One divination a day, a trainee celestial master

Jiang Shou frowned upon hearing this. For a low-level worker, a 300,000 yuan online loan would not only bankrupt him, but could also cost him his life.

"And the result?" Jiang Shou asked.

"In the end... it was all a scam."

Li Xiuju lowered her voice: "Half a month ago, Liu Dayong accidentally discovered that Zhao Meini hadn't used the money for medical treatment at all. Instead, she used it to buy a car and was spending every day with Chen Dong, the purchasing agent from the factory, in a very ambiguous relationship."

"Chen Dong is a married scoundrel. Liu Dayong, his eyes red with anger, went to confront Chen Dong. Chen Dong, who also has a sharp tongue, directly mocked him in front of several people in the factory, saying that he was just an honest man and a backup option. He even said that Zhao Meini had personally made fun of him in bed..."

Li Xiuju hesitated for a moment before saying, "He's really easy to fool. Just holding hands and kissing his cheek is enough to make him hand over his life and fortune. Chen Dong even revealed all of Zhao Meini's secrets, saying that she not only slept with him, but also had affairs with several people from Group Two and Group Three, and even... even had 'that kind of thing' with all three of them."

"Everyone knows what kind of person Zhao Meini is, yet Liu Dayong still treats her like a pure treasure!"

Jiang Shou listened in silence.

Two years of relationship, heartfelt devotion, and a devastating debt of 300,000 yuan—all that was returned was a complete scam and utterly vicious trampling.

Such a thing would be enough to destroy the rationality of any ordinary person, let alone an "honest person" who is already stubborn and dull.

"Evil arises from the heart," Li Xiuju patted her leg. "That night, a torrential downpour hit the factory. Liu Dayong took a boning knife and sneaked into the room where Zhao Meini was on duty..."

"My husband later told the police that he heard screams and saw Liu Dayong covered in blood across the stairs. Liu Dayong also saw him. But my husband said that Liu Dayong's eyes were like those of a dead man, and he didn't care whether anyone saw him or not. He even smiled at my husband."

"What about Zhao Meini's head?" Jiang Shou asked the most crucial question. "Why haven't we found it?"

"Liu Dayong absolutely refuses to talk," Li Xiuju sighed. "When Officer Xia came to take my statement yesterday, he also mentioned this matter. He said that Liu Dayong admitted that he killed the man and that he also cut off his head."

"He told the police that Zhao Meini was a promiscuous woman when she was alive, but now that she's dead, he couldn't let her go around bothering other people. So he buried Zhao Meini's head with one of his own clothes and made a cenotaph."

"He said that the road to the underworld is dark, and since Zhao Meini has no head and can't see the road, she can only follow Liu Dayong alone."

Jiang Shou felt a chill run down his spine. This twisted nature, born of love turning into hatred and obsession to the bone, was far more terrifying than any demon or monster.

"Officer Xia said that Liu Dayong was determined to die and was determined to commit suicide. This kind of person is not easily persuaded by soft or hard tactics, and there is no way to do ideological work with him. Now a large number of police officers are still searching all over the mountains and fields, but the land is so big, and the rain has washed away all traces. How can it be so easy to find him?"

Jiang Shou held the teacup, his fingertips gently stroking the warm cup.

A deep abyss, a desolate grave. If he doesn't dig it up, the soul will not find peace, and who knows if it will turn into a vengeful ghost. The divination for this cold season will then fail to deliver.

"Sister-in-law," Jiang Shou put down his teacup, looked up at Li Xiuju, and asked calmly, "Do you have Officer Xia Qiuxia's phone number saved in your phone?"

Li Xiuju paused for a moment, then nodded: "Yes, she left it with me, saying that Sanchan should contact her anytime if anything happens. Brother Jiang, what do you need her phone number for?"

"I need to talk to her about something." Jiang Shou smiled and took out his phone.

After copying down a string of phone numbers from Li Xiuju, Jiang Shou said goodbye and left Nanxi Lane.

Back at Banshan Pavilion at the foot of Cuiwei Mountain, Jiang Shou parked his tricycle by the roadside.

He sat on the edge of the truck bed, staring at the eleven-digit number on his phone screen—a number without a saved name—his thumb hovering over the dial button, hesitant to press it.

"Call the head of the criminal investigation team and tell her I know where the murderer buried the head..."

Jiang Shou sighed. "If this can't be explained clearly, then the materialistic silver bracelet might be on my wrist tonight."

……

A mountain breeze blew by, bringing a touch of early autumn coolness. He sighed, and finally pressed the dial button with his thumb.

The phone rang three times before being answered.

"Hello, who is this?" A crisp, capable female voice came through the receiver, with a faint background noise.

"Officer Xia, it's me." Jiang Shou cleared his throat. "We met once the day before yesterday morning at the entrance of the county hospital. My name is Jiang Shou."

The breathing on the other end of the phone paused noticeably, and the previously noisy background sounds seemed to be muffled.

Four or five seconds passed before Xia Qiu's voice came through again, her tone revealing obvious defensiveness and scrutiny: "It's you? How did you get my private number?"

"Sister-in-law Li Xiuju gave it to me." Jiang Shou didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the point, "Officer Xia, I'm calling to offer some clues about Zhao Meini's case."

"Clues?" Xia Qiu frowned, her voice turning cold. "The case is already very clear. The murderer, Liu Dayong, has confessed without hesitation, and the motive and weapon match. What clues can an outsider like you provide?"

"The case is clear, and the murderer has confessed. But..." Jiang Shou paused, lowering his voice, "you still haven't found the victim's head, have you?"

There seemed to be a pause on the other end of the phone, followed by Xia Qiu gasping, her voice filled with undisguised shock: "You know where Zhao Meini's head is?!"

This matter is still an internal secret. Although Liu Dayong confessed, he refused to disclose the specific location where the head was thrown. The entire criminal investigation team, including police dogs, has searched the surrounding area thoroughly for the past two days but has found nothing.

"I... did some divination and got a general idea of ​​the direction," Jiang Shou said, rubbing his temples. "But this is a bit mysterious, and I hope not too many people know about it. If you want to find the head, just bring that male police officer who was with you last time tomorrow morning, and don't make a fuss."

Xia Qiu had received a pure and upright materialist education from childhood and had always scorned these feudal superstitions. If it were any other time, if someone dared to tell her that they had "done a divination to find the head of the dismemberment case," she would definitely use her iron fist of materialism to detain them for obstructing official business.

But... the thought of the bizarre fact that Chen Sancan at the county hospital might have been "awakened" by a bowl of talisman water from the young Taoist priest on the other end of the phone inevitably caused a crack to appear in Xia Qiu's rock-solid worldview.

Xia Qiu didn't know what the end of science was. But she desperately needed to find the missing head to close the case.

The two discussed it for a while.

"Okay." Xia Qiu gritted her teeth. "Meet me at the main gate of the Da Zhou Porcelain Factory at seven o'clock tomorrow morning."