Quan Shaoqing knew her heart was filled with grief and panic, and immediately grabbed Gu Xiaoxi to ask the police who was gathering evidence, "May I ask where Old Master Liu is?"
The police pointed upstairs, their expression grave as they said, "In the bedroom! The evidence has already been collected, but if you find anything else, please make sure to inform me immediately."
Without a second thought, Gu Xiaoxi rushed upstairs.
Pushing open the bedroom door, she found Liu Yishou’s room neatly organized, and the old man was lying on the large bed, as peaceful as if sleeping—if it wasn’t for the stench of blood in the air and the neat wound on his throat cut by a dagger. Everyone would surely have thought he was just asleep.
"Master!" Gu Xiaoxi approached in distress, grabbing the old man’s hand. But by then, he was already ice-cold, his limbs stiff.
Gu Xiaoxi felt a sourness in her eyes, and she could no longer hold back her tears, which surged out of her eyes.
Just last night she had seen her master, chatting and laughing with him, and in the span of one night, they were worlds apart.
Quan Shaoqing looked at the scene, his expression equally heavy.
He stood beside Gu Xiaoxi, grasped her, and gave her silent comfort.
At the same time, he was observing the surroundings.
There were no signs of struggle in the room; Liu Yishou was killed in his sleep with a slash to the throat, a death that was quick and clean.
It was at this time that the descendants of the Liu Family hurriedly arrived.
A heart-wrenching wail emanated from the villa, carrying far into the distance.
Gu Xiaoxi was pushed to the outskirts of the crowd by Liu Fei and others who rushed up.
Looking at the old man lying on the bed, she clenched her fists, then turned to Quan Shaoqing beside her, "Let’s go ask the police if they have found any evidence."
Gu Xiaoxi and Quan Shaoqing checked all the rooms and obtained some information from the police.
Everyone in the household was dead, and the murder weapon was a dagger. The specific time was around midnight, and there was only surveillance at the main entrance of the house, but unfortunately, the surveillance footage captured nothing.
After receiving the report, the police immediately sealed off the scene and, upon a careful investigation, found no clues about the murderer.
The only certainty now was that finding the Jade Watermelon would lead to the murderer.
What Gu Xiaoxi hadn’t expected was that Liu Fei and the others were adamant that she was the one responsible.
But without evidence, the police, although suspicious of Gu Xiaoxi, dared not rush to conclusions.
Gu Xiaoxi had long known that aside from her master, not a single one of the Liu family was any good.
Now, with her own biological father just passed away, Liu Fei didn’t bother to find the murderer but instead framed her.
Liu Yishou’s body was still on the bed, and they were eyeballing the Treasure Pavilion, scrambling to divide up the inheritance.
Watching this, her heart turned cold.
It took four to five days of busyness before Liu Yishou’s affairs were finally settled.
In the rural cemetery, after all the descendants of the Liu family had left, Gu Xiaoxi took incense to her master’s grave.
"Master, rest assured, I will find the murderer and avenge you," Gu Xiaoxi lit the incense and kowtowed several times. A day as a master, a lifetime as a father, in this life, he had provided her with the education and kindness that her father had not managed to provide.
This kindness, she would remember in her heart.
This tragedy happened too suddenly and too quickly. The murderer committed the crime, took the Jade Watermelon, and left without a trace, without leaving any evidence.
Even though the police gathered evidence, they found nothing.
Gu Xiaoxi had already asked Quan Shaoqing to help investigate; as long as they found the Jade Watermelon, the case would be easier to handle.
The ten-day holiday passed this way.
The loss of her master was unexpected and weighed heavily on her heart, especially since, despite her repeated investigations with Quan Shaoqing, they had not found any trace of the murderer.
Gu Xiaoxi even investigated all six sons of the Liu family.
Even though they seemed detestable, as long as they were not the murderer, Gu Xiaoxi felt somewhat reassured. After all, they were her master’s children, and if they had killed their father for an object, she would have found it regrettable for her master.
Fortunately, it wasn’t them.
At night, Gu Xiaoxi curled up on the sofa, holding her laptop, looking at the photos taken by the police at the crime scene, hoping to find a clue.
Quan Shaoqing watched her look of desolation, felt pity for her, and walked over with a cup of black tea, comforting her, "Don’t think about it anymore. The murderer might not even be human."
Gu Xiaoxi looked up from the computer, "Not human?"
"You said it before; Old Master Liu’s Jade Watermelon had developed some spirituality. Since it could steal his treasure and specifically took only the Jade Watermelon, it must be because it sensed the spirituality within. Apart from humans who have researched spiritual power, it must be some cultivating monsters," Quan Shaoqing said with a profound gaze.
Gu Xiaoxi looked at him, feeling that his analysis made sense.
"Therefore, the person who killed my master is definitely not simple. We mustn’t get bogged down in minor details but think long-term," Gu Xiaoxi’s eyes flashed with a glint of determination. That was the only way.
It was completely impossible to find the murderer through evidence, as there was no useful evidence left at the scene.
But as long as there was a murder, there would be traces. Even without evidence, there would be oversights.
"Xiao Xi, these things can’t be rushed. We need to wait for the Jade Watermelon to reappear. Then, we may be able to catch the murderer in one fell swoop," Quan Shaoqing came forward and took her small hand, comforting her.
Gu Xiaoxi only felt his warm palm, and the gloom that had clouded her heart these past few days dissipated a lot.
"I understand. Thank you for staying with me these past few days!" Gu Xiaoxi’s mouth curved into a faint smile. At the same time, her gaze became even more resolute. No matter what, she would find the murderer.
For a single Jade Watermelon, the murderer had killed so many people; they were utterly insane.
Her master’s vengeance was her own!
At this moment, Gu Xiaoxi’s belief grew even stronger. She resolved to become stronger so that everyone would fear her, and only then could she protect those around her.
The holiday ended, and her master had passed away.
Gu Xiaoxi returned to the army, becoming even more diligent.