The Five Spirit Hounds of the Ministry of Justice are extremely sensitive to the aura of demons and the spiritual power of cultivators. If a cultivator uses supernatural powers, it is very difficult to erase the traces in a short time, and the Five Spirit Hounds will be able to sniff it out.

“There were no demons or cultivators involved, and the killing was done by brute force. That means the murderer is a martial artist,” Robert Lincoln quickly concluded. “No matter how advanced a martial artist’s cultivation is, they don’t have the ability to walk through walls or become invisible. Since there are no signs of damage to the window, the only way in must have been through the door.”

She turned around and asked, “Who came in today?”

The old gatekeeper struggled to recall, “Since the master returned home, only Lord Mr. Lane from the Ministry of Justice and one of the young master’s classmates, along with his elder brother, have come by…”

“Christopher Lane?” Robert Lincoln raised her eyebrows slightly.

As far as she knew, there was only one official surnamed Liao in the Ministry of Justice, and he was her superior.

“Yes, it was the Ministry’s supervisor Christopher Lane—Lord Mr. Lane. He’s an old friend of my master, and they’ve known each other for many years,” the old gatekeeper said. “But he came rather early.”

“It was Peter Lambert! It must be him!” Henry Jennings suddenly shouted, his eyes red.

“I was kneeling outside the whole time, right in front of the study door! Ever since those two brothers left, no one else has gone in or out. When I came in to check, my father was already dead!” he growled. “It must have been those two brothers who did it!”

“Peter Lambert is your classmate’s name?” Robert Lincoln asked.

“Yes, he and our young master had a dispute at the academy, and the young master was punished to kneel in the courtyard because of it. Then his elder brother brought him over to apologize in person, and the master met them in the study. Indeed, after those two brothers left, the master never came out again, and no one else came…” the old gatekeeper said slowly.

“Are either of those two martial artists?” Robert Lincoln asked again.

After ruling out other possibilities, the biggest suspects were these two brothers. If either of them practiced martial arts, the murderer could almost be immediately identified.

“I’m not too sure. The younger one looks gentle and frail, not like someone who’s trained in martial arts. The older one, though, seems full of vigor and spirit,” the old gatekeeper described clearly.

Henry Jennings turned and pointed at someone at the door, saying, “Peter Lambert’s elder brother looks a lot like that man.”

“Not just looks like—that’s him!” The old gatekeeper also turned to look, and immediately said with certainty, “The person who came earlier was him, just in different clothes.”

From his confident expression, it was as if he was saying his eyes never forget a face.

At the doorway, George Lambert, who was curious about the case, was peeking in. When he saw the old gatekeeper looking at him, he smiled slightly.

Well, then.

Just a moment ago he couldn’t remember who was who, and now suddenly his memory is sharp as a tack.

“Master always said the culprit likes to return to the scene of the crime.” Robert Lincoln’s eyes lit up, and she clapped her fist into her palm. “It’s true!”

Chapter 9: The Locked Room

“Eh?” George Lambert was startled by the sound.

Is this really how the Ministry of Justice investigates cases? So hasty?

Seeing Robert Lincoln’s excited look at having found the real culprit, he quickly explained, “I did bring my younger brother to meet with Mr. Jennings just now, but he was reasonable and didn’t hold a grudge over the dispute between my brother and his son. After a few words, he let us leave. It was just a minor quarrel between the younger generation—why would we go so far as to kill Mr. Jennings?”

“No one knows what happened in the study, but if you two were the last to leave and no one else came in after, your suspicion is definitely the greatest.” Robert Lincoln rested her chin on her hand, thinking seriously. “As long as the Zhen family isn’t lying, there’s almost no other possibility.”

“Wait a minute…” George Lambert raised his hand to stop her train of thought.

If he weren’t involved, he might have come to the same conclusion from a reasoning perspective.

Henry Jennings, kneeling in the courtyard, served as a kind of surveillance, ensuring that after the brothers left, no one else entered or exited through the main door; the study’s windows were tightly shut and locked, with no signs of forced entry, meaning no martial artist broke in through the window; and the Five Spirit Hounds hadn’t detected any aura, meaning there were no demons, evil spirits, or cultivators using supernatural powers.

With all other possibilities ruled out, it seemed the only answer left was that the last two brothers to leave were the murderers!

But he was one of those involved.

He knew for certain that when the two of them left, Zhen Changzhi was still alive and well!

“Captain Lincoln, may I take a look at the scene?” George Lambert took a deep breath and said in a low voice, “I understand your suspicions, but my brother and I truly have no motive to kill Mr. Jennings. Let me examine the scene—maybe I can find clues to prove our innocence.”

“What do you mean?” Robert Lincoln looked at him with hostility. “Are you doubting the Ministry of Justice’s abilities?”

“Yes.” George Lambert nodded.

The situation looked grim. If he didn’t try to fight for himself, the two brothers might be taken away for investigation. After all, the victim was a sixth-rank official—a case that would reach the emperor’s ears. If the emperor put pressure on the Ministry of Justice and they couldn’t find the real culprit, who knows what methods they might use…

So, while he still had the chance, he wanted to investigate the case himself and see if he could find any useful clues.