Chapter 359 - 157: The Lonely Watcher (Part 1)

Chapter 359: Chapter 157: The Lonely Watcher (Part 1)

Zhang Shutong was also looking at the photo. Though he had gotten a general impression of it last night, he now saw the "fake Lu Qinglian" in the picture was raising a hand, her wide sleeve having slipped down to reveal an arm.

To Zhang Shutong, it looked more like the motion before an attack, just like the long-haired woman on the night of the avalanche.

It seemed more likely that the person in the basement had snapped this photo just before a fight broke out or they tried to flee.

"There’s a question I’ve wanted to ask for a while now," Zhang Shutong said after a moment. "The image presented by the clay figures—at what point in the deceased’s life is it frozen? If it’s based on their remains, then why are they wearing the clothes they had when they were alive?"

"I’m not sure either."

"What was the process like when you recovered her?"

"She sank into the water, and the sculpture floated to the surface."

’Perhaps the body isn’t the only requirement.’

After a long moment, Lu Qinglian finally looked away from the photo. She said softly,

"Just as I thought."

That subconscious remark was quite intriguing. "Just as I thought" implied both confirmation and prior expectation.

It meant she’d had a suspicion for some time, and this photo had just confirmed it.

But if the clay figures were equivalent to the dead being brought back to life, Lu Qinglian shouldn’t have said, "Just as I thought."

She was, after all, alive and well, standing right here. How could she possibly suspect she was dead?

But as soon as she said it, she looked away and began examining the table and wooden bed for other clues.

’Sometimes, you need a certain level of intelligence just to work with her,’ Zhang Shutong thought. ’Or maybe Song was right. If she’s a book that needs to be read slowly, and you can’t keep up with her line of thinking, you might not even get the plastic wrap off.’

"You’ve noticed it too?" Zhang Shutong asked, seemingly out of nowhere.

"I should be more familiar with my own body than you are."

Zhang Shutong’s gaze shifted from Lu Qinglian’s arm to the arm of the woman in the photo. He found himself marveling at the coincidence; the photo just happened to capture the woman’s left arm.

The woman’s left arm showed nothing but skin, illuminated by the camera’s flash.

But Zhang Shutong knew that on Lu Qinglian’s left arm...

"Can I see your birthmark one more time?"

"No," she refused flatly.

Zhang Shutong wasn’t surprised. ’I remember her saying she thought her red birthmark was ugly.’

"But I have to ask, just to be sure—is it really just a birthmark?"

Lu Qinglian nodded.

Zhang Shutong looked away. ’Now that the person herself has confirmed it, my suspicion must be correct.’

’Perhaps the person in the photo, and the figure I saw in the forbidden zone before...’

’...aren’t Lu Qinglian at all.’

He looked at the woman’s face again. It was blurry, but the general features were similar. Similarity didn’t prove anything, though; Zhang Shutong could see plenty of Gu Qiuyan’s features in her mother.

"When did you first suspect this?" Zhang Shutong asked. "That this person is actually someone else?"

"Last Sunday. At the temple."

"I guess I was overthinking things."

Zhang Shutong shook his head. He had always thought Lu Qinglian’s obsession was with finding a fake version of herself. But that impression was from when the clay figures were first discovered. In reality, her objective had quietly shifted long ago.

’No wonder her attitude at the hospital that day was so strange.’

"So who do you think it is?" Zhang Shutong asked, confused. "A sister?"

"I don’t have any sisters."

"An older relative?"

This time, Lu Qinglian didn’t answer yes or no.

She said softly,

"The bond between each generation of Temple Priestess is one of blood."

"An aunt?"

"I don’t have one of those, either."

Zhang Shutong fell silent.

’Because it wasn’t a very complicated deduction.’

’Lu Qinglian’s grandmother is still alive, so the ’older relative’ couldn’t be from two generations back. As for her great-grandmother’s generation... the clay figures haven’t been appearing for that long. Besides, what kind of genes could be that strong?’

’Which means it can only be—’

"Your mother?"