Chapter 193
Qin Su never expected to run into an acquaintance here.
The person the special events management department asked for help from was none other than Qiao Yijing, the 32nd generation disciple of the Su Yi Sect. He had previously fought with the red-bellied pheasant and had met Qin Su once.
Qin Lide asked in surprise, "Fellow Daoist?"
He looked back and forth between Qiao Yijing and Qin Su, and asked suspiciously, "You two know each other?"
When he first heard the other person call him "Fellow Daoist Qin," he thought they were talking to him, but he didn't expect that the other person's eyes and movements were all directed at Qin Su.
His granddaughter hasn't been cultivating for very long, so how come not only has her talent and abilities grown amazingly, but she's also met people who share the same path?
Upon hearing him speak, Qiao Yijing very politely came over to shake hands: "You must be Master Qin. I am a disciple of the Su Yi Sect. I heard Fellow Daoist Qin mention your name before, and when I returned to my sect, I mentioned it to my master. My master said that you are old friends."
Qin Lide suddenly realized: "You're from the Su Yi sect? How's your master's health? I haven't seen him for seven or eight years."
Qiao Yijing said, "Master's old problem has flared up again. Otherwise, he would have come in person this time. There was no other way but to let me come and see the situation."
After exchanging a few polite words, the awkward atmosphere in the office dissipated considerably, and everyone began to introduce themselves to each other.
The two people sent by the special events management department were a woman named Hu Meng, who was skilled in thunder magic, and a man named Zhang Yan, who was skilled in divination.
Zhang Yan said helplessly, "I was sent here mainly to help find the missing children, but after casting the divination several times, I can only get a general location."
Tang Xuan hadn't heard about this before, but upon hearing it, he was pleasantly surprised and said, "Having a general location is a good thing, it can greatly narrow down the search area. What location did you calculate?"
Zhang Yan said awkwardly, "South of the Yangtze River."
Tang Xuan: "..."
That's too vague. There are more than ten provinces south of the Yangtze River. Calculating it is as good as not calculating it at all.
Tang Xuan's superior cleared his throat and said, "Our goals are the same as the Special Management Department's, primarily rescuing missing children. Everyone knows this. Based on the situation more than twenty years ago, the children shouldn't be in much danger now, but..."
"Wait a minute." Tang Xuan raised his arm, looking bewildered. "What? What about more than twenty years ago? I don't know anything about that. Is there something you haven't told me yet?"
The leader slapped his forehead: "Oh dear, I forgot you didn't even realize it."
The people in the Special Administration Department told the leaders, Qin Lide told Qin Su, and Qiao Yijing had a mentor who revealed the information. Only Tang Xuan and his colleagues didn't know anything and couldn't keep up with the pace.
Fortunately, Qin Lide, who was present at the scene, recounted the events directly without needing anyone else to repeat them.
Twenty-five years ago, a heinous incident that shocked the Xuanmen (Taoist sect) occurred in Haishi. A disciple named Chu Er kidnapped nine children and nine fellow Daoists, intending to sacrifice them to an evil god.
Back then, technology and communication were not advanced, and the disappearance of people was not as easy to discover and report as it is now. If he hadn't been discovered midway through kidnapping the Taoist, no one would have known what had happened to the missing person.
Even so, the Xuanmen members were unable to subdue Chu Er immediately, and a fierce battle ensued between the two sides.
Chu Er possessed extraordinary talent, and his methods and temperament were not to be underestimated. When he saw the Taoist priests from the Xuanmen Sect coming to capture him, he was not afraid at all. Instead, he tried to use the crowd as bait to activate the altar. Although he failed in the end, many people were injured as a result.
The failure of the sacrifice was a huge blow to Chu Er, and he went insane on the spot. The Taoist priests took the opportunity to restrain him.
At the time, the people in the Xuanmen sect had differing opinions on how to deal with Chu Er, and they wanted to detain him for a few days. Unexpectedly, he died mysteriously that very night. After everyone carefully and repeatedly confirmed that he was not faking his death, they felt that the matter was considered closed.
However, time flies, and twenty-five years later, Qin Lide once again set foot on the land of this city, only to discover a strange connection.
Tang Xuan's repeated phrase, "They run a cult and commit fraud while also daring to abduct children," triggered Qin Lide's memories. He suddenly recalled a heinous incident involving the abduction of children.
Like dominoes, once you find a key point, many details immediately connect.
Qin Lide recalled the flash of inspiration he had when he talked about the past with Qin Su that night: what was that person's name again, twenty-five years ago?
Chu Er.
Why does Chu Er's date of death look so familiar? Where did he see this string of numbers recently?
This is Chu Shuangyan's actual birth time.
The two people not only had similar names, but they were also born and died on the same day, and even their specific times were almost identical. You should know that names and birth charts are very spiritual things.
It is known that 25 years ago, Chu Er kidnapped children in an attempt to sacrifice them to an evil god, but died suddenly after the attempt failed. At the same time that night, Chu Shuangyan was born. Recently, Chu Shuangyan's personality has changed drastically, and he is suspected to have two souls in one body. The female Taoist priest he has been in contact with is also involved in a child abduction case.
Qin Lide was horrified.
Is this just a coincidence? He didn't believe it.
He was a member of the Xuanmen sect and knew best how many strange and bizarre things happened in the world. People dying and being reborn, or being resurrected through another's body, were not uncommon occurrences.
Therefore, he immediately instructed Tang Xuan to contact the Special Events Management Department.
However, he had no evidence after all, and he was worried about how to convince others. Unexpectedly, everyone seemed to believe it without needing any reason.
Tang Xuan's superior answered his question: "Mr. Qin, we have checked, and Lin Jing is indeed a key figure. Oh, Lin Jing is the name of that female Taoist priest."
"She was an orphan who was adopted by someone when she was four years old. The person who adopted her was named Chu Er. She was fifteen when Chu Er passed away and never returned to the orphanage. Later, she went to school with the help of kind people."
"We concluded that there was a relationship between Chu Shuangyan and Lin Jing because we found several large transfers from Chu Shuangyan to Lin Jing."
Qin Lide was taken aback: "The money is being transferred openly? There's no cover-up?"
Tang Xuan's superior affirmed, "Open and aboveboard, without any concealment."
Qin Lide was slightly angry and said, "They are so blatant."
Tang Xuan's leader smirked: "Because they had already come up with a reason. Our people pretended to be bank customer service representatives, called Lin Jing, and pretended to say that there was an abnormality in the account funds and they needed to inquire. Lin Jing said that it was tuition fees she earned from giving private Chinese studies classes to clients."
Hu Meng gasped in astonishment: "This works?"
"Why not?" Tang Xuan's boss shrugged. "Lin Jingyi spoke sternly, saying that she sells lucky charm avatars and wealth-attracting wallpapers to the rich for thousands or tens of thousands of yuan. This is a rich person's hobby and religious belief, which is absolutely legal and compliant. We have also checked, and there are indeed people who buy them."
Everyone: "..."
I was deeply shocked and couldn't understand it at all.
At this moment, Qin Su slowly said, "It seems they are fearless because they have something to rely on."
"If Grandpa hadn't seen Chu Shuangyan's birth date and time first, and hadn't seen the photo of the female Taoist priest who had interacted with him, and hadn't met Tang Xuan while paying respects to the deceased, and hadn't seen the connection between the female Taoist priest and the child abduction case through Tang Xuan, who would have thought that Chu Shuangyan would be involved in an old case from more than 20 years ago? And who would have thought that he, a male idol star adored by millions, would be involved in the child abduction case?"
After Qin Su finished speaking, the others were taken aback. Upon careful consideration, they realized that it was indeed true.
If these clues hadn't been linked together, even a celestial being wouldn't have been able to piece together the truth.
No wonder Chu Shuangyan and Lin Jing made no attempt to hide their financial dealings. They must have believed that no one in the world could see through the truth. Even if someone found it strange, how could they possibly imagine that Chu Shuangyan had any connection with someone who had been dead for decades?
It's true that man proposes, God disposes. Should we say that the net of Heaven is vast, and though its meshes are wide, nothing escapes it?
“There is a divine will at play.” Zhang Yan suddenly realized something and sighed, “Especially since Master Qin went to see his old friends who died young because of Chu Er, and then found important clues with Officer Tang, it is possible that the spirits of the heroes are guiding him.”
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