Tonight was destined to be a sleepless night.
With a large student body, news of what happened in the school tonight had somehow leaked, and the students were soon aware of it.
They couldn't believe that Principal Tang, whom they always saw as kind and approachable, was actually a murderer who had been hiding for eight years, and that Huang Shihui, whom they thought was just faking madness to extort money, was actually persistently searching for her father's whereabouts.
A murder case, separated by eight years, had temporarily come to a close tonight.
The police originally wanted Yan Shouyi and the others to give more statements, but a single phone call from Yan Shouyi to Ye Chengfu resolved everything.
To avoid trouble, Yan Shouyi also asked Ye Chengfu not to reveal his involvement in tonight's case.
His primary purpose for coming to Shanghang Art School was to retrieve Chen Dawei's soul, and he didn't want to attract any more trouble.
As Yan Shouyi said goodbye to Lin Zhitong and he and Long Feicheng had just returned to their dormitory, Yan Shouyi received a call from Xia Zhi. As expected, Tang Hongkai was apprehended in the villa's basement, as Yan Shouyi had predicted, along with six women he had been keeping and a room full of cash.
Who knew how much he had skimmed and how many bad deeds he had done over the past eight years, climbing from a mere logistics department director to the current position of vice-principal.
Xia Zhi would follow up on the specific details of the case, determined to apprehend everyone involved in the Huang Song burial case.
However, Yan Shouyi was no longer very interested in the aftermath, as he already knew everything.
Huang Song was an upright teacher. He discovered that Tang Hongkai had skimmed money during the construction of the playground and used substandard materials, putting students at risk of poisoning if they stayed on the playground for extended periods. Thus, Huang Song kept reporting it, but his complaints were suppressed by higher-ups each time. Tang Hongkai surely wanted to pay Huang Song hush money, but Huang Song refused it all and vowed to expose Tang Hongkai.
Ultimately, Tang Hongkai could no longer tolerate it and murdered Huang Song to silence him, burying him beneath the problematic playground.
Eight years had passed in the blink of an eye. During these eight years, Huang Shihui had inherited Huang Song's resolve, refusing to give up until her goal was achieved, insisting that the school provide an explanation.
It was precisely because Huang Shihui inherited this trait from Huang Song that, through her persistence, she met Yan Shouyi, leading to the cracking of this tragic case that had been unjustly buried for eight years.
And Tang Hongkai would ultimately receive the punishment he deserved.
However, there were still many unanswered questions surrounding the Huang Song burial case, which forced Yan Shouyi to ponder them.
Upon returning to the dormitory, the carefree Long Feicheng hummed a tune and went to take a shower, while Yan Shouyi took out his wooden bird and held it, saying:
"Brother Wei might be a bit unreliable, but he doesn't seem like the type to betray secrets. If he was involved behind the scenes in today's kidnapping of Huang Shihui, then he likely has some leverage held over him by Tang Hongkai."
"...You say that mysterious person is more worth paying attention to? That's true. That mysterious person actually raises minor ghosts, so he shouldn't be a decent person. But he must be a well-known feng shui master in Rongcheng, otherwise, he wouldn't know Zhitong."
"...Let's put Zhitong's matter aside for now. Don't interrupt. I'm more concerned about the Ghost King family. The mysterious person said that the minor ghost we killed was a child from the Bai family of Feifeng Mountain. I wonder what kind of status this Bai family holds in Rongcheng."
"...I already told you, stop mentioning Zhitong. Are you still going on about it??"
After a conversation with the wooden bird, Yan Shouyi, annoyed, shoved it back into his satchel.
Long Feicheng, who had finished showering, stood on the balcony wearing only swim trunks and burst into laughter, "This is the first time I've seen someone argue with a piece of wood! Hahaha!"
Yan Shouyi rolled his eyes at Long Feicheng and then threw out four talismans.
Descendants of Lu Ban were known for keeping their promises. These four talismans included three ghost-repelling talismans and one palm thunder talisman. Since Long Feicheng had put in effort tonight, Yan Shouyi naturally wouldn't mistreat him.
Overjoyed to receive the four talismans, Long Feicheng was particularly thrilled with the unique palm thunder talisman. He examined it from all angles, almost stuffing it back into his pants for safekeeping.
"My stock isn't much either. Use these talismans sparingly," Yan Shouyi reminded him.
"Understood, understood!"
Long Feicheng quickly found a place to store the talismans and happily offered Yan Shouyi a cigarette. The two brothers sat on the balcony, enjoying the cool breeze and puffing away.
Just then, Yan Shouyi's phone suddenly rang. When he answered, it was an unfamiliar voice. Upon inquiring, he learned it was Du Ping, the Director of Moral Education at Shanghang Art School.
Their first meeting had been somewhat unpleasant, but since Du Ping was his superior, Yan Shouyi politely greeted him. Du Ping said, "An outstanding alumnus is returning to give a speech this Saturday. You are the captain of the security team, and you will be responsible for the safety and order of the scene. Remember to attend a meeting in the administrative building conference room tomorrow!"
Long Feicheng interjected from the side, "Which outstanding alumnus is it?"
"The big star Dong Xi!" Du Ping said, then hung up the phone.
Listening to the beeping sound from the phone, the two exchanged startled glances.
That celebrity, who was too fair-skinned and would be admitted to the ICU for a minor scratch, was actually an alumnus of Shanghang Art School.
The two of them had some past grievances with Dong Xi and hadn't expected to meet him so soon.
Long Feicheng said disdainfully, "He's considered an outstanding alumnus? It seems Shanghang Art School is nothing special!"
In this era, popularity reigned supreme. As long as one had fans, regardless of their excellence, they could become a tool for making money.
Yan Shouyi also disliked Dong Xi.
So he said, "How about on Saturday, I turn a blind eye and you go beat him up while Dong Xi is resting?"
"Can I?" Long Feicheng, for the first time, wasn't cowardly.
If it were someone else, Long Feicheng would have felt it was unlikely. He was as skinny as a monkey, and whether he could win a fight was still an issue.
But when it came to Dong Xi, Long Feicheng was confident that he could take him down even if he let him have one hand!
"Of course, we're not real security guards!" Yan Shouyi laughed heartily.
Long Feicheng looked at Yan Shouyi in surprise. He realized that despite Yan Shouyi's seemingly pure and honest appearance, he had more mischievous ideas than Long Feicheng himself.
Moreover, when it came to dirty tricks and ruthless actions, ten of him couldn't match Yan Shouyi!
After a hearty laugh, Yan Shouyi also took a shower and went straight to bed without any further idle talk.
Tonight's events had taken a toll on Yan Shouyi's energy. He needed to rest well to recover.
...
The next day.
Today was Thursday, two days before Saturday.
Yan Shouyi, uncharacteristically, slept until noon. After waking up, he didn't go on duty. Instead, he called Long Feicheng, and the two of them left the school together.
Today, he had two things to do. The first was to find some herbs at a Chinese medicine shop to treat Lin Zhitong's injuries from last night. The second was to find someone to inquire about the Bai family of Feifeng Mountain.
Neither task was difficult, but since Yan Shouyi was unfamiliar with the area, he would likely need the help of Long Feicheng, the knowledgeable one.
When Long Feicheng heard about Yan Shouyi's predicament, he patted his chest and said the matter was under his control.
Thus, the two of them took three bus routes, enduring a bumpy two-hour journey, before finally finding a rather old-looking Chinese medicine shop in the suburbs of Rongcheng.
The shop was simple, with a storefront and a back room, separated by tall medicinal shelves. Through the shelves, one could see a simple single bed in the back room, with a bowl of overcooked noodles on the table in front of it.
"Huichuntang?"
Yan Shouyi looked up at the sign with the flamboyant calligraphy and couldn't help but doubt himself.
Had Long Feicheng brought him to some disreputable medicine shop?
Long Feicheng chuckled, "Brother Yan, although the shop looks disreputable, the owner is quite capable. My master used to often ask me to come here to fetch his medicine."
"Yes, your master has kidney deficiency. Besides my place, there isn't another person in the entire Rongcheng who can make him vigorous again!"
A slightly lewd voice suddenly sounded from behind them.
They turned around and saw a fat, balding middle-aged man wearing a white vest and holding a fan, looking at Long Feicheng with a sly grin.
Looking at the man's face, Yan Shouyi could only think of two words.
Lustful and sleazy.
If he had to add a degree to these two words.
Extremely lustful and extremely sleazy!
The man raised his short eyebrows, first giving Long Feicheng a knowing look, then sizing up Yan Shouyi:
"Young man, your complexion is sallow, and your brow is dark. This indicates a weak kidney! Isn't it a coincidence that I happen to have a secret ancestral recipe? I guarantee that after taking it, you'll be like a red flag that never falls and a colorful flag that always flutters, restoring your male virility! I don't usually give this prescription to just anyone, but seeing as you are Little Long's friend and are so young, I can't bear to refuse! How about this, I'll give you a 25% discount. Not 998, not 588, just 388. Take the prescription home, and if you're not vigorous after taking it, you can come find me!"