Detective: Open your eyes, I am handcuffed in the interrogation room.

Chapter 498 Major Discovery of Economic Investigation
This case was most likely a revenge killing, and Chen Yi was looking for answers based on the judgment of a punishment ritual, but he did not expect to come to the conclusion of prolonging his life.

He understood that this must be a legend and had no scientific basis.

Well, thinking from the perspective of legend and common sense, no matter what the specific process of this "Taoism" is, there is no need to find four people who know each other, right?
They are not related by blood, their ages are different, and their zodiac signs have nothing to do with each other. They are just of the same gender.

The commonality is the same gender? It can't be such a coincidence.

Or do the four victims have some special unique characteristics that outsiders are unknown?

For now, let’s listen to what Taoist Xuan Lingzi has to say.

Xuan Lingzi's movements were a bit slow, and the two waited for about ten minutes. Maybe it was difficult to find, because when he left the house and returned to the yard, he had an ancient book in his hand.

The surface of the book has turned yellow, and I don’t know how many years it has been there.

Xuan Lingzi sat down, flipped through the pages quickly based on his memory, and stopped at one page.

"Here, please look, sir." He handed it over.

Chen Yi took it and browsed the contents of the book with Fang Shuyu.

There are several kinds of life-extending techniques in Taoist legends, such as the Seven-Star Lamp Life-Extending Method, the Southern Dipper Worship Life-Extending Method, the Planting Life-Extending Method, etc. Chen Yi's eyes quickly scanned them and finally stopped at the last paragraph.

The four symbols prolong life.

After seeing the words "Four Symbols to Extend Life", Chen Yi no longer had any hope or doubts. The cause of death of Hao Zhenlun, Tu Xiangnan, Midli and Rao Jiawu was most likely due to this.

In other words, the murderer's motive was to prolong his life, which was even more outrageous than revenge punishment.

Fang Shuyu beside him subconsciously covered her mouth with her hands, her face full of disbelief. What era is this? How could there still be people doing this?

Chen Yi's eyes deepened as he read the implementation process carefully.

The language is concise and the record is not detailed, but it is very refined. Just a few dozen words clearly describe a shocking large-scale ceremony.

The keywords are: candle, symbol, essence and blood, absorption.

As for the choice of the object, it was not mentioned.

Chen Yi asked Xuan Lingzi, who said he didn't know either, and pointed out clearly that these were all fabricated legends, and would harm others and oneself in practice, and would not have any effect.

If you are sick, go see a doctor. If the doctor can’t help you, then your time is up.

In addition, Xuan Lingzi also said that Taoism emphasizes self-cultivation and adapting to nature in order to achieve physical and mental health and spiritual sublimation. The key point is the laws of nature.

The so-called life-extending technique violates the laws of nature and has no scientific basis. It is a very backward and unorthodox concept.

It can be seen that Xuan Lingzi has very positive values. He is a serious modern Taoist priest who doesn't talk nonsense.

"Master, has anyone else come to ask this?" Chen Yi closed the book.

Xuan Lingzi: “No.”

Chen Yi: "Then... has anyone else read this book?"

Xuan Lingzi: “Neither.”

Seeing this, Chen Yi thought for a moment and asked again: "Is this book a unique copy? If others knew about the Four Symbols Life Extension, what channels would they use to find out?"

Xuan Lingzi smiled slightly: "It is not a unique copy. There are many Taoists like me in the world. Since I have this book, they may also have it. Since I can understand the extension of life, they may also understand it."

Chen Yi nodded slightly, understanding what Xuan Lingzi meant.

Do I have to look for all the Taoists in the entire Yunzhou?

Moreover... the person who knows the inside story or is involved in the case is not necessarily a Taoist priest. Don’t Fang Shuyu and I know that now?

It's not like looking for a needle in a haystack. After all, this needle is very special and has a strong recognition.

"Do you have any friends who know something about this? I'd like to learn more about them." Chen Yi said.

Xuan Lingzi shook his head: "No, I have been with the same person for many years. Even those who know me don't know my name."

Chen Yi stopped asking questions. Knowing the inside story of the crime scene was already an unexpected gain, which pointed out the direction for the next investigation.

The first person that comes to mind is definitely Jiang Mingfu.

Previously, because of Jiang Mingfu's excessive emphasis on the bracelet and Jiang Yanyan's illness, he had already had some doubts about Jiang Mingfu.

It's just a suspicion and can't prove anything, but now it involves Taoist life-extending, there is reason to speculate: Jiang Mingfu is treating Jiang Yanyan.

But there is a problem.

The so-called life extension is pure fiction. If the speculation is true, how did Jiang Yanyan get better? It's very strange. It shouldn't work.

bracelet……

Thinking of this, Chen Yi and Xuan Lingzi talked about the "absorption" of the Four Symbols to prolong life.

Xuan Lingzi knew more than Chen Yi. Even if he didn't understand the Four Symbols Life-Extending Technique, he could still use the Taoist knowledge he had mastered to analyze it.

He first raised the essence and blood in his forehead.

The forehead is full and represents the sky. It is of course most suitable for people who are blessed with wealth and longevity.

There is no accurate answer to the specific signs of wealth and longevity. Generally speaking, as long as the body is full, square, round, and abundant, it means wealth and longevity. It can also be said to be wealthy.

A little thinner, taller and thicker.

Chen Yi recalled the appearance of the four victims, which did not match at all and was wrong.

"What about gender?"

"Men are best, as they have stronger yang energy."

"What about your age?"

"The younger you are when you become an adult, the better. In theory, eighteen is best."

In an unfamiliar field, he believed Xuan Lingzi's words more, that is, the crime scene corresponded to the Four Symbols of Life Extension, but the perpetrator did not match it.

Except for gender, nothing is right.

Three possibilities.

First, you got it wrong, the direction is wrong, this is not the Four Symbols to prolong life.

Second, the people who did it don’t understand.

Third, the person who took action was cheated.

Chen Yi tried to analyze which possibility was the greatest and found it difficult to judge. The biggest reason was that the victims knew each other.

It would be more reasonable if we were strangers to each other.

The new clues seem to make the case even stranger.

"We still cannot rule out revenge killings, and we must not ignore the motives of revenge killings."

Chen Yi reminded himself and recited it silently.

"What did the layman say?" Xuan Lingzi didn't hear clearly.

Chen Yi looked up and smiled, "It's okay, I was just talking to myself, Taoist priest, please continue."

"Okay." Xuan Lingzi picked up the wooden cup and took a sip of water. "As for the method of absorbing external objects, our Taoism emphasizes the unity of man and nature..."

Chen Yi listened carefully.

The first is to gather qi. Taoists believe that everything has a "field". Through specific methods, one can integrate the aura of the surrounding people, things, and objects, so that one's own aura and internal energy will continue to increase.

Xuan Lingzi gave an example, such as facing a tree, a stone, or a living thing, with a sincere and respectful heart and taking it as a teacher, and relaxing the body and calming the mind, one can feel the qi of the thing automatically entering the body. It's a bit mysterious.

Chen Yi could only believe half of what Xuan Lingzi said. It might also be that he did not fully understand what Xuan Lingzi wanted to express.

He picked out the key points.

thing?
Isn’t Jiang Yanyan’s bracelet an object?
The second is to practice inner alchemy, which is one of the important methods of Taoist health preservation.

It is not about refining pills, but refining pills inside the body, just like the pill formation in fantasy novels.

A breathing technique was used here. Chen Yi moved on after listening to it and felt it was even more mysterious.

After that, there are also things like cultivating both body and spirit, adapting to nature, etc., which are of little use to Chen Yi. He is more interested in "gathering qi".

"Master, if what was absorbed was the bracelet, how should I apply the Four Symbols to prolong my life?" Chen Yi fixed the framework and asked for advice humbly.

Xuan Lingzi was puzzled: "Bracelet?"

Chen Yi added two words: "Jade bracelet."

"Jadeite..." Xuan Lingzi pondered for a moment and said, "Jade is regarded as a symbol of good health. It can be used. The method is also very simple. Just soak it in the blood essence or blend it into the blood essence."

泡？
融？
Chen Yi did not find any suspicious elements on the surface or inside of the bracelet.

But he took note of Xuan Lingzi's words, because maybe he didn't look carefully, or the amount was so small that it was difficult to see with the naked eye.

Is this what makes it special?

Do you want to test it with a machine?
This kind of suspicion has gone beyond the scope of what normal people can understand, but this case has its own bizarre nature, so investigation and reasoning thinking must also be flexible.

The murderer is crazy, so you have to be more crazy than him and put yourself in his shoes.

At this point in the investigation, it can be said that there is a high possibility that the two cases are related.

The truth seems to be getting closer, yet it seems to be still very far away.

Now we need a detailed clue to confirm a certain speculation.

This is very difficult. If it wasn't difficult, he wouldn't have come to Yunzhou and would have failed long ago.

"When I left Mingcheng for the first time, Jiang Mingfu specifically blocked the door of the provincial department and asked me to investigate the theft case first. Judging from Jiang Mingfu's behavior of calling someone to take the bracelet away, he really values ​​this bracelet, but..."

"Perhaps there is another reason that prevents me from coming to Ruicheng to investigate the murder case?"

When you start to doubt someone, all of their actions seem to be worthy of scrutiny.

There is still a blank in front of us right now, and we need to find a way to tear open a gap.

After thanking Xuan Lingzi, Chen Yi and Fang Shuyu set off.

Peace returned to here again, with only one person, one house, and the world.

"You suspect Jiang Mingfu? Is it such a coincidence?" On the way down the mountain, Fang Shuyu was surprised when he learned of Chen Yi's thoughts.

Chen Yi corrected: "It's not a coincidence. If there was no bracelet theft, we wouldn't know about Jiang Mingfu, let alone suspect him. If the bracelet theft is linked to the Ruicheng serial murder case, everything is inevitable and can be explained."

Fang Shuyu recounted the course of events according to Chen Yi's speculation: "Jiang Yanyan had a strange disease that could not be cured, so Jiang Mingfu chose to use a life-extending technique to kill the four people in Ruicheng. That bracelet was an item for gathering energy, is that right?"

Chen Yi'e: "It's just a suspicion, but the process must be very complicated. Who did it? Who provided theoretical support for Jiang Mingfu? Why was the bracelet lost? What role did the Shilin siblings play in it? We need to figure these out."

Fang Shuyu's mind was originally clear, but it became confused again after hearing what Chen Yi said.

It's outrageous. Can this group of people really be connected? They are not even remotely related.

"You think it's unlikely that a rich man would know a few villagers, right?" Chen Yi glanced at Fang Shuyu.

Fang Shuyu nodded.

Chen Yi: "If the hypothesis is true, we can definitely get in touch. Anyway, we have no clues, so we can be bold. Do you remember Hao Ruofei?"

"I remember. How could I not remember this?" Fang Shuyu had a deep memory of Hao Ruofei's appearance and temperament.

Passing by a stream, Chen Yi picked up a stone and threw it into the water with all his strength. The smooth stone skipped seven or eight times and almost flew to the other side.

"Let's assume one more thing. Wasn't Hao Ruofei very secretive about Hao Zhenlun's biological father? Let's assume that this person is Jiang Mingfu."

Fang Shuyu was stunned by this: "So bold?"

Chen Yi smiled and said, "Didn't you say that this group of people can't be connected? I'm trying to find a way to connect them. Let's just chat."

Fang Shuyu didn't think about the possibility and asked, "Then...what about the Shilin siblings? How are they related?"

Chen Yi pointed his finger and said, "Use your brain, who are the Shi Lin siblings?"

Fang Shuyu: "Yuluo Village."

Chen Yi: "Where has Tu Xiangnan appeared?"

Fang Shuyu: "Outside Yuluo Village, Mengzhu Town... uh."

Yes, there is indeed a connection, and it is well-founded and credible, if we don't talk about coincidence.

Chen Yi said: "There are a lot of lines, right? As for the specific content of these lines, it is difficult to fill them in now."

Under Chen Yi's guidance, Fang Shuyu gradually regained clarity from the chaos. As long as he could determine one point, all the truth would come flooding in like a tide, no longer a mess of fragments.

However, there is also the possibility that everything will start over again. After all, it is just a guess. Especially since Jiang Yanyan's illness was actually cured, this is quite strange and does not conform to common sense.

After returning to Mengzhu Town, everyone set out overnight to return to Ruicheng. Chen Yi did not tell Liang Qidong his speculation in detail, but only mentioned the clues about the Four Symbols' life-extending ability.

This was a major breakthrough in the murder case and narrowed the scope of suspects.

Since it is about extending life, the suspect or his relatives must have suffered from an incurable serious illness.

It was already ten o'clock in the evening when we arrived in Ruicheng. We were about to rest, but then the Economic Investigation Bureau called.

There is some hope.

Putting down the phone, Liang Qidong turned around and said, "Captain Chen, my colleagues from the economic investigation department said they suspected Hao Zhenlun of money laundering. Time is limited, and the others are still under investigation."

"Money laundering?" This clue has caused another impact on the current investigation, but Chen Yi did not react much. After thinking for two seconds, he said: "In other words, there really was ill-gotten gains. Hao Zhenlun has problems, and the other three are afraid that they will not be able to escape."

This can explain why the four people suddenly succeeded.

Made a fortune.

Liang Qidong: "The possibility of revenge is getting bigger and bigger, but..."

He wanted to say that the Four Symbols prolong life.

Maybe there is no conflict? Since you are going to kill someone anyway, just kill your enemy and have the best of both worlds.

Chen Yi said: "Let's not consider other things for now, based on the actual clues, what means are used to launder money?"

Liang Qidong explained: "It should be jade, fictitious contracts and fake profits, turning fake profits into real funds."

Chen Yi nodded: "I understand."

Hao Zhenlun used to play with rough stones. Rough stones are like lottery tickets. It is very easy to launder money with them.

Take lottery for example. If you spend a large sum of money to buy someone else’s winning lottery ticket, the lottery ticket becomes yours, and the prize money also becomes yours. You don’t have to worry about being checked; it’s very safe.

Lottery tickets, like rough diamonds, are not registered with real names and belong to whoever gets them.

"Let the economic investigation team speed up and confirm the situation of the other three people." Chen Yi ordered.

Liang Qidong: “Yes!”

(End of this chapter)