Lu Jiuchuan initially thought that they had simply been transported to a world three years in the past during the night, and that everything would return to normal after dawn, just like Xiao Lou and the others were transported to Ghost City last night, and that they would be able to investigate together in Qingfeng Town after dawn.
The conclusion that day and night are different worlds was also accepted by the teammates.
But now, even though it's already dawn, they're still in the world of three years ago? Does this mean that until they solve the mystery and leave, the four of them will never be able to meet Xiao Lou, Shao Qingge, and their teammates again?
Lu Jiuchuan suddenly felt a splitting headache and didn't know what to say, his face grim. Tang Ci quickly calmed down and said to the waiter, "Please give us three superior rooms; we need to stay at the inn."
The waiter immediately beamed: "Alright, sir, please follow me!"
He led the four to the second floor. Lu Jiuchuan and Tang Ci checked into the "Heaven" room, while Gui Yuanzhang and Chu Huaying chose the "Earth" and "Black" rooms respectively. After the four settled in, Chu Huaying whispered into the voice channel, "The Black room is very clean; there's nothing left by CEO Shao and Ye Qi. So, we really have traveled back three years?"
Gui Yuanzhang said, " Xiao Lou and the others couldn't find us after leaving Ghost City, so they must be worried. We can't contact them either... They're scattered in different times and spaces, unable to communicate with each other. Jiu Chuan, what should we do next?"
Lu Jiuchuan frowned, walked to the window, pushed it open, and looked out at the street.
After a torrential downpour last night, the weather is exceptionally clear today, with a fresh floral scent in the air. Residents of Qingfeng Town have already started their activities, and the streets are gradually becoming lively again.
People selling breakfast, carrying water, chopping wood, and strolling with their children all wore smiles. Acquaintances greeted each other, and the place looked like a peaceful and idyllic paradise.
Suddenly, a piercing scream rang out from afar: "Aaaaaah—"
Lu Jiuchuan's expression changed, and he immediately said to his teammates, "Let's go take a look."
The four quickly turned and went downstairs, following the direction of the sound. Soon, they arrived at the door of a house. Because the woman's screams were so loud, the nearby residents were attracted and gathered around the door to watch the commotion.
When Lu Jiuchuan and his three companions arrived, the area was already surrounded by people, and a murmur of discussion arose from the crowd: "Isn't this the Chen family's house?" "Yes, Chen Yu's wife just gave birth last night, and I heard the baby crying in the middle of the night!" "Who was that shouting just now? What happened?" "I don't know, the town mayor seems to be in the yard too, talking to her."
Lu Jiuchuan is tall, and even though he was standing at the back of the crowd, he could clearly see what was happening.
The objects in the courtyard were neatly arranged, with no signs of a struggle. A young woman wiped away her tears and choked out, "My sister just gave birth last night. I came to see her early this morning, but everyone in the Chen family is gone! My sister and brother-in-law have disappeared without a trace, and all the maids and servants are gone too. How could this happen?"
Beside her, a handsome man whispered words of comfort: "This young lady is from out of town, right? Don't worry, your sister's family has probably gone out. I'll send someone to look for them right away."
Lu Jiuchuan and Tang Ci exchanged a glance—this man was Qin Feng. Three years ago, Qin Feng, at a young age, was already the mayor of Qingfeng Town. It was unclear which dynasty this world belonged to; the mayor's power was equivalent to that of an ancient county magistrate, but there was no official government office. Therefore, Qin Feng usually lived in his own home, only coming out to handle matters in town.
That day, when the two went to investigate Qin Feng's house, they happened to meet him returning. Before they could enter the secret room, they used the drone to film a room full of rattle drums hidden in his secret room.
He is currently the prime suspect identified by Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou.
Qin Feng, with a gentle expression, turned to look at the crowd and said, "Fellow villagers, please search around the town and inquire where the Chen family has gone."
People in the vicinity spontaneously ran around looking for the person.
Just then, a young man walked over. He was dressed in a bright red wedding robe and had a very serious expression. He strode up to the mayor and asked, "Brother, are you the mayor of Qingfeng Town?"
Qin Feng nodded: "That's right. May I ask who you are, young master?"
The man bowed and said, "My name is Xiao Ming, Second Miss Zhao." Zhao Zean's fiancé.
Qin Feng said knowingly, "So it's Young Master Xiao... Wasn't last night your wedding day with Miss Zhao? What are you still doing here?"
Xiao Ming explained, "Last night, Miss Zhao was to be married at the hour of Yin (3-5 AM). According to the schedule, she should have arrived at her home to perform the wedding ceremony two hours later. However, the auspicious time had passed and there was still no sign of the bride. Worried, I rushed to the Zhao family early this morning to inquire, only to find…" His face turned slightly pale, and he lowered his voice to say, "The entire Zhao family was empty."
"Completely deserted?" Qin Feng looked incredulous. "How could this be?"
Xiao Ming also found it unbelievable. He frowned and said, " Second Miss and I were engaged long ago. The Zhao family would never deceive us into marriage. The sudden disappearance of the bride and the Zhao family is suspicious. I hope Brother Qin will investigate this matter thoroughly."
Qin Feng nodded seriously: "Don't worry, I'll send someone to investigate right away."
The news of the complete disappearance of the Zhao and Chen families quickly spread throughout the town. The once bustling town seemed to be shrouded in a dark cloud, and the pedestrians on the street all looked tense. They huddled together, whispering and speculating about what had happened to the two families.
Looking at the scene before him, Tang Ci whispered, "Back then, there wasn't the concept of 'vengeful ghosts claiming lives,' and Qin Feng seemed to be investigating seriously. Ninth Brother, do you think Qin Feng might know the murderer and deliberately set a trap for him?"
Lu Jiuchuan said, "That's possible. We need to investigate Qin Feng's background further. Also, the masked man Zhao Zesui met secretly outside the town last night cannot be cleared of suspicion. Xiao Ming's timing was also very clever. These three need to be closely monitored."
Chu Huaying raised a question: " Does Xiao Ming's age match the characteristics of the murderer? I remember that Professor Xiao and his team deduced that the murderer was very likely born in the Year of the Tiger, because rattle drums with tiger patterns painted on their surfaces were left at both crime scenes."
Tang Ci carefully calculated and said, "If he was born in the Year of the Tiger, he should be... 26 or 38 years old this year. Xiao Ming got married this year and looks to be only in his early 20s, which doesn't quite fit the age characteristics of the murderer. However, whether the rattle drum was left by the murderer or not is all speculation on our part and cannot be used as evidence. We still need to find more convincing evidence."
Gui Yuanzhang agreed, "That's right. The rattle drum is indeed a key clue connecting the cases, but whether the rattle drums found in the two households were left by the murderer still needs to be verified. We've come back three years ago, which is a good opportunity to find out."
Lu Jiuchuan considered for a moment and said, "Let's split up. Tang Ci and I will follow Qin Feng and see what tricks he has up his sleeve; Old Gui and Hua Ying will wander around the town and keep an eye out for who first spread the rumor of the 'vengeful ghost.' Remember, we're just innkeepers; we can't let the townspeople suspect us of being the murderers, or that would be troublesome."
The four split into groups, with Lu Jiuchuan and Tang Ci following Qin Feng to the Zhao family's residence.
The Zhao family had all disappeared, and the entire courtyard was empty. All the large red lanterns had been extinguished. Qin Feng stood in the courtyard with a furrowed brow. His men quickly finished investigating the scene and reported, "There were no signs of a struggle inside the house, nor any bloodstains."
Qin Feng looked at Xiao Ming: "Do you know who your father-in-law's family has offended?"
Xiao Ming shook his head: "I don't know. Miss Zhao and I were betrothed since childhood. Twenty years ago, my family moved to Yue Prefecture City to do business, and we lost contact with the Zhao family ever since. However, my grandfather fell seriously ill last year. On his deathbed, he remembered that I had a betrothed since childhood, so he asked me to return to Qingfeng Town to find Miss Zhao and get married as soon as possible."
He paused, then added, "I heard my grandfather say that the Zhao family members are kind and honest. My father-in-law has been doing small business all these years. Even if he has offended someone, it's not to the point of deep hatred, is it?"
Qin Feng frowned as he looked at the hall: "Strange, how could the Zhao family of more than a dozen people disappear without a trace overnight? Their clothes and money were not taken away. It doesn't seem like they were robbed; it seems like they moved out on their own."
Xiao Ming immediately denied it: "Impossible! My father-in-law's family has lived in Qingfeng Town for decades. There's no reason for them to suddenly move away... Besides, Brother Qin, you also said that their clothes and money weren't taken away. If they left on their own, they would have packed some things before setting off, right?"
Qin Feng was silent for a moment, then turned around and asked, "Have the people I sent to investigate in the town returned?"
Just then, several people rushed in, saying, " Old Man Liu from the market said he saw a vengeful ghost last night! The female ghost was dressed in white, with long hair covering her face, and she floated around the town, just as she floated to the Zhao family's door..."
Qin Feng retorted sharply, "Nonsense! Old Man Liu is so old and his eyesight is failing. You believe him when he says he saw a ghost?"
The man next to him said in a trembling voice, "But Brother Zhang also saw it. He said that he was woken up by thunder last night and got up to use the toilet after the rain stopped. He happened to see the white-clad female ghost passing by his door and floating towards the Chen family's direction. He was so frightened that he fell to the ground and twisted his ankle."
Qin Feng and Xiao Ming exchanged a glance and looked at each other blankly.
Xiao Ming said with a stern face, "Could it be that my father-in-law's family was taken away by a vengeful ghost? That's utter nonsense!"
Qin Feng said in a low voice, "Young Master Xiao, we shouldn't completely disbelieve the claim of seeing a vengeful ghost, but we also shouldn't believe it entirely. Perhaps someone is just creating a mystery, disguising themselves as a vengeful ghost to commit evil deeds in the town. I will definitely find a way to find out the truth."
Xiao Ming bowed politely and said, "Then I'll leave it to you, Brother Qin."
The two walked out side by side, and Qin Feng said loudly, "Folks, please rest assured, I will definitely investigate the matter thoroughly since someone has suddenly disappeared from the town. Everyone, please disperse for now."
The crowd quickly dispersed, and Lu Jiuchuan and Tang Ci also left with the crowd. Before leaving, Tang Ci quietly left Drone on the big tree in front of the Zhao family's house.
Not long after, Chu Huaying and Gui Yuanzhang also returned.
The four of them summarized the clues, and Chu Huaying said, "Several elderly people, young people, and children saw the vengeful ghost last night. They were all woken up by thunder in the middle of the night and saw it when they got up to use the toilet. They saw the vengeful ghost from different angles and positions, which means that this 'vengeful ghost' does exist. It is very likely that the murderer was in disguise, deliberately trying to confuse people."
Gui Yuanzhang said, "There are more and more rumors of 'vengeful ghosts' in the town, and everyone is in a state of panic. Many vendors dare not do business and hurriedly pack up their stalls and go home."
Lu Jiuchuan looked at Tang Ci: " Qin Feng looks like he's investigating seriously. Could it be that we've misunderstood him? Judging from his behavior, he doesn't seem to know the murderer."
Tang Ci said, "I left a drone at the Zhao family's house. Maybe I can get some footage. Let's wait until it gets dark"