Wu Liuxian when the latter asked:
"Can I have a moment alone with him? I know what you mean by identification and understand that without the results, no one can confirm my relation to him, but a voice inside tells me it’s highly probable."
Listening to him, Chen Xiao nodded, indicating Lin Xi and Liu Dayou to follow him out.
Once outside the morgue.
Lin Xi asked uncontrollably: "You asked me to investigate Professor Qu earlier, suspecting he has issues?"
"I’m curious about how his leg got broken."
In front of Lin Xi, Chen Xiao had no need for secrets.
Lin Xi recalled Chen Xiao mentioning someone with exceptional leg skills involved in the Jingguang Tomb case.
Thinking it over, Lin Xi replied: "I made some inquiries; apparently Professor Qu’s broken leg isn’t a secret. It seems during an excavation years ago, he led a team when a newcomer accidentally triggered something, causing an entire stone beam to fall."
"Professor Qu pushed the girl aside in an emergency, and his legs were crushed under the beam. Fortunately, the beam wasn’t heavy enough to require amputation to save his life."
"Does Shengdong University’s archaeology department still have records from Professor Qu’s student days? If so, it’s best to check them."
Lin Xi nodded: "That’s not difficult; I’ve arranged for someone to do it, but we have so much to deal with right now. Also, regarding your earlier sketches, the vendor is still being sought, but searches within Jiang Province haven’t matched anyone with his description."
Having said this, Lin Xi had nothing further to add.
Chen Xiao knew many things require time to find answers.
But after today’s trip to the ancient tomb, Chen Xiao’s mind was filled with many thoughts.
Waiting for Wu Liuxian at the morgue door, Chen Xiao kept replaying Lin Xi’s words, feeling he could do something about it.
But after pondering repeatedly, Chen Xiao’s mind remained muddled.
Until Chen Xiao shared his tomb suspicions with Lin Xi.
"Dear, I think among the six deceased, we might have made an error; perhaps the Wu Family sisters weren’t with Ye Jiadong’s group."
Lin Xi looked at him in surprise, asking: "How so?"
"Jiang Pinggui was likely already poisoned before entering the tomb, the Wang Brothers were killed shortly after opening a robber’s tunnel, Ye Jiadong was killed by traps at the tomb entrance, but the Wu Family sisters’ deaths seem most reasonable due to the dark, damp tomb filled with venomous creatures."
"Furthermore, they were from Hai City!"
As Chen Xiao concluded, his formerly confused mind suddenly cleared; his tone became excited:
"Right, Hai City natives, and specifically from Celestial Valley District, why didn’t I think to verify with Captain Pan!"
