Chapter 47: The Headless Murder Case

  A mournful wail rose from downstairs and reached upstairs, stimulating the eardrum of everyone in the attic, how uncomfortable.

  Yuan Shang's whole body trembled, and he looked at Zhang Jue and Deng Ai with a bewildered expression, asking curiously.

  "Whose egg broke?"

  Zhang Jiong: “..........”

  Deng Zhuobo stroked his beard, his expression solemn as he pricked up his ears. As he listened, he said, "This cry is hoarse and piercing, echoing through the vast expanse of sky, like a dying man's final struggle. It can be said that it shakes heaven and earth, stunning the universe... Ah, this person has been wronged."

  Zhang Jue furrowed his brow and said, "This is a quiet and peaceful place, yet you allow others to make a ruckus here. Liu Bei's methods of governing the province are somewhat too naive."

  Yuan Shang looked up at the sky and shook his head, saying: "Don't worry about whether there's a grievance or not. When we entered the city earlier, Liu Bei invited us to attend a banquet at the governor's mansion at the end of the fourth watch. The time has arrived, so let's hurry up and call General Gao Lan, and go together."

  The two nodded in unison: "Yes."

  The three of them immediately put down the ladder on the attic, tidied up the hem below, straightened their collars, and came down from the attic one after another, looking spirited.

  As soon as they came out of the gate, they saw a group of attendants from the inn nearby with anxious faces, busy running around and shouting, in a flurry of activity, but it was unclear what they were doing.

  Yuan Shang and others saw the situation and couldn't help but be curious, secretly thinking that it was already dark, how could this small inn still be so lively?

  Yuan Shang's eyes were quick and his hands were fast, he raised his hand to stop a running attendant who was covered in sweat, curiously asking: "What's going on at your mansion? It's not a holiday or a festival, why is everyone so excited?"

  Yuan Shang was a noble guest from Hebei, and the attendants naturally recognized him, but they never thought that this noble guest would say such a thing.

  The servant heard this and couldn't help but wriggle his nose, revealing a bitter expression, and said loudly: "Young Master Yuan, what joy is this? It's clear that we're all on the verge of tears!"

  "What's going on?" Yuan Shang blinked and asked.

  "That servant stamped his foot and said: 'This world is so big, yet strange things happen one after another. Just now, Mr. Sun Qian, the grandson of the governor, came to the inn to invite you honorable guests to a banquet at the governor's mansion. Who would have thought that in the blink of an eye, he was suddenly attacked by some unknown thief and has been unconscious until now! Mr. Sun is a high-ranking official under Liu Yuzhou, and something happened to him here at the inn... how can we avoid being punished for this?"

  "Was Mr. Sun ambushed by thieves?"

  Yuan Shang and others were shocked, their mouths agape, and asked: "Has that thief been caught?"

  The attendant shook his head in sorrow and anger, saying: "What's the point of catching? The thief succeeded with one blow, then fled far away, leaving behind only the murder weapon, not even a single hair...".

  "What is the weapon used for assassination? Can I take a look?"

  Yuan Shang nodded hastily: "That's right, General Zhang is knowledgeable and insightful. With his discerning eye, he can probably tell the origin of the murder weapon and deduce the killer's escape route."

  The attendant's face turned bitter upon hearing this, shaking his head and saying: "What origin could it have? The murder weapon was just a brick, the kind of green brick that's all over the streets, and there are dozens of piles of them just in our own inn..."

  Yuan Shang and Zhang Jue's faces suddenly changed, and they turned their heads together to look at Deng Ai.

  Deng Chang's face suddenly turned pale, his brain buzzing with a loud "humming" sound, and he swayed dizzily on the spot for three times.

  The servant didn't pay much attention to the three people's faces and immediately hurried off to fetch medicine, leaving only Yuan Shang and the others standing in their original positions with strange expressions, silently facing each other, speechless for a long time.

  After a while, Deng Xiang turned his pale face and stared at Yuan Shang, saying: "Young master, have I caused trouble again?"

  Yuan Shang patted Deng Cheng's shoulder and said gently, "Deng Zhubu, you're finished. In less than three hours after entering Runan City, you've fallen from a guest to a bandit. Isn't the rise and fall of life too fast, too stimulating?"

  Deng Zhu Bao almost cried out in fright: "Third Master, don't scare me, I'm a timid person, can't withstand such turmoil."

  Yuan Shang sighed and said, "Sun Qian is Liu Bei's iron brother, you'd better pray that nothing happens to him. If anything happens to him, I reckon you won't be able to leave Runan City alive."

  Deng Zhubu heard this and immediately panicked, hastily saying: "No way, that's not going to work! If my wife finds out, I'll be skinned alive... Third Master, you have to save me!"

  "Don't worry, by then you would have been killed off by Liu Bei already. Even if the lady were to take you in, you wouldn't be able to feel it."

  “................”

  "Come on, Tong Zhi, don't take it to heart," Zhang Jia comforted. "It's just a small brick, I'm sure Sun Gan won't make a big deal out of it. Let's go and have a look first, then we can decide what to do later."

  Several people rushed to the scene, only to see a group of attendants inside the inn running around, some boiling water, others holding basins, and still others fetching medicine. For this Sun from the prefectural governor's mansion, tonight's inn would likely be sleepless for everyone.

  Sun Gan lay on the ground, his face deathly pale, eyes tightly closed, and a large red and swollen lump appeared on his forehead after being hit by a green brick. His two legs stretched out straight, not moving at all, just like he was dead.

  Deng Chang's body went limp, and he almost fell to the ground, but Zhang Jing behind him was quick-witted and grabbed his collar, pulling him up steadily.

  Yuan Shang bent down, reached out to touch Sun Gan's nostrils, and found them to be even and steady. He then touched his chest, which was warm and beating normally.

  It seems that it's just a coma, and it shouldn't be considered a big deal.

  "How is it?" Deng Xiang's lips trembled violently.

  Yuan Shang turned his head and smiled: "It's okay, no need to worry about your life, you should just have fainted, but I'm not sure either, we'll have to wait for the doctor to come and diagnose."

  The people around heard Yuan Shang's words and felt slightly relieved.

  Before long, the guards at the government hostel summoned a doctor from within the city walls. Judging by the time elapsed since the incident occurred, the efficiency of handling the matter was quite fast.

  The doctor looked down and saw that Sun Qian's forehead was swollen with a big lump, his face pale, lying on the ground motionless. He couldn't help but be shocked and said: "This... isn't this Sun Congshi from Liu Yuzhou's camp? How did he end up like this? Which scoundrel dared to attempt assassination?"

  Deng Chang's face changed, and he angrily said: "Nonsense! Mr. Sun is warm and elegant, gentle and kind to others, who would dare to assassinate him? You are a doctor, not the county magistrate, it's not your business to care about this, you should focus on treating people!"

  The doctor was scolded for no reason, and he felt very unhappy in his heart. However, the illness was urgent, and he really didn't have time to argue with Deng Xiang, so he immediately bent down to take Sun Gan's pulse and diagnose the disease.

  After a long while, the doctor slightly smiled and shook his head: "Sudden anger attacking the heart, having received a fright, it's not a big deal, just wait for me to grasp him a few times and he'll be fine."

  Having said that, the doctor was seen to be pressing Sun Qian's Renzhong point again and then pressing Sun Qian's chest. Before long, Sun Qian finally spat out a mouthful of foul air and slowly came back to consciousness.

  Deng Xiang saw the situation, and the big stone in his chest suddenly fell to the ground. He squatted down and hugged Sun Qian tightly, with tears in his eyes: "Mr. Sun, you've finally woken up! It's been a long and bitter wait for me!"

  "Ugh——" Sun Qian was still dizzy, he raised his hand to touch the bandage on his head, turned to look at Deng Chang and asked: "Where is this place? What happened to me? And who are you?"

  Deng Zhi wept uncontrollably and was unable to speak.

  Yuan Shang smiled and walked forward, saying to him: "Mr. Sun, this is the Yunnan government hostel, you were just poisoned by a thief, and the one who cried holding you is the master bookkeeper under the account."

  Sun Qian nodded slightly, then suddenly woke up with a start and said: "Right, right! Just now someone secretly plotted against me. In mid-air, I don't know what object was aimed at my head and hit it hard, with the force of a thousand pounds, almost killing me... What kind of villain is this? Truly a ruthless and poisonous heart!"

  Deng Chang nodded vigorously, sobbing: "Mr. Sun is right, the bandit's methods are so cruel and vicious, almost taking Mr. Sun's life, he should be killed, really should be killed, he should be beheaded and his body cut into five pieces to be displayed in public! His corpse should be chopped into minced meat to feed dogs!"

  Sun Qian nodded heavily, and suddenly asked strangely: "I and you are not acquaintances? Nor have we had a deep relationship. Why did you cry and wail so much when I was stabbed?"

  Deng Chang heard this and cried even louder, sorrowfully saying: "I and the master met as if we had known each other before, it was a deep affinity. I didn't expect that before we could even become acquainted, the master almost left the world. In my distress at the time, I couldn't stop crying!"

  Not far away, Zhang Jiong heard this and couldn't help but roll his eyes. He was speechless at Deng Cheng's shameless behavior.

  Sun Gan was a man of great integrity, and when he heard Deng Ai's words, he was deeply moved. He said: "Although Sun Gan and the general have never met before, I am honored to receive such kindness. I would like to form a close friendship with the general, and urge the two families of Yuan and Liu to unite. In the future, we will work together to clear up the universe, support the Han dynasty, and bring peace to the world!"

  Deng Chang was moved: "This is exactly what I wanted! I just regret that I didn't dare ask you before!"

  Having said that, Old Deng grasped Sun Qian's hand and spoke emotionally: "Mr. Gong You!"

  Sun Gan's face was also filled with emotion, and he grasped Deng Cheng's hand tightly, opening his mouth to speak, but ultimately said: "That... who are you again?"

  Deng Zhen: ".........."

  Before long, Sun Gan had recovered and was able to stand up, his mind clearer than before. After all, it was just a brick that hit him in the face, and apart from the initial severe pain, it wasn't a big deal.

  The brick not only smashed Sun Qian's head into a big package, but also hit his left face so hard that it turned dark blue. At first glance, he looked like Yang Zhi, the green-faced beast, and as many people as possible were frightened.

  "Mr. Sun, are you alright?" Yuan Shang asked with concern, seeing that Sun Qian's face was full of discontent.

  Sun Qian was displeased and unhappy, he bowed his hands to Yuan Shang and said: "Thanks for asking, I'm not feeling well. Tonight's banquet is urgent, let's put this matter aside for now. If I find out who that idiot is in the future, Sun will double the pain of today... Owwww, it hurts so much!"

  Yuan Shang glanced back quietly, but saw Deng Ai looking anxious and uneasy. He immediately smiled and said: "Mr. Sun, as the saying goes, 'Disaster is where fortune leans against, fortune is where disaster crouches.' Although you are facing difficulties today, who knows whether good things will come knocking on your door in the future?"

  Sun Qian was taken aback and seemed not to understand what Yuan Shang was saying, so he said: "Please forgive my stupidity, I don't understand the meaning behind your words."

  Yuan Shang heard this and laughed, saying: "As the saying goes, 'heavenly gifted talents must have strange encounters and unusual appearances.' Mr. Sun has been hit by a flying brick from the sky today, which is an extraordinary event in history. After being hit by the brick, his head is covered in blood, his face is pale, which is an unusual appearance. Congratulations, Mr. Sun! From now on, you are the outstanding representative of strange encounters and unusual appearances! In the future, you will surely have more strange encounters, and your name will be passed down for thousands of years."

  "A series of strange encounters?" Sun Qian heard this and couldn't help but cry, saying: "Young Master Yuan, today I've already had a brick dropped on me from the sky, that's already a legendary strange encounter. And you're telling me to have another one, and it's going to be a series? Young Master Yuan, how many bricks do you want me to take?... Oww, it hurts..."