Chapter 285 - 284: Friends?

Chapter 285: Chapter 284: Friends?

Before long, Manager Wang arrived with some people. He had them disperse the crowd of onlookers and secure the crime scene.

Soon, only Miss Bai and Gu Qingyin remained.

Well... that man hadn’t left yet. He’d just moved a little farther away and was still watching them with a look of concern, performing his act of deep affection.

"Miss Bai," Gu Qingyin asked with a smile, "could you please walk me through how you discovered the deceased?"

"I..." Miss Bai’s voice trembled. She took a moment to compose herself before speaking again. "I came here to take pictures. I’d just picked a spot I liked, and as I was walking over, I accidentally... stepped on... his hand."

As she spoke, the rims of her eyes reddened again.

Gu Qingyin understood completely. ’When would a pampered young lady like her have ever encountered something like this? She might even be left with psychological trauma.’

"I screamed, and everyone else came crowding around." Miss Bai’s eyelashes fluttered. "Then someone checked under his nose for breath and found that he was already dead."

Gu Qingyin’s eyes glinted. "Who was it that checked?"

Miss Bai shook her head. "I was too scared at the time, so I didn’t dare to look. I just overheard it."

"Madame." Manager Wang approached, holding a phone. "The surveillance footage from the flower field has been sent over."

Gu Qingyin took the phone and gave him a look.

Manager Wang understood instantly. He turned to Miss Bai and said, "I’m terribly sorry you had to go through this. Please, come with me to the pavilion to rest. The police will need your cooperation when they arrive."

Miss Bai nodded obediently and went with him.

Gu Qingyin looked down at the video. There weren’t many people in the morning; most were just taking pictures or going for a stroll. The crowd thinned out around noon, but then suddenly swelled around two o’clock, with people arriving in waves. However, she didn’t see anyone suspicious.

Then, at a certain moment, the crowd suddenly converged on one spot.

Gu Qingyin watched this part several times.

The first time, she looked for anyone moving against the flow of people. The second time, she focused on Miss Bai. The third time, she watched the first few people who gathered around.

Unfortunately, she didn’t spot anything unusual.

The main issue was the poor camera angle. It was also a bit too far away, making it difficult to see clearly.

Gu Qingyin sighed. ’Best to leave the professional work to the professionals.’

Before long, the police arrived in several cars. They cordoned off the scene, performed a preliminary examination of the body, searched the area for clues, and questioned witnesses. Everything proceeded in an orderly fashion.

Gu Qingyin, of course, also had to be questioned. In the middle of her statement, she caught sight of Huo Yunjing approaching and couldn’t help but turn her head to smile at him.

Huo Yunjing had been busy cooking fish, so he didn’t see the message right away and had arrived late.

"Who’s that?" The detective questioning her followed her gaze and saw a tall, upright man with a distinguished air. The detective subconsciously felt he was no ordinary person.

Gu Qingyin smiled. "My husband."

"He wasn’t with you before?"

Gu Qingyin nodded. "He’s making me an all-fish banquet. He said it was a surprise and told me to go out and amuse myself for a while."

The detective smiled wistfully. "You two have a wonderful relationship." Then he nodded. "We may still need your cooperation for follow-up questions."

"Of course." Gu Qingyin agreed and went to find Huo Yunjing.

Huo Yunjing was staring at the newly manifested ghost soul next to the corpse. When Gu Qingyin drew near, he naturally took her hand and said calmly, "It doesn’t look like he was murdered by a person."

"Hm?" Gu Qingyin looked over. The wounds on the ghost were obvious—a series of gashes, as if from being hacked at. But recalling the surveillance footage, no one had approached the man with a blade. He had simply appeared to be suddenly wounded before collapsing.

Gu Qingyin’s eyes flickered. "A curse?"

Huo Yunjing nodded. "More or less."

Just then, news came from the police team.

"What? Injured out of thin air? How is that possible! Are you sure the video wasn’t doctored?" The detective who took the call had a grim expression. After hanging up, he immediately dialed another number, spoke a few words in a low voice, hung up again, and began to scan the area.

Soon, he located Gu Qingyin and strode over to her. With a somber expression, he said, "This case is beyond our capabilities. My team will be withdrawing temporarily. Others will be here shortly to take over, so don’t be afraid."

Gu Qingyin smiled, her expression unchanged. "Alright. Thank you for coming all this way."

The detective stared at her intently. "Aren’t you curious? About why we’re withdrawing, and who’s coming to take over?"

Gu Qingyin shrugged. "You may not know this, but I was the first person to see the surveillance footage."

The detective frowned. "And you’re not afraid?"

Gu Qingyin laughed in spite of herself. "Why should I be afraid? Every injustice has a perpetrator. Sometimes, ghosts are more reasonable than humans."

The detective gave her another long, searching look before turning to order his team to pack up.

True to their training, the officers, though clearly confused, obeyed the order. They packed up and withdrew with practiced efficiency. In less than five minutes, all personnel and equipment were in their vehicles, slowly driving away.

Manager Wang approached, a look of dissatisfaction on his face. "What’s the meaning of this? They didn’t even take the body. Do they expect us to handle it ourselves?"

Gu Qingyin offered a placating smile. "Don’t worry. Someone will be here to take over soon."

Manager Wang nodded, the anger on his face vanishing instantly. In truth, his anger was only half-genuine; the other half was, of course, a performance for the boss.

’He glanced at Huo Yunjing and found him somewhat familiar. It took a moment before it clicked. The man looked so much like President Huo, and he was so intimate with Madame... He drew in a sharp breath. Could this be President Huo’s father?’

’How in the world does this couple take care of themselves? They look way too young!’

Before long, a middle-aged man in a Daoist robe and a young man in casual clothes walked over together.

Gu Qingyin smiled slightly at the sight. "They’re here."

Manager Wang turned to look, his expression hesitant. "Is that... a Heavenly Master?" He suddenly put two and two together and glanced toward the body, a sense of uncontrollable dread rising within him. "He... he... he..."

Seeing him struggling to get the words out, Gu Qingyin gave an understanding nod. "That’s right. It wasn’t an ordinary murder."

Manager Wang sucked in a sharp breath and glanced around in terror.

Gu Qingyin continued, "Don’t worry. Even ghosts don’t just kill people indiscriminately—not unless they’ve lost their minds, and that doesn’t seem to be the case here. Heavenly Masters are even less likely to kill casually; the resulting karmic debt is too troublesome. So relax. You don’t need to be so afraid."

Manager Wang relaxed slightly, giving Gu Qingyin a complicated look. "Madame, how is it you know so much about this?"

Gu Qingyin simply smiled without answering.

Manager Wang thought that was the end of it, but he never expected to receive an answer in such a surprising fashion.

"Qing Yin!" the middle-aged man in the Daoist robe exclaimed, his face full of pleasant surprise. "When did you get back? Why didn’t you contact us? Are we not friends anymore?!"

Manager Wang was stunned. ’Friends??’