Chapter 59: The Suspended Heart Finally Stopped Beating

"Taoist ritual instruments? Will this actually work?"

Shen Ting remained extremely skeptical.

He had tried gathering information and discovered that in metaphysics, the Bagua mirror mentioned by Tang Ren could indeed reflect and dispel malignant energy.

It sounded like superstition, yet quite a few people on forums claimed that ever since their neighbors hung a Bagua mirror, their own family's fortune began to deteriorate.

Children fell ill, the elderly were injured, careers turned sour, and family harmony broke down.

The speculation was that the opposite household had reflected their bad luck onto them.

Once they hung a Bagua mirror of their own, their fortune noticeably improved.

Of course, others argued it was purely psychological.

As for the luopan, it consisted of a series of concentric circles and a magnetic needle.

It was used to determine directional sectors and locate auspicious sites according to feng shui.

Feng shui masters frequently used the luopan to analyze the qi field and energy of a place, thereby detecting Yin energy.

"It certainly sounds plausible enough on paper."

Shen Ting looked at the road ahead stretching into the unknown distance, alongside the gradually setting sun.

Desperate times called for desperate measures—he might as well give it a try!

"Captain Qin, I have an investigative approach, but it requires some tools."

Shen Ting sought out Qin Shan and Zheng Yuanqiao.

Having failed to find any shredded paper all afternoon, uncovering only a single piece of purple crystal, the two men were actually feeling quite anxious.

At this rate, there was no telling how long the search would take.

The crux of the matter was that if they could be certain of eventually finding the paper shreds and the purple crystal, that would be one thing.

What they feared most was that the two missing persons' attempts to leave clues had been discovered by the criminal and actively suppressed.

If that were the case, continuing the search would be a complete waste of effort!

At this moment, the anxiety in their hearts was instantly replaced by pleasant surprise.

Zheng Yuanqiao asked eagerly, "Shen Ting, you've made another breakthrough? Tell us quickly!"

Qin Shan was similarly curious, asking, "What tools do you need? Does our bureau not have them?

Never mind, just name it. No matter how advanced, rare, or expensive the equipment is, I guarantee I'll procure it for you.

If the Dadong General Bureau doesn't have it, we'll request it from the Ministry of Public Security headquarters!

If the headquarters still doesn't have it, we'll source it from universities or research institutes that do.

And if all else fails, we'll apply for special funding to purchase it—consider it done."

"Cough, it doesn't actually need to be that complicated."

Shen Ting realized that his previous pollen identification must have given them the illusion that his investigative methods were extremely high-end and relied on advanced, high-tech tools.

"In truth, I only require some Taoist ritual instruments.

A luopan and a Bagua mirror—are you familiar with them?

Those two are the most crucial items.

They look just like this; ordinary Taoist artifact shops carry them."

Shen Ting displayed the photos he had found online to Zheng Yuanqiao and Qin Shan.

Of course both men knew what a luopan and a Bagua mirror were, which only left them utterly bewildered.

When they were children, it was the era when zombie movies reached the height of their popularity.

The luopan and Bagua mirror were precisely the standard tools used by demon-subduing Taoist priests in those films.

The problem was!

Weren't those just movies?

In reality, people generally regarded such things as feudal superstition and complete nonsense, right?

No, wait!

Shen Ting was so brilliant, and yet so young—how could he possibly be superstitious?

Besides, when he was analyzing the pollen, he had been intimately familiar with so many high-precision instruments.

Why would he resort to using ancient antiques that had existed for over a millennium to solve a case?

Indeed!

The luopan and Bagua mirror Shen Ting spoke of surely could not be the ones they were imagining.

They had to be specialized tools!

Yet, as the two men looked at the pictures on Shen Ting's phone, their suspended hopes finally shattered.

▄█▀█●

Zheng Yuanqiao wore a blank expression. "This... these really are just ordinary luopan and Bagua mirrors?"

Qin Shan was baffled. "Little Brother Shen, you aren't joking with us, are you?

What on earth do you need these for?"

"Here's the thing: I suspect the killer is an enthusiast of metaphysics.

Or perhaps his motives for murder involve metaphysical concepts.

He might be utilizing the concept of Yin energy!

Therefore, I want to use these tools to locate the place with the strongest concentration of Yin energy in the vicinity..."

Shen Ting offered a brief explanation.

Zheng Yuanqiao and Qin Shan instantly grew even more suspicious and astonished.

Finding Yin energy?

Why did this keep sounding more and more absurd?

Even so, the trust in Shen Ting they had accumulated from the previous case ultimately triumphed over their instinctive skepticism.

Besides, these items were inexpensive and didn't cost much.

Even if it failed in the end, it didn't matter; they could just treat it as humoring Shen Ting.

But what if it succeeded...

Neither of them dared to imagine the implications.

They wouldn't have dared to dream on such a massive, preposterous scale even in their wildest dreams.

"Xiong Beibei, stop shoveling snow. You must be tired by now, come over and take a break!"

"Captain Zheng, I'm not tired at all!

Let me keep shoveling. This snow is about to turn to ice, and nobody else can break through it!"
"I told you to come over, so get over here."

"Fine, fine, fine!"

When Zheng Yuanqiao mentioned purchasing a luopan and a Bagua mirror, Xiong Beibei wore an identical look of utter bewilderment.

Scratching his head, he said, "Captain Zheng, are you trying to shoot a movie?

Why don't you send someone else to buy them? Anyone can buy stuff, but you can't manage without me here to shovel snow!"

"Just go when you're told!"

Zheng Yuanqiao glared at him.

"Alright, alright, I'll go. Are you happy now that I'm going?"

Muttering under his breath, Xiong Beibei hurried off to get the car.

Actually, he knew full well that Captain Zheng saw him at the front lines shoveling snow all day and worried he was exhausted, which was why he wanted him to rest.

What Xiong Beibei didn't know was that Zheng Yuanqiao had a second reason for choosing him—

He generally never asked why.

Whatever he was told to do, he simply did it!

If he had sent Xu Xinyi to buy a luopan and a Bagua mirror, she undoubtedly would have interrogated him until she got to the bottom of it.

The problem was!

Zheng Yuanqiao himself had no idea how to explain it to her.

Because even he felt it sounded entirely unreliable!

...

Meanwhile!

Shen Ting left a message in the crime-solving group chat: "Hold on for a moment.

The luopan and Bagua mirror are already being prepared."

Tang Ren: "Don't waste time~~
Before the ritual instruments arrive, take me around to check the feng shui nearby~~

Let's determine the general direction first, and then use the instruments for precise positioning later~~"

Guan Hongyu: "Wait, you actually know how to read feng shui?"

kikO: "Quack shaman ⚆_⚆?"

Tang Ren: "You dead girl, is that any way to talk~~

What I do is inherit traditional Chinese culture and traditional craftsmanship, fair to both old and young~~

And you, Mr. Guan, anyone who made it into this group definitely has their own special talent~~

Whoever doesn't have one is the one who should feel embarrassed~~"

Guan Hongyu: "Are you poking fun at me ⊙_⊙!

I do have a special talent—my older brother is my special talent!"

Tang Ren: "Hehe, I've never heard of someone else's talent being counted as one's own~~"

...

Shen Ting found the banter giving him a headache and didn't bother trying to break it up. Instead, he called over Xu Xinyi and drove successively to several nearby high vantage points according to Tang Ren's instructions.

After a rapid scan of the surroundings, Tang Ren directly uploaded an image:

"Say what you will, the terrain around here is actually quite special~~

Head to the location in the picture~~"

Shen Ting glanced at the photo, his brow furrowing instantly.

The terrain there was exceptionally flat!

There were no surrounding mountains, forests, or other obstructions.

Ponds, reservoirs, or any other locations suitable for dumping bodies or hiding people were practically nonexistent.

Looking at it, Shen Ting felt it was utterly unreliable.

Jigsaw: "The criminal chose this place to dump a body?

impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

Yoshikage Kira: "The terrain is as flat as a pancake with an open field of vision; the sense of security is terrible.

At the very least, it's far worse than the pond at Sanya Slope from the last case."

Hannibal: "Indeed unreliable!

If I were to dump a body or conceal a person, I certainly wouldn't choose this spot."

Guan Hongyu seemed determined to spar with Tang Ren:

"My advice is to focus on properly investigating the case and refrain from engaging in feudal superstition within the chat."

Tang Ren: "<(￣ ﹌ ￣)>

Wrong, dead wrong!

It's not me engaging in feudal superstition, it's the murderer who is engaging in feudal superstition~~

To defeat him, we must operate in the murderer's domain and be more professional than he is..."

Huh?

To defeat him, you have to be more professional than he is?

Shen Ting never expected to hear such a philosophical remark slip from Tang Ren's lips.

Tang Ren continued: "And besides~~

Even if it is superstition, so what?

Even if metaphysics doesn't exist, feng shui is utter nonsense, and Yin energy is fake, it still doesn't matter~~

None of that matters; the fact that we can rely on them to find the killer is what's truly important~"

This statement left Shen Ting and the rest of the group members rather perplexed.

If all these things were fake, how could the ritual instruments possibly work, and how could Tang Ren use them to locate the suspect's whereabouts?