Chapter 428: The Skinning Incident


    Zhao Wuyang nodded. Im not that bold. As they walked away, I realized that I was too afraid to stay by myself. Thats why I followed them.


    Zhao Wuyang lowered his head, looking aggrieved.


    I didnt really know how tofort him. I thought for a second before telling him sheepishly, Your tea is cold. Let me pour more hot tea for you.


    Zhao Wuyang thanked me and continued his story. Shortly after we entered the forbidden area, we saw an abandoned tomb. It was sorge that it would take four or five people to join hands to encircle it. The entire tomb was covered in wild grass. I didnt know how long the tomb had been there since the words on the tombstone were weathered away.


    You guys sure were bold! You deliberately trespassed into the forbidden area, evenining that the tombstones words werent clear enough!


    Zhao Wuyang recalled the scene at the time, his face showing his growing restlessness and anxiety. Even though Im a doctor, Im afraid of dead people. Thats why I chose to be a dentist. When I saw the tomb, I didnt dare move forward. I asked Zhang Qinghai what his goal was. In response, he said that he was currently working on a series of paintings centered around tomb-robbing. He even visited some old tomb robbers to gathermaterial, but they either didnt open their door or just provided some useless info. Zhang Qinghai felt that they didnt want to talk to him, so he decided to rob a tomb himself to gain the experience. He thought he could draw with much more realism if he had such an experience.


    Its not realistic! Its insane!


    Zhao Wuyang told me that both Zhang Qinghai and Xue Peng looked excited at the time. They even discussed how they would share their spoils. Moreover, it seemed that Zhang Qinghai already had everything nned because he proceeded to take out two entrenching shovels.


    Shovel in hand, the two began to dig the tomb up. Zhao Wuyang was terrified, but he didnt have the guts to leave without them. With nothing else to do, he stood and watched them at a distance. They continued digging throughout the night, and it was dawn when Zhao Wuyang heard them screaming in surprise.


    They opened the coffin? As the story arrived at its climax, my voice grew more serious.


    Zhao Wuyang nodded. They did. Zhang Qinghai had once heard a strange theory that required cing a lit candle in front of a coffin when it was opened. If the me extinguishes, they can''t touch the items in the grave. He had stolen a candle from the old folks house before we left. He lit it, and Xue Peng helped him pry the coffin open.


    What was inside? I asked.


    Zhao Wuyang shook his head. I dont know. When they opened the coffin, I was standing far away. I didnt have the courage to go over to watch, but I heard them saying something about striking gold. Zhang Qinghai is an interesting man. I thought that they would start fighting after they saw the loot and not share the items equally. However, he gave the majority of the share to Xue Peng, taking only a mirror. Afterward, Xue Peng secretly told me that the mirror was not made of gold or silver. It couldve been made of bronze since there were dabs of patina here and there, so it wasnt very valuable. When he told me that, he had a smug smile. Apparently, he thought that Zhang Qinghai was a fool. However, Im sure that Zhang Qinghai is an extraordinarily cunning guy. Based on his face, I feared that we were tricked into going with him to take that mirror!


    A mirror?Is this item rted to our case this time?


    I caught this vital clue.


    Zhao Wuyang continued, At that time, I thought that Zhang Qinghai was incredibly suspicious. When we got back to the vige with the medicine, I hated that I couldnt leave immediately. The old fellow asked us about the trip, but Zhang Qinghai didnt say a word about us trespassing into their forbidden area, and he had hidden all the goods away. After taking the medicine, Xiao Sisi got better. Due to her recovery, Zhang Qinghai suggested that we should leave the next day. I, of course, agreed with him and began to prepare my belongings. While I was packing up, I found something underneath Xiao Sisis pillow


    What was it? I asked.


    A pill, Zhao Wuyang said slowly. It was the pill he gave her when she had a fever. I was carrying some doubts at the time, so I discreetly hid it away. On the way home, since I was still skeptical, I purposely kept my distance from Zhang Qinghai. He didnt care about me. Rather, he was talking to Xue Peng and Xiao Sisi the entire time with a happy face. He even showed them the mysterious mirror.


    It seemed that the mirror was important and yed arge role in Zhao Wuyangs story. Within just a few short moments, he had mentioned the mirror around ten times.


    Zhao Wuyang said, After I returned to the hospital, I asked a colleague working in the hospitalsboratory to analyze the pill that I found. Guess what I got.


    Was it poison? I adopted a look of disbelief.


    Zhao Wuyang nodded. The pill contained ingredients normally used in sleeping pills and botulinum toxin. This toxin can make people have a high and unceasing fever. Zhang Qinghai was the one that gave Xiao Sisi those pills. So, it wasnt coincidental that Xiao Sisis fever hadnt subsided. It was all part of Zhang Qinghais n. The more I thought about it, the more wronged I felt. I had inadvertently been dragged into his n.


    If the trip to the mountain was all a scheme of Zhang Qinghai''s, what was his purpose?Just for that mirror?


    I was puzzled.


    Zhao Wuyang suddenly lifted his head, looking me in the eyes. Xue Pengs the sort of man that throws money away by the handful. Perhaps he confided this habit to Zhang Qinghai. Thats why Zhang Qinghai made use of his shortage of money to recruit him for this trip. He wanted to have an assistant to help him unearth the tomb.


    I looked at Zhao Wuyang. If that was his reason to bring Xue Peng, why did Zhang Qinghai want to have you on this trip?


    Because Im a doctor, Zhao Wuyang responded with confidence. He needed me to y my part in his scheme with Xiao Sisis sickness. He knew me well and understood that I was softhearted.


    I nodded. And what happened afterward? You didnte to this shop to find Master Zhang just to investigate Zhang Qinghai, correct? Because if not, you would be better off finding a private detective.


    No, no, no! Zhao Wuyang waved his hands rapidly. The incident just started from there! You havent heard the news, right? Currently, in Wuhan, there are two skinning cases. The two victims were kidnapped, and they had their faces skinned while still alive.


    Before he could finish, I intervened, Did the two victims happen to be Zhang Qinghai and Xue Peng?


    Zhao Wuyang shook his head. Xue Pengs one of the victims, but the other isnt Zhang Qinghai. Its Xiao Sisi.


    Xiao Sisi? I was bewildered.


    In theory, if the resentful soul of the tombs owner wanted to take revenge through the otherworldly item, it should attack the ones that pried the coffin open. At the time, Xiao Sisi had a fever, and she was staying in the vige. She didnt join the tomb-robbing operation. Why was she one of the victims?


    I met Zhao Wuyangs gaze. Are you sure?


    Of course. Zhao Wuyangs face paled. Would I dare to tell you such a thing if I didnt confirm the information? The two of them are in the hospital where I work. All of the staff know about their cases. However, since the crime is so violent and suspicious, the police have asked us to keep it a secret until they solve the case. Thats why the news hasnt spread yet.


    Xiao Sisi, Xiao Sisi


    I read her name twice. How was this rted to her?


    I pondered for a moment before asking, Does Zhang Qinghai know of this? Did you contact him when you learned who the victims were?


    I havent gotten to talk to him since we came back from Wuyan Vige. Its as if Zhang Qinghai has evaporated from this world; I cant contact him.


    When Zhao Wuyang came to this part, his eyes sparkled with hatred. After learning of this incident, the first thing I did was to call him, but the line never went through. Ive gone to his house twice and knocked on his door, but there was no response. I have no idea where that stealthy man has gone with the damn mirror. You tell me, what is his end goal? There were more valuable items in that tomb than the mirror. He didnt want them. He just wanted the mirror...


    Mirror


    The bronze mirror


    My eyes turned brighter, and I grabbed Zhao Wuyang. Youve said that on the way back from Wuyan Vige, Zhang Qinghai showed Xiao Sisi and Xue Peng the mirror, right?


    Zhao Wuyang nodded.


    Did the two of them look at their reflections in the mirror?


    Of course, they did. Zhang Wuyang said before he dropped his jaw in shock. He turned to look at me. You mean


    Sure enough, it seemed that the skinning case this time was rted to that mirror.


    Since Xiao Sisi and Xue Peng had looked at their reflections, their facial skin was cruelly peeled off.


    If this was what caused it, since Zhang Qinghai was the first one to look in the mirror, he could be doomed already.


    However, I wasnt sure if he knew of the mirrors power beforehand. Did he bring those people to Wuyan Vige just to get the mirror?


    Moreover, through what channel did hee to know about the existence of that mirror?