Return of the Immortal Emperor Daddy-Chapter 241 - 242 Bold Conjecture (3/5)

"I didn't kill him! I really didn't!" Lin Fa said nervously, insisting his father's death had nothing to do with him.

Wu Tian stood there quietly, also unsure of what had truly happened.

"Just because you say so, does that make it true? The surveillance camera on the roadside utility pole captured you committing the murder," a police officer snorted.

What? Wu Tian was startled. He hadn't expected Lin Fa to have left behind evidence.

Lin Fa was even more dumbfounded. "Impossible, that's impossible! I never went back there after I moved out."

"Are you saying the video is fake?"

"That video footage is managed by the authorities. Do you really think someone is skilled enough to hack into the official system and alter it?"

"The chances of that are minuscule."

The officers gave Lin Fa no quarter. At their words, he lowered his head and clenched his teeth. He fought back tears, not wanting to cry in front of outsiders and disgrace his boss, Wu Tian.

He doesn't look like he's faking it; he seems genuinely wronged, Xiang Wan thought. But I can't just believe him. What murderer isn't an actor? There are plenty of killers who feign calmness after the act. To escape a death sentence, they tap into their hidden potential and deliver an Oscar-worthy performance.

"Regardless of whether you killed him or not, you're coming back to the station with us," Xiang Wan said, waving her hand. The police officers moved toward Lin Fa.

"No, no!" Panicking, Lin Fa instinctively crossed his arms over his chest, as if the police were about to sexually assault him.

The little girl giggled, thinking this chubby uncle had a real talent for comedy.

Her intuition told her that this chubby uncle couldn't be a bad guy.

With that thought, the little girl stepped forward to block the police. "Hold on! You can't take him."

The police didn't know whether to laugh or cry. The situation now resembled a game of eagle catching the chick. One of the officers hurried over, intending to move the little girl aside to get to Lin Fa. She huffed and threw a small punch.

The officer didn't dodge, figuring a child's punch would feel like little more than a light tap.

"AH!"

The next moment, the officer cried out and collapsed, unconscious.

The other officers were speechless.

"This is no time for games!" one demanded.

"Can't you be serious?" another added, his expression one of utter disbelief.

Another officer went up and nudged his unconscious colleague, but he didn't move. The officers weren't idiots. They finally realized this girl was something else entirely and immediately went on high alert.

Xiang Wan looked at the little girl, then turned to Wu Tian. "Are you from the Jianghu sects or the Five Surnames and Seven Families?"

Wu Tian simply smiled, saying nothing.

"I am the Sect Leader of Wudang! Hmph!" the little girl declared, her hands on her hips. Despite her small stature, she had the air of a big boss. She was both mischievous and adorable.

The officers didn't know what to say, but Xiang Wan nodded. She had indeed heard about this: the declining Wudang sect had appointed the youngest Sect Leader in its history.

"Are you, the Jianghu sects, going to protect a murderer and officially declare war on the authorities?" Any other officer would likely avoid meddling in the affairs of the Jianghu sects, but Xiang Wan was different. So what if they were from a Jianghu sect? In her book, if you violated the laws of the city, you went to jail.

"I believe him. He's not the real killer," Wu Tian said, his tone casual yet firm. "If you want to know who did it, you'll have to come with me." 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

His tone left no room for argument, and his gaze gave Xiang Wan and the other officers a jolt.

"Let's just listen to him."

"This involves the Jianghu sects. It's out of our hands and a matter for the Sword Emperor."

"And if there's another suspect, all the better."

They unanimously decided to follow Wu Tian to find the real killer. After all, a case involving the Jianghu sects couldn't be handled through normal procedures. Of course, this was a rule unknown to ordinary people, who were completely oblivious to the existence of the Jianghu sects in the first place.

Xiang Wan also agreed. But if there's no convincing evidence, I'll still do whatever it takes to bring Lin Fa to justice.

They followed Wu Tian down from Paradise Peak. Wu Tian was frustrated. Paradise Peak was perfect for alchemy, and he had planned to work on some today, but this whole mess with Lin Fa had come up. Still, Lin Fa was his subordinate, after all.

Lin Fa led the way to the neighborhood around his father's house. Wu Tian had, of course, already told the officers to change into plain clothes. He knew that some people would clam up around police uniforms, muttering only, "I don't know," or, "I'm not sure about that."

Wu Tian's group posed as tourists. Lin Fa, wearing a hat and glasses to avoid being recognized, trailed behind. After questioning three or four households, they finally got a lead at the fifth.

"Oh, you're asking about the man from the Lin Family, right? Sigh... actually, something did happen the day before yesterday," said a young man with dyed-blonde hair. Initially, he had been reserved when speaking with the plain-clothed officers, claiming he knew nothing. But seeing that Wu Tian and the others looked like ordinary people, he decided to talk.

"What happened? Tell us about it," Wu Tian said with a smile.

The blonde-haired youth spent most of his time either playing games at home or at internet cafés at night, so he rarely got to talk with people his own age and was happy to share. Besides, this is just a casual chat. I don't have to be responsible for what I say. It's completely different from talking to the police!

"Well, the day before yesterday, as I was coming back from the internet café, I saw the Lin Family's gate burst open. Lin Tianlong, wearing only beach shorts and no shirt, ran out of the house in a panic. His father was right behind him, chasing him with a broom and screaming, 'You ungrateful son! You ungrateful son! I can't believe you would do something like this!'"

"And that's what happened," the blonde youth finished, his expression puzzled. "The thing is, his father absolutely doted on Lin Tianlong. Lin Tianlong would use and abandon girls all the time, and his father never said a word. But this time, he was furious. I have no idea what could have happened."

Standing at the back of the group, Lin Fa was also baffled. My father's indulgence of Lin Tianlong was excessive, to say the least. Back in junior high, our school had mandatory evening self-study sessions. Lin Tianlong didn't want to go, claiming he had some illness that gave him a headache whenever he studied at night. It was a ridiculous excuse, yet my father actually went to the school to vouch for him. Lin Fa just couldn't fathom what would make a father like that beat Lin Tianlong.

Wu Tian had originally wanted to ask the neighbors if they had seen anyone suspicious lurking around. He never expected to uncover this story instead. He pondered it for a moment, and a possibility began to form in his mind—the only thing that could possibly make a doting father turn on his favorite son with such hatred.

"Am I overthinking this?" Wu Tian murmured to himself. He had a theory, but it was an incredibly audacious one. In a modern city, that kind of thing would be rare, wouldn't it? Most people would consider it impossible.

"Dad, what did you figure out? Why can't I think of it?" the little girl asked sullenly.

Wu Tian chuckled.

"Yes, what did you figure out?" Xiang Wan urged, seeing that Wu Tian seemed to have an answer. "Tell us. We can help you analyze it."