The Mystery of the Inner Demon

Chapter 8 Burning Paper Money

"Hmph, it doesn't matter. Isn't it just a ten-year jail term? It's more than worth it if it costs that woman's life. And Zhu Qi, he participated in the dismemberment of the body, shouldn't he go to jail too?" Zhu Ming'en raised his head, unscrupulous.

"If you really have the guts, save these words for court!" Qi Fei said to Zhu Mingen with his hands on the handles of the wheelchair.

……

That night, Zhu Mingen slept exceptionally soundly. The last thing he needed to hide was revealed, and he felt "at ease" with his evil.

A biting cold woke him from his sleep. He was not in the ward, but on a cold stainless steel table, naked, with his limbs fixed again.

Strangely, he was transported here without even noticing it.

Unable to move, he could only glance to the side with the corner of his eye. There he vaguely saw a doctor in surgical gown sorting out equipment.

"What tricks are you playing again?" Zhu Mingen said unhappily.

The man seemed not to hear and seemed very focused.

Zhu Mingen turned to the other side and saw an empty stainless steel table. Three words marked on it made him panic all of a sudden. These three words were: "Dissection table".

At this moment, the man had come to his side, wearing a hat, a mask, and goggles, tightly wrapped. In his hand, he held a sharp scalpel, which flashed a terrifying light under the strong light.

"You, stop playing around. Isn't it enough for me to plead guilty?" Zhu Ming'en shivered with cold and fear.

He received only silence in response.

"Help..." He was about to scream for help when the scalpel pierced his throat. The blow was not fatal, but it made him unable to make any sound. He could only watch as the other party took out more knives and gestured at his various joints, as if considering where to start.

The other party even wore headphones, and one could faintly hear some kind of classical music. Intoxicated, his butcher knife fell towards Zhu Mingen's thigh...

……

Qi Fei had just left the hospital when a black shadow suddenly jumped out from the bushes, blocking his way. It was a huge cat with blue-gray fur and golden eyes that stared at him brightly in the dark night.

This image is unforgettable, it is definitely the cat next to Zhong Kui.

However, when he tried to recall the cat's name, the first thing that came to mind was the crisp sound of the wind chimes. Yes, whenever he thought of something related to the mountains, the sound of the wind chimes would always get in the way, preventing him from recalling many details.

Zhong Kui had played tricks on his mind. The sweet fragrance of flowers drifted in with the evening breeze, a scent not found in winter.

"You haven't left yet." Qi Fei put his hands in his pockets and spoke in a heavy tone. The big cat meowed and turned to walk forward, with an elegant posture that was exactly the same as Zhong Kui's.

Qi Fei followed the cat forward, turning a corner and arriving at the entrance to the Central Garden, Nancheng's oldest district, dating back to the Republican era. Behind the white marble statue of a Qilin, bare feet dangled freely in the air. The cat quickened its pace and scurried over to Zhong Kui's side. It leaped onto the high marble steps and sat down beside her, snuggling up to her.

In the darkness, Zhong Kui's face was still hidden behind Qilin, and her delicate voice could be heard: "I'm right, right? Zhu Mingen's inner demon is his own, and I can't drive it away."

For some reason, Qi Fei suddenly wanted to open his heart to the woman in front of him. He sighed: "Do you know? The serious criminals we meet rarely truly repent. As a policeman, I try my best to make sure they get the punishment they deserve, but..." He stopped talking here.

"Redemption." Zhong Kui said the two words that Qi Fei couldn't say, and then chuckled, "Be careful not to get lost if you go too far. It's so late and I can't go back to Sanwu Town. How about you accompany me to find a place to have a drink?" As he said that, he walked towards Qi Fei with a can of beer.

Qi Fei caught the beer swiftly. He was surprised by the sudden invitation. It was the first time he saw Zhong Kui making such a generous invitation, so he walked to the steps and sat down without hesitation.

The sound of a can being opened was heard in the silent night.

"In that case, I want to ask again, how did you know that the Zhu family stuffed Chen Xiaojing's body into the wine jar?" Qi Fei asked, and before Zhong Kui could answer, he continued, "Don't tell me that it was Chen Xiaojing who told you. No matter how you try to be mysterious, I don't believe that ghosts exist in this world. If they did, my job would be much easier."

"If I tell you, wouldn't that mean I'm telling you the secret of my business?" Zhong Kui held a beer in one hand and stroked the big cat's head with the other, lowering his head and saying to it, "Rakshasa, am I right?"

Oh, yes, this cat is called Luosha. Qi Fei only remembered it after hearing it, and suddenly felt unhappy: "What did you do to me? I can't remember many things in the mountains. A policeman's memory is very important. I won't allow you to do this to me next time."

"Because of burning paper money." As if to appease Qi Fei's dissatisfaction, Zhong Kui, who had clearly promised not to tell him, suddenly softened her stance. "Of course I wouldn't know everything in advance. Before I decide to accept an order from the donation box, I'll do some research in advance. Zhu Mingen is no exception. He's fine, but I discovered that Xu Li, oh, his mother, went to that old yard to burn paper money. Sanwu Town is different from Nancheng. The people there have lived here for generations and know each other very well. With a little inquiry, you'll find out that where Xu Li burned paper money, the daughter of Zhu's second uncle is buried. Later, you captured Zhu Qi. You know much more about Chen Xiaojing than I do. I just thought of Zhu Mingen's secret and the fact that you haven't been able to find Chen Xiaojing's body."

"Heh, so your broth is just a trick."

"This is a trick. When I saw Zhu Qi's reaction, I knew that I guessed right." Zhong Kui looked up to the sky and took a big sip of beer. For some reason, there was no sense of pride in her words. Instead, Qi Fei heard a hint of sadness, a vague sadness hidden under her flamboyant appearance.

"You'd be a good candidate for a police officer, but it's a shame you'd become a charlatan."

"Hehe, you don't make as much as I do from fortune-telling." Zhong Kui said disdainfully.

Qi Fei looked at Zhong Kui's arrogant expression and retorted, "I don't believe that you gave me clues several times just for money."

Zhong Kui smiled and said, "Logically speaking, you shouldn't be so naive."

"Naive?" Qi Fei laughed out loud when he heard the word. "This is the first time in my life that someone has used these two words to describe me."

"Ding-ling-ling" the sound of wind chimes that made Qi Fei helpless rang out. Zhong Kui took out the bell and shook it at some point.

Qi Fei didn't want to be fooled so easily this time. He stood up and tried to grab the bell as if he was catching a criminal, but unexpectedly he grabbed Zhong Kui's hand.

On a winter night, her hands were cold. At that moment, he subconsciously clenched his hands to warm them.

(End of this chapter)