Cheng Yinxiang felt reassured and went to bed.

Xiang Jingyu gave directions, and Cheng Yueguang drove towards the shop. On the way, Gu Xin asked Cheng Chuchu to call Ruan Ting. Xiang Jingyu spoke up, "Chuchu, let me call her instead. She must be in a bad mood after talking to Shao Rui. I saw her crying after he walked away. She must have confessed something to him, and he rejected her. Shao Rui has been asking us for your contact details for years, and despite our reluctance, he truly cares for you. Without her, she might hate you now."

Cheng Chuchu snorted, "Such a man, I wonder what she ever saw in him. Even if he were given to me, I wouldn’t want him."

Xiang Jingyu added, "So, she probably won’t answer your call. I’ll try calling her and see if we can meet at the Oriental Hotel."

There were no objections, so Xiang Jingyu called Ruan Ting twice before she answered, sounding exhausted, "Jingyu, is there something wrong?"

Xiang Jingyu was nervous and stuttered, "Ruan Ting, are you free? I need to talk to you about something important. Can you come to the Oriental Hotel?"

"Can't we discuss this over the phone?" Ruan Ting replied listlessly.

"No, it's very important and can't be explained over the phone. Please come to the Oriental Hotel. If that's not possible, I can come to your place," Xiang Jingyu insisted.

"I'll come. It should take about forty minutes," Ruan Ting agreed.

"Alright, we'll wait for you. I'll send you the room number via text," Xiang Jingyu replied and hung up.

Cheng Yueguang called the Oriental Hotel and booked a room, then drove towards the incense shop. They soon arrived at a narrow alley. Xiang Jingyu said urgently, "It's in here. We'll see it soon."

The car turned into the alley, heading deeper. The alley was dimly lit with old-style street lamps. It housed old-fashioned tailor shops, incense shops, funeral parlors, small internet cafes, and convenience stores, all closed except one shop emitting a faint glow.

Xiang Jingyu pointed and said in a trembling voice, "That’s the place. Once, a friend told me she lived here, and I visited her at night and discovered this incense shop. An old woman sat at the entrance, and I was startled."

As they approached the shop, they didn't notice the old woman sitting by the door. Only when they turned around did they see her, which startled Xiang Jingyu.

Inside the incense shop, an old woman sat on a rocking chair, gently swaying. The shop's lighting was dim, and the others didn't notice her at first. Cheng Chuchu murmured, "Where are the people?"

Gu Xin tugged her sleeve, gesturing her to look ahead. Cheng Chuchu noticed and involuntarily shuddered. She had seen the old woman earlier but hadn’t noticed her. Seeing the guests, the old woman stood and slowly walked over, "What can I get for you, dear guests?" Her voice was raspy and low, sending chills down their spines in the dark.

Gu Xin felt something was amiss and used her divine eye to see what was happening. She realized the old woman wasn’t human; rather, she was a yin person, someone who could traverse the underworld. Such individuals had no qi but only yin energy, and they lacked cultivation. Simply put, she was a guide for the dead to the underworld.

There were many yin people in the world, both male and female, young and old. They led ordinary lives but appeared when needed.

The world is full of strange and extraordinary people, but most of them are ordinary people who just don't know it. There are also the yellow immortals and snake immortals in the north; they are all real, but there aren't many of these people either.

Gu Qin knew that her identity wouldn't cause her to say anything rash. She said, "Grandma, I need talisman paper, cinnabar, brushes, and ink."

The old woman slowly wandered inside and soon brought back what Gu Qin needed. Gu Qin paid and they left. Chu Chu was still trembling with fear after getting into the car. "It's so scary. The old woman gave me such a strange feeling."

Gu Qin didn't tell them about it. Yin people have no cultivation and can only move in the netherworld without harming anyone. There's no need for them to know; knowing would only make them worry.

Soon, Chu Chu became curious about what Gu Qin was going to use those things for. Gu Qin replied, "For drawing talismans."

They all looked at each other, already quite shaken by today's events. Cheng Yueguang drove quickly to Dongfang Hotel. They parked the car in the parking lot and went to room 2021.

The others were waiting for Ruan Ting, who hadn't arrived by one o'clock. Xiang Jingyu couldn't help but call her. Ruan Ting sounded normal but said she had been delayed by something on the way and would be there soon.

Gu Qin didn't have time to attend to anything else. She prepared the cinnabar ink in the hotel and started drawing talismans. Drawing talismans requires concentration, so the three of them didn't dare to disturb her. They watched as Gu Qin drew swiftly, almost completing each stroke in one go. When the talisman was finished, they seemed to see a golden light flash across it, though it might have been an illusion.

Gu Qin first drew several disaster-warding talismans for the three of them. "Just keep these in your pockets. They can ward off disasters."

In addition, Gu Qin drew spirit-summoning talismans, yin-summoning talismans, attack spells, and various protective talismans. By nearly two o'clock, Ruan Ting finally arrived. Seeing four people in the room, she was taken aback and asked, "What are you guys doing?"

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Xiang Jingyu didn't know how to explain it and could only pull her in and sit down. "Come over and sit down. We have something to talk to you about."

Gu Qin opened her third eye when Ruan Ting entered and saw Ruan Ting walking down a neon-lit street, crying and disoriented. She then saw Ruan Ting approach a man lying on the ground in a green belt.

Ruan Ting thought for a moment and couldn't resist checking on him. "Sir, are you alright?"

The man groaned in pain, his face showing discomfort. He had delicate features, wore glasses with gold frames, and was dressed neatly in casual attire, with a wool sweater underneath and a coat on top.

Ruan Ting asked again, "Sir, what happened?"

The man seemed to regain consciousness, still in pain. "I'm having an episode. Can you help me get to a nearby hotel?"

Ruan Ting looked around. "There are no hotels nearby. What should I do? Should I take you to the hospital?"

The man replied, "No, it's an old problem. If there's no hotel, just leave me alone. I'll recover after resting for a night."

Ruan Ting wasn't usually someone who would easily show compassion, but somehow she softened. "I happen to live nearby. Why don't you stay at my place for the night? But I have some things to do later, so I'll have to leave after taking you there."

The man nodded, his face pale. "You're a kind person. Thank you. I'll leave early tomorrow morning."

Ruan Ting helped the man to her home. Her family was well-off, and her parents had bought her a house. She lived alone, visiting her parents once a week. After helping the man to the guest room, she repeatedly asked if he wanted to go to the hospital, but seeing his insistence, she hurriedly went back to the hotel.

Gu Qin closed her third eye, her expression serious. This had already lasted twenty minutes. Xiang Jingyu and the others thought Gu Qin was using her abilities to look at Ruan Ting's fate, so they helped delay the conversation. Ruan Ting became increasingly impatient. "What exactly did you want to talk to me about?"

Gu Qin suddenly said, "Nothing important. I just wanted to advise you that Shao Rui doesn't have feelings for you. Why bother clinging to him? He's always liked my cousin."

Ruan Ting was furious and stood up abruptly. "What do you mean? You called me here to humiliate me!"

Cheng Chuchu sneered. "We're trying to advise you. That man isn't worth it. A good man wouldn't do what he did. I suggest you give up on him."

Ruan Ting was furious and left the room.

Gu Qin sighed, realizing this situation was more complicated than expected.

Cheng Chuchu quickly asked, "Cousin, how did it go?"

Gu Qin replied, "She brought the murderer home last night."

They were all stunned. Xiang Jingyu worriedly asked, "What do we do now? Is Tingting in danger?"

Gu Qin reassured them. "Don't worry. As long as we don't alert him, nothing will happen. Ruan Ting isn't a soft-hearted person, so bringing a stranger home is unusual. She must be under his spell. It takes a few days to fully influence someone, so she'll be fine for the next couple of days. This person always strikes on the 25th, so this case will be resolved. You don't need to worry anymore. I'll discuss with the police what to do next. Remember not to mention this outside, understood?"

They all nodded. They wouldn't mention it outside anyway.

Cheng Yueguang booked another room and slept in the neighboring room, while Cheng Chuchu and Xiang Jingyu stayed in this room.

Gu Qin continued to work. She had used a lot of her energy and didn't know the man's cultivation level. She couldn't confront him directly at Ruan Ting's place. She had to wait until tomorrow to discuss with Huang Kun and figure out the man's identity. Regardless of whether he was a cultivator or not, he needed a regular human identity.

If the man's cultivation level was higher than hers, revealing herself would immediately expose her as a cultivator. Even though she had Liulang, she couldn't rely on it entirely. Her energy hadn't recovered yet, so she had to make temporary plans.

The next morning, Gu Qin let Cheng Chuchu and the others return home. She warned them not to contact Ruan Ting for now, even if Ruan Ting reached out first. Just anger her away and avoid meeting her face-to-face. They didn't need to worry about this matter for now.

After Cheng Chuchu and the others left, Gu Qin went straight to the police station. The officers hadn't slept all night, their eyes bloodshot. Huang Kun perked up when he saw Gu Qin. "Student Gu, did you find any clues?"

Gu Qin nodded. "Didn't you send someone to follow Ruan Ting? Did you notice her bringing a man home?"

Huang Kun and the officers looked at each other. "Last night, we sent someone to guard Ruan Ting's house. She lives separately from her parents in Ming'an Neighborhood, in an apartment on the eighth floor. They watched all night, but she didn't return until three in the morning..."

Three in the morning was when they left Dongfang Hotel. Clearly, they didn't see the man. Gu Qin explained, "Around one in the morning, Ruan Ting brought a man home. He's the murderer. He's staying at Ruan Ting's place. She picked him up on the street. He claimed he'd leave early the next morning, but I don't know if he did. He's very cautious. He must have used some concealment technique when they returned. Check the surveillance footage from last night. Ruan Ting found him on Xiangfeng Road. Without a doubt, the footage will be blank."

Huang Kun quickly ordered the surveillance to be checked. Sure enough, the footage from that period was missing. Huang Kun cursed under his breath and told Gu Qin, "Previously, we couldn't find any evidence from the surveillance for all five victims. From work to home, nothing was found. It seems this murderer visited each victim's home. Student Gu, we know where the murderer is now. Should we act?"

Gu Qin replied, "Not yet. You definitely can't handle him. I didn't sleep well last night and haven't recovered. It's not the right time to act. Also, you need evidence to arrest him. My word won't count as evidence. This murderer collects the victims' blood after each crime. You must find the murderer's whereabouts and identity, and search his house for the victims' blood to get the evidence. Of course, charging him is just a formality. If we can kill him, it would be best."

Evidence is needed to appease the public. Otherwise, there would be endless online discussions about how the police kill without evidence, and the online mob would easily incite public opinion.

Huang Kun understood Gu Qin's point. "Student Gu, rest assured. We've been searching all night. If he has an identity, we'll find it. A colleague has already gone to the identity verification department. We should know the results by noon."

Gu Qin replied, "Alright. Notify me when you have the results. I'll go back to rest now."

When Gu Qin returned, Mother Cheng had just finished breakfast. "Qin Qin, did you go for a morning run? If you're tired, you can reduce it to half an hour a day. You're still growing, so you shouldn't exert too much." Mother Cheng assumed Gu Qin had gone running.

Those who knew the truth didn't reveal it. Cheng Chuchu and Cheng Yueguang weren't around, both sleeping at home. Gu Qin rested in her room.

Since Ruan Ting returned home last night, she had been furious. When she heard noise, the man came out of the guest room and saw Ruan Ting crying in the living room. He sat beside her and asked softly, "What's wrong?"

His voice was gentle, his gaze tender. Ruan Ting, for some reason, recounted everything. "They bullied me too much. I didn't mean to steal her boyfriend. Why treat me like this? They called me here to humiliate me. I just confessed last night. If he doesn't like me, why can't he just let me have him? Why embarrass me like that? It's too much."

The man didn't sense anything odd. Since he chose Ruan Ting, he naturally learned about her situation. Girls fighting over boys was common, and he comforted her gently, "You're wonderful, better than any girl. Don't be sad. That man doesn't deserve you. You deserve someone better."

Seeing Ruan Ting's red eyes, he smiled. "Sorry, maybe I scared you. But from the first moment, I felt drawn to you. Stop crying. Get some rest. Tomorrow will be a new day. Maybe in a couple of days, you'll forget him and find someone better."

Ruan Ting felt dizzy, her heart less troubled. She slept well, even dreaming peacefully, which never happened before.

The next morning, Ruan Ting saw a table filled with breakfast: fragrant millet porridge, tender fried eggs, warm milk, and light side dishes. Next to the table was a note from the man, "I made this without knowing what you like. I've left. Thank you for letting me stay."

Ruan Ting, aside from her father, had never had breakfast made for her by a man. She stood there, dazed, looking for him downstairs but finding no trace. She felt disappointed.

At nearly two in the afternoon, Huang Kun called Gu Qin, sounding urgent. "Student Gu, we've identified the murderer. Do you want to come over?"

Gu Qin naturally agreed. She went to the police station and to Huang Kun's office. Huang Kun showed her the information they had gathered. "We identified the murderer based on his facial features. We quickly narrowed it down to one person: Song Langtian, a medical teacher at the university. He studied medicine and lost his parents when he was young. He was adopted for a few years, but those records are missing. When he reappeared, he was fifteen and in high school. His grades were excellent, and he later attended a prestigious medical university. After graduation, he didn't work in a hospital but became a teacher instead. He has little clinical experience but great knowledge. At twenty-five, he dated a girlfriend, and at twenty-nine, she left him... When the five victims were killed, there was no evidence of him being at the university. Those days, he took time off. His girlfriend's birthday is on the 25th, and she currently lives abroad and hasn't returned this year. Everyone says he's a good person, works nine to five, and goes home every night."

Huang Kun, having barely slept for days, was still energized. "We found his address, Student Gu. What should we do? Should we search his house tonight?"

Gu Qin shook her head. "Not yet. It's better to act at night. It's already three in the afternoon. I need to prepare several things, and a few hours won't be enough. We'll act tomorrow night. It's the 23rd, so we have one day. He won't act prematurely as long as we don't expose him. We must confront him eventually, but let everyone rest first. I need to prepare."