Ji Lengyue's expression also dimmed. It was naturally difficult for a daughter when her mother's reputation was tarnished by elders in the family. Therefore, Ji Lengyue had worked tirelessly for so many years, all for the sake of allowing her mother to stand tall and be happy.
Chen Jiuyang patted her hand and said softly, "Trust me, I will get justice for you."
"Mm," Ji Lengyue replied obediently. She was very strong-willed in life, but her abilities were insufficient. Chen Jiuyang shared the same strong will as her, and his strength was even greater. Thus, she appeared docile before him now.
Chen Jiuyang asked, "What is the background of the Ji family? Are they very powerful in Feng Province?"
Ji Lengyue replied, "The Ji family has resided in Feng Province for generations, primarily operating within the legitimate sector. The previous Prefect of Feng Province was a member of the Ji family, my uncle..."
"A scholarly family from Feng Province?" Chen Jiuyang nodded slowly. "I see."
Scholarly families had always been arrogant, and their interactions and experiences were different. It was no wonder the Ji family members had been so haughty earlier.
Ji Lengyue said, "After my uncle was demoted and imprisoned, the Ji family's strength greatly declined. Otherwise, the Ji family wouldn't have threatened me to return and intended to marry me off for an alliance to increase the Ji family's power."
Chen Jiuyang said, "I understand."
The Ji family's situation was somewhat similar to the Lin family's. After Lin Yuexian's father was severely injured, Lin Buwen had immediately dispersed the entire family across the Dragon Country to prevent enemy retaliation, ensuring the Lin family's lineage would survive and await a day of resurgence.
The officialdom was like a battlefield. The more friends you had, the more enemies you also had.
Normally, a local scholarly family like the Ji family, holding the position of Prefect of Feng Province, would not be demoted to prison even if they offended someone. At most, they would be exiled to a small place. But to be directly jailed implied that the matters involved and the people offended were extraordinarily formidable.
Normally, even if the Ji family was overthrown, they would support another local aristocratic family to take the position of Prefect of Feng Province, as local scholarly families were sufficiently familiar with the region. However, Chen Jiuyang knew that Yun Jingbai's father hailed from Suzhou and Hangzhou and was transferred from there to the position of Prefect of Feng Province. This indicated that the higher authorities were very dissatisfied with the local scholarly families of Feng Province. Otherwise, this position would not have gone to an outsider, and they would have held it for several years, not like a brief stint for experience.
"Let's not talk about this anymore." Ji Lengyue's expression suddenly tightened, and she asked Chen Jiuyang, "Jiuyang, do you really believe in ghosts?"
"I have never seen a ghost, but I have seen the lingering obsession of heroic souls," Chen Jiuyang retorted. "What's wrong, Lengyue? Have you encountered something strange?"
"It's not me," Ji Lengyue said. "Last night, a ghost murder occurred in Fengcheng, which is very similar to the supernatural event I encountered at Fengcheng Medical College. The victim's condition was tragic. My childhood friend is a constable in the Six Doors. I met her this morning while having breakfast, and she said the case was bizarre with no clues. Similar ghost murder cases have occurred several times in the past week."
Back then, Chen Jiuyang had saved Qiu Yihan's grandfather at Fengcheng Medical College. The Qiu family had offended someone and was entangled by a sinister individual, which had terrified Ji Lengyue. However, Chen Jiuyang had apprehended the culprit afterward. But now, hearing about such an event, her excellent constable's professional instincts made her ponder the truth: was it really a ghost killing?
Chen Jiuyang frowned. "Several ghost murder cases? Logically, this shouldn't be possible."
In Suzhou and Hangzhou, Chen Jiuyang had met Wang Juyuan, and in the Chinese street of Japan, he had met Da Sha. He had never truly seen a ghost. The Dragon Country's national fortune was prosperous; how could ghosts kill people? At most, it would be the manifestation of heroic spirits.
"Mm," Ji Lengyue nodded.
Chen Jiuyang pondered for a moment. "Since I have some time today, call your Six Doors friend and bring me to the crime scene. Perhaps I can find some clues."
His good brother Hu Qijie's engagement banquet was tonight. It was only noon, the sun was blazing, and there were still several hours in the afternoon. Since he had nothing else to do, Chen Jiuyang wanted to see if this was a case of someone impersonating a ghost to cause trouble, or if it was truly a ghost committing murder.
...
...
Ji Lengyue led Chen Jiuyang to a residential complex.
Several police cars were parked at the entrance of the complex.
A plain-looking Six Doors constable approached Ji Lengyue. "Lengyue, you actually came to take a look."
Ji Lengyue smiled and said, "I also brought my boyfriend."
"This is... Hiss!" The female Six Doors constable gasped in shock after clearly seeing Chen Jiuyang's face. "Lengyue, you're actually dating Chen... Xuan Yang Hou..."
Chen Jiuyang's name might not be known to many in Feng Province, but everyone in the Feng Province Six Doors knew Chen Jiuyang's great name.
Ji Lengyue smiled and introduced, "Jiuyang, this is my childhood friend Zhong Man'an, a Six Doors constable."
Chen Jiuyang said calmly, "A pleasure to meet you, Constable Zhong."
"The pleasure is all mine. Please follow me." Zhong Man'an led the two into the complex and then to a house. The inside and outside of the house were filled with Six Doors constables.
Ji Lengyue asked, "Why are they still investigating and haven't withdrawn?"
Zhong Man'an replied, "This is the fourth incident within a week, but there are no clues at all. The superiors are furious and demand that we find some clues. We haven't touched the crime scene yet, hoping to find some useful evidence."
It was now late November, and the weather was cold, so the body would not decay quickly.
"Is that so?" Ji Lengyue asked, "And who is she?"
A young woman's face was pale, and her body was trembling uncontrollably, wrapped in a blanket.
Zhong Man'an explained, "She's the one who reported the case. Come in and take a look." m..oΓg
Upon entering the house, a faint smell of decay permeated the air.
Chen Jiuyang, Ji Lengyue, and Zhong Man'an, one of Ji Lengyue's close friends, arrived here.
"Marquis Xuan Yang, please go and take a look first," Zhong Man'an, Ji Lengyue's friend, said.
Chen Jiuyang nodded and walked in. He saw the body of a young woman lying at the entrance foyer.
The female corpse, judging solely by external appearance, had no wounds. However, blood was flowing from all seven orifices, her face was contorted, and she died with her eyes wide open, her expression seemingly showing she had seen something extremely terrifying in life.
Furthermore, there was the smell of decay, indicating she had been dead for more than forty-eight hours.
Upon seeing the corpse, Chen Jiuyang's brow twitched, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes. "This is..."
He glanced around the room. The windows were undisturbed, the television was playing, the air conditioner was on, and the mobile phone was discarded in a corner.
Chen Jiuyang asked Zhong Man'an, "Have the surveillance cameras been checked?"
Zhong Man'an nodded with a grim expression. "We checked, but found no trace of anyone. We've reviewed the cameras on several streets nearby. We are currently investigating blind spots in the 'Sky Eye' system to see if we can find any clues."
"The forensic doctor has also examined it. There are no external or internal injuries, nor any fatal toxins or viruses in the body."
Upon hearing this, Ji Lengyue's expression also turned grim. With no clues, the death of this woman was truly bizarre.
Could it really be a haunting?