Volume Eight: Judgment of the Underworld Chapter One: The Porcelain Ghost Mother

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“Phoenix, an unidentified body has been found in the woods on the western outskirts. I’ll send you the location. There’s something strange about it. I’m waiting for you at the scene.” Xuan Chen’s voice came through the phone, sounding somewhat peculiar, which left Yaoguang puzzled. She quickly finished the food in front of her and immediately drove to the location.

By the time she arrived, the police had already secured the area. Yaoguang glanced around. This patch of woodland on the western outskirts had never been developed; it remained wild, the trees grown tall and the ground overrun with weeds, far from the city, seldom frequented by people.

“What’s the situation?” Yaoguang asked Xuan Chen when she saw him. “Who reported it?”

“It was someone gathering firewood. The witness has already been questioned—nothing suspicious. They’ve been allowed to leave. The criminal police came as soon as they got the call and then contacted me. You should take a look. It’s rather bizarre.” Xuan Chen replied.

“Bizarre? That’s an odd choice of word.” Yaoguang walked forward.

The medical examiner was already conducting a preliminary autopsy while the forensic team searched the surroundings.

Approaching, Yaoguang saw the victim was a woman dressed in black. Beside her lay a dead infant. The next moment, she was shocked. “Qinghua Ghost Mother?! She’s from the Ghost Sect. Why would she be dead here?”

“What? You’re saying she’s from the Ghost Sect?” Xuan Chen looked at the body, then back at her, astonished.

“She’s the Qinghua Ghost Mother of the Ghost Sect. Qinghua Ghost Mother isn’t her name; it’s a title, like an official position.” Yaoguang thought for a moment. “This generation’s Qinghua Ghost Mother should be Guiyi. Xuan Chen, immediately report to Director Jia, have the criminal police withdraw, and let Heavenly Sword take over the case completely. The criminal police can’t handle this one. Notify the Heavenly Sword team right away.” With that, Yaoguang moved aside to make a call. “Yitian, bring the Mang family’s great-grandmother and the Huang family’s great-grandmothers to the western outskirts’ woods. We’ve found the bodies of the Qinghua Ghost Mother and the Ghost Infant.”

“Phoenix, Director Jia wants to speak with you.” Xuan Chen handed her the phone.

“Hello, Director Jia?” Yaoguang answered.

“Phoenix, what’s going on?” came the voice on the other end.

“The two bodies in the western woods belong to the Ghost Sect’s Qinghua Ghost Mother and the Ghost Infant. This case will be complicated. Heavenly Sword will take over. Have the criminal police return; it might be dangerous,” Yaoguang said gravely.

“I understand. I’ll send you the official directive right away. As always, be careful,” the voice replied.

“Understood,” said Yaoguang.

“What’s happening? Why are we being told to withdraw?” the captain of the criminal police asked Yaoguang, approaching.

“This is beyond your department’s capabilities. If you want to know specifics, ask Director Jia when you get back,” Yaoguang replied.

“Why? Why is every case being handed over to you? Are we incapable of solving cases?” the captain said, clearly displeased, his tone sharp.

“I’m looking out for you. If you want to risk your lives, take over the case. Heavenly Sword has already lost eleven of our own. I don’t want to lose anyone else. You may not answer to me, but I want everyone—everyone, do you hear me?—to stay safe,” Yaoguang replied, her gaze cold and unwavering.

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“I think I understand now. Sorry. You be careful yourself,” the captain said, turning to his team. “Let’s go, everyone, we’re pulling out.”

Watching the criminal police cars leave, Yaoguang shook her head helplessly, then looked down at the corpse. The Qinghua Ghost Mother sat at the base of a large tree, head bowed, her hair falling forward to cover her face. Her arms were spread to the sides, legs extended before her. Beside her lay the small body of a baby, the umbilical cord still uncut.

Frowning, Yaoguang gazed at the two corpses, reached out, and sent a wisp of spiritual sense into the body. No soul, no spiritual essence, no spiritual sense—just a corpse. What was the Ghost Sect up to this time? Why would they kill the Qinghua Ghost Mother? The Qinghua Ghost Mother was like a presiding elder in the Ghost Sect. What could have driven them to turn on one of their own, especially someone so powerful?

“Phoenix, we’re here.” Chu Tianyou arrived with his team and, seeing the bodies, was momentarily stunned. “The Ghost Sect? What is this—a flood washing into the Dragon King’s temple, one of their own killing another?”

“I don’t understand either. Let’s get to work,” Yaoguang replied.

“So this is the Ghost Sect… Why does this woman look so ominous?” Jiang Yun said, staring at the corpse.

“Let’s get to work, Jiang Yun,” Huo Mingkun said. He studied the body for a moment, then turned away.

“Little girl, we’ve arrived.” The Mang family’s great-grandfather’s voice sounded behind her, accompanied by several immortals.

“Great-grandfather, look!” Yaoguang pointed at the corpse.

“The Qinghua Ghost Mother, Guiyi—this is truly strange. Wait here; we’ll search the area,” said Mang Immortal, leading his group away.

“Yaoyao, what worries you?” the male immortal standing behind her asked.

“If the Qinghua Ghost Mother was killed, either there’s internal strife within the Ghost Sect, or a new plot is afoot. I’m not worried about their infighting—I’m worried about the scheme behind it. This is a headache,” Yaoguang replied, looking at him.

“Phoenix, preliminary findings indicate the victim died from excessive blood loss. There’s a transverse wound on her lower abdomen, and restraint marks on her limbs. Estimated time of death is around ten hours ago. The baby was eight months old. Initial assessment: the killer first restrained the victim, then cut the living baby from her womb. The mother died of blood loss; the infant died of mechanical asphyxiation. We’ll need further examination at the lab,” the medical examiner said, then began preparing the bodies for transport.

“Phoenix, there’s no blood around—she was dumped here postmortem. This isn’t the primary crime scene. The weeds are thick, and no useful footprints were found, but there are traces of a vehicle. No cameras nearby,” Xuan Chen reported.

“Girl, there are traces the Ghost Sect lingered nearby, but the magnetic fluctuations are too weak to capture,” the immortals said upon their return. “We’ll expand our search. Be careful.” With that, they left again.

“All right, Xuan Chen, finish the sweep and withdraw. We’ll return for the autopsy,” Yaoguang said.

“Understood,” Xuan Chen replied.

Back at Heavenly Sword, Yaoguang headed straight to the autopsy room, where the medical examiner was ready.

“We’ll start with the infant. Based on the pubic symphysis, the child was eight months old. The umbilical cord was severed with a sharp instrument. The child’s body is bluish-purple, just low-temperature frostbite. The livor and rigor mortis indicate time of death was about ten hours ago, around eleven last night. There are bruises on the neck, cyanotic lips, petechiae in the oral mucosa—preliminary conclusion is the baby was alive when removed, then suffocated by hand pressure over the mouth and nose, causing mechanical asphyxiation,” the examiner said, turning to the adult. “Now for the woman. Female, about twenty-eight years old by pubic symphysis. Livor and rigor mortis indicate death about nine hours ago, around midnight. Obvious restraint marks on wrists and ankles—she was bound pre-mortem. The restraint wounds are closed, indicating the limbs were tied separately. Shoulder tears suggest violent struggle. The oral mucosa is abraded, corners of the mouth torn, lips denuded, and there’s pronounced submucosal bleeding in the gums—she had something stuffed in her mouth. Skull intact, no blunt force trauma. A transverse knife wound on the lower abdomen—precise, deep, straight through to the viscera. No other wounds. The skin is pale and bluish, indicating massive blood loss. Proceeding with the internal exam.” The examiner opened the abdominal cavity. “Stomach and intestines are empty—no food residue, so she hadn’t eaten prior to death. All other organs intact. Preliminary cause of death: exsanguination.”

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“So, she was bound, her abdomen sliced open, and the child cut from her womb. The process would have been agonizingly slow. Afraid she’d scream, they gagged her. The intense pain made her struggle violently,” Yaoguang said.

“Yes. The placenta was found in the uterus, meaning the child was cut out and the umbilical cord severed. The infant was then suffocated, and after the mother bled out, both bodies were dumped in the woods. Toxicology and DNA tests will take some time,” the examiner said.

“All right. Xuan Chen, let’s convene,” Yaoguang said, leaving the autopsy room.

In the office, Yaoguang faced the large screen. “We’ve confirmed the cause of death—exsanguination. Let’s hear everyone’s findings.”

“The autopsy findings have been covered. Toxicology is clean, and there’s no match for the victim in the DNA database,” the examiner reported.

“There’s significant bloodstaining on the victim’s clothes, confirmed as her own. There’s also iron filings and soil, matching the woodland’s soil. The clothing was torn. I suspect she was dressed forcibly after death, but no fingerprints were left. No blood at the dumping site—this wasn’t the primary scene. There are footprints—a size forty-four, skateboard shoes—and vehicle tracks from standard tires,” the forensic analyst said.

“There’s no surveillance near the woods, so no footage. No witnesses either. We’re still checking cameras in the broader area,” the tech team added.

“All right. Here’s my analysis: she was probably tied to a bed, wrists and ankles bound to iron rails—that’s where the iron filings came from—then her abdomen was opened and the child taken. The baby was suffocated. She wasn’t guarded afterward, just left to bleed out. Then her body was dumped in the woods. There’s only one set of footprints in the woods, plus vehicle tracks, so the primary scene must be some distance away,” Xuan Chen said. “Phoenix, what are you thinking?”

“I’m thinking about what happened between her being cut open and dumped. I checked—there’s no soul near the Qinghua Ghost Mother’s corpse, no spiritual sense or energy inside. That means these were taken at death. So, where is her soul now?” Yaoguang said.

“In the killer’s hands, or with the Ghost Sect. If the killer was from the Ghost Sect, then the soul is with them,” Xuan Chen replied.

“Next question: what does the Ghost Sect want with the Qinghua Ghost Mother’s soul? I checked the Ghost Infant—no soul, no spiritual sense. The child was just born and hadn’t cultivated yet, so no spiritual energy,” Tianyou said.

“We can be certain the killer was from the Ghost Sect. This isn’t conjecture—the Qinghua Ghost Mother is an elder, powerful and high-ranking. No outsider could kill her, let alone steal her and her child’s souls. So, it must have been the Ghost Sect. What I can’t figure out is why. This generation’s Qinghua Ghost Mother is called Guiyi. What made the Ghost Sect decide to kill her?” Yaoguang said.

“Phoenix, I think either there was a power struggle among the Ghost Sect’s leadership and she was sacrificed, or she was used as a sacrifice in some ritual. If it’s the former, it’s not our concern—the more chaos, the better for us. But if she was sacrificed, then the Ghost Sect is plotting something new,” Huo Mingkun said.

“Yes, I think so too,” Yaoguang nodded.

“Yaoyao,” the male immortal entered, standing behind her. “We searched the area and found little. The Ghost Sect was careful; no traces, no clues. It doesn’t seem she was dumped randomly—she wasn’t just a casualty, but a sacrifice. I believe the Ghost Sect is plotting again. Be careful. I’ll take the immortals and keep searching,” he said, then left.

After his words, a shadow of gloom fell across everyone’s faces.