Grandma Sun refused to admit that her son accidentally pushed her and killed her, insisting that her daughter-in-law Zhou Linlin killed her. When pressed, a layer of black mist appeared on her face, her expression became ferocious, and she looked like a madman, clearly possessed by a demon.
Qin Gu silently took out a Five Thunder Talisman and gently twirled it between his fingers. The black aura on Granny Sun's face quickly faded, and she soon returned to being a quiet and kind old ghost.
Humans fear death, and so do ghosts. When a person dies, they become a ghost. If a ghost is struck by a thunder talisman, it will be utterly annihilated, and it will have no chance of an afterlife.
The police officers looked at Qin Gu with admiration in their eyes. The slight contempt they had shown for him because of his age had completely vanished. A capable person can get along well anywhere.
Grandma Sun was unwilling to admit that her son had killed her, but she readily confessed to Niu Niu's death.
According to her, she did not intend to kill Niu Niu; she did take Niu Niu out to play.
Seeing other people's little boys at the ice cream shop reminded her of her own son, who was almost forty and still didn't have a child to carry on the family line—Niu Niu was a girl, and would eventually marry into another family, so she didn't count.
She and her daughter-in-law had argued many times about having a second child. On a whim, Grandma Sun told Niu Niu to persuade her mother so that she and her daughter-in-law wouldn't have to argue anymore, and so that her son wouldn't be upset.
As a result, Niu Niu was completely disobedient. Not only did she refuse to persuade her mother, she also said that she didn't like her younger brother and didn't want him.
“Children have sharp eyes and sharp tongues, they can’t say things like that. If she says that, my grandson won’t be able to come!” Grandma Sun told the police.
Grandma Sun was furious. She remembered that her daughter-in-law said they already had Niu Niu, so there was no need to have a second child, and the policy didn't allow it either.
Grandma Sun, overcome with malice, decided to throw her granddaughter away.
At first, she thought of the train station, a chaotic place where it would be ideal if someone could take the child away.
But Niu Niu remembered her parents' phone number and home address. There were a lot of police officers at the train station—Grandma Sun called anyone in uniform a police officer. If the child was sent back, she wouldn't be able to explain it to her son.
Grandma Sun came up with a plan. She found a secluded place, left Niu Niu there, and told her to wait. When she came back, she would say that Niu Niu had run away and gotten lost.
Even if she's sent back, wouldn't her son believe her as his mother? He'd definitely blame Niu Niu for being naughty and running around. If this happens a few more times, either Niu Niu will be scared into obediently listening to her and asking her daughter-in-law for a younger brother, or she'll simply be lost and never found again, and they can still have another grandson.
Grandma Sun thought she had thought things through quite thoroughly, but Niu Niu didn't listen to her at all and secretly followed behind her.
Grandma Sun felt guilty for doing something wrong. When Niu Niu followed her, she became angry and embarrassed. After scolding Niu Niu, she even slapped her twice.
Niu Niu had never been hit before, and she immediately started making a fuss, saying she would tell her mother.
Upon hearing this, Grandma Sun was furious and afraid that her daughter-in-law would find out that she wanted to throw away the child. Niu Niu was crying loudly beside her, so Grandma Sun gritted her teeth and covered her mouth.
She herself couldn't explain whether she covered Niu Niu's head to stop her from crying or whether she had murderous intent and wanted to take the opportunity to kill Niu Niu to make room for her grandson.
In short, by the time Grandma Sun let go, Niu Niu was already dead. She stood there in a panic for a while, intending to run away, but then worried that Niu Niu's body would be discovered.
She found a tree pit in an abandoned park. The big tree inside had been removed, leaving a pit more than a meter deep. She threw Niu Niu in, then threw in some branches and leaves, and hurried home.
Everyone knows what happened next. She told her son and daughter-in-law that Niu Niu had gotten lost on her own. When her daughter-in-law argued with her, she felt guilty and didn't dare to confront her as usual. She even cried.
Zhou Linlin was determined to find her child. Grandma Sun smothered her granddaughter to death, but her conscience bothered her. While her daughter-in-law was out looking for the child, she secretly burned paper money at home, hoping that Niu Niu would be reincarnated quickly and that her grandson would come soon.
Tong Hanming happened to be home getting some documents when he stumbled upon the scene, only to discover that his daughter had been murdered by her own mother.
Even the most cold-blooded Tong Hanming wouldn't be completely devoid of feelings for his biological daughter. Niu Niu was well-behaved and adorable, and Tong Hanming was saddened for a while after learning about it.
However, he and his boss Lu Minghai are very similar in that they both prioritize their careers and believe that a man's career is the foundation of his life, and that everything else can only come from a career.
He weighed the pros and cons. His daughter was already dead, and even if he sent his biological mother to prison, his child would never come back.
His wife will definitely divorce him then. A mother in prison and a broken family will have a huge negative impact on his career.
He kept this a secret, thinking that once his wife calmed down, they could have another child. If it was a boy, his mother would be happy, so he would let her stay and help take care of the child.
If it's another girl, send his mother back to her hometown to live out her retirement, or rent another house for his mother to live in, so that his mother has no contact with her daughter.
As for Niu Niu, Tong Hanming could only say sorry, it was his Tong family who couldn't keep the child, they were not meant to be.
But Tong Hanming didn't expect that his mother was determined to make him divorce. Tong Hanming still had feelings for Zhou Linlin, his young, beautiful, and sensible wife. Although she was a little spoiled at times, she was always presentable in public.
He felt guilty towards his wife because of Niu Niu's situation, and became even more unwilling to divorce her. Grandma Sun felt guilty and had nightmares every night, so she kept pressuring her son to divorce her.
The mother and son had an unusual stalemate, which they had to keep hidden from Zhou Linlin. Until that day, when they were tearing at each other, they both felt they had had enough, and their actions became somewhat violent, leading to a bad outcome.
After understanding the situation, the police sighed. The case was now clear: Tong Hanming could not escape the charge of manslaughter.
If Grandma Sun murdered her granddaughter Niu Niu, and the victim herself confessed to the crime, the case can be closed.
The problem is, both the victim and the perpetrator are dead, and their testimonies are all given by ghosts. How are they supposed to write this case file?
The special affairs bureau field agent, who had been acting as a bystander and a tool, finally began to play his role. He stated that case files involving paranormal cases could be forged.
Genuine case files are sealed and stored, while forged case files are fabricated by the agents themselves, as long as they look presentable.
The police officers looked at each other, completely bewildered. They always strived to uncover the truth in their investigations, and the case files were required to be authentic and credible. This was the first time they had been asked to fabricate stories themselves.
But since the ghosts have already been investigated, it's really not a big deal to have them compile another case file.
"Lord Zhulong, what do you think we should do with this ghost?" the field agent asked Qin Gu politely.
Grandma Sun is clearly on the verge of turning evil, a criminal inmate. It's very likely that once her son is sentenced, the old woman will become a vengeful ghost.
Qin Gu felt a chill run down his spine upon hearing the code name, but he had to maintain a composed demeanor, not letting his superior air falter.
He thought for a moment, then waved the Soul-Binding Banner, and Granny Sun was taken back inside.
Celestial masters are different from law enforcers in the mortal world. Police cannot arrest someone just because they might commit a crime.
But the Taoist priest felt that this ghost would bring disaster to the world, so it was up to him whether he wanted to deal with it or not.
The easiest way is to wait until the ghost does something bad before eliminating it. Alternatively, you can take action first, without waiting for it to do anything wrong. The ghost will then have no recourse, since it lingers in the mortal world instead of leaving when it should.
The most troublesome thing is arresting them and locking them up.
For example, there are monks in Buddhism who specialize in dispelling misfortune. They chant sutras every day to appease the resentment of ghosts, and then send them all in at once when the gates of hell open.
Since Qin Gu has taken charge of this matter, he can't just abandon Granny Sun, who might do something wrong, in case she retaliates against Zhou Linlin.
Qin Gu felt it was a bit of a loss to kill her outright. Given Granny Sun's cruelty in murdering her own blood relatives, especially young children, she would definitely have to go through the eighteen levels of hell after she went to the underworld. That would be much more satisfying than simply having her soul scattered.
But he certainly couldn't keep Granny Sun by his side, so he rolled up the Soul-Binding Banner and threw it into the field officer's arms: "Send it to Bi'an, and remember to send the Soul-Binding Banner back to me."
With such a large force as the Xuanmen, the authorities certainly couldn't just watch from the sidelines. They also cultivated their own people, unlike Qin Gu who had a semi-official status; those people were all genuine public officials.
Bi'an is an official, as its code name suggests, in charge of the Demon and Ghost Prison.
The field clerk, sweating profusely as he held the soul-summoning banner, was no stranger to the world and didn't just throw it away. He nodded respectfully in agreement.
I'll also bring Qin Gu the reward for this mission. It's not much, only 10,000 yuan, which isn't as much as he makes selling talismans.
Since it was a low-level task, Qin Gu considered it a windfall.
As they were leaving, several police officers looked at Qin Gu as if they wanted to say something but hesitated, as if they really wanted to get his contact information.
Shen Linpeng, who was in charge, took the initiative to ask, "Senior year of high school? Are you interested in applying to police academy?"
"That depends on whether the person I like wants to be a policeman," Qin Gu said, raising an eyebrow.
Shen Linpeng: "?"
“If he wants to be a policeman, I’ll take the police academy entrance exam with him.”
Shen Linpeng: "...A man must have his own opinions and pursuits."
Qin Gu shrugged: "Right now, I just want to pursue the person I like."
Shen Linpeng: "..."
After that, Qin Gu could let go of the matter. After the police finished their investigation, they arranged for Niu Niu's remains to be cremated. Zhou Linlin bought a burial plot for her daughter, finally allowing the little girl who died young to be laid to rest.
Under Qin Gu's guidance, she placed a memorial tablet for Niu Niu at home. With this tablet, even if Niu Niu went out, she wouldn't get lost.
As for Niu Niu's reincarnation, he really doesn't have the time right now. Opening the Yin Gate isn't that easy. The last time his sect opened the Yin Gate was more than ten years ago, when several major sects worked together, contributing people and resources.
It's difficult to open the Yin Gate for Niu Niu alone and send her to the underworld.
Zhou Linlin handed Qin Gu a bank card with 200,000 yuan on it, explaining somewhat awkwardly, "This is for you and Master Ruan. Tong Hanming's verdict hasn't been handed down yet, and we haven't officially divorced, so we don't have much money on hand right now..."
She spent a lot of money buying a burial plot for Niu Niu, and now she's unemployed. The money she has is all her savings from over the years. Most of the family assets are managed by Tong Hanming, so Zhou Linlin doesn't know much about them.
She knew that the two masters had gone to great lengths for her family's sake; not to mention, they had used dozens of those talismans alone.
She secretly asked the gentleman who came with the police officer, and he said that talismans were very hard to buy, and each one cost at least a thousand dollars.
This amount of money was probably just enough for her to buy someone else's talisman, so Zhou Linlin felt very embarrassed.
Qin Gu sighed. He had originally thought he could make a fortune this time, but with Zhou Linlin like this, how could he possibly ask for an exorbitant amount?
However, it's impossible not to accept payment. It's the rule to charge for doing things. He has never lacked money or resources because of his sect. Many small sects or independent cultivators, on the other hand, earn their living by their skills.
He broke the rules, ruined people's livelihoods, and will make enemies.
"Give me half," Qin Gu said. "The rest of the money is what Xiao Bei and I gave to Niu Niu to buy a dress. Do you remember how to burn offerings? Burn more food and supplies for the child."
Tong Hanming is rich. If Zhou Linlin divorces him, she can get at least half of the money. This house alone is worth several million.
Zhou Linlin stood up and bowed deeply to Qin Gu, choking back tears as she expressed her gratitude. Finally, she said, "Please tell Master Ruan for me that I am truly grateful to him and to everyone for everything you have done for Niu Niu."
The crimes committed by Grandma Sun and her son Tong Hanming have spread throughout the neighborhood, and there are all sorts of insults directed at Grandma Sun, especially Grandma Sun, whose reputation is utterly ruined. Families with children find it particularly hard to understand, and they all say she is a wolf in sheep's clothing.
Zhou Linlin insisted on not moving out because she wanted to stay with her daughter. This was her daughter's familiar home, and she was afraid that Niu Niu would be scared if she went elsewhere.
Qin Gu told Zhou Linlin to support Niu Niu for now, and that he would ask around after he finished his college entrance exams if there was any way to send Niu Niu to be reincarnated.
After returning, he gave half of his reward and mission bonus to Ruan Bei.
As for why he didn't give them all, it's just like what that policeman said: a man can't be without money, otherwise how can he pursue the person he likes?
(Shen Linpeng: That's not what I said.)
Ruan Bei felt that he hadn't done anything wrong; it was mainly his family who had worked hard, drawing talismans and helping the police with their cases. He shouldn't have taken the money.
But Qin Gu insisted that without his inquiry with Granny Sun, there would have been no follow-up investigation, and without his encounter with Niu Niu, Zhou Linlin would not have been so grateful to them.
Ruan Bei happily accepted the money, and his savings once again exceeded 100,000 yuan, making him feel like a rich kid again.
However, he was too busy. He was only happy for a short while after receiving the payment, and didn't even have time to spend the money before throwing himself back into his studies.
Perhaps because of his fixed schedule, going back and forth between school and home, and with the eccentric Taoist priest Kunkun by his side, Ruan Bei saw nothing strange for more than a month afterward.
June is approaching, and the college entrance examination is just around the corner.
The weather suddenly turned hot and humid, and the city felt like a giant furnace, as if it wanted to turn everyone into crispy roast ducks.
The No. 1 Middle School's teaching building is very old. I heard that a new teaching building is under construction, and the land has already been planned. Unfortunately, Ruanbei will not need it.
It's always been like this since I was little. Whenever the school is renovated, whether it's a new playground, a multimedia building, or a teaching building or dormitory building, it's always completed as soon as Ruan Bei graduates. It's like a curse.
The old teaching building had no air conditioning, only ceiling fans that creaked and groaned, making people anxious.
The only teaching building with air conditioning was used by the senior students. After school in the evening, Ruan Bei's back was soaked with sweat. She pouted and complained to Qin Gu, "Do you have any talismans to cool down? It's so hot."
Qin Gu saw that his hair was wet and stuck to his forehead, and brushed it back up for him, feeling extremely distressed: "Why don't you ask the teacher for leave and go home to study? Anyway, you have to take the college entrance examination, so it's okay if you don't have to attend classes with them."
He grabbed Ruan Bei by the back of his collar and lifted him up to prevent the wet clothes from sticking to Ruan Bei's body, which was uncomfortable.
"No need, we'll be on holiday soon, and Senior Wang said he'll check my knowledge in the next few days to fill in any gaps."
The summer wind was hot, blowing in through my collar, and quickly dried much of my damp summer clothes.
At the school gate, seeing Ruan's father in the distance, Ruan Bei happily pulled Qin Gu along and ran over: "Dad!"
Starting in May, Mr. Ruan stopped doing business in the evenings, closing early and driving to pick up Ruan Bei and Qin Gu to go home.
With two children in the family preparing for the college entrance examination, how could the adults not take it seriously? When Ruan Xi was in her final year of high school, her father wanted to pick her up every night.
"Oh, it's hot, isn't it? Come on, have an ice pop, let's go home." Mr. Ruan handed over a thermos containing two homemade mung bean ice pops.
Mr. Ruan was worried that they would get diarrhea from eating ice cream sold outside, so he believed that homemade ice cream was the safest. He cooked red bean soup and mung bean soup at home every day to make popsicles, and even tried to make fruit popsicles by juicing fruit juice.
Dong Yangyang no longer walks with them. When he got home, he mentioned that Ruan Bei's father picks him up every day. Dong Yangyang's mother seized on this and started picking him up and dropping him off on her electric scooter every day. She told him that if he didn't make great progress in the final exams like Ruan Bei, she would take away his bicycle and make him run to school every day.
Dong Yangyang was so angry she almost cut her own tongue off. Serves you right for being so foul-mouthed!
With the air conditioning on in the car and a sweet, icy mung bean popsicle in hand, the irritability caused by the sweltering heat gradually disappears.
Starting June 5th, the entire No. 1 Middle School will be on holiday to prepare for the college entrance examination.
The frustrating thing is that Ruan Bei and Qin Gu are not in the same examination room, nor are they from the same school.
It would be inconvenient to take both children to the college entrance exam together in the morning. Uncle Ruan Bei doesn't drive, but Uncle Ruan Bei does, and he volunteered, only to be met with a cold shower from Aunt Ruan Bei.
She said that her second uncle was driving too recklessly and that he crashed into a tree but was not seriously injured, so as not to delay Ruan Bei and Qin Gu's college entrance examination.
The adults didn't want the two children to worry, only saying that they would definitely take them to the examination hall on time.
As a result, on the morning of June 7th, after Ruan Bei got up, he saw Yin Zhuo sitting in his living room.
He choked for a moment, then subconsciously looked up at his sister—when one person takes the college entrance exam, the whole family is involved, and Ruan Xi has also returned.
Ruan Xi was trying to poke a "five" out of the fried egg on the plate when she heard footsteps. She turned around and said, "Go wash up quickly, and come eat when you're done."
Then, without any hesitation, he instructed Yin Zhuo: "Go upstairs and call Kunkun to come down for dinner."
Without saying a word, Yin Zhuo went out. Ruan Bei, biting her toothbrush, couldn't understand how Yin Zhuo had become so familiar with her sister.
Oh well, no matter how you look at it, Yin Zhuo is better than his sister's boyfriend in her previous life. I heard that after breaking up with his sister, he started dating her roommate.
Ruan Xi treated everyone equally, poking one after another, and both plates were set with "150" on them, one for each of Ruan Bei and Qin Gu.
After washing up, Ruan Bei looked at the scrambled egg on the plate, both amused and exasperated, but still picked it up and swallowed it whole.
Then I soaked the fried dough sticks in soy milk and ate the remaining whole fried egg together.
Qin Gu was called down by Yin Zhuo, and Ruan Bei pressed him to the table, winking at him: "Eat quickly, it's from your sister."
Qin Gu could barely make out a 5 from the upright fried dough sticks and the intact fried egg next to them, but he thanked Ruan Xi without changing his expression: "Thank you, sister."
Then he swallowed the egg in one gulp.
Ruan Xi watched with a smile as her younger brothers finished eating before she could ask Yin Zhuo, "Have you eaten?"
Yin Zhuomeng shook his head: "No, I didn't eat."
"I'll fry you two eggs, you can make do with this?"
Yin Zhuo nodded frantically again.
Ruan Bei leaned on Qin Gu's shoulder and whispered to him, "He seems a little silly."
"What are you saying!" Ruan's mother patted Ruan Bei from behind and urged him, "Go and check if you have everything you need."
Ruan Bei ran off in a flash, and Qin Gu continued eating. One fried dough stick and two eggs weren't enough for him, so he added two more fried dough sticks. Yin Zhuo ate the rest of the fried dough sticks, and Ruan Xi even fried two eggs for him.
After dinner, the adults checked the things we were supposed to bring several times. Finally, we set off. Yin Zhuo and Ruan's father split up to send Ruan Bei and Qin Gu off respectively.
On the day of the National College Entrance Examination (Gaokao), honking is prohibited on all school roads, and candidates sit quietly in the examination hall to take the exam.
The Haiming Group's office building stands in the city's CBD.
In the chairman's office on the 21st floor, Lu Minghai was raging, and the public relations manager across from him was being verbally abused.
"Useless! What did I tell you before? Don't let the news spread, and don't let the company get involved! What have you all done?! What are you all good for?!"
Initially, when his special assistant Tong Hanming was taken away by the police from the company, his first reaction was to keep quiet and suppress the matter.
After learning about the situation, he sent someone to try and see if they could get the person out, since Tong Hanming had been with him for so many years and knew quite a lot of private matters.
However, the police took a hard line, and the company's legal department also said that the matter was beyond their control, the chances of a successful acquittal were low, and it was best not to get involved.
Lu Minghai immediately withdrew from the matter and stopped interfering in Tong Hanming's affairs. The company also officially issued a notice of termination of employment contract, trying to sever ties with Tong Hanming as much as possible.
But some bastard was plotting against him behind his back, constantly trying to link Tong Hanming to Haiming Group.
This morning he saw the report, "Grandfather kills grandson, son kills mother, mother-killer is actually the special assistant to the chairman of Haiming Group." The first few words were bloody, and the words "chairman of Haiming Group" were enlarged. At first glance, he thought that Lu Minghai had killed his own mother!
Lu Minghai was furious. And that wasn't all. Immediately afterward, a phone call came in, and Haiming Group's stock price began to fall. Although the drop was small, considering the size of Haiming Group, even a small drop would evaporate a huge amount of money.
Moreover, as the Tong Hanming case began to be prosecuted, more people were attracted by the twists and turns of the case and began to pay attention to it.
"Get up and get to work!" Lu Minghai roared. "Do you think you can get the job done just by standing here?"
The public relations manager, covered in sweat, hunched over and ran out of Lu Minghai's office in a panic.
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