The Restless Spirit's Father

Bang! The loud closing of the door seemed to echo all over the floor. Mian Bingbing just slammed a door shut before walking along the hallway with heavy footsteps.

Her brows were furrowed as she finished raiding all the rooms on the second floor of the Mian Residence. She couldn't bear to calm down as her most precious treasure was missing.

Last night, her son didn't come home after leaving to see his father. She had heard that he visited Liu Xiaodan afterward, but that was the last of it. As for where he was now, she was too enraged to listen to anyone who had no location.

Li Yunru watched her aunt ravage the residence in search of her son. She received a call from Li Feng the night before that he was staying with his father in the meantime, and she didn't know how that would sit with his mother.

However, she still asked him to come with her and speak with Chuan Nayi today. Perhaps she could have Mian Bingbing come with her so she could pull on Li Feng's ear herself?

"Auntie..." Li Yunru started. "Please don't destroy the doors. I can take you to... Feng'er..."

"What?" Mian Bingbing looked at the other Li-blood bearer in the Mian Residence. This girl was the daughter of Mian Tianni's daughter who also married into the Li family. However, her mother died after childbirth; and her father was quick to remarry.

She was still getting the rightful treatment of being a Li, but she never knew any father or mother aside from Li Feng's parents. By right, she was more of Li Feng's adopted sister.

"I'm meeting him later in the hospital. We're checking up on Chuan Nayi." Li Yunru smiled at the mother who was starting to defrost her freezing anger. "Her friends refused to see her anymore because of Liu Xiaodan so his friends are the ones looking after her now. I just thought we should see her at least."

"I'm going with you." Mian Bingbing gave a short answer before turning away as if going to prepare for their trip. However, she saw Mian Tianni's lady-in-waiting walking up to her. Li Yunru was quick to join in their conversation. Mian Bingbing started, "What is it?"

"Someone from the Wangguan Prison came and wanted to talk to Master. Master asked for your presence."

Mian Bingbing bit her lip and looked at Li Yunru. "Tell my son to be home as soon as possible." She then heavily stomped as she walked, uncaring if a misstep could break her stilettos or sprain her ankle.

However, Li Yunru frowned.

"Wangguan Prison? Wasn't that where Liu Xiaodan was detained? Why are they here?" She pulled out her phone and texted Li Feng to move their meeting in the afternoon since someone from the prison came to talk to Mian Tianni.

...

Chu Youlan didn't have her normal bun do and simple office makeup. She was donned in a chic and trendy formal suit for women, and her long hair was dr.a.p.ed behind her. The clerk was wearing full-face makeup that had concealed her ordinary looks.

If someone looked at her ordinary office image against this one now, no one would believe that they were the same person. If Song Qixi could shapeshift to an overly handsome man, his clerks could transform from simple clerks to intimidating government ladies.

The Records Department handled a lot of over and under the table investigations, and this was one of their background investigations. They had handled the worst of the criminals from all over the country so Song Qixi knew a mass murderer when he saw one.

Liu Xiaodan wasn't one.

That's why he activated their resources to collect information, and his best clerks were trained to deal with these. Chu Youlan had long planned the questions she would ask. As she was openly a member of the Wangguan Prison Investigations Department, she had the right to ask questions. As to why she sought the Mian family instead, only Mian Tianni could tell.

The clerk was seated in the main waiting room, savoring the aroma of the tea and biscuits served as Mian Tianni had yet to appear. After an hour, Mian Bingbing entered the room along with Li Yunru. Chu Youlan eyed the two and recognized them from the files she collated for this meeting. She then smiled.

"Is Master Mian not going to see me?"

"She didn't find the need to speak with you. You went to the wrong family to ask. Wu Qianqian isn't part of the Mian family." Mian Bingbing started from a viewpoint that would make sense.

Even if it pained her to say that her recognized sister was kicked out of the family registry, she had to say it for the Mian family's interests.

"We are aware of that." Chu Youlan kept her smile plastered on her face. "We came to ask for a few points. Wu Qianqian might not be a registered member of the Mian family, but she must be aware of the Mian family's nature of work, yes? Shamans... exorcism... the occult things.

"Ms. Mian... pray tell... have you never thought that Liu Xiaodan's crimes were works of... evil spirits?"

Mian Bingbing only stared at Chu Youlan while Li Yunru decided to shut up for now. The mother then hummed. "Are you saying that Liu Xiaodan is possessed?"

The clerk didn't nod or shake her head to answer. "We're aware that your son, Li Feng, had multiple encounters with your nephew, Liu Xiaodan.

"Moreover, he was quite adamant in... saving the troubled. Despite the fact that he first appeared to deal with Chuan Nayi's suspected involvement with the paranormal, he soon continued interacting with your nephew.

"Wouldn't that mean that your son thinks so as well?"

"I could perform an exorcism on Liu Xiaodan if you wanted, but that happens if he survives the trial."

"So you're letting a possessed man... who already killed more than twenty inmates... die without getting help from your great shamans?"

The mother and the niece were shocked. Liu Xiaodan killed more than twenty in prison? That's a lot more than the counts of murder he had right now. Li Yunru bit her lip before snorting at the lady. "You say this, you say that. You don't even show evidence."

Chu Youlan reached for a folder and placed it on the center table. Li Yunru went to collect it and scanned the photos inside. Those were from the footage of the hallways before and after the inmates would dare hurt Liu Xiaodan in the shower room and the audio-visual room.

She stopped at the last photo, the one with the escaping Cheng Hei, and noticed that those people weren't the ones that walked in. Her eyes were trained to spot a real apparition from the fake ones.

"It's not yet publicly announced that he had done his next leg of sacrifices inside the prison walls. However, we thought it would be wise for us to consult with you... more likely with your Master."

"This number of deaths in one place where the suspect was surely incapable of killing them..." Mian Bingbing huffed. "Don't tell me you're here to ask about the ancient entity. Forty years ago, my uncle Tianyu had sealed that entity completely. Even if there are similarities in the cases, there's no way it would be the same one.

"Besides, that entity wasn't capable of possessing anyone."

"And yet mass murders also happened twenty years after that." Chu Youlan hummed.

"The killings in Ting University started when Chuan Nayi had a fight with Huang Kun. At this time, a ghost child was seen in the security videos. The similar-looking child is seen with Liu Xiaodan for the past few days.

"Officer Bai of the police department kept notes about Liu Xiaodan's weird actions and Chuan Nayi's claims of seeing a ghost child. Moreover, the faculty members watching the dorms of Ting University heard of rumors about their so-called residents. A child came to them, and he was seen with Liu Xiaodan most of the time."

A huff came from Mian Bingbing. "What are you insinuating then? So what if you were right and that entity was indeed the one causing Liu Xiaodan to act up? What does the Mian family have to do with anything?"

Chu Youlan sighed. "Ms. Mian, not only was your uncle Mian Tianyu incapable of dealing with such atrocity, but you are also dismissive of a rather big case. Are you really from the all-powerful Mian family that supposedly rid the land of evil?"

She then eyed the mother. "If Liu Xiaodan dies, that ghost will only find a new person to control. What's next then? A hundred people will die because of your inaction?"

"What does Wangguan want us to do?" Mian Bingbing was getting tired of the game. She knew that this clerk was just annoying her since she didn't get to speak with the person she wanted to speak with.

"Easy. Get rid of it. It will keep on killing people, and no one would like that."

"What does this have to do with Liu Xiaodan's case?" A mellow came from the door, and Chu Youlan's eyes brightened a little.

Mian Tianni had arrived and was walked by her brother to the couch. After she sat, she looked at Chu Youlan. "Does this absolve him of his crimes? That entity influences people to commit crimes if not personally killing. No matter what, those crimes were on Liu Xiaodan's hands."

"Hehe, Master Mian, I didn't think I'd be able to speak with you." Chu Youlan didn't dare to bootlick or act so c.o.c.ky. "About your question, we're simply investigating the deaths of our inmates. For Liu Xiaodan to be able to kill them all that way would be impossible without aid."

The old woman only looked at her and spoke without much emotion. "The entity would lose a vessel if the man dies. If you are not under its influence, you wouldn't care if he dies or not. Inmates die in the prison often; there's no need to speak with us about this matter."

Chu Youlan frowned. Inmates die in prison often? Wasn't this lady supposed to be venerable and innocent? How come she spoke of human lives like they were nothing?

"Master Mian, don't be like this. Inmates or not, they still have family that we have to answer to. Even Liu Xiaodan has a mother we have to answer to if he gets killed in prison."

Mian Tianni only hummed. Since she didn't speak anymore, Chu Youlan continued, "Master Mian, this ancient entity is killing inside prison walls and would continue killing after losing Liu Xiaodan. If you don't want to offer your services, at least—"

"Does Qixi think he could handle something of this caliber?" Mian Tianni sighed to interrupt the woman. She then pressed a hand on her c.h.e.s.t as if holding onto something concealed in her blouse. "Tell Qixi to not engage in this. He has no idea what he is trying to go against..."