The Mystery of the Inner Demon

Chapter 308 Suburban Villa
"Can we take this Shiva statue with us?" Cai Ding asked cautiously.

Zhong Kui raised an eyebrow: "I already said, wasn't this reserved for you guys?"

"What if Wu Chongyue and the others find the statue is gone tomorrow?" Cai Ding asked worriedly.

"Haha." Zhong Kui suddenly laughed. "You're probably the only one in the entire Sanwu Town who takes this statue seriously. Wu Chongyue and the others are just putting on an act for their clansmen. Wu Xingzhou, the eldest grandson, died mysteriously, and now it can all be attributed to disrespect for the gods. No one will delve into the secular reasons anymore."

They spent the money, achieved their goal, but do they really think they'll come back to worship them?

Cai Ding nodded slightly and muttered, "What you said makes sense."

"Alright, you've got what you wanted. Let's all go our separate ways. Don't say I'm in cahoots with you. This great immortal only associates with ghosts and gods, not with the police." Zhong Kui yawned lazily, and he and Granny Meng gracefully left the Wong Tai Sin Temple in the dead of night, disappearing into the misty cobblestone streets.

Cai Ding stared at the spot where they had disappeared, muttering, "Does she really have psychic abilities?"

"Ha, another one who's been fooled," Wu Shanqiu laughed from the side. "Who was it that said they were materialists earlier?"

"However, this Zhong Kui is really different from everyone I've ever met; she doesn't seem like a real person at all."

Cai Ding's words made Qi Fei take a second look at him. Indeed, in a sense, Zhong Kui was not a real person.

Qi Fei reached out and patted Cai Ding on the back: "Don't think about it anymore, focus on investigating the case, and go meet Wu Chongyue's family tomorrow."

"Huh? When was it done?" Wu Shanqiu suddenly asked in surprise.

Following her direction, the other two saw that the Shiva statue had been sealed in a wooden box with a seal on it. The words on the seal were crooked and illegible, but Qi Fei remembered the style of the words; they were Sanskrit that had appeared in the "Demon Mirror Case."
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Early the next morning, Cai Ding led Qi Fei and Wu Shanqiu towards the outskirts of Sanwu Town. The houses on both sides became increasingly sparse, gradually turning into vast fields. After autumn, the rice was ripe, and golden fields rippled in the morning sun, creating a beautiful sight.

"Isn't this Wu Chongyue the eldest brother of the Wu family's main branch? Why doesn't he live in town?" Wu Shanqiu asked, brushing her wind-blown hair aside.

"I've heard about this from my senior colleagues. Wu Chongyue's ancestral home was indeed in Sanwu Town, but when the family property was divided, Wu Chongyue generously gave his share of the house to his poorest third brother. He bought another piece of land and built a house there."

This matter was widely known within the Wu family, which gave Wu Chongyue a high level of prestige within the family.

Oh, speaking of which, Wu Xingzhou was born not long after the house was built. Everyone says it's because he's generous and kind, and good deeds are rewarded.

As they were talking, a row of houses with green tiles and white walls appeared in front of them, standing out conspicuously in the fields. It looked like the houses that Wu Chongyue had built back then.

"Looking at a mountain makes you feel like you're running yourself ragged," as the saying goes. The house seemed right in front of them, but it still took the three of them twenty minutes to walk there.

It was clear that the house had been built for quite some time; the iron gate to the yard was mottled and rusty. Before they could even knock, the sound of dogs barking came from inside the wall.

"Who is it?" a young man's voice called out. Through the openwork fence under the iron gate, they saw a person wearing slippers walking towards the gate with a clatter. The iron gate swung open with a "bang," and a young man in his early twenties appeared before them, wearing a plaid pajama set. His permed and dyed hair was flattened on one side, as if he had just woken up and hadn't washed up yet.

Before the three men could explain their purpose, he saw Cai Ding's uniform and immediately turned around and shouted, "Mom and Dad, the police are here to see you again." His words revealed a hint of impatience.

"You are Wu Xingzhou's younger brother, Wu Xingyang?" Cai Ding immediately realized.

Wu Xingyang raised his chin and said, "Yes, I am Wu Xingyang. My brother is dead, so don't mention him. It's bad luck."

These words left Qi Fei and Wu Shanqiu exchanging bewildered glances. It seemed that the younger brother did not show much respect to his older brother.

The sound of slippers came from inside again, and a robust elderly man and woman rushed out hurriedly.

The man's hairline had receded to the top of his head, and a ring of gray hair was stuck to his scalp like a brush, creating a stark contrast with his dark skin. He looked like Wu Chongyue. The woman next to him, Zhu Haitang, was fair-skinned and plump, clearly a pampered rich woman.

Wu Chongyue immediately pulled Wu Xingyang behind him and said, "Don't get involved in this. Go back and have breakfast!"

He spoke in a domineering tone, but it was obvious to everyone that he was protective of his son and didn't want Wu Xingyang to face the police.

Based on Cai Ding's previous account, Qi Fei thought he would have to spend a lot of time arguing with Wu Chongyue today. Unexpectedly, Wu Chongyue's attitude wasn't bad. Upon seeing Cai Ding, he took the initiative to say, "Officer Cai, we became friends after a fight. I was too rash that day. I apologize to you first."

Cai Ding was also a little confused by his attitude, and after a moment of hesitation, he said, "I'm not here today to ask you to apologize. These two are Qi Fei and Wu Shanqiu from the Criminal Investigation Brigade of the Nancheng City Public Security Bureau. They want to ask you about the situation before Wu Xingzhou's incident."

As soon as Cai Dinggang finished speaking, Zhu Haitang couldn't hold back any longer and blurted out, "He's gone, let him rest in peace. We, as his parents, don't want to pursue this anymore, so why are you still holding on?"

Cai Ding insisted on his principles, saying, "We have a responsibility to thoroughly investigate any unnatural death in Sanwu Town."

“We’ve already asked the shaman. It’s because Xingzhou was ignorant and brought a deity from outside without properly settling him in. This is divine punishment, he’s been punished by heaven!” Zhu Haitang became agitated. Wu Chongyue, who was standing to the side, grabbed Zhu Haitang’s arm with his large hand and whispered, “Don’t say anything more. Let’s go inside. I’ll talk to the police here.”

Zhu Haitang listened and went back into the house, looking back every few steps.

Wu Chongyue looked at the three people in front of him and put on a righteous and awe-inspiring appearance: "I know you think my son's death was suspicious, but that's because you don't know my son's physical condition. He was weak and sickly since he was a child, and he was also timid. The fortune teller once said that he would not live past the age of thirty. At that time, we did not believe it, but now we think it was all fate."

Xingzhou was not only my son, but also the eldest grandson of the Wu family's main branch. His sudden passing has pained me more than anyone else. However, the dead cannot be brought back to life, and we don't want the clan to feel that our family has suffered a misfortune. Our family has always been the leading branch of the Wu family, and prestige is very important to us.”

"Prestige?" Qi Fei couldn't understand. "Is prestige more important than human lives?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the dogs in the yard started barking wildly again.