29: Chapter 26: Sothing Sinister Underground 29: Chapter 26: Sothing Sinister Underground “Brother Zhou, you are my own brother, don’t play coy anymore.
I’m eagerly waiting to wrap up this case and hand it over to the investigation team.”
Liu Tianen waited for Zhou Xuan’s response.
He had co to solely rely on Zhou Xuan’s guidance.
This man was practical and enthusiastic towards those with real capabilities, without any ambiguity.
Zhou Xuan raised his hand, forming a scissors gesture with his index and middle fingers.
Liu Tianen got the hint and pulled out a cigarette, placing it neatly in Zhou Xuan’s hand; with a “whoosh”, he struck a match and lit the cigarette.
Zhou Xuan took a puff and said, “Director Liu is mistaken.
If I answer your question, it doesn’t an the investigation is over, it ans the case is closed…”
“Ah?”
“I said, case closed!”
“…” Liu Tianen really wanted to curse at Zhou Xuan—Do you realize how difficult it is to close a case in your Brother Liu’s departnt?
Investigating supernatural events, spirits and ghosts are mostly invisible and intangible, yet extrely vicious, making solving such cases much harder than normal ones.
And without solid evidence, cases can hardly be closed.
Most files end up archived as unresolved cases.
Are you saying close the case just like that?
Is the director your distant uncle?
Despite harboring many complaints in his stomach, Liu Tianen still remained very respectful because from Zhou Xuan’s recent performance, he really found no grounds for doubt.
“So please enlighten , I’ll learn attentively.” At this mont, Liu Tianen was more admiring than even Yu Zhengyuan.
“Lao Liu, your doubt actually comprises two questions.
First, why would Mr.
Dai cover up organizing this Blood Sacrifice under the pretext of doing charity!”
“Why?”
“He is Mr.
Bai Yun and also a mber of the Benevolence Society.
Conducting a Blood Sacrifice could indeed notch his fate, but it taints his reputation with its brutality, and that would spread.
After this, could Mr.
Bai Yun really forgive Mr.
Dai’s family?”
“But Mr.
Dai’s family moved to Mingjiang Prefecture years ago.
A vast Dai Mansion was left with only an old housekeeper.”
“It’s only a move to Mingjiang Prefecture, not a death.
With Mr.
Bai Yun’s significant influence, reaching out to Mingjiang isn’t tough.
To avoid his family suffering, Mr.
Dai can only repair the plank road by day while secretly crossing the Wei River at night.”
“In that case, Mr.
Dai should be conducting the Blood Sacrifice more secretly.”
“That’s not feasible.”
Zhou Xuan said, “Firstly, he cannot complete this Blood Sacrifice alone; he needs at least one more person.”
“Who?”
“Liu Jiaotian!”
“Is she also a cohort of Mr.
Dai?”
“Think again, Mr.
Dai needs her voice.” Zhou Xuan clearly rembered that it was after Liu Jiaotian’s voice, which was ghostly like a Sea Demon’s Siren’s song, appeared that those One-eyed Villagers who consud Mr.
Dai first showed a reaction.
He believed,
Liu Jiaotian’s voice can be considered as the real comncent of the Blood Sacrifice.
Liu Jiaotian is the unparalleled voice of Ping Shui Prefecture,
With a voice so unique, no second could be found in Ping Shui.
Mr.
Dai needs Liu Jiaotian’s voice, hence he needs Zhou Family’s Troupe to perform the ghostly opera.
If he had tried to get Liu Jiaotian alone to conduct this surreptitiously, he might dare to ask, but Liu Jiaotian wouldn’t dare accept such a job.
Inside the courtyard of Zhou Family’s Troupe, Zhou Lingyi sits.
Sister usually doesn’t manage the troupe much because the troupe mbers don’t deviate, but privately accepting a job is a major taboo in the industry.
If she ca to know of this, then…
“Besides Liu Jiaotian, Mr.
Dai has another reason he can’t perform the ritual in secrecy,
His Blood Sacrifice, needs to be conducted here at Corridor River, and the number of souls involved in the sacrificial ritual is far beyond your imagination.
Director Liu, you should know the rules of sacrificial rituals, the more souls involved, the more difficult the ritual is, and the bigger the scene needs to be during the ritual.
Without a bustling scene, it’s impossible to summon that many souls.”
This rule was derived from Zhou Xuan’s own experiences.
He was brought to Jing Country by a soul-summoning ritual of Zhou Family’s Troupe, which had only Zhou Lingyi, grandfather, and Ancestor Tree playing effective roles, but the ritual itself involved dozens from the troupe to drum up noise, just to make the scene livelier.
“The number of souls involved, far beyond my imagination?
Approximately how many?”
“How many…
Why don’t you dig and see for yourself?”
Unbeknownst to him, Zhou Xuan had already walked to the edge of the stage, pointing towards the open ground in front of the stage.
This open ground is where Zhou Xuan first found the One-eyed Villagers, and where the audience would listen to the opera.
Zhou Xuan believed that these One-eyed Villagers hadn’t co from so other village or mountain area.
Ghosts walk in such a peculiar manner, which he understood all too well—after all, he had been a ghost himself.
The group of One-eyed Villagers was nurous.
If they had approached from elsewhere in droves, wouldn’t that be too noticeable?
Zhou Xuan would have spotted them long before, right?
Hence,
Zhou Xuan believed that it was the villagers who gathered behind the opera stage, and those One-eyed Villagers erged from underground.
There were many villagers, who obscured the sight, which is why Zhou Xuan did not notice those One-eyed Villagers popping out of the ground imdiately.
Moreover, before Mr.
Dai was devoured, it was two long hands that erged from underground and grabbed his mouth corners, pinning him onto the opera stage.
“I suspect… there’s sothing majorly eerie under this empty space by the stage, we need to dig it up.
If we really unearth sothing, it could…”
“Serve as our evidence for closing the case.”
“You learn fast…
already snatching answers.”
“…” Liu Tianen.
Liu Tianen, full of fervor, called out to Zhou Xuan: “What are we waiting for then, Brother Zhou, gather your troupe’s people, let’s start digging…”
“How much do you plan to pay us?”
“We’re all doing this for justice, why talk about money?”
“Justice is important, but see, the eerie underground might involve deep and complex issues.
We of the Zhou Family’s Troupe are many and talkative.
If we see sothing we shouldn’t and talk…”
“No, no, I’ll find soone else.” Liu Tianen took Qiao Yu and left.
Hmph—ptui!
Zhou Xuan spat in the direction Liu Tianen left.
Trying to freeload labor from our Zhou Family’s Troupe?
Not happening!
…
The laborers, robust and sturdy, held their hoes high above, backlit by the light, making them appear like bronze statues to Zhou Xuan.
They swung their hoes, sending sweat flying as they worked,
and in no ti, the green grass of the clearing had disappeared, leaving only a half-ter deep pit.
“Did we dig anything up?”
An ice-cold soda could subdue the heat but not the burning impatience in Liu Tianen’s heart.
“Dig faster, dig faster.” Liu Tianen guzzled an entire bottle of soda in one go, the gas did not ease his mood, as he urged the statue-like laborers, much like a demanding Boss Zhou.
Zhou Xuan felt much more relaxed, observing the clearing just the sa, but besides admiring the muscular and firm lines of the laborers, he was observing Qiao Yu’s nose.
“That nose, damn ugly!”
Spotting ugly things sotis relieves fatigue and irritation.
In his past life, when he was irritable, scrolling through short videos of squeezing blackheads, cleaning ears, dental hygiene, or carpet scrubbing could make him feel a lot better.
“Qiao Yu’s nose might be ugly, but it serves a great purpose.”
Liu Tianen squatted down, grabbed another soda, popped the lid with a “bang” and after two gulps said, “He’s a Ghost from the northwest area, called ‘Sand Guest’, dealing in underground businesses.”
Underground businesses?
“That’s tomb-raiding.”
Seeing Zhou Xuan’s interest, as it was a rainy day and there was nothing much to do, Liu Tianen thought he might as well tell a tale.
“The tomb-raiding sectors are varied, with various branches.
Jiangnan and Jiangbei each have their reputation.
‘Sand Guests’ residing in the northwest are few in number, only a handful per generation.
Their tomb-raiding relies on the two fleshy lobes right before their nose.
Just a light touch by these fleshy parts on the sealed soil underground can distinguish the scent, age, external or internal sealing of the soil.
Their nasal flesh acts as the ‘eyes’ within tombs; like earthworms, blind, solely relying on touch to navigate.
That’s why those in the know also call them Sand Earthworms.”
“Is it that effective?
Look, Director Liu, I’ll find so extrely spicy peppers for you.
Let Qiao Yu touch them with that fleshy part and see if it swells up.”
Liu Tianen, imagining this scenario, his eyes squinting into lines, said: “I sowhat want to dismiss soone from the punishnt departnt and let you take over…”
“We’ve found a lead, found a lead.”
Qiao Yu, who had been sniffing in the pit all along, suddenly shouted as he raised his head.
Liu Tianen threw his soda bottle aside and rushed towards the pit, with Zhou Xuan following leisurely.
“What scent did you pick up, lad?”
“Corpse qi…
Buddha energy…
Yin Sha Qi!” Qiao Yu said breathlessly and unclearly in his excitent.
Liu Tianen, infuriated, slapped him, spinning Qiao Yu around twice on the spot: “Clear your head, is it corpse qi or Buddha energy?”
Qiao Yu sounded pitiful, crying as he said: “Director Liu, I an, there’s corpse qi, Buddha energy, and Yin Sha Qi all together!”
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