Chapter 12: Knowing Nothing Means Being Nothing

The curtain fell, concealing the several flashes of mockery in Yu Linlang's eyes.

To express this meager, remaining scrap of familial affection only now was utterly unnecessary.

She was now merely a wandering soul from another world; she truly had nothing to do with the Yu family anymore.

Yu Shudao's attempt to show the heart of a loving father was clearly directed at the wrong person.

The daughter of the Yu family had died twelve years ago in that desolate, thorn-choked Snake Valley.

Belated paternal love was even more contemptible than mere weeds; if that child were still alive, she likely wouldn't want it anyway...

Yu Shudao had no idea what Yu Linlang was thinking. Busy as a man possessed, he quickly pushed the thought of his returning daughter to the back of his mind once again.

Meanwhile, the corpse had been transported back to the Prefectural Office for re-examination, and the autopsy report was presented before Lu Qian and Mu Zhao.

After reading through it, the two handed it over to Yu Shudao.

The more Yu Shudao read, the more he broke into a cold sweat. "My Lord, it says here that aside from the heart being removed and the lungs being gouged out, there are no other substantial wounds on the body."

"This..." Yu Shudao hesitated repeatedly, looking up with a troubled expression. "Could it truly be as others say—a crime committed by demons? Should we notify the Demon Suppression Division?"

"Lord Yu, you are the Prefect of Weizhou. How can you be like those ignorant women and children, blaming everything on demons and monsters?" Mu Feng interjected, sitting nonchalantly to the side while sipping tea.

"What Demon Suppression Division? That place is nothing but a decoration. Do you really think they can catch demons and exorcise spirits? All that mystical nonsense—it's more practical to just hire some monks or Taoist priests."

"Young Master Mu, the coroner has examined everything. There are no other injuries on the body; the limbs are intact, and the head was not injured. The body was simply sliced open and all the internal organs were removed! If this isn't the work of a demon, what is?"

"I don't believe it. There are no such things as demons in this world; it's all just rumors spread by people."

Mu Feng looked at Yu Shudao with a skeptical expression. "Prefect, I see your courage is even less than that of your own daughter."

"Heir Apparent, Lord Lu, what are your thoughts?" Yu Shudao looked toward the two of them with eager anticipation.

Lu Qian pondered for a moment. "Why not let Old Man Li examine it again to see if any clues can be found? Lord Yu, you should also deploy more constables to search the vicinity of the crime scene to see if the deceased's relatives can be found to inquire about the situation."

Mu Zhao nodded in agreement, saying nothing more.

Yu Shudao looked at them hesitantly. "Does the Heir Apparent and the Lord mean that it was not a demon that killed the person?"

Lu Qian said helplessly, "Just now, the Heir Apparent sent men to inspect the small building where the body was dumped. The guards reported that the building has been vacant for over a month and was only recently sold to someone else. The new owner is preparing to renovate it over the next few days, so it hasn't opened for business yet."

"If it were truly the work of a demon, why insist on dumping the body in a busy district? And why specifically choose a building that is currently under renovation?"

Yu Shudao felt his brain struggling to keep up. "Lord Lu, what exactly do you mean?"

"It is quite obvious. The killer wants to cause a sensation and draw attention."

"So, Lord Lu believes someone is disguising themselves as a demon to commit murder?"

Mu Feng rolled his eyes so far back they nearly disappeared. "You're just realizing this? I could tell at a glance. Someone is definitely playing ghost and god there; there are no demons."

Mu Zhao set down his teacup, his clear eyes lifting slightly. "Speaking of which, there is one matter I am curious about and would like to ask, Lord Yu. Do you happen to know that your daughter is an expert in bone-touching diagnosis?"

Yu Shudao was utterly bewildered...

What could he possibly know?

To be honest, the Heir Apparent and the others might not believe it, but today was the very first time he had even met his daughter...

Yu Shudao felt as though he had been sweating all day; in front of these high-ranking nobles, he found himself unable to answer various questions.

Seeing his embarrassment, Lu Qian tactfully interjected, "The Heir Apparent previously told me that when Miss Yu examined that infant's corpse, she was able to accurately identify the fatal wound and describe its size and shape."

"Old Man Li analyzed that the fatal wound Miss Yu mentioned should be near the fontanelle of the parietal bone. Old Man Li can determine the specific cause of death through examination, but to be as precise as Miss Yu, down to the exact inches, one would have to perform a full dissection to know."

"Prefect Yu, do you understand what Lord Lu means?" Seeing his blank expression, Mu Feng couldn't help but chime in. "Lord Lu is saying that your daughter, Miss Yu, might be exceptionally skilled in medicine, specifically specializing in bone-touching, perhaps even surpassing old coroners with decades of experience."

"This... this...?" How could Prefect Yu possibly answer that?

"Prefect Yu, don't tell me you didn't know your daughter had medical skills?" Mu Feng almost burst out laughing.

What kind of father was he?

How could he know nothing about his own daughter's talents?

Prefect Yu looked sheepish, his face flushing red. "I apologize for making the Heir Apparent and the Young Master laugh. It is truly... my daughter has been away from home for many years and only recently returned. There are indeed many things I have not had the chance to learn about."

So asking him was a waste of breath!

Yu Shudao knew absolutely nothing about his own daughter!

Mu Zhao glanced at Yu Shudao. "Leave this case to Lord Lu. He is a renowned investigator in the capital; he has handled hundreds, if not thousands, of such deceptive cases. You may deploy some capable constables from your office to accompany Lord Lu in his investigation."

"Ah, yes, yes, yes." Yu Shudao responded repeatedly, pulling out a handkerchief to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead. "Then... this official will hand over Wu Yong and his fellow constables to Lord Lu for full command and deployment."

"Heir Apparent, the case is secondary; the disaster relief is more urgent. Calculating the time, the first batch of relief grain should have arrived by now, yet there is still no news." Lu Qian frowned slightly, looking quite worried.

Mu Zhao's expression turned cold, a hint of mockery touching his lips. "Rest assured, it will definitely arrive before noon tomorrow."

Yu Shudao's heart stirred. He stole a timid glance at the Heir Apparent, thinking to himself that for such a massive amount of relief grain to be dispatched from the capital, passing through so many hands...

Perhaps only the Heir Apparent could truly keep such a situation under control.

He remembered how this man was once a dashing figure who rode into battle, sweeping through thousands of troops, passing calmly before enemy lines, and taking enemy heads as easily as reaching into a pocket.

Countless legends of his prowess existed on the battlefield.

Though he had since retired to the capital due to poor health, his prestige in the military remained, and he was a talent capable of both stabilizing the nation through civil administration and defending it through military might. The Emperor relied heavily on him, so no one dared to act insolently in his presence.

With the Heir Apparent here for disaster relief, no one would dare touch the relief grain.

"In the coming days, you must ensure the registration and record-keeping are handled properly," Mu Zhao instructed Yu Shudao with a solemn face. "The refugees cannot all be allowed to flood into the Weizhou prefectural city, nor can they all be left outside the walls."

"Have you thought about how to settle them?"

Yu Shudao felt a bit lost again, racking his brain for a moment. "This official was thinking, uh, to register them first, and then see if a portion can be sent back to their places of origin."

"Of course, the prefectural city can also accommodate a portion," Yu Shudao added haltingly, carefully watching the Heir Apparent's expression.

"Is that all?" Mu Zhao was speechless, staring at him and unable to help but sigh.