Chapter 47
The next morning, Xia Leyang and Shang Tingzhi tidied up and decorated the Gu Mansion. Around eleven o’clock, Zhou Runhua arrived at the Gu Mansion with his assistant. He was dressed in a brown silk Tang suit, holding two walnuts in his hand. His tall and thin assistant, upon entering the courtyard, discreetly observed the layout of the courtyard, clearly assessing the Feng Shui.
After some brief pleasantries between Shang Tingzhi, Xia Leyang, and Zhou Runhua, they found a casual excuse to explain why Xia Leyang was also there and then ushered Zhou Runhua into the house.
“Mr. Zhou, the room is ready,” Shang Tingzhi politely led Zhou Runhua to the courtyard and looked up at the spiral staircase. “Two people died on the stairs years ago, and the blood has seeped into the wood. If you’re superstitious, just avoid the dark spots when walking.”
Shang Tingzhi had told Xia Leyang the same thing before, and Xia Leyang had been so scared he had squeezed next to Shang Tingzhi. However, unlike Xia Leyang, Zhou Runhua remained calm. He nodded calmly and said, “Since it’s a haunted house, there must be something unique about it.”
Not wanting to dwell on the topic, Shang Tingzhi led Zhou Runhua to the corridor on the second floor. There were only two bedrooms on the second floor, with Shang Tingzhi and Xia Leyang’s belongings in the left bedroom. Xia Leyang opened the door to the right bedroom and said to Zhou Runhua, “This is my bedroom. Let me show you the bathroom.”
“The bathroom?” Zhou Runhua asked with slight surprise.
The bathroom was where the female ghost had been killed, so it was likely the most haunted place in the Gu Mansion. However, Zhou Runhua couldn’t show that he knew, so when Xia Leyang invited him to see the bathroom, he pretended not to understand.
Accompanying him in the act, Xia Leyang joked, “Aren’t you looking for the most Yin energy? The bathroom is the spookiest place in the Gu Mansion.”
After saying this, Xia Leyang mischievously added, “You’d better sleep in the bathtub. That way, you’ll definitely not encounter any bad luck.”
Zhou Runhua smiled politely and awkwardly, pretending not to know, “I heard there was a single woman who died here. Did she commit suicide in the bathroom?”
“No,” Xia Leyang shook his index finger, opened the bathroom door, and gestured to Zhou Runhua, “Come, let me tell you in detail.”
Shang Tingzhi, watching Xia Leyang’s melodramatic performance, found it amusing. He leaned against the sink, crossing his arms and adopting a relaxed stance, clearly enjoying the show.
“Firstly, this woman wasn’t single,” Xia Leyang said solemnly, “She had a beloved man, called—”
Xia Leyang intentionally dragged out the suspense, causing Zhou Runhua’s expression to stiffen for a second before returning to normal.
“—I don’t know his name,” Xia Leyang continued in a relaxed tone, “The neighbors only knew a man often visited her here.”
“I see,” Zhou Runhua relaxed a bit, “So, she committed suicide because of love?”
“You’re mistaken again,” Xia Leyang moved to sit where the female ghost often sat in the bathtub, “She didn’t commit suicide.”
“Not suicide?” Zhou Runhua involuntarily raised his voice, exchanging a glance with his tall assistant before asking in confusion, “But wasn’t it reported in the news that she committed suicide?”
“That’s because forensic techniques weren’t advanced back then,” Xia Leyang lamented, “But now, the case has been reopened, and the police are looking for the murderer.”
These words from Xia Leyang were fabricated, as there were no new pieces of evidence to reopen the case. He said it to deceive Zhou Runhua.
Zhou Runhua, upon hearing this, became visibly tense, frowning seriously, and asked, “Looking for the murderer?”
“Yes,” Xia Leyang snapped his fingers, “The murderer never expected that even the dead would speak.”
After saying this, there was a moment of silence. Zhou Runhua thought he misheard and repeated Xia Leyang’s words, “The dead… speak?”
“Yes,” Xia Leyang nodded confidently, “When we first moved in, this female ghost kept causing trouble, but somehow she remembered some fragments of her past and kept giving us hints. I’ve already conveyed all that information to the police.”
Xia Leyang was implying the change in the female ghost was due to the weakening of her seal after her grave was disturbed. Zhou Runhua naturally thought of this and didn’t suspect anything. He calmly asked, “So, how much has she remembered?”
“I’m not sure about the details, as she doesn’t chat with me,” Xia Leyang shrugged, “But a few days ago, she sent me a dream, and I saw her death scene.”
After saying this, Xia Leyang lay down in the bathtub, one hand hanging outside, staring intensely at Zhou Runhua, and said mysteriously, “She looked at the murderer like this.”
Xia Leyang’s gaze was directed at Zhou Runhua, which was normal because he was talking to him. However, it was also a pun, implying that the person in front of him was the murderer.
Zhou Runhua was momentarily confused, and he nervously asked, “Where is the female ghost now?”
“She left a long time ago,” Xia Leyang climbed out of the bathtub, “Maybe she went to find the murderer herself.”
Zhou Runhua visibly swallowed nervously, and awkwardly said, “It’s good she’s not here.”
Shang Tingzhi arranged for Zhou Runhua to stay in an empty bedroom on the third floor. After suggesting they have a meal together, Zhou Runhua, accustomed to socializing, didn’t refuse.
During the meal, Zhou Runhua subtly inquired about the progress of the police investigation, but Xia Leyang always gave vague answers, and Zhou Runhua couldn’t get any useful information.
After lunch, the four of them went their separate ways. Tang Fengyi drove Shang Tingzhi and Xia Leyang back to the Shang Mansion. Meanwhile, Xu Zhiruo and her colleagues were already waiting there, and they had connected the surveillance equipment installed by Shang Tingzhi at the Gu Mansion that morning.
Zhao Ying delayed giving Zhou Runhua the time to bury the ashes. Although this preserved the integrity of General Li’s tomb, it also prevented the police from obtaining substantial evidence to arrest Zhou Runhua. Therefore, Zhou Runhua’s voluntary visit played a crucial role in whether he could be arrested.
After some rustling in the headphones, Zhou Runhua and his assistant’s voices came through.
In the screen, the two were pacing around the spacious courtyard, sometimes rummaging through the bushes, sometimes examining the area near the old tree, evidently searching for the best hiding spot for the urn.
“You’re quite smart, thinking of burying the urn directly in the Gu Mansion,” Zhou Runhua said to his assistant, hands behind his back. “Your father never thought of this. He even had a model of the Gu Mansion made and kept that woman locked inside.”
The assistant, called Xiao Jin, focused on the compass in his hand and didn’t respond. Zhou Runhua continued, “Now that the urn is buried here, that woman will never be able to escape, right?”
“Exactly,” Xiao Jin put away the compass, pointing to a spot in the southeast corner, “This is it. Bury her here tonight at three o’clock, and you’ll have no worries.”
The Gu Mansion was a historic building, and such historical buildings were not allowed to be easily renovated. It wouldn’t become like a previous situation where a graveyard was turned into a school. Moreover, the owner was usually abroad and never cared about this property, so it could be said to prevent future troubles.
After setting the time and place, Zhou Runhua made a phone call to his subordinates to arrange for the urn to be brought over. At the same time, Xu Zhiruo had also arranged for the police to stake out near the Gu Mansion.
While munching on beef jerky, Xu Zhiruo chatted with Xia Leyang, “Is the choice of where to bury the urn really so important?”
“Of course,” Xia Leyang was about to speak, but Yang Wenting, who was watching the excitement, interrupted, “If the Feng Shui is good, future generations will benefit.”
Xu Zhiruo remained skeptical, and so did her police colleagues. They found it all to be feudal superstition and didn’t believe it.
Yang Wenting didn’t mind and went to fetch some fruits and snacks for everyone, creating an atmosphere similar to an afternoon tea party.
After instructing his subordinates, Zhou Runhua left the Gu Mansion, probably planning to return in the evening. Xia Leyang took a bite of an apple and said to Shang Tingzhi, “By the way, I lied to Zhou Runhua just now.”
Shang Tingzhi ruffled Xia Leyang’s furry head, amused, “Which part of what you said was true?”
“A lot of it was true,” Xia Leyang retorted, annoyed by Shang Tingzhi’s generalization, “The woman wasn’t single, didn’t commit suicide, and her death scene, those are all true.”
“Yes,” Shang Tingzhi ruthlessly exposed, “As long as it’s something Zhou Runhua knows, you tell the truth.”
Xia Leyang clicked his tongue and continued, “Besides the made-up stuff, I also told a little lie that you didn’t know.”
“Oh?” Shang Tingzhi pretended to be curious.
“Oh?” Shang Tingzhi pretended to be curious.
“When Zhou Runhua asked where the female ghost is now, I said she left a long time ago,” Xia Leyang lowered his voice, speaking mysteriously, “But actually, she was in the bathroom just now—”
At this point, Xia Leyang deliberately paused, creating suspense before continuing, “She was standing right behind Zhou Runhua, her face next to his ear, staring at him without moving, just like that.”
