Chapter 111 Goodnight, Mom
The trail of burning yellow paper wove a mantra of rebirth in the air, enveloping Yang Chuyue in a golden halo.
The girl's soul began to become transparent, and the ink stains on her school uniform faded into jasmine blossoms.
Before disappearing, Yang Chuyue reached out and gently stroked Li Qingzi's face, leaving a light kiss on Li Qingzi's forehead.
That was the bedtime ritual her mother taught her every night before she went to sleep when she was a child.
Li Qingzi knelt on the ground, completely unaware that the broken jade had pierced her knees.
But she just stared blankly at the last glimmer of light falling from the sky, where her daughter's last words could be faintly heard:
Goodnight, Mom.
Lu Yao extinguished the candle, plunging the scene into darkness.
The barrage of comments exploded like a tsunami:
[To be fair, from a law student's perspective—Li Qingzi does bear some responsibility, but her father, Xu Rui, deserves it!]
Seeing Xiaoyue turn back into her original form and smile as she said goodnight, I cried my eyes out.
Will the other bullies be punished in the end? If no one had intervened, Xiaoyue wouldn't have died such a heartbreaking death. I hope the law won't let them get away with it.
[Thank you to the host for letting us see this story. It's heartbreaking. I've also been bullied, but I was luckier than Xiaoyue and survived... I hope Xiaoyue's tragedy will never happen again, and I hope more people will pay attention to school bullying.]
Lu Yao sighed softly, "The divination can reveal cause and effect, but changing reality requires the courage of the living."
After ending the broadcast, she sent the recording to Detective Li Ran, with the message: "Can this be used as evidence? Will those bullies receive the punishment they deserve?"
Li Ran stared at the recording file sent to him on the screen, his fingers hovering over the keyboard, but he hesitated to type a reply.
The blue light from the screen illuminated Li Ran's tired face.
She watched the supernatural video over and over again. Xu Rui's sinister smile, the parabola drawn by the ink bottle, Yang Chuyue's trembling fingers wiping her school uniform.
Every detail is so real it's breathtaking, yet so unbelievable it's almost unbelievable.
As a professional police officer, Li Ran was all too aware of the strictness of the evidence law.
This video recording, filled with supernatural elements, is essentially a memory displayed by the host using magic. In court, it would probably not even qualify as evidence.
But the image of that thin figure huddled in the corner in the video lingered in her mind.
She finally typed and replied to Lu Yao: "Although it cannot be used as direct evidence, it will be thoroughly investigated as an important clue. Not a single one of those names will be missed."
The following morning, Li Ran entered the Sixth Middle School with a search warrant.
The principal was clearly surprised that the police would suddenly reopen old cases, and he looked somewhat nervous.
While reviewing Yang Chuyue's file, Li Ran discovered that many key records had been deliberately altered, and some pages were even missing.
"What's going on with these missing records?" Li Ran looked directly at the principal.
The principal wiped his sweat: "It's probably due to improper storage of the files..."
"Is that so?" Li Ran sneered, taking out a yellowed diary from her bag—a copy of Yang Chuyue's diary that Lu Yao had mentioned in the live stream. "What about this? She clearly reported the bullying incidents recorded in it to the teacher, so why has the school never taken any action?"
The principal's face turned deathly pale instantly.
Li Ran's voice was deep and firm, "Perhaps supernatural phenomena alone are not enough to bring them to justice, but we can certainly find more substantial evidence. For example, the testimonies of those bystanders back then."
The investigation spread like ripples.
The teachers, classmates, and even the cleaning lady from back then were all interviewed.
At first, everyone kept quiet, until one rainy night, a girl wearing a mask knocked on the police station door.
“I was the health monitor at the time.” She handed over a cell phone, her voice trembling. “This is a photo I secretly took on the day of PE class.”
In the video, Xu Rui is slapping the sanitary napkin onto Yang Chuyue's desk, with the laughing faces around him clearly visible.
“I…I was so scared that I didn’t stand up…” she said, choking back tears.
As the chain of evidence gradually became complete, more silent individuals came forward.
“Xu Rui is the class monitor, so none of us dared to say anything. Zhang Qiang has connections, so even the teachers don’t dare to interfere…” Another boy also gave his testimony.
Some people handed over the photos that were threatened to be deleted back then, while others provided chat logs from the teachers' group.
Every fragment reveals the truth that was deliberately concealed.
On the day the case was closed, Li Ran stood on the rooftop of the Sixth Middle School.
Protective netting has now been installed here, and the wind carries ginkgo leaves across the judgment in her hand:
Zhang Qiang, suspected of bullying, was sentenced to one year and six months in prison.
[Class teacher Wang was convicted of dereliction of duty and his teaching license was revoked.]
The school compensated Yang Chuyue's family for emotional distress.
Li Ran forwarded the message to Lu Yao, "This time, the courage of the living has finally changed reality."
Lu Yao sighed softly and looked out at the sunlight.
"Yang Chuyue and Li Qingzi should be able to rest easy now."
...
That's all in the future.
After sending the recording to Li, Lu Yao's gaze thoughtfully fell on the night outside the window.
What intrigued her even more was the mysterious old woman who ran the funeral shop.
The voodoo doll that Jiang Jincheng used to curse Jiang Jinshu was also bought from an old woman in a funeral shroud at a night market stall.
The same withered fingers, the same eerie objects.
And that jade for summoning souls...
Lu Yao suddenly looked up at You Qing, a smile playing on her lips: "Want to go to the night market?"
...
As night deepens, the city's neon lights gradually illuminate the night.
Lu Yao and You Qing, dressed in blue Taoist robes, stood out in the bustling crowd of the night market.
"Grand Preceptor, roasted chestnuts!" You Qing suddenly grabbed Lu Yao's sleeve, her eyes sparkling.
Seeing the expectant look in You Qing's eyes, Lu Yao waved her wide sleeves and said, "Buy it!"
In the blink of an eye, five steaming hot roasted chestnuts were piled up in Youqing's arms.
You Qing's eyes widened in surprise; she hadn't expected the Imperial Preceptor to be so generous.
She couldn't help but chuckle to herself, remembering how the Taoist Lingji always said that cultivators should restrain their appetites, which resulted in him starving himself to the point of looking like an immortal.
Seeing this, Lu Yao smiled slightly: "The Book of Purity and Tranquility says, 'Be content with your lot.' Today you are destined to meet roasted chestnuts."
You Qing's eyes lit up, and she nodded like a chick pecking at rice: "That's right!"
Taking the hot chestnuts, Youqing eagerly peeled one open, only to be burned and jump up in surprise: "Ouch! It's so hot!"
Lu Yao shook her head and chuckled, but her gaze was drawn to the antique stall next to her.
"Boss, this bronze mirror..." A customer picked up a rusty bronze mirror.
The stall owner enthusiastically promoted his product, spitting as he spoke, "This is a genuine Ming Dynasty bronze mirror!"
Lu Yao stepped forward and lightly touched the edge of the mirror with her fingertip. "Made in Yiwu?"
The stall owner blushed instantly, and the tourists watching the commotion burst into laughter.
Holding the chestnuts, You Qing looked at the Grand Preceptor with admiration, "Your Excellency is so amazing!"
The two continued strolling around.
Having grown up in the impoverished Lingxiao Sect, Youqing was filled with curiosity about everything in the city.
I couldn't resist the sight of cotton candy, and ended up with my face covered in sugar strands.
"Eat slowly." Lu Yao handed You Qing a tissue, gesturing for her to wipe the sugar residue from the corners of her mouth.
You Qing hurriedly accepted it, her face slightly flushed: "Thank you, Grand Preceptor."
Before he could finish speaking, his attention was drawn to the sugar painting stall.
Just as Lu Yao was about to speak, she suddenly felt a chill on the back of her neck.
She turned around abruptly and saw a hunched figure flash by in the crowd.
Gray hair, withered and thin fingers...
"Youqing, keep up!" Lu Yao's expression hardened, and she grabbed Youqing and chased after them.
You Qing hurriedly swallowed the last bite of cotton candy. "Grand Preceptor, wait for me!"
The two chased each other into a dark alley.
With a flick of her finger, Lu Yao sent a wisp of blue talismanic fire into the air, illuminating the dilapidated funeral shop deep in the alley.
The faded signboard creaked in the wind, and the embroidered symbols on the door curtain had faded.
“This is it.” Lu Yao’s gaze turned cold.
Suddenly, a gust of cold wind swept in, and the talisman fire went out abruptly.
A strange clicking sound came from the darkness, like dry bones rubbing against each other.
You Qing was startled, but still trembled as she drew her peach wood sword and stood in front of Lu Yao: "M-Master, be careful."
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