Chapter 57: Clues

Chapter 57: Chapter 57: Clues

Sui Sui called after him, and Yizhou followed. Once they had put some distance between themselves and Yaomei Pavilion, Sui Sui lowered his voice.

"So, how was it? Did anything seem strange?"

"The process itself was normal. However, this..."

Yizhou took out the talisman he had obtained earlier and handed it to Sui Sui. The two of them inspected it closely. Yizhou’s eyes lingered on the talisman with a mixture of interest and loathing as he examined it.

"It reeks of demonic energy."

"Demonic energy?" Sui Sui asked in surprise, his expression immediately turning serious.

"Yes. It isn’t very noticeable to most people. It has been disguised to look like an ordinary talisman, after all. However, it’s unmistakable to someone like me."

The meaning behind his words was clear. As someone who belonged to the demon race, Yizhou was naturally more sensitive to demonic energy than an ordinary cultivator.

"Then, could they really be the culprits behind this?" Sui Sui asked.

"I’m not sure yet." Yizhou tucked the talisman back into his sleeve. "For now, they are suspicious, but I can’t say for certain that they are the ones behind the disappearances."

He glanced back at Yaomei Pavilion, his expression turning cold.

"But one thing is certain. That bunch of people are no good."

"You see this talisman? Although it looks ordinary, it actually contains an enchantment rune designed to make a person fall in love with another," Yizhou explained. "At first glance, even ordinary cultivators would have difficulty detecting it. The demonic energy has been concealed beneath an inscription that appears to be nothing more than a blessing."

He turned the talisman between his fingers, examining the ink closely.

"However, the material used for the ink is different. I can’t identify exactly what they used, but there is something sinister mixed into it. What should have been a blessing has been twisted into a curse."

Sui Sui’s expression grew thoughtful.

"If I’m not mistaken, this kind of sinister magic belongs to one of the demon clans known as the Qingmei," Yizhou continued. "They are a clan that feeds on human emotions, particularly the desires hidden within one’s heart. The more emotions they harvest, the stronger they become. They are also skilled at bewitching people and manipulating their desires."

Sui Sui asked. "But if they are indeed the culprit, what does it have to do with the disappearances? If what you said is true, they already have a steady source of energy from the people who come here. There shouldn’t be any reason for them to kill anyone, right?"

Sui Sui frowned while adding. "After all, it’s not as though they feed on souls."

"Things can’t be said for certain," Yizhou said. "Yin energy is especially tempting to demons. And if they truly possess the Soul Bell, there may be certain conditions required to use it. It’s possible that the souls of people with Yin-aligned birth charts are necessary to activate it."

He paused, his expression thoughtful.

"However, that still doesn’t prove they are behind the disappearances. We have no direct evidence connecting them to the case."

Sui Sui fell silent for a moment, turning Yizhou’s words over in his mind. The explanation was plausible. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more perfectly the pieces seemed to fit together.

If that’s the case, then everything has been working in their favor.

The Yaomei Pavilion had established its matchmaking business twenty years ago. Then, twenty years later, they somehow obtained the Soul Bell—an artifact that might require the souls or Yin energy of Yin-aligned individuals to function.

And they already had the perfect means of finding those people.

They could openly ask their visitors for their names and birth charts under the guise of helping them find love. There was no need to infiltrate the government registry or secretly steal records. People seeking their help would willingly hand over the exact information they needed.

Two birds with one stone.

The coincidence was almost too convenient.

Either the Yaomei Pavilion had simply been incredibly fortunate, or there was something much deeper behind it all.

"Then what should we do next? Should we continue observing them?" Sui Sui asked.

"No need. For now, I think we should visit one of the victims’ families and look for clues there," Yizhou replied.

"Alright, then. Let’s go."

With that, the two of them set off toward the next lead.

—

Sui Sui and Yizhou traveled to the western part of the city to visit the family of one of the more recent victims, whose disappearance had occurred shortly before the attack on Shan Shuqin.

They had chosen this particular victim because, according to the records, they had only recently been married before tragedy struck. A newlywed who had barely begun their married life before suddenly disappearing—If the murder’s was really connected to the Yaomei Sect then the circumstances made the case worth investigating further.

Sui Sui and Yizhou arrived at the western district and soon found the residence listed in the records. The house was modest, tucked away on a quieter street where the sounds of the city seemed distant.

Sui Sui stepped forward and knocked on the wooden door.

After a short while, they heard hurried footsteps from inside. The door opened, revealing an elderly woman with graying hair. Her eyes were slightly swollen, as though she had spent many nights crying.

"May I ask who you are?"

"We are cultivators investigating the recent deaths in the city," Yizhou answered calmly. "We came to ask about your family member, You Bo. We hope you can tell us what happened to him."

The old woman hesitated before opening the door wider.

"Come in."

The two entered the house and were led into the main room, where several other family members were gathered. The atmosphere was subdued, and no one spoke much. It was clear that the tragedy had left the household weighed down by grief.

Once they had settled, Yizhou began asking about You Bo.

The elderly woman lowered her gaze, her hands tightening around the edge of her sleeve.

"My son... You Bo... has always been weak since he was young."

She let out a faint, bitter laugh.

"He was always getting sick. He rarely left the house, and we had long accepted that he might spend his entire life alone. To be honest, when he told us he wanted to marry, we were all shocked. We never imagined he would find someone willing to marry him."

Sui Sui listened quietly.

"Then how did he meet his wife?" he asked.

"The Yaomei Pavilion." The old woman’s expression softened for a moment.

"They helped him find her. Her name is GuaGua. The two of them got along surprisingly well. They shared the same interests, and after spending some time together, they decided to marry. We were overjoyed." The old woman wiped the corner of her eye.

"They chose a wedding date, and everything went smoothly. We thought our family had finally received some good fortune." Her voice gradually became heavier. "But not even a week after the wedding..."

She stopped.

Sui Sui noticed the change in her expression. "What happened?"

"You Bo suddenly became ill." The old woman’s voice trembled. "He collapsed without warning. We thought he was having another episode, so we called for a physician immediately. But everything happened so quickly. Before we could even understand what was happening, he was gone."

The room fell silent.

"At first, we never suspected anything strange," she continued. "My son had been sickly since childhood. We thought his body had simply... finally given out."

She lowered her head, tears beginning to gather in her eyes.

"It was just too cruel. They had barely begun their married life. They hadn’t even finished their honeymoon, and the groom was already gone."

Her voice broke, and she covered her face as she began to sob.

Sui Sui exchanged a glance with Yizhou.

After a moment, the old woman wiped away her tears and continued.

"And his wife..."

She sighed heavily.

"GuaGua is pitiful too. She still hasn’t been able to accept that he’s gone. She barely speaks to anyone and spends most of her time in their room. She loved my son very much." The grief in her voice made the room fall quiet once more.

When Sui Sui and Yizhou asked if they could meet You Bo’s wife, the old woman hesitated before nodding.

"This way." She led them through another part of the house and into a separate courtyard. The moment Sui Sui stepped inside, he noticed how different it was from the rest of the residence.

Red ribbons hung from the windows, while auspicious ornaments adorned the walls. Even the door still bore a large red banner with the character for double happiness.

Sui Sui’s gaze lingered on it.

For some reason, an inexplicable sense of discomfort rose within him. The bright red color seemed almost jarring against the quiet grief that hung over the residence. The banner symbolized happiness, a blissful marriage, and a future that two people were supposed to walk together. Yet the man who was meant to stand beneath it was already dead.

The contrast was so stark that it made the courtyard feel strangely unsettling.

The wedding decorations remained untouched, as though the celebration had been frozen in time. It was as if the wedding had never truly ended, even though the groom was no longer here.

"Please excuse the state of the courtyard," the old woman said with an awkward sigh. "My daughter-in-law refuses to let us remove anything. She says she wants everything to remain exactly as it was." She walked toward one of the rooms and knocked gently.

"GuaGua? There are some cultivators here who would like to speak with you."

There was no response so the old woman knocked again before slowly opening the door.

Inside, a young woman sat on the edge of the bed. Her once carefully arranged wedding clothes had been replaced by plain garments, and her hair was disheveled. Her eyes were vacant, as though she had barely noticed their arrival.

"GuaGua?" Sui Sui called gently.

The woman did not respond. Instead, she stared at something in front of her and muttered under her breath.

"Lied... They lied..." Her fingers tightened around the fabric of her sleeve. "Not... work..."

Sui Sui exchanged a glance with Yizhou before looking back at her.

"What did they lie about? What didn’t work?"

GuaGua remained unresponsive, continuing to mutter the same words.

The old woman sighed. "Oh, she is probably talking about what the Yaomei Pavilion told us."

Sui Sui immediately turned toward her.

"What did they tell you?"

"Before the marriage, they warned us that my son’s fate was too dim. They said his life was destined to be short "

The old woman pointed toward a small statue placed on a nearby table.

It was similar in appearance to the one they had seen at the Yaomei Pavilion.

"They said they could bless our household and help improve his fate. They gave us that statue and told us that keeping it nearby would help extend his life."

She gave a small, dismissive sigh.

"At first, we believed them. And strangely enough, You Bo really did seem to get healthier afterward. He had more energy and even began leaving the house more often. We thought perhaps their blessing had truly worked."

Her expression dimmed.

"But in the end, he still died. So whatever blessing they gave us was clearly useless."

Sui Sui’s gaze lingered on the small statue, a strange feeling settling in his chest.

After asking a few more questions, they finally concluded their investigation. Before Sui Sui and Yizhou left, the old woman suddenly remembered something.

"Ah, tomorrow night is my son’s funeral. It will be held at the temple. If you two are investigating his death, you are welcome to attend."

Yizhou nodded while Sui Sui answered "We will."

After thanking the family, Sui Sui and Yizhou left the residence, their minds filled with even more questions than when they had arrived.