Although he wasn't going on the expedition with his father, he understood that his father's burden was not light. Investigating the killer was a thankless task.
Just then, Duobang arrived.
It was Liu Yuanwen's misfortune. The last time Duobang came, Liu Yuanwen's room was lit, and Liu Xiangnan was asleep. Therefore, Duobang didn't know Liu Xiangnan's whereabouts, but he did remember Liu Yuanwen's.
So, Duobang easily found his way to Liu Yuanwen's rooftop.
At this moment, Liu Yuanwen was completely unaware and lost in thought. Duobang hung upside down, his toes hooked onto the eaves, bending his body to peer inside.
He poked a finger through the window to observe. Seeing only Liu Yuanwen alone, with no maid nearby, he couldn't help but smile. It would be as easy as pie to kill this unarmed scholar.
Duobang took out his repeating crossbow, quietly aimed at Liu Yuanwen's chest, and pulled the trigger, firing two arrows.
Liu Yuanwen, not knowing martial arts and caught off guard, had no time to dodge. The two short arrows struck his chest fiercely.
Seeing that he had hit his mark, Duobang did not hesitate. He curled his body, nocked onto the roof, and fled the scene swiftly.
By the time Liu Yuanwen was discovered murdered, it was already half an hour later.
Cui Zhu, the maid serving Liu Yuanwen, walked in with a bowl of hot porridge. Upon seeing the scene, she was stunned and let out a earth-shattering scream before running out of the room.
Hearing the scream, Liu Kai rushed over, "Cui Zhu, what's wrong?"
"The head butler, young master, he, he, he..." Cui Zhu pointed at the room in terror.
Liu Kai suddenly had a bad premonition. He strode in and was shocked by the scene before him.
Liu Yuanwen was sitting in a chair, his head tilted back, forming an almost right angle with the sky. A large patch of blood on his chest had dried. He stepped forward to check and found that the man had long since breathed his last.
Oh dear!
Liu Kai was terrified. Misfortune never comes alone, and neither does disaster!
The fate of Miss Liu was still unknown, and now Liu Yuanwen was gone.
However, such a major event could not be concealed. Liu Kai had no choice but to brace himself and report to Liu Xiangnan.
Liu Xiangnan had actually heard the commotion outside. Seeing Liu Kai enter, he asked in a deep voice, "What's happening outside? Such a ruckus."
"Master, you must brace yourself."
With just Liu Kai's words, Liu Xiangnan's expression changed. Such a statement usually meant something significant had occurred.
"Oh, what exactly happened?"
Before Liu Kai could speak, tears began to stream down his face, "Master, the young master, he, he, he was murdered."
As soon as he finished speaking, Liu Xiangnan shot up, looking at Liu Kai with disbelief, "How is this possible? Yuan Tian, he?"
"Master, it was just now that Cui Zhu discovered it. You needn't go see him."
Liu Xiangnan hesitated for a moment, then slowly walked forward, "Why shouldn't I see him? I must go see Yuan Tian."
With that, Liu Xiangnan took a step forward.
After only a few steps, Liu Xiangnan stumbled. Liu Kai quickly stepped forward to support him. Although Liu Xiangnan tried his best to control himself, Liu Kai could clearly feel the old man's profound grief.
This was understandable.
Liu Xiangnan had two sons and a daughter. His second son, Liu Yuanwu, had perished in Qingniu Mountain.
His eldest son, Liu Yuan Tian, was now like this.
His only daughter, Liu Rumei, was in the Great Tugu Kingdom, her life or death unknown.
Such a fate was too cruel for Liu Xiangnan.
Liu Kai supported Liu Xiangnan and arrived at the door of Liu Yuan Tian's bedroom.
Zheng Ke, Ma Xiaogang, and others were already gathered at the door, but no one dared to enter.
Besides, whether they entered or not was no longer important; the event had already occurred.
Seeing Liu Xiangnan arrive, everyone present knelt down.
Liu Xiangnan waved his hand at them, "Alright, you may all rise!"
With that, he turned and entered the room.
Seeing Liu Yuan Tian's condition, Liu Xiangnan felt even more distressed. He stepped forward, gently lifted Liu Yuan Tian's head, and cradled it in his arms.
"Retribution! This is all retribution. Because I have killed too much, the retribution has fallen upon you."
"Heaven, why are you so unjust? Yuan Tian was defenseless, he never killed anyone. If you seek retribution, why not upon me?"
Seeing this scene, Liu Kai also wept profusely. Losing a child in old age was a heavy blow to anyone.
Liu Xiangnan held Liu Yuan Tian, weeping for a long time, before finally composing himself.
Seeing him move, Liu Kai dared to step forward and say softly, "Master, please accept my condolences. The most urgent task is to apprehend the killer immediately."
Liu Xiangnan nodded, "Yes, apprehend the killer."
Liu Kai cupped his fist and said, "I believe we should mobilize our men immediately and search the entire city. The killer must not have fled."
Liu Xiangnan thought for a moment and sighed slightly, "We searched the entire city not long ago, but it yielded nothing. It was only later that Chen Xiaobei suggested holding a banquet for the Emperor that we managed to capture those so-called 'Black Wolves'!"
Hearing this, Liu Kai suddenly realized something, "Master, then I will go and invite our son-in-law immediately."
Chen Xiaobei was already asleep when he was suddenly woken up. Upon hearing that Liu Yuan Tian had been murdered, he was startled.
At the same time, he felt a sense of regret. His elder brother-in-law, despite being well-read, had never held any official position due to his father's obstruction and was merely a commoner.
He was still unmarried and had not left any heirs for the Liu family. Liu Xiangnan's two sons were dead, a pity and a lament.
As he walked, Chen Xiaobei was told the details of Liu Yuan Tian's murder by Zheng Ke and the others. Chen Xiaobei knew that this must be the work of the people from the Great Tugu Kingdom, following the same pattern as the assassination attempt on Crown Prince Xiao Jingyun.
Chen Xiaobei immediately thought of the letter he had received a couple of days ago. It must have been Duobang who did it.
But he knew that Wan Nian City had hundreds of thousands of people. A city-wide search was unrealistic.
Just as the Lotus Cult Leader and Shen Ziyan had caused trouble in Qingguang City multiple times, Qiao Pu Sen couldn't do anything to them.
As he walked, Chen Xiaobei had an idea. Given the consecutive attacks on the Crown Prince and Liu Yuan Tian, Chen Xiaobei believed that Duobang would definitely be interested in him.
Upon meeting Liu Xiangnan, he first offered his condolences.
"Father-in-law, the dead cannot be revived. Please take care of yourself and maintain your health!"
Liu Xiangnan nodded slightly, his tone becoming very calm, "Xiaobei, I called you here because I want to discuss with you, besides a city-wide search, what better way is there to find this killer?"
Chen Xiaobei cupped his fist and said to Liu Xiangnan, "Father-in-law, the opponent's goal is to cause us panic."
"Given my elder brother's current situation, please do not make it public. Instead, spread the word that my elder brother has also been poisoned and is seeking renowned physicians."