Xie Chongyang assumed his role as captain and dialed Xiao Tao’s number.
The phone rang for a full half-minute before she finally answered. On the other end, Xiao Tao’s voice was faint and weak. “Hello?”
Xie Chongyang could not help but check his phone to confirm the connection before speaking. “Xiao Tao, is it convenient for you to head straight to the city bureau now? We need to use the system to find someone.”
Xiao Tao gave a low, quiet hum of agreement.
“You can use any of the computers on the desks. I will send you the current data in a bit,” Xie Chongyang added. “If you run into any trouble, look for Jiang Ding in the Major Crimes Unit. She will definitely help you out.”
“Okay,” Xiao Tao responded again, waiting for him to hang up first.
Xie Chongyang put down his phone and scratched his head. “Why is she back to being like this?”
Their previous chat had seemed normal; he thought they were finally getting comfortable with each other.
“It is normal,” Cui Renwang said, accustomed to her behavior. “If it is not an urgent matter, you are better off messaging her. She is afraid of answering calls, but she usually replies to messages in seconds.”
“Oh.” Xie Chongyang tried to wrap his head around his team member’s personality. “Is she one of those people with a massive difference between their online and real-life personalities?”
Cui Renwang smiled. “Yes.”
Xie Chongyang frowned. “In person, how long will it take for her to get comfortable with me?”
“Well,” Cui Renwang thought seriously for a moment. “In about three months, she should be able to answer your calls normally.”
Xie Chongyang gasped. “Three months?”
Cui Renwang laughed again.
Xie Chongyang caught on. “Are you pulling my leg?”
“No, that part is true.” Cui Renwang looked out the window as the car pulled into the parking lot of the nearest City God Temple. The sun had completely set.
The City God Temple protects a city. Most are dedicated to local celebrities or heroes who serve as guardian deities and hold official positions in the Underworld. Because district boundaries in ancient times were different from today, a single city often contains more than one City God Temple.
By a strange twist of fate, the one Xie Chongyang had brought him to was the largest of them all.
As Cui Renwang got out of the car, the temple plaque loomed ahead. The three ghosts began to tremble violently.
This temple was located in a busy district near a pedestrian street. Since the sun had just gone down, street vendors were arriving and setting up their stalls. The mundane atmosphere of the marketplace surrounded the temple, creating a strangely peaceful feeling.
Just as Cui Renwang was about to enter, the plastic bag in his hand was suddenly tugged.
The gap-toothed little ghost wailed, “I want to be with my mother!”
The old ghost in the melon-skin cap hurriedly coaxed him, “She will come. The Great Lord will find her!” While he spoke, he stole glances at Cui Renwang’s expression.
Cui Renwang was somewhat surprised that a ghost would attempt emotional blackmail on someone like him. He clearly had a face that looked indifferent and cold. He was not like Xie Chongyang, who looked helpful and righteous at a glance.
But the little ghost was crying so hard it was grating on the ears.
Cui Renwang could not help but think that he had never cried so desperately as a child. Perhaps he had known even then that no one would come to comfort him.
Xie Chongyang stepped out of the car a pace behind him and noticed Cui Renwang staring at the plastic bag. Cui often displayed a sense of detached coldness toward the world.
Xie frowned, grabbed Cui Renwang’s shoulder, and gave him a light shake. “What are we doing here?”
This temple was in a prime location and was quite popular. Beyond the local vendors seeking good luck, many tourists from the snack street would stop by to offer a quick prayer since they were already there.
Officer Xie had never prayed there, but he had visited the snack street before and even bought a City God Temple souvenir fridge magnet.
Cui Renwang’s somber mood was jarred by the shake. He lightly patted Xie Chongyang’s hand away and said, “We are handing these little ghosts over to the Underworld civil servants and then asking them to help find the four missing souls.”
In Cui Renwang’s eyes, the City God Temple was much more crowded than most people saw. Underworld messengers were coming and going, greeting each other as they prepared for their shift.
“What?” Xie Chongyang asked with a hint of shock, this being his first time handling a case at a temple. “We are asking for divine help?”
Cui Renwang had already walked inside, so Xie Chongyang had no choice but to follow him. He felt relieved that they were not in uniform; otherwise, he would have been quite embarrassed to walk in.
Cui Renwang already had a strong aura of yin energy. Carrying a bag with three ghosts and standing next to Xie Chongyang, who possessed exceptionally vibrant yang energy, he looked to the messengers like a man being escorted to the temple after being caught with three spirits.
Several messengers whispered to each other as they watched. Cui Renwang ignored them, bought some incense, and offered it according to Master Zhang’s instructions before reciting a prayer.
When he finished, he opened his eyes to find three fierce-looking messengers standing in front of him, enough to make any ghost cry.
Cui Renwang leaned back slightly and lifted the plastic bag. “Just these three.”
Considering how long they had been dead, these ghosts should have been reincarnated long ago. They had likely been trapped in that tomb due to some issue with the local feng shui.
If Master Zhang were here, he would have performed a ritual to send them off. Cui Renwang’s usual method would have been to toss them over the temple wall on a dark, windy night; the temple officials would have dealt with them regardless.
This was a middle ground: no ritual, but he would at least notify the messengers.
The messenger on the left observed, “Ghosts from this era, still around? That is a rare find.”
The gap-toothed little ghost wailed again, “I want my mother! I am not leaving! I want to wait for her!”
The middle messenger advised, “Stop crying. Your mother is not here. The living and the dead are separated, and your time together has ended. You cannot expect her to come down and stay with you, can you?”
Cui Renwang cleared his throat. “That is not quite it. His mother is also dead, but she is currently possessing someone and her whereabouts are unknown. I would like to ask for your help in finding her.” He paused before adding, “Four living souls are also missing. Please help with those as well.”
The three messengers turned their heads in unison to look at him. The messenger on the right clicked his tongue. “Goodness, this one is actually alive. I almost mistook him for a ghost.”
“His third eye is open, and his fate is extremely yin. That is even rarer,” the left messenger said, sizing him up. “It is not easy for someone like you to grow up safely.”
“Let me see.” The middle messenger leaned in. “Kid, do you have a master? Have you practiced any cultivation?”
Cui Renwang remained silent. He pulled out several silver foil ingots, offered them up, and said, “This is an urgent matter. Please help.” He lit the ingots, glanced at the gap-toothed ghost, and lowered his gaze. “Also, if you happen to find them, let him go with his mother.”
The messengers took the ingots, and their expressions softened. “Consider it done. Wait for good news. Once we find those living souls, we will come find you.”
The messenger flicked the chains in his hand, hooking the ghosts in a line behind him. They then passed through the wall and vanished.
Xie Chongyang only saw Cui Renwang offering incense, speaking to thin air, and burning some paper ingots. He knitted his brows in concern.
Suddenly, a gust of cold wind blew through, sending the ashes of the ingots spiraling into the air. Cui Renwang looked up slightly, his gaze fixed on something invisible.
Xie Chongyang stared at him and spoke tentatively. “Have you ever heard of a serial killer abroad known as the Judge?”
Cui Renwang turned around. “No.”
Xie Chongyang continued, “His methods were different every time, so at first, the police could not confirm the crimes were committed by the same person. It was only later that they found a common link: all the victims had committed crimes to varying degrees, and their deaths corresponded to the sins they had committed.”
Cui Renwang did not understand why he was bringing this up but listened patiently.
“After the police arrested him, they could not complete the chain of evidence,” Xie Chongyang said, staring at Cui Renwang. “Because no one knew how the killer found out about the victims’ past crimes. The killer himself insisted that everyone’s sins were plain to see. He said a criminal walking among people was as obvious as a demon among a flock of innocent sheep. He asked why the police let demons walk the earth, forcing him to pass judgment himself.”
Cui Renwang looked thoughtful. In a corner invisible to Xie Chongyang, several messengers had gathered behind him, listening with great interest.
Cui Renwang asked, “What happened next? Did they complete the evidence chain? Or did they find out he really was a reincarnated angel?”
“They eventually discovered the prisoner suffered from severe encephalitis,” Xie Chongyang said, rubbing his nose. “No one could know how his abnormal brain allowed him to view the world, or if he truly saw the sin on everyone.”
Cui Renwang let out a laugh. “If I have to choose between being a madman or a patient, I would rather you consider me a madman.”
“That is not what I meant.” Xie Chongyang frowned. “I wanted to say that I believe you.”
Cui Renwang was genuinely surprised. “What?”
“I believe you are truly looking for clues and working hard for the case,” Xie Chongyang said, looking at him earnestly. “You did not bring me here just to put on a show or act mysterious. I believe you, but I also believe in science.”
Cui Renwang tried to follow his logic. “So what you are saying is that you believe in both science and me, and the reasonable explanation you have reached is that there is something wrong with my brain?”
“Not necessarily a disease; you might just be special by nature,” Xie Chongyang analyzed seriously. “Perhaps the world everyone sees is different.”
Cui Renwang raised an eyebrow. “Then do you believe I can see ghosts?”
“Not ghosts,” Xie Chongyang said with a serious expression. “Perhaps you can smell a specific scent, or perhaps you can receive wave frequencies that are different from normal people. Regardless, there should be a scientific explanation for it. If it cannot be explained now, it is just because science has not advanced far enough.”
Cui Renwang replied, “Discussing this inside a City God Temple proves you truly do not believe in the supernatural.”
“Hmm?” Xie Chongyang was puzzled. “Does the location matter?”
“Not to you,” Cui Renwang said. “Let us go.”
“Oh.” Xie Chongyang followed him. “By the way, the city bureau has regular medical checkups. Just in case, you should still,”
“If there is really something wrong with my brain, then what about Old Zhang and Xiao Tao?” Cui Renwang asked. “Are all three of our brains broken in the same way?” After he said it, he found he could accept the idea. “Fine, the three of us are fellow patients.”
Xie Chongyang asked, “Do I not count?”
Cui Renwang was surprised. “You are a normal person.”
“I am not saying you are sick,” Xie Chongyang said, his habit of staring into people’s eyes becoming apparent. “But for the sake of argument, can a normal person not be a fellow patient with you? In name, I am your captain; you cannot leave me out.”
Cui Renwang replied, “Fine. You can be the head patient.”
Xie Chongyang seemed quite satisfied with that. He smiled and pointed toward the pedestrian street. “Let us go buy something to eat.”