The Mystery of the Inner Demon

Chapter 166 Living Sacrifice
Bai Sanshui's hunched back slowly straightened, his cloudy eyes squinting at the crowd. "It has always been a family secret that a living sacrifice can continue the Bai family's legacy. Although I am Bai Congshan's cousin, I never expected him to actually do it."

At that time, Nancheng was cracking down on us, and our businesses... oh no, they were illegal activities, so we couldn't do them anymore. Bai Congshan was anxious, and life was hard for us as his subordinates. He was moody and would beat and scold us when he was unhappy. However, in the year Xu Chunxia died, he seemed like a different person, and his mood suddenly improved.

Bai Sanshui said it unintentionally, but Qi Fei took it to heart: "Xu Chunxia died in 1983, didn't she?" That was the year the "Demon Mirror Case" took place. This made him suspect that the connection between Bai Congshan and the "Demon Mirror Case" was not just as simple as Xu Chunxia.

He didn't dare interrupt Bai Sanshui again and couldn't wait to hear what he was going to say next.

Bai Sanshui lit up another cigarette and sat on a stone pier in the corner of the courtyard. "I can't remember the year, but there was a rumor in the village that the ancestors appeared, and Bai Congshan received guidance from a master, so he was able to overcome this difficult time.

Now that I think about it, this statement is not completely unreasonable. I have encountered it several times. Bai Congshan secretly went down the mountain after dark, and I didn’t know what he was doing. Until that winter, he kidnapped Xu Chunxia and said that she wanted to be a ghost wife for his son. I knew in my heart that calling her a ghost wife was just a cover, and he wanted to use Xu Chunxia’s incident to establish his authority!

At that time, even in our mountain village, people no longer believed in ghosts and gods. The legends and myths of the Bai family that were used to intimidate the villagers into being obedient were not accepted by the young villagers in their hearts.

Bai Congshan, the last leader of the village, can be said to be facing internal and external troubles.

Xu Chunxia was tied up and left in front of the Bai family's ancestral tomb in the back mountain. Bai Congshan asked us to collect the body early the next morning.

To be honest, I didn't believe it at the time. I'm a member of the Bai family, and I was worried that this farce would not end and our family's prestige would be destroyed.

Bai Congshan ordered people to guard the way up the mountain and not allow anyone to approach.

They said that if anyone disturbed the sacrifice, they would suffer the same fate as Xu Chunxia.

I will never forget that night, when many people heard Xu Chunxia's shrill cries coming from the back mountain. Bai Congshan was nicknamed Bai Yanwang, and no one dared to disobey his orders.

We waited until dawn before going, but the man guarding the foot of the mountain had disappeared.

The back mountain was eerily quiet in the early morning. When I arrived at the Bai family’s ancestral tomb, I saw a scene that I will never forget in my life…” At this point, the once vicious bandit could not bear to speak, leaving only his blackened, shriveled lips trembling violently.

His hands were shaking as he picked up the cigarette and took a deep puff.

"Let me guess..." Zhong Kui's voice rang out, "She was tied up in a kneeling position, with a mirror hanging from her chest, and her eyes gouged out. I just don't know if the rune was on her palm or her scalp."

Sailor Bai San shook violently, his cigarette ash scattering like snow under the pale energy-saving light. His cloudy old eyes looked at Zhong Kui, as if asking, "How did you know?"

Without him saying much, everyone present already knew that Xu Chunxia was the hidden victim of the "Magic Mirror Case".

However, this poor man without a household registration was used as a victim of the bully's attempt to establish his authority, and died inexplicably on a winter night more than 40 years ago.

"Xu Chunxia..." Qi Fei murmured the name thoughtfully. In the distance, the Nuo opera was about to end, and the sound of audience cheering could be heard.

At this time, Bai Sanshui's voice came again: "Her hair was shaved off. I remember that there was a rune printed on her scalp. It was used to calm the soul. Everyone in the old Nancheng knows it..."

Qi Fei's doubts were solved - starting from Xu Chunxia, ​​Ye Ming's investigation direction shifted from Dongji Town to Nancheng City. If he had been to Baijiazhai, this would explain it. However, it was also because he had been to Baijiazhai.

The Baicongshan rebellion was not eradicated until the late 90s.

If this is the case……

More than forty years have passed like a dream, and he has no way of recreating the scenes of that year one by one.

"After Xu Chunxia died, did the police come to look for you?" The only person Qi Fei could ask was Bai Sanshui, the dying man in front of him.

Bai Sanshui gave a bitter laugh: "Then you have to ask which policeman it was. Didn't I tell you that life in Bai Congshan is not easy? The police come every few days."

"The one who came specifically for Xu Chunxia, ​​Ye Ming." Qi Fei reminded.

Bai Sanshui seemed to be trying hard to recall, and this reaction made Qi Fei feel gloomy - although Bai Sanshui said that he would never forget Xu Chunxia's death, in fact, it was just one of the serious sins of this group of people.

"You mentioned a person named Ye, so it seems there's such a person. But let me tell you, given the situation back then, it would have been useless for him to come here. No one here would have told him.

Anyone who lets the police know will suffer the same fate as Xu Chunxia!

"It seems... my guess may be wrong." Zhong Kui rarely said that he was wrong.

Qi Fei turned to look at her with a questioning look: "What speculation?"

"I thought that in January 1984, there should have been a potential victim who had been chosen originally, but he escaped the disaster because of Ye Ming's appearance. It seems that it is very likely that this person has always been Ye Ming." The usual smile on Zhong Kui's face disappeared. In this gloomy old house, she was like a female ghost who was demanding life. Whatever she said made Bai Sanshui opposite her tremble.

Qi Fei took a deep breath: "Bai Congshan has a close relationship with the murderer. It is very likely that Bai Congshan has revealed Ye Ming's visit to the murderer..."

"The murderer?" Bai Sanshui listened to their conversation and asked in surprise, "Could it be that the Bai family's ancestor appeared in spirit?"

"Hehe, what kind of bloodline do you have in your Bai family? Do you still want to kill people after your ancestor dies?" Zhong Kui retorted to Bai Sanshui.

Director Chang, who had been accompanying them the entire time, finally spoke up. "Alas, the history of the Bai family is truly bloody. We certainly can't believe in superstitions, but the brutality of Bai Congshan has indeed been their legacy for generations. If it weren't for the crackdown on organized crime, there's no telling when these villagers would have a chance of relief."

Qi Fei had no intention of understanding these old events. Although he already knew Xu Chunxia's identity, the doubts in his heart were not completely answered - why did the Nancheng Old Church, which was completely different from the Da Baoen Temple, become the place where the victims in the Nancheng urban area were buried?

With this question in mind, he glanced across the old house of the Bai family and was attracted by something in the dim living room.

He turned on the flashlight on his phone and walked over to scan the mottled lime wall. At one place, he suddenly stopped.

(End of this chapter)