Chapter Forty: Things of the Past

In the present world, spiritual energy is scarce, and the age of decline has begun. Except for Shen Chang'an, who can still take in the primordial energy of heaven and earth to strengthen himself, almost no one else can cultivate anymore.

As for this wicked practitioner who harms others, if they want to manipulate the Five Viscera Ghosts, there is only one way: sacrifice.

They must offer up their own flesh and organs to nourish the Five Viscera Ghosts.

Shen Chang'an furrowed his brow. What kind of deep-seated hatred could drive someone to commit such an act?

Yet, this revelation accelerated the progress of the case.

"Comrade Xiao Liu, how many victims have there been so far?"

Xiao Liu was momentarily taken aback before answering, "Counting this person, only two."

"Two..." Shen Chang'an pondered for a moment, then asked, "Could you check what connections these two people might have had?"

Sun Yiyuan couldn't help but ask, "What are you thinking now?"

Shen Chang'an nodded. "If my judgment is correct, the murderer must have had some unresolved enmity with these people, which led them to commit such a crime."

"Enmity?" Sun Yiyuan frowned.

Shen Chang'an sighed. "This kind of dark magic is a heavy burden on the practitioner. In severe cases, it can even cost them their life. Only hatred could drive someone to do something so horrifying."

To disregard one's own life and everything else—if not for revenge, what else could it be?

Sun Yiyuan urged Xiao Liu to quickly investigate the victims' identities and any links they might have had with the previous victim.

In a case involving murder, and with the possibility of the killer striking again, Xiao Liu naturally worked with great efficiency. While Shen Chang'an was still carefully inspecting the surroundings for further clues, Xiao Liu had already obtained new information.

"According to the records, these two people had little interaction. The previous victim, Xiao Zhang, was a loner who rarely left home, ran a social media account online, and didn't go out unless necessary. As for this victim, the only connection is that his mother lived in the same neighborhood as Xiao Zhang."

"Hmm?" Shen Chang'an raised his eyebrows and quickly asked, "Has anything unusual ever happened in that neighborhood before?"

"No, well—wait, actually, yes..." Xiao Liu suddenly hesitated, a look of uncertainty on his face.

"If you know something, speak up! Lives are at stake. If we don't bring the murderer to justice, no one will be able to rest easy," Sun Yiyuan pressed.

Xiao Liu sighed helplessly and continued, "It's about that incident with Teacher Lu. Shen, do you remember?"

Shen Chang'an nodded. He had previously sensed traces of magical energy around Teacher Lu and hadn't expected the case to be related to him after all.

"Teacher Lu was a high school art teacher, personally responsible for the school's art students. One weekend, he took his students out to sketch from life. A girl in the group wasn't feeling well. She was from the countryside and had nowhere to stay in town, so Teacher Lu let her rest at his home. He even asked another female student to accompany the sick girl, to look after her for the day, while he took the rest of the students out. But then..."

Xiao Liu went on, and Shen Chang'an's expression changed several times as the story took a turn no one could have foreseen.

The two girls went to Teacher Lu's house to rest. It was just a mild cold, and she recovered quickly. Then, the two began to engage in activities that defied description.

Indeed, the two girls were actually a couple.

Teacher Lu had no idea; he simply thought they were close friends and sent the other to care for her. He never imagined the true nature of their relationship.

The girls, on the other hand, were bold beyond belief. At school, it was impossible for them to find private moments, so they treasured this rare opportunity.

But fate played a cruel joke. Just as the two were in the throes of passion, Teacher Lu’s wife returned home.

His wife, a rural woman, could not comprehend what was happening between the two girls. Seeing them naked together in her bed, she immediately assumed they were mistresses brought home by her husband.

She began smashing things and shouting, her commotion drawing the entire building’s attention. The incident spread rapidly, with all sorts of rumors.

The two girls, shamed by their actions in someone else’s home, could no longer face anyone. As gossip exploded, they were overwhelmed and ultimately chose to end their own lives, leaping together from the school’s tall building.

But the tragedy did not end there. The deaths of the two girls only intensified the situation.

Many began to blame Teacher Lu’s wife, believing her reaction had driven the two unfortunate souls to an early grave.

At first, it was bearable, but as time went on, the stories multiplied. The school, having lost two students, was forced to suspend Teacher Lu’s classes.

Everything accumulated until, in the end, Teacher Lu’s wife could no longer bear the public pressure. She, too, took her own life, drinking pesticide like the two girls before her.

After that, there was nothing more to be said.

Teacher Lu resigned from his job. For the past two years, he had found solace only in alcohol, living a life of utter desolation.

"So, Teacher Lu might be the killer?" Sun Yiyuan ventured.

Shen Chang'an pondered carefully, then nodded. "He’s the prime suspect. His wife is dead, he’s lost his job, his life is in ruins. In these circumstances, if he acquired some dark magic, he would stop at nothing for revenge."

"If I’m right, these two—those who watched and spread the story—were among those involved."

Xiao Liu nodded quickly. "The previous victim, Xiao Zhang, widely reported on the incident online, even attracting journalists from the provincial capital. The latest victim was also notorious for gossip in the neighborhood."

"This is bad!" As he spoke, Sun Yiyuan’s expression suddenly changed. He turned to Xiao Liu and asked urgently, "Who was in charge of the case back then?"

Xiao Liu thought for a moment. "I think it was Captain Li..."

"This is terrible!" Sun Yiyuan jumped up, panic-stricken. "My daughter is at the station with that madman right now!"

Shen Chang'an’s face changed as well. Teacher Lu had already begun his revenge and killed two people; he would hardly hesitate to kill another. The method of the Five Viscera Ghost was extremely covert—he wouldn’t even need to appear before Li Xia to kill her.

"Let’s go, quickly, we must get back at once!"