CLX Book 4 Chapter 10 – Part 1

Chapter 10 – The Eighth Person

The person most likely to have trained the ‘Zhusha Zhang’ was Ding Feng.

The person with equally-agile left and right hands was Ding Feng. _{Translated by foxs}

The person with the most opportunity to kill was Ding Feng.

The bloody garment was also belonged to Ding Feng.

The murderer must be Ding Feng.

But now Ding Feng was dead.

Hu Tiehua was lying on the bed like a dead pig.

The only difference between him and a pig was that a dead pig would not snore, but the sound of his snore was like thunder, even people ten li away would be able to hear it.

Zhang San rubbed his ears, shook his head and said with a laugh, “When this man fell down just now, I really thought he was the next one, so I really could not help jumping in fright.”

Chu Liuxiang also laughed, he said, “I already knew that he would not die. ‘A good person won’t live long, a bad person [or disaster/scourge] lasts for a thousand years’, haven’t you heard of this saying?”

Zhang San laughed and said, “Although I did not expect him to die, I also did not expect him to get drunk so quickly, I did not expect even more that Jin Guniang would really have some skills in drinking.” _{foxswuxia.wordpress.com}

Chu Liuxiang said, “You think she herself was not drunk? She did not even know that Ding Feng is dead, she kept looking around for him, wanting him to be the judge.”

Zhang San sighed and said, “Those two getting drunk is really not the right time.”

Smiling wryly, Chu Liuxiang said, “You don’t understand. He chose this time to be drunk, there could not have been a better choice.”

Zhang San said, “Why?”

Chu Liuxiang said, “Now that he is drunk, he won’t have to worry about anything anymore, the murderer would definitely not look for him, because they know that we will definitely be by his side guarding him.”

Blurted out laughing, Zhang San said, “Not the slightest bit wrong, I thought he was an idiot, but he is really smarter than anyone else.”

Chu Liuxiang said, “The strange thing is that the person who deserved to die did not die, but the person who did not deserve to die clearly died.”

Zhang San said, “You mean Ding Feng shouldn’t have died?”

Chu Liuxiang said, “I thought about this back and forth, not only he was the prime suspect, moreover, only he had the motive to kill.” _{Translated by foxs}

Zhang San said, “Motive?”

Chu Liuxiang said, “Without motive, there is no reason to kill.”

Zhang San said, “What was Ding Feng’s motive?”

Chu Liuxiang said, “He did not want us to find that spending-gold-cave on the sea.”

Zhang San said, “If he did not want to, why would he invite these people to come on board?”

Chu Liuxiang said, “Because he knew that on their own, these people may be able to find it, therefore, he gathered all these people in one place to kill them one by one.”

Zhang San said, “But now he himself died first.”

Chu Liuxiang sighed, he smiled wryly and said, “Therefore, everything that I said is tantamount to farting.”

Zhang San was silent for half a day, he said, “Other than Ding Feng, could it be that the other people do not have any motive to kill?”

Chu Liuxiang said, “There are only a few motives for killing people, most kill for love, for wealth, because of hatred, and some are for shutting their mouths –– Ding Feng’s motive was the last one.”

He went on to say, “Now that Ding Feng is dead, this reason cannot be established, because these people did not know each other, no one can possibly know the other people’s secrets. From this, it is clear that the murderer definitely did not kill for the purpose of silencing others.” _{foxswuxia.wordpress.com}

Zhang San said, “In that case, what is he doing it for? For love? Impossible, none of these people has robbed other people’s wives. For money? It is also impossible, except for Gongsun Jieyu, everyone else is a destitute egg [I said it before, Chinese have certain fascinations with bird and egg]?”

He thought for a moment, and then continued, “Although Jin Lingzhi and Hai Kuotian are rich, they did not bring their money with them, so by killing them, the murderer won’t get any benefit.”

Chu Liuxiang sighed and said, “That’s right, I considered back and forth, except for Ding Feng, there is simply no one with a reason to kill, hence I originally determined that Ding Feng was the murderer.”

Zhang San said, “What about Gongsun Jieyu? I always feel that this person’s background is very questionable.”

Chu Liuxiang said: “Among these ten people, maybe one or two have old enmity with him, but he has absolutely no reason to kill them all.”

Zhang San said, “But the facts are here, the murderer is either he or Gou Zichang, and the suspicion against him is always bigger than Gou Zichang.” _{Translated by foxs}

He had just spoken these words, someone was knocking on the door.

The person knocking the door was precisely Gongsun Jieyu.

The lantern in the cabin was lit.

Gongsun Jieyu’s eyes seemed to carry some kind of a very peculiar smiling expression. Looking at Chu Liuxiang, he spoke slowly, “There is something that Xiang Shuai must feel very strange.”

Chu Liuxiang said, “Oh?”

Gongsun Jieyu said, “This time Zaixia is coming to Jiangnan, other than looking for that spending-gold-cave on the sea, I also want to look for someone.”

Chu Liuxiang said, “Oh?”

Before he understood the other side’s intention, Chu Liuxiang never said an extra word.

Gongsun Jieyu continued, “Zaixia have been investigating this person for a long time, all along I did not obtain any information. Until yesterday, I found out that turns out he is on this boat!”

Muttering to himself irresolutely, Chu Liuxiang said, “Could it be that you are talking about Gou Zichang?”

Gongsun Jieyu said, “Precisely.” _{foxswuxia.wordpress.com}

Zhang San rushed to ask, “What kind of person is he? Does he have an old enmity against you?”

Gongsun Jieyu said, “Zaixia have never seen this person before, so how can there be any enmity?”

Zhang San said, “In that case, you painstakingly looking for him, for what purpose?”

Gongsun Jieyu chuckled, apparently his expression showed that he was very proud of himself, he said, “Xiang Shuai has not recognized Zaixia until this moment?”

Chu Liuxiang looked at him closely, his eyes flashing, he said, “Could it be that you are …”

He had not finished talking, there was a miserable scream outside. Unexpectedly, it was Gou Zichang’s voice.

Gongsun Jieyu was the first to rushed outside, only to see Gou Zichang was standing at the bottom of the stairs, his face was full of horror, his left arm was dripping with blood, there was even a dagger stuck in his shoulder.

Frowning, Chu Liuxiang said, “How did Gou Xiong get injured?” _{Translated by foxs}

Gou Zichang’s right hand was still clutching the black suitcase, gasping for breath, he said, “I had just I stepped down the stairs, this dagger flew over from the side. The move was not only extremely fast, it was also extremely accurate. If I had not evaded quickly, I’m afraid this dagger would have pierced through my throat.”

Chu Liuxiang said, “Who was the attacker? Gou Xiong did not see him?”

Gou Zichang said, “I was caught off guard, in my shock, I only saw a figure flashing, by the time I wanted to chase, it was already too late.”

Chu Liuxiang asked, “Which direction did that person flee?”

Out of the corner of his eyes Gou Zichang cast a glance toward Gongsun Jieyu, but said nothing.

Actually, he did not need to say anything.

Other than Chu Liuxiang and Hu Tiehua, the only person on board who could stab him was Bai Lazhu.

Laughing coldly, Gongsun Jieyu said, “Could it be that you saw that person fled toward my room?”

Gou Zichang said, “Looks … looks like it, but … I did not see it clearly either.”

Gongsun Jieyu did not say another word, he turned around and walked over toward his own room, and pulled open the door.

Inside the room, not a single person was in sight. _{foxswuxia.wordpress.com}

Gou Zichang seemed to be stumped for words.

Gongsun Jieyu coldly said, “Bai Lazhu is a foolish kid, his temper is weird, he should have stayed in this room, so that it would be very difficult to wash clean the wrong accusation against him.”

Zhang San could not help asking, “Where is his person now?”

Gongsun Jieyu said, “After Jin Guniang got drunk, he has been guarding by her side, but a single man and a single woman in the same room, inevitably they cannot avoid suspicion, so I found another person to accompany them.”

He chuckled indifferently, and continued, “Now that can be called a foolish good fortune for a foolish man.”

What he had said, not a single word was false.

Bai Lazhu indeed have been with Jin Lingzhi, and the sailor accompanying them could confirm that he practically never left a single step.

Knitting his brows, Zhang San said, “Jin Guniang and Xiao Hu are both drunk and passed out, while Gongsun Xiansheng was with us. Who could be the person plotting against Gou Xiong?” _{Translated by foxs}

His countenance changed, he continued slowly, “Could it be that other than the seven people on board, there is the eighth person? Could it be that the murderer is unexpectedly an invisible ghost?”

There were actually more than seven people on board.

In addition to Chu Liuxiang, Hu Tiehua, Gou Zichang, Jin Lingzhi, Gongsun Jieyu, Bai Lazhu and Zhang San, there were more than a dozen sailors. Could it be that the murderer was one of these sailors?

Chu Liuxiang, Gou Zichang, Gongsun Jieyu, Zhang San, four men had not even left Jin Lingzhi’s room when they heard another scream.

This time, the cry was surprisingly made by Hu Tiehua.

Zhang San’s countenance changed, he said, “Not good, Xiao Hu is so drunk that he lost consciousness, we shouldn’t have left him alone in the room.”

He had not even finished speaking, his person already rushed back.

Hu Tiehua was sitting on the bed, panting heavily. His eyes were already wide open, but were still bloodshot. His hand was clutching a mask tightly –– a mask made of cardboard, but it has been crushed by him.

Seeing Hu Tiehua was still alive and well, Zhang San’s anger flared up instead, he spoke furiously, “What are you squawking [orig. ghost’s cry] about? Are you still wildly drunk?” _{foxswuxia.wordpress.com}

Hu Tiehua was staring straight ahead, his eyes were fixed at the opposite wooden partition, as if hundreds of flowers suddenly grew on it. Zhang San’s shout was so loud, yet surprisingly he did not seem to hear.

Zhang San sneered and said, “Altogether you only drank a little bit of wine, and you are already this drunk. I think you’d better stop bragging and have less drinking duel in the future.”

Hu Tiehua still did not seem to hear him, he was in a daze for half a day, suddenly he flipped over on the bed, clapped his hands and laughed loudly, “The murderer is indeed that kid, I knew that one day I would catch his little pigtail.”

Zhang San said, “Who do you say the murderer is?”

Hu Tiehua’s eyes grew big, he said, “Ding Feng, of course it is Ding Feng, who else is there besides Ding Feng?”

Zhang San looked him up and down, he looked at him carefully for a few moments, only then did he sigh and said, “I knew this kid was still drunk, otherwise how could he see a ghost?”

Hu Tiehua sprang up and said, “You are the one who just ran into a ghost; moreover, it’s a big-headed ghost.” _{Translated by foxs}

Chu Liuxiang’s eyes flashing, he muttered to himself irresolutely, and suddenly said, “Did you really see Ding Feng just now?”

Hu Tiehua said, “Of course.”

Chu Liuxiang said, “Where were you? In this room?”

Zhang San said, “Just now you obviously slept like a dead pig, and you can still see people?”

Hu Tiehua said, “Perhaps I was too drunk that it felt so uncomfortable, I was sleeping soundly, but suddenly felt like vomiting, so I woke up. Although I woke up, I did not have the strength to get up.”

When one is sixty- or seventy-percent drunk, one might sleep very deeply; but if one is ninety-percent drunk, one might not be able to sleep peacefully.

Chu Liuxiang nodded, because he also has had this kind of experience.

Hu Tiehua said, “Just as I was lying in bed in a daze, I suddenly sensed that someone came into the room and walked in front of my bed, he seemed to be also calling me softly.”

Chu Liuxiang said, “Did you open your eyes yet?”

Hu Tiehua said, “My eyes were already squinted, I only saw a hazy face, and could not see who it was. He called me, I did not feel like responding, who would have thought that he suddenly came and strangled my neck.” _{foxswuxia.wordpress.com}

He stroked his throat with his hand, took a long breath, and then continued, “His hand was very strong, I struggled but was not able to shake it off. I wanted to shout but I could not shout, so I randomly grabbed forward, and happened to grab his face.”

Chu Liuxiang looked at the mask in his hand, he said, “Did you just happen to grab his mask?”

Hu Tiehua said, “Not the slightest bit wrong. Only then did I realize that this person was Ding Feng. He also seemed to be caught by surprise, so I seized the opportunity to punch him in the stomach.”

He chuckled, and went on, “You should know that very few people could take my fist.”

Chu Liuxiang said, “Then, what about his person?”

Hu Tiehua said, “When he took my punch, his grip loosened and he fell on the opposite bed, but when I jumped to catch him, unexpectedly he suddenly disappeared.”

Zhang San chuckled, he said, “You know what’s going on?”

Hu Tiehua said, “I really can’t figure out why his person suddenly disappeared.”

Zhang San said, “I’ll tell you, all right?” _{Translated by foxs}

Hu Tiehua said, “You know?”

Zhang San spoke indifferently, “Because you were just having a nightmare. The people in the dream often come and go all of a sudden …”

He had not finished speaking, Hu Tiehua sprang up, grabbed his collar, and said angrily, “You don’t believe me? Why?”

Zhang San nearly could not even breathe, he spoke hoarsely, “If you weren’t dreaming, how could you see Ding Feng?”

Hu Tiehua said, “Why can’t I see Ding Feng?”

Zhang San said, “There is no other reason, it’s just because Ding Feng is dead!”

It was only then that Hu Tiehua was shocked, he blurted out, “Ding Feng is dead? When did he die?”

Zhang San said, “He has been died for at least three, four sichen.”

Hu Tiehua said, “Really?”

Zhang San said, “Of course it’s real, Gou Zichang and I carried him into the coffin with our own hands.”

Hu Tiehua slowly turned his head, he looked at Gou Zichang. _{foxswuxia.wordpress.com}

Gou Zichang said, “The dead is still inside the coffin, definitely not false.”

Hu Tiehua’s countenance gradually turned pale, his hands also slowly loosened up, he mumbled, “If not Ding Feng, then who was that? … Could it be that I really saw a ghost?”

Seeing him like this, Zhang San could not bear it anymore, he spoke softly, “When someone is drinking too much, his eyes blurry, he’s having nightmares, those are very common. One time I was drunk, I saw Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie [both are characters in Journey to the West], do you believe me?”

This time Hu Tiehua did not say anything, he fell on his back on the bed, and covered his face with a pillow.

Zhang San laughed and said, “That’s right, after drinking, nothing is better than sleeping.”

Gou Zichang suddenly said, “I know where the murderer is hiding.”

Chu Liuxiang said, “Oh?”

Gou Zichang said, “The murderer must have disguised himself as a sailor and mingled among them. I blame ourselves for not thinking about it before, hence we are suspicious of each other. Otherwise, he might not be able to succeed so easily.”

Chu Liuxiang slowly nodded his head, he said, “That is also possible.” _{Translated by foxs}

Gou Zichang said, “Not only it is possible, it is highly possible.”

His expression looked very excited, and then said, “Think about it, who would have the best chance to get close to those wine cups?”

Chu Liuxiang said, “The sailors in the kitchen.”

Gou Zichang clapped his hands and said, “Not the slightest bit wrong … and because he is a sailor, Xiang Tianfei and Hai Kuotian did not guard against him at all.”

“That’s right,” Zhang San said, “Indeed that’s reasonable.”

Gou Zichang said, “To mend the pen after the sheep are lost [idiom: better late than never], it’s still not too late. Let’s investigate them now, there is still time.”

Zhang San said, “How are we going to investigate?”

Muttering to himself irresolutely, Gou Zichang said, “The sailors on the ship must have a roster. Let’s find this roster first, and then we interrogate them one by one, we are bound to find something more than meets the eye.”

It was indeed not a bad idea, but evidently they did not have enough manpower, so everyone had to act separately.

Zhang San still stayed behind inside the room, to take care of Hu Tiehua; Bai Lazhu still guarded Jin Lingzhi. _{foxswuxia.wordpress.com}

The doors of the two rooms were kept open, so that they correspond to each other.

The sailor who was with Bai Lazhu was called Zhao Dazhong, an honest man. He knew that the sailor’s roster was in the cabinet inside Jin Lingzhi’s room.

Because this was the most exquisite room on the ship, this was originally Hai Kuotian’s cabin.

Now that they have the roster, Gou Zichang suggested, “Now, Chu Liuxiang, Gongsun Xiansheng and I will go separately to summon all the sailors on board to come here. We will meet here within half a sichen at the latest.”

This idea was also not bad at all, because practically there was no second idea.

The bilge was very dark, except for one lamp.

The sailors were all sleeping very deeply.

Chu Liuxiang called out, but there was no response. He pulled a hand, but the hand was already ice-cold!

All the sailors in the bilge had unexpectedly turned into dead people! _{Translated by foxs}

Surprisingly, every fatal wound was still Zhusha Zhang!

Chu Liuxiang’s hands were also a bit cold, cold sweat was already seeping out.

He retreated step by step and exited the hold. Suddenly he turned around, ran up the stairs, and rushed onto the deck.

There were also only four dead men on the deck.

The stars have faded away, the sea breeze was as sharp as the needles, and the boat was slowly making circles on the sea.

The dead body of the sailor at the helm was already cold, there was also a red palmprint on his chest.

Where was Gou Zichang? How come Gou Zichang also disappeared?

Looking around, the sea and the sky were boundless, a vast expanse of nothingness, there was no land in sight within a thousand li.

Chu Liuxiang very seldom trembled.

He remembered one time when he and Hu Tiehua went to steal someone’s wine to drink, if they had not hidden inside the big wine vat, they would have been caught. It was so cold that day that even the wine was almost frozen.

Hiding in the wine vat, it was unclear whether it was because of the cold or the fear, he was shaking non-stop.

But that was more than twenty years ago, at that time he was only seven years old. He has not trembled since then. _{foxswuxia.wordpress.com}

Until now, unexpectedly his body was trembling non-stop, because it was the first time that he felt how big the heaven and the earth, and how insignificant he really was. It was the first time he felt how bizarre the things of the world, and how limited human wisdom really was.

Tightening the lapel of his clothes, he went down to the cabin in large strides.

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