Chapter 8, the eighth victim

Ah! No way? Yi Shiqi jumped up, this is too absurd, Yigu invited the doctor himself, and there is no connection to this place at all

Yishiqi was taken aback, while Xiaohua nervously clutched his arm, her gaze fixed intently on Officer Wang

However, up to this point, our multiple test results have shown no signs of poisoning in the deceased said the renowned forensic expert from the province

Yishiqi knelt beside the corpse, filled with an inexplicable sadness. Yigudu, it was originally none of your business; it was I who forcibly dragged you onto the train, thus wasting your life in vain. You once said that this is a new type of poison, and as long as we find the worm, we can trace back to the one who cast the spell and unravel the mystery of the deaths in Shanyin Village. I know you released the golden silkworm, hoping it would capture this mysterious worm, but it ended in failure. ... You once said that this is a new type of poison, and as long as we find the worm, we can trace back to the one who cast the spell and unravel the mystery of the deaths in Shanyin Village. I know you released the golden silkworm, hoping it would capture this mysterious worm, but it ended in failure. ... I vaguely suspect that it must be that old witch...

In the dead of night, Yi Shiqi and his group arrived at the old woman's farmhouse in the mountains, but the front door was tightly locked, indicating that the old woman had not yet returned. At dawn, everyone split into two groups: one group continued to wait at the old woman's house, while the other group, led by Yi Shiqi, set off on foot along the mountain path towards Shanyin Village. If they encountered anyone along the way, they would immediately apprehend them and escort them back to Shanyang Town

The officers present began to whisper among themselves, and one of the experts from the department spoke up: "There are indeed records of such things as 'gu' in historical texts, but we have never encountered them in practice. Moreover, from a biological perspective, when different species of venomous insects bite each other, the one that remains is merely the one that is less injured or uninjured. It is impossible for this to result in genetic mutation, transforming into a murderous insect, especially one that can kill continuously according to a schedule. This is completely inexplicable."

How did he die? Yi Shiqi was parched and dry-throated

After the meeting, Yi Shiqi stayed behind to have a boxed meal with everyone. He then set off with a group of scouts, driving through the night to take a detour to the old lady's house in the mountains, while the other scouts were led by police officers from the local station to search for the old lady's whereabouts throughout the area of Shanyang Town during the night

The girl nodded understandingly and turned to leave

Officer Wang nodded and said, "Alright, I am here to take you to identify the body."

Director Zhao sighed, "Unfortunately, the tape recorded neither images nor sounds; it is empty"

At the same time, based on the address on the Iqdu ID card, contact was made with his relatives through the local public security authority to handle the aftermath matters

As the sun sets in the west, the afterglow of the setting sun illuminates the undulating Wumeng Mountains, revealing a golden hue. Birds are returning to their nests in the woods, with occasional calls echoing through the air. Several officers from the investigation teams stand within the yellow cordon that has been set up.

The head of the investigation team, Director Zhao of the County Public Security Bureau, stated: "Regardless of whether it is so-called poison from a curse, I believe we need to find that old woman."

Upon hearing this, the police officers all ceased their discussions and fell into deep contemplation

Yishiqi stared in astonishment, unable to utter a word

"Dying with a smile, just the same," Officer Wang said with a wry smile

"What are you saying? What old witch? What else do you know?" Officer Wang asked warily

"It is the old witch!" Yi Shiqi exclaimed inadvertently.

"Igudu!" Yishiqi exclaimed.

"Come with me to report to the investigation team immediately," Officer Wang said eagerly

Yishiqi took out the letter from Li Xihua from his pocket and said: "This was written to me a few hours before Li Xihua was murdered on the night of September 7. He mentioned that he had set up a video recording device in the room that day. Was there no discovery at all?"

"Eighth place? How is that possible? There are only seven households," Yi Shiqi questioned.

He spoke eloquently after rearranging the knowledge about Gu that he had heard from Yigudu, and then he recounted in detail his experience of spending the night at the old woman's house deep in the mountains of Yigudu, as well as the incident of the golden silkworm consuming the five-colored poisonous spider.

Currently, it is known that only that old woman in the vicinity of Shanyin Village practices witchcraft, and she was seen near the scene of the murder in Yigudu around noon today. This old witch is most likely the culprit.

"Xiao Hua, you should go back first. Don't go there; I will find you later," Yi Shiqi said thoughtfully, as he was concerned that she might face intimidation again

If someone were to come to Shanyin Village to poison again on the fifteenth day of each lunar month?" Yi Shiqi interrupted everyone's discussion

"Comrades of the police, do you know what 'gu' is?" Yi Shiqi looked around the room and, seeing no one respond, decided to explain it himself

Yishiqi stood up and said with a serious expression: "I want to go to the scene"

No trace of the old woman was found along the way, and in the evening, the group returned to Shanyang Town

Shanyang Town Police Station. In the conference room, smoke swirled as the detectives of the investigation team heard that Lecturer Yi Shiqi from Shenzhen University had discovered new clues and had basically identified the murderer. They were all incredulous, believing it was impossible for a cold case that had stumped the investigative forces of the provincial, municipal, and county levels of the police to be easily unraveled by a university feng shui teacher.

"Alright, I have my suspicions about someone." Yi Shiqi decided to lay bare the matter of the old witch.

Therefore, the eight deceased individuals from Shanyin Village are highly likely to have fallen victim to a new type of poison. According to Yigudu's speculation before his death, this is a new kind of poison, and as long as one captures this new type of insect, it would be easy to trace the person who applied the poison. Unfortunately, the tracking golden silkworm released by Yigudu went missing, and he himself also succumbed to the same poison.

The deceased is Igudu said Officer Wang in a low voice

The police expressed their agreement, and everyone voiced their opinions, collectively deeming Yishiqi's analysis to be rather far-fetched

***

Walking along the familiar mountain path, where memories linger vividly, the scenery remains unchanged, yet the people and circumstances have transformed. Yi Shiqi cannot help but feel a deep sense of nostalgia.

Pushing open the door of the town police station, a tall and thin figure stood in the courtyard, his long horse-like face covered with purple pimples

Igu stood by the water pool in Shanyin Village, one long, thin leg stretched into the water. His wide-open eyes stared blankly at the sky, the small, round black pupils filled with confusion. On his long face, covered with purple bumps, the corners of his tightly closed mouth revealed a hint of a strange smile