Ling Tian activated his Celestial Eye and began to carefully observe the more than twenty Feng family servants. Their expressions varied, but upon closer thought, their emotions were all reasonably explainable, making it difficult to immediately discern who was harboring guilt.
However, Ling Tian still found his target among them.
A woman in her fifties, who appeared to have Filipino heritage, reflected the most peculiar emotional energy. Her aura pulsed with boundless fear, terror, and a color signifying deception.
Ling Tian revealed a cold smile and pointed at the woman.
"Found her, it's her! This woman has something to hide!"
Upon hearing this, the woman immediately collapsed to her knees.
"Oh, master, I'm innocent! I'm innocent! I haven't done anything, why are you slandering me?"
The woman's face was contorted with fear and grievance, tears streaming down her face as if she were Dou E.
Feng Jinglong looked at the woman with disbelief. This woman was named Afang, and she had started working for the Feng family when she was around ten years old.
Afang was nimble and meticulous in her work. The Feng family's mansion contained many items, and Afang had worked there for decades, always keeping her hands clean. The Feng family trusted her implicitly.
Feng Jinglong even doubted Ling Tian's judgment, as he was reluctant to believe that this woman was involved.
"Master, you must be mistaken. I stayed in my room all night and didn't go out..."
Feng Jinglong looked up at his son, Feng Jifei, who nodded.
"Afang indeed did not leave her room. We've already checked the surveillance footage."
Ling Tian smiled.
"I say, gentlemen, you are both mistaken.
The fact that this woman wasn't at the scene doesn't prove anything. To do certain things, like releasing a spirit, she doesn't need to be present, only within this house!"
"No, you're talking nonsense, I didn't!"
Afang said, tears gushing as she threw herself on the ground, rolling and wailing. This was indeed one of a woman's three great skills: crying, making a scene, and threatening suicide.
Ling Tian chuckled, "If I'm not mistaken, this woman's living quarters must be within this mansion!"
"You are correct. My father lives in the master bedroom on the third floor. There are two servant rooms on the first floor, with two servants in each room," Feng Jifei explained to Ling Tian.
"Young Master Feng, please lead the way. Let's go to her room and see if we can find anything unusual."
Feng Jifei signaled to his subordinates. Two Feng family guards stepped forward, escorted Afang, and the group proceeded to the servant's room on the first floor where Afang resided.
Although it was a servant's room, the living conditions were excellent, with tasteful decor and all the necessary furniture and appliances.
Feng Jifei ordered his men to search Afang's belongings, but after searching for a long time, they found nothing suspicious.
Ling Tian smiled, "If I were this woman, I wouldn't hide such a crucial item in an obvious place.
Furthermore, for a female servant, no one knows better than her where to hide things conveniently in the house.
Come, let me show you!"
Ling Tian finished speaking and led everyone to the bathroom in the servant's room. He pointed to a ceiling panel and said to one of the Feng family guards, "Come, open that panel!"
Everyone looked at the ceiling panel with suspicion. It was tightly sealed, appearing as if it were fixed, not meant to be opened.
The guard, obediently, stepped forward, tiptoed, and reached for the panel.
The panel made a creaking sound, and the guard exclaimed excitedly, "It's indeed movable."
"Step aside, let me."
Ling Tian said, putting on a rubber glove. He then reached his hand into the suspended ceiling.
The Feng father and son watched as Ling Tian retrieved a ceramic bottle from within.
The bottle had a brown body, adorned with strange runes drawn in red pigment.
A small talisman was also affixed to the bottle's opening, but it had been torn open and was no longer tightly sealed.
Upon seeing the bottle, Afang, who had been protesting her innocence, suddenly slumped to the ground.
Ling Tian smiled, "Mr. Feng, if I'm not mistaken, there should be Afang's fingerprints on this bottle!"
Feng Jifei also put on a glove and carefully took the bottle from Ling Tian. Holding it up to the light, he could indeed see some fingerprints adhering to the bottle's surface.
"What kind of bottle is this? It looks very strange."
"This bottle has many names: Spirit Binding Bottle, Soul Guiding Bottle, Ghost Hiding Bottle... it's all the same. Simply put, it's a bottle capable of containing spirits or spectral entities.
However, this bottle is special. Because it contains malevolent entities like vengeful spirits, array formations are used on the bottle's body to suppress them. That talisman also serves to suppress the vengeful spirit's power.
Afang's task was simple: she only needed to bring this bottle into the mansion, open it at a specific time, and the rest would be handled by the sorcerer."
Ling Tian glanced at Afang again. She was now slumped on the ground, trembling uncontrollably, a clear sign of extreme fear.
"There's another piece of evidence you can check. Look at the smart bracelet Afang is wearing. If I'm not mistaken, this smart bracelet has an alarm set. The alarm time should be shortly before the old gentleman was attacked."
Hearing this, Afang's despair deepened.
This woman did not live alone in the servant's room; another maid shared the room with her.
To avoid oversleeping and missing the rendezvous time, she had used her smart bracelet. The bracelet's alarm didn't ring but vibrated, so as not to wake her roommate.
Even if she got up and woke her roommate, the roommate would only assume she was going to the bathroom.
In reality, Afang entered the bathroom, opened the ceiling panel above the toilet, tore off the talisman on the bottle, and released the vengeful spirit within.
At that moment, the vengeful spirit, under the control of the sorcerer Sen Nuo, went to attack Mr. Feng Jinglong.
After completing her task, Afang calmly returned to bed. She only needed to wait for half an hour, then re-cork the bottle, re-affix the talisman, and await an opportunity to take the bottle out. Her mission would then be complete!
However, things took an unexpected turn. The blessed Buddha amulet on Mr. Feng Jinglong's chest, with its potent Buddhist power, destroyed the vengeful spirit.
Afang had never anticipated being exposed by Ling Tian!