Chapter 435: Chapter 27: Li Jingyun

“Jiang Wu, Jiang Wu!” A loud shout came from outside the door as a carriage stopped, and a middle-aged man donned in a wide purple Beijing robe with a gentleman’s hat and a civilized cane alighted.

“Ah, here he comes,” Meng Po quickly waved her hand, holding the child, “Viscount, our captain has gone out to investigate a case, he’s not here.”

Li Kuo’s expression turned ugly as soon as he heard this, and he violently struck the ground with his cane, yelling, “He has time for other people’s cases but not mine. Does he look down on me, does he look down on the Li family!”

“Viscount Li, I am Li Xin, Captain Jiang has assigned your case to me, and I am now in charge,” Li Xin said.

Upon hearing this, Li Kuo was even more furious, glaring up and down at Li Xin, his eyes widened and his voice raised several notches, “Alright, Jiang Wu, bringing a young kid to fool me. Watch me report you, you Night Patrol are just occupying the position without doing anything!”

Seeing the other party about to make a scene, Meng Po quickly interjected,

“Viscount, please don’t be angry. This is our Shadow Owl’s deputy captain Li Xin. Captain Li is a top-notch detective specially sent for you. Night Patrol’s abilities have no relation to age. If age were everything, the people before wouldn’t have solved this, and it wouldn’t be up to our Shadow Owl, would it?” Meng Po laughed, while calming the frightened child.

Li Kuo scrutinized Li Xin and noticed the Silver Owl badge on his chest. Though he was somewhat unconvinced, he also knew that indeed no one else had attended to it, and thus, he resigned to treating a dead horse as if it were alive, his face darkening, “Captain Li, what do you plan to do?”

“Viscount, I just took over the case and have a preliminary understanding of the situation. I would like to meet your daughter first. I believe as long as we work together, there is no knot we cannot untie. When would be convenient?” Li Xin said.

Meet the key person first; he didn’t underestimate Night Patrol’s capabilities, but he had his special skills, ones that others really couldn’t handle.

Seeing Li Xin, despite his young age, speak with a steady tone, neither hurried nor anxious, Li Kuo calmed down, realizing that at least this person was not just dismissing the issue. “Captain Li, come with me, my daughter can’t go anywhere now and is confined to the house. This morning was stable, hence I dared to step out for a while.”

In the carriage, Li Xin got more details from Li Kuo. Li Jingyun was a student at Canon Law School, excelling in her studies, a member of Black Rose, usually positive and sunny. On her eighteenth birthday, she suddenly went insane.

“Viscount, who was present on her birthday?” Li Xin asked.

“Some close friends and their children, all people Jingyun knows, and friends from Canon Law School,” Li Kuo said. “Jingyun’s mother passed away early. She’s been tough and diligent all along, heaven is unfair.”

Li Xin nodded, “Could you tell me the details of that day?”

Li Kuo sighed; every time he talked about that day, it felt like reopening a wound. But for his daughter, he had no choice, and he recounted it all again in detail.

It was a normal party; everyone was happy, parents gave the children space to interact. But when it came time to blow out the birthday candles, Li Jingyun suddenly popped veins all over her body, her eyes turned blood-red, and she ferociously bit the people around her, moving on all fours like an animal. After being chased away, she crawled up walls like a monster, terrifying everyone, and it took great effort to capture her, injuring over ten people in the process.

Li Xin listened; this was a bit like the condition of a Licker, a sign of parasitic worm infection loss of control. However, according to Night Patrol’s investigation, it was not worms, making it highly unlikely to be a parasitic worm. If not that, then what could it be?

“Captain Li, I was a bit rash earlier in my speech, what’s happening to the child?”

“From the symptoms, it resembles early-stage uncontrolled parasitic worm infestation. Yet, considering Li Jingyun’s capabilities, if infested by worms, she likely wouldn’t lose control at an early stage,” Li Xin said. Given that she is a Black Rose member, she would smoothly evolve into a Licker.

“Others have also said the same,” Li Kuo sighed, “yet how could a perfectly fine child suddenly turn into this, it’s not something a mere mention of madness can resolve.”

“Viscount, have you recently encountered any difficulties or feuds with anyone?” Li Xin asked.

Li Kuo was taken aback, shaking his head. Li Xin could clearly tell Li Kuo was uneasy, “How about Ms. Li Jingyun, has she had any conflicts or competition at Canon Law School?”

Li Kuo thought for a moment, “Canon Law School is a very prestigious school in Dragon Capital, with strict academic standards and a good ethos. Jingyun has performed well, or she wouldn’t have been selected into Black Rose. Everyone likes her; I’ve never heard of any conflicts.”

“Have all the people who attended that day been investigated?”

“They’ve been investigated, though they are all close friends or Academy friends, and wouldn’t harm Jingyun. This is also Night Patrol’s conclusion,” Li Kuo stated.

Li Xin nodded, though he had doubts in his heart. The Viscount seemed quite certain these people were innocent, which was a bit peculiar. He hadn’t finished reading the dossier and planned to review that part further. Generally, in such cases, if it’s external, there would be a motive. It has to be either a Li Kuo issue, likely arising from disputes with enemies making a move, or a Li Jingyun issue, where at her age, it would more likely involve romantic relationships. But since Li Kuo had little trust in him, it wasn’t the time to inquire yet.

The carriage arrived at the Viscount Li’s mansion. The grand entrance was in East Second District, a prestigious area, which was a symbol of status. The garden had a few ancient trees that seemed hundreds of years old, but appeared somewhat overgrown. It seemed the entire household was a bit disorganized since Li Jingyun’s incident.

Li Kuo instructed the butler to handle tasks as he personally led Li Xin to the second floor, “Since Jingyun’s incident, I’ve been personally taking care of her. She’s still a bit better when she sees me, whereas with strangers, she gets very agitated.”

Li Kuo opened the door. The room was very cozy, a girl’s room with dolls and some pink decorations. Li Jingyun was tied to the bed, with her hands, feet, and waist firmly secured. The girl seemed to be sleeping, her disheveled hair covering part of her face, yet Li Xin still perceived that kind of beauty, the unique elegance and softness of Beijing people, her frail state making her even more delicate.

In the next instant, Li Xin’s pupils turned pale, observing the entire room, with Li Kuo beside him, unperturbed. This was a common technique used by Night Patrol.

“The doctor prescribed sleeping medication, and I would give it to her when I was going out. By the time she wakes up, it should be soon,” Li Kuo stated.

Li Xin nodded, observing Li Jingyun, who appeared pale, and the tightly bound body looked slim. There were wounds on her wrists that hadn’t healed, suggesting attempted suicide, with the tied areas notably red and swollen.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep