American Zombie Detective

Qin Jin and Alessa went straight to Jason's home, located in a mid-to-high-end community in San Jose. It was clear that Jason's business was quite profitable, allowing his family to live a comfortable life.

A middle-aged woman opened the door, and Jason's son Mark was also there. Qin Jin showed his police badge to explain his purpose and entered the house smoothly.

Mark was initially hesitant, but under Qin Jin's seemingly casual yet subtly pressuring questioning, he eventually chose to tell the whole story.

"That shop... was mainly run by my father; we didn't know much about it," Mark recalled.

"Officer, the things you want to ask, my mother and I may not know at all..."

"Don't worry, Mark, I'm not the IRS or the FBI. All I care about is missing persons. As for the rest, even if they exist, I'll pretend I didn't see them."

Qin Jin first reassured them before asking:

"There's a traditional Chinese ink painting from the East, it seems to depict... mountains and gourds, do you know it?"

Mark's eyes flickered, and his Adam's apple bobbed, as if he wanted to shirk responsibility. Qin Jin immediately added:

"Hey Mark! I just said I only care about the case, so... I advise you to tell me now, otherwise—" He pulled out a pamphlet he'd found in the store:

"This thing will end up on the IRS desk!"

Mark and his mother were immediately stunned by what Qin Jin had in his hand. It was clear that they were very familiar with the specifics of the business at Jason's shop, but as for why they hadn't taken the ledger, perhaps they didn't know where it was hidden, or perhaps they were unaware that it existed. In any case, they didn't take it.

Mark paused for a moment, thought for a while, and then slowly nodded:

"The painting does exist, but it was sold before my father disappeared. It was sold to an unknown customer. I wasn't in the shop at the time, so I don't know the specifics, but I do know that it sold for a very high price."

"Hmm, that's not important. Do you remember the pattern in the painting?"

"It's... a mountain, and on the mountain there's an ancient building with a giant gourd at the entrance. It seems quite unique..."

Qin Jin took out the scroll sealing the Painted Skin Demon from his bag, tore off the talisman seal, and showed it to Mark.

Qin Jin was very familiar with this Eastern method of sealing and suppression, and he was well aware of the risks of breaking it, so he was not worried. However, the Painted Skin Ghost seemed to have exhausted its power and was very obedient inside, not moving at all.

"Is this this type of painting? Does it have a similar style?"

Mark leaned closer for a closer look and nodded affirmatively:

"Yes! Yes! That's it! The painting style is very similar. The one my father collected depicted a Taoist temple and gourds, while yours depicts a Buddhist temple and a tripod, but the feeling is... almost the same!"

He instinctively felt uneasy, and subconsciously sat up straight, leaning back slightly.

"Officer, is there something wrong with this painting? My father..."

"No problem! This involves another case!" Qin Jin quickly put it away, his face remaining expressionless.

"Thank you for your cooperation. This is very important to us. We will keep you informed as soon as there are any updates!"

After saying goodbye to the doubtful Jensen and his mother, Qin Jin took Alessa back to the car. His fingers tapped unconsciously on the steering wheel as he fell into deep thought.

He felt threatened the moment he first saw the painting!

After obtaining them, Qin Jin studied them in detail. According to his assessment, two of these scrolls could seal him in his current state, and four could seal Alessa in her prime. If he were to replenish his blood supply and regain his full strength...

He didn't know if the convergence of more reels would wipe him out as well.

Therefore, he needed to know the specific details of the scroll. Although it might not be used against him, it was better to be prepared. This was also the key to his survival for nearly a thousand years!

After thinking for a while, Qin Jin took out his phone and posted a status update on Xiaochengshu (Little Orange Book).

For something like this, just post it on the Chinese internet for help. There are many experts there, and you might find something.

I recently acquired an ancient painting (see hand-drawn illustration). It mainly depicts landscapes, temples, and a bronze tripod. I've heard similar paintings exist in other collectors, so I'd like to ask the experts: What is the provenance of this painting? How much is it worth? Does it have any special purpose or meaning?

After sending the message, Qin Jin didn't expect an immediate reply.

He took Alessa to the Blood Moon Bar in the west of the city and found another place to stay nearby.

Since Selena can live here, it means the bar must be a vampire's lair. If kidnapping is involved later, they will definitely need her help, and living here will reduce a lot of trouble.

Then, Qin Jin took Alessa for a stroll around San Jose, and they even sampled some of the local delicacies.

Although they cannot eat large amounts of ordinary food, and eating even a little too much will cause diarrhea similar to that in humans, this does not deter Qin Jin from insisting that they should only taste a few bites or chew without swallowing, thus completely avoiding this situation.

As evening approached, I opened Xiaochengshu again and, sure enough, there were some replies, most of them trivial. However, one private message from a user named "Xianyun Yehe" was quite detailed and persuasive:

"Based on your description, this thing looks a lot like Yuan Tiangang's 'Seven Stars Suppressing Evil Diagram,' which consists of seven diagrams: a bronze cauldron, a purple gourd, a black coffin, a seven-story pagoda, a Taishan stone, a Yin-Yang mirror, and a Five Elements Banner. Legend has it that it suppresses seven different kinds of evil spirits. However, the records about this thing are incomplete. All we know is that the bronze cauldron you drew contains the suppressed Qingqiu fox spirit, the gourd contains the painted-skin ghost, the black coffin contains the corpse demon... and that's all we know!"

After thinking for a moment, Qin Jin felt that what the other party said was probably true, so he added the other party as a friend without hesitation.

"This information is incredibly useful! Thank you! Could you please help me find out what's suppressed within the other four items? Please let me know as soon as you have any information!"

【闲云野鹤】 quickly agreed to the request and replied with "OK".

The main thread of the whole incident is now clear—

This set of paintings did indeed suppress certain evil monsters. The gourd contained the Painted Skin Demon, which Jason accidentally released and then possessed Mary, also known as Aureelle. As for Jason himself... he was most likely eaten.

Subsequently, the Painted Skin Demon fled to Los Angeles and infiltrated the human world, only to be discovered by Eli, who then notified the elders of Europe, who sent Selena to capture him.

During this time, Eli found another painting, which was the bronze cauldron that suppressed the fox spirit of Qingqiu. He used the sealing power of this painting to subdue the painted-skin demon.

This suggests that the fox spirit may have escaped!

Now that the source has been identified, Qin Jin decided not to cause any more trouble. The remaining task was to go to San Francisco and see if he could kidnap one or two members of the Tong family and bring them back to the Paper Bride.

After all, she was practically an ally, and Qin Jin planned to keep his promise since she might come in handy later.

San Francisco and San Jose are only 50 kilometers apart, which is very close, but Qin Jin still planned to bring Selena along before setting off. It would be a waste not to use a free henchman of this caliber, not to mention that he also had vampire subordinates at his disposal.

Qin Jin called Selena, and this time she answered quickly and her voice was very calm.

"What is it?"

"Would you like to know the origin of this scroll?" Qin Jin's voice was full of enticement:

"There's more than one of these scrolls, seven in total, each containing different things. The Painted Skin Demon is just one of them. I think Amelia might be interested."

Selena was silent for a few seconds. She had a general understanding of Qin Jin's personality, so she directly asked about his conditions:

What do I need to give in return?

"Simple!" Qin Jin didn't beat around the bush, speaking directly:

"I need to take care of some business in San Francisco. Could you kidnap someone to help me get it done?"

"I'm not going!" Selena's answer was equally simple and direct:

"Tomorrow is the appointed time. I'll take the painting and leave immediately. I'll report the painting to the elder, and he'll make the necessary arrangements."

"Since that's how you see it, then I'll take action tomorrow!" Qin Jin made no attempt to hide the threat in his voice.

"The other party is supposedly very interested in this kind of thing too. If I succeed, fine, you can keep the scroll. But if I fail, I'll take the scroll in exchange for a way to survive! That's it..."

"Wait!" Selena called out in exasperation, followed by a long silence. Only her rapid and suppressed heavy breathing could be heard through the microphone, clearly indicating that she was furious at Qin Jin's shameless tactics.

After about two minutes, Selena's voice rang out again:

"Okay! I'll help you! But... you must give me the scroll today!"

At this point, Selena added resentfully, "And also, the origin of the scroll!"

"Deal!" Qin Jin smiled lazily. "Come find me at the hotel next to the Blood Moon Bar, that's all!"