Chapter 516: Locked Room Murder

Lu Yang and his companions arrived at the estate of Squire Song smoothly, without encountering much trouble.

Lu Yang knocked politely, and the door was opened by a young gentleman. He possessed no cultivation and was a mere mortal, his face deathly pale and the rims of his eyes dark, likely due to a severe lack of rest.

"The three of you are..." The young master looked at Lu Yang and his two companions with a hint of vigilance.

"The three of us are disciples of an immortal sect. We were invited by Squire Song to resolve the matter of the scroll."

"So you are disciples of an immortal sect!" The young master's eyes widened. The Song family had only reached out to the immortal sect with the intention of giving it a try, never expecting that the high-and-mighty sect would actually dispatch someone!

"I am Lu Yang, and these two are my martial sisters, Tao Yaoye and Lan Ting."

"Lu Yang?! That Lu Yang who is invincible in the Golden Core stage?!"

Upon hearing Lu Yang's name, the young gentleman was even more astonished. Although he was a mortal, he belonged to a wealthy family among mortals and knew a bit about the cultivation world; if one were to name the cultivator mentioned most frequently in the past three months, it would undoubtedly be Lu Yang!

Coupled with the vigorous promotion by Daoist Buyu, Lu Yang's name was practically bursting with fame.

However, while the cultivation world said that Lu Yang was the number one person in the mid-Golden Core stage, by the time it reached the young master's ears, it had been misheard as the number one person in the entire Golden Core stage.

To him, there was no great difference between the mid-Golden Core stage and the Golden Core stage as a whole.

"Song Tian greets the three Daoist masters, please come inside." Song Tian politely and respectfully invited the three of them in, not daring to show the slightest neglect.

Through Song Tian's introduction, Lu Yang learned that Squire Song's full name was Song Jinju, and Song Tian was the eldest son. Currently, Squire Song was advanced in years, and the Song family's business was primarily managed by Song Tian. It was precisely while doing business that he had heard of Lu Yang's deeds from a cultivator friend, confirming that the stories told in the storytelling performances were all true.

Aside from Song Tian, Squire Song had two other sons and a daughter. The second son was named Song Qing, a scholar; the third son was named Song Qi, who idled away his days and was a textbook profligate son, much to Squire Song's disappointment; the youngest daughter was named Song Lian'er.

Madam Song had passed away from an illness five years ago.

"Immortal masters, you must save our Song family. That painting is truly too bizarre. I haven't been able to sleep for nights on end. That painting has absolutely become a spirit. Our Song family has moved twice, and every single time, that painting would follow us."

Seeing Lu Yang and his companions was like seeing saviors to Song Tian, and the gloom accumulated over these past days was instantly swept away.

He invited Lu Yang and the other two to the seats of honor in the main hall, ordered the maidservants to pour tea, and summoned the housekeeper, telling him to go fetch Squire Song from the study.

Song Tian himself went to call the rest of his family.

During this period, the Song family had been in a constant state of panic and anxiety; with the disciples of an immortal sect stepping in, they could finally set their minds at ease.

Lu Yang lifted his teacup and, completely disregarding the scalding boiling water, drank half the cup in a single gulp.

What was boiling water to him? Even before he began cultivating, he used to bathe in boiling water.

Lu Yang set down his teacup and remarked casually, "There is an aura of yin energy in the Song family estate."

Tao Yaoye nodded in agreement, "Indeed, and it is quite dense. There should be a demon hiding within the Song family."

That being said, judging by the concentration of the emanating yin energy, it posed no threat to Lu Yang and his companions.

The three of them possessed incredibly sharp senses, and from afar, they could already hear the Song family siblings walking over, talking as they approached.

"Eldest Brother, I'm not trying to criticize you, but how many cultivators has our family invited over? Which one of them didn't return in defeat? Are you so sure this time is reliable?" With such an improper attitude, it had to be the third son, Song Qi.

"Third Brother, do not speak nonsense. This time Eldest Brother has invited disciples of an immortal sect, whose status is almost equal to that of the imperial court. They are true immortals, and won't it be as easy as lifting a hand for immortals to deal with a mere evil spirit?"

From the tone of the voice, it ought to be the second son, Song Qing.

"Moreover, didn't you hear Eldest Brother say? Among the cultivators who arrived this time is a Daoist master named Lu Yang. Even if you are usually ignorant and idle, you should have heard of the storytelling tale 'The Legend of the Wendao Sect.' As far as I know, the author of that tale is the master of the immortal sect, a supreme expert of the world. The things written by such an expert, though sounding bizarre, must be true!"

"Stop showing off your erudition. Second Brother, you haven't even passed the examination for a scholar. Father flew into a rage at you several times, saying you read a load of absolute nonsense, did you forget?"

"You!"

"I hope they can successfully take the scroll away. Ever since Master Zhou learned of our family's situation, he hasn't even dared to meet me casually." This voice was somewhat timid, undoubtedly the youngest daughter, Song Lian'er.

"Little Sister, you still haven't cut ties with that fellow? Have you forgotten what Father told you? That fellow has achieved nothing and only speaks sweet words. He doesn't fancy you at all; he's after our Song family's wealth!"

"Take a word of advice from your Second Brother and break it off quickly. If Father finds out you are still in contact with him, beware of him breaking your legs!"

"No, Master Zhou loves me!"

"Line up, we are about to meet the Daoist masters, so behave yourselves, especially you, Third Brother. You better not act like a fool in front of the masters, otherwise Father won't let you off!"

The Song family siblings arrived at the main hall while conversing.

Lu Yang drained the remaining half cup of tea, smacked his lips, using it precisely to rinse his mouth and forget the taste of the wontons.

The interpersonal relationships of the Song family were rather complicated.

As the Song family siblings entered, Lu Yang glanced over and immediately matched them with the voices from moments ago.

He had already met the eldest son, Song Tian.

The one wearing a clean and tidy scholar's robe, with one hand resting near his stomach, was the second son, Song Qing.

The short one with a displeased expression was the third son, Song Qi.

The one whose eyes darted about, not daring to look directly at Lu Yang, was the youngest daughter, Song Lian'er.

"Greetings, Daoist masters."

Song Tian held considerable authority in the household. Once he told his younger siblings to behave, none dared to act presumptuously before Lu Yang, and the third son, Song Qi, was no exception.

"Has Father not arrived yet?" Song Tian was somewhat bewildered. Calculating the time, his father should have arrived by now.

While Song Tian was wondering, a figure stumbled into the main hall, completely out of breath: "Young Master, Young Master, this is bad!"

Song Tian supported the housekeeper as an ominous premonition welled up inside him: "What is it? Where is Father?"

"The Master has passed away!"

"What?!"

The Song family siblings were collectively shocked, and the youngest daughter, Song Lian'er, nearly fainted to the ground.

Even Lu Yang and his companions had not expected that the target would die before they even met him!

"Come, let us go see!"

Song Tian was the eldest brother after all, so he quickly steadied his mind and had the housekeeper lead them to the study.

The door to the study was tightly shut. The housekeeper led everyone to the window on the side of the study, where a large hole had been smashed through, through which they could see Squire Song lying on the floor, blood covering the ground, entirely devoid of breath.

As the housekeeper helped everyone climb through the window, he explained, "I went to the study to call for the Master, but after calling for a long time, there was no response. The doors and windows of the study were all locked from the inside, which was the Master's habit as he felt safer that way. Feeling that something was wrong, I broke through the window, and as soon as I entered the room, I saw the Master lying on the floor."

Tao Yaoye and Lan Ting fell into deep thought; with the doors and windows tightly locked, outsiders could not open them, yet Squire Song had died inside—this was a classic locked-room murder case.

Lu Yang remained silent, his thoughts unknown.

The second update will be before eleven o'clock.

(End of this chapter)