The male supporting character was actually myself.

As expected! Jiang Yulu's pupils immediately contracted upon hearing this, and the hairs on her body stood on end.

The imposter killed the room's owner; the one who died here is the real Murong Jiangchen. So who is the murderer and what is his name?

The sect leader was clearly bewildered as well, and pressed for details: "What was the cause of death? Who was the murderer? Where is Murong Jiangchen's ghost now?"

"The cause of death is recorded as suffocation followed by dismemberment. Strangely, the murderer's name field is blank, as if it has been forcibly erased, and all other information has also been erased. However, we learned from the gatekeeper that Murong Jiangchen had pleaded his case to the steward and the suppression seal had been removed. We can try to summon him directly using his birth date and time."

Another clue is that Murong Jiangchen's parents were also murdered, but the killer's identity is unknown.

"Alright, then you can come back first," the sect leader decided immediately.

His years of experience with spirit mediums made him realize that this matter was somewhat tricky. Forcibly erasing information from the register was not something an ordinary celestial master could do.

"Miss Jiang, do you know how much your husband paid for Master Wang?"

He turned to Jiang Yulu and reminded her, "Erase the information so that no one or the ghost messengers can find out. As long as you don't judge him according to the Mirror of Karma and only consider his merits and demerits to offset each other, then no one will know that he did such a thing."

This is no small sum. If he really paid Wang Tianshi a huge amount of money, it would prove that the two of them colluded to break the law and that the connections involved were very complicated. This matter is not easy to handle.

After all, Master Wang would absolutely not allow him to be involved. His influence in both the Yin and Yang realms is extraordinary; you need to be mentally prepared.

Jiang Yulu nodded heavily.

When it comes to special departments, even the richest person probably can't make much of a difference...

After the two disciples returned safely, the sect leader began to perform a ritual to summon the true soul of Murong Jiangchen, based on the detailed birth dates and times of death they had obtained.

“This is the scene of the crime. Some ghosts have a strong fear of death, which makes them unwilling to respond to the summons. If it doesn’t work, we can try another quiet place. Since Murong Jiangchen has already broken the seal, it shouldn’t be too difficult…” One of the disciples explained softly, and asked everyone to step back a little so that the yang energy would be too strong and the yin spirits would not dare to answer the invitation.

Jiang Chen was searching for clues in the messy bank statements when he suddenly heard a melodious and deep calling voice. He looked up and around, feeling strange. "It sounds like someone is calling me, but it's not quite the same as the summons from the underworld official. I'll go see what's going on."

"Host, please be careful! Be careful, it might be a trap!" The fluffy little thing's eyes rolled back as it looked at the transfer records, and just as it looked up to give the warning, it saw its host disappear.

A cloud of black mist condensed in the mirror, and following the summoning sound, Jiang Chen was surprised to find himself in a giant mirror!

"Who are you...?" He looked around curiously, immediately realizing that this was a professional soul-summoning ritual. Fortunately, he could leave at any time without any restrictions, otherwise he wouldn't have shown up so easily.

When Jiang Yulu saw the person in the mirror, her hands and feet immediately turned cold and her whole body trembled slightly.

Before, it was all just speculation, but when a real ghost appeared before her eyes and had the exact same face as her husband whom she had loved to the point of death, the chilling fear was indescribable.

"You're Murong Jiangchen?!" she blurted out.

Jiang Chen nodded and replied, "That's right, you must be President Jiang Yulu, right? We had agreed to meet to discuss cooperation, I'm so sorry I couldn't keep my appointment."

He looked around at the familiar surroundings, shrugged, and said with a self-deprecating laugh, "Before we met, I carefully selected the accessories for my custom-made suit in front of that mirror. To be honest, I really valued that opportunity to work together. It's just a pity that I was betrayed and killed after I made the selection."

The sect leader, being experienced, knew that most ghosts would become emotionally agitated in such situations. He waved his hand to signal the others to be quiet, and then asked, "Would you like to talk about being murdered? As you can see, this place is full of professional staff. They have already started an investigation and hope to find clues from you so they can catch the murderer and clear your name as soon as possible!"

Classic rhetoric can both soothe the wronged spirit's emotions and guide him to contribute to the case. Jiang Chen smiled slightly and nodded, saying, "I am very willing to cooperate. Please rest assured, Celestial Master, I have experienced great ups and downs and seen many strange and bizarre things since I died. I will no longer be emotionally volatile because of this, nor will I fall into evil spirits again out of resentment. Please feel free to ask me anything you want to know."

Chapter Forty-Three: Summoning Souls with a Mirror

What?

Full brothers, sharing the same parents?!

Could the blood sample be a mistake? Although he had arranged for a trusted confidant to infiltrate Murong Jiangchen's side and take advantage of his hospitalization to collect a blood sample to confirm that there was no problem, this result was still hard to believe.

Jiang Yulu: Σ(°△°|||)︴

"This...is that unlikely? As far as I know, Murong Jiangchen is an only child with no other siblings, and besides..." She was a little confused. What would a biological brother from the same mother have to hide if he wasn't an illegitimate child? Could it be that the other one has some kind of shameful illness or special circumstances?

The staff member shook his head, looking puzzled. "It's probably some kind of melodramatic family feud. By comparing hair and shoe prints, the suspect has been identified as Murong Jiangchen. If no decisive reversal evidence emerges, it will most likely be a tragedy of brothers killing each other. Miss Jiang should be prepared."

She nodded blankly, her mind a jumble of thoughts.

Before the results came out, Jiang Yulu actually made some rather sordid deductions based on fragments of her dream, such as that Murong Jiangchen was bisexual with some kind of special fetish, and that he killed someone to cover it up for some reason.

After all, the brief state the deceased presented at the time really made him seem like the owner of that house, and although his face was not clearly visible, his every move revealed him to be an elegant and refined person...

Elegant manners?!

A sudden flash of insight struck Jiang Yulu, leaving her stunned as if struck by lightning. The test results overturned the male ketone's initial assumption. Murong Jiangchen and the deceased were brothers born of the same mother, and the deceased possessed outstanding temperament and elegant manners. Judging from the accessories he chose, he seemed to be a person with great taste and unique aesthetic sense, characteristics that perfectly matched the impression Murong Jiangchen left on the public!

On the contrary, she carefully recalled her husband's behavior from the time he pursued her to after their marriage, and a bold and terrifying thought lingered in her mind—could it be... that the one who was killed was the real Murong Jiangchen?! And the one she met and married was an imposter?!

Otherwise, how could the head of the prestigious Murong Group, a young man with exceptional talent who had already made his mark in the business world in his early twenties, immediately retire from the limelight and settle for a second-line position after getting married?

If he's a fake and worried about making too many mistakes and getting exposed, then everything makes sense!

Jiang Yulu trembled uncontrollably.

She had grown up in the world of the wealthy and had heard all sorts of dark stories of betrayal and enmity for personal gain. But the thought of killing the powerful and taking their place without anyone noticing was terrifying! And she had actually shared a bed with such a murderous monster!

"Dad, can you check if Murong Jiangchen has any other brothers? The results just came out—he killed his own brother, his own flesh and blood!" Jiang Yulu hurriedly dialed her father's number and whispered her suspicions, "I suspect... the person I married was an imposter; they could very well be twins! I hadn't thought of this before, but now that I've thought about it carefully, something seems off about him..."

After hanging up the phone, she consulted with the head of the case, "Can we use the blood samples we've collected to estimate the victim's age? If we can determine the age range, we might be able to find the deceased's identity information."

“No, Ms. Jiang, current technology cannot determine age through blood tests; bone age testing is required.” The other party frowned slightly and shook his head, saying, “The relevant departments have already tried to retrieve the body parts, but the murder occurred too long ago, so it may be difficult to find them.”

Jiang Yulu frowned and thought for a moment before tentatively asking, "Could we... find a professional who is registered with a special department to try to summon the spirit on site? It seems that Murong Jiangchen was haunted by an evil spirit a while ago, so he specially invited a Taoist priest to perform a ritual."

As far as I know, he invited several groups of Taoist priests a couple of days ago. I wonder if he might be haunted by the ghosts of those he killed?

She had heard her father say that some things couldn't be brought to the public eye, but special departments had strict management and filing procedures for them.

Sometimes, in difficult or special situations, even in matters of public security, unscientific methods may be used.

"Well..." The person in charge gave a wry smile and said in a low voice, "If Ms. Jiang is willing to pay for it herself, she can try contacting us. We can provide some records. But there's one thing: this kind of unofficial, independent behavior cannot be used as evidence in court."

“It doesn’t need to be used as evidence in court, but at least we can find out the deceased’s true identity, and then it will be easier to investigate further, right?” Jiang Yulu naturally didn’t care about the money. Let alone hiring a Taoist priest, which would cost tens or hundreds of thousands, she wouldn’t even blink an eye even if it cost millions.

A few million is just pocket change. If I can find something to hold against Murong Jiangchen, it will be much more advantageous to me!

The person in charge of the case took the contact list and couldn't help but sigh, "Having money is damn good." They're self-funding the investigation, self-funding the use of the lab, and now they have to pay for a shaman to perform a ritual—none of these expenses are low.

For an ordinary family, the very first step of paying high salaries for staff to file a case out of their own pocket would be a challenge, let alone a professional laboratory where operating the machines costs money.

Jiang Yulu first came into contact with the Celestial Master industry from the official registration directory. She looked closely and found that the first one listed was Tingfeng Valley, which the butler had mentioned. It listed information on hundreds of Celestial Masters, with higher prices for those listed earlier. Wang Baoyi was listed first, and his prices varied depending on the job he was working on.

Her gaze lingered on the exorcism and suppression project; the prices listed here were just the starting price, and the actual cost would depend on the difficulty of the work.

“I’ve also heard of Master Wang’s reputation. If it really is an evil spirit that he suppressed and banished, I’m afraid…” The project leader shook his head with a troubled expression and said, “I’m afraid we can’t invite him. It’s said that as long as he takes action, there will be no worries. Whether the ghost of the deceased can even live is still a question.”

Jiang Yulu picked up the list of registrants from Shattered Star Valley with a determined look and examined it carefully. "Whether or not we can get them to come up, we should at least try. I seem to have heard someone mention that there is a kind of celestial master who specializes in calling back souls and smuggling away the dead?"

"Walking through the underworld is relatively low-skilled, but summoning a ghost to possess someone is definitely more professional." He took out a catalog from the back and handed it over. "These are all people who walk through the underworld. You can take a look at their resumes."

After making phone calls to consult with some people and comparing various options for a while, she finally decided to ask the head of the Qingfeng Sect to personally perform a spirit-seeking ritual.

When price wasn't an issue, the only problem was distance. Qingfengmen was located on the coast of the East China Sea, quite far from Kyoto, so Jiang Yulu didn't hesitate to use her connections to charter a private jet to ensure their group arrived without stopping.

That very night, the crime scene, which had been sealed off with yellow tape, became lively again.

Although relevant departments occasionally use methods like spirit communication and divination, these methods are extremely expensive and are only used in very difficult and confidential cases, so most staff members have never encountered them before.

Given the chance to witness it firsthand, they all wanted to come and see the spectacle up close.

The leader of Qingfeng Sect has a very good reputation in the industry. He is handsome and upright, and he is accompanied by two disciples in their thirties. He also brings his special magical artifact - a huge mirror.

“There is no Yin energy here, so the murdered ghost most likely left with the murderer.” The sect leader looked serious after examining the place carefully. “In addition, Miss Jiang said that the other party may have asked Master Wang of Tingfeng Valley to suppress and expel the ghost. Master Wang has never failed in his work. After the ghost is expelled, it will enter the wilderness of the underworld. That is not a good place. Many ghosts will be swallowed or killed. If the energy is insufficient, it will dissipate on its own.”

If the suppression talisman used by Master Wang is too powerful, even if the ghost doesn't dissipate, it won't be able to break through the gate between the Yin and Yang realms and ascend. I can only try my best. But... I can't have too much hope.”

To avoid unnecessary arguments later, the sect leader sighed inwardly, thinking that the world of celestial masters had become corrupt and people's hearts were no longer pure. Even the wronged ghosts who had been expelled had nowhere to turn for help, and this time it seemed that they would have to return empty-handed.

The two disciples tacitly placed the magic mirror and sprayed a layer of misty water on its surface.

The sect leader set up an incense table, lit a half-meter-long incense stick, and chanted incantations, while his two disciples each recited spells and performed magic before disappearing from a door formed by the faint smoke of the burning incense.

"My God, are we going to the underworld already?" Although everyone knew the process of visiting the underworld in advance, they still gasped softly when they saw the scene that looked like a sudden resurrection.

The sect leader smiled and explained, "There are many ways to go to the underworld. The method used by Listening Wind Valley is the simplest. They have contact with the headquarters of the underworld, so they can teleport directly using a magic array. Other sects each have their own methods. The most basic one is to find the gate between the Yin and Yang realms and enter and exit through it, but that is the least convenient method. Our Qingfeng Sect uses incense burning more often, so they will send back a message in a short while."

After waiting for more than ten minutes, a faint mist began to appear on the mirror, as if a ball of hot air had suddenly risen from inside the mirror.

"Sect Master, we've checked with the Underworld, and the results are a bit strange..." One of the disciples' entire bodies appeared in the mirror.

The scene looked a bit eerie, and everyone felt a chill down their spines late at night.

The other party looked puzzled and said, "We checked the register according to the specific address of death. It is clearly written in the register of the Underworld that the deceased, who lived in the large apartment on the third floor of Building 6 in Courtyard No. 1, was named Murong Jiangchen!"

As expected! Jiang Yulu's pupils immediately contracted upon hearing this, and the hairs on her body stood on end.

The imposter killed the room's owner; the one who died here is the real Murong Jiangchen. So who is the murderer and what is his name?

The sect leader was clearly bewildered as well, and pressed for details: "What was the cause of death? Who was the murderer? Where is Murong Jiangchen's ghost now?"

"The cause of death is recorded as suffocation followed by dismemberment. Strangely, the murderer's name field is blank, as if it has been forcibly erased, and all other information has also been erased. However, we learned from the gatekeeper that Murong Jiangchen had pleaded his case to the steward and the suppression seal had been removed. We can try to summon him directly using his birth date and time."

Another clue is that Murong Jiangchen's parents were also murdered, but the killer's identity is unknown.

"Alright, then you can come back first," the sect leader decided immediately.

His years of experience with spirit mediums made him realize that this matter was somewhat tricky. Forcibly erasing information from the register was not something an ordinary celestial master could do.

"Miss Jiang, do you know how much your husband paid for Master Wang?"

He turned to Jiang Yulu and reminded her, "Erase the information so that no one or the ghost messengers can find out. As long as you don't judge him according to the Mirror of Karma and only consider his merits and demerits to offset each other, then no one will know that he did such a thing."

This is no small sum. If he really paid Wang Tianshi a huge amount of money, it would prove that the two of them colluded to break the law and that the connections involved were very complicated. This matter is not easy to handle.

After all, Master Wang would absolutely not allow him to be involved. His influence in both the Yin and Yang realms is extraordinary; you need to be mentally prepared.

Jiang Yulu nodded heavily.

When it comes to special departments, even the richest person probably can't make much of a difference...

After the two disciples returned safely, the sect leader began to perform a ritual to summon the true soul of Murong Jiangchen, based on the detailed birth dates and times of death they had obtained.

“This is the scene of the crime. Some ghosts have a strong fear of death, which makes them unwilling to respond to the summons. If it doesn’t work, we can try another quiet place. Since Murong Jiangchen has already broken the seal, it shouldn’t be too difficult…” One of the disciples explained softly, and asked everyone to step back a little so that the yang energy would be too strong and the yin spirits would not dare to answer the invitation.

Jiang Chen was searching for clues in the messy bank statements when he suddenly heard a melodious and deep calling voice. He looked up and around, feeling strange. "It sounds like someone is calling me, but it's not quite the same as the summons from the underworld official. I'll go see what's going on."

"Host, please be careful! Be careful, it might be a trap!" The fluffy little thing's eyes rolled back as it looked at the transfer records, and just as it looked up to give the warning, it saw its host disappear.

A cloud of black mist condensed in the mirror, and following the summoning sound, Jiang Chen was surprised to find himself in a giant mirror!

"Who are you...?" He looked around curiously, immediately realizing that this was a professional soul-summoning ritual. Fortunately, he could leave at any time without any restrictions, otherwise he wouldn't have shown up so easily.

When Jiang Yulu saw the person in the mirror, her hands and feet immediately turned cold and her whole body trembled slightly.

Before, it was all just speculation, but when a real ghost appeared before her eyes and had the exact same face as her husband whom she had loved to the point of death, the chilling fear was indescribable.

"You're Murong Jiangchen?!" she blurted out.