SES Chapter 134 Part 1

Chapter 134

Three nights later, Luo Ren returned to Lijiang—without telling anyone in advance.

The house was empty. Uncle Zheng was probably still busy at Phoenix Tower. Luo Ren went straight to the room where he kept the murder slips. The new plaster smell hadn’t faded yet, but the place already looked properly arranged. Maps and clue analyses covered the walls; to an outsider, it would look like any other room—no one would ever guess there was a hidden chamber within.

Just as he’d instructed earlier, a large wardrobe stood in the corner. He opened the doors; inside, rows of clothes hung neatly. Reaching into the back, his fingers found a small groove. He pushed it sideways with some force, and the panel slid open like a hidden door.

Luo Ren bent down and stepped inside.

The space within was narrow. A fish tank sat firmly secured to a metal rack in the corner, four murder slips floating in the water. The oracle-bone script etched into the bamboo glowed faintly, casting a soft sheen that seemed to illuminate the water itself.

The blood-red phoenix-like figure within had grown longer, spiraling upward around the slips.

Luo Ren stepped back and focused his gaze, though his mind wasn’t really on what he was seeing.

Two days earlier, he had spoken with the diviner again. The man swore he wasn’t leaving Yin Family Village anytime soon—he was determined to live and eat alongside Yin Erma, to win his trust and pry out the truth.

“If the man knows something, I’ll stick to him like glue,”
“No point running around like a headless fly.”

He’d also said,

“People are emotional creatures—they can be moved.”

Luo Ren couldn’t help but admire the diviner’s determination. None of this really concerned him, so why did he care so much?

Thinking it over, Luo Ren realized that his own involvement had always been passive. It began with Pingting. Later, he’d thought about stepping away, but the murder slips kept pulling them all back in. Yiwansan, Yan Hongsha, Mu Dai—each one connected somehow. Before he knew it, they’d already collected four slips.

Now, there was no easy way out. Yet after what happened in Nantian, a quiet thought had begun to take root in his mind—

The murder slips should all be gathered and sealed away.

It was like driving alone down a deserted road and hitting a hidden nail that burst your tire. You curse your luck, but you still get out, dig the nail free, and toss it aside—so the next driver doesn’t meet the same fate.

After tidying up a bit, Luo Ren went to Phoenix Tower. It was past the dinner rush; the next wave of business would be at the bar.

Sure enough, most diners were gone. Uncle Zheng was behind the counter, balancing the books, while Cao Yanhua, wearing an apron, was clearing tables.

They both froze when they saw him.

Uncle Zheng frowned. “You could’ve said something before coming back. How’s Pingting?”

“She’s doing well. The nurse I hired is solid—Pingting likes her.”

He showed him a photo: a woman in her fifties, a bit plump, with a kind face.

She did look trustworthy. Uncle Zheng relaxed a little, then remembered the restaurant business and started giving a quick report.

“The last few days have been good—no empty tables during rush hours. Mu Dai and the others have been helping out at both lunch and dinner. They were just here, went back to the bar a while ago.”

After a pause, he added, “While you were gone, Huo Zihong sent her staff over to help too. We owe her for that…”

Then he shot Luo Ren a glare that said plainly: You two vanish for half a month, and I’m supposed to run this place alone?

Luo Ren just smiled. After so many years, he knew Uncle Zheng’s temperament by heart.

Sure enough, after grumbling for a bit, the old man’s irritation faded. “Have you eaten yet?”

“No.”

Uncle Zheng scolded, “Didn’t lift a finger to help, but you sure show up for a free meal!”

Beside him, Cao Yanhua caught the hint immediately and rushed to the kitchen. He came back with a plate of beef fried rice and a bowl of bone soup, steaming hot.

Instead of leaving, he sat down across from Luo Ren.

Luo Ren looked up. “What is it?”

Cao Yanhua grinned nervously. “Brother Luo, don’t mind me. You eat first, eat.”

Luo Ren thought, Cao Fatty, you really overthink things. When have I ever been polite with you?

He ate quietly, knowing Cao Yanhua wouldn’t be able to hold it in for long.

Sure enough, after a minute of fidgeting—

“Brother Luo, I’ve been analyzing the murder slip stuff…”

Luo Ren didn’t stop eating, but his interest was piqued. This guy was a lot like the diviner—strangely persistent about the weirdest things.

He grunted, “Go on.”

“According to Master Shen, the five of us carry the power of the phoenix spirit. But why us five? It can’t be random…”

He began counting on his fingers.
“The first slip involved you, your uncle and Pingting.
The second, Yiwansan’s parents and that Laobang mess.
The third came from Hongsha’s grandfather’s old sins.
The fourth… well, we all know that one.”

Luo Ren gave him a look. “So what’s your point?”

Cao Yanhua lowered his voice, leaning in conspiratorially. “So… doesn’t that mean the fifth one should be mine?”

Luo Ren’s face didn’t move. “Come closer, Cao Fatty. Just a little.”

Cao Yanhua froze, instinctively backing up. “Wh-what for?”

Not fast enough—Luo Ren flicked his chopsticks and smacked him square on the forehead.

“You think that’s a good thing? You’re hoping for it?”

Cao Yanhua rubbed his head in silence. Of course, he knew it wasn’t. That’s why he’d asked so hesitantly. But still…

How to explain it? When the five of them did everything together, and everyone else had been “chosen,” while he hadn’t—it gave him that same awkward, misplaced envy he sometimes felt toward Yiwansan. Like being left out of something, even if it was bad.

He sighed and slumped his shoulders, ready to get up, when Luo Ren suddenly asked,

“What does your family do?”