The farce concluded, and Dong Xi's lecture proceeded as scheduled.
To leverage Dong Xi's celebrity status for greater fame at Shanghang Art School, the principal generously allocated the school's grand auditorium as the venue. Dong Xi, with considerable self-importance, prepared himself, only to be utterly dumbfounded upon stepping onto the stage.
The vast auditorium, save for the staff, was virtually empty, with hardly anyone attending his lecture.
The sole audience member was a cleaning aunt.
Students at Shanghang Art School generally fell into two categories. The first comprised the affluent, who disdained any interaction with Dong Xi and thus saw no reason to attend his lecture. The second group consisted of dedicated academic scholars, aspiring actors, musicians, dancers, and artists, none of whom wished to emulate Dong Xi – someone lacking substance or skill, merely exuding a cloying, greasy charm disguised as youthful appeal.
Consequently, Dong Xi's high expectations were met with crushing disappointment.
This, however, delighted Yan Shouyi and Long Feicheng, who were ostensibly present to "maintain order" below the stage.
"I thought he was a big star, but after we blocked those brainless fans outside, Dong Xi was left with no one," Long Feicheng confided to Yan Shouyi.
Now they were eager to see how Dong Xi would extricate himself from this embarrassing situation.
Dong Xi stood on the podium, casting an awkward glance across the deserted auditorium. The only responses he received were the fawning smiles of his agent and the impatient expression of the cleaning aunt, conveying a clear desire for him to finish quickly so she could attend to her duties.
After a prolonged silence, he finally abandoned the microphone, deciding not to proceed with the speech.
Upon seeing this, Long Feicheng quickly rushed forward and loudly announced, "Attention all security personnel, the superstar Dong Xi is about to exit the stage. Maintain strict order and prevent any stampedes!"
Dong Xi: "..."
That fellow.
How utterly malicious!
Unable to descend the stage, Dong Xi glared furiously at his agent.
The agent, quick-witted, loudly declared, "Dong Xi, today was merely a trial lecture. We'll have another tomorrow, a formal presentation with a full online broadcast!"
Dong Xi's eyes lit up at this. With a live broadcast, he no longer worried about a lack of audience.
His fans, though unable to gain entry to Shanghang Art School, could certainly access a livestream, couldn't they?
Furthermore, online traffic and comments could be artificially generated. He would instruct his agent to spend a significant sum to inflate the numbers, creating another opportunity to boost his fame.
Finally finding a way out, Dong Xi immediately adopted a confident demeanor and returned to the podium, launching into an incredibly awkward stand-up comedy routine.
Just three minutes into his performance, Long Feicheng pulled Yan Shouyi outside for a cigarette. With so few people present, there was no need for them to maintain order.
The two squatted on the steps behind the auditorium's back door, puffing on their cigarettes. Long Feicheng remained displeased with Dong Xi:
"I can't stand thinking about how this guy got away with murder and is still parading around so gloriously."
"His glory won't last much longer," Yan Shouyi replied. "What I find more puzzling is why Dong Xi not only killed but also used that specific dagger."
"The dagger? You mean the one that pierced the ghost infant's head?" Long Feicheng asked, puzzled.
Yan Shouyi nodded.
According to Brother Wei's earlier account, when he and the counselor first entered the girls' dormitory, they saw a dagger wrapped in a piece of talismans paper piercing a female student's abdomen.
This was clearly no accidental act.
It was likely this very dagger that prevented the female ghost and the ghost infant from leaving the dormitory.
"I know many techniques that involve wrapping talismans around weapons, and many of them are harmful. But I'm not sure which method Dong Xi used. If only we could find the dagger from that time," Yan Shouyi murmured.
Long Feicheng also expressed his frustration, "Brother Wei has vanished somewhere. Otherwise, we could ask him."
As they pondered their predicament, two figures suddenly appeared before them. Yan Shouyi looked up, his gaze met by a pair of strikingly long legs.
"Weren't you supposed to be taking an exam? What are you doing here?" Yan Shouyi asked, his tone laced with annoyance.
Lin Zhitong snorted, gave Long Feicheng a look that sent him scurrying aside, and then sat down next to Yan Shouyi. "The exam is over, and I had nothing else to do, so I brought Caiwei here to find you."
"Hello, Miss Caiwei!" Long Feicheng greeted Lu Caiwei, his demeanor as eager as a lovesick puppy.
Lu Caiwei was no stranger to handsome and talented men, but Long Feicheng had protected her that night, earning her admiration. She rummaged through her backpack and pulled out a lollipop. "Here, thank you for saving me last time."
Long Feicheng's hands trembled in disbelief. "Is, is this for me? Are you sure?"
"You don't want it? Then I'll give it to someone else!"
"No, no, no, I want it, I want it, I want it!"
Long Feicheng eagerly accepted the lollipop, tears of joy streaming down his face. "This is the first time since I was a child that a girl has given me anything!"
Yan Shouyi and Lin Zhitong sighed. While Lu Caiwei appeared to be an innocent little loli on the surface, she was actually a master manipulator of emotions, earning her the nickname "Otaku Killer."
Despite his gaunt frame, Long Feicheng was already showing signs of becoming an otaku.
It seemed the world was about to gain another pathetic devoted follower.
Long Feicheng, clutching the lollipop, seemed to recall something and quickly said to Lin Zhitong, "Sister-in-law, we just got some explosive news. Dong Xi's real name is Dong Ye, and he's the killer from five years ago!"
"What?!" Lin Zhitong and Lu Caiwei exclaimed in unison, disbelief etched on their faces.
While they disliked Dong Xi as a celebrity, they never imagined he would be a murderer.
Yan Shouyi cast a reproachful glance at Long Feicheng. He had initially intended to keep this matter from Lin Zhitong, or rather, to keep her out of it.
But since the secret was out, there was nothing he could do. Yan Shouyi could only say,
"Besides Dong Xi, there were two others involved in the murder of the female ghost and the ghost infant. We can report Dong Xi to the authorities at any time, and I'm sure Officer Xia Zhi can apprehend him. However, he might not reveal the identities of the other two... If we could see the dagger used in the crime, I might be able to deduce the background of the other two."
Lin Zhitong frowned. "Can't you use the Six Ren Shenshu to calculate it?"
"It's not that simple. If Dong Xi's accomplices are also from the Xuanmen, and possess profound cultivation, attempting to pry information from them would result in backlash," Yan Shouyi explained.
Lu Caiwei listened intently, her eyes sparkling.
In her eyes, Yan Shouyi and Lin Zhitong were a celestial couple, powerful cultivators battling evil, occasionally sparking romantic tension...
"It's just seeing the evidence from back then, what's so difficult? I can help you!" Lu Caiwei said between licks of her lollipop.
"You can?" Yan Shouyi looked at Lu Caiwei doubtfully.
Lin Zhitong smiled. "Caiwei's father is a high-ranking official in the Rongcheng police force. With her help in navigating the connections, just seeing the evidence shouldn't be a major problem."
Learning of Lu Caiwei's significant background, Yan Shouyi and Long Feicheng couldn't help but view the little loli with newfound respect.
Long Feicheng, in particular, a former street punk who deeply feared the police, now found himself interacting with the daughter of Rongcheng's top police official.
This left Long Feicheng uncertain about whether he should maintain a close relationship with Lu Caiwei.
"Don't worry, leave it to me!"
Lu Caiwei patted her modest chest and then went off to make a phone call. She soon received a reply, hung up, and turned to Yan Shouyi and the others. "Officer Xia Zhi will be here to pick us up shortly."
"Why did you call her?"
"Didn't you just mention her name? I thought you knew her well, so I asked my dad to send her over," Lu Caiwei said innocently.
Yan Shouyi smiled and sighed. However, involving Xia Zhi wasn't a mistake. Yan Shouyi was just worried that Xia Zhi might still be investigating Principal Tang's case and wouldn't have time for them.
He now understood that no one around Lin Zhitong was ordinary, and with their assistance, tasks became significantly simpler.
However, two lingering doubts remained unresolved in his heart, causing his attitude towards Lin Zhitong to fluctuate between warmth and coldness.
Yan Shouyi, having never been in a relationship, struggled to understand his own feelings and thoughts, unable to discern if he truly liked Lin Zhitong or was merely acting out of a sense of responsibility towards his childhood friend.
He looked at Lin Zhitong and realized her intentions were pure.
Regardless of whether he was warm or distant towards her, her gaze remained unwavering, showing no sign of faltering.
This made Yan Shouyi feel even more guilty.
...
Shortly thereafter, Xia Zhi arrived at the school entrance in her private car.
It was a black BMW sedan, fitting Xia Zhi's demeanor perfectly. Long Feicheng suddenly realized that Xia Zhi was also an incognito rich second-generation heir, but Yan Shouyi showed no surprise, having already discerned Xia Zhi's affluent background.
The four of them got into the car. As Xia Zhi drove, she asked curiously, "What new discoveries have you made? This time, you even alarmed our precinct chief, and he urgently instructed me to pick you up and take you to the evidence room."
Xia Zhi, of course, was unaware that Yan Shouyi and his companions had alarmed far more than just a precinct chief, but the top official of the entire Rongcheng police force.
However, she wasn't overly surprised, as while she didn't know Lu Caiwei, she was acquainted with Lin Zhitong, the eldest daughter of the Lin family.
Yan Shouyi replied, "We have indeed made some discoveries. I'll explain everything on the way."
On the road, Yan Shouyi informed Xia Zhi of their findings. Upon hearing them, Xia Zhi was so enraged that she nearly ran a red light.
"Damn it! One life lost, two lives taken, and the murderer is still walking free, posing as a star idol! I absolutely cannot tolerate this!" Xia Zhi cursed furiously.
Long Feicheng gripped the seatbelt with both hands. "Sister, please calm down and drive safely!"
To ensure his safety, Yan Shouyi had to employ the Six Ren Shenshu to divine the day's fortune. Finding it auspicious, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
It seemed there would be no car accident caused by Xia Zhi today.
Xia Zhi, having finally calmed down, suddenly thought of something and frowned. "But speaking of which, have you noticed that the Huang Song case and the girls' dormitory case share a commonality – the presence of Taoists?"
Her words caused a brief silence among the four in the car.
Lin Zhitong slowly said, "Are you implying that the person who kidnapped Huang Shihui, the accomplice who helped Dong Xi commit murder, and the Taoist who threatened the female ghost and ghost infant are all the same person?!"
"It's not impossible, is it?" Xia Zhi nodded.
Lu Caiwei, less astute than the others, simply felt they were engaged in a thrilling case-solving game, with the plot becoming increasingly complex and fascinating.
"Therefore, it is even more imperative for us to examine the murder weapon from that time."
Yan Shouyi took a deep breath, rested his hands behind his head, and closed his eyes, seemingly lost in thought.
Ten minutes later, they arrived at their destination. With Xia Zhi leading the way, they proceeded without any hindrance.
Upon reaching the evidence room, Xia Zhi's colleagues promptly retrieved the evidence box, but they cautioned that the items could only be examined on-site and could not be taken away.
With a sense of trepidation, Yan Shouyi opened the evidence box and began searching through it.
Suddenly, his movements stopped. He then slowly retrieved a dagger encased in an evidence bag.
The dagger was about three fingers long, with a blood groove at the tip. The hilt was wrapped in a yellow talisman, still bearing traces of brown bloodstains.
After obtaining permission, Yan Shouyi carefully opened the evidence bag and removed the talisman, unfolding it to examine it closely.
Long Feicheng squinted at it for a long time, finding nothing of consequence. "Brother Yan, did you figure anything out?"
Yan Shouyi sighed. "I can't tell. We Lu Ban descendants don't know everything."
Upon hearing this, Xia Zhi seemed somewhat disheartened. In her eyes, if even Yan Shouyi couldn't decipher it, then this lead was likely a dead end for them.
However, to everyone's surprise, Lin Zhitong suddenly exclaimed, "I recognize it."
"You recognize it?!"
Everyone turned back in surprise, noticing Lin Zhitong's face had turned somber and troubled.
Yan Shouyi instantly understood the reason for Lin Zhitong's expression. "This talisman... it's from the Lushan Sect?"
"Yes."
Lin Zhitong nodded heavily and explained, "This talisman is called the Yin Ming Suo Hun Fu, a talisman strictly forbidden by the Lushan Sect. Its purpose is to link the soul of the deceased with the fortune of the living. As long as the deceased's soul is nourished, the living's fortune will continuously rise. This technique is considered extremely wicked and unethical."
"So, Dong Xi used the ghost infant's soul to enhance his own fortune... Isn't that the same as raising a ghost child?!" Long Feicheng exclaimed angrily. "No wonder that effeminate guy is doing so well, that's the reason!"
In that moment, many pieces of the puzzle fell into place, and the truth began to emerge.
However, this was not good news for Lin Zhitong, who was a disciple of the Lushan Sect. It turned out someone within her own sect had committed such an evil deed!
"I'll tell my master immediately, and he can personally deal with the traitor within our ranks!" Lin Zhitong declared indignantly.
Yan Shouyi stopped her. "Don't rush. We are in the open, while they are in the shadows. If the Lushan Sect makes a grand show of capturing people, it will only alert them. Besides, that Taoist will appear tonight, so there's no need to act hastily."
Yan Shouyi's reasoning was sound. Lin Zhitong temporarily suppressed her urge to purge the sect, but she remained visibly agitated, her chest heaving.
Yan Shouyi placed the dagger back into its evidence bag, and the group slowly walked back. Yan Shouyi rubbed his chin and mused,
"So, the identities of two of the three people involved in the crime have been revealed. But who could this last person be?"
Long Feicheng rolled up his sleeves, revealing his virtually nonexistent biceps. "Don't think about it. Tonight, when we catch that wicked Taoist, I'll flick him… If he doesn't talk, I'll flick him to death!"