S.C.I Mystery Series Volume 2 Chapter 123

Love Murderer 29 – The Truth

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“It’s very good to be young forever,” Zhang Ying said helplessly, “but it was not good at that time… Now it seems common for people in their fifties and sixties to look to be in their thirties. In fact, as long as people pay attention to daily maintenance and have the right genetics, they can delay their aging.”

Both Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang nodded, indeed… they thought of their fathers at the same time, they also thought of their mothers; they exercise, drink plenty of water, eat more fruits and vegetables, regularly groom themselves, and keep their moods happy, so it’s not easy to see their age.

“Actually, it was Count Bathory who really ruined the Bathory family.” Zhang Ying said.

“Is he Paris’ father?” Zhan Zhao asked.

“En.” Zhang Ying nodded, “That’s right.”

“What did he do?” Zhan Zhao asked.

“Medicine, life sciences, machinery, and astronomy…” Zhang Ying slowly opened her mouth and smiled “Each of them is a topic that touched the social taboos of the time, and they were all disciplines that the church and the royal family hated.”

Bai Yutang couldn’t help shaking his head… At that time, a person who loved science was an enemy of the public.

“Count Bathory was already very low-key,” Zhang Ying said, “but he was a kind person. He thought that his medical research was valuable and should be used to save the lives of others.”

Outside, Gongsun and Ma Xin both nodded, “That is the doctor’s parental heart.”

Everyone looked at them, having the same thought in their hearts – You two are forensic doctors, it would be terrible if you had a parental heart.

“He began to save people quietly, especially those who were told by the church that they were bound to die, and those who suffered from stubborn illnesses.” Zhang Ying said, “He quietly brought patients back to the castle for treatment and settled them into the castle to recuperate. Every time he saw a patient healed, he was very happy.”

Zhan Zhao felt a little inexplicable. Touching his chin, he said in his heart that Count Bathory should have been a very noble and enthusiastic person, so why was he so different from the family portrait oil paining? However, Zhan Zhao didn’t ask questions, and just waited for Zhang Ying to continue.

“Later, everyone gave him a title in private,” Zhang Ying smiled slightly, “an existence greater than the Pope.”

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang laughed, saying in their hearts that since the Pope couldn’t cure the illnesses but he could, isn’t he even greater? However, this reputation killed Count Bathory, as the church saw him as a thorn in their side.

“But there is no impermeable wall.” Zhang Ying said indifferently, “Despicableness is the pass of the despicable, and nobility is the epitaph of the noble… this has been true since ancient times. Count Bathory had personally rescued a person from the brink of death… but he was reported to the church for a reward of one hundred gold coins.” (Angel: The part about despicableness and nobility can be interpreted as the despicable will use despicable means under any circumstances, and the noble will follow noble rules throughout their lives.)

Everyone shook their heads. Stepping on others to climb up, this kind of person has existed since ancient times. Even if you are good, what is kindness? Just look at Dong Guo and the wolf, and the farmer and the snake… most people in the world accused Dong Guo and the farmer of being stupid, but turned a blind eye to the wolf and snake’s gratitude.

“Count Bathory was killed?” Bai Yutang asked.

“The church coveted the Bathory family’s property, and wanted the world to hate this family forever, and to completely wipe the Bathory family from the world.” Zhang Ying said, “At that time, there was a kind believer who risked his life to inform Count Bathory and brought him something.”

Zhan Zhao frowned and asked, “Was it the vampire mask?”

Zhang Ying nodded, “Smart.”

“The church wanted people to believe that the Bathory family was a blood-sucking family?” Bai Yutang asked, “Just like Countess Bathory back then, did they kill all of the members of the Bathory family?”

Zhang Ying smiled, “Later, in the lively towns, murders began to occur… Many people had their blood sucked, many rumours circulated, and some of the despicable followers hung some of the bodies in the woods outside the Bathory family castle.”

“Isn’t that framing them?” Bai Yutang shook his head, “No one noticed such simple framing?”

“Captain Bai, there was no criminal investigator at that time, and there were no people like you who maintained justice.” Zhang Ying shook her head, “So… Count Bathory held a funeral.”

“Was it just to send Paris away?” Zhan Zhao asked “He buried the mask because he didn’t want people to find the informer… and installed a mechanism in the coffin to shoot and kill those who tried to desecrate his daughter.”

“That’s right. That day, on the day of the funeral, almost all of the relatives of Count Bathory gathered and started a big escape. Only Count Bathory and his countess were left to attract the attention of the church, letting them be careless… By the time they found out, almost all of the Bathory family relatives had already escaped.”

“The church must have become angrier.” Zhan Zhao said, “Were they killed when they came back? What happened to those corpses?”

“There was a small-scale war at that time.” Zhang Ying said, “You must know that the Bathory family was a powerful family. Even though the richest Countess Bathory was killed and had her property robbed, Count Bathory still owned a lot of land and serfs. He was kind and had been blessed by many people… Moreover, a large number of people who he rescued were grateful to him.”

“They spontaneously came to protect the Bathory family, and then the two sides fought.” Zhan Zhao said, “In the end, the church was victorious and disguised those who died as being killed by Count Bathory, so that the entire castle… so that people from all over the country, and even people from all over Europe, would unite to find other members of the Bathory family and kill them?”

“That portrait… may have been changed,” Gongsun suddenly said outside, “to make people feel that the Bathory family was a dangerous and evil existence.”

Everyone nodded, it is indeed possible.

“It’s basically like this.” Zhang Ying said, “It’s just that, after the war broke out, my ancestor Paris was not killed. She first found refuge with an Italian painter, and later fled to a different place with that painter. When the painter died, she took her children and wandered for a period of time. In the end, everyone was separated. Later… she was dragged here. I was born in China, and my parents told me this long-lived story, telling me to pass it on generation to generation, and to always maintain the confidence and nobility of the Bathory family.”

Both Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang nodded and asked, “Then… why were you attacked in Zhangxu Village?”

Zhang Ying sighed softly, “At that time… my parents had passed away very early, so I lived alone. By chance, I heard about the past of Zhangxu Village… From the description the villagers gave of the crest, I knew that it was the crest of the Bathory family. It made me wonder… if the Bathory family were not actually vampires, why would they suck blood so frantically? So I thought of a way to work and live temporarily in Zhangxu village.”

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang nodded, having a general understanding of what happened, and asked, “What happened then? You met Xu Tian?”

After hearing their question, Zhang Ying showed a gentle smile on her face, “Well… I met A Tian.”

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang looked at each other, these two can be regarded as an old husband and wife, how can they still be so sweet?

Zhang Ying saw the two people’s thoughts and smiled, “Are you two lovers?”

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang coughed and nodded.

Zhang Ying continued, “Before I met him, I was embarrassed in life but maintained my confidence. I did a lot of jobs to make more money because I wanted to learn more... this is the pride that the Bathory family should have, I need to be respected by others. Because of that story, I am sensitive… and I don’t believe in people.”

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang nodded, this is, eating a ditch and growing a wisdom. (Angel: Eating a ditch and growing a wisdom is a Chinese idiom that means to learning from mistakes.)

“My temperament is relatively precious. The shaggy boys in the village were really sunny and cute, but they didn’t suit me. Only Xu Tian was different, he is really good.”

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang nodded, saying in their hearts that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

“Later, we gradually grew closer, becoming inseparable, and I finally fell in love with him.” Zhang Ying said, “That night, he was sick, so I told him not to send me to work and I went out myself… When I came back, I vaguely… saw a person squatting beside the two graves.”

“Was it the vampire killer?” Bai Yutang asked.

“En.” Zhang Ying nodded, “I was very curious, and I had visited those two graves many times. At that time, I thought it was someone from the village, so I walked over and took a look. I called out to him, but I didn’t expect him to turn around suddenly, and then I saw him wearing a mask on his face… A lot of thoughts went through my head… Later, I fainted from the pain… When I woke up again, A Tian had brought me home.”

Both Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang frowned … that man… why did he appear in front of the grave?

“Later, my situation became very bad… Because of the family crest I was wearing, many old people in the village didn’t like me… I was bitten and they all wanted to drive me away. I wanted to leave at that time. Thinking that A Tian would hate me, instead of being betrayed later, I left on my own.” Zhang Ying whispered.

Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao laughed, thinking that Zhang Ying was quite stubborn.

“But he didn’t.” Zhang Ying said seriously, “He just cared about me more… Later, he saw that there was something on my mind and asked me what was going on.”

“Did you tell him?” Zhan Zhao asked.

“En.” Zhang Ying nodded, “He insisted on marrying me, insisted on not letting me go, and then… I wanted to tell him all of the secrets of the Bathory family.”

Bai Yutang nodded in agreement, “You were right to tell him.”

“When I told A Tian, he thought about it, and told me… he actually didn’t want to stay in the village anymore. The village was too closed off and the people had limited knowledge, so he wanted to go out and make a break. In addition, he said that I can’t stay confused for the rest of my life, since that man is a clue, then we had to catch him!”

“Xu Tian’s character seems to be quite tough.” Bai Yutang said.

“En.” Zhang Ying nodded, “When he left, everyone said that he was not filial, but in fact, he is not like that.”

Zhan Zhao touched his chin and said, “Um… Did Xu Tian know that the villagers worked together to kill the two weird cannibals, then the blood-sucking person appeared in the village, and that if the problem was not completely resolved, the village may be retaliated against?”

“En.” Zhang Ying nodded, “I was very angry because he had been greatly misunderstood. He told me that it didn’t matter and then took me away.”

“After that, you spent a lot of time hunting down the murderer?” Bai Yutang asked, “Have you figured out the details from that time?”

“En.” Zhang Ying nodded. Her expression became serious, and she said, “It’s just that, the more we checked, the more we felt that something was wrong, and we even found a great secret… So A Tian said that the end of a tragedy is the beginning of another tragedy.”

……

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵

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Translator Notes

Only one more chapter to go!

Please feel free to comment any mistakes I made so I can improve and do better as I go through the book.

Translated: June 13, 2021