Every family has its own troubles, and it's truly a burden to anyone.

Some children are born to repay kindness, while others are born for revenge.

Of course, these are just Wu Guihua's words, Li Xiang and the others are merely taking notes, they still need to investigate and verify the specifics.

"What exactly happened that night?"

"He pointed a knife at me while drunk, asking for money. I emptied my pockets, but he still didn't believe me, accusing me of hiding the money. Worried for my life, I told him to search for himself, that he could take all the money if he found any. So he turned the house upside down, making a mess. He accidentally tripped over a stool and fell to the ground, dropping the knife right at my feet. In a moment of rage, I thought about this ungrateful child and picked up the machete, slashing him. One cut, then another."

Wu Guihua raised his tobacco pipe, mimicking the hacking motion, as if everything had returned to that cold night when he raised the machete to strike his younger son.

However, the action seemed bizarre no matter how one looked at it.

"Was anyone else at the scene besides you?"

Mao Ji couldn't believe that a seventy-year-old man could handle a strong young man alone, even if he was drunk.

"That night, it was just me, no one else."

"What about the murder weapon?"

"Here it is."

Wu Guihua pulled out a rusty machete from under the bed, its edge chipped, clearly from cutting hard objects.

It seemed he was prepared for this.

"And the body disposal? Could you move it alone?"

"I used a cart. You city folks don't know, during our busy farming times, we use carts to carry wheat. They're long enough to fit a person. I carted him off at midnight, wandering without much sense of direction, and somehow ended up at an old burial ground. I saw a hole and buried him there. I admit my guilt, please arrest me."

This left Li Xiang and Mao Ji dumbfounded.

The suspect confessed to the crime right in front of them and asked to be arrested. What to do now?

This old man is 73 years old. Is he willingly choosing to retire in prison?

Looking around his current living conditions, it seemed this kind of retirement might not be entirely unacceptable.

At least in prison, there's food, drink, a place to sleep, and better conditions a hundred times over, with free medical care compared to living here.

Besides, at 73, he's too old to work a sewing machine, making prison an appealing retirement spot.

"Are you sure there's nothing else? Deceiving the police and covering for others is also a crime, punishable by law."

"I've admitted to murder, an extra crime or two makes no difference. At seventy-three or eighty-four, unless the Lord of the Underworld calls me, I've lived long enough at this age."

Mao Ji was dumbstruck by Wu Guihua's words. What to do now?

Even after handling cases for seven or eight years, he's never encountered such a situation, dealing with a murderer of this age is particularly challenging.

After some thought, he decided to call Captain Cao and report the situation.

Receiving the call from Mao Ji, Captain Cao thought there was a major breakthrough in the case. He guessed right, the case had a major breakthrough, but it was that a 73-year-old admitted to killing his younger son.

This truth was surprising, prompting Captain Cao's doubt: "Is it possible the father is taking the blame, and in reality, it's his other children who killed Gu Hongye?"

"We've considered this, but currently lack evidence."

On the other end of the call, Captain Cao was silent. The law requires evidence, and their suspicions lack support from evidence.

"Alright, since he admitted to the murder, detain him according to the law. The case isn't closed, continue investigating, and dig deeper. After all, Wu Guihua's is just one side of the story, listen to what the neighbors say, and we'll make a comprehensive assessment."

Whether Wu Guihua truly committed murder or is covering up the truth by taking the blame, it involves a crime, and taking him back for investigation is necessary. Although he's 73 years old, any illegal activity should be punished by the law.

The law states for those 75 and older who commit intentional crimes, punishment can be reduced.

Although the death penalty is not applicable for those aged 75 and above during the trial, except when causing death in particularly brutal ways.

Now, Wu Guihua is 73, not yet 75, but his age makes his time in detention nerve-wracking even for the guards.

Following instructions, Mao Ji prepared to wait for Captain Cao's team to take Wu Guihua away.

The two continued completing the interview records, also storing the murder weapon as evidence.

Through conversations with Wu Guihua, Li Xiang and the others learned about many of Gu Hongye's bad habits. He wasn't just causing trouble at home but also stealing and causing mischief outside, either stealing chickens or chasing geese. Every winter, he'd beat people's dogs, becoming a bully in the village.

Out of respect for Wu Guihua, the villagers turned a blind eye, but repeated incidents eventually brought trouble to his doorstep.

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