Paranormal World (The Semi-Physical World) Chapter 4

Translator: purplenails

Chapter 4: The Deceased Gong Zhi-yuan

"You must have discovered something. If you don't clear it out to me today, I will stay here." the first thing Liu Jian-jun said when he walked into my shop. After Liu Jian-jun dismissed his team, he drove all the way here. Now, sitting across me in an imposing manner.

"You as a police didn't find any clue, what do you expect from a retailer who is selling wreath and paper money? Would you like some tea?" I asked while grinning at Liu Jian-jun. Sit all you want, I don't mind a police working in here as my shop is not an illegal club that needs to be watched.

"It's a human life we are talking about. I know you have a kind heart, otherwise you wouldn't have helped me and my mother. I never believe in your line of work, but since I've encountered the issue myself, I do believe now. Plus, the only person I know in your line of profession is you. Help me if you can." Liu Jian-jun understands that playing the hardball isn't getting him anywhere, he then changed his tactics to be more gentler.

"I can't believe that one would eat one's own flesh." Liu Jian Jun took out a cigarette and lit it.

"May I know why do you keep bothering me? Why don't you make use of this time on investigation, see if anyone held grudges against the deceased." I said while putting in some tea leaves into the pot and brew it with warm water.

"Are you suspecting that it's the act of revenge? No, no. However brutal a murderer may be, it's impossible to force someone devour their own flesh alive." His eyes widened at the idea, but later shook off the idea.  

"Perhaps you should investigate to find out the truth? Everything happens for a cause. Nothing happens without a reason. What would you say? Mr. policeman?" I pa.s.sed him a finely brewed tea as I asked.

"I'll follow your lead then. We shall start from the normal procedure, if it leads us to nowhere, you can't stay arms folded and do nothing." Liu Jian-jun realized that I truly didn't want to get involved, he have no choice but to compromised.

"Very well then." I place my finger under my nose and smell it as I replied to him.

"Interesting, nurturing a stillborn child spirit to do the killing for self-benefit." I said to myself. After I send Liu Jian-jun away, I caught the scent of the unworldly spirit that still lingers on my fingers. My hands were covered in gloves when I touched the corpse in the crime scene. Somehow, the scent of spirit tainted my flesh through the gloves. The grudges that the stillborn spirits held was apparently quite strong.  

I close the door behind me immediately and headed to the loft upstairs. Burnt three incense and place it in the censer then reverently kowtowed to the portrait of Three Pristine Ones that hang on the wall before me. I rise and chant the Purity Incantation to clear off the scent of death from my body.

"The Three Pristine Ones, peace my soul and mind. Balanced my yin and yang to bond my spirit within. Azure Dragon and White Tiger, Vermillion Bird and Black Tortoise, along thy practice, the true enlightenment illuminates. Haste, haste, I command ye!"

Following the cleansing rite, the foul scent of the spirit has removed from my body. Next, I picked up some yellow paper and a dish plate full of vermillion ink then starts to draw the Fu Talisman. A stillborn-child spirit under someone's control, the grudges and rages it carries must be more than an average ghost. Think about it, who would want to be under control even after death?  

Furthermore, this kind of bounded spirit does not necessarily being invoked after death. Most of them were deliberately killed before their spirit was bounded and often, in their moment of utmost resentment. Only with this method, the bounded spirit could possess a strong sense of aggression.

Although such stillborn spirit are incredibly powerful, it doesn't thrill me. The reason I'm drawing these Fu Talismans are for the good of Liu Jian-jun and his colleagues. After all, we are acquainted and he is a competent police officer, I wouldn't want him to get killed by the stillborn spirit. Thus, I'll give him some Fu Talismans for protection, perhaps it'll come in handy sometime later.

"Look up the recent activity of the victim, find any related person." Liu Jian-jun is back in his office after departed from my shop. He commanded his peers to investigate on the victim, Gong Zhi-yuan.

Once the investigating process started, they found out that Gong Zhi-yuan was actually the victim's pseudonym, aka the stage name. The victim's real name was Yang Chui-hua, from another town. She move to this city to become a model three years ago after her graduation from the university. She would accept some modelling gigs and attending parties during her free time. Also, because of her extroverted character, she gained some fame in the modelling world of this town. In other words, aside from her good or bad reputation, almost everyone in her line of work recognized her.      

As of now, Yang Chui-hua had three close acquaintances according to the record. Most of them are well-known photographer in the circle. As a matter of fact, nowadays to be successful in any industry, networking is the key and capabilities only comes next. Yang Chui-Hua was born and raised from a farmland, when she was little, the thought of herself being different than other children has never occur to her. However, when she was accepted into a university, she realized that other's life could be so colorful.

Thus, ever since she started her university life, she never bother to go back to her hometown. She figures out that her physical image is nothing less than those local chicks, she has everything a local chick could have, even better. So, why can't she enjoy the life like them? She wishes that she could have some luxury branded car pick or drop her to cla.s.s everyday, hosting parties with chunks of cash without feeling sorry, living in a luxury apartment without squeezing in with coursemates in a winter cold, summer hot dormitory.

In time, the innocent Yang Chui-hua from freshman year has gone. What takes over was the Yang Chui-hua that only do her thing and doesn't care about the public eye. Since then, she keeps changing boyfriend like changing clothes. Then, from a decent country girl gradually became a cosmopolitan chick in the city. Hence, the vehicle that fetches her has slowly changed from Santana to BMW, and to Lamborghini.   

After graduation, she finally fulfill her wish by owning a property solely to herself. Then, gaining fame in certain areas of this city. And, changing her registered residency from countryside to city area. Only by then, she has completely blend into the city and shake off her country girl status.

"Go have a little chat with those three men. Send someone to the bank, temporarily keep Gong Zhi-yuan… Yang Chui-hua's accounts active. Stay alert, once someone withdraw from the account at the bank, cuff him up immediately. Oh ya, don't forget those ATM machines. Any abnormal activity on her account, you go ahead and follow up." Liu Jian-jun a.s.signed the tasks to his peers while reading the report.

"That's right, that's right! Open up a little bit more. More seductions in your eyes, hands off." Liu Jian-jun found one of the three photographers in a very short time. When the hotel attendant open up the room, the naked photographer is using his single-lens reflex camera for shooting while guiding a model to pose.

"Photoshooting is not illegal, it is not illegal, alright?" whined the photographer, he quickly grabbed his clothes from the chair and wear it.   When the photographer saw a group of cops came rushing in, his mood instantly dropped from hot to cold.   

"Photoshooting in nude?" Liu Jian-jun hinted the model to put on her clothes then turn to ask the photographer in a sardonic manner.

"You won't understand. What we are doing here is for art. Art!, you know?" The photographer gained his focus, he started to discuss about art with the cops. He already calmed down a bit after he put on his clothes.