Chapter 47
Chapter 47
Chen You took Yun Jianyue and Si Wuming to the hospital. Sure enough, Yu Lu’s parents were in exactly as poor a state as Chen You had described. They would start wiping away tears in the middle of a conversation, then ramble to themselves as if they were mentally unwell too.
“My poor daughter. She’s still so young. If it weren’t for me, how could she have ended up like this? If I’d known, I would’ve rather let her go to prison. At least then, I could still look forward to the day she got out… My daughter…”
Tears streamed down Wu Sulian’s face as she sobbed uncontrollably.
Beside Yun Jianyue, Chen You quietly warned her, “She’s like this every time we come. Regulations prohibit us from using metaphysical methods on ordinary people without authorization, so there’s nothing we can do about her.”
They were only a small county-level squad. Unlike the municipal bureau, they didn’t have the authority to act first and file the paperwork afterward. By the time their application for permission to use such methods on an ordinary person was approved, Yu Lu’s first seven days after death would probably already be over.
No, wait. A ghost with an incomplete soul wouldn’t even qualify for the customary seventh-day rites.
Yun Jianyue gave Chen You a look to show she understood.
Then she pulled out a tissue and handed it to Wu Sulian. Smiling sweetly, she said, “We’re both old foxes here, ma’am. Why bother putting on a ghost story for me?”
Chen You’s expression changed drastically. What was this young woman from the municipal bureau doing? If she provoked the family and something happened, who would be held responsible?
“Don’t interrupt her.” Si Wuming swept his cool gaze over Chen You, sending a chill through his entire body.
Wu Sulian froze in the middle of wiping her tears. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You’re an excellent actress, and those tears certainly look heartfelt. But I’ve seen your old photos. If you were truly this grief-stricken, how did you gain weight? Excessive worry damages the liver and spleen. It doesn’t make a person put on pounds.” Yun Jianyue was still smiling.
Before entering the ward, she had spoken to the doctor. Wu Sulian hadn’t been prescribed any medication containing hormones, which meant there could only be one reason for her weight gain: she had been eating well and getting no exercise.
What mother could gain several pounds after her daughter went mad and her husband broke his leg?
A flicker of panic crossed Wu Sulian’s eyes, but she persisted. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Ignoring her pretense, Yun Jianyue asked, “What did Granny Chang do to you and Yu Lu that day?”
“I-I don’t remember… Too much has happened lately. There are a lot of things I can’t remember…” Wu Sulian dared not meet Yun Jianyue’s eyes.
Yun Jianyue repeated the question. “What did Granny Chang do to you and Yu Lu that day?”
Wu Sulian stammered evasively, so Yun Jianyue asked again.
“What did Granny Chang do to you and Yu Lu that day?”
After Yun Jianyue repeated the question ten times, Wu Sulian finally snapped.
She glared viciously at Yun Jianyue. “What difference will it make if you find out? Can you save my daughter? She’s going to die soon!”
“You know your daughter is missing one hun and one po, and you know she’s going to die. So Granny Chang was responsible for their loss, wasn’t she?”
Without waiting for Wu Sulian to answer, Yun Jianyue continued, “That one hun and one po were taken from her to break your family’s calamity and shield you from disaster.”
“The records show that you used to love your daughter dearly. But now that you know she’s going to die, you aren’t truly sad or heartbroken at all. There’s only one possible explanation: you know that even if your daughter dies, she’ll still return to your side.”
“You plan to turn your daughter into a ghost after her death, then use a secret art to raise her spirit. That way, your family of three can be reunited. Isn’t that right?”
“And once Yu Lu is dead, her death will appease the victims’ families. All you have to do is cry, play the victim, and pay them a few tens of thousands of yuan. Then the whole matter will be over.”
With every sentence Yun Jianyue spoke, Wu Sulian’s expression grew uglier.
When it became clear Yun Jianyue intended to keep going, Wu Sulian could no longer maintain her act. She shot to her feet and roared at Yun Jianyue, “Enough!”
Yun Jianyue remained seated, calm and composed. She raised her head slightly to look at Wu Sulian, then smiled. “So I guessed everything correctly?”
Inside the jade pendant, Lu Changxue let out one “holy shit” after another. “Holy shit, Darling, since when were you this smart? I thought you were just a plain old pervert!”
Yun Jianyue had no time to respond to Lu Changxue. She rose and walked over to Chen You. “I know everything I need to know. Let’s go find Zhang Qixi.”
On the way out of the hospital, Chen You couldn’t resist giving Yun Jianyue a thumbs-up. “So this is the caliber of talent they have at the municipal bureau. Impressive.”
“Has it occurred to you that I might just be a temp? I’m not even officially on staff.” Yun Jianyue reached out and pushed his thumb back down.
Chen You looked horrified. “Someone as outstanding as you can only get a temp job at the municipal bureau?!”
“Then has it occurred to you that maybe you people just aren’t very good at your jobs?” Yun Jianyue went straight for the heart.
The blow struck Chen You right where it hurt. He could practically hear his heart shatter. His lips trembled, and it took him a long moment to choke out, “I only got into the Paranormal Bureau because my master pulled strings for me. I’ve worked hard for twenty years, and I’m still just the captain of a county-level squad… I really am useless!”
“You’re a grown man, so quit sniveling! Don’t shave years off my life!” Yun Jianyue darted away from Chen You and promptly took refuge beside Si Wuming, the Show-Off King.
The group intercepted Zhang Qixi outside her office just as she got off work at six thirty that evening.
Zhang Qixi recognized Chen You at once. Before he could speak, she rushed up excitedly and grabbed his hand.
“Daoist Master Chen, how is my best friend? Have you confirmed it? She’s not insane, is she? Some little ghost is tormenting her, right?”
Chen You awkwardly tried to yank his hand free. It took several attempts before he finally escaped Zhang Qixi’s clutches.
On the way over, Chen You had already told Yun Jianyue about her.
Zhang Qixi was an avid enthusiast of ghosts and deities who dabbled in all sorts of strange things. She knew a tiny bit about the occult, but most of her knowledge came from baseless nonsense she’d read online.
From those few sentences alone, Yun Jianyue confirmed that Zhang Qixi truly knew only the tiniest sliver about the occult, no more than a fingernail’s worth.
“Let’s find somewhere quiet and take our time talking. We can get some food while we’re at it. I’m a little hungry.” Yun Jianyue extended a hand to Zhang Qixi with a friendly smile. “Hello. I’m a colleague assisting Daoist Master Chen. My name is Yun Jianyue.”
Zhang Qixi hurriedly shook her hand, then volunteered that she knew a restaurant with excellent privacy. She led the group there and booked a private room.
Once all the dishes had arrived, Si Wuming locked the door. Yun Jianyue checked the room for recording devices and cameras before sitting down to eat while she questioned Zhang Qixi.
Her first question was delivered in an offhand tone. “How did you find Chen You? Given your identity, you shouldn’t even know about the Paranormal Bureau.”
Zhang Qixi remained perfectly composed. “My second uncle became a Daoist priest for a while, but he returned to secular life after only a few years. He still knows some people in Xuanmen, though. Once, a friend of his came to Luci to visit him. While they were drinking, they mentioned the Paranormal Bureau, and that’s how I learned about it.”
“I’ve always been interested in mystical things, so naturally, I became curious about the Paranormal Bureau. Luci County is only so big. Once I eliminated every location that couldn’t belong to the Paranormal Bureau, the one place left had to be it.”
“I never intended to bother the Paranormal Bureau’s staff, but after this happened to my best friend, I had no choice but to seek help from the authorities.”
Her logic flowed seamlessly. She had delivered that entire explanation without so much as a stammer or a moment’s thought.