Love letters are not allowed in the exorcism notebook!-Chapter 521 - 99: You’re Not Suspecting Who, Are You?

Shen Family auctioning off the donation rights to the Imperial Jade Seal?

Why does this sound like the national soccer team auctioning off World Cup tickets?

Is that thing even yours? Why aren’t you hurrying to turn it over instead of feigning integrity with an auction!

Wang Yunxiao was now so distrustful, he wouldn’t believe a word related to the Shen Family.

However, the immediate priority wasn’t to probe the subtle intentions of the Shen Family but to discern the full picture of the event.

"So, you rushed over here all of a sudden because you received a call for help, that a witch commanded a swarm of rats to attack them?"

Ito Hidemi finally understood why he was in conflict with Wang Yunxiao.

It was simply an unexpected coincidence.

Yes, a coincidence.

"Are there often witches, or should I say, black-furred rats causing trouble around this seaside district?"

Wang Yunxiao couldn’t make sense of this.

Given the circumstances at that time, it was clear that the witch was the prime suspect. Zhou Qing was a citizen of Ming Country, dead or alive he was a ghost of Ming. Never mind my identity, I’m nothing but my two axes on the surface. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

You, being a Fusang naturalized citizen, why would you suspect us instead of the obviously problematic witch first?

And this was precisely why Wang Yunxiao felt such a strong distrust toward Ito Hidemi at that time.

"Yes, that’s quite normal."

Unexpectedly, Ito Hidemi gave such a nuanced response, "You can ask Captain Yan; those black-furred rats have no true loyalty or standing—they care only for benefits and will dare anything. They’re almost impossible to exterminate completely, and even if you ignore them, they will end up killing each other. On my first day in Tianmen, the chief already told me not to waste my time trying to kill rats."

"And what about the witch?"

"There are many witches who rely on their looks and magic power to make a living in the seaside district. Many wealthy families like to employ witches for their households; they’re extremely useful both in and out of bed."

"Wealthy families? Like the Shen family?"

"The Third Young Master Shen has kept an entire witch family with him, reportedly serving him through generations ..."

Wang Yunxiao smirked and sarcastically said to Yan Yu’an, "We country folks haven’t seen much of the world, but the customs in your seaside district are really quite something."

Yan Yu’an helplessly said, "Let’s set aside the witch for now, continue, how did the National Salvation Warriors die?"

"The Imperial Divine Shrine Maiden from Fusang itself."

Ito Hidemi replied without hesitation, "Whether it’s the Yamata Technique or the Eight Slashes, both are signature martial arts of the Imperial Divine Shrine Maiden, impossible for others to mimic. This originates from the legend extracted from ’manufactured mythology’ after the Master of Ten Thousand Transformations slaughtered Orochi. In some sense, it’s also considered a type of ritual magic for sacrificing Orochi."

"Simply put, the image of Orochi originated from the ancient Fusang people’s reverence and imagination of the ocean. The so-called Yamata Techniques have many other names like Snake Bite, Swallowing Land, and nowadays, the more popular Eight Maidens... Tracing its origin, it fundamentally comes from the ancient people’s imagination of waves striking the rocks."

What are they on about, even bringing up Eight Maidens? Can they also start a fire?

Having not witnessed the crime scene, Wang Yunxiao couldn’t grasp what Ito Hidemi was saying and found it absurd.

Are Fusang people just being overly dramatic after a full meal?

"When did the Imperial Divine Shrine Maiden come to Tianmen and why was I not informed?" Yan Yu’an furrowed his brows. "Such a prominent figure would definitely have to register, and her personal luggage would need to go through customs inspections, could it be an imitative crime?"

"Not everyone bears such deep grudges."

"That’s also true..."

In this era, the people of Ming Country’s attitude toward the Fusang people was no different from how they treated people from other places.

Fusang had become an autonomous region; there wasn’t so much hatred anymore. Even in history textbooks, these events would probably just get a brief mention, not even marked as important for exams.

The only ones truly locked in a life-and-death struggle with Fusang Salvation Warriors are the Fusang naturalized citizens.

Yan Yu’an asked Ito Hidemi, "Is there any way to contact this Divine Shrine Maiden?"

Ito Hidemi helplessly spread his hands: "I don’t even know who came."

"Why not send a telegram to ask?"

"Let’s try, but don’t get your hopes up..."

So this was another headless case.

"Next is the hospital case. Based on the clues you’ve gathered so far, those samurais killed a family of three for no apparent reason, sent a severed hand, and then the girl’s body was tampered with by the Human Skin Painter..."

Yan Yu’an couldn’t help but rub his temples: "Why is it so messy? Have you called Cheng Xuefei? What did she say?"

"She said she doesn’t know."

Wang Yunxiao interrupted: "What does Cheng Xuefei have to do with this?"

"Shen Qingxi is a member of Cheng Xuefei’s team. A couple of days ago, she invited Cheng Xuefei’s team to Shen Garden to protect the Imperial Jade Seal."

"The Imperial Jade Seal was stolen from me by the people of the Shen Family. Who are they guarding against?"

"Obviously, they’re guarding against you."

Yan Yu’an said irritably: "The Imperial Jade Seal is such an important artifact. It was stolen by the Swallow Sect for so many years, and now it suddenly reappears. Who knows what kind of conspiracy is behind this?"

"So now I’m the bad guy?"

Wang Yunxiao almost laughed: "Cheng Xuefei says she doesn’t know, and you guys just believe she knows nothing?"

"I trust her."

Yan Yu’an looked at Wang Yunxiao earnestly: "The key issue now is that neither you nor she can prove your innocence. You suspect she has ulterior motives, and she suspects you have ulterior motives."

"Swallow Sect, after all, is just a Jianghu World Gang. You say you want to use the Jade Seal as bait, but what right do you have to fish? What happens if you do catch a fish? Do you intend to dispense vigilante justice, ignoring the law?"

"Similarly, it’s the same with the Shen Family. You assume something is wrong with the Shen Family from the start..."

"First of all, I didn’t assume from the start."

Wang Yunxiao corrected: "Whether the Shen Family has problems is clear to everyone, I don’t need to talk more about it. I admit it’s like a dog chasing a rat, I lack the qualification and standing to investigate the Shen Family. So, from the beginning, I have not made a move against the Shen Family, just collecting evidence. You can’t say that just because the Shen Family are the dragon’s ministers, they can be lawless and even collecting evidence is forbidden, right?"

"Secondly, the Shen Family mass-training Human Skin Painters, that fact can’t be faked. Can Cheng Xuefei simply vouch for the Shen Family by saying she doesn’t know?"

"Don’t get excited..."

"I’m not excited at all."

Wang Yunxiao turned to look at Ito Hidemi: "Do I look very excited right now?"

"No."

Ito Hidemi unconsciously touched his own chest, feeling a bit stifled.

"I have an idea."

Yan Yu’an glanced around and lowered his voice: "Let’s assume for now that neither you nor Cheng Xuefei are problematic. Let’s temporarily step out of this case and calmly think, why is there such chaos?"

"Is it possible that including your and Cheng Xuefei’s conflicts, all of this is no coincidence, but a trap meticulously designed to ensnare us all?"

Wang Yunxiao laughed: "Then this person must be quite powerful, needing to consider all situations including our personal information, character, stance..."

At this point, he suddenly realized, raised an eyebrow, and looked at Yan Yu’an.

"You couldn’t possibly be suspecting..."

"Why can’t I suspect them?"

Yan Yu’an looked impassively at Xing Hong, the special commissioner from the Special Service Bureau, standing in the distance: "It’s not their first time doing this kind of thing."