Chapter 008: The Mysterious Daoist Temple?

Mr. Li and Yun Gao both fixed their gazes on us. I nodded to Chen Fan, signaling that I understood. I didn't inquire about the specifics and simply told Chen Fan to step outside and have a good talk with Team Leader Fei Ji. Once Chen Fan left, I continued my questioning as if nothing had happened. At first, my questions were quite ordinary, much like standard police inquiries.

Mr. Li was so angry that he refused to speak; it was Yun Gao who answered everything. I noticed that whenever Yun Gao spoke of Yun Qing, he always described her as immature. His depiction of Yun Qing matched what Luo Feng's investigation had uncovered. As the questioning deepened, I asked a crucial question: why did Yun Qing ultimately run away from home?

The moment I asked this, Mr. Li slammed the table. He declared furiously that Yun Qing had refused to listen to him, was useless, and that he would have preferred never to have had such a daughter. Luo Feng was clearly displeased by this and retorted, calling Mr. Li "old man," saying he himself had been disobedient as a child but had still amounted to something.

Mr. Li snorted coldly and refused to answer further.

"As far as I know, Yun Qing was sent to a Daoist temple, then expelled, and that's why she ran away from home, isn't it?" I asked.

Yun Gao didn't deny it. He explained that Yun Qing had offended a master at the temple and was expelled. Still, Yun Qing refused to admit fault, so Mr. Li, furious, locked her up. Yun Qing escaped by jumping out the window and never returned. The fact that Yun Gao referred to the priests at the temple as "masters" was noteworthy.

I smiled and asked, "Mr. Li, do you also believe in such things?"

To my surprise, Yun Gao retorted, asking why I didn't. Luo Feng shot me a strange look; in his eyes, an intellectual like Yun Gao shouldn't believe in these matters, certainly not to the extent of calling those priests "masters." Upon further questioning, Yun Gao revealed that he too had been sent to that temple for two years after graduating, living as a secular disciple on the mountain.

The more Yun Gao spoke, the stranger the temple seemed. Mentioning it, Mr. Li's attitude toward us softened, and he became more talkative. Mr. Li couldn't praise the temple enough, claiming that the priests there possessed great powers.

I asked why he thought so, and he answered candidly. The temple was called San Song Temple; it rarely accepted secular disciples, but every year, many people sent their children to the mountain. If a priest took a liking to a child, that child would stay for two years.

I was quietly astonished; even on the mainland, it was rare for parents to send their children to become Daoist priests. Most priests were orphans or those with nowhere else to turn. Soon, I understood why so many in Hong Kong sent their children to San Song Temple.

Every child who returned from being a secular disciple at the temple achieved great success—Yun Gao himself being an example. Yun Gao had always been outstanding, but securing an executive position at a major firm at such a young age was no small feat. After two years at the temple, he returned and rose rapidly.

Mr. Li listed several names—none of which I recognized, but Luo Feng had heard of a few. He said these individuals were quite well-known in their respective fields.

Yun Qing was an exception. She had been expelled from the temple in less than a year—the only secular disciple ever to be sent away, and the only one who amounted to nothing. According to Mr. Li, Yun Qing had brought disgrace to their family.

Finally, I began to understand why Mr. Li held such prejudice against Yun Qing. Her rebelliousness from a young age, his greater preference for the accomplished Yun Gao, and Yun Qing's expulsion from San Song Temple had all compounded to make Mr. Li abandon her in his heart; to him, she was unworthy of remaining in their home.

"All these years, do you know how Yun Qing has been living?" I asked.

Yun Gao cut in, saying he'd tried to help by finding jobs for her, but Yun Qing always discovered the source and immediately quit. Luo Feng sneered, "So you only found your sister jobs in seedy places?"

At this, Mr. Li questioned Yun Gao, who then turned to me for an explanation, though his expression betrayed him; those were indeed the jobs he arranged. As a woman with no education, Yun Qing had little choice but to work in such places.

I left it there. The sibling pair was intriguing—Yun Gao feigned concern for Yun Qing, but in truth, his actions said otherwise. I didn't press further and steered the conversation back to the Ghost Banquet case. When I told them that Yun Qing had become a renowned master in the New Territories, both Yun Gao and Mr. Li looked displeased.

Given the distance, they hadn’t heard the news.

Mr. Li insisted Yun Qing was a fraud. I deliberately claimed to have seen her catch ghosts with my own eyes, her skills impressive. Mr. Li hesitated, muttering that perhaps Yun Qing had learned something at San Song Temple. But Yun Gao quickly denied it, saying the temple only taught them self-cultivation and cleared obstacles from their future paths through rituals, never ghost-catching.

As Mr. Li was about to speak, Yun Gao interrupted again: "She’s just using some tricks to fool people, that's all. She’s clever, but that’s it. I'll find her a job again, so don’t worry."

Mr. Li fell silent, and I caught every nuance of Yun Gao’s expression.

I stood, ending the conversation. I told them I was leaving. Yun Gao personally escorted us out; Chen Fan had finished his call by then. After some distance, Chen Fan complained about the brevity of my questioning, grumbling that we'd driven two hours just to come here.

Just as I was about to reply, someone called out from behind. Turning, I saw Yun Qing and Yun Gao's mother—the woman who had remained silent during our questioning. Her steps were unsteady, her legs no longer nimble.

"Mrs. Li, is there something you need?" I asked.

She hesitated for a long moment before asking if Yun Qing had been arrested by the police. I answered honestly: No. Only then did she seem to relax. She asked me to pass on a message to Yun Qing—she hoped Yun Qing would admit fault and come home for the New Year. After speaking, she hurried back, clearly afraid Mr. Li would find out she'd come to see us.

Luo Feng remarked that the family was rather odd.

I nodded. It was clear that Mr. Li was the head of the household, held deep prejudices against Yun Qing, and that Yun Gao, despite appearances, had never truly tried to help her. The only one who genuinely cared for Yun Qing was her mother. Luo Feng asked if we should investigate the family's complicated dynamics.

I replied, "Let’s look into Yun Qing first. If there’s nothing wrong, it’s none of our business. If there is, then we’ll investigate as needed."

At last, I asked Chen Fan about the police investigation’s findings. Chen Fan reported that Yun Qing had a solid alibi during the time surrounding the Ghost Banquet case. He had told Team Leader Fei Ji not to alarm her, so Fei Ji hadn’t brought Yun Qing in for questioning.

However, Fei Ji had thoroughly checked Yun Qing’s workplace. After the four bodies were found, Yun Qing was working the night shift at a bar, from six in the evening until dawn the next day. Plenty of bar girls and staff could vouch for her presence.

During the day, Yun Qing slept in her rented room. At that time, she was sharing a dormitory with a barmaid, sleeping on the upper bunk. According to the roommate, Yun Qing spent the entire day in the dorm, never leaving. In the evening, they ate together before starting their night shift at the bar.

Chen Fan wondered aloud if Yun Qing could have sneaked out while her roommate slept to commit the crime. No sooner had he said this than Luo Feng smacked him on the back of the head, cursing him for being an idiot. He pointed out that if the crime had been committed during the day, there would have been witnesses.

Luo Feng was right; the crime was more likely committed at night.

Chastened, Chen Fan simply asked what we should do next. Yun Qing was no longer a suspect as the direct perpetrator, but given her close connection to the Ghost Banquet case, she couldn’t be ruled out as an accomplice. The investigation into Yun Qing would continue.

Dwelling on the Ghost Banquet case itself was pointless. After some thought, I decided to pursue another line of inquiry: to find out where Lao Jiu and his group had been during the three days I lost contact with them. They had arrived by ferry, but if they had flown in, we might be able to check airport surveillance footage.

Some matters would be more efficiently investigated by Luo Feng’s men. So I instructed them to take photos of Lao Jiu and his companions to the docks to see if they could uncover any leads. Luo Feng acted promptly.

Afterwards, we returned to the New Territories.

Before heading back to the hotel, we passed by the police station. By coincidence, we ran into Team Leader Fei Ji, who was stumbling toward the station, his shoulders trembling.

I nudged Chen Fan to ask what was wrong.

Chen Fan called out to Fei Ji, startling him.

When he turned, we saw that Fei Ji’s face was ashen. He said softly, "I received ghost money."