"I haven't heard of that," the middle-aged man said.
Zhao Yan hummed in agreement, "A small sect in the martial world, they know a few acrobatic tricks to survive."
"Since the investigation is clear, can I go back now?"
She still had five talismans to mail out, after all, the money had already been transferred.
"Actually, we invited Miss Zhao here to assist in the investigation. This case is quite tricky; it's no longer an ordinary case," the middle-aged man said.
Zhao Yan chuckled and waved her hand, "I'm sorry, I have to go back to work."
Assisting in investigations was exhausting, and she wouldn't do it for nothing.
"There's a reward of 300,000 yuan upon completion." The middle-aged man said. kuAiδugg
Zhao Yan slammed the table abruptly.
"It is my honor to serve the country, Zhao Yan! When do we start working, everyone!"
The two middle-aged men were taken aback by Zhao Yan's imposing presence. One of them said, "We can start anytime. The surrounding police officers can cooperate."
Seeing the respect the people around them showed to the two middle-aged men, Zhao Yan inquired.
She learned that these two middle-aged men belonged to the Special Investigation Bureau.
The Special Investigation Bureau was responsible for investigating extremely mysterious cases.
Ordinary people would hardly know of their existence. While they appeared to be assisting in investigations on the surface, they actually held significant authority.
These two middle-aged men were transferred from the provincial level.
Upon learning more about them, Zhao Yan discovered they both shared the surname Bai.
The elder brother was born three seconds before the younger brother. The elder brother was Bai Guangnian, and the younger brother was Bai Guangyue.
Their telepathic connection reached ninety percent.
"Miss Zhao, you've seen the surveillance footage. Now, please analyze it for us so we can understand your thought process," Bai Guangnian said.
"Alright, Captain Bai," Zhao Yan replied, standing up.
"This bronze statue is a 'Tong Xin Xiang.' I saw one when I was traveling with my master in the martial world."
"When we passed through a village called Liushui Village, they used this kind of Tong Xin Xiang because they worshipped a deity named Da Tian Po Mu. When an 18-year-old girl died, her tomb would be buried with a Tong Xin Xiang, symbolizing that the maiden would go to serve the Mother Goddess by her side."
"The maiden's parents would also receive blessings from the Mother Goddess because their daughter was serving her."
After speaking, Zhao Yan sat back down.
Thinking of something, she stood up again, "However, I've never seen a double-sided Tong Xin Xiang before."
She had only ever seen single-sided Tong Xin Xiang.
Bai Guangnian nodded, "Miss Zhao is indeed very knowledgeable. According to our investigation, this Tong Xin Xiang did originate from Liushui Village."
"This Tong Xin Xiang appears to be an old artifact. Coupled with the Sanskrit script and the special patterns on it, Liu Tan's father mistook it for an antique and bought it for 500,000 yuan."
"But the other Tong Xin Xiang had no issues. Why did this particular Tong Xin Xiang cause problems?" Bai Guangnian asked.
Zhao Yan shook her head, unsure why this Tong Xin Xiang had malfunctioned.
It was her first time seeing a double-sided Tong Xin Xiang.
"Can I go see the four deceased victims?" Zhao Yan asked softly.
"Certainly."
They stood up, and Zhao Yan followed behind them.
"Could this be a murder case disguised as a supernatural incident?" Officer Wu asked.
"Liu Tan is not the killer. He's lame; he couldn't have killed four people."
"However, nothing is impossible. This is a possibility," Bai Guangnian said.
They arrived at the autopsy center.
The four bodies were laid out together.
Zhao Yan walked over and pulled back the white sheets.
The eyes of the four corpses were wide open, and their mouths were stretched to their widest extent.
Especially for the two male bodies, there was a physiological reaction.
"When some people experience extreme fear, they can have such a reaction," the forensic doctor beside them explained.
Saying this, he turned the bodies over.
Zhao Yan discovered strange imprints on their backs.
On the back of each body was an Yin-Yang diagram, with Yin on the left and Yang on the right.
In the center of the Yin-Yang diagram were several peculiar patterns.
"Miss Zhao, have you seen these patterns?" Bai Guangnian asked.
Zhao Yan looked closely, a hint of confusion appearing on her face.
She seemed to have seen the patterns in the center of this Yin-Yang diagram somewhere before.
She immediately took out a yellowed book from her backpack.
"This is the Yin-Yang Great Scripture given to me by an old hermit," Zhao Yan explained, licking her lips slightly and flipping through it.
When she reached the middle, she finally found the diagram.
"This is a diagram of a torture method from the eighteen levels of hell, specifically for punishing those who indulge in pleasure and cause harm to others," Zhao Yan said softly.
Recalling something, Zhao Yan asked, "Right, Brother Bai, you mentioned earlier that there were victims who committed suicide before this, correct?"
Bai Guangnian nodded, "Yes!"
Zhao Yan hummed, "Were there any similar diagrams then? If so, could you bring them for me to see?"
Bai Guangnian gave a signal to someone behind him. The bodies had already been cremated, but photographs had been taken.
Zhao Yan took the photographs. The pictures showed four men in black.
These four men had tattoos of dragons and tigers, and the man in the middle even had a White Impermanence tattoo.
Turning them over to their backs, she saw the same strange patterns.
The Yin-Yang diagrams were identical, but the patterns within the Yin-Yang diagrams were different.
"This is also from the eighteen levels of hell. Those who have committed many evil deeds will be thrown into the oil pot after death."
These patterns depicted the oil pot torture in the eighteen levels of hell.
"Miss Zhao, what is your assessment?" Bai Guangyue asked.
Zhao Yan fell silent for a moment, looking at the bodies.
At first, she thought the double-sided Tong Xin Xiang was too malevolent, causing them to be unable to withstand it and meet their demise.
But upon closer thought, it was likely not that simple.
"I'm afraid it is indeed human intervention."
"Oh? Could it be that someone is killing people under the guise of supernatural incidents?"
Zhao Yan said, "I believe the person behind this wants to achieve immortality."
"It is said that those who achieve immortality either undergo great tribulations or encounter celestial destinies."
"Those who encounter celestial destinies have a connection with immortals. Those who do not can only walk the path of tribulation, enduring hardships to achieve immortality."
"The suffering of hell is also a form of hardship. The person behind this, unable to endure hardship, naturally wants to borrow the suffering of others to overcome the tribulation and become an immortal."
After Zhao Yan finished speaking, she noticed everyone around her staring at her.
She knew her analysis was a bit far-fetched and detached from reality.
But what if someone truly believed in this and had even acted upon it?
"All four of them died of fright, with no external injuries," the forensic doctor said, seeing the awkward atmosphere.
Zhao Yan hummed, "If their minds couldn't handle it, they would naturally die of fright. Oh, right, wasn't there still Liu Tan who didn't die? Can I go see him?"
If the top patron had gone mad, she definitely had to see him.