Chapter 21: He Is Not the Murderer Either

Once again, Yun Qing confirmed my suspicions. As soon as I mentioned that Yun Qing’s confession was connected to San Song Temple and Yun Gao, she suddenly became agitated. She warned me that if I didn’t leave the port district soon, my life could be in danger at any moment. I turned my head away and sneered, “Didn't you say the old master was a bad person? Why did he also tell me to leave the port district? Was he worried about my safety too?”

Yun Qing’s face was a tumult of emotions, shifting from agitation to surprise, and now she was in utter shock. She questioned me, trying to confirm if the old master had indeed advised me to leave. I nodded, and then Yun Qing lowered her head, as if lost in thought.

She never looked up again, even as I left the meeting room. Chen Fan was speaking with the police officer, and when he saw me exit, he exchanged a few perfunctory words and left with me. He asked how the questioning had gone, and I told him honestly: Yun Qing was definitely not the murderer.

Chen Fan was a little dispirited, thinking he could finally return to Jing City. He told me that the police headquarters in Jing City had already contacted him, and by now we’d spent several days in the port district. I, who had been summoned to assist in the investigation, had been completely cleared of suspicion, and it was time for Chen Fan to go home.

Chen Fan said he’d withstood the pressure, explaining that some of his discoveries were helpful to the investigation here, which was why the bureau allowed him to stay a bit longer. But he didn’t know how much longer he could hold out; he was putting all his hopes on me. If he truly made a contribution in this case, he’d surely be promoted quickly upon his return.

I considered it. The evidence in this case was scant, and there were many strange aspects; this was precisely why the police investigation had made little progress. The motive, method, and identity of the suspect were all mysteries to the police.

The only progress was Yun Qing’s confession. But while this was progress in the eyes of the police, to me it was an obstacle. After Yun Qing confessed, the police would focus all their efforts on interrogating her. Yet since she wasn’t the real culprit, it would waste time and might even lead to a hasty conclusion, resulting in a miscarriage of justice.

Since Chen Fan started following me, his most frequent question had been: what should we do? He asked me again. I thought it over and decided to adjust my approach. I would temporarily set aside investigating the killer’s method and focus on identifying the more suspicious suspects. Yun Qing’s confession might be connected to San Song Temple and Yun Gao.

I had already examined San Song Temple thoroughly. The temple itself seemed unremarkable, but the strange ones were Xuan Yi and the old master. The old master’s identity was unclear and he had died naturally, so the only person left to investigate was Xuan Yi, who had left the temple.

Xuan Yi had acted furtively within San Song Temple and then quickly descended the mountain; something was off about him.

I assigned Chen Fan to investigate Xuan Yi. He had already gained the trust of the police, so it wouldn’t be difficult for him to look into it. As for Yun Gao, I decided to approach him myself.

That night, Chen Fan suddenly called to tell me there was an uproar at Chaoyang Restaurant—apparently Yun Gao was there. I was taken aback, quickly changed, and hurried over. By the time I arrived, several police officers were already there, but they were all standing with Chen Fan, watching the scene unfold as if it were entertainment.

I glanced at my watch; it was already eight in the evening. The iron gate of Chaoyang Restaurant was half-closed, seemingly preparing to shut down. After the ghostly murder case, Chaoyang Restaurant had reopened, but few dared to dine there, so naturally they planned to close early. Amid the crowd, I spotted Yun Gao.

Yun Gao was impeccably dressed in a suit, standing before the restaurant owner and staff, clearly in the midst of a heated argument. I approached and asked Chen Fan what was going on. He said the police had received a report of a possible fight, and since the location was Chaoyang Restaurant, they responded quickly and brought personnel.

When they arrived, they discovered the so-called dispute was simply the owner and staff refusing to let Yun Gao leave. In fact, after the police arrived, the owner and staff even clashed with them, and the situation had dragged on for nearly an hour.

I asked Chen Fan why Yun Gao was there, and he answered honestly. He had only learned the details after overhearing Yun Gao’s conversation with the owner. About an hour earlier, Yun Gao had driven over, eaten a bowl of noodles, and when paying, handed the owner an envelope.

The owner was puzzled at first, asking what it was. Yun Gao merely smiled and told him to open it. Upon opening the envelope, the owner found a large sum of money. He was startled and asked why Yun Gao was giving him so much.

Chen Fan narrated the events vividly, and I knew at once Yun Gao wasn’t simply there for noodles—a single bowl could not be worth so much. Sure enough, Chen Fan told me Yun Gao said he was apologizing on behalf of his sister, offering material compensation to Chaoyang Restaurant.

My brow furrowed. Yun Qing’s arrest was known only to the police—no one else had heard of it yet, as the case was unsolved and the police had no intention of making it public. Yet Yun Gao had revealed the news, and that was how the argument started.

Yun Gao claimed Yun Qing had committed mistakes, acted mysteriously, and extorted money; as her brother, he could only offer compensation to those deceived by her. The owner and staff had witnessed Yun Qing’s rituals firsthand and firmly believed in her abilities, unwilling to hear any bad words about her.

On the night of the murder, any hint of doubt would be met with their furious rebuke, showing just how deeply they believed in Yun Qing.

The argument raged on. Yun Gao stood expressionless, not answering back, but the owner refused to relent. Pointing at Yun Gao, face flushed with anger, he rebuked him for slandering his own sister—a master who had vanquished evil spirits—and declared Yun Gao would surely be punished by heaven.

In our previous encounters, the owner had been timid and meek, but I hadn’t expected him to be so forceful and relentless when angry. At this moment, Yun Gao finally spoke. He said Yun Qing had already been arrested, and he was merely there to atone for her mistakes.

The owner naturally didn’t believe it, so Yun Gao pointed at us and said if he doubted it, he could ask us.

Chen Fan informed me that Yun Gao had already told them this once before. At that time, the owner had asked the police, but they didn’t know how to respond, as they couldn’t casually disclose investigative secrets. The police’s hesitation only exacerbated the conflict, and the owner even cursed the police, saying if they’d arrested Yun Qing, they were doomed.

I stood aside, arms crossed, curious to see what would happen next. The police still wouldn’t answer directly, so the owner grew anxious, grabbing a police officer’s hand and insisting Yun Qing’s powers were real. He claimed that before Yun Qing performed her rituals, he saw unclean things every day, but after her intervention, everything was fine.

Yun Gao dropped his gentlemanly demeanor and bluntly accused the owner of lying.

The owner was enraged and was about to lay hands on Yun Gao when Yun Gao said, “Yun Qing is my sister. Her mistakes sadden me too. She was expelled from San Song Temple—she has no ghost-catching skills. I’m a secular disciple of San Song Temple; I could see it at a glance.”

Hearing the name San Song Temple, the owner calmed down. Ordinary people might not have heard of San Song Temple, but those who believe in ghosts and spirits certainly had. The owner began to hesitate, and at that moment, I stepped forward. Yun Gao looked surprised, as if he hadn’t expected me to appear.

I told the owner he wasn’t lying, because I had seen the same unclean things he had. After speaking, I stared at Yun Gao with a half-smile, already having guessed his intentions, and wanted to see how he would respond. I wasn’t lying; though I believed some trick was involved, the ghostly faces I’d seen on the rooftop, the bizarre sights in the hotel room, and the cries and laughter from a woman over the phone were all real.

Those were the unclean things the owner referred to. Yun Gao frowned and insisted it was impossible.

But more and more people stepped forward, claiming they’d seen them too. Since the incident, Yun Qing had performed rituals frequently in the area, so there were many witnesses.

Yun Gao quickly regained his composure. “Yun Qing has already confessed. Officer, your priority should be figuring out how she faked all this ghostly nonsense, shouldn’t it?”

I shrugged. “I’m not a police officer.”

Yun Gao’s expression changed. “If you’re not a police officer, what right do you have to question me?”

I replied playfully, “He is a police officer—I never said I was. If you’re willing to answer, I’ll ask.” As I spoke, I pointed to Chen Fan. My shamelessness drove Yun Gao into a rage. He stopped arguing with the crowd, turned, got into his car, and left.

After Yun Gao left, the police dispersed everyone. I wiped the smile from my face and put on a serious expression. Chen Fan noticed. “Han, what’s wrong? You look a bit scary.”

“Yun Gao isn’t a clever man. His connection to Yun Qing’s confession is clear, but he’s not the killer,” I replied.

Obviously, the relationship between Yun Gao and Yun Qing had changed. Now, Yun Gao harbored deep resentment toward his sister; any concern was just a performance for Master Li. Such a person wouldn’t voluntarily seek to atone for his sister’s mistakes unless instructed by Master Li.

It seemed Yun Gao deliberately spread the news of Yun Qing’s arrest. He just hadn’t expected tonight’s events to escalate as they did—his flustered departure made that clear.

Exposing Yun Qing’s trickery and extortion served only one purpose: to use public pressure to force the police to conclude the case quickly.

“Han, if that’s so, then he’s the killer!” Chen Fan declared confidently.

I shook my head. “No, he’s not the killer either.”