“Alright!”
Tang Hao nodded.
After bidding each other farewell, Tang Hao returned to his villa and surfed the internet for news. It was true that a vicious homicide was committed in the district four days ago. It caused quite a ruckus in the local forum.
Rumor had it that the victim was flayed, placed in a peculiar position, then tied to the bed of the hotel. The crime scene was gory.
If he did not hear about it from the Taoist master, Tang Hao would think that the crime was committed by some perverted, homicidal maniac.
Tang Hao did not obtain many clues from scanning through the messages in the online forum. Therefore, he started to cultivate.
In the blink of an eye, four days passed.
A call came from Master Wu. The bracelet that Tang Hao got him to custom-make was finally ready.
Chapter 65 - Stardream Bracelet
The sun shone warmly in the morning.
The sound of a sizzling pan was heard from the kitchen—it was Tang Hao, who was making breakfast. Dumplings were evenly spread on the pan, immersed in boiling oil as they sizzled to a golden brown.
A mouth-watering fragrance filled the air.
Tang Hao learned how to cook when he was young. After many years of practice, he had become a well-trained cook. Sis Xiangyi could not stop praising him after having a taste. Therefore, from that day onward, Tang Hao became in charge of breakfast, dinner, and even supper.
He carefully moved the dumplings onto a plate and placed it on the dining table. He could hear gentle footsteps approaching from the hallway.
“Morning!”
A lithe and graceful figure walked into the kitchen.
She was dressed in simple, black pajamas. The pajamas were rather thin; it was unable to hide her graceful body—a small, delicate waist with long, slender legs that extended into a pair of feet that were as beautiful as jade. Despite that, her figure was still very alluring.
Her hair was slightly messy. The expression on her face was languid as she let out a few yawns.
Her beautiful figure was shown as she stretched.
Tang Hao was helpless, even though he had witnessed it plenty of times before.
He blushed. Then, he gave a light cough and said, “You’re up!”
Qin Xiangyi answered with a simple “erm” and sat down. When she noticed the plate of dumplings on the table, her face beamed with joy at the surprise. “My favorite!”
As she said that, she picked up a dumpling with her fingers excitedly and stuffed it into her mouth.
“Hmm! So good!”
She nodded vigorously with a face full of satisfaction.
Tang Hao smiled and sat down too. “Sis Xiangyi, how’s everything in the factory?”
“Busy! Super busy! We just accepted a huge order,” said Qin Xiangyi while eating.
“Oh!” Tang Hao replied.
After a brief pause, he continued, “Yesterday, Secretary Lin informed me that your protection is going to be removed starting from today. There hasn’t been any sign of Chen Sandao for around a dozen days now. Things haven’t been safe in the district recently and the police are lacking manpower.”
“It’s alright! Don’t worry, Lil Tang. I’m in the factory most of the time. Chen Sandao won’t dare to show up in the factory no matter how brave he is.”
After breakfast, she was about to head back to her room.
“Wait, Sis Xiangyi. I have something for you.” Tang Hao stood up.
“Hmm?” Qin Xiangyi stopped in her tracks and turned around to look at Tang Hao with curious eyes. “What is it?”
“A gift!”
“Gift?”
Her pretty eyes beamed in surprise. “Wait, don’t show me yet. Lemme guess. Flowers?”
Tang Hao shook his head.
“Then, a necklace?”
Tang Hao shook his head again.
“It can’t be a ring, can it?”
Tang Hao shook his head and extended the hands that he had previously folded behind his back. On his palm sat an intricate black box. A bright glow poured out as he gently opened the box.
It was a bracelet with a platinum base, inlaid with numerous tiny diamonds. A bead of jade as red as blood was set in the middle of the bracelet.
The bracelet shone—it was so bright, mesmerizing, and ethereal.
“Heavens! It’s so beautiful!”
Qin Xiangyi covered her mouth in shock and exclaimed, “Is this really for me?”
Tang Hao nodded. He stepped forward and handed the lidded box over to her. With a serious tone, he said, “You must wear this bracelet at all times. You mustn’t take it off as it will protect you.”
With her hands over her mouth, she stared at the magnificent bracelet before her. She felt indescribable joy, and at the same time, was extremely touched.
“Lil Tang, put it on for me!”
She extended a pale wrist in a somewhat coquettish tone.
Tang Hao picked up the bracelet and put it on her wrist gently.
The bracelet emitted a mesmerizing glow, complementing her pale skin that could rival snow. It seemed even more dreamlike than before.
“It looks so good! Lil Tang, thank you so much!”
Qin Xiangyi raised her wrist and looked at it left and right. She could not help but feel like bursting with joy. Suddenly, she pursed her lips, closed in on Tang Hao’s face, and planted a kiss on Tang Hao’s cheek.
She giggled. Redness blossomed on her pretty face.
Tang Hao froze; he was stupefied. Then, as though controlled by some unknown force, he suddenly moved closer and returned a gentle kiss on her cheek.
At that moment, she was stunned too. A pair of beautiful eyes stared unblinkingly at Tang Hao.
The atmosphere became bewitching and magical.
Just like that, ten full seconds passed. She suddenly tiptoed. Her face neared his and she sealed his lips with hers. A pair of pale cream hands wrapped around Tang Hao’s neck as she did this.
Tang Hao jerked. His eyes widened slightly.
At this moment, his mind was almost blank.
Subconsciously, he reciprocated.
Their movements gradually became more intense, and more emotional.
Yet, it was at this moment that Tang Hao’s cellphone rang.
Both of them froze. Tang Hao let out a wry laugh and lamented internally at the bad timing.
“Go ahead and pick up!”
Qin Xiangyi retreated. Her pretty face was completely red, like a ripe apple.
Tang Hao took out his phone. It was Taoist Master Chang Qing.
Tang Hao cursed him internally for a while, but answered the call anyway. He knew that if the Taoist master had called him at this time, it had to be with news relating to the evil ghost.
“Hello! Fellow Cultivator Tang, are you free right now?” The Taoist master’s voice came from the other end of the phone.
The Taoist master shouted rather loudly. There seemed to be a commotion around him.
“I’m free. What’s the matter?” asked Tang Hao.
“That fella… committed another crime! I’m now near the crime scene.”
Tang Hao’s eyebrows furrowed. He replied, “Alright! Wait for me, I’ll be there shortly.”
After hanging up, Tang Hao scratched his head awkwardly and said, “It’s the Taoist master. He’s the one I told you about a few days ago. He’s been investigating a case and wants me to help out.”
“A case? What case?”
“The one that’s been causing quite stir. Don’t worry, it isn’t dangerous.”
“Alright!” Qin Xiangyi began to speak but she hesitated. Instead, she simply nodded and said, “Let me send you there.”
She put on a change of clothes and sent Tang Hao to the location the Taoist master had mentioned.
It was a small hotel. At that moment, police cars surrounded the perimeter of the hotel while the police cordoned off the area. Many policemen were standing around.
; A large group of people surrounded the entrance of the hotel. They looked at the hotel with horrified expressions.
“It was terrifying! I heard that more than one person died! They died tragic deaths and were all flayed.”
“Flayed? Oh, no! That’s terrible! Is this related to the previous case?”
The crowd was discussing the incident.
Tang Hao walked over and recognized Taoist Master Chang Qing in front of the group.
He called out and the Taoist master walked over immediately, “Fellow Cultivator Tang, you’re here!”
“What’s going on?” Asked Tang Hao.
“I’m not sure about everything that happened but I can confirm that it’s the same guy. I’m waiting for the police to collect all the evidence before I sneak into the place. If I can still find any traces he left behind, I’ll be able to track him down and find out where he’s hiding.”
“Alright!” Tang Hao responded.
After waiting for a while, they saw two more police cars driving over to the other side of the street.
The two police cars stopped in front of the hotel’s entrance. As the car doors opened, a group of people got out of the car. They were clearly from the Criminal Police Unit.
A grin spread across Tang Hao’s face as he said, “Master, let’s go in now!”
“Oh, okay!” The Taoist master answered involuntarily before suddenly becoming confused.
How were they supposed to enter with this many police around?
As he opened his mouth to ask, he saw Tang Hao walking straight ahead.
Chapter 66 - Another Encounter with Zhao Qingxue
“Eh! Fellow Cultivator Tang, what are you doing?”
Taoist Master Chang Qing shouted anxiously.
The police were here to solve crimes. Why in the world would they let unauthorized people enter the crime scene? Was it not obvious that he would run into a brick wall?!
Meanwhile, when the police saw Tang Hao, the expression on their faces changed instantaneously, revealing hints of awkwardness. There were even some who looked vaguely respectful.
A middle-aged policeman who was in the lead hastily walked up to Tang Hao and shook his hand. “Lil Bro Tang, long time no see!”
“Captain Zhou!”
Tang Hao smiled and returned the handshake warmly.
This middle-aged policeman was the newly promoted captain of the criminal police unit, Zhou Bin.
Out of the corner of his eyes, Tang Hao saw a few familiar faces. Amongst the group, there stood the same duo which had handcuffed him in the past. They had the most awkward expressions on their faces, not daring to look Tang Hao in the eye.
The most beautiful policewoman in the unit stood next to them. She was wore a complete police uniform, looking valiant and heroic whilst her figure was still as sexy as always. Despite her allure, her pretty face was as cold as usual. When she noticed Tang Hao looking in her direction, she looked upward and snorted lightly.
Even if he had been wrongly accused the last two times, this fellow was still a lecher to her. She could never forget the time he had groped her breasts. She felt shame surging up inside her whenever she recalled it.
Tang Hao was completely clueless about that and smiled warmly at her.
Zhao Qingxue’s gorgeous eyes widened as she returned him a piercing glare.
Noticing that, Captain Zhou furrowed his eyebrows and said, “Lil Zhao, how could you be so impolite?!”
“Captain, he…” Zhao Qingxue argued hastily.
However, she was too embarrassed to reveal the incident. Therefore, she stomped her feet and huffed, “Forget it, it’s nothing!”
“Captain Zhou, there’s been a misunderstanding between me and Officer Zhao here,” explained Tang Hao.
“Oh, I see!” Said Captain Zhou in realization.
Then, he directed his attention to Tang Hao once more, “Oh, right. Why are you here? Who’s this?” As he spoke, he shifted his gaze to Taoist Master Chang Qing, who was standing behind Tang Hao.
“This attire… Why do you look like a Taoist priest?”
Tang Hao answered, “This is Taoist Master Chang Qing. Actually, both of us… are here for this case too.”
Captain Zhou was surprised to hear that. His gaze sharpened visibly. “What’s going on?”
Tang Hao replied, “Taoist Master Chang Qing has been pursuing the murderer for a long time now. He knows this case like the back of his hand.”
“A long time? What does that mean? This is merely the second murder committed by our suspect. Moreover, he’s a Taoist priest, isn’t he? He’s not police or investigator, so what’s he doing investigating this?”
The expression on Captain Zhou’s face was starting to get suspicious.
Taoist Master Chang Qing walked over and answered, “This murderer has committed a lot of crimes. He uses the same techniques and has traveled to many places before coming to Westridge District, where you’re currently staying.”
Captain Zhou hesitated. With a frown, he replied, “That’s true. Similar cases happened in the neighboring districts, and can even be traced all the way to the outer provinces. However, the suspect is already dead. What is following are all the copycat crimes. This one is obviously another one of those.”
Taoist Master Chang Qing hesitated for a while.
That was indeed the case from the police’s perspective. However, the truth was that all these murders were committed by the same ghost that had simply possessed different people.
Yet, there was no way for him to tell them it was a ghost behind all these heinous crimes. Which policeman or woman would believe him?
“If that’s the case, have you ever wondered why there are so many copycat crimes?” Asked Taoist Master Chang Qing.
“This…” Captain Zhou wavered.
The question had crossed his mind before.
“Captain Zhou, let’s go in and check it out. This Taoist priest knows a lot about these murders. He might be able to give us some ideas that can help us solve the case,” smiled Tang Hao.
Captain Zhou hesitated. “This… In principle, this wouldn’t be allowed, but since Lil Bro Tang suggested it, it shouldn’t be a problem.”
“Captain!” Zhao Qingxue hastily interrupted. “This is a crime scene! How could you let unauthorized people in?”
“Well! Lil Zhao, Lil Bro Tang isn’t exactly some outsider, now is he? Come, come, come. Wrap this around your feet and let’s go in.” Captain Zhou fetched them a set of shoe covers cordially.
This Lil Bro Tang was a well-known associate of Secretary Lin. He had not had the chance to cozy up to Lil Bro Tang yet, so how could he refuse him?
“Impressive, Fellow Cultivator Tang!” Remarked Taoist Master Chang Qing in admiration.
“Hmph!” Zhao Qingxue glared at him and stormed into the hotel.
Tang Hao and the Taoist master followed closely behind Captain Zhou into the hotel.
The hotel was dimly lit as the pungent smell of blood filled the air. They passed through the hallway and saw the police officers from the forensics team before them, collecting evidence and taking photos.
Then, they reached the entrance. Looking in, Tang Hao could not help furrowing his eyebrows.
The scene inside the room was so gory that even Tang Hao was pushed to his limits. Of the two victims, one of them was tied to the bed while the other was tied to a chair. Both of them had been flayed, and there was blood everywhere.
Captain Zhou and his team entered the room while Tang Hao and the Taoist master stood at the doorway.
The Taoist master looked around before sneaking out his geomantic compass. The needle on the compass twitched.
“I’ve got a response!” Said the Taoist master happily. “We can find it with this!”
They continued to pretend to look around before finding an excuse to leave.
They hailed a taxi and hastened toward the direction the geomantic compass indicated.
However, the traces detected
the geomantic compass were weak. It worked intermittently, spinning around aimlessly. This caused the driver quite some confusion.
“These two must be nuts, holding onto some stupid geomantic compass and treating it like a treasure!” The driver muttered.
From morning till afternoon, they traveled across almost the entire county seat. Eventually, when they reached the west side of the city, the geomantic compass finally showed the direction clearly.
“It’s there!” Exclaimed the Taoist master excitedly.
After driving a distance, they left the city and headed into a forest.
After getting out of the car, the duo examined their surroundings. Suddenly, Tang Hao spotted a house not far away.
“Master, look!”
“It must be there! Let’s go!” The Taoist master led the way.
“Whoa! That’s a haunted house!”
As they got closer, they noticed that the air above the house was enshrouded in a dense ghastly aura. Such a thick aura full of vile and murderous intent—it could not have been something that had accumulated overnight.
“Seems like our ghost had taken over another ghost’s resting place like a cuckoo bird.”
As the Taoist master spoke, he opened the bag at his waist and set up his equipment.
“Fellow Cultivator Tang, you must be careful later on. This is a sly ghost, so you mustn’t get affected by it. Let’s go!” The Taoist master raised his peach wood sword whilst clutching a stack of talismans in his left hand. After this, he raised a leg like he was about to kick the front door of the house open.
Suddenly, shrill sirens pierced the air from somewhere nearby.
“What’s going on? How did the police find this place too?”
The Taoist master paused and turned around to see two speeding police cars.
“Lil Bro Tang, why are you here?” Captain Zhou rushed over with his team of criminal police after getting out of the car. Confusion was written all over his face.
“Oh! We got a clue and we followed it here!” Replied Tang Hao.
The Mightiest Little Peasant c1-799 Page 32