Chapter 400

Chapter 400

◎Random Target◎

Knowing Ji Nanxing was at school, Xia Junyan showed up unannounced, grumbling as he walked in: "Your school’s security is way too loose. Any random outsider can just walk in—how unsafe is that?"

Ji Nanxing: "This is a university, not a kindergarten. And it's already vacation time. So, what's going on?"

Xia Junyan had come to Ji Nanxing's dorm. Seeing they had matters to discuss, Han Qiu tactfully put on his coat and prepared to leave.

Ji Nanxing: "No need to go out. We’ll talk in Xiao Ye’s dorm."

Han Qiu smiled: "It’s fine. I was planning to grab food at the cafeteria anyway. Xiao Ye’s roommates have all left, and the heating’s off. You can talk here."

Xiao Ye grinned: "Thanks. We’ll just chat for a bit."

After Han Qiu left, Xia Junyan rubbed his hands together and huddled by the heater. "The case is all cleared up. It was Tang Huaying’s dad’s mistress who did it. The woman’s name is Zhao Mei—she spiked their stuff. The whole thing is straight-up soap opera material, let me tell you. Her son wasn’t even Tang Huaying’s dad’s biological child. He was completely clueless and had been raising the boy as his own."

Xiao Ye: "So Zhao Mei was the one who drugged them, but her own son ended up dead?"

Xia Junyan nodded: "You’d never guess where she put the drug—in a scented humidifier. They use it year-round, with AC in summer and heating in winter. Tang Huaying was exposed almost daily. Zhao Mei always knew her son wasn’t biologically related to Tang Huaying’s dad, but since the kid resembled her and they lived together long-term—you know how people start looking alike over time, like families sharing the same face—the boy’s looks and vibe did bear a passing resemblance to Tang Huaying’s dad. So he never suspected anything. But Zhao Mei was living on borrowed time. She was afraid it’d come out someday. Later, she found out Tang Huaying’s family had already signed a shares agreement. She’d banked on her son getting everything, but it turned out he’d only get a quarter. She couldn’t accept that, so she tried to drive Tang Huaying insane. A crazy daughter would be cut out of the inheritance, and everything would go to her son instead."

Xiao Ye: "Then what’s this about real-deal ghosts now?"

Xia Junyan: "The case was solved, the culprit identified. Since it involved harming others, Tang Huaying and her mom were definitely pressing charges. Zhao Mei was arrested, awaiting trial. Then suddenly, her son lost his mind—claimed there was a ghost, a female ghost standing by his bed every night trying to strangle him. Two days later, he hanged himself at home."

"Zhao Mei refused to believe her son would commit suicide. Before his death, he kept saying there was a ghost. Knowing she’d drugged Tang Huaying, she assumed Tang Huaying must’ve retaliated by drugging her son, making him hallucinate until he killed himself. Zhao Mei kept insisting Tang Huaying murdered her son. With the cause of death suspicious, the police had to investigate. But the autopsy showed nothing abnormal—no traces of drugs in his system. Tang Huaying was baffled too and came asking if I could figure anything out. When I got there, my compass, which had been dead quiet before, went haywire."

The manner of death was odd. Modern people rarely choose hanging—most homes don’t even have beams. Jumping would’ve been quicker. Yet Tang Qi hanged himself.

The compass spinning and talismans heating up were even stranger. Xia Junyan urgently requested to examine the body and found traces of Yin energy. Meaning Tang Qi might’ve literally run into a ghost—and been killed by one.

But here’s the problem: the ghost was gone.

He checked Tang’s residence, Tang Huaying’s own place, and the deceased’s home—no ghost, no residual Yin energy. He even checked out everyone connected, including Tang Huaying’s dad. All were clean, with no signs of ghostly attachment.

Once again, Xia Junyan hit a dead end. A haunting isn’t scary—what’s scary is the ghost disappearing afterward!

Only then did Ji Nanxing ask: "Did you look into the deceased? His death might not be related to the Tang family. Maybe he provoked something himself."

Xia Junyan: "I did. Found nothing. It’s just... too strange. Really too strange."

Tang Qi was 21, a senior on break, already interning at his dad’s company. His social circle wasn’t complicated. Zhao Mei was ruthless in harming others, but she’d raised her son meticulously.

To Tang Qi, she was always a gentle, patient mother, teaching him principles and values. While not exceptional, he had a sound moral compass—no shady connections, no relationships.

Before the incident, Tang Qi focused on his internship. After Zhao Mei’s arrest, the truth hit him like a ton of bricks. He couldn’t reconcile the image of his kind, loving mother with her crimes. But the evidence was undeniable.

Twenty-plus years of maternal trust destroyed overnight left Tang Qi lost. He stopped going to work, trying instead to find ways to reduce his mother’s sentence.

Tang Huaying’s dad was still processing. He and Zhao Mei had been together over 20 years—common-law married for all intents and purposes. He’d never been that into Tang Huaying’s mother, but the company’s success owed much to her early financial backing, so splitting shares equally was fair.

He was splitting his share between his son and daughter, which also seemed fair. He’d neglected Tang Huaying over the years but never Zhao Mei or her son.

Then came the betrayal—not only cuckolded, but she’d tried to drug his daughter. The man who’d shared his life for decades might as well have been a stranger.

When Zhao Mei was arrested, he’d been abroad closing a deal. Returning home to find his lover jailed, his son dead, and the son not even his—it was like his whole world came crashing down.

Regular murder isn’t the Management Bureau’s problem. But if a lingering ghost kills, that’s when the Taoist has to get involved.

Ji Nanxing and Xia Junyan went to re-examine the body while Xiao Ye went to buy them food. By the time he returned, they'd already finished examining it.

Xiao Ye laid out the packed seafood porridge and a few stir-fried dishes on the table: "Eat first, we'll talk after."

Xia Junyan took a sip of the hot porridge and sighed contentedly: "You're handling logistics well."

Xiao Ye: "Just eat."

He handed a cup of hot milk tea to Ji Nanxing: "Warm up. Find anything?"

Ji Nanxing: "A lingering ghost killed him, but Tang Qi's body shows little Yin energy residue."

Xiao Ye was puzzled: "What does 'little Yin energy residue' mean?"

Ji Nanxing: "It means no vengeful ghost was attached. To give a simple example, premeditated killings always leave traces of grudges or motives upon investigation. Random, motiveless killings make it hard to trace any past conflicts or motives between killer and victim. It's the same for ghosts—only those with unfinished business would attach themselves. If they do, even after death, the Yin energy residue would be significant."

Xiao Ye: "Conversely, it means there wasn't much enmity between the victim and the ghost, so the ghost killed randomly and then vanished."

Ji Nanxing nodded. These cases were the trickiest to handle because there was no logical thread to follow. Finding the murderous ghost was difficult, and there was no telling if it would randomly choose another target to kill.

Fortunately, though there wasn't much Yin energy residue, Xia Junyan had managed to collect a wisp of it during his earlier examination. That wisp was their only lead now.

As for why it killed Tang Qi, they’d have to find the ghost first to ask.

On a bustling street, a woman with hair hanging loose, dressed in a pale pink horse-face skirt, wandered aimlessly. The world had changed so much—everything was new and unfamiliar.

Many people passed by her, some even phased right through her. The woman showed no alarm, for she was well aware of her ghostly state, drifting through a world transformed over centuries.

She didn’t know why she hadn’t reincarnated, nor what unfinished business anchored her. She only remembered where she came from but had no idea where to go, so she wandered, observing this new world centuries later.

Just as she floated around, she noticed a man holding a palm-sized device. Covering his mouth, he deliberately lowered his voice: "I'll spoil you rotten. She’s gone back to her parents’ place. Yeah, I’ll come over tonight. Wait for me."

Xue Suqin tilted her head, watching as the man finished speaking, slipped the small object back into his pocket, straightened his clothes, and casually hailed a taxi.

Her eyes darkened as she silently attached herself to his back and followed.

They took the elevator up, and as soon as the door opened, a woman in pajamas emerged from the room. The man tossed aside his coat, unbuttoning his shirt while pulling the woman into an embrace: "I missed you so much, baby!"

The woman poked him with manicured nails: "That's what you always say. If you really missed me, why didn’t you come sooner?"

The man coaxed: "You know how it is—that woman was at home. I couldn’t just leave. Come on, baby, let me kiss you."

Outside women were so much better—money could buy happiness. Unlike the one at home, who, after having a child, revolved her entire life around the kid. For the first few years, she slept with the child, and later, even when the child slept alone, she either had no interest or found it troublesome whenever he wanted her. She even said old married couples didn’t need that anymore.

Even when she reluctantly agreed, she just lay there, either urging him to hurry or asking if he was done. No passion, no response. He was a man with needs. Her postpartum body didn't excite him anymore, and she kept pushing him away.

No wonder he sought women outside. Work was exhausting—he just wanted to relax. The women outside were sweet, beautiful, and had great figures. Keeping one wasn’t expensive. Wasn’t earning money meant for enjoyment?

The man eagerly pushed the woman toward the bedroom.

Xue Suqin, following behind, understood—another married man fooling around outside. Even in this era of monogamy, men never changed. Their lecherous nature seemed hardwired, making them despicable.

Listening to the revolting sounds from the room, Xue Suqin drifted inside. With a lift of her hand, her fingers plunged into the man’s back.