After transmigrating into the book, I helped my mother reconcile with her divorced husband.

Chapter 264 Fabricating Stories (Part 2)

The sickle hung on the wall, exposed to wind and sun for a whole year, developing a lot of rust. The blood clinging to the rust seemed to confirm the story told by Miao Han.

The saying "too clever by half" perfectly describes the Miao and Han people.

"You said that Master Ye was killed by the village chief's son with this sickle hanging on the wall, and you're an eyewitness." He threw the sickle in front of Miao Han and continued, "For first-time crimes, especially those involving murder, people will try every means to destroy evidence. Partly out of fear, and partly to escape punishment, fearing that exposure will implicate them. Another reason is to cover up the fact that they committed a crime or witnessed one but didn't stop it. You, Miao Han, however, hung this murder weapon on the wall, without even wiping away the bloodstains. Do you think that's reasonable?"

"I... I just didn't expect it."

"Didn't expect it? Even if you didn't expect it at the time, what about afterwards? Did you still not expect it afterwards?" Lu Zhiyuan continued to press, "Miao Han, don't forget, you are a farmer who grows crops. To you, the sickle is equivalent to the weapon in the hands of soldiers."

"I...I bought a new sickle, so I won't need this one..."

"Can't make up a story anymore? Even if you buy a new sickle, you'll still think of this old one. Seeing it will remind you of what happened that night, and you'll try your best to cover it up. At the very least, you'll wash the blood off it."

Miao Han was visibly panicked.

He never imagined that his carefully crafted story would be ruined by a sickle. Keep in mind, even the officials and the coroner in the government office didn't suspect a thing. Who were this young lady and her entourage?

Miao Han glanced at Lu Zhiyuan out of the corner of his eye. He knew in his heart that she was not Madam Ye; the age didn't match. Although she wore a woman's hairstyle, her face was still very childish, at most fifteen or sixteen years old. And the two people beside her, especially the man, looked kind, but in reality, he was ruthless.

Seeing that Miao Han was still struggling, Lu Zhiyuan continued, "You said that Master Ye was beheaded by this sickle and died. I ask you, how was his head cut off?"

Miao Han stammered, "How else can you cut off a head? Isn't it just cutting the head off?"

He picked up the sickle, twirled it casually, and hooked it around the Miao man's neck.

Miao Han froze, a chill creeping up his spine.

Lu Zhiyuan held the sickle and said softly, "If you place the sickle on the back of the neck, the person will subconsciously lower their head, and the sickle cannot cut the person's neck. Even if someone holds down the head of the deceased to prevent them from moving, the bone at the back of the neck is extremely hard, and the resulting notch and bloodstains could not be as visible on the blade."

As he spoke, he gripped the sickle tightly and slashed upwards, causing the Miao man to cry out in pain.

Lu Zhiyuan didn't let him go. She flipped the scythe and hooked it around his neck: "If it's from the front, the scythe will first cut the victim's throat, and then the neck bone. Whether the victim's head can be cut off depends not only on the sharpness of the blade but also on the force used by the perpetrator. In any case, the scythe will be stained with blood before it cuts off the victim's head. As the victim's head is cut off, blood will splatter everywhere, and the scythe will be covered in bloodstains."

Miao Han closed his eyes, as if he could hear the sounds of the Black and White Impermanence dragging iron chains to arrest him.

Just when he thought he was about to die, Lu Zhiyuan put away her sickle. Miao Han opened his eyes and saw Lu Zhiyuan stroking the sickle, a half-smile on her face: "The blade is covered with layers of bloodstains, one after another, proving that it wasn't just cut once. No, not cut, but hacked, using all the strength of the perpetrator. The perpetrator wasn't a butcher. Even if a butcher had never killed anyone, he wouldn't be so disorganized, much less hack the victim to pieces, to the point that blood and tissue were mixed together."

Miao Han shivered.

"When blood splatters, it will stain not only the blade but also the handle. Look at this handle, is there a trace of blood?"

Miao Han sat down heavily on the ground with a "thud".

Lu Zhiyuan continued, "Only the blood of the dead won't splatter everywhere, especially the blood of those who have been dead for a long time."

Miao Han's face was deathly pale.

She guessed it! She actually guessed it!

Lu Zhiyuan lifted his head, forcing him to look her in the eye, and asked him, "What is the truth? Why did the villagers of Miaojia Village die? Why was the village chief left behind? Why did he pretend to be crazy to guard the village? What secrets are hidden in this village?"

A barrage of questions left Miao Han bewildered, unsure whether to reveal the truth. Before he could decide, a cold sword was pressed against his neck. Miao Han shuddered and confessed the whole story he had kept hidden for so many years.

Master Ye is real, the Ye family is fake, killing Master Ye's entire family is real, and the massacre of the village by Madam Ye is fake.

Mr. and Mrs. Ye arrived in the town two years ago, saying they were newlyweds and came out for sightseeing. Mrs. Ye is now pregnant and finds it inconvenient to travel, so they stayed at the Yuelai Inn in town. According to their plan, they would stay in the town until the baby was born, and then continue their journey after the baby's one-month celebration.

They were very wealthy, having booked the best rooms in the inn. Besides their accompanying maid, they also had the innkeeper hire two local women to help. Money makes the world go round, and money certainly makes the innkeeper work harder. Under the influence of their money, the inn's staff fawned over Master Ye and Madam Ye, and the inn's small kitchen and cook also relied heavily on them.

Miao Han wasn't working at the inn; he was elsewhere, helping the innkeeper deliver fruits and vegetables there. The village chief's son was with him. He was a butcher, delivering meat to the inn.

At first, they were happy and envious that the shopkeeper had such a wealthy customer, whose monthly expenses alone were equivalent to the shopkeeper's annual income. The shopkeeper was also kind; he would give them some tips when he made money.

Gradually, envy turned into jealousy, and jealousy turned into resentment. They were jealous that the innkeeper made money, and resentful that Master Ye was so rich at such a young age.

Mr. Ye and Mrs. Ye had a daughter.

In their Miao village, the birth of a daughter is a cause for gossip, but in Master Ye's village, it was a grand celebration. He not only held a banquet at the inn but also distributed lucky money at the inn's entrance.

Miao Han looked at the sky that was about to brighten and said, "Anyone who was born on the same day and month as my daughter, regardless of gender or age, can receive one string of cash."

They had never seen so much money before, and their eyes widened with envy as they watched others take it away.

They wanted Master Ye's money, but how could they take it for themselves? They came up with a plan.

On the day the child turned one month old, they tricked him out of town under the pretext of local customs and locked him in an abandoned house in the village. Then, they sent Miao Han, under the pretense of being entrusted with something, to the inn to take away Master Ye and Madam Ye's valuables. The innkeeper didn't suspect anything, only feeling it was a pity, after all, such important customers were a once-in-a-lifetime encounter.

In their imagination, the room that Mr. Ye and Mrs. Ye had booked must have been filled with gold and silver jewelry, but they were greatly disappointed when they opened the door.