<h4>Chapter 529: This Murderer Is Trying Something New and Creative Every Single Time</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion <strong>Editor: </strong>EndlessFantasy Trantion


    “That’s uneptable. What happens if there’s an emergency? Manors are usually situated in remote areas.” Qi Youxuan shook his head vigorously.


    Xiao Yiqing replied in a cheerful tone, “We aren’t staying in a manor! The whole top floor of Dynasty Hotel is our home so we have lots of empty rooms to offer, and the elevator can take us straight to our home without stopping at any floor too!”


    “...” Qi Youxuan could not argue with that.


    Qi Youxuan’s re to Xiang Haorui conveyed the message: ‘Can you please control your wife?’


    Did Xiao Yiqing know destroying two lovers’ fate to be husband and wife would end up in quicker death?


    Xiang Haorui merely gave an innocent look of ‘my wife’s words are mymand’ to Qi Youxuan.


    Wei Muran had no choice but to drag Qi Youxuan away and smile at Xiao Yiqing. “We’ll stay at your ce then.”


    Xiao Yiqing was exhrated by this statement but Qi Youxuan’s expression was contorted in disappointment. After that, he pulled Wei Muran’s hand quickly and said, “I’ll bring her for dinner first before sending her to Dynasty Hotelter.”


    “What are you talking about? Of course we’ll have dinner together when you’re here.” Xiao Yiqing held onto Wei Muran’s other arm and added, “Why do you not love your friends anymore? You used to be so cute when you were young!”


    Qi Youxuan was reluctant to speak with Xiao Yiqing any further and merely red at Xiang Haorui with resentment.


    Xiang Haorui was forced to suggest, “Qingqing, why don’t we invite Youxuan to stay at our ce tonight as well? Four of us can gather together and have a chatter too.”


    Xiao Yiqing was actually aware of the source of Qi Youxuan’s mncholy, so she quitted joking and fought the urge to smile while nodding her head. “Alright!”


    Qi Youxuan sneered at Xiang Haorui and thought, ‘You brat. Don’t think I didn’t realize that you’re actually using this opportunity to infiltrate the enemy’s...oh, sorry...father-inw’s base!’


    Frankly, Qi Youxuan envied Xiang Haorui.


    The Xiao family and the Xiang family had joked about the engagement between these two kids since they got along with each other so well during childhood. Thus, when the kids had grown up and actually started a rtionship together, their families acknowledged them happily and satisfactorily instead of stopping them.


    It was a far contrast to Qi Youxuan’s situation, whose father-inw guarded against him vigntly like he was a thief. It was very depressing.


    “Let’s go for dinner. Police officers,e and join us too!” Xiao Yiqing chirped to both Jiang Yuecheng and Zhao Yiyang.


    Qi Youxuan gritted his teeth very tightly.


    “Stop it! I’ve already allowed you to stay at my ce tonight. You’ve been dating Muran daily and now that you’re in T City, can you at least allow us to meet just for a night? Judging by your constant refusal, do you actually have some ill intention in mind tonight?”ined Xiao Yiqing while she red at Qi Youxuan.


    “...” Qi Youxuan was at a loss for words.


    If Qi Youxuan could go back in time, he definitely would not be acquainted with Xiao Yiqing.


    Dejected and left with no choice, Qi Youxuan joined Xiao Yiqing and the rest—from the initial two-men group to a six-men group—for dinner in order to prove his innocence and kindness.


    ...


    ...


    In Jinxiu Community appeared a gentleman in histe twenties with ck-rimmed spectacles, a white formal shirt underneath a ck suit, and aptop bag worn on one side while the strap was looped over the opposite shoulder. He was walking toward themunity entrance when he saw two aunties in their fifties walking toward him while pushing their shopping carts.


    “Auntie Yang, Auntie Li, back from grocery shopping?” greeted the gentleman with a smile.


    Home Love Property Agency Company situated in Jinxiu Community happened to be the gentleman’s workce. He would meet with these retired aunties constantly whenever he brought customers for site-viewing or strolling around themunity to check for avable properties for rental or sales purpose. asionally, he would join these aunties for chit chat and got ahold of gossip that were spread around this area.


    Moreover, the gentleman gave a favorable impression to these aunties due to his honey-mouthed attitude and willingness to listen to them. Soon, he became integrated with them and there was rarely any retired auntie who did not recognize this gentleman.


    “Yes, it’s cheaper to buy ingredients when the night market is closing soon,” replied Auntie Yang with a smile. “Getting off work so soon today?”


    “No, I’m going to pick up a customer for site-viewing at Mountain View Communityter before going home straight away,” answered the gentleman.


    “Off you go then. Oh, by the way, I’ve made baozi¹ for dinner tonight. I’ll give you a few tomorrow afternoon,” said Auntie Li.


    “Oh, good! I miss the baozi Auntie Li made. They’re so delicious and iparable to those baozi sold outside!” replied the gentleman.


    “Hahaha, you’re so sweet!” said the delighted Auntie Li. A woman at this age did not have much interest but she would surely like to be praised for her good cooking skill.


    “Hey, I’m being sincere!” replied the smiling gentleman.


    After bidding farewell with these two aunties, the gentleman finally left themunity.


    ...


    ...


    Qi Youxuan and Wei Muran went their separate ways with Jiang Yuecheng and Zhao Yiyang after dinner. Jiang Yuecheng and Zhao Yiyang returned to the hotel while Qi Youxuan brought Wei Muran to the Xiao family’s home that was also in Dynasty Hotel.


    Approximately four o’clock in the morning, Wei Muran received a phone call and Xiao Yiqing who was sleeping right beside her was awakened by the sudden ringtone too.


    “Sorry, I’ll go out and talk so you can sleep again,” said Wei Muran.


    Xiao Yiqing could not hear Wei Muran’s words clearly due to a foggy brain and merely flipped over to continue her slumber.


    Wei Muran, who was still wearing pajamas, walked toward the living room and turned on the lights before epting the call.


    The night was still young with the outside world etched in charcoal. The sudden bright light forced Wei Muran to squint until her pupils adapted to the brightness after a while.


    “Sergeant Jiang, what happened?” asked Wei Muran directly after epting the call. No one would make phone calls in the middle of the night unless it was an emergency.


    “Yang Shaoqun called me just now saying that they found another female corpse at Mountain View Community, which is just nearby Jinxiu Community Cao Keya once lived. Yiyang and I are on our way now. You and Youxuan need to head there as soon as possible,” said Jiang Yuecheng.


    After Wei Muran hung up the phone call, she darted toward the opposite room and pressed the doorbell without noticing that she was merely wearing pajamas at the moment.


    A sleepy voice emerged from within the room after a few moments. “I’ming.”


    The door eventually opened after some time.


    Wei Muran was taken by surprise and words failed toe out of her mouth.


    Qi Youxuan’s cket was basically wide open and revealed the chiselled chest within the bathrobe. Wei Muran assumed that he must be sleeping naked just now, and that was probably the reason why the cincture was tied hastily when he put on the bathrobe provided by the hotel before answering the door.


    Fortunately, the bottom part was covered rather firmly and only a small portion of his legs was exposed. He was even wearing a pair of disposable slippers provided by the hotel.


    This pretty boy who had just woke up was too attractive and gave Wei Muran quite a shock. She hadpletely forgotten about her main purpose ofing here and waking this dashingd.


    After Qi Youxuan rubbed the remainders of sleep from his face, he put on a sweet smile instantly before pulling Wei Muran into the room and further into his embrace. “Mumu, you actually miss me! Come, let me hug you and we’ll sleep togetherter!”


    “...” Wei Muran was left speechless.


    Wei Muran finally regained her calm and tried to push Qi Youxuan away. Coincidentally, half of her palm was pressed against the bathrobe while the other half onto his smooth and firm chest.


    The back of Wei Muran’s head was sped by Qi Youxuan and her cheek was pressed firmly on his chest that radiated intense heat onto her palm and face, and it caused her blush to burn throughout her entire body.


    “Let me go and stop messing around. There’s a new case.” Wei Muran tried her best to lift her gaze.


    Wei Muran’s mind was currently in a whirl and gave Qi Youxuan the perfect opportunity to taste her scent. Thus, without further hesitation, Qi Youxuan cupped her cheek and nted fiery and passionate kisses on her lips that overwhelmed her logical thinking.


    When Qi Youxuan finally wanted to listen about the new case, Wei Muran was unable to think straight and failed to muster a response.


    A devilish grin formed on Qi Youxuan’s face as he pulled Wei Muran into his embrace again for another round of kissing. “Do you want to tell me about the case? If not, we’ll head back to sleep for a while. You’ll sleep on the bed and I’ll sleep with you.”


    “...” Wei Muran was dumbfounded.


    Even in her blurry state of mind, Wei Muran was reluctant in causing Qi Youxuan pain and thus stomped on his foot rather gently.


    Qi Youxuan released his grip in the end andbed Wei Muran’s messed-up hair after his constant fondling before saying, “Head back to your room and get dressed first. You can start talking about the case on the roadter.”


    After Qi Youxuan turned Wei Muran around and pushed her out of his room, he stood there and watched as she tottered back to her room safely before closing the door.


    It was only until Wei Muran took off her pajamas when she realized that there were no undergarments covering her private parts. Qi Youxuan must have felt everything when he hugged her so firmly just now.


    Wei Muran felt ufortable in that instant and was reluctant to face reality even after she got dressed. It was just her luck that a corpse was waiting for them.


    Left with no choice, Wei Muran summoned her courage and went out of her room. There Qi Youxuan was, leaning against the wall in a tidy outfit and looking lively without any sign of drowsiness at all. On the contrary, Wei Muran was so sleepy that she even covered her mouth and yawned. She was left to wonder if Qi Youxuan’s brain was made with special constituents to get rid of the sleepiness so easily.


    Naturally, Xiao Yiqing’s slumber was disturbed since Wei Muran was awake, so she took the time to see Wei Muran out of the room and lent a car to Qi Youxuan who requested for it.


    Wei Muran exined the situation while the duo were on their way toward the crime scene. However, she did not know much about this case since both Jiang Yuecheng and Zhao Yiyang were unsure about the details as well. All of them knew basically the same information and additional information might be obtained only after they reached the crime scene.


    Eventually, the duo reached the crime scene without making any mistake after Wei Muran turned on the navigation system.


    They passed Jinxiu Community during the journey and concluded that Mountain View Community was merely slightlyrger than Jinxiu Community despite being in the same ss.


    After searching around themunity based on the building number provided by Jiang Yuecheng on the phone, they located the building where the victim lived.


    Three police cars were parked in front of the building’s main entrance with police cordons around the block that was also under tight security by police officers in their tidy uniforms.


    Wei Muran and Qi Youxuan exited the car and showed their identity cards to the police officer on guard. “Hello, we’re from the Criminal Investigation Division from B City and are currently in coboration with the Criminal Investigation Division from T City.”


    The police officer was aware of this and allowed them to enter the crime scene.


    After realizing that the victim stayed on the fourth floor, Wei Muran figured that the number four¹ really sounded inauspicious whenbined with death, even though it was just a simple number at usual times.


    The duo exited the elevator afterward. There was no need for them to inquire the victim’s unit number since there were only three units on this floor and only the door to the left unit was opened with a police cordon in front of the entrance, which was also guarded by a police officer. Judging by the various conversations and noises, it must be crowded inside the unit.


    The other two families on the same floor were disturbed by the hecticmotion outside their units. Geriatrics usually suffered from sleep problems such as light sleeps and frequent night awakenings, so an elderlydy opened the door slightly to identify the source of themotion furtively.


    The elderlydy overheard from the conversation vaguely that someone passed away in unit four-zero-one and told her family members anxiously. “Quick,e and have a look! Someone died in unit four-zero-one! Oh my God, that’s so scary!”


    The neighbor that lived in the middle unit poked his head out and overheard this statement. “There’s only a youngdy living in unit four-zero-one alone, right? What a pity. That’s why it’s not advisable to live alone in a house. It’s very dangerous!”


    “Who said she lived alone? Didn’t a middle-aged man alwayse to visit her? He usually visits her at night two to three times a week before leaving the unit in the middle of the night. Don’t you know about it?” asked the elderlydy from the right unit.


    “No, I don’t,” answered the middle unit, “I didn’t hear any noise.”


    The elderlydy tried to conceal the awkwardness and replied, “Hey, elderly people usually have less sleep and I can’t fall asleep after hearing some disturbances.”


    The elderlydy once noticed inadvertently that a middle-aged man came to visit the unit on the left before leaving a few hourster and had overheard an argument between the man and the youngdy at one time, and that peaked her curiosity. Since then, she paid a lot of attention to any sort of activity in the left unit to get rid of her boredom after retirement.


    The elderlydy would surely peer through the security peephole in the door whenever she overheard any sound in the left unit, and even opened the door to eavesdrop when the man entered the house. She would also pay attention to the time when the man left the unit.


    This was the exact reason why the unit in the middle knew nothing but the elderlydy knew it in detail.


    Qi Youxuan and Wei Muran overheard the elderlydy’s statement which surprised Wei Muran. Qi Youxuan merely turned around to nce at the elderlydy for a brief moment before entering the crime scene with Wei Muran.


    The elderlydy’s curiosity was diverted instantly and said to the man in the middle unit, “Hey, the young man who entered the crime scene just now is a cop too? He’s so handsome. I need to ask if he has a girlfriendter. If not, I’ll introduce my granddaughter to him.”


    “...” The man in the middle unit was at a loss for words.


    He could no longer handle this elderlydy’s powerful mental toughness.


    Yang Shaoqun noticed the duo and led Qi Youxuan into the crime scene immediately—the toilet.


    “She died the same way; pierced multiple times before her death with the piercing wounds almost the size of a barbeque skewer or knitting needle as Cao Keya did. Still, we’re unsure if the weapon used is the same, and we need to wait for the Forensic Science Division to extract samples and identify the weapon. Other than that, there’s an additional feature to this case. The victim’s head was shaved this time.”


    Yang Shaoqun recalled the same thing Qi Youxuan had in mind. “She died exactly the same way as the novel described. In the novel, the third victim in the third case was killed just like the second victim with the addition of a shaved head.”


    No one would assume that the victim was bald since she was a youngdy who took care of her image well. It was highly unlikely that she would shave her head. Moreover, the photographs at the house or in the victim’s cell phone had indicated that the victim was a beautiful woman with long hair.


    “There are wounds on the victim’s head, presumably inflicted when the assant was shaving the victim’s head,” Qi Youxuan described while examining the victim with narrowed eyes.


    The colleagues working in the Forensic Science Division transferred the corpse from the cold water-filled bathtub very carefully to the stretcher before moving her to the living room.


    Qi Youxuan pointed at the naked corpse and said, “There are ligature marks on her neck, arms, wrists, lower abdomen and ankles. Theteral sides of her neck show obvious bruising and there are scratch marks in between her vicles. The rope was tied from behind her neck to the front crossing the vicles, showing that the victim struggled fiercely before her death which led to injuries in those areas.”


    “The assant killed Xiong Shishi directly before sinking her into the water for the first time. In the second case, the assant pierced Cao Keya with needles multiple times before killing her and sinking her into the water. Following such abductive reasoning, this time the assant tied the victim first and shaved her head which caused the victim to struggle fiercely and inflicted serious bruisings and scratch marks in the process. The assant then pierced the victim with needles and made her suffocate before sinking her into the water in the end,” proposed Qi Youxuan.


    “What the f*ck! This murderer is trying something new and creative every single time!” eximed Zou Chengwei irritably.


    Wei Muran walked around the house and added, “This house is quite small with one bedroom only, but theyout is good and designed delicately, so it doesn’t feel narrow and crowded despite the small area. The living room is decently sized as well, so the price won’t be cheap even in this smallmunity. I’ve examined the area just now and there was no sign of struggle or fight from the door to the living room and bedroom. We can assume that either the assant has a key or he’s acquainted with the victim.”


    “ording to the forensic pathologist, the time of death was between twelve to one o’clock at midnight. What sort of rtion did the victim, a youngdy living alone in this house, have with the assant to grant him ess without the slightest vignce?” asked Wei Muran.


    “Her lover?” answered Zou Chengwei under the impression that the victim must be a mistress without proper investigation.


    “I’m more inclined toward the hypothesis that the assant has the key,” replied Wei Muran before turning around and nced at Qi Youxuan after voicing out her opinion as usual.


    Qi Youxuan nodded in response. “My previous analysis suggested that the assant wasn’t closely acquainted with the victims, and based on this victim’s condition, I stand firm on my previous analysis.”


    “That auntie from the neighboring unit seems to know something,” suggested Wei Muran.


    Qi Youxuan nodded and the duo left the crime scene. Sure enough, the elderlydy still had the door opened to pry into the case instead of returning for her slumber.


    The elderlydy remained in the same posture—with the door ajar which was just enough for her head to pass through—from the moment of the duo’s arrival until this point of time.


    Wei Muran actually sympathized with this elderlydy’s back after bending for so long.


    “Auntie, we’re the police officers. We have some questions about your neighbor, Liu Peipei,” greeted Wei Muran with a polite smile.


    The elderlydy eyed both Qi Youxuan and Wei Muran up before letting her guard down. However, her first question took both of them by surprise. “Young man, do you have a girlfriend?”


    “...” The dumbfounded Qi Youxuan was truly amazed about the emotional endurance these aunties possessed nowadays. “Thisdy next to me is my fiancée.”


    “Oh.” Qi Youxuan’s response dampened the elderlydy’s enthusiasm but she opened the door nheless. She then peeked at themotion opposite her and said, “Why don’t youe in and have a seat? I’ll make tea for both of you and we can have a chat after that. We got sunflower seeds here. Do you guys eat pistachio nuts?”


    “...” Wei Muran was left speechless.


    How much information did this elderlydy like to obtain from them?


    “Auntie, your family members aren’t awake yet at this hour, so we’ll just ask some questions right here instead of troubling you further. Besides, we’re still on duty and won’t be able to stay for long too,” Wei Muran spoke, gently turning down her offer.


    “Oh.” The elderlydy was disappointed and there was an obvious decrease in her enthusiasm at present. “What do you want to ask?”


    “Do you know what Liu Peipei works as?” asked Wei Muran.


    “Ah, I know this one. She’s a white-cor worker at Xi... some branch office called Xijian Corporation in T City, situated in Haier Street. That was what she told mest time, but my daughter said it’s not a branch office but just a small office rented in an office building called Argentum One in Haier Street. Xiao Liu receives a small paycheck every month but she did find herself a rich old man. My daughter also heard that normal designers get better paycheck at Xiao Liu’s office but she isn’t a designer. If I’m not mistaken, she’s just a normal clerk in her office who earns roughly two thousand Yuan a month.”


    The elderlydy pouted and added, “Even though the housing area we’re living in isn’t really a top-notchmunity, each household price isn’t exactly cheap either. I’ve asked the agencypany several times, and let’s not focus on the sales part—the rental fee for a housing unit is around three thousand Yuan a month. She’s just a clerk who earns two thousand Yuan a month. How can she rent a unit in this area when she has a thousand Yuan deficit? Even if her housingyout is smaller, she still needs to pay two thousand three hundred Yuan as rental fee. Does that mean she only pays for the rental fee without eating, drinking or entertainment?”


    The elderlydy then continued disdainfully, “I was suspicious until I saw a man enter her house one day. Tut-tut, he looked almost the same age as my husband; around fifty to sixty years old. He arrived at eight o’clock and left at approximately eleven o’clock at night. What do you think he was doing at that period of time?”


    “He might be Liu Peipei’s father,” suggested Wei Muran.


    “Impossible. Her family lives elsewhere and she came to this city alone. I recognized her parents when they came to visit her that one time. Besides, I’ve seen that man kissing Xiao Liu! Tut-tut, her mentality must be very strong to be able to enjoy kissing a man old enough to be her father. I even used this issue to warn my granddaughter not to perform such wretched and immoral matters since it would bring embarrassment to the family,” replied the elderlydy.


    The elderlydy then added, “That man returned again the night before yesterday, and they started arguing rather loudly a few momentster.”


    The corners of Wei Muran’s lips twitched uncontrobly. “You heard them while your neighbor in the middle heard nothing. You have excellent hearing.”


    Embarrassment gnawed at the elderlydy. “That’s because I’m healthy.”


    It was actually curiosity which fuelled the elderlydy’s courage to ce her ear against the door to eavesdrop on the argument.


    “What did you hear about their argument?” asked Wei Muran.


    “Something about divorce, responsibility, and a baby, but I couldn’t hear them clearly to be honest. The man’s voice was soft so I wasn’t sure what he replied, but Liu Peipei’s yell was quite loud though.”


    The elderlydy then leaned closer to Wei Muran and whispered, “I made my own assumption after returning home. I’m guessing that Liu Peipei conceived a child and tried to threaten the man to divorce and marry her instead, but I’m not sure if she really was pregnant at that time.”


    “Auntie, you’ve... provided a lot of useful information for us,” replied the surprised Wei Muran.


    The elderlydy covered her smile and said, “Haha, it’s my responsibility to aid in police officers’ investigation.”


    “Oh, by the way, what’s your name?” asked the smiling Wei Muran.


    “My surname is Zhou. Zhou Pinghui,” emphasized Zhou Pinghui.


    “Please let us know if you have any new information,” said Wei Muran.


    “Of course, I will!” Zhou Pinghui was especially enthusiastic in her response.


    ...


    ...


    They returned to the police department afterward to wait for the forensic report. Doctor Guo—a decorous male forensic pathologist in his forties who wore spectacles and appeared more experienced than Bai Mo—came over personally with the forensic report a few momentster.


    “We’ve found something. The samples on the victim’s piercing wounds contained DNA from the previous victim Cao Keya, which indicates that the weapon used in these two cases were the same without any proper cleaning. That was the reason why Cao Keya’s blood still remained on the needle tip,” exined Doctor Guo.


    “Judging from the previous murder methods, the assant wasn’t really a careless man,” replied Zhang Shanfei.


    Qi Youxuan nodded in response. “That’s right, the assant did it on purpose. The assant didn’t leave any of his DNA on the weapon except for Cao Keya’s DNA on the needle tip. He detested any woman who became a mistress just like Cao Keya and assumed that the blood flowing through these women’s veins were filthy. This exins why the assant wanted to mix Cao Keya and Liu Peipei’s blood, so that their blood could stain each other’s souls.”