Chen Ping saw Chen Xiaobei and cried as if he had seen a relative.
"Brother Xiaobei, you're here. My grandfather died so tragically."
Chen Xiaobei walked forward and saw that Chen Anbang and Madam Yang had dark complexions. He felt a jolt.
Although he wasn't entirely sure what was happening, his experience told him they had likely been poisoned.
In his past life, he had watched many TV shows where only poisoned people had dark complexions. Moreover, the exposed skin was swollen and black.
Liu Ce, not far away, saw this and leaned to Liu Rumei's ear, whispering, "Miss, they've been poisoned."
Chen Xiaobei took a step forward, about to touch Chen Anbang, when Liu Ce hurriedly shouted, "Young Master Chen, wait!"
Chen Xiaobei turned to look at Liu Ce, a look of surprise on his face.
His expression conveyed: Why are you still here?
Liu Ce stepped forward and said loudly, "Young Master Chen, these two died of poisoning. Try not to touch their bodies for now."
Chen Xiaobei understood Liu Ce's unspoken implication: it would be troublesome if he got poisoned by touching them.
He looked gratefully at Liu Rumei, then turned to Liu Ce and asked, "What should we do then?"
Liu Ce stepped forward, crouched down, and carefully examined their bodies. He soon pointed to Yang's hand and said, "Brother Xiaobei, look, there are two extremely fine small holes here, with black blood seeping out. This should be the wound, and it looks very much like a bite from a venomous snake."
Upon hearing "venomous snake," the villagers exchanged glances and unconsciously retreated a few steps.
Chen Xiaobei also felt a sense of melancholy upon hearing this.
In this era, being bitten by a venomous snake was almost a death sentence. Sudang Xiao Shuo Wang.
Just then, an elder with white hair and beard spoke up from the side.
"That's not right. In all these years, no one in our village has ever died from a venomous snakebite."
"And I heard from my ancestors that Qingniu Mountain is a gift from heaven, and there are no venomous snakes on the vast mountain."
Chen Xiaobei recognized the speaker.
This man was the most senior in their village. Chen Anbang was his grand-nephew. As far as Chen Xiaobei remembered, everyone had called him "Old Ancestor" since he was a child.
His words at this moment undoubtedly carried weight.
This statement, however, stunned Liu Ce.
Those two small holes did look like the marks of venomous snake fangs, but this man adamantly stated there were no venomous snakes.
At that moment, someone suddenly pointed to a spot not far away and cried out in a startled voice.
"Snake, there's a snake."
Following the direction of their fingers, they saw several small, emerald green snakes in the corner of the yard, climbing up the courtyard wall. It seemed the crowd's attention had made them feel threatened, and they were trying to escape.
Seeing the color, Chen Xiaobei's heart sank. His teacher had told him in school that brightly colored snakes were usually venomous.
Liu Ce exclaimed, "Viper! This is highly poisonous!"
Viper.
Chen Xiaobei shivered.
Fortunately, in the next moment, Liu Ce's body flickered as he rushed forward. A few flashes of cold light later, the several emerald green snakes were cut into several pieces. They twitched on the ground for a while before becoming still.
Liu Ce searched the yard again to ensure there were no other venomous snakes before walking out.
Chen Xiaobei's demeanor became much more respectful this time. He cupped his hands and said to Liu Ce, "Thank you, Steward Liu."
"It's nothing, no need to be polite," Liu Ce patted Chen Xiaobei's shoulder, winked, and turned to leave.
Chen Xiaobei understood that Liu Ce had something to say to him. He immediately turned to the villagers and said, "Everyone, lend a hand. I'll see our guest off."
Chen Xiaobei accompanied Liu Rumei and Liu Ce to the large locust tree in the middle of the village, where Liu Ce stopped.
"Brother Xiaobei, there's something I need to clarify."
"The elder who spoke earlier was right. Vipers are not native to our Great Cang Kingdom."
After exchanging a look with Liu Rumei, they mounted their horses and left.
Chen Xiaobei, however, felt somewhat bewildered.
Liu Ce's words were very clear.
Under normal circumstances, vipers shouldn't have appeared in Chen Anbang's house.
So, there was a question: Who had Chen Anbang offended to warrant such a deadly attack?
And why did the assailant resort to such despicable means?
When he returned, the villagers were already busy carrying Chen Anbang and Madam Yang into the house.
The Old Ancestor saw Chen Xiaobei and grabbed his arm.
"Xiaobei, this matter is strange. We don't have these snakes here at all."
Chen Xiaobei looked at Chen Ping, who was weeping inconsolably, and sighed slightly. "Perhaps Old Ancestor, he offended someone? But look at Chen Ping, why don't we wait a moment before asking further questions?"
The Old Ancestor shook his head. "This child was raised by Anbang since he was young. Their bond is deep. If the murderer isn't found, he won't rest easy."
Chen Xiaobei thought to himself, "If he won't rest easy, then I..."
It was then that Chen Xiaobei suddenly realized something. According to what Chen Ping had told him that day, in Hetou Village, who were the registered officials receiving stipends from the county? It was the village head Chen Anbang and himself, the village captain.
Now that Chen Anbang had met with an accident, his position as village captain had made him the highest authority in Hetou Village.
He thought about it, truly, the unpredictability of fate, how it plays with people.
At first, he was disheartened by this transmigration, but now he saw that despite the difficult conditions, there were still gains.
In the more than a month since he arrived, he had gotten married and become the highest leader in the village.
If this were his past life, he would have reached the pinnacle of his life directly.
Thinking of this, he shrugged helplessly. "Alas, if he won't rest easy, I can't do anything about it."
The Old Ancestor coughed twice and said to someone nearby, "Go and fetch Chen Ping. Xiaobei has something to ask him."
As expected, Chen Ping, wiping away tears, came before Chen Xiaobei. He knelt down with a thud, clasped Chen Xiaobei's leg, and sobbed.
"Xiaobei, you must seek justice for me. My grandparents died so tragically!"
Chen Xiaobei patted his shoulder, comforted him for a moment, and then said softly, "Alright, stop crying. I'll ask you, did your grandfather offend anyone?"
Chen Ping wiped his tears, stood up, and thought for a long time. He shook his head slightly.
"My grandfather was always kind to others. He rarely argued with anyone, and I never heard of him falling out with anyone."
"Did your grandfather have any unusual behavior recently?"
Chen Ping tilted his head and thought. "Yesterday, he was lost in thought the entire afternoon. I don't know what he was thinking. He wouldn't say. During dinner, he went out for a while. When he returned, he didn't say anything and went straight to bed. And then today, this happened."
Fine, Chen Ping couldn't provide any useful information. Chen Xiaobei had to give up.
He would try a different approach.
He summoned the several village guards who had been on duty at the village entrance that day and instructed them to go separately and inquire among the villagers if anyone had been seen near Chen Anbang's house.