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墨書 Inktalez
The bizarre nature of the case in City Center Square reminded Ye Qiu of the incident involving Wang Lao. The missing woman, Linna, was a corporate employee. Surveillance footage showed her walking in the square when, suddenly, she vanished without a trace, with no warning and no suspicious individuals in sight.
"I've reviewed the surveillance footage multiple times, and there are no leads," Ye Qiu said with frustration. "It's as if she... evaporated into thin air."
Su Mu pondered for a moment. "Could it be related to some kind of supernatural event?"
Ye Qiu nodded. "I suspect so, but there are no abnormal energy fluctuations at the scene."
"Not necessarily," Su Mu replied. "Some supernatural events don't leave obvious energy traces. Let's go check the place where Linna disappeared."
The two arrived at City Center Square. Su Mu closed his eyes, sensing the surrounding aura. Suddenly, he frowned. "The negative energy here is quite heavy, and I can feel a strong sense of resentment."
"Resentment?" Ye Qiu's heart sank. "Could it be... a haunting?"
Su Mu did not answer but instead took out a talisman from his medicine box. After igniting it, the talisman transformed into a butterfly that fluttered gracefully before finally landing in front of an old building.
"This is the place," Su Mu said, pointing to the aged structure.
The old building appeared to be quite ancient, with crumbling walls and broken windows, exuding an eerie atmosphere. According to local residents, this building had long been rumored to be a haunted house, often associated with strange occurrences.
Upon entering the old building, Su Mu once again employed Gua Xiang to locate the source of the resentment. The divination indicated that the negative energy originated from the basement of the building.
The basement was dark and damp, filled with a decaying odor. Su Mu and Ye Qiu cautiously stepped inside and discovered an ancient coffin placed in the center of the room.
The coffin's lid had rotted away, revealing skeletal remains inside. Su Mu examined the bones closely and found traces of lingering resentment.
"It seems that lingering resentment is at play," Su Mu said.
Using secret techniques from the Heavenly Secrets Medical Manual, Su Mu restored the memories of the deceased soul. It turned out that the owner of the bones was a woman from the Qing Dynasty and Early Republic who had been wronged by a malicious person and buried here, her spirit unable to find peace.
Upon uncovering the truth, Su Mu took out a special herb recorded in the Heavenly Secrets Medical Manual. After igniting it, the herb emitted a peculiar fragrance that filled the basement.
As the scent spread, the resentment lingering on the bones gradually dissipated, and a phantom figure appeared before Su Mu and Ye Qiu.
It was a woman dressed in ancient attire, her face haggard, and her eyes filled with sorrow and resentment.
Su Mu spoke softly, "Miss, I have learned of your grievances. I will seek justice for you; please rest in peace."
As he spoke, Su Mu utilized the Healing Lost Souls method from the Heavenly Secrets Medical Manual, channeling a gentle energy into the woman's body.
The woman's gaze gradually became calm, and a faint smile appeared on her face. Eventually, her figure began to fade away, transforming into specks of starlight that dispersed into the air.
"She... is gone?" Ye Qiu asked.
Su Mu nodded. "She has found peace."
After resolving the haunted house incident, Su Mu and Ye Qiu continued their investigation into Linna's missing case. They discovered that Linna's disappearance was also connected to this old building and the woman from the Qing Dynasty and Early Republic.
Back at the police station, they retrieved all of Linna's records. Linna was 28 years old, single, worked at a foreign company, led a regular life, had no enemies, and showed no signs of suicidal tendencies.
"Linna's disappearance is too strange," Ye Qiu said with a furrowed brow. "It's as if she evaporated into thin air."
Su Mu pondered for a moment. "We need to visit that old building again."
The two returned to the basement of the old structure. Su Mu sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and began to chant incantations for divination.
"Heaven is represented by Qian, Earth by Kun, Fire by Li..." Su Mu carefully observed the Gua Xiang. "The hexagram indicates that Linna's disappearance is related to that woman's Yuan Hun."
"Could it be... that Yuan Hun abducted Linna?" Ye Qiu asked in surprise.
Su Mu nodded, "It's very likely. Although that woman's Yuan Hun has found peace, her obsession still exists. She may have mistaken Linna for someone she knew in her past life, or... there might be something about Linna that attracted her."
"What should we do?" Ye Qiu asked. "How can we find Linna?"
Su Mu once again employed the secret techniques from the Heavenly Secrets Medical Manual to communicate with the remnants of the woman's obsession.
"Linna... where are you?" Su Mu inquired.
A faint voice echoed in the void, "She... is my... sister..."
"Sister?" Su Mu and Ye Qiu exchanged surprised glances. How could Linna be the sister of that woman from the Qing Dynasty and Early Republic?
Su Mu continued to probe, "Your sister... who is she?"
"My sister... is named... Xiao Mei..." The voice from the void came through in intermittent bursts.
"Xiao Mei..." Su Mu repeated the name. "Linna's name isn't Xiao Mei. Are you sure you have the right person?"
"No... she... is... Xiao Mei... she... has returned..." The voice of obsession grew weaker until it finally vanished.
"Xiao Mei..." Ye Qiu murmured. "Could it be that Linna is the reincarnation of that woman's sister?"
Su Mu nodded, "It's very possible. It seems we need to investigate Linna's past life."
Su Mu and Ye Qiu began to look into Linna's background. They visited Linna's parents, relatives, friends, and colleagues but found no information related to "Xiao Mei."
"It looks like we'll have to start with identifying that woman," Su Mu said.
Based on the style of the coffin in the basement and the woman's attire, Su Mu deduced that she must have been from the Qing Dynasty and Early Republic period. The two then went to the city archives, where they sifted through a wealth of historical records and finally uncovered a lead.
In an early newspaper from the Republic of China, there was a missing person notice seeking a girl named "Xiao Mei." The photo accompanying the notice, though somewhat blurry, bore a striking resemblance to the woman in the basement.
The notice stated that Xiao Mei's sister was named "Liu Ru Yan," a wealthy young lady.
"Liu Ru Yan... Xiao Mei..." Ye Qiu murmured to himself. "Could it be that the woman in the basement is Liu Ru Yan?"
Su Mu nodded. "It's quite possible. We need to find Liu Ru Yan's descendants; they might have some clues."
After some investigation, Su Mu and Ye Qiu located a descendant of Liu Ru Yan, an elderly lady in her eighties. She shared that Liu Ru Yan's story had been passed down through her family for generations.
Liu Ru Yan's sister, Xiao Mei, had gone missing when they were very young. Liu Ru Yan never gave up searching for her sister until her death.
"My grandmother once said that on the day Xiao Mei disappeared, she was holding a jade pendant," the elderly lady recounted. "That pendant was a token between the two sisters; each had one."
"A jade pendant?" Su Mu and Ye Qiu exchanged glances, wondering if Linna also possessed such a pendant.
They immediately contacted Linna's parents to inquire whether Linna carried a jade pendant with her. Linna's mother confirmed that Linna indeed had one, which she had worn since childhood, given to her when she was adopted from an orphanage.
Su Mu and Ye Qiu rushed to Linna's parents' home and saw the pendant. It matched the description given by the elderly lady perfectly!
"It seems that Linna is truly the reincarnation of Xiao Mei," Ye Qiu said.
Su Mu nodded. "Liu Ru Yan's obsession led her to find her sister in this new life. However, she didn't realize that her sister had lost all memories of her past life, which is why she 'abducted' her."
"Then where is Linna now?" Ye Qiu asked anxiously.
Su Mu closed his eyes and once again connected with Liu Ru Yan's lingering spirit. This time, he finally received an answer.
"In a place... very dark... very cold..."
Su Mu opened his eyes. "I know where Linna is."
"It's a very dark and cold place..." Ye Qiu repeated Su Mu's words, "Where could it be?"
Su Mu pondered for a moment. "According to the direction indicated by Liu Ru Yan's obsession, it should be an abandoned mine on the outskirts of the city."
"An abandoned mine?" Ye Qiu's heart tightened. "That place is very dangerous!"
"I know," Su Mu replied. "But we must go to save Linna."
The two drove towards the abandoned mine on the outskirts of the city. The entrance was blocked by collapsed rubble, and a chilling wind blew through, sending shivers down their spines.
Su Mu took out several talismans and placed them on the rubble, chanting softly. The talismans emitted a golden glow, and the stones began to move on their own, revealing a narrow passage.
"Let's go," Su Mu said.
The two cautiously entered the mine. It was pitch black inside, with no visibility at all, and the air was thick with dampness and decay.
Su Mu lit a firecracker, its dim light illuminating the surroundings. The mine twisted and turned, with bats occasionally flying overhead, emitting piercing shrieks.
After walking for a long time, they arrived at a spacious cavern. In the center of the cavern stood an ancient altar, upon which rested a black stone.
Linna lay beside the altar, her face pale and unconscious.
Next to Linna stood an ethereal figure—Liu Ru Yan's obsession.
"Xiao Mei..." Liu Ru Yan's obsession gazed at Linna, his eyes filled with sorrow and affection.
"Liu Ru Yan," Su Mu said, "you have found peace; you should not cling to matters of your past life."
"I... I just wanted to... see my sister again..." the obsession of Liu Ru Yan said.
"She is no longer your sister," Su Mu replied. "She is Linna now, and she has her own life. You cannot keep her trapped here."
The obsession of Liu Ru Yan fell silent for a moment, and finally, she gently sighed, "I understand... I was wrong..."
Slowly, the obsession of Liu Ru Yan reached out and caressed Linna's cheek. "Xiao Mei... I'm sorry..."
As the obsession of Liu Ru Yan dissipated, Linna's body emitted a soft white light.
Linna slowly opened her eyes, confusion filling her gaze.
"Where... am I?"
"You are safe now," Su Mu said with a smile.
Ye Qiu hurried forward to help Linna up. "Let's go; it's too dangerous here."
The three of them left the cave and returned to the sunlight. The old journey had come to an end, but a new story was just beginning...
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