The Mystery of the Inner Demon

Chapter 158 Chess Game
"More importantly, we are currently assuming that Ye Ming discovered the murderer's killing pattern on the night of February 1984, 2, and therefore did not have time to call for reinforcements, so he went to Xinhua Square alone. In that case, his murder was obviously not part of the murderer's plan. Is there a possibility that Ye Ming invisibly saved a potential victim?" Zhong Kui said.

Qi Fei and Wu Shanqiu nodded in unison after hearing this, but they also understood that more than 40 years had passed, and if such a person really existed, the possibility of finding him was extremely slim.

The most urgent task was to find the person named "Xu Chunxia" in Ye Ming's handwriting. Qi Fei glanced at Old Ye's handwriting and said, "Old Ye's partner back then, Li Jianjun, is still alive. It seems we need to pay him a visit. I wonder if he has any impression of this Xu Chunxia."

Nancheng JN District, once the most prosperous area in the 1980s and 1990s, is now a dilapidated old town. The narrow roads are so narrow that even cars can't drive through in many places.

In Jinnanyuan, where retired policeman Li Jianjun lives, a group of old-style six-story buildings with red brick exteriors covered with dead vines are scattered around. The mottled iron plates on the unit doors are still engraved with the embossed words "Nancheng Public Security Bureau Family Compound".

Moss grows out of the cracks in the cement pavement. At the corner, next to the rusty fitness equipment, there are always three or four white-haired old men playing chess with thermoses in hand. Li Jianjun is one of them. He has gray-white crew cut hair and a bronze face engraved with the traces of time. The thermos in his hand has the words "Police Union" written on it.

He held the "chariot" in his hand and knocked it towards the other side of the Chu River, and the mahogany chess piece made a crisp "click" sound.

"Old Li's move of sacrificing the rook to save the king is just like when we caught a pickpocket." Old Zhang sitting opposite him sipped from the tea-stained cup and pushed with his finger. The "pawn" on the chessboard had quietly crossed the river.

"Check!" Lao Zhang was about to be proud of winning the chess game when Li Jianjun suddenly moved the "king" into a blind corner of the Nine Palaces. As soon as he made his move, he looked up and saw Qi Fei and others coming over Lao Zhang's shoulder.

Even though he didn't know Qi Fei, the way he walked told the old detective that it was his junior who had arrived. When Qi Fei's eyes fell on him, their gazes met, and he knew even more that this young detective was looking for him.

"This game is a draw." Li Jianjun suddenly stood up, ignoring Lao Zhang's lingering attempts to keep him, and stood there, allowing Qi Fei to walk up to him.

"Old Li, I'm Qi Fei from the Nancheng Criminal Police Brigade. We're here to learn about the 'Demon Mirror Case'."

At this time, Old Zhang, who had been trying to play chess, stood up, looked at Li Jianjun, who looked solemn, and said to Qi Fei, "We all heard that Old Ye's body has been found?"

Without waiting for Qi Fei's reply, Li Jianjun tightened the lid of the thermos and said, "Let's talk at home."

As he said this, he turned and walked towards the gray building with mosaic tiles deep in the community.

However, after taking just two steps, he turned around and looked at Zhong Kui who was standing next to Qi Fei.

The woman in front of him with long hair and wearing a cheongsam did not look like one of his own: "Who are you?" Li Jianjun's tone was filled with the vigilance of an old criminal policeman.

"Ah, this is the consultant hired by the police station." Qi Fei suddenly felt embarrassed and answered quickly.

Li Jianjun's brow furrowed with wrinkles. "What's going on? Now the Nancheng detectives can't solve the case on their own?"

Obviously, Li Jianjun was prejudiced against Zhong Kui because of her charming appearance.

Zhong Kui accepted it gladly and said slowly, "If they learn your triple wave marking method, they may not need me anymore." When he heard "triple wave", Li Jianjun's frown suddenly relaxed, and the expression on his face changed from suspicion to surprise, and he looked at Zhong Kui again.

Zhong Kui continued to control him: "You gave up the chess game that you were sure to win to welcome us, and you shouldn't waste your time on someone as insignificant as me, right?"

She saw at a glance that the chess piece that Lao Li used to announce the draw had already laid out his killer move.

Li Jianjun was speechless and continued to turn around and move forward.

Qi Fei didn't understand, so he whispered in Zhong Kui's ear, "What the hell is Triple Wave?"

Zhong Kui was very secretive: "Don't forget, doing homework is my habit." Before coming, she had done a thorough background check on her old partner Ye Ming.

Li Jianjun led them up the narrow stairs and opened the door. The Clivia on the windowsill had just experienced the cold winter and its head was drooping. Behind the rain-stained glass, a faded group photo could be vaguely seen hanging on the wall of the living room - young Ye Ming and Li Jianjun were standing side by side in neat police uniforms.

"Have you been to Xiao Zheng's place?" was the first question Li Jianjun asked as he entered the house. The sound of water being poured could be heard from the dim room.

Qi Fei took the enamel cup and rubbed the red words on the outside of the cup commemorating the police station's activities. "We did find the evidence box that Old Ye had sealed at Sister Zheng's house. You mentioned that Aiyuan knew about this a long time ago?"

Li Jianjun sank into the old rattan chair, the bamboo strips creaking under the weight. "After Old Ye disappeared, I occasionally brought some food and daily necessities to Xiao Zheng. It's not easy for a woman. But I never heard her mention the box..." He raised his eyelids and glanced at the smiling Ye Ming in the photo on the wall. "He started to appear and disappear in secret two weeks before the accident. He was even absent-minded during the case analysis meeting. I told him several times that we are partners and if there is anything on our minds, we have to share it together, but I don't know why Old Ye just wouldn't tell me. Now it seems that my intuition at that time was right... Sigh..."

As he spoke, Li Jianjun took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, looked at Qi Fei's index finger which was not yellowed by smoke, took out a cigarette, lit it and took a puff.

Qi Fei placed the enamel cup on the chipped coffee table, the bottom of the cup making a crisp sound as it collided with the glass. He pulled out the yellowed slip of paper from the evidence bag. Old Ye's powerful penmanship marked the words "Xu Chunxia," with ink stains at the fold.

"Old Li, we found this in the evidence box Sister Zheng gave us." Qi Fei pointed at the name through the thin plastic film. "Did you ever hear Old Ye mention this person back then? Like an informant, or... a potential victim?"

Li Jianjun's fingers, holding a cigarette, hovered in mid-air, ash falling onto his faded police trousers. He squinted at the note, his bronzed features flickering in the smoke. Then he pulled his reading glasses from his fob pocket and peered closely at them.

Under Qi Fei's expectant gaze, Li Jianjun finally shook his head. "The task force has investigated over 700 related individuals. Even now, I can remember any name you ask me for. But I'm certain there's no name called Xu Chunxia in the file."

The draft from outside the window suddenly slightly stirred the old photo on the wall—Ye Ming's young face seemed to come alive...

　have a good weekend.

　　(End of this chapter)