The Mystery of the Inner Demon

Chapter 310 Rental House

Wu Xingzhou's room was very clean, even spotless.

"Has this been cleaned up?" Qi Fei wondered, worried that Wu Chongyue and his wife might have deliberately cleaned Wu Xingzhou's bedroom to destroy evidence.

However, both of them vehemently denied it.

Zhu Haitang said, "This child's room used to be a mess, but it suddenly changed this year for some reason. It's now very clean and tidy. I don't know why."

“There must be a reason why a person’s habits suddenly change, right?” Wu Shanqiu said.

“That’s just how my brother is, he’s good one minute and bad the next. I remember he was pretty well-behaved when he was little, but he became more and more disobedient when he went to middle school,” Wu Xingyang muttered.

"Hey, hey, the person's already gone, so don't say anything more," Zhu Haitang said to Wu Xingyang.

Qi Fei observed the three people back and forth, finding it strange that they seemed so cautious about what each other was saying, as if the other had let something slip. But what exactly were they worried about? Qi Fei didn't know.

He examined every nook and cranny of Wu Xingzhou's bedroom and found that the room was not just clean, it was too clean; he couldn't even find a single hair.

He turned to look at the three members of the Wu family with some suspicion, and asked again, "You really didn't clean this room? I bet you even wiped away the fingerprints."

All three shook their heads in unison, with Wu Chongyue appearing particularly agitated: "How long are you going to doubt us? There's an old saying that even tigers don't eat their cubs, how could we possibly harm our own son!"

"Ah, they suspect we killed Xingzhou! Lao Yue, you have to talk to them and tell them we're innocent and didn't do anything!" Zhu Haitang finally realized.

"Don't worry, wife. If we're upright, we have nothing to fear. We haven't done anything wrong, so we're not afraid of the police investigating!" Wu Chongyue said, standing tall and proud, looking completely innocent.

"According to what you're saying, why did you expel Wu Shulan from the clan?" Cai Ding asked directly.

Upon hearing the name "Wu Shulan," Wu Chongyue subconsciously frowned, then said, "Expelling someone from the clan isn't something I can decide alone; it's a unanimous decision. She told you she was expelled because of my son? Ridiculous! Does she even know what she's done?!"

"Hmm? Then you'd better tell us, lest we wrongly accuse you." Wu Shanqiu asked immediately, her words sharp and quick.

Wu Chongyue waved his hand and said, "This is a matter within our clan. It has nothing to do with my son. I don't need to tell you!"

“If you want to investigate my brother’s death, you can go and check out that rented house. If someone really killed my brother, it was those guys in the rented house,” Wu Xingyang suggested from the side, successfully changing the subject.

Qi Fei scanned the three people in front of him, wondering what their motives were that made them so united.

"How we investigate is none of your concern," Qi Fei replied coldly, then turned to Wu Chongyue and said, "I think Wu Shulan is more than just afraid of you. I have reason to believe that you have intimidated her."

Just then, the sound of dogs barking came from downstairs again, followed by a loud banging on the iron gate. It seemed that they weren't the only ones visiting the Wu family today. Wu Chongyue hurriedly went downstairs and opened the door. A man about his age walked in holding a crumpled piece of paper.

"Eldest brother, what do you think of this timing for the succession of the eldest grandson? I consulted a fortune teller, and it's an auspicious day. If you think it's feasible, I'll go and discuss it with the clan relatives." The man pointed to the contents of the paper and said to Wu Chongyue as soon as he came up.

Wu Chongyue looked troubled. The man looked up and saw Cai Ding, and blurted out, "Oh, there are police here. Hasn't the Xingzhou matter been settled yet?"

Wu Shanqiu's curiosity was piqued, and she approached the two old men to ask, "Who is this new eldest grandson?"

"Look, our Xingyang, he's the eldest son who started having children early, two in three years. Xingyang is also the oldest among the grandchildren in the clan." The man praised him, but Wu Chongyue's face turned red and white in turns.

“We’ll discuss this later.” Wu Chongyue quickly ended the conversation and said to Qi Fei and the others with unusual enthusiasm, “I’ll take you to the place Xingzhou rented.”

The group once again walked along the village road through the fields. In Sanwu Town, most roads are only accessible on foot, and everything slows down, giving Qi Fei the illusion of traveling through time every time he returns.

The fields receded behind them, and the quaint old houses and cobblestone streets of Sanwu Town reappeared before their eyes. Wu Chongyue led them through the streets and alleys, finally arriving at the house rented by Wu Xingzhou.

Unlike the luxurious self-built house of the Wu family that rose from the ground in the fields, this rental house was just a temporary room partitioned off from the courtyard of a private residence.

Most people in the town knew Wu Chongyue, and the landlord was no exception. When Wu Chongyue called out to him, the landlord hurriedly came out with his keys and opened the door.

When the door opened, a strange smell wafted out, but it was different from the paint smell Wu Xingyang had described. This smell wasn't pungent. Qi Fei peeked into the room and realized what the smell was.

The room was filled with sculptures, oil paintings, and some abstract installations that I couldn't understand. The smell was coming from the paint.

The room wasn't very big to begin with, and with all this stuff piled up, there was barely any room to step. The messy room the Wu family was talking about should really look like this house.

"Wu Xingzhou, Gold Medalist in the National Youth Oil Painting Competition." Wu Shanqiu stood on tiptoe, looking at the base of a trophy placed high up, and read it aloud.

Qi Fei then looked at the seemingly miscellaneous drawing boards and sculptures. He didn't necessarily understand their styles, but he could tell they were works created by talented individuals. Soon, his gaze fell on one of the unfinished works: a self-portrait of Wu Xingzhou. In the portrait, he turned his head to look beyond the frame, as if making eye contact with the viewer. Unlike the black-and-white portrait of him after his death, the Wu Xingzhou in the portrait, bathed in light and shadow, had a melancholic and profound gaze, but no trace of rebellion could be seen.

Qi Fei reached out and touched the dust on the workbench, then glanced at the withered potted plant on the windowsill and asked the landlord, "Has Wu Xingzhou not been here for a while?"

The landlord stood by the door, waving a large bunch of keys in his hand, and said, "Let me make this clear first, that kid wasn't here the night he had the accident. No one has been here for over a month. If this hadn't happened, I would have already asked my older brother to move all my things to his place."

He was speaking to Wu Chongyue, so there was no need to ask, this highly respected elder brother was indeed Wu Chongyue.

Just then, a soft voice came from outside: "Who are you? Why did you barge in without saying hello?"