One divination a day, a trainee celestial master

Outside the radiology department in the hospital's first-floor corridor, Jiang Shou sat on a row of blue plastic chairs, looking at the CT room door not far away.

A series of hurried footsteps came from the other end of the corridor. Xia Qiu, accompanied by trainee police officer Sun Mingzhou, strode quickly to the door of the radiology department.

Xia Qiu was wearing a neat white shirt today, and because she was in a hurry, a few strands of hair fell down her forehead. She spotted Jiang Shou sitting on the bench at a glance and walked quickly to him.

Looking at this young man who always seemed to appear at the heart of all sorts of bizarre cases, Xia Qiu felt a mix of emotions.

Last time it was Chen Sancan, this time it's Old Lady Wang. They are all critically ill patients who are basically given a death sentence by medicine or are in a deep coma, but as long as Jiang Shouyi intervenes, a medical miracle can be staged immediately.

Xia Qiu took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil within her. Her red lips parted slightly, her tone tinged with a mixture of helplessness and teasing: "So, tell me, what scientific principle is it this time? Psychological suggestion? Or did you interfere with the hospital's magnetic field again?"

"..."

Jiang Shou's lips twitched, and he was speechless for a moment.

He wanted to say that he had just been dazzled and used his cultivator's true essence to perform a minimally invasive surgery on the old lady's brain! But if he said that, Xia Qiu would probably either send him to a mental hospital or ask his superiors to dissect him, Jiang Shou.

"Ahem, Captain Xia is joking." Jiang Shou decided to continue playing dumb. "The county hospital's medical technology is indeed advanced. The old lady is just lucky. The doctors all said it was because of her strong will to live. I just happened to be there to witness it."

Xia Qiu rolled her eyes at him, clearly not believing a word of his story. But she knew now wasn't the time to delve into that, so she took a deep breath, suppressed her inner turmoil, and got to the point: "What exactly did the old man say to you when he first woke up?"

Jiang Shou put away his joking expression and briefly repeated how he had asked the old woman questions and how she had answered them in the ward.

"She said herself that she was pushed downstairs by her daughter-in-law," Jiang Shou said. "However, the nurse was in a hurry to bring her in for the examination, and didn't have time to say more details. You can ask her more details after she finishes the CT scan."

Xia Qiu nodded and turned to signal Sun Mingzhou to prepare the body camera and notebook.

After waiting for about ten minutes, the heavy metal door of the radiology department opened, and two nurses pushed a stretcher out.

The old woman lay in the car; although her face was still pale, her eyes were much clearer than before.

The group followed the stretcher back to the single care ward on the third floor. This was a special arrangement by Director Liu; since the elderly patient had regained consciousness and was out of the most dangerous stage, there was no need for them to continue occupying a bed in the intensive care unit.

The nurse helped settle the old woman down, put her on an IV drip, and then turned to Xia Qiu and instructed, "Officer, the patient has just woken up and is still very weak. When you ask her questions, try to focus on the key points and keep the time short so that the old woman can rest more."

"Understood, thank you for your hard work." Xia Qiu nodded.

The ward door closed. Xia Qiu walked to the bedside, pulled up a chair, and sat down, speaking softly, "Grandma Wang, I'm Xia Qiu from the Criminal Investigation Team of the County Public Security Bureau. Could you tell us in detail what happened when you fell?"

The old woman looked at Xia Qiu, who was wearing a police uniform, and then at Jiang Shou, who was standing at the foot of the bed. She slowly nodded.

"That noon, Qiangzi went out for some reason. I was watching the building materials store. Then I remembered that Qiangzi had left a delivery slip at home, so I went back to get it myself." The old woman's voice was a little hoarse as she recalled the story in fits and starts.

"The house was quiet. I went up to the second floor and was just about to go to the study when I heard Xiaoyan making a phone call in the master bedroom. The door wasn't closed properly; it was ajar."

The old woman took a breath, and a hint of heartache and anger slowly surfaced in her eyes: "I heard her call a man 'Ah Jian' on the phone. She said... she said Qiangzi has been acting strange lately, as if he's become suspicious, maybe he's realized his son isn't his. She told the man on the phone to hurry up, they can't wait any longer."

Xia Qiu and Sun Mingzhou exchanged a glance, and Sun Mingzhou quickly took notes with his pen.

"Xiaoyan also said on the phone that Qiangzi was wary of her and refused to tell her the combination to the safe in the basement of the villa. She told that Ajian to find an opportunity when my daughter and I were not at home, to bring people and tools over and pry open the safe."

The old woman's eyes reddened, and she gripped the white sheet beneath her tightly with both hands: "Inside are the cash and gold bars that Qiangzi has saved up over the years. Once they get their hands on them, they'll just take my 'good grandson' and run away."

The ward was quiet, save for the old woman's tearful narration.

"I heard it all clearly outside the door. My grandson wasn't even a member of the Wang family! I felt dizzy and trembled with anger." The old woman closed her eyes, tears streaming down her wrinkles. "Qiangzi was so good to her. Not only did she cheat on me, but she also tried to steal our family's wealth. I lost control. My hands were shaking, and I lost my grip on my cane, which slammed against the doorframe with a thud."

"Xiaoyan heard the noise and immediately rushed out with the phone. When she saw me standing outside the door, her face turned pale." The old woman's body trembled slightly, as if she were reliving that terrifying moment. "But then... her eyes changed. They became incredibly frightening, staring at me like a wolf."

"The moment I saw the look in her eyes, I knew I was in trouble. I turned around and tried to run downstairs to the front door to call for help. But my legs aren't very strong, and I can't walk fast..."

The old woman took a deep breath, trying to calm herself: "I had just reached the top of the stairs when she caught up with me. She didn't say anything, she just shoved me hard in the back!"

"I lost my footing and tumbled down from the second floor. After that... I don't remember anything else."

Xia Qiu and Jiang Shou knew what happened next. Shortly after the old woman was pushed down the stairs and lost consciousness, Wang Daqiang, carrying the paternity test report, happened to come home and saw his mother lying in a pool of blood and his wife pretending to cry beside her. This led to the subsequent beating at the hospital.

Just as the old woman finished giving her statement, the atmosphere in the ward became somewhat somber.

"Officer! Please make way! Let me in!"

Suddenly, a quarrel broke out outside the ward.

Xia Qiu and Jiang Shou looked outside and saw a middle-aged man wearing a dusty gray jacket and looking travel-worn being stopped at the door by a nurse.

"I'm a family member! My name is Wang Daqing, and I'm Daqiang's cousin! I just rushed over from the long-distance bus station in another city. How is my aunt inside?!" The middle-aged man was sweating profusely and his eyes were red.

Sun Mingzhou verified his ID card, then returned to the ward to report to Xia Qiu: "Captain Xia, he's Wang Daqiang's cousin. He must have received the news and rushed back overnight."

"Let him in." Xia Qiu glanced at the tired old woman on the hospital bed and closed the notebook.

"The old lady has woken up and is out of danger." Xia Qiu looked at Wang Daqing and whispered, "Wang Daqiang is still in detention. Please take good care of the old lady these next few days. Contact us immediately if there are any unusual situations."

"Yes! Yes! Okay, thank you, officer!" Wang Daqing nodded repeatedly, put down his travel bag, walked to the bedside, and saw that the old woman's eyes were red. "Auntie, I'm back. You've suffered so much."

After the statement was taken and the chain of evidence was closed, Xia Qiu did not linger in the ward and left with Sun Mingzhou.

Jiang Shou also came out.

The corridor windows were open, and the sunlight outside was lovely.

Xia Qiu stopped and turned to look at Jiang Shou. Although the young man wasn't wearing his Taoist robe today, he still exuded an indescribable composure standing in the sunlight.

"The victim has regained consciousness and made a clear accusation. This, coupled with the paternity test report provided by Wang Daqiang, serves as evidence of the motive for the murder." Xia Qiu's tone regained the competence and decisiveness of a criminal investigation captain. "The police will now formally summon and detain Wang Xiaoyan on charges of intentional injury and attempted murder."

Evil people will eventually get their just deserts.

Jiang Shou nodded, indicating his understanding.

He put his hands in the pockets of his tracksuit and glanced at the distant outline of the rolling green hills.

"Now that the matter has been investigated and clarified, the rest is the professional field of your police force." Jiang Shou looked at Xia Qiu and smiled slightly. "My worldly affairs on this trip down the mountain are now complete, and I must return to the mountain. I will not interfere in the rest."

Xia Qiu looked at him, her lips twitching as if she wanted to say thank you, but the words that came out were replaced by a businesslike admonition: "Be careful on the road. If there's anything I need to add to the statement, I'll contact you again."

"no problem."

Jiang Shou waved his hand and turned around: "Keep your achievements hidden. Go home and feed the cat."