SES Chapter 188 Part 1

Chapter 188

Now that the Mystic had arrived, it was necessary for everyone connected to the murder slips to get together and hold a meeting.

They gathered in Luo Ren’s room. Even Cao Jiefang attended—he had already regained consciousness and entered the least active phase of his life so far: his eyes dull, his movements sluggish, lying on the floor for ages without moving, his presence barely noticeable.

Yan Hongsha kindly cut some gauze into thin strips and wrapped it around the wound on his head. He drooped his head, looking like a wounded patient. Yan Hongsha even felt that he might very well turn into a “vegetative chicken” from then on.

Zheng Mingshan was still at the bar. Qingmu had been keeping watch over Luo Ren, but seeing that so many people had arrived and judging that nothing would happen for the time being, he told Luo Ren he had some personal business and needed to step out for a bit.

Before getting down to business, Luo Ren asked for everyone’s opinion on whether they should inform Qingmu and Zheng Mingshan about the matter of the murder slips.

The response was surprisingly unanimous: no.

That actually surprised Luo Ren. Personally, he leaned toward sharing information, but what the Mystic said afterward made him drop the idea.

The Mystic pointed out that judging from the reactions of those already known to be connected to the murder slips, Yin Erma had kept his mouth shut until his death, and that so-called “Guansi Pailou” might have had its secrets known only to Plum Blossom Ninth Lady. Since these people had guarded their secrets so tightly, there had to be a reason. Unless necessary, it was better not to broadcast it to everyone.

Fair enough.

After thinking it over, Luo Ren organized and reviewed all the clues they currently had about the murder slips, making sure everyone was on the same page before taking the next step.

Then he opened his laptop and showed them a photo sent over by Wan Fenghuo’s people.

In the picture, a petite young woman was speaking to a man with their heads lowered, the background a bustling, crowded street.

Cao Yanhua recognized her immediately. “Isn’t that Yafeng?”

Luo Ren nodded. Back then, they had been unable to deal with Qingshan and Yafeng. Even though they knew it was risky, they had let them go—though not without taking precautions. They had asked Wan Fenghuo’s people to keep a close eye on Yafeng’s movements.

Wan Sanshi leaned in for a look. “This isn’t Cao Family Village. That place isn’t this lively. Did Yafeng leave?”

“Apparently, she ditched Qingshan pretty quickly.”

Cao Yanhua snorted. “Good riddance. As long as she doesn’t keep ruining my cousin’s life.”

Yan Hongsha was puzzled. “Then where was this photo taken? And who’s the man with her?”

Luo Ren clicked to the next image.

It was a scanned passport cover, with the word Philippines clearly visible. Yan Hongsha reacted instantly. “A Filipino? One of Leopard’s subordinates?”

“This photo was taken after Mu Dai’s incident,” Luo Ren said.

Yan Hongsha felt a bit dazed. What did that mean? Was Yafeng also connected to what happened to Mu Dai?

Luo Ren looked at the Mystic. “You’ve always told me that when doing anything, you have to think about the connections—and the purpose.”

Had he said that? Probably. He was always so wise, tossing out insightful remarks from time to time. The Mystic felt rather pleased with himself and sat up straighter.

“So I’ve been thinking about Leopard’s purpose,” Luo Ren continued.

At first, he thought it was revenge. Leopard was the kind of person who never let a slight go unreturned. Her base had been destroyed, and she’d lost an eye—more than enough reason to cling to him relentlessly.

Later, he discovered that Leopard possessed a murder slip. Still, he hadn’t thought too deeply about it, assuming only that the murder slip made her even more dangerous—until this photo surfaced.

“Even after capturing Mu Dai, Leopard’s people were still active everywhere, and they even tracked down Yafeng. So I suspect… she’s trying to collect all seven murder slips.”

Wan Sanshi frowned. “But what’s the point of looking for Yafeng? She doesn’t have a murder slip anymore. We’re the ones holding five of them.”

Cao Yanhua thought for a moment, counting on his fingers. “She definitely knows we have five. She’s got one herself, her people are out searching everywhere… Is she looking for the last one?”

Luo Ren closed the laptop. “Leopard is different from everyone we’ve encountered before who carried a murder slip. In her great-grandfather’s room, there was a star chart marking the Big Dipper. Her ancestors likely committed seven murders. And in everything related to the murder slips, the number ‘seven’ is extremely sensitive.”

At this point, the discussion seemed to hit a wall. Yan Hongsha grew impatient. “Luo Ren, does any of this have something to do with Mu Dai?”

She couldn’t see the connection, and anything unrelated to Mu Dai simply failed to interest her. But if they talked about Mu Dai directly, there didn’t seem to be much to say unless Leopard made a move. Talking in circles would only make everyone more depressed.

Wan Sanshi and Cao Yanhua felt the same, sitting there gloomily until the faint clack of wood caught their attention. Over there, the Mystic—apparently bored—had taken out the seven wooden pieces from his wallet and was fiddling with them, examining the carved bird markings with a magnifying glass.

Luo Ren stared at the wooden pieces. In a flash of insight, a thought struck him, and he blurted out, “A mechanism!”

The Mystic looked confused. “What mechanism?”

“The kind you mentioned before—mechanisms that permeate both the human world and the heavens. Lu Ban called it the Seven-Star Killing Formation.”

The Mystic began to catch on. “Yes. Lu Ban observed it. It’s said Mozi knew about it too, and there was even a great sage who had already grasped it—Laozi.”

Luo Ren’s heart was racing. “What if this killing formation operates on multiple dimensions?”

He grabbed some paper and a pen, his hand trembling slightly, and drew two horizontal lines, dividing the page into three sections.

In the first section, labeled “Heaven,” he wrote: Big Dipper.

In the second, labeled “Earth,” he scribbled: Geographical distribution of the murder slips.

In the third, labeled “Human,” he wrote a single Arabic numeral: 7.

Then he turned the paper toward everyone.

“Mystic, I remember you saying that everything in the world is connected. Celestial bodies are connected too—the moon’s distance from Earth causes the tides. I’m not an expert, so I don’t fully understand the Big Dipper’s influence on Earth. But I do know that ancient China believed ‘the Big Dipper governs death’ and regarded it as an ominous sign. Why?”

Cao Yanhua looked blank. “Because ancient people knew the Big Dipper had some kind of effect on Earth?”