Judge of Souls-Chapter 25 - Deduction

After Officer Ye finished processing the crime scene and the bodies were transported to the forensic department, Chu Xuanliang went to find him.

“Horrifying, isn’t it?” Officer Ye had been busy all night, downing three cups of coffee, looking miserable. He showed Chu Xuanliang the crime scene photos and said, “Both victims drowned. Ye Feng drowned in his own bathtub. According to Mrs. Lin, he went in to take a bath and then there was no movement.”

Ye Feng’s mouth was torn apart. The skin on both his hands had been peeled off, creating a terrifying sight.

As a media person who made his living with his mouth and hands, this method of murder was clearly an act of revenge.

Chu Xuanliang looked carefully at the photos for a moment before moving on to the next one.

That was Ye Lin’s death photo.

Officer Ye watched him closely, trying to detect any trace of fear or disgust on his face, but there was no reaction.

“Not even a change in expression, impressive!” He gave a thumbs up and said, “You’re really suited for our line of work, consider it?”

Chu Xuanliang said, “Although my association’s salary is lower than yours, at least they allow us to take side jobs. What about yours?”

Officer Ye sighed regretfully.

“Ye Lin. He’d been dead for several days,” Officer Ye said. “Guess where he was found?”

Chu Xuanliang: “Where?”

Officer Ye: “A dung pit.”

Chu Xuanliang paused for a moment.

Zhou Yi’an had also mentioned a dung pit at the time. Was it a coincidence?

“Dung pits are rare nowadays,” Officer Ye said. “It was one outside the village. Left over from before. Usually no one goes there, there’s an old outhouse standing there, the stench is overwhelming, and the surrounding area has become a wild garbage dump. Recently some villagers passed by and thought the smell was unusually foul, so they went to check. That’s when they discovered Ye Lin.”

Officer Ye sighed. “The Ye family was searching all the rivers and lakes in A City, they probably never imagined their son would be thrown in such a place.”

Ye Lin’s body had already reached “giant’s appearance”. Moreover, his chest and abdomen had been hollowed out, with all internal organs missing. (TL: bloated state)

Chu Xuanliang appeared thoughtful.

“I tried the gathering spirit talisman you gave me earlier – the one on Ye Feng turned black, but the one on Ye Lin didn’t,” Officer Ye stroked his chin and asked, “Does this mean Ye Feng was killed by a ghost, still bearing resentful energy, but Ye Lin wasn’t?”

Chu Xuanliang shook his head and said, “Not necessarily. He’s been dead for so long, the resentful energy might have dissipated.”

Officer Ye nodded seriously. “I think so too. We’re searching surveillance footage based on the estimated time of death, at least to find when he left the city. See who went with him. But it’s a huge workload, our colleagues haven’t started work yet.”

Chu Xuanliang nodded.

“Hmm…so should I keep investigating? Ghost killings shouldn’t be under human jurisdiction, right?” Officer Ye nudged him and said, “Give me some clues, oh living immortal!”

Chu Xuanliang took out his phone and said, “I’ll ask someone.”

Officer Ye: “Yes, ask away!”

Officer Ye thought he was going to call someone important, and asked him to put it on speaker, but when the call connected, it turned out to be to that little ghost Yama.

The person on the other end was still chewing something and responded in a childish voice. “Yes?”

Chu Xuanliang’s first question was: “Lord, when ghosts seek revenge, do they ever target the wrong person?”

Yama said, “No. But some ghosts go on killing sprees, killing anyone they don’t like regardless of whether that person killed them or not.”

Officer Ye: “So when a perverted person dies, they become a perverted ghost?”

“Death itself is something that easily leads to perversion.” Chu Xuanliang then said to the phone, “I understand.”

Yama said casually, “Oh, it’s nothing. Just that Zhou Yi’an nearly died.”

The two men’s eyes widened: “!!”

Yama: “But I was there. I pushed her soul back in for her.”

Chu Xuanliang’s voice was shaky. “Then… then what?”

Yama looked at the person on the bed and said, “Just looks a bit unstable still. If it tries to run out again I’ll push it back in again.”

Chu Xuanliang immediately said, “No! I’m coming over right now!”

“Jiang Feng and her boyfriend are both here. I had her drink the talisman water you left, she should be fine now,” Yama was rather disdainful of his overreaction, “Come if you want to.”

Chu Xuanliang wanted to tell him: Humans are much more fragile than you imagine! Please handle with care!

…He was overthinking it. Someone whom even King Yama wouldn’t take, dying would be quite difficult.

Chu Xuanliang and Officer Ye rushed over, and Zhou Yi’an’s condition had already stabilized. Although her body temperature was still low, there were no major issues. Just that her body probably wouldn’t recover during this period, so it would be best not to go out as she would easily attract unclean things.

Chu Xuanliang asked Yama. “What happened yesterday?”

Yama simply recounted the events.

After listening, Chu Xuanliang said, “There might be unclean things or items related to Ye Lin and Ye Feng at home too. I suggest you do a thorough cleaning and removal to prevent them from coming back.”

Chu Maoxian had spent the night outside, looking exhausted, but still nodded very seriously as he listened to Chu Xuanliang’s explanations and reminders, nearly taking notes.

Chu Xuanliang: “Call me if there are any problems. Consult anytime.”

Chu Maoxian: “Thank you.”

Chu Xuanliang did a quick inspection first but didn’t find anything unusual. He left several more talismans with Chu Maoxian, tucking them in various corners of the room.

Then everyone left, letting Zhou Yi’an rest properly.

The house instantly became quiet.

Chu Maoxian stood by the bed, grumbling at the still unconscious person. “See what happens when I’m not around to protect you? Still want to get angry and chase me away? Scared you didn’t it?”

He reached out and pinched Zhou Yi’an’s face. “Will you listen next time? Your husband’s position at home is unshakeable!”

He amused himself for a while, then went to the bathroom to wash his face and wake up. He carefully wiped his hands with the towel nearby, then started searching the room one by one as per Chu Xuanliang’s instructions.

“Things related to Ye Lin and Ye Feng… what things?” Chu Maoxian muttered, deciding to throw out all the clothes and socks he had worn. Who knows which clothes he was wearing when he met them? How related is “related”?

He searched from the bedroom to the study.

Half an hour later, he accidentally found a small floral cloth package under the bed in the guest room.

His heart skipped a beat as he knelt on the ground, staring blankly at that object. An inexplicable voice in his mind was telling him not to take it, not to touch it… but he still reached out his hand.

Inside was a wrapped small knife, its blade still bearing unwashed bloodstains, carelessly wrapped in cloth and thrown in there, showing the owner’s panic.

Chu Maoxian rubbed his face hard and remained motionless for a long while.

He put down the object and walked to the sofa, sitting quietly.

He reached for the cigarette box on the coffee table and lit one with the lighter. He brought it to his trembling lips and took a deep drag.

His fingers shook slightly, and burnt ash fell onto his pants. Chu Maoxian didn’t notice.

He used his other hand to scratch his head. Unconsciously applying force, he pulled off a piece of scalp.

The cigarette burned to its end, burning his fingertips painfully. He came to his senses and stubbed it out on the glass coffee table.

About ten minutes passed, or maybe an hour, anyway Chu Maoxian’s mind was a bit unclear.

He went back to get the items, washed them clean at the sink. Then he went to the balcony to get a bottle of disinfectant and detergent, poured it all out, and soaked the knife in it.

He put the cotton cloth on the gas stove and burned it.

Finally, he threw the blade and ashes together into a garbage bag, tied the opening securely, and threw it in the large garbage bin in the stairwell.

After finishing everything, Chu Maoxian had no strength left and just sat blankly on the sofa in the living room.

He began to recall the bad things Ye Lin had done, the people he had hurt, his arrogant mockery of victims’ ugly appearances, his flamboyant smiling face mixing in crowds.

He was lecherous, shameless, vain, and completely lacking in empathy.

Yes. He deserved to die.

…He deserved to die.

Just then the phone suddenly rang, making Chu Maoxian jump. Then he went to find his phone.

The person on the phone was Chu Xuanliang. He said: “I thought about it and feel I should talk to you.”

Chu Maoxian: “Talk about what?”

Chu Xuanliang: “I’m waiting for you at the coffee shop downstairs.”

Chu Maoxian looked at the time and realized four hours had passed.

Had it been that long?

Chu Maoxian adjusted his collar in the mirror, made sure his expression showed nothing unusual, then walked out.

Both Chu Xuanliang and Officer Ye were there. The two sat by the window, playing with their laptops idly.

Chu Maoxian sat across from them and asked with a smile. “What’s up? Why didn’t you come up?”

Chu Xuanliang adjusted his sitting position and said, “Then I’ll ask directly. After you came back, were you really attacked by Ye Lin’s ghost like Zhou Yi’an?”

Chu Maoxian hadn’t expected him to ask this, and nodded saying, “Of course, why would I lie?”

Chu Xuanliang: “What did it look like?”

Chu Maoxian: “What do you mean what did it look like? Taoist Chu, your expression is very strange! What do you mean?”

Chu Xuanliang: “I’m asking, what did the ghost you saw look like?”

Chu Maoxian pursed his lips, then said, “Very large build, reeking of foul odor. Wearing blue clothes. I didn’t see anything else.”

Chu Xuanliang’s gaze sank, and he just stared at him unblinkingly.

Chu Maoxian could maintain his shock at first, but under the naked scrutiny of the two opposite him, he slowly showed signs of unease, as if sitting on pins and needles. He used dry laughter to cover his embarrassment and said, “What’s wrong?”

Chu Xuanliang stirred the spoon in his cup: “Your description matches Zhou Yi’an’s exactly.”

Chu Maoxian said loudly, “We saw the same thing, of course the descriptions would be exactly the same! If she saw a watermelon, should I describe it as a banana?”

Officer Ye said, “Even for the same thing, people would focus on different aspects. Some people notice the clothes, others notice different things. Mr. Chu Maoxian.”

Chu Maoxian: “Can’t we just be in sync?”

Officer Ye: “Mr. Chu. Let me be clearer – in fact, with a corpse in giant’s appearance state, you basically can’t tell who the person is. The scene Zhou Yi’an described was of Ye Lin’s body after it had bloated. How did she recognize him at a glance while panicking? I guess it was from his clothes.”

Chu Maoxian fell silent.

Officer Ye: “Someone like Ye Lin wouldn’t wear the same clothes twice. For Zhou Yi’an to recognize him, it proves she must have seen him once before his death. She should be the last witness, but she denied it.”

Chu Xuanliang said, “I thought it was strange from the start. Generally ghosts don’t target the wrong person for revenge. Why would Ye Lin go after Zhou Yi’an and not someone else? And after finding Zhou Yi’an, why would he come after you?”

Officer Ye and Chu Xuanliang took turns saying, “You lied because after Zhou Yi’an was attacked, you didn’t want others to see her as the killer, right? Because your alibi is perfect, you absolutely couldn’t be the killer. This way you could confuse their focus.”

“I really thought she was innocent before. Ye Lin, that guy…” Chu Maoxian licked his lips and said with a bitter laugh, “Will you arrest her? Then lock me up too. I destroyed evidence, I’m an accomplice.”

Chu Xuanliang: “You think she’s the killer?”

Chu Maoxian covered his face with his hands, his tone carrying a hint of despair. “…Don’t ask me.”

Chu Xuanliang: “I don’t think she is.”

Chu Maoxian’s body shook, and he lowered his hands, looking at him through his fingers. His eyes were full of confusion.

Officer Ye asked back, “You thought she was?”

Chu Xuanliang said, “Stop teasing him.”

Officer Ye turned the laptop around to show Chu Maoxian and said, “This is the surveillance footage we retrieved. Found from your community.”

“Ye Lin entered your community at 12:03 AM and walked out alone 40 minutes later,” he pointed at the screen and said, “Look at his walking posture.”

Under the dim streetlight, Ye Lin dragged his long shadow, moving forward with small, careful steps.

But looking carefully, there was something inexplicably strange about his walking posture.

Officer Ye said, “I’ll zoom in for you.”

Chu Maoxian leaned closer to the screen, trying to make it out. A moment later he exclaimed, “He’s walking on his tiptoes!”

“Right,” Officer Ye said, “He called a taxi and went to the outskirts of the city. Jumped into the dung pit and died.”

Chu Maoxian: “…Huh?”

Chu Xuanliang dropped another bombshell. “Ye Feng is dead too.”

Chu Maoxian: “What?! Uncle Ye is dead too?!”

Chu Xuanliang nodded. “Died last night. Also killed by a ghost.”

“Wait, I’m a bit confused,” Chu Maoxian patted his head, picking out the most important information. “You’re saying that anyway, Ye Lin’s death has nothing to do with my wife, right?”

Chu Xuanliang said, “Probably. From what we can see now, even if there is a connection, we can’t find any evidence. She has a perfect alibi.”

Chu Maoxian let out a heavy sigh of relief, unable to suppress the smile on his face. He waved his hand, “Oh, that’s good then. Continue what you were saying. Where were we just now?”

Chu Xuanliang: “…”

Chu Xuanliang smiled, then became serious again and said, “Ye Lin died because he went to find Zhou Yi’an that night, I guess something unpleasant must have happened. And Ye Feng’s death was likely because he found a sorcerer last night, wanting to kill Zhou Yi’an.”

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“F*ck!” Chu Maoxian pounded the table and cursed, “These two perverts! Lunatics!”

The waiter made a stopping gesture from afar, indicating they should keep quiet.

Chu Maoxian coughed once and smiled apologetically at them.

Chu Xuanliang continued. “I’m wondering if there’s a ghost following Zhou Yi’an. Or maybe… protecting her.”

Chu Maoxian fell into deep thought.

Chu Xuanliang: “But I didn’t see it. Perhaps it saw us come and hid. So, have you noticed anything unusual around Zhou Yi’an?”

Chu Maoxian frowned and asked in a low voice, “Nothing unusual. Does being perfectly abnormal count as unusual?”

Chu Xuanliang: “…”

“Damn!!” Officer Ye was struck hard, ran his hand through his hair and said, “I didn’t stay up all night investigating your case just to eat your dog food! If you keep this up I’ll arrest you!”

Chu Maoxian slapped his leg and laughed heartily.