Chapter 085: Midday Nap.

Chapter 085: Midday Nap.

Approaching noon, Chi Shen had completed both the head and the body. He made many fine-tunings comparing it to Sheng Yulan, which considerably slowed his pace. However, meticulous preparations were essential for future ease of use.

As he was intently crafting the arm, his phone suddenly chimed. A glance revealed a bank transfer notification—100,000 yuan had been deposited into his account.

Apart from the bank alert, there was a message: "The weather's turned cold, my dear Shen. Accept this token. I apologize for not considering your feelings. Love, Mum."

Clearly, the money had been sent by Xu Xiuyun.

It wasn't surprising that Xu Xiuyun had his bank details. He had previously given his card number to Bai Ximing to help an elderly man who had fallen at a crossroad.

Chi Shen disregarded the message, continuing his focused work on the paper figure's arm.

As he was turning back, the phone rang again. This time, it was a call from Xu Jiayuan.

Without pausing his craft, Chi Shen activated the speakerphone. Xu Jiayuan's voice echoed, "Did I disturb you? Have you woken up? The case at the Hongbei construction site is nearly closed."

This colleague from the Special Security Bureau seemed to work even on weekends, calling him with updates on a Saturday.

"Go on," replied Chi Shen briefly. His bamboo strip went around once more, now he was crafting the wrist.

"He claims the act was his own idea, stating he picked up the hatchet from the old Bai residence. He denies any other involvement. We can only charge him with extortion and possession of dangerous weapons," Xu Jiayuan reported, a hint of frustration in his tone. "But from our ghost informant, Zheng Ming, we learned he had stayed in the Bai mansion for a long time. However, the Bai family denies any knowledge. Clearly, they're connected."

This outcome didn’t surprise Chi Shen. As long as the man at the construction site took all the blame, the Bai family would be safe. Even if the Special Security Bureau searched the old Bai mansion, they wouldn’t find any evidence.

The Bai family had long been prepared to handle such matters.

"When are you planning to exorcise Zheng Ming?" inquired Chi Shen.

Xu Jiayuan responded, "I checked for you. After his sentencing, he should be exorcised. We can't keep such a dangerous spirit for too long, probably next month."

Chi Shen lifted the crafted arm to inspect it, making minor adjustments, "Thank you."

"No worries," said Xu Jiayuan, "There's also the matter with Bai Ran. It's quite peculiar."

Chi Shen set aside the arm and began crafting the hand of the paper figure. At the remark, he asked, “How so?”

"I'm not quite sure how to put this," Xu Jiayuan seemed to ponder, hesitating before continuing, “There are things I cannot disclose to you, but what I can say is, some of the ghosts that weren’t consumed have disappeared.”

Chi Shen slightly raised an eyebrow, "Disappeared?"

"All we can guess is that someone is covering up for Bai Ran," Xu Jiayuan continued, “Some ghosts, even the night before we arrived, locals reported hauntings. But by the time we got there, they were gone. It's as if someone doesn’t want Bai Ran to be implicated.”

The more Xu Jiayuan spoke, the more baffled his tone became, “But doing this is pointless. Bai Ran will undoubtedly be sentenced to death. We just wanted to seek justice for the victims. I can’t figure out the intentions of those cleaning up after him. Are they afraid we’ll uncover more?”

"It's possible," Chi Shen replied calmly.

Grinding his teeth, Xu Jiayuan said, "I believe it's the Bai family. They must be the ones behind this. Bai Ran must have done a lot for the Bai family, and the majority of those victims are linked to the Bai family's interests. The Bai family is probably covering tracks to protect their secrets.”

Chi Shen chuckled, “Why are you suddenly so certain about the Bai family?”

Xu Jiayuan replied, “Ever since I was young, my parents told me that the Bai family were not good people. They advised me to focus on my studies and career. Yet, recent events keep pointing back to the Bai family. It's suspicious how they always manage to distance themselves.”

While laughing, Chi Shen skillfully split the bamboo strips, creating delicate threads of bamboo, ready to craft a pair of intricate hands.

"It's good you didn’t return to the Bai family," Xu Jiayuan expressed relief on the other end, “Otherwise, they'd probably leave nothing of you behind. I heard they still hope you’ll return. No matter what they offer, don't go back. It's a den of thieves.”

"Have you guys started investigating the Bai family?" Chi Shen suddenly inquired.

There was a pause from Xu Jiayuan before he responded, “Though we have our suspicions, we lack solid evidence. And we’ve been short-staffed lately. We've discovered the den from the Halloween incident in Dongshan Park. We only managed to deal with the minor figures; the main culprit escaped. We’re still trying to track him down. Leaving him at large poses a threat.”

Chi Shen got the gist – the Special Security Bureau was stretched thin.

The two discussed matters related to Chi Shen's case, with Xu Jiayuan emphasizing the need for caution. The main reason for his call was to warn Chi Shen about the Bai family's cleanup for Bai Ran, which might implicate Chi Shen. Thus, he should be extra cautious.

After the call, Chi Shen finished splitting the bamboo strips. Crafting the hands would be complex, so he decided to have a meal first. After washing his hands, he picked up his phone to return the money Xu Xiuyin had transferred earlier, then went out to eat.

Moments later, a text alert chimed on his phone. The message read: "Shen Shen, please don't resent mom. I still care about you. After all, you are my biological son."

Chi Shen didn’t bother looking at it. Ji Xingchen casually deleted the message as if it were spam.

After his meal, the second-hand tablet Chi Shen had ordered arrived. He handed it to Bai Wan, entrusting her and the red-clothed female ghost with a critical task: “In your free time, study makeup tutorials.”

Gazing at the paper figure taking

Bai Wan and the Red-cloaked Ghost both curiously gazed at the tablet. At that moment, Ghostface eagerly volunteered, "I know how to use this! I've seen others use it!"

Chi Shen lifted him back, pointing at the drowning scene on the TV. "Keep going. You can't slack off now."

With a pained expression, Ghostface resumed watching the TV. The task of passing on to the next realm was his idea, feeling that Chi Shen had abandoned him. Determined to persist until his day of ascension, he earned the daily privilege of watching drowning scenes.

That being said, he felt nauseous every time he watched such scenes now, doubting if there was any real change within him.

After explaining how to use the tablet to Bai Wan, under the curious gaze of the Red-cloaked Ghost, Bai Wan began watching... documentaries.

Being so out of touch with the modern world, Chi Shen wanted Bai Wan to first understand the changes that had occurred during the centuries she was confined to the old mansion. Starting with documentaries and saving makeup tutorials for when she wanted some relaxation.

The tablet quickly captured Bai Wan's attention, and even when the Red-cloaked Ghost tried to take it, she couldn't. Bai Wan eventually encircled the ghost with candles, and under her pitiful gaze, proceeded to watch documentary after documentary.

Chi Shen returned to the coffee table, where his bamboo strips lay – his makeshift workstation.

At that moment, Ji Xing Chen reminded him, "It's time for your nap."

Chi Shen smiled, "Yes, it's time for my nap."

Xu Jia Yuan was on duty, dealing with a case about a suspected ghost king sighting in East Mountain Park, when suddenly, he received a call from Chi Shen.

"I want to visit Bai Ran." Chi Shen's voice sounded somewhat subdued and colder than usual. Xu Jia Yuan, not paying too much attention to these nuances, asked for a suitable time and they settled on that afternoon.

Chi Shen arrived promptly, almost as if he had been in a car during the call. In less than twenty minutes, he was there.

Xu Jia Yuan studied Chi Shen, sensing something off about him. Though he wore his usual attire and his face looked the same, something felt different. Was he more refined? Or perhaps colder?

Xu Jia Yuan then led him to where Bai Ran was being held.

As the investigation was ongoing, Bai Ran was detained at the Special Security Bureau (SSB). Due to the nature of their operations, the SSB's protocols were flexible. All Chi Shen had to do was report his intention to visit, and after receiving approval, he could see Bai Ran. However, an SSB agent would accompany him throughout the visit for documentation, recording both audio and video.

Coincidentally, that day, Chi Shen encountered Xu Xiu Yun at the SSB entrance as she had just finished visiting Bai Ran.

The room was filled with talisman papers and featured a triad of Taoist statues. Chi Shen entered, his gaze briefly scanning the room before settling on Bai Ran's face.

Bai Ran looked haggard, his once aristocratic appearance long gone. His eyes, filled with bitterness, met Chi Shen's, and with a cold laugh, he remarked, "Did you come to gloat? To tell me they're begging you to return?"

Without addressing the comment, Chi Shen calmly sat opposite him, inquiring, "I'm here to discuss the Harbor City serial murders. Are you involved in them?"

Bai Ran seemed momentarily confused about which serial killing case in the harbor city Chi Shen was referring to. He looked at Chi Shen quizzically, as if thinking the latter's presence was rather random. But then it dawned on him, and he laughed, "I wasn't even born back then. How could it be related to me? Have you lost your mind?"

Chi Shen gazed steadily at him, "The subsequent victims of that serial killing case were not given their final rites. You're known to practice necromancy using spirits of classmates. Have you tried using those victims to craft a deity of wealth?"

Xu Jiayuan, who had accompanied Chi Shen, felt bewildered. The deity of wealth was never tampered with. Even though rumors suggest that the statue of the wealth deity turned malevolent, they had investigated due to the case of the headless ghost and found no traces of such a dark deity.

However, he remained silent. He sensed a deeper meaning behind Chi Shen's questioning and tried to maintain a neutral expression so that Bai Ran wouldn't decipher his thoughts.

"Craft a deity of wealth?" Bai Ran seemed genuinely perplexed. But soon, his patience wore thin, and he retorted sharply, "Do you take me for a fool? Are you trying to frame me?"