White temples

As lunchtime approached, Jiang Shuo received a phone call, and Si Mucheng could tell from his expression that they wouldn't be able to finish the meal.

Sure enough, Jiang Shuo hung up the phone, looked at Wen Ya, and said, "Sun Zhiyong has confessed, and the police are currently investigating."

Wen Ya suddenly stood up: "Can we go take a look?"

Jiang Shuo knew he couldn't stop them even if he tried, so he nodded and said, "Let's go together."

Grandma Jiang frowned deeply: "What's so urgent? The food is already on the table, can't we eat first?"

Jiang Shuo knew that Grandma Jiang was reluctant to part with Wen Ya, so he gave her a wink. Wen Ya paused for a moment before saying, "Grandma, we'll be back to eat later."

Hearing Wen Ya's words, Grandma Jiang finally relented: "Then come back when you're done. Xiao Ya, I'll have Aunt Wu make braised pork ribs tonight. You loved it when you came here as a child."

Wen Ya didn't really remember, but when she heard Grandma Jiang say that, she could only nod and agree.

Jiang Shuo then drove Wen Ya and Si Mucheng to the abandoned factory.

The factory looks very different during the day than at night. What appears as a monstrous shadow under the cover of darkness is now just two tall buildings and factory buildings.

The police have set up a cordon, and everyone is performing their duties in an orderly manner to carry out the excavation work.

Jiang Shuo led Wen Ya and Si Mucheng toward the cordon. A junior police officer tried to stop them, but they were stopped by someone else.

The man strode over. He was tall and muscular, and his short-sleeved shirt couldn't hide his biceps. He looked unkempt, with wrinkled clothes and stubble on his chin, but his eyes were sharp, as if you could see right through him.

Wen Ya remembered him; she saw Jiang Shuo talking to him before she left last night.

Sure enough, Jiang Shuo greeted him and introduced him to Wen Ya and Si Mucheng: "This is Captain Cheng."

Wen Ya simply nodded, while Si Mucheng remained in his usual flirtatious state, greeting her with a smile, "Hello, Captain Cheng!"

Team Leader Cheng was very amiable, but his eyes were scrutinizing. He smiled and said, "Hello." But his gaze shifted from Si Mucheng to Wen Ya, paused, and then pointed at Wen Xiaofeng on Wen Ya's shoulder from a distance: "Your... pet is quite nice, rather interesting."

Wen Ya remained expressionless: "Thank you."

Team Leader Cheng turned to Jiang Shuo and asked, "Is this your sister?"

Jiang Shuo glanced at Wen Ya, a rare hint of embarrassment appearing on his face. He gave a vague "hmm" and then asked, "How's it going on site?"

Team Leader Cheng showed a bag of evidence: "We must have found the right place. We found a talisman while digging."

Jiang Shuo frowned, took it, glanced at it, and then handed it to Wen Ya: "It's a spirit-sealing talisman."

Wen Ya looked at the torn talisman in the evidence bag: "Just as I suspected."

That's why Shi Lu wasn't discovered.

Team Leader Cheng wanted to say something more, but suddenly there was a commotion not far away.

The group turned their heads and saw a haggard middle-aged man trying to break through the police cordon, but was stopped by two police officers.

The man kept shouting, "Is that my daughter? Has she been found? Let me in and see, I just want to see!"

Wen Ya stared at the white hair on the man's head swaying in the wind, and subconsciously looked to her side. The ghost Shi Lu just stared blankly at the man, her lips twitching, and she silently called out, "...Dad."

Team Leader Cheng's face darkened: "Who leaked the information?"

At that moment, the police officer who was digging reported: "Captain Cheng! We've found something!"

Team Leader Cheng patted Jiang Shuo on the shoulder and gestured with his chin toward the middle-aged man: "Can you do me a favor?" With that, he hurried off toward the excavation site.

Jiang Shuo had clearly never dealt with this kind of situation before, and he was stunned when he saw that Captain Cheng was really dumping this mess on him. By the time he reacted, Captain Cheng had already walked far away. He cursed silently in his heart, but there was still a commotion at the police cordon, and two young and strong police officers almost couldn't hold back a thin, middle-aged man.

"Please, please, just let me in for a second! I just want to see if it's my daughter... Please..."

Jiang Shuo took a deep breath, walked over, and said softly, "Calm down. Even if you go in now, you won't see anything. It's been so long, the corpses have all turned to bones."

As Jiang Shuo finished speaking the last word, Si Mucheng's vision went black.

These two! They really are siblings! Is this even human?!

He quickly stepped forward to support the swaying man, reassuring him, "Uncle, don't rush. We won't see anything now, and it might even disturb the police. If it really is your...daughter, let's wait a bit, until she's...out and all sorted out, then we'll show her to you, okay?"

“I…I’m not afraid…I’m not afraid of what she looks like, she’s my daughter…” The man finally shed a tear, and as if all his strength had been drained, he stopped struggling.

Si Mucheng was strong and supported him, taking the opportunity to lead him aside: "Well, we have to wait for the police to finish their work, there's no rush. How about this, we'll just wait here, and we'll go as soon as we have any news, okay? Please sit down for a while..."

Jiang Shuo breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Si Mucheng lead the man away with just a few words. Wen Ya hadn't expected him to be forced into this situation, and a smile appeared in her eyes as she thought of it. But Jiang Shuo noticed it.

He raised an eyebrow: "Schadenfreude?"

"No, not at all." Wen Ya composed herself, pretending to do something, looking around, and finally glancing at the ghost beside her.

Shi Lu stared blankly at the middle-aged man, but dared not go forward, feeling a sense of trepidation as if she were returning home.

Wen Ya said softly, "Shouldn't we go take a look?"

Shi Lu hesitated, looking at Wen Ya: "Sister...I, I'm scared."

Wen Ya was stunned for a moment. She had died a violent death and her soul had been suppressed. She had never expressed fear before, but now she said that she was afraid.

Shi Lu's voice trembled with tears: "Daddy... Daddy, why have you gotten so old..."

He used to be very particular about his appearance. He would wear a white shirt, buttoning it all the way to the top, and wear an old watch, which Shi Lu heard was a gift from her mother to her father. He would comb his hair meticulously, not only himself but also braiding Shi Lu's hair into cute braids.

But now, his gray hair was disheveled, his shirt was wrinkled, his cheeks were sunken, and his eyes were full of fatigue.

“How…how did he become like this…” Shi Lu said painfully, “Was it my fault? Was Daddy wrong? Did we do something wrong…why do we have to suffer like this…”

"She" seemed to be asking a question, or perhaps venting her frustration. Wen Ya observed "her" warily. If it were an ordinary ghost, its obsession would breed resentment, and even if it wasn't an evil spirit, it would transform into one under such circumstances.

However, Shi Lu did not show any resentment. Wen Ya narrowed her eyes and realized that she was indeed very different.

Jiang Shuo knew Wen Ya was communicating with a ghost, and seeing that she was silent, he asked, "What's wrong?"

Wen Ya shook her head.

Shi Lu still couldn't understand: "Why... I studied hard, obeyed the law, and followed the rules, why was I chosen? That person... I only talked to him a few more times, why did it have to turn out like this? Why... what did I do wrong..."

“You did nothing wrong,” Wen Ya said calmly.

Shi Lu suddenly shut her mouth, still puzzled, and looked at Wen Ya with confusion.

“You did nothing wrong. The murderer is the one who is wrong,” Wen Ya looked into Shi Lu’s eyes. “Some people are like that, taking a girl’s polite behavior as a sign that she is interested in him. He is the one who is wrong, his mind is full of filth, he is self-centered, he doesn’t care about other people’s feelings, and he doesn’t know how to respect. In the end, he is just a selfish and twisted person. You don’t need to doubt yourself because of such a person. You did nothing wrong, your father did nothing wrong, the one who is wrong is the one who had evil intentions.”

Shi Lu was stunned.

Buried underground for so many days and nights, "she" always wondered, why "her", why "she" had to suffer all this, could it be that "she" did something bad and this was retribution?

But Wen Ya told "her" that "she" was not in the wrong.

Wen Ya turned to Jiang Shuo and said, "Sun Zhiyong isn't crazy. No mentally ill person would go looking for a spirit-sealing talisman to suppress someone after murdering, dismembering, and burying the body. He might not know about spirit-sealing talismans or believe in ghosts, but he's scared because he knows he's done something wrong. He's wicked and vicious, so don't let him get away with it."

Jiang Shuo heard what Wen Ya said to Shi Lu and nodded in agreement: "I will talk to Captain Cheng. Besides, a mental evaluation is very complicated, and he can't fake it."

Wen Ya then thought of something else: "Moreover, I was involved in what happened last night. He failed in his attack, and he is responsible for Si Mucheng's injuries. I do not accept a settlement."

She rarely acted so aggressively, as if she wanted to get to the bottom of things. Seeing her gloomy face, Jiang Shuo knew she was truly angry, so he said, "Fine."

Suddenly, Captain Cheng called out from not far away, "Jiang Shuo! Come here for a second."

Jiang Shuo patted Wen Ya on the shoulder: "It should be dug out. Keep an eye on this side." Then he went over.

Wen Ya looked at Shi Lu's father, who was gradually calming down with Si Mucheng's company, and said to Shi Lu, "Go and see him." Shi Lu's obsession was to see her father one last time. After today, her obsession would dissipate. This was probably the last time she would see him.

Shi Lu floated quietly, looking at her father, and said softly, "That's good."

Wen Ya remained silent.

Everyone knows that for Mr. Shi, life will never be good again.

Several police officers carried a light stretcher out. Upon seeing this, Shi's father immediately stood up, and Si Mucheng, fearing he would become agitated, put his arm around his shoulder.

The stretcher was covered with a sheet, so the scene underneath couldn't be seen. Jiang Shuo and forensic doctor Cheng lagged behind. When they got closer, Cheng thought for a moment and said to Shi's father, "The identity of this skeleton still needs further verification. You should go home first. If there is any news, the police will contact you."