Chapter 98: A New Unit

"Yo, morning, Uncle, this is for you."

"Auntie, you look really great today, this is for you."

"Big Sister, your ring is really pretty, your partner gave it to you, right? Heh, I knew it the moment I saw it. When are you holding the wedding? Remember to invite me; I'll have my Old Tan send the gift money on my behalf."

Tan Yunlong had originally been leaning back in his office chair with his feet propped up on the desk, dozing off, when a familiar voice drifted into his ears.

He opened his eyes and saw his son handing out breakfast while chatting and joking with his colleagues in the office as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Tan Yunlong had always known his son had an extroverted, carefree personality, but the vibe he was projecting right now made him, as a father, feel a bit like a stranger.

It seemed enthusiastic, but in reality, it carried a sense of detachment that didn't make people feel offended. The colleagues' reactions were also quite interesting; they weren't as casual as they usually were when dealing with other colleagues' children, but instead, they put on a hint of reserve.

With this atmosphere, anyone who didn't know better would think some leader from the bureau had come down specifically to be among the people.

The most crucial thing was that this kid was visiting his new unit for the first time today.

"Here, Dad, this is for us."

Tan Yunlong took his feet down.

Tan Wenbin picked up a towel from the rack nearby, patted the desk, and then set down the steamed buns, fried dough sticks, and soy milk.

"I say, Dad, why didn't you sleep in the dormitory? You made me go to your dorm early this morning to look for you, only to find nothing. I almost suspected you were taking advantage of Mom not being here to let yourself go."

"If you can't speak like a human, then shut your mouth."

Tan Yunlong picked up a steamed bun and took a bite.

He had only been returning to the dorm to shower and change clothes lately; he hadn't had a proper sleep, basically passing the time in the office in this manner.

"Dad, hasn't Mom's work over there been sorted out yet? When is she coming to Jin Ling? You really can't do without her watching over you. Look at how sloppy you are right now."

"We'll see. If your mom comes over rashly, she won't know anyone or anything here, and there's nothing for her to do. I also don't have much time to keep her company."

"Is it a housing issue? How about I rent one for you guys?"

"Do you have a lot of money on hand?"

"Much more than your salary."

Tan Yunlong glared at him but didn't say anything more. He knew that the money his wife and the elders on both sides had given his son hadn't even been touched by this kid.

"Coming over so early in the morning, does Xiao Yuan have something up?"

Tan Wenbin cleared his throat, held up a fried dough stick with both hands, and said solemnly: "By the grace of the Long Wang, the decree reads..."

Seeing Tan Yunlong still eating his bun there.

Tan Wenbin said deliberately: "Bold! Why don't you kneel to receive the decree?"

Tan Yunlong reached for his belt buckle.

"Dad, your son has something to ask of you!"

"So the dormitory I'm living in now was a female dorm a few years ago. I was wondering why the urinal trough in the public restroom on the floor was positioned so strangely; it turns out it was added later."

Tan Wenbin flipped through the case files quickly while taking notes in a notebook. There was no helping it; who told him he didn't have the kind of brain that could flip pages "whoosh whoosh" and remember everything like Brother Yuan?

Five years ago, this dormitory building was still a female dormitory. Later, it was converted by the school into a male dorm. In the five-year period from ten years ago to five years ago, there were a total of two noteworthy cases involving female students living in this dormitory building.

One was the disappearance case of Tang Qiuying.

One was the suicide incident of Qian Meishu.

Tang Qiuying disappeared while she was a student at the school. At the time, the school, the police, and her family all conducted extensive searches, but to this day, there has been no result.

Qian Meishu committed suicide by drinking pesticide in the dormitory, leaving behind a suicide note that involved emotional issues.

Tan Wenbin tapped his finger on Tang Qiuying's photo. If the high-heeled female ghost really was between these two, then the high probability was that it was this Tang Qiuying.

Because Brother Xiao Yuan had said that the high-heeled female ghost's corpse should be buried near the dormitory building, becoming some kind of bond that limited her range of activity.

As for Qian Meishu, who committed suicide, her remains were definitely collected.

It was a pity that when Brother Yuan interrogated the high-heeled female ghost that night, he hadn't gone into the underworld, so he hadn't been able to see the female ghost's true face. Otherwise, he could have compared it with the photo in the case file now.

Because they were both former university students, there were ID photos of them in the case files.

"Dad, can I take these two copies back?"

"Just remember to return them in time."

"So easy to talk to?"

"I'm doing it to solve the case." Tan Yunlong paused and added, "If Xiao Yuan really has any leads, remember to remind Xiao Yuan to notify the police in time."

"Understood, that goes without saying." Tan Wenbin poked his head out, scanned the desktop again, and asked, "What about the progress on Qiu Minmin?"

Tan Yunlong handed a bag to Tan Wenbin: "This is the progress I've investigated myself recently. It hasn't been filed yet; take it back and give it to Xiao Yuan."

"Yo, Old Tan, you're really on the ball. Later, I'll petition the Long Wang to confer upon you the title of General Crab."

"Heh, then what are you?"

"I'm naturally Prime Minister Turtle."

Tan Yunlong took a deep breath.

"Hehe." As Tan Wenbin tucked the case files into his bag, he looked at another stack of files placed to the side. He subconsciously reached out and flipped through it, happening to see a photo inside.

The photo showed a water vat with a person standing inside. This person was abnormally tall.

Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that they were walking on stilts, but because the water surface obstructed the view, the stilts weren't that obvious.

This person was dressed in white, wearing a tall hat, with a deathly pale face, and holding a white lantern in each hand.

One lantern had written on it: Underworld.

One lantern had written on it: Reception.

Tan Yunlong noticed his son's action and said, "That stack is a case file that someone else just organized and needs to use; it has nothing to do with the two cases you're looking for."

"Dad, is this person playing the role of White Impermanence?"

"This isn't a person." Tan Yunlong stood up. He had helped that colleague find this stack of files, so he knew a bit about the content. "The photo shows a clay statue placed on a water vat."

"Isn't there a saying that a clay Bodhisattva crossing a river can't even save himself? Why is this clay statue deliberately placed on a water vat?"

"Why are you asking me such questions?"

"You say that, but if I don't ask you, who else can I ask? There's no one else in this file room." As he spoke, Tan Wenbin deliberately looked around twice and whispered, "Hey, is anyone else here?"

The case file paper in front of him was suddenly blown up.

Tan Wenbin's eyes widened immediately. The file room door was closed, and the windows only had that tiny glass skylight in the corner that couldn't be opened at all. Where did the wind come from?

Ever since he entered this line of work, he had become extremely sensitive to this kind of phenomenon of things rising without wind.

Brother Yuan had said that some evil spirits would express their sense of presence through forms common in daily life.

Could it be that there really was an evil spirit here?

My god, what kind of evil spirit would dare to reside in a police station?

Tan Wenbin tried hard to convince himself that he was just being a bit too sensitive.

Tan Yunlong noticed his son's abnormality and asked, "What's wrong?"

"No, nothing. I didn't get enough sleep last night, I was a bit distracted from being sleepy. Dad, what were you saying just now?"

Tan Yunlong pointed to that photo again: "Shouldn't you be more professional than me when it comes to this kind of thing?"

"Dad, this is the same as sending you to do physical evidence technical analysis and forensic autopsy. We're both police, wouldn't you know how to do it?"

"Then what about Xiao Yuan?"

"My Brother Xiao Yuan is definitely different."

"Then why can't you be like Xiao Yuan..."

"Dad, stop. I feel that if we continue to discuss this question, it's easy to cause damage to our deep father-son relationship."

To change the subject, Tan Wenbin looked at the photo again: "Dad, is this clay statue White Impermanence?"

"No, according to the confession of the arrested criminal suspect, this isn't White Impermanence. They call it 'Yu Guang'."

"Is it a woman?"

"Yes. The criminal suspect knows that what they are doing is an act against heaven and conscience, and they worry about being thrown into an oil cauldron after they die, so they worship this 'Yu Guang' in advance, hoping that when that day comes, she can disguise herself as a ghost official to lead them away and avoid punishment.

However, not many people worship this, and it hasn't spread. It only exists among a small number of criminals. Currently, we are conducting a search based on the sales and custom-made leads provided by the sculptor."

"What crime did they commit?"

"Child trafficking."

In the study, the one standing in front of the painting table today wasn't the girl, but the boy.

In terms of painting, Li Zhuiyuan was an apprentice to A Li.

But just like his chess skills, relying on his good brain, he quickly learned to be excellent. It was just that after reaching this level, he was too lazy to continue studying and delving deeper.

Even the smartest person couldn't learn everything, and as for familiarity and understanding of things, once you reach a certain level, you have to pay more time and energy to go further. In short... it just wasn't worth it.

Anyway, for the boy, he learned chess and painting just to enrich the game projects between him and the girl, not to compete with the girl for victory or defeat.

A Li stood to the side, helping him mix colors and change brushes.

No need for reminders, the whole process was silent, yet flowed with tacit understanding.

Finally, Li Zhuiyuan finished painting.

The person in the painting was in a white robe, wearing a tall hat, walking on stilts, and holding a lantern in each hand.

Li Zhuiyuan didn't paint the words on the lanterns because he knew that shouldn't be its original image; it was just that thing deliberately writing it on there to curse and provoke A Li.

On the original version of the lanterns, there should be other words.

Because he painted too fast, he still had to let the painting dry, and then roll it up to take it away.

The boy didn't know who it was in the painting, and he couldn't take the initiative to ask Grandma Liu, as this would cause Grandma Liu to be tainted by karma.

However, in the dark, Li Zhuiyuan had a feeling.

Before, when I didn't know who you were, it didn't matter, but when I really painted your image out... the river water will push you to me.

Last night he was still wondering if he could turn passive into active. Today, this thing happened to take the initiative to deliver itself to his doorstep.

Li Zhuiyuan liked this sense of mystery, and at the same time, he liked the process of peeling away this sense of mystery even more.

In his view, walking the river could be seen as an exam.

Most candidates are nervous and uneasy before entering the exam room, and only when the exam paper smelling of ink is handed to them do they start to fight based on their previous learning reserves.

Li Zhuiyuan didn't like this candidate mentality. He liked to understand the questioner, treating every exam as a conversation with the questioner, and while guessing their thoughts, he would also comment on them by the way.

Must I wait for you to set a question for me?

Come, you take a look first, are you satisfied with this question I set for myself?

Li Zhuiyuan took a few steps back and sat down on the edge of the bed.

A Li used a silk handkerchief to carefully wrap and store the brush the boy had just used.

Her many original collection boxes were all left in the basement of that building. Anyway, it was close, so she could go back to watch them at any time, so she didn't move them over.

However, this could also be considered a "collection being cleared," and the girl's enthusiasm and joy for collecting again were therefore magnified.

Liu Yumei specially made two large collection boxes for A Li on the third floor, which was the room where the initiation and river-walking ceremony were held yesterday, and placed them under the offering table.

The original intention was to make it convenient for A Li to add things to the collection boxes when she went to fetch the ancestral tablets.

But the verbal explanation was that since A Li had the habit of admiring her collection before going to bed, it was just providing you two with an opportunity to take a look at "A Li".

After tidying up the brushes, A Li looked at the scroll on the table.

Obviously, compared to brushes, she wanted to collect this more.

"A Li, I need to take this away, I have a use for it." Li Zhuiyuan saw the girl's thoughts and explained in advance.

A Li nodded, but her fingertips were still lightly touching the scroll.

"After I finish using it, I will bring this painting back to you and give it to you." As he spoke, Li Zhuiyuan looked at the painting table, "Don't those painters like to stamp the paintings they collect? A Li, you can also carve one for yourself."

The boy had seen the girl's handicraft skills; even the formation patterns could be easily carved out, so carving a seal was even simpler.

This was also to find something for the girl to do. Before, when A Li was carving patterns for his wooden flower rolls, Li Zhuiyuan would feel sorry for her efforts, always feeling that it was too tedious and tiring for a little girl to do these things.

But ever since he knew yesterday that A Li was surrounded by those things all the time, he realized that perhaps for the girl herself, having something on hand that she could focus on wholeheartedly without distraction was actually a kind of relaxation and happiness.

A Li sat down, spread out a piece of paper, picked up a pen, and began to design the seal.

The tip of the pen jumped lively and lightly on the paper, showing her inner state.

Li Zhuiyuan opened the curtains to let the sunlight in to dry it.

In the courtyard outside the window, Runsheng began today's boxing practice.

His movements were much faster and smoother than yesterday. It seemed he was gradually adapting.

Seeming to notice the gaze, Runsheng also smiled in the direction of the boy while practicing boxing.

Then, Runsheng fiercely slapped the back of his own head with his right hand, and the movements that had just slowed down accelerated again.

The current Runsheng no longer needed Qin Shu to kick stones to help him wake up; he could complete the self-spurring all by himself.

In the corner of the courtyard, Qin Shu was squatting there, holding a stone in his left hand and a plastering trowel in his right, re-repairing the pebble path he had kicked open yesterday.

"Time for breakfast."

Auntie Liu's voice was obviously hoarse.

Li Zhuiyuan rolled up the painting, and then he and A Li came to the dining table.

Yin Meng was already sitting at the dining table, head lowered, motionless.

"Yin Meng?" Li Zhuiyuan tried calling out once.

Yin Meng raised her head: "Brother Xiao Yuan."

In her eyes, it was all black. When her eyeballs moved, she could only roughly see a little light.

"Your eyes?"

"It's okay, I can see again after finishing the detoxification at noon."

"Oh." Li Zhuiyuan nodded and didn't say anything more.

When Liu Yumei walked down the stairs and sat at the dining table, she asked: "Where's Zhuangzhuang?"

"Grandma, Zhuangzhuang has something to do this morning."

"No matter how busy, he must find time to come over every day."

"Don't worry, Grandma, I will remind him."

Mainly because everyone in the family had work to do. If Zhuangzhuang didn't come, she, Liu Yumei, would instead appear idle, but she happened not to know how to cook.

"Xiao Yuan, those books you wanted will be delivered tomorrow. There are quite a few, so just put them in the original building. Go get them yourself when you want to read them."

"Grandma, I'd better pick out a batch that I think is useful first, and then move them to the basement of the shop."

This way, the causal relationship can be cut smaller.

"That's fine, as you wish." Liu Yumei pushed the soup bowl in front of her to the boy, "Military training is almost over, right? It's time to start classes officially. You'll be busy then, so remember to nourish your body."

This kind of conversation seemed to have returned to the kind of witty banter at Great-Grandpa's house all of a sudden.

"Don't worry, Grandma, I've previewed my homework. I'll ask the teacher in advance about some knowledge points I don't understand."

Liu Yumei smiled kindly.

But in her heart, she said: Why didn't I understand this child's metaphor?

After breakfast, Li Zhuiyuan left here and returned to the dormitory.

When he went to the sink to wash his hands, he ran into Lin Shu You who was washing clothes. He was washing a costume, and it was a new one.

Lin Shu You reacted strongly when he saw Li Zhuiyuan, shrinking back.

This wasn't faking it.

In fact, that time when he and Tan Wenbin were washing up at the sink, his demeanor and actions when he called out "Big Brother" were also natural.

Binbin had told him that this guy might have a split personality.

"Hello." Li Zhuiyuan greeted him.

"Hello... Li Zhui... Xiao Yuan's Big Brother."

Ever since he was beaten into the infirmary that time, Lin Shu You had basically been recuperating in the dormitory, and he really hadn't run into Li Zhuiyuan again.

He hadn't "opened his face" now... no, wait, even when he did, facing the boy in front of him, he seemed to be suppressed to the point of being unable to breathe.

"Classmate Lin Shu You."

"Here!"

Suddenly being called by his full name, Lin Shu You was so startled that he displayed the whole set of military training drills.

"I just did a divination. Judging from the hexagram, there might be evil spirits causing trouble recently. Pay more attention."

"Yes, I know." Lin Shu You nodded vigorously.

"If you notice anything wrong, please tell me in time. Although you and I have had friction, our common goal of protecting the righteous path is the same.

In short, don't be embarrassed at all. If you need help, just speak up."

"Thank you." Lin Shu You nodded vigorously again, his eyes a bit red this time.

This kind of drama of turning hostility into friendship was the easiest to move people, especially for the party who had been "hostile," and it could also make up for his sense of frustration.

Li Zhuiyuan didn't feel surprised looking at Lin Shu You's reaction. No wonder he could be fooled by Binbin into calling him Big Brother. This guy was really easy to coax when he hadn't "opened his face."

It was mainly considering that Runsheng and Yin Meng were both undergoing special training, and Li Zhuiyuan himself had added fuel to the fire today.

The boy didn't know when this fire would start burning. If Runsheng and Yin Meng hadn't finished their special training by then, he would have no one to use under his command.

He believed Binbin would stand in front of him without hesitation, but Binbin was a bit fragile.

Lin Shu You was just right.

And this guy belonged to the tool-man category; if he was broken or damaged, he wouldn't feel sorry for him.

Li Zhuiyuan shook his hands. As he walked out, Lin Shu You gathered his courage and said:

"Brother Yuan."

"Hmm?"

"If you have anything, please notify me too. Subduing demons and defending the righteous path is our responsibility."

This was exactly the sentence he was waiting for.

"You're overthinking it, I don't need you."

After leaving this sentence, Li Zhuiyuan walked back to his dormitory.

By the sink, Lin Shu You felt ashamed, annoyed, and felt that the other party was right. For a moment, his emotions were too rich, making sweat break out on his forehead.

Li Zhuiyuan sat at the desk and placed the scroll to the side.

Then, he opened his notebook, picked up his fountain pen, and while recalling the content of the "Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Sutra" in his mind, he began to search for and design a method to stimulate potential during spirit possession.

For example, letting Lin Shu You forcibly summon the official generals he originally couldn't summon.

Saying he didn't need him, but in reality, he was already calculating how to use him to death.

Li Zhuiyuan didn't feel there was anything wrong with himself. He now had a vague feeling of growing a bit of human skin, but it was limited to those few in his own circle.

For others, he remained indifferent.

Besides, if it weren't for the many ancient secret methods in his brain, he might have been killed by the White Crane Boy summoned by this reckless kid on the playground that night.

Not only did he not kill him, but even the medical expenses were settled by Binbin for him.

On the hospital bed in the infirmary, he opened his vertical pupils to scan wildly. If Binbin hadn't closed them for him, he would have died at the hands of the corpse demon at that time.

Calculating it this way, he owed him two lives.

Then he would take a small loss; he only needed him to repay one life.

This was very reasonable.

Li Zhuiyuan suddenly stopped his pen. Did his train of thought just now count as having some resonance with the "questioner"?

At this moment, the dormitory door was pushed open.

"Brother Xiao Yuan, I'm back."

"So fast?"

"Mainly because my dad's service attitude is good."

Tan Wenbin handed the case files and materials to Li Zhuiyuan.

Li Zhuiyuan took them, and after opening the case file, he saw Tang Qiuying's ID photo and tapped it directly.

It was her.

Seeing this, Tan Wenbin walked to the windowsill and picked up the high-heeled shoes he watered every day:

"High heels, so your name is Tang Qiuying.

Hello, Senior Sister. No, wait, hello, Senior Aunt."

Immediately, Tan Wenbin turned back to look at Li Zhuiyuan and asked: "Brother Xiao Yuan, but she's missing, what do we do?"

"It's much easier to handle once we know her name. What's more, her birth date is recorded in the case file. I can find her corpse."

"Brother Xiao Yuan, really, it's a pity you didn't become a criminal police officer."

"There are very few who can become evil spirits after death."

Li Zhuiyuan opened the separate file bag for the Qiu Minmin case and then began to flip pages quickly.

Hearing this "whoosh whoosh" sound, Tan Wenbin couldn't help but say: "Envious."

Li Zhuiyuan continued to flip pages and said: "Compared to Runsheng and Yin Meng now, I am very slack."

"Because Brother Xiao Yuan, you are too smart. What they are paying now is just the price of chasing a genius."

Tan Wenbin leaned against the desk. Today's task was completed, and his heart fell into a kind of confusion and loss again.

If he could, he would also be willing to grit his teeth and nail a coffin nail for himself or test poison with his own body.

But the problem was, he knew the consequence of doing so would be to play himself to death directly.

"Sigh..."

The greatest sorrow of being a loser is that you want to learn from others and risk your life to fight, but you find you don't even have the qualifications to fight.

Tan Wenbin, while feeling melancholy, picked up the scroll on the desk beside him.

People, after all, have to play some role, for example, praising my Brother Yuan's new work.

But when the scroll was unfolded, Tan Wenbin was stunned.

"Brother Xiao Yuan, did you paint Yu Guang?"

Li Zhuiyuan immediately put down the document in his hand, turned his head to look at Tan Wenbin, and asked very seriously:

"Brother Binbin, do you know her?"

"What a coincidence, I just saw this photo in the file room this morning. It's exactly the same as what you painted, Brother Xiao Yuan. The only difference is that she has words on those two lanterns, but you don't have them in this painting, Brother Xiao Yuan."

Li Zhuiyuan immediately put down the document in his hand, leaned his body back on the chair, raised his head, and a smile appeared on his face.

"Brother Xiao Yuan, you... what's wrong with you?"

In Tan Wenbin's impression, Brother Yuan rarely made emotional moves suddenly.

Li Zhuiyuan looked at the dormitory ceiling and muttered:

"Sure enough, it can be played like this.

Come on,

From now on,

I will call the roll one by one!"

————

The first place is about to be overtaken soon. Those who still have votes in their hands can cast them to help us at least keep today's first place. Thank you, everyone.

(End of this chapter)