Volume Nine: The Sin of Enchantment Chapter One: The Strange Old Man

Phoenix sat on the stool, leisurely sipping coffee while scrolling through the news.

“What are you reading? You seem so engrossed,” Xuan Chen asked as he walked in.

“Nothing much, just bored,” Phoenix replied.

“Ever since Gui Qing and the others were executed, you’ve been in quite the mood,” Xuan Chen teased.

Yaoguang ignored him, still at ease.

“Master!” Jiang Yun and Huo Mingkun bounded in.

“Phoenix, the captain from the Criminal Investigation Unit is looking for you,” Chen Haixu announced as he entered.

“Phoenix, we received a report from a resident—her husband is dead. We’ve inspected the scene but found no traces at all. Could you come take a look?” the captain requested.

“Her husband died? Where did this happen?” Phoenix set down the cup.

“At home,” the captain replied.

“Let’s go have a look,” Yaoguang said, and drove everyone to the residential complex where the report originated. Inside, a woman in her thirties sat on the sofa, sobbing her heart out.

Yaoguang approached, glanced around, and noticed a suitcase by the door and that the woman was neatly dressed.

“Hello, ma’am, we’re from the Ye City Police Department. We received your report—could you tell us exactly what happened?” Yaoguang asked.

“Yes.” The woman wiped her tears. “This morning, I got back from a business trip. I knocked, but no one answered. I thought my husband must’ve left early for work. I called his phone, but there was no answer, though I could hear the phone ringing from inside. I thought he must be sleeping deeply and didn’t hear it, so I kept knocking, but still no response. Maybe he forgot his phone, I thought, so I called his company. But they said he hadn’t come in today. I asked property management to open the door. Inside, I saw his shoes and clothes were all there. I felt something was wrong. In the bedroom, I saw him under the covers. I called him, but he didn’t answer. I touched his face, trying to wake him, but it was icy cold. When I turned him over, I found… I found…” The woman broke down in tears again.

Yaoguang nodded, offered some comfort, and entered the bedroom. On the bed lay a man, eyes shut, hair already grey, his features gaunt.

“An old husband and a young wife?” Yaoguang whispered.

“No,” the detective captain interjected, handing over an ID. Yaoguang read it: Jiang Junrong, male. The date of birth stunned her. “He’s only thirty-five? But this corpse…”

“That’s why I called you,” Captain Song Xuekai said. “Judging by the level of decay, this man should be about seventy, but his actual age is thirty-five. Isn’t it bizarre?”

“It certainly is. Did you find anything unusual in the room?” Yaoguang asked.

“All doors and windows are intact, no signs of forced entry. Fingerprints and footprints are being analyzed. We’ve confirmed with Mrs. Qian that nothing is missing from the home. We’ve looked carefully—there’s no sign anyone else entered,” Song Xuekai replied.

“What does the preliminary autopsy show?” Yaoguang asked, gazing at the emaciated body.

“No signs of restraint, no sharp force injuries, no blunt trauma, no marks of strangulation, no subcutaneous bleeding around the mouth or nose, no evidence of mechanical asphyxia. This person appears to have died of old age,” Medical Examiner Chenchen reported.

“Old age? How can a thirty-five-year-old die of old age? This is too strange,” Yaoguang exclaimed.

“I can’t explain it either—further examination is needed. But we can’t confirm it’s an unnatural death without family consent,” Chenchen replied.

“I understand.” Yaoguang stepped out and sat beside Mrs. Qian. “Hello, Mrs. Qian, I’d like to ask you a few questions, if you don’t mind.”

“Yes, please,” Mrs. Qian nodded.

“Did your husband have any illnesses?”

“No, he was very healthy.” Mrs. Qian walked to the TV stand, fetched a bag, and handed it over. “This is his health report from last month. We went together.”

Yaoguang took it and glanced through; Mrs. Qian was right—he was healthy.

“Did your husband have any habits you didn’t know about?” Yaoguang asked.

“No, he barely drank, smoked only occasionally—one or two at most. He enjoyed exercising; we often went running and to the gym together. He didn’t like gambling or bars,” Mrs. Qian said.

“Thank you, Mrs. Qian. Here’s the situation: your husband died of natural organ failure, like a seventy-year-old man might. But for someone his age, that doesn’t fit. To determine the exact cause, we need to do a full autopsy. Since there’s no evidence this was an unnatural death, we need your signature. This is to ensure justice for both you and your husband,” Yaoguang explained.

“I’ll sign. He died so inexplicably, I must seek justice for him,” Mrs. Qian said, weeping again.

“Thank you. Please take care, Mrs. Qian. I know it’s easy for me to say, but there are still things you must attend to. I believe your husband would want you to take care of yourself,” Yaoguang consoled her.

“Thank you, officer.” Mrs. Qian wiped her tears and signed the document. “Here’s my phone number—please call if you learn anything. I hope you solve this soon.”

“Thank you,” Yaoguang replied, leaving her own number and departing with the others.

Back at the station, Song Xuekai and Yaoguang agreed that Tianjian would take the lead on the case, with their assistance. The autopsy would be handled jointly by Lele and Chenchen.

In the morgue, Yaoguang stared at the withered body, full of questions. How could a young man in his prime end up looking like a seventy-year-old?

“Male, actual age thirty-five. The pubic symphysis indicates about seventy years old. No signs of restraint, sharp force, or blunt trauma. No marks of strangulation, or subcutaneous bleeding at the mouth or nose. No evidence of asphyxiation. Proceeding with further examination,” Lele narrated.

“Clear organ failure, and the texture suggests natural degeneration. I’ll need to conduct more tests,” Chenchen said.

“All right.” Yaoguang left the autopsy room.

“Captain Song, this is such a strange case—a thirty-five-year-old aged to seventy,” Yaoguang said, puzzled.

“We’ll wait for the results. This is beyond my comprehension,” Captain Song replied.

“Phoenix, autopsy results are in,” Lele and Chenchen announced as they emerged.

“Captain Song, let’s convene,” Yaoguang said, heading into the meeting room.

“We’ll brief you on the findings. We did a full scan and organ biopsy. The deceased’s cell viability was extremely low, tissue cell count reduced, organ weight diminished with signs of atrophy. The myocardium was atrophied; histology revealed age pigment in the heart cells, valves were thickened and hardened, and all systems showed signs of advanced aging—skin lost elasticity, severe osteoporosis, gums and teeth receded. There were no wounds, toxins, or genetic defects. All signs point to death by old age,” Chenchen reported.

“As for trace evidence, all fingerprints and footprints in the home belonged to the deceased and Mrs. Qian. No sign of a third party,” the forensic tech added.

“We reviewed surveillance footage. The last sighting of the deceased was at 11 p.m. in the elevator. He didn’t leave after that. This morning at seven, Mrs. Qian entered the elevator. We received the report at seven thirty. Hallway cameras show Mrs. Qian knocking and calling at the door the whole half hour, not leaving the monitored area. Property management opened the door at 7:28, Mrs. Qian entered and called the police. Time of death was around midnight. Mrs. Qian was out of town at the time—footage confirms this. No one else was seen entering the elevator during the critical period,” the tech department reported.

“This is bizarre. It’s as if someone suddenly took away thirty-five years of his life,” Jiang Yun remarked.

“Hmm?” Yaoguang glanced at Jiang Yun. “You’ve reminded me of something. Let’s go examine the body again. Captain Song, please continue your investigation.”

With that, Yaoguang returned to the morgue. She pulled the body out, raised her hand, and sent a surge of spiritual energy into the deceased’s crown. “This man has no soul, but there is a trace of spiritual consciousness,” Yaoguang withdrew her hand.

“No soul, Master—could this be the Ghost Sect again?” Jiang Yun asked.

“No. The Ghost Sect wouldn’t leave the spiritual consciousness behind. Akun, see if you sense anything unusual,” Yaoguang instructed.

Huo Mingkun summoned his spiritual power, carefully examining the corpse. He sensed a faint magnetic field lingering about the body. “Master, there’s a strange magnetic field around him. I’m not sure what it is.”

“Phoenix, there’s a peculiar smell on the corpse—not decay, not body odor. What is it? Where have I smelled it before?” Chen Haixu mused.

“A magnetic field—is it a demon, or a ghost?” Yaoguang asked.

“Neither, nor is it a spirit. I can’t say what it is,” Huo Mingkun replied, perplexed.

“I remember now—the same smell was in the deceased’s home,” Chen Haixu said.

“Let’s go back to the scene,” Yaoguang declared, heading out.