Chapter 52: Retirement Day 52 [Lots of Barrage] Open at 1am...
As night fell, moths flew towards the bright streetlight shade in front of the barbecue stall, creating a continuous sizzling sound. The subtle movement was amplified in the quiet and tense atmosphere, disturbing everyone.
Could it be that the culprit who caused the explosion that killed the hot pot restaurant owner and his wife on the spot and the idiot who possessed Old Master Yan were the same evil spirit?
Realizing this, Sang Qiqi gritted her teeth.
The little dog actually ran away from under her nose twice.
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. She suddenly raised her right hand and slapped the small table where the skewers were placed.
Jingyu noticed her movements and just as he shouted "Hey, don't--" he saw the intact wooden table in front of him suddenly crack at an unexpected speed, and then broke into countless pieces, crashing to the ground.
He was in a panic and managed to save a few hot skewers.
"Even if you are angry, don't take it out on the table with the skewers. You have to pay compensation." Jing Yu frowned and planned to get up to discuss the amount of compensation with the boss. However, when he looked up, he saw the boss's wife standing aside with a stiff expression, holding a full plate of skewers.
Apparently, this slightly exaggerated scene was seen by the proprietress.
Jing Yu: "...Don't worry, we won't beat anyone casually, and we will compensate you."
The proprietress smiled awkwardly and said, "It's okay, it's okay. This table isn't that expensive."
Although the proprietress said it was okay, Sang Qiqi, having calmed down, still apologized. She took out her phone and scanned the QR code to pay double the table fee. Carrying the few remaining skewers, she walked towards the funeral service, muttering to Jingyu, "That ghost... never mind. It's definitely Meng Zhengxiang. So, Meng Zhengxiang disappeared for five years, four and a half to be exact. And then, four and a half years later, he suddenly reappears and begins his revenge?"
First he killed his own father, and then most of the members involved in the restaurant at that time.
During this period, he was suspected of provoking the police and recreating the case five years ago in which he broke into the victim's home and tortured and killed the victim.
Finally, he came to Yan's house and attempted to take revenge on Yan Jingrui.
Jingyu glanced at her and asked in surprise, "Didn't you smell the evil spirit at the funeral dragon the day you came back from Beizhou? You didn't smell anything wrong when you went to the Yan family?"
Sang Qiqi: “…”
There's a little difference between ghosts and dogs, right?
She asked back, "Can you smell it?"
Jingyu: “I can’t smell it.”
Sang Qiqi: "Then you ask me?"
Jingyu: "I thought you would be a little special."
After all, its destructive power is comparable to that of a nuclear bomb, and I thought the nose could punch as hard as a fist.
The topic returned to Meng Zhengxiang. Jingyu propped his chin up with one hand, staring at the empty street in front of him, lost in thought: "According to your speculation, he has killed a total of seventeen people in the past six months. I guess he also devoured the ghosts of the seven innocent victims associated with the restaurant. So, Meng Zhengxiang is much more powerful than the ones you encountered before."
"To be precise, it's stronger than the evil ghosts I encountered in the mortal world, but still far behind that old man in the fourth hall of the underworld."
The description of Lao Deng from the Fourth Palace almost made Jingyu's expression collapse.
Although the relationship between the Third Hall and the Fourth Hall was not very good, Sang Qiqi was indeed the first one who dared to so confidently call Yama Lao Deng.
Thinking back to the grudge between Sang Qiqi and Yama of the Fourth Hall, Jing Yu felt that his worry about whether Sang Qiqi could successfully kill the evil ghost Meng Zhengxiang was really unnecessary.
Compared with combat effectiveness, the most critical issue at the moment is how to catch Meng Zhengxiang.
Jing Yu pondered for a moment, then raised his eyebrows and said, "Since Meng Zhengxiang has been to the funeral service, he must be well aware of your uniqueness, which is why he ran away before you arrived at the Yan family. With you guarding near the Yan family, the possibility of him showing up is indeed small. But what if you are not at the Yan family, or in other words, you are not in Jingbei?"
Sang Qiqi turned her head and looked at him.
Jing Yu slowly raised the corners of his mouth, revealing a hint of ambiguous smile: "Things like going to the Yan family to help out in an emergency, once there is a first time, there will be a second time. It just so happens that this second time made you leave Jingbei, it makes sense, right?"
Pop.
Sang Qiqi slapped Jing Yu on the shoulder and said, "It's an honor for our underworld to have such a smart mind enter our underworld. I'll let Lin Yanluo kowtow to you when there's a chance."
Jingyu: "...That's not necessary."
-
That night, after having barbecue, Sang Qiqi returned to the funeral service. She had no intention of sleeping, so she opened the live broadcast room and linked all the shared bikes, killing time while selling goods.
Although it was very late, there were many night owls who did not sleep at night and could not wake up during the day.
As soon as Sang Qiqi's live broadcast showed as started, a group of people rushed in.
[Yo, this anchor still remembers that he is an anchor]
What's your schedule? Is it appropriate to start a livestream at 1 a.m. selling paper crafts?
[Who in my family understands this? I had already coaxed myself to sleep, but the reminder to start the show rang, so I got up to watch it. I hope the host will give me two paper-made men and 10,000 yuan because I love you so much. Thank you, host.]
[Why did the sister in front of me eat and take things? Well, I won’t be polite. I don’t want the paper figurines. Please give me 300,000 in cash. Please note, it’s cash, not ghost money. Thank you.]
[You are worthy of being a sister certified by Sister Cheng. She posted a corpse recovery video at midnight, and you started a live broadcast to sell funeral products at one o'clock. Awesome!]
[Who is Sister Cheng?]
[The beautiful lady next door is a professional corpse retriever. I didn't expect you, 77, to know Cheng Heyi! Oh my god, my two favorite underworld anchors are actually sisters!]
[The description of the underworld anchor almost made me die of laughter]
[Hey, I was wondering how you two knew each other. 77, you've also joined the Ghost Guild.]
Sang Qiqi propped up her chin as she watched the comments scroll by. When she saw them mention Cheng Heyi, her beautiful almond-shaped eyes rolled around and she asked with a smile, "Sister Heyi posted a new video? Is it about the Beizhou Wuyanzhuang Reservoir incident?"
[Yes, yes, yes, Sister Cheng took a picture of you. A female celebrity is indeed a female celebrity. She is so beautiful even without makeup.]
[If you want to watch the video, the host will take us to watch it together]
[+1, just checked out Cheng Heyi's homepage, but was too timid to click on any videos/sweat]
Sang Qiqi was quite curious about what Cheng Heyi would make of the Wuyanzhuang Reservoir video, so she didn't refuse the suggestion of the audience in the live broadcast room. She opened the homepage of Li Zi Live and found the navigation bar of [Recent Updates by Great Anchors] on the homepage without any surprise. She clicked on the [Beizhou Wuyanzhuang Reservoir Corpse Recovery Work Vlog] at the top.
The vlog begins with Cheng Heyi leaving her Changxin residence. It's already late, and she's carrying her bag as she speaks to the camera: "I've received a commission and am getting ready to go out. Just a heads-up: a new partner will be joining us today, but their identity will remain secret. I'll tell you when I get to Beizhou Airport."
Planes take off and land.
Cheng Heyi picked up her suitcase and walked towards her seat in the departure hall. Within two seconds, the camera in her hand swiveled, and Sang Qiqi's pretty face suddenly appeared before her. She curved her almond-shaped eyes and greeted them warmly, "Good evening, everyone! Today, I'll be Sister Heyi's assistant."
After that, the two of them left the airport and got into the car of Wuyanzhuang's driver, and listened to the driver tell rumors about Wuyanzhuang.
At the request of the audience in the live broadcast room, Sang Qiqi opened the barrage of comments on Cheng Heyi's video. Although the video was uploaded just over an hour ago, Cheng Heyi has a large number of active fans, and thousands of comments have been accumulated in this hour.
[Dream Linkage!]
[Sister Cheng is getting better too, you even have a female celebrity as your assistant/doge]
[Huh? Did I miss something? How did you two meet?]
[No, was this rumor about Wuyanzhuang a hundred years ago so exaggerated? How many children must have died in this reservoir? Can any locals tell me if this rumor is true? It sounds so fake.]
[Sang Qiqi’s rebuttal made me laugh to death]
[She looks like she wants to chop the idiot out of this suggestion]
[As a Beizhou native, I grew up hearing stories about the Wuyanzhuang Reservoir/smile]
[Don’t ask if it’s true or not. If you search online now, you can still find news about the Wuyanzhuang Dam’s two consecutive construction failures.]
[I heard this from my grandmother and others, it’s true]
When many comments started discussing the Wuyanzhuang Reservoir, the vlog scene changed again, becoming a scene of Sang Qiqi and Cheng Heyi jumping into the lake in diving suits.
[Wait, am I reading this right? The diving suit I just changed into isn't this color? Why did I change into another suit before entering the water?]
[Isn't it a bit too much to change into two wetsuits every time you go into the water?]
[…Is this account just for show? The uploader doesn’t look or have the body type to retrieve a corpse/smirk]
[Stupid. The smell is overflowing from the screen.]
[You don't look or speak like a human, you look more like an animal.]
[That's a good insult. A local insider would like to explain, because this diving scene is Sister Cheng's second time in the water. The first time, Sister Cheng encountered an accident and almost died in the reservoir. She was rescued by Sang Qiqi.]
[What! ! ! ! ]
[Really? Didn't Sister Cheng thank 77 for saving her life in the post? Didn't you guys even read it?]
[The villagers of Wuyan Village are very grateful to Sister Cheng and 77. Those troublemakers should get lost!]
[The author praised it, hahahaha]
Amidst the chaotic barrage of comments, the vlog had already played to the point where Cheng Heyi's underwater camera captured Yanyan's figure, but as usual, Cheng Heyi mosaiced Yanyan's body, then hooked Yanyan's belt with a hook and brought her back to the shore.
As for Yanyan's family's reaction and their gratitude to her and Sang Qiqi, she did not record it.
Only at the end of the video did Cheng Heyi add a short clip of Taiwei Sanren, the abbot of Liuyun Temple in Jiashan Prefecture, performing a ritual, praying that Yanyan, who drowned, would have a peaceful afterlife.
[!!!]
[Oh my god, Liuyun Temple in Jiashan Prefecture? Isn’t that the hometown of Taoist Master Mingxin?]
[This Taoist priest Taiwei is even Mingxin’s master.]
[I'm not saying this, @Daoist Master Mingxin, when you go out to work, does your master help you with the rituals?]
[How presumptuous of the sister in front, hahahaha]
After watching the video, Sang Qiqi clicked three times in a row and gave Cheng Heyi several expensive gifts, leaving a sweet smile and comment: When will Sister Heyi come to Beijing North? I want to have dinner with Sister Heyi / cute
[After watching the host's aggressive demeanor when mocking Qiao for so long, and then seeing the host's face when facing the pretty sister, I suddenly felt a little uncomfortable]
[Hahaha, they are both cute emoticons, why is the difference so obvious?]
[Please inform me when you are eating, I will sit at the next table]
Sang Qiqi glanced at the barrage of comments and was about to answer when she heard the ringtone of her cell phone.
She leaned over to take a look and saw that it was Cheng Heyi.
Glancing at the live camera, Sang Qiqi answered the call, and Cheng Heyi's voice came in: "Qiqi, sorry to bother you, but I have something I need your help with. Xiao Tang and Ming Xin went to explore a mental hospital in Hai City, Xiluo Province yesterday. Six minutes ago, Xiao Tang sent me a string of garbled text. I thought it was strange, so I replied with a question mark, but Xiao Tang ignored me. I called him again, and the call was connected, but there was no sound. After about twenty seconds, it was suddenly hung up. I called again, but the phone was turned off."
Cheng Heyi took a deep breath: "I'm a little worried."
After hearing this, Sang Qiqi frowned. She clamped her phone between her shoulder and ear and searched for "Tang Yingjun" on Li Zi Live. The reminder in Tang Yingjun's live broadcast room showed that Tang Yingjun had ended the broadcast ten minutes ago.
[Qiqi is looking for Xiao Tang? He was just live streaming, but it suddenly shut down.]
[Yes, yes, there seemed to be another scream, it scared me to death]
[Qiqi, this call was from Sister Cheng, right? I saw the note.]
[I remember Sister Cheng and Xiao Tang were both members of the Ghost Guild, right? What's going on? Is Xiao Tang in trouble? / Terrified]
Sang Qiqi pretended not to notice the dense barrage of comments and simply said, "I have something to deal with, so I'll end the broadcast first. Everyone, go to bed early. Good night."
[So suddenly?]
[What? Haven’t you only been on the air for half an hour?]
[Play it for a while]
Despite the barrage of comments trying to persuade her to stay, Sang Qiqi was as hard as iron. She moved her mouse to the lower right corner of the live broadcast room and clicked 'Close Live Broadcast'.
When the computer screen dimmed, she lowered her eyes to look at her phone again.
A few minutes later, she booked a flight to Hai City in Xiluo Province and drove to the Yan family's home. Late at night, the small western-style building was shrouded in silence. Sang Qiqi circled the building twice, but still found no trace of the evil spirit, so she whistled.
In the darkness, a crow that almost blended into the night spread its wings and fell from the sky, landing on Sang Qiqi's shoulder.
Sang Qiqi opened her palm and took out a handful of rice to feed Xiao Hei. She stroked its soft and smooth feathers and whispered, "I have something to do and need to leave Jingbei for Xiluo Province. I'll leave the Yan family to you and Maomao."
Xiao Hei gently pecked Sang Qiqi's palm with his beak to show that he understood.
At the same time, Sang Qiqi took out her cell phone and sent a message to Yan Jingrui and Kong Xingyan, informing them that she had to go out for a while and that if everything went well, she would be able to return to Jingbei tomorrow afternoon.
The next morning, Kong Xingyan got up early to go for a run as usual when he saw Sang Qiqi's letter. He was stunned when he read the contents. Without a word, he grabbed his phone, ran to the garage, and drove to Yan's house.
It was a little surprising that there were guests at the Yan family at this moment.
Kong Xingyan walked into the living room with messy hair. He just opened his mouth to say "Teacher, Miss Sang sent me a message", but his eyes met the middle-aged man sitting on the sofa and he swallowed all the following words.
Hearing the noise, Mrs. Yan poked her head out of the kitchen. Seeing that it was him, and then looking at his slovenly appearance, she couldn't help but laugh: "Xiao Kong, what's the matter with you? What's so urgent that you didn't even bother to cut your hair?"
He glanced down and paused, his expression still a bit indescribable: "I'm wearing the wrong shoes too."
Kong Xingyan lowered his head and saw that the shoes on his left and right feet were of two different styles.
He chuckled awkwardly, and without saying much, he simply asked Sister Yan, "Master's wife, where is Master?"
"Inside the house. I just called him up."
As he finished speaking, the sound of a door being pushed open came from the bedroom on the second floor.
Although it had been two days since Old Master Yan's funeral, Yan Jingrui still didn't look good. The dark circles under his eyes were very noticeable on his serious and stern face. He raised his hand and pressed his brow. Seeing Kong Xingyan looking over, he was the first to greet him: "Little Kong? Why are you here at this hour?"
"I received a message from Miss Sang. Did you receive it?"
"I see." Yan Jingrui seemed unwilling to say more, and only said, "Since you're here, sit down and have breakfast before going to work."
Kong Xingyan didn't refuse and turned into the kitchen to help Mrs. Yan.
Yan Jingrui walked over to the sofa in the living room and sat down face to face with his guest. He glanced at the middle-aged man opposite him, whose face was also dark blue, and found it a little funny. "I heard from Ah Hui that you were on a business trip in Nankou. Judging from your appearance, you just got off the plane and didn't even book a hotel, right?"
Qi Hongkai exhaled, rubbed his tired face with his hands, and smiled bitterly: "It's nothing, it's just such an unfortunate coincidence. The two days when the old man passed away, our company was about to sign a contract with Ningchuan Real Estate. As the person in charge, I really couldn't leave, otherwise I would have come back to see him off."
Yan Jingrui heard the apology in his words and waved his hand, saying, "Work is important. The old man won't care."
"Old Yan, take me to burn some incense for the old man."
"Okay, this way."
Through the crack in the kitchen door, Kong Xingyan saw Yan Jingrui and the middle-aged man walking towards the old man's former bedroom, one after the other. He asked Sister Yan curiously, "Master's wife, who is this person? Why is he here so early in the morning?"
"Old Yan's childhood friend," Yan's wife explained. "His name is Qi Hongkai. He grew up with Old Yan and Ah Hui, so he could be considered half of Old Man's student. He was out of town and couldn't come back for the two days before Old Man passed away... So, he came to see Old Man right after he got off the plane."
Kong Xingyan nodded in understanding. It turned out to be him.
He then asked, "Doesn't Mr. Qi usually live in northern Beijing?"
When Kong Xingyan came to see Yan Jingrui, he often saw Xu Hui, but he almost never saw Mr. Qi. Today was the first time.
Sister Yan nodded. "Yes, Lao Qi settled in Huxi City for work when he was young. He hasn't been back to Beijing North very often in recent years, but he still has a good relationship with Lao Yan and the others. There's no estrangement."
When it comes to Qi Hongkai, Sister Yan obviously has a lot to say.
She said, "It's good for him to stay in Huxi City. He can distance himself from the two people back home and live an easier life."
Kong Xingyan's ears pricked up, and he gossiped a little and urged Mrs. Yan to say a few more words.
Seeing him like this, Sister Yan couldn't help but pat him on the head twice and scolded him with a smile: "How can you, a captain of the criminal police, be like a gossiphead?"
Kong Xingyan was very frank: "Everyone is curious, and I am especially curious."
After all, it was not a secret. Kong Xingyan wanted to hear it, so Mrs. Yan told him.
"Old Qi has his mother and brother at home. His mother has always favored the youngest son, giving him the best food and everything else. As for the eldest son, Old Qi, his life was miserable. I heard from Old Yan that one winter it was so cold that all the nearby lakes froze over, and Old Qi was wearing a pair of old cotton shoes with holes in them, and his feet were frozen stiff. If the old man hadn't seen him in time and brought him in to warm himself by the fire, it's hard to say whether Old Qi's feet would be saved."
"There were many such incidents, but the old man was kind-hearted and had been helping Lao Qi, intentionally or unintentionally, since then. He would deliberately ask Lao Yan to go play with Lao Qi at mealtimes, and then bring Lao Qi home for dinner. When it was cold, he would buy Lao Qi clothes and let Lao Qi stay at his house."
"Lao Qi's mother realized that the old man was helping Lao Qi, so she kept cursing him and even snatched Lao Qi's winter cotton-padded jacket for Lao Qi's younger brother."
Hearing this, Kong Xingyan frowned and couldn't help asking, "Is Mr. Qi really the son of the Qi family? Could he have been taken away by mistake?"
Sister-in-law Yan: "Hey, you're right. Lao Qi was born to Lao Qi's father's ex-wife."
Kong Xingyan: “…”
After all this time, it turns out to be my stepmother.
Mrs. Yan saw Kong Xingyan's expression changing constantly, and her face was complicated. She found it a little funny. "But Lao Qi was lucky. He met the old man. With the old man's help, he and Lao Yan went to school together. Lao Yan was admitted to the police academy, and Lao Qi went to study economics and management. After graduation, he got a job at a good company."
"After establishing his career, Lao Qi rarely went home. Coincidentally, his company was planning to open a branch, so Lao Qi used this as an excuse to go to Huxi. Not only did he get a promotion, but he also met his wife there. Originally, the two of them were getting along well in Huxi, and his wife even got pregnant. But then, Lao Qi's stepmother, that damned old woman, saw that her eldest son was so successful, and shamelessly went to Lao Qi with her baggage, demanding that he support her."
Of course Qi Hongkai didn't want to.
But the old woman just didn't understand what people were saying, and she pushed Qi Hongkai's wife to the ground during the scuffle.
Kong Xingyan frowned again: "Where's the child?"
Mrs. Yan sighed, "No, they almost didn't save the adults. At that time, I followed Old Yan to Huxi to see them. I think if anything happened to Old Qi's wife, Old Qi would have taken a knife and chopped the old woman to pieces."
Fortunately, Qi Hongkai's wife was rescued in the end, and the old woman was also sent to the police station.
"For many years after that, his wife still couldn't get pregnant," said Sister Yan. "They had both planned to give up, but unexpectedly, the child came. Now their child is about ten years old, and they haven't seen him for a long time."
"That's not bad, it can be considered as a happy ending after all the hardship."
"That's right."
The two chatted in whispers for a long time. Qi Hongkai and Yan Jingrui on the other side also finished burning incense for the old man and walked back to the living room.
Mrs. Yan and Kong Xingyan each brought two plates of dumplings and asked everyone to sit down: "It's just right, come and have breakfast."
"Thank you, sister-in-law." Qi Hongkai smiled at Sister-in-law Yan and was not polite.
After breakfast, Yan Jingrui urged Qi Hongkai to go back to the hotel to rest, and also rushed Kong Xingyan back to work. Kong Xingyan waved his hand and said, "I still have something to tell you."
So Qi Hongkai was the only one who left the Yan family's small Western-style building.
Qi Hongkai walked out, but his eyes seemed to glance casually to the right side of the small western-style building.
In the corner, a black cat licked its fur gracefully. In the tree, a pure black crow tilted its head, as if dozing off.
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