Chapter 139 - 138: You Are the Murderer

Liu was only halfway through his sentence when Xu Lu impatiently cut him off.

"Stop, stop, stop! What kind of nonsense are you spouting? Anyone with eyes can see that!

"No wonder you’re just a lowly patrol officer. This is all you’ll ever amount to in your life."

His harsh words completely humiliated Liu in public. Pushed beyond his limits, Liu slammed the stack of documents right into Xu Lu’s face.

"Since you’re so capable, Detective Xu, this case is all yours!" Liu spat out indignantly. "We lowly officers will only get in your way here. Boys, let’s go!"

At his call, the other officers dropped what they were doing and stormed out of the Yang family’s home.

Xu Lu stomped his feet in fury, his face contorted into a savage grimace as he roared at the Chief of Police. "These are the kind of people working under you?! No wonder Jianghai City’s case-solving efficiency is so abysmal. You haven’t produced a single senior detective in ten years!"

The Chief’s face stiffened for a second, a flash of ruthlessness darting through his eyes. But as a seasoned man of authority, he gritted his teeth and swallowed his anger.

"They are indeed useless. In that case, we will trouble you with this investigation, Detective Xu. I just remembered I still have matters to attend to at the bureau, so I must take my leave." Without waiting for Xu Lu’s response, the Chief turned on his heel and headed downstairs.

It was four-thirty in the morning—what could possibly be going on at the bureau? Xu Lu knew full well it was just an excuse.

"Fuck! A bunch of useless trash! I’m going to die of anger!" His face twisted in rage as he kicked the wall and let out a string of curses.

Standing near the doorway, Ye Xuan watched the detective throw a tantrum, a hint of disdain flashing in his eyes.

"All bark and no bite," Ye Xuan evaluated silently before turning to leave.

Once he realized that Night Rose was the one who had assassinated Yang Zhennan, there was no point in investigating the case further. The police simply didn’t have the power to touch Night Rose. On a grander scale, the figures on the Celestial Ranking weren’t afraid of the police force at all. Five years ago, they had openly defied the Four Palaces, causing heavy casualties among the Hall Chiefs and severely crippling their strength. Today, five years later, their arrogance had only grown.

"Halt! Who are you? Show me your ID! You look extremely suspicious to me!"

Ye Xuan had barely turned around when Xu Lu suddenly called out to stop him. The blatant suspicion in his tone made Ye Xuan frown.

"How did this Xu Lu ever become a senior detective?" he thought.

Ignoring the man entirely, Ye Xuan walked toward Yang Bingyu’s room.

STOMP STOMP STOMP!

A series of hurried footsteps rang out behind him, and immediately after, a hand clamped down on Ye Xuan’s shoulder. Xu Lu gripped him tightly, trying to forcefully spin him around. Yet, even after using all his strength, Ye Xuan’s body didn’t budge an inch.

"Damn it, who the hell are you? What are you doing sneaking around the doorway? If you ask me, you’re the one who murdered Elder Yang!" Humiliated and enraged, Xu Lu immediately pinned the label of ’murderer’ on Ye Xuan.

Ye Xuan couldn’t help but roll his eyes.

"How am I sneaking around? I’m standing right here in plain sight!" he thought.

This detective was obviously just looking for trouble, venting the frustrations he had suffered from those patrol officers onto him.

"I am Ye Xuan, Yang Bingyu’s fiancé." Not wanting to tangle with this idiot, Ye Xuan calmly stated his identity and prepared to leave.

"Ye Xuan? Never heard of you! You look mighty suspicious. Come on, you’re coming with me to the station for an investigation!"

Xu Lu had only been transferred to Jianghai City from the higher-ups a few days ago, so he was completely unaware of Ye Xuan’s identity. Seeing the man’s ordinary attire, he assumed Ye Xuan was merely a servant of the Yang family and thought he could use him to salvage some of his bruised ego.

"You should report this case to Jingcheng. It’s no longer something you people can handle," Ye Xuan kindly advised, casting a fleeting glance at Xu Lu.

However, those words struck a raw nerve. Xu Lu’s previous case had been taken over by his superiors halfway through the investigation. If he had managed to solve it, he would have been promoted. Instead, his superiors had stolen the credit, leaving him harboring deep resentment toward them.

"Cut the bullshit! You’re coming back to the station with me! If you dare to resist, I’ll arrest you for obstructing official duties!" Xu Lu shoved Ye Xuan forcefully, ready to drag him away.

At that moment, Ye Xuan inadvertently glanced downstairs, and a figure caught his eye. The person was dressed in a cleaner’s uniform and wore a baseball cap that obscured more than half of her face.

Ye Xuan stared at her profile for a long moment, finding her increasingly familiar.

"Night Rose!"

The woman’s face flashed through his mind. Realizing that this person was very likely her, Ye Xuan unhesitatingly vaulted over the second-floor banister and jumped down.

Behind him, Xu Lu turned pale with fright. It was at least a three-meter drop from the second floor to the first, yet this guy had jumped without a second thought.

"Does he have a death wish?" he thought.

He expected Ye Xuan to break a leg, but instead, the man executed a perfect tuck-and-roll upon hitting the ground before standing up steadily. While impressed by his agility, Xu Lu became even more convinced that Ye Xuan was a prime suspect. He took the stairs two at a time, determined to arrest him.

"Who are you?!"

Ye Xuan strode over to the cleaning lady and ripped the baseball cap off her head. He had expected to see a familiar face, but what met his eyes was the painfully ordinary visage of a middle-aged woman.

Trembling as she held onto her mop, the cleaner looked at him in panic. "S-Sir, is there s-something wrong?"

Ye Xuan stared at her for a long time, trying to find a single flaw in her disguise.

"What do you think you’re doing? Feeling guilty and trying to run? I’m warning you, absconding to avoid punishment is a major crime!"

At this crucial moment, Xu Lu interfered yet again. He grabbed Ye Xuan’s arm, trying to forcibly detain him.

"Is there something seriously wrong with your fucking brain?!" Enraged by the constant harassment, Ye Xuan shoved Xu Lu hard and cursed sharply.

Xu Lu stumbled backward and landed hard on his rear, wincing and baring his teeth in pain.

"Assaulting an officer! You dare assault an officer?! You’re finished! Just wait until I throw you in jail!"

Too lazy to deal with such an idiot, Ye Xuan turned back to examine the cleaning lady, only to find that she had completely vanished.

His heart skipped a beat, and an ominous premonition washed over him.

"That was definitely Night Rose! What is she doing at the Yang family’s home? Yang Bingyu!" he thought.

His pupils contracted violently, and he sprinted toward Yang Bingyu’s room at top speed.

"Stop!"

The moment he burst into Yang Bingyu’s room, he saw the cleaning lady plunging a sharp knife straight toward Yang Bingyu’s heart.

Ye Xuan felt the blood freeze in his veins, his eyes practically bulging out of their sockets.

Night Rose glanced back at Ye Xuan, flashing him a wickedly seductive smile as her hand swiftly descended.

"No! Don’t!" Ye Xuan roared, lunging fiercely at her.

But Night Rose’s movements were incredibly swift and agile. Just as Ye Xuan’s hand was about to grab her, she materialized by the window in the next second.

"Tomorrow at 3:00 PM. The promenade at Antler Park. I’ll be waiting."