Chapter 11
The book described certain things that could connect yin and yang. Mirrors, for example. Mirrors were cold and yin in nature, capable of hiding yin spirits and ghosts. Incense and candles were another example. They could connect upward to gods and downward to yin ghosts. When praying to deities, sandalwood incense was best. To connect with yin ghosts, agarwood incense should be used.
For yin ghosts, agarwood incense ash had no weight. And because its nature was cold and yin, ghosts could touch it. So in ancient times, many Daoists and monks used incense ash as a medium to communicate with ghosts.
Shen Juan smoothed the incense ash flat and said, “Try drawing a line on it.”
Gu Shuge nodded. “Okay.” She walked up to the incense ash, took a deep breath, then stretched out her right hand. Her index finger slowly moved downward and was soon about to reach the floor. Gu Shuge’s heart was pounding wildly. She stared at the incense ash without blinking, and then she was stunned. Her index finger did not pass through it. Instead, it stopped on the surface of the ash.
Gu Shuge’s eyes widened. She hurriedly looked toward Shen Juan. Shen Juan was still lowering her head with full concentration. Gu Shuge quickly steadied herself. She held her breath and carefully felt the sensation at her fingertip. It was soft, like touching cotton, but smoother than cotton. It should be the feeling of the incense ash itself.
Gu Shuge was both shocked and delighted. Slowly, she slid her index finger, wanting to draw a line on it—or even make a dot would do. As long as the incense ash changed, Shen Juan would know they had succeeded, and that this direction was correct.
But she soon realized something was wrong, because when she moved her finger, it was like sliding across the surface of a sheet of glass. The incense ash did not leave behind any trace.
Gu Shuge was unwilling to accept it and used more strength to draw again.
Still nothing.
She did not get discouraged and tried again. This time, she did not draw a line. She gathered all her strength into one point and pressed down with everything she had.
The incense ash remained completely unmoved.
Gu Shuge kept trying and kept failing. She did not understand why she could touch the incense ash, yet could not leave any mark on it.
“It still doesn’t work.” Shen Juan stood up.
Gu Shuge stopped her frantic poking, her brows and eyes filled with dejection.
Shen Juan began putting away the used ritual items. Although Gu Shuge knew she had no physical form and would not get in the way, she still stepped aside. Shen Juan placed the candlesticks and incense burner into a box, put the scriptures into a drawer, threw the half-burned incense and candles into the trash, and swept the ash on the floor clean.
All of a sudden, guilt rose inside Gu Shuge.
She had failed to protect herself and had been murdered, making Shen Juan so sad. But Shen Juan had not given up on her. She had traveled so far to seek a way for Gu Shuge to manifest. She had read a book that any normal person would see as feudal superstition. She had no religious faith, yet for Gu Shuge, she had devoutly lit incense and candles, and devoutly recited scripture.
Shen Juan had gone to such lengths, but Gu Shuge could not give even the slightest response. She could not even poke a tiny hole in incense ash, making all of Shen Juan’s hard work come to nothing.
After Shen Juan finished tidying everything up, she washed her hands and returned to the living room. She sat down on the sofa where they had just sat together reading.
Gu Shuge walked over and sat beside her.
Both of them were silent for a while. Then Shen Juan spoke. “There must be something wrong with this method. Don’t be anxious. Sister will find a better way.”
Hearing her say that only made Gu Shuge feel even guiltier.
“Xiao Ge.”
Gu Shuge looked toward her.
Shen Juan’s eyes were like a river in early spring that had just thawed. The water flowed gently, carrying spring blossoms and green leaves that had fallen from the banks, along with a breeze from the east—tender and romantic.
Gu Shuge hurriedly turned her eyes away, not daring to look at her, while her heartbeat only grew faster and faster.
There was a smile at the edge of Shen Juan’s lips. As though they were sitting together and chatting casually like before, she told Gu Shuge what she had discovered. “I silently counted just now. The amount of time I can sense you is about ten minutes. Yesterday was too sudden, and I was a little nervous, so I didn’t have time to count, but it was definitely much shorter than ten minutes.”
Gu Shuge froze. Did that mean the amount of time Shen Juan could sense her every day was getting longer?
“There are only two samples, so we still can’t determine whether the duration increases every day or changes randomly,” Shen Juan continued. “If we observe a few more times, we’ll be able to confirm it.”
“Mm-hm.” Gu Shuge nodded. She hoped the time increased little by little. That way, maybe one day, Shen Juan would be able to feel that she was there at every moment.
Thinking this, she suddenly felt there was something to look forward to. This seemed to be the first good thing that had happened since she had become a ghost.
Gu Shuge smiled too. But before the smile could fully appear, she suddenly froze.
She thought of something.
Shen Juan did not know that Gu Shuge had been by her side all along. She could only sense her for those few minutes. Outside of those few minutes, Shen Juan did not know whether Gu Shuge was beside her, had gone somewhere else, or perhaps only existed during those few minutes and disappeared the rest of the time.
Gu Shuge had heard everything she said, but in truth, Shen Juan was not certain that Gu Shuge could hear her.
But she still said it. The gentle comfort, the careful analysis—all of it was spoken for Gu Shuge to hear.
Gu Shuge felt all sorts of emotions at once.
Shen Juan stood and went upstairs.
It was already past one. It had long since been time to rest. Gu Shuge followed her to the staircase, then hesitantly followed her upstairs, all the way to the bedroom door. Shen Juan pushed the door open, went inside, then closed it.
Gu Shuge was blocked outside the door. To her, this door was like air. It could not stop anything. If she wanted to go in, it would be easy.
But she stood in front of the door for a while. In the end, she turned and went back downstairs.
For the next several days, Gu Shuge spent every day hoping night would hurry up and fall, hoping midnight would hurry up and arrive.
Shen Juan had many things to deal with. First was the case. Both the police and Liu Guohua were investigating at the same time, but neither side had contacted them. Putting the police aside, based on Liu Guohua’s style that day, if he had found anything, he would definitely have rushed over to report it. Since there had been no movement from him, it could only mean he had not found any useful information.
Shen Juan found two more private detective agencies and hired two teams to investigate together. With these three groups working at once, they could dig up everything about the driver’s ancestors for three generations without missing a single detail. She also hired a professional team to search for Master Jingyun.
Besides these two matters, there was also the question of Gu Group’s ownership. This matter was much easier, because Gu Shuge had made a will two years ago.
After Gu Yi’an passed away, Shen Juan inherited all his assets. Then, through proper legal procedures, Shen Juan transferred all of the property into Gu Shuge’s name, keeping only half the ownership of this house.
At the time, Gu Shuge had been a little angry. She felt that by doing this, Shen Juan was drawing a clear line between them. In a fit of resentment, she made a will on the spot, naming Shen Juan as the sole heir to all her assets. Only Shen Juan, the lawyer responsible for the will, and the staff at the notary office knew about this.
Back then, who could have imagined what would happen today? Shen Juan had not taken it to heart either. A will made by a healthy twenty-year-old was basically equivalent to a piece of scrap paper.
Now, Gu Shuge had more than once felt fortunate for that moment of stubborn anger.
No matter how busy Shen Juan was during the day, at midnight, she would always come home. They recorded it for five days and reached a conclusion: the length of time Shen Juan could sense Gu Shuge’s presence was increasing every day. By the fifth day, the duration had increased to an hour and a half.
Gu Shuge was especially happy. She even foolishly thought that this was good too. She could see Shen Juan at every moment, and Shen Juan could feel her. It seemed there was nothing left to be dissatisfied with.
At noon on the fifth day, the police station, which had been silent all this time, finally called and asked Shen Juan to make a trip there.
The call came close to eleven, almost around the lunch break.
After Shen Juan answered the call, she went over immediately.
At the police station, the person who received her was Captain Chen Xingfeng, whom she had met once before.
At this hour, there were very few people in the police station. Only a few youngsters were wolfing down takeout boxes. From the look of it, they had probably grown tired of the cafeteria food and ordered outside food for a change.
Chen Xingfeng was waiting for her in the lobby. When he saw her, he was still restrained. This time, he did not offer to shake hands and only said very briefly, “Director Huang is waiting for the two of you in his office.”
Gu Group’s business spread very widely, and the person before him had become its legitimate chairman within a few days. Even the government had to show her some courtesy, so today, the director personally came forward to receive her.
After Chen Xingfeng finished speaking, he walked ahead to lead the way. Shen Juan followed behind him, and Gu Shuge walked beside Shen Juan. Lin Mo, who had come with them, trailed at the end.
Gu Shuge looked around curiously. When she was outside the police station and saw the national emblem, she had worried that she might not be able to enter. After all, she had once heard a saying that yin ghosts feared strong yang energy, and a police station was a place that punished evil and upheld justice, full of righteousness and yang energy.
But she entered very easily.
Director Huang’s office was at the very back. When Shen Juan arrived, he was making tea. Seeing her come in, he smiled and exchanged pleasantries. “I calculated that you would be arriving soon, so I brewed the tea first. These tea leaves were brought back from Jiangnan by an old comrade-in-arms. They certainly can’t compare to what Ms. Shen usually drinks, but please try them for something fresh.”
He looked very amiable, and when he spoke, he had no official airs. At a glance, one could tell he was very talkative.
When Chen Xingfeng saw him, it was as if he had found his backbone. He spoke a little more too, helping urge them to drink tea. They sat down on the sofa in the reception area.
Gu Shuge followed Shen Juan. She had originally wanted to sit on Shen Juan’s right, but Lin Mo had taken her spot, so she could only sit on the left.
Of the four people there, aside from Shen Juan, no one had considered that there was also a ghost mixed in among them.
None of them had much interest in drinking tea. It was only an opening formality. After one round of tea, Director Huang looked at Chen Xingfeng. Chen Xingfeng gave a light cough and began explaining the purpose of this visit.
“We visited the family members, neighbors, friends, and colleagues of the driver, Zhang Meng, and received consistent testimony. Before the incident, Zhang Meng showed no abnormalities. His family’s financial situation is very difficult, and this was not the first or second time he had used his spare time to drive an illegal taxi. The reason he passed through the road where the victim was that day was also because he had just taken a passenger nearby. It was entirely a coincidence.”
Gu Shuge listened carefully. He must have drafted these words countless times in his mind. When he spoke, there was not the slightest stumble.
He did not mention that the passengers illegal taxi drivers picked up were not random, but could be chosen in advance. Gu Shuge looked toward Shen Juan. Shen Juan did not show the slightest abnormality.
“We also checked Zhang Meng’s phone. His contacts were all acquaintances, and there were no abnormalities with the phone either. As of the current investigation, every aspect of this case indicates that it was a traffic accident caused by the driver’s fatigue driving.” Chen Xingfeng gave the conclusion. “If we were to investigate further, only the victim’s remains would be left. But judging from the surveillance footage and eyewitness testimony, the victim was clear-headed and in good physical condition. There is no real need for an autopsy.”
This was also why Gu Shuge’s remains had been stored at the hospital instead of being brought back to the police station.
“So, in my view, this case can be closed here,” Director Huang said, delivering a conclusion as firm as a stabilizing pillar.
Shen Juan quietly listened to the end. She only made one request. “I hope the closing of the case can be delayed by a few days.”
She did not raise any doubts and only requested that the case be closed a few days later. Clearly, she neither believed the conclusion they had given nor trusted their ability, and was preparing to investigate it herself. Director Huang was taken aback, and his expression grew serious. “That won’t be easy. According to regulations, delaying the closing of a case requires sufficient reason.”
Since Shen Juan had said it, of course she had prepared a reason the other side could accept.
Seeing the situation, Lin Mo was just about to speak on his boss’s behalf when Chen Xingfeng’s phone rang. Everyone stopped and waited for him to finish the call.
The moment Chen Xingfeng answered, his expression changed drastically. The person on the other end spoke very quickly. He looked at the director, then looked at Shen Juan, and said, “The hospital called. The victim’s remains are missing.”
Gu Shuge was shocked.
Shen Juan immediately walked toward the door. Lin Mo hurriedly followed, without even having time to say goodbye to the other two. Gu Shuge had originally planned to follow as well. She had already stood up and taken one step out when, all of a sudden, she wanted to hear what the police planned to do, so she stopped.
As soon as Shen Juan left, Director Huang scolded Chen Xingfeng furiously. “The case was about to be closed. I had already told her it was an accident, and now the victim’s body is gone?”
How could Chen Xingfeng possibly have predicted that the body would disappear? He defended himself with a few words.
Director Huang waved his hand, telling him not to speak anymore. “From beginning to end, we investigated carefully and confirmed it was an accident. But now, right at the end, the body is gone. This case is not simple. Prepare to transfer it to the criminal police team. Take the initiative and contact them. Report everything you found to them. If the body is gone, then it’s gone. The important point is that the killer must be found. Otherwise, this year is going to be hard to get through.”
Gu Shuge was listening seriously when suddenly, a violent headache struck her. A sinister voice rang out in her mind.
The evil thoughts had surfaced again.
“He actually said the body being gone is just gone. He actually looks down on you. Can you tolerate that? You are a ghost with great potential!”
Gu Shuge was startled and did not dare stay any longer. She hurriedly ran outside, returning to Shen Juan’s side.
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