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墨書 Inktalez
In the room I now occupy, I have taken over for less than a year. Compared to when Ye Liuhui was here, there shouldn't be any significant changes. It wasn't until today that I began to pay attention to this room and discovered that its characteristics are in many ways contradictory to what I know of Ye Liuhui's personality.
Previously, I had read in a detective story about a criminal investigator known as the Architect. The Architect was a former police officer who had a passion for architecture. He believed that every building and every room has an inseparable connection to its creator and its inhabitants.
The case mentioned in the story was quite simple: there was a suspected home invasion murder where the female homeowner was found dead in her house. However, after inspecting the scene and learning that the house was built entirely according to the male homeowner's specifications, the Architect concluded that it was likely the husband who committed the crime.
Firstly, as someone who spent his own money on building a house, it was surprisingly low. Normally, someone without a budget constraint would want to build higher ceilings; this is human nature. If he didn't like high ceilings, he wouldn't have built a multi-story house but rather a single-story one. Yet, even the second floor of this home was low, indicating the husband's desire to confine his wife and children within the house, suppressing their freedom.
Furthermore, the husband's study offered a clear view of the entire kitchen. Standing at the staircase on the second floor, he could easily look down at his wife working in the kitchen. When designing a split-level home, it is uncommon to create such an arrangement; otherwise, guests would immediately see an intimate side of family life upon ascending the stairs. Additionally, there was a window in the study that directly overlooked the pantry window—this served as a surveillance point.
The windows throughout this house were designed not so much to prevent outsiders from seeing inside but rather to ensure that outsiders could not see his wife at all; they were intentionally constructed that way.
Every room in this house had telephone extensions—even the bathroom and kitchen were not exceptions. This served as a means of long-distance surveillance; it wasn't uncommon for the husband to call several times from outside to check on things.
Moreover, sharp angles were prevalent throughout the house. Sharp angles create an aggressive atmosphere. This home felt suffocatingly monitored and oppressive—a closed-off space. The person who built this house was undoubtedly a jealous tyrant. A person's psychology is directly reflected in their living environment. The home of a murderer reveals the face of a murderer; similarly, a liar's home reflects their deceitful nature. The Architect could see this clearly.
I found this reasoning compelling because when we identify suspects during investigations, we often create suspect portraits based on all available clues. If we have information about where a suspect has lived, it becomes invaluable evidence for creating their portrait.
Now before me is my original host's room—Ye Liuhui's room. I hadn't noticed before, but as a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl, doesn't she have rather few belongings?
There were none of the trinkets or floral decorations typically favored by girls; nothing at all. Opening her vanity revealed plenty of cosmetics—lipsticks and powders—but upon closer inspection, many of the boxes still had their seals intact. Her jewelry was stored away in several boxes covered with dust; only a few simple pieces were left out on display. It seemed she didn't care much about grooming or dressing up.
Her clothing collection was also minimal; all her fancy outfits were tucked away in her wardrobe while only a few worn items remained visible. There were almost no books in the room, nor any entertainment facilities—this girl seemed utterly disinterested in everything around her.
I had previously thought she was a spoiled and willful girl pampered by her family; however, such girls usually possess strong possessiveness and tend to accumulate many belongings. Yet her room's layout contradicted this notion entirely.
So I wondered if perhaps this unfortunate girl who had passed away had never truly been understood by anyone at all.
I rummaged through her belongings, turning the room upside down, but I couldn't find anything valuable like a diary. I started knocking on the walls and the floor, hoping to discover any hidden compartments or secret rooms. As I continued knocking, I inadvertently summoned the handsome neighbor from next door.
"Are you digging a hole in there?" Guilin asked, frowning.
Ah, he thought I was sleepwalking again. I quickly replied, "No, no, I'm looking for something."
He scanned the room and his expression became clear.
"Looking at things you used before? Reminiscing?"
I nodded.
"Let me help you look," he said with a warm smile. The smile on his stern face seemed a bit out of place.
I hesitated, unsure of what I might uncover in my search. But Guilin had already approached and picked up an item from the table—a jade bottle.
"Let's start with this," he said, holding the bottle and shaking it lightly. "The issue with this item should be quite obvious."
"Why?" I was surprised; I didn't understand why he chose this bottle right away and spoke with such certainty.
"Because this type of jade is rare and is the best medicine container. The mouth of this bottle has a special sealing technique specifically designed for medicine bottles. Anything stored in such a bottle must be quite precious. This is a medicine you used to take; if we can see what kind of medicine it is, we might directly understand what condition you're in."
So that's how it is! I began to admire him a bit. He was indeed more than just a fortune teller; he truly deserved to be my Detective from the Jade Balance Bureau.
He opened the medicine bottle with considerable skill, making me break into a sweat. I never expected opening a bottle could be so complicated; if it were up to me, I probably wouldn't succeed even once.
The bottle opened, revealing a light red powder. Guilin took out a silver spoon, scooped up a small amount of the powder to examine it, then held it away from his nose to smell it. His expression changed slightly.
"You’re taking Dissolution Powder?"
I was stunned. Why would Ye Liuhui take something like this? Dissolution Powder is a poison used in martial arts to harm others, isn’t it?
"And this isn’t just any ordinary Dissolution Powder; its effects should be quite potent. It contains a total of twenty-seven different herbs, and the combination is truly remarkable. I’ve never seen such powerful Dissolution Powder before."
I couldn’t help but feel a strong curiosity about Guilin. Who exactly was he? His martial skills and knowledge were extraordinary. Such expertise could easily challenge the Jade Balance Bureau for the top position! Where did Lord Bai Qianfan find such a talent?
"Want to give it a try?"
Huh? Try what? I was puzzled by his vague statement when he reached out and gently patted my right shoulder. Suddenly, a surge of True Qi flowed into me.
My body reacted immediately; even I could feel it. My Dantian felt empty, and then uncontrollably began to absorb the True Qi he was sending in.
My meridians felt as if they were about to burst, causing immense pain. Guilin had figured out my limits, so he didn’t inject too much True Qi. Instead, he froze his palm, cutting off the flow of True Qi.
He took a tiny amount of the powder with the silver spoon, placed it in my mouth, and instructed me to sit cross-legged immediately. The amount of powder was negligible, yet it seemed to seep into my veins instantly. I felt it crashing through my meridians, as if my True Qi had suddenly found an outlet, being drawn out by an external force from the Baihui point at the top of my head and from the palms and soles of my feet, slowly leaking away.
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