Chapter 925: The Fake Daoist Master
In the evening, Lin Dongxue returned from the hospital. Most colleagues had already left, but Chen Shi was still staring blankly at his computer in the office.
Seeing Lin Dongxue enter, Chen Shi asked, “Did you find anything?”
Lin shook her head regretfully, “The Foolish Woman wasn’t born there. What are you looking at?” She leaned over to peek at his screen.
“Sigh, search engines are useless. I’m trying to find if there are any cult rituals that require organs from people born on the same day. All I get is weird nonsense.”
“Maybe we should consult an expert on religious studies?”
Chen shook his head, “No need. That’s not the point. Knowing someone is collecting organs is enough. Heart, liver… what’s next? Spleen, stomach, kidneys? The person needing these organs might have a connection to February 19, 1973.”
On the table was a stack of documents from the information department. It would take a while to go through them all. Chen patted the stack, “These are all the files of people currently living in Long’an. The victim is among them, and the killer might be too.”
“I’ll help you go through them tomorrow.”
“Ha, you think you’re getting off easy? Tomorrow, you’re coming with me on a case.” Chen found a large envelope and put all the files inside.
As she picked up the paper, Lin noticed two boxes of mooncakes underneath. She said excitedly, “Mooncakes! Did we get them as gifts?”
“Your brother sent them. Everyone gets one. The day after tomorrow is the Mid-Autumn Festival.”
“Shouldn’t we start preparing for Mr. Lu’s situation?”
“Definitely,” Chen sighed, feeling overwhelmed by the piling tasks. “Let’s go buy the knife now.”
“Do you know where to buy a nice ceremonial knife?”
“Any supermarket will do.”
“Didn’t you say we needed a nice one? Why settle for less?”
“A too-nice knife won’t look like a weapon… Okay, that’s just my excuse to avoid trouble.”
“Going home?”
“Let’s go!”
They headed to a nearby supermarket. With the Mid-Autumn Festival approaching, the store had added promotional stands and was bustling with people. Arm in arm, they wandered to the kitchenware section. Lin suddenly darted to a display, “Wow, look at these pretty bowls! Only 9.8 yuan each. Let’s buy a few, Captain!”
“How many bowls do we already have at home? Why do you love kitchenware so much?”
“This is such a good deal. Too good to pass up.”
“Move along, move along!”
Chen dragged Lin away to the cutlery aisle. He picked up a stainless steel knife, examining it, “This one looks a lot like the murder weapon Zhou Xiao used. We’ll sand it down a bit to make it look worn.”
Lin pouted, “I want the small bowls.”
Chen pretended not to hear, “We’re running out of condoms. Let’s get a box.”
After grabbing a buy-one-get-one-free pack of condoms, Lin said again, “I want the small bowls.”
Chen ignored her, “Let’s get some food upstairs. Eating instant noodles all the time is too dull. How about I make you stir-fried noodles?”
“I want the small bowls!”
“Why do you need bowls?”
“Bowls are for holding things, of course. For eating, for soup, and the cat at home will look so cute drinking from this.”
Chen sighed, “Fine, you can buy one.”
Lin joyfully ran off to pick a bowl. Watching her, Chen smiled wryly, knowing this bowl would end up in the cabinet with her “collection,” gathering dust.
But as long as she was happy.
The investigation continued slowly. The next day at noon, Chen received a message from KK, asking him to bring Lin to the office. Upon arrival, they saw an elderly man with silver hair and beard, smoking. He wore ordinary clothes but had a Daoist-style hairstyle. KK introduced him, “This is Mr. Ju Zhenglei of the Celestial Master Sect. These are Officer Chen and Officer Lin…”
“Wait, police?!” The old man, who had been smiling and extending his hand to Lin, stood up and tried to leave upon hearing the word ‘police.’
“Hey, hey, don’t rush off!” KK and Sun Zhen stepped in to stop him.
“I, Ju, will never cooperate with the police. Not in this lifetime. Starving is minor; losing dignity is major. I’d rather die than disgrace myself.”
The old man ranted while being dragged back to his seat. Chen asked, “Which mental hospital did this guy escape from?”
“Watch your tongue, young man! I, Ju, am half-immortal. You can’t see it, but the Six Ding Six Jia Gods are standing behind me…”
“Cut the act!” KK smacked him on the back. “Talk properly.”
The old man flinched and, taking the opportunity, glanced at Lin again. “She’s not real, right? Cops aren’t this pretty.”
“True, cops aren’t usually this pretty. Like me.” Chen showed his badge.
Seeing Chen’s rank, the old man was dumbstruck. “Anyone else here a cop?”
“Just us two. I’m a cop but also a shareholder of this firm, and friends with these guys. You know Liao Chunhuang?”
The old man nodded.
“He’s fooled the richest man in Long’an. The entire fortune is at risk. We need your help.”
The old man stroked his beard, “Undermining a peer is a big taboo. If I confront him, he’ll recognize me. Once he spreads the word, I’ll have no place in the community.”
“Come on, you’re practically ancient. Why care?” KK said.
“A man’s name is his legacy. I won’t tarnish my reputation now. Helping you betray a peer would leave me disgraced.”
“People are on the brink of losing everything. You’d be praised for helping.”
“Nonsense! Liao hasn’t broken any rules. It’s like selling medicine: you put in effort to market it. If a rival says your product is fake, isn’t that despicable? Same principle! It’s all about differing values. To me, Liao follows the rules, has skill, and earns his keep. He’s like a grandson to me. Betraying him would dishonor me.”
“Do fake Daoists even have ancestors?” KK asked.
“Shows what you know! Our ancestor is Zhuge Liang!”
“That’s the most slanderous thing I’ve heard about Zhuge Liang,” Sun Zhen muttered.
The old man glared, “I’m done with you amateurs! Talking to you is a waste!”
Chen stopped him, “Hey, are you actually skilled? Or just a half-baked trickster afraid to face Liao?”
“What!?” The old man turned, “Youngster, you don’t know the heights you’re talking about.”
With a flick of his hand, a talisman appeared, spontaneously combusting into ash. The ash floated, then gathered into his fist. When he opened his hand, a golden pill lay in his palm.
Everyone was stunned. Even knowing it was fake, the level of skill was astonishing.
A lifetime dedicated to mastering even deceit can be awe-inspiring.