Seeing Crime Scenes in My Sleep

Chapter 53: Chapter 53: The 500,000 Temple Offering

Qiao Siyuan’s heart tightened. That hair-raising feeling washed over him again.

"Jiang Li, you..."

"Si Yuan, you’re getting sleepy." Jiang Li showed her usual smile. The next second, Qiao Siyuan’s vision went black and he passed out.

Jiang Li pulled the talisman from her pocket. All the blood on it had come from Qiao Siyuan’s hand. ’Since there’s no escape for him, I might as well make him suffer for the rest of his life.’

A smile played on Jiang Li’s lips as she sized up the deathly still Qiao Siyuan, stroking the knife in her hand.

’Where would be a good place to hide this?’

Jiang Li stepped forward, pulled back the blanket, and made her move with the knife...

After finishing, she left, completely satisfied.

Jiang Li returned to the building where Ning Sinian and his team were working under the hot sun. They were extracting the skeletal remains from the concrete to be matched and finally laid to rest.

Standing there again, Jiang Li noticed the bone-chilling cold had lessened considerably. A gentle breeze blew, scattering the oppressive feeling in the air.

"Forensic Doctor Ning, it’s Ms. Jiang!"

When Ge Hong saw Jiang Li, a wide smile immediately spread across her face. She ran toward her. "Ms. Jiang, is there something else you needed here?"

Hearing Ge Hong call out "Ms. Jiang" in an affectedly sweet voice, Ning Sinian’s mouth twitched. He turned his head as if he’d seen a ghost to look at Ge Hong trotting over eagerly in the distance.

"I just came to take a look," Jiang Li said with a smile, looking at Ge Hong.

"Oh, I see. Well, feel free to look around. Just call me if you need any help."

"Okay. Thank you for your hard work, Forensic Doctor Ge."

Jiang Li didn’t go inside to disturb them, simply walking a lap around the area. Just as she was about to leave, Ning Sinian’s voice sounded from behind her.

"Leaving already?"

Jiang Li turned around. Ning Sinian was methodically pulling off his rubber gloves.

She looked at him and nodded. "Mhm, Officer Huo and the others still have things to attend to."

Ning Sinian studied the young woman before him. Her calmness was admirable.

"Actually, Miss Jiang, there’s something I’d like to ask you to keep an eye out for."

"I’ll do my best."

Ning Sinian took out a photo. It showed a beautiful, gentle-looking girl in a white dress.

"This is my younger sister, Ning Rou. She suddenly disappeared two years ago. I’d like to ask for your help looking for her. I have to find her, dead or alive."

Jiang Li’s gaze shifted from the photo. "Okay. Add me as a contact and send me the picture."

Jiang Li opened her phone’s QR code scanner.

Ning Sinian took out his phone and scanned it.

"I’ll be going then. I’ll contact you if I find anything."

With that, Jiang Li turned and left. As she got into her car, she tapped open Ning Sinian’s social media feed for a look. The last update was from New Year’s Eve two years ago.

She scrolled through it briefly. Ning Sinian’s entire feed was filled with pictures of his sister. In every photo, the girl’s face was beaming.

Jiang Li froze for a moment. ’His sister?’

Just as Jiang Li got out of the car, she received a call from Ji Qinghe.

"Hello, Officer Ji."

"Jiang Li, are you coming back to C City?"

"Yes, I should be back in a few days."

Ji Qinghe’s joyful voice came through the phone. "Really? That’s great! Officer Zhou and I are getting engaged next month, and we’d like to invite you."

"Of course. Congratulations, Officer Ji." Jiang Li thought of Zhou Tiancheng and Ji Qinghe. One was cold and aloof, the other gentle and warm. They were actually a good match.

"I’ll send you the date, then. If you get back early, let us know, and we’ll treat you to a meal."

"Okay."

Hearing Jiang Li’s pleasant voice on the other end, Ji Qinghe’s heart melted. ’If only I had a younger sister, too,’ she thought.

"Alright, I heard you and Xiao Ye are busy, so I won’t disturb you any longer."

Jiang Li hummed in agreement, hung up, and found a nearby hotel to get some sleep.

The next day, her alarm went off. She got up and headed to the police station to meet up with Lu Xingye and the others.

Huo Qing’s team was ready and deep in a heated discussion.

Jiang Li glanced at them, then turned and went out for a walk.

On the street, she ran into Chen Xiufang.

"Shopkeeper, two thousand for such a small gift box? Why don’t you just rob people instead?"

"Go on, get out of here! Take it or leave it!"

Jiang Li watched Chen Xiufang arguing with the shopkeeper, then turned and walked away.

’Chen Xiufang is probably buying this stuff to suck up to that Cao Tianwang.’

After walking around for a bit, Jiang Li noticed quite a few people were buying gift boxes.

"Mom, that so-called Master Cao is just a scammer! Don’t go! We’re already struggling, and you’re buying things that cost tens of thousands. We don’t have enough money for you to spend like this!"

"You silly boy, what nonsense are you talking about? After I come back from Master Cao’s place tomorrow, we’ll be rich again."

"If it weren’t for Master Cao, how could our rundown old house possibly have been marked for demolition?"

"Mom, didn’t I tell you? That was just a coincidence! A big developer just happened to take a liking to our area and wants to develop it into a tourist spot."

"Can you please stop mentioning Master Cao in every other sentence?"

Hearing the argument, Jiang Li looked up. A lavishly dressed woman was carrying all sorts of gifts. The ginseng and Maotai liquor she held were clearly not cheap.

"Mom, Mom!" The young man gripped her arm tightly. The woman turned and slapped him across the face.

"What do you know! This is a small bet for a big return. It’s only twenty thousand yuan. After I come back tomorrow, our money will have multiplied over and over."

Jiang Li frowned. She hadn’t expected Cao Tianwang’s brainwashing techniques to be so effective.

After she returned, Huo Qing, Lu Xingye, and the others prepared to stake out the area around the temple.

Jiang Li, on the other hand, planned to blend in with the other followers and go inside.

As soon as Jiang Li reached the entrance, she was stopped.

"Who are you? You came empty-handed?"

"?"

Jiang Li looked up at the older woman blocking her way. ’So you have to bring something. They preach about doing good deeds and accumulating merit, but in reality, they’re just finding different ways to make people give them gifts.’

"Ma’am, I’m new here. I heard Master Cao is very powerful. I’ve been married for so long and still haven’t..."

"...so I wanted to come and see Master Cao. But I didn’t come empty-handed. I wasn’t sure what Master Cao likes, so I only brought half a million."

"Half a million!"

The older woman nearly cried out in shock, quickly covering her mouth. Her face transformed into a fawning smile as she looked at Jiang Li, stepping aside to let her in.

"This way, please, come in. Here, sincerity is what truly counts. We aren’t concerned with such things."

The corner of Jiang Li’s mouth twitched. ’Right. And you’re counting the money.’

"Jiang Li actually went in," Lu Xingye said, watching her walk into the temple with some worry.

’That Cao Tianwang is really crafty. He doesn’t let men in, claiming their yang energy is too strong and will disrupt the ritual.’

"She’s much stronger than you. With your clumsy moves, you couldn’t even beat her," Huo Qing said, glancing at Lu Xingye.

Lu Xingye shot Huo Qing a glare. ’Honestly, why does he have to say the quiet part out loud?’

Jiang Li blended into the crowd. Once everyone had arrived, the doors behind them were shut. The smell of incense smoke filled the entire courtyard.

Jiang Li frowned as she smelled it. The incense had a refreshing and stimulating effect. ’This must be what they call ’expelling turbid energy.’’

Jiang Li scanned the area. Besides the large offering incense sticks, there were also specially made incense coils in the corners.

"Master Cao has arrived!"

Jiang Li snapped out of her thoughts and looked up. Cao Tianwang emerged, dressed in a purple Daoist robe and holding a horsetail whisk, walking with a mystical, almost unhinged air.

Cao Tianwang’s movements paused. He looked up. ’Why does this feel so familiar? Just like that night.’

His heart clenched, and he began frantically scanning the crowd. Abruptly, his gaze locked with that of a young woman in the corner.

Jiang Li grinned.

’I’ve been discovered.’