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墨書 Inktalez
At that moment, Daiyu's expression darkened, as if she had released a breath of stagnant air that had been trapped in her chest. A faint smile appeared on her lips. For a brief instant, I even felt that Daiyu looked beautiful in my eyes, stirring a protective instinct within me. Authenticity is the most beautiful moment for a person.
But the next moment, Daiyu began to pick at her feet again. "I've told you everything you wanted to know. So, this friend, would you like to stay with me tonight?"
Suddenly, I recalled that Zhao Mingkun had said something similar to me before, and I felt a chill run down my spine. I quickly declined, saying, "No thanks, I have dinner plans with Jack Ma. We can grab coffee another time. Bye!"
"Sister Queen, did Wei Changfeng and the others come to Baijia County five years ago? Do you know anything about that?" As I tugged at my hair, I pondered the story Daiyu had shared with us.
Chu Mei was gang-raped and murdered; logically speaking, she should have sought revenge on those who assaulted her. But why did she choose to kill those involved in Ghost Marriage instead? They weren't her greatest enemies. Could it be that someone opposed Ghost Marriage and used Chu Mei's name as a cover for murder?
Unfortunately, the six rapists were all wearing masks at the time, so Daiyu didn't see their faces. Otherwise, she might have been able to describe their features, allowing us to compare them with Wei Erge's six Grave Robbers.
So who exactly opposes Ghost Marriage?
It is indeed a feudal remnant, but does this person think that killing is an effective way to oppose it? Isn't that even more foolish than those they target?
Ghost Marriage fundamentally requires a corpse; does someone not want others to disturb the dead?
Zhao Mingkun pondered for a moment before speaking. "Wei Changfeng and his group were indeed active in Linfen City. However, I don't know if they are from Baijia County. If someone is targeting them, I believe they would have come out by now."
"But before that, we need to investigate how many cases related to Ghost Marriage have occurred over the past five years." Zhao Mingkun placed a finger on her lips and lightly tapped.
"How do we investigate?" I asked in confusion.
Zhao Mingkun waved her hand dismissively. "Leave this matter to me."
In the afternoon, Zhao Mingkun finally emerged from her room, holding what appeared to be a large map. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a chart she had drawn detailing the murder cases that had occurred in Baijia County over the past five years.
After filtering through the cases, two words were written behind them—Ghost Marriage.
Zhao Mingkun was meticulously extracting each case, while I silently observed her. How did Zhao Mingkun manage this? Without the police's assistance, I doubted these internal documents could have circulated. Could it be that Zhao Mingkun had someone backing her, hidden within the police force?
It was becoming increasingly mysterious; she seemed capable of anything. Moreover, why was she so eager to solve these cases? Did she have some other motive?
"I got it!" Zhao Mingkun exclaimed.
Guan Zengbin and I leaned down to look at the cases Zhao Mingkun had organized.
The timeline spanned five years, starting with Chu Mei's case.
Four years ago, the Luo family held a Ghost Marriage. Shortly after, both members of the Luo couple were found dead in their home, the cause being carbon monoxide poisoning. There were signs of someone having broken in. They discovered shoe prints that matched those of the female corpse from the Ghost Marriage ceremony.
Also four years ago, Zhang the Old Man arranged a Ghost Marriage for his son, and that very night he drowned in a creek in Baijia County. The creek was shallow, only reaching a person's knees, yet Old Zhang drowned in such shallow water. When he died, he was wearing a qipao, just like the one worn by the woman during the Ghost Marriage.
Three years ago, Wang Lao Er arranged a Ghost Marriage for his father. Shortly after, people found him dead in a vat where he pickled vegetables, chopped into pieces. At that time, there was still a headscarf on top of the vat, which belonged to the female corpse.
Two years ago, Wu the Elder organized a Ghost Marriage for his brother. Soon after, someone discovered his brother's bones scattered on the street, but there was no sign of Wu the Elder. Later, people found Wu the Elder inside a coffin; the female corpse had vanished without a trace, and Wu the Elder had suffocated to death inside the coffin.
After that incident, villagers no longer dared to arrange Ghost Marriages.
The last case occurred just last night when the Old Zheng Family held a Ghost Marriage.
This time, San'er died inside the coffin while the female corpse disappeared without a trace. That corpse reappeared in the courtyard of our residence at Siheyuan, its intentions unknown.
This is the case that has been ongoing since the Ghost Marriage incident involving Chu Mei five years ago.
"Old Zheng?" Guan Zengbin slowly spoke up. "If you look at these cases, those who conducted Ghost Marriages ended up dying mysteriously. Do you think Old Zheng might also..."
Guan Zengbin didn't finish his sentence, but we all understood what he meant.
"Old Zheng should be safe for now," Zhao Mingkun reassured us. "As far as I know, Old Zheng is still at the police station. If something were to happen to him, it would likely be tonight. There's still some time before evening; I think we should be fine."
I nodded and cautiously asked, "Sister Queen seems to have a connection with the police..."
Before I could finish my question, Zhao Mingkun looked up and shot me a cold glare. "Smart people know what they should do. The more you know, the more it could harm you later. Do you understand?"
At this point, Zhao Mingkun's tone softened. "Actually, I have a younger brother who should be around your age. I wonder if you..."
He sighed but didn't continue. "Forget it; we'll talk about this later. What are your thoughts on the matter?"
I felt that Zhao Mingkun had something he wanted to say to me; otherwise, he wouldn't have lured me into his room so soon after we met. Was he testing me while I was probing him? Did he want to extract some secrets from me? But what secrets did I have to share?
For now, I decided to set that aside and focus on the case at hand.
I spoke up, "In the past five years, including this one, there have been five Ghost Marriage cases. And there's a common characteristic among them; I wonder if you've noticed."
"They're all arranged for men," Zhao Mingkun interjected first. "And after each case occurs, the female corpses go missing. This clearly indicates that someone is stealing the female corpses. After the murderer takes the female corpse, it doesn't take long before they kill the person who planned the Ghost Marriage—perhaps as a way of asserting dominance."
I snapped my fingers; Zhao Mingkun's words resonated deeply with me. That's exactly what I thought too. Why were only female corpses being stolen? Why did they kill the planners? It all pointed to the fact that they didn't want these corpses falling into someone else's hands.
To an ordinary person, a corpse is something to be avoided at all costs. But for certain individuals, it is their most treasured possession.
"Has anyone performed a Ghost Marriage for their deceased daughter in the past five years?" I asked, looking into Zhao Mingkun's eyes.
"Indeed, there has been one case," Zhao Mingkun replied firmly.
I closed my eyes, tugging at my hair as I thought. If that were the case, then Corpse Lover Old Six was the prime suspect.
"Find out where Old Six is from," I said. "He is currently the most suspicious person."
Zhao Mingkun nodded in agreement.
At that moment, my phone buzzed. Upon checking, I found a text message from Wei Changfeng. I remembered not having given him my number before; how did he get it? Did he secretly input his number into my phone when he confiscated it earlier?
If that were true, then Wei Changfeng wasn't actually suspicious of me; he was doubting the brothers who had been by his side day in and day out. But everyone had clear alibis—why would Wei Changfeng leave a backup plan?
Was it because of some unspeakable secret from years ago?
My mind raced with thoughts, but they were all jumbled and chaotic.
I quickly opened the text message:
"Brother Wu, it's urgent. We are preparing to go to a Tomb on the mountain in Baijia County. Head west from where we stayed before, and you will see an overturned object. Chilling has returned and has colluded with someone among us. Right now, I can't trust anyone; instead, it's you—the newcomer who knows nothing about our affairs—that I can trust. I'm afraid they might act against me in Mu Xue to save me. Brother, my life is in your hands."
Seeing my serious expression, Guan Zengbin and Zhao Mingkun both inquired about what had happened.
I read through the messages on my phone and told them it was a text from Wei Changfeng.
Analyzing the content of the message, it seemed these people were heading to a grave. Once at the grave, there would likely be little to no signal on our phones. From Wei Changfeng's tone, he appeared anxious, suggesting they were close to the Tomb. To avoid being detected, he might have typed blindly, resulting in some incorrect phrases.
"Chilling" should actually refer to Chu Mei.
Chu Mei had returned and had colluded with someone among us.
No matter how you looked at that sentence, it sent chills down my spine. How could someone who had died five years ago be in league with these six people, including Wei Changfeng?
Moreover, didn't this indirectly admit that those six were responsible for the assault on Chu Mei back then? What were these people really doing in the grave? Was the situation truly beyond repair?
These were all mysteries swirling in my mind.
"Are we going or not?" Guan Zengbin glanced at me.
I replied, "I don't know what happened, but it might be dangerous over there. You and Zhao Mingkun stay here while I take Wang Er Gou to check it out."
"I'll go with you." Before I could finish my sentence, Zhao Mingkun interjected.
A conflicted expression crossed my face, but inside I was thrilled. I was just worried he wouldn't want to go; if he left, Guan Zengbin would be able to contact Captain Shao and the others.
"My skills are much better than yours," Zhao Mingkun said as he noticed my hesitation, clenching his fist. "Let's see what Wei Changfeng and his crew are up to."
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