Chapter 8, The Wheel of Reincarnation Seven

Li Qian looked at him with a pale face

I dislike that it hasn't been washed, so I don't want to wear it close to my body. I put it over my own T-shirt, but later it got a bit hot, so I took it off and stuffed it into my bag

Shen Wei managed a difficult smile in response, but did not speak

a sundial. "I don't know how long it has been," Li Qian finally spoke softly, "It is a family heirloom, now covered in dust. On the back, there is a round plate inlaid with many fish scale-shaped stones, black in color, somewhat resembling obsidian. The old man said it is called..."

Zhao Yunlan furrowed his brows and thought for a moment: "I am certain that I have not seen you at the scene."

She happened to be sitting in a backlit area, her expression appearing increasingly gloomy

As he thought this, he boldly sat down on the hospital bed opposite Li Qian and said, "Classmate, I still have a few questions to ask you."

Zhao Yunlan waited to hear him finish speaking

Oh," Zhao Yunlan thought for a moment, "When you saw her, were there others around at that time?

Then he turned around and said to Zhao Yunlan: "This child has just been stimulated. Officer Zhao, could you please refrain from pressing her too hard, no matter what you ask?"

Shen Wei looked at the other person's handsome face and penetrating gaze, feeling a strong desire to reach out and touch his face. Across the years that had cooled with time, even the slightest contact with the warmth of the other person's skin would be enough

Li Qian's eyes widened in an instant: "I didn't!"

Li Qian initially refused to speak, and Zhao Yunlan sneered: "If you don't say anything, just wait to be entangled by it for a lifetime. Haven't you heard that curiosity killed the cat? Not everything is something you can touch recklessly"

Ah? Ah... I do not...

Li Qian glanced roughly, first shaking her head, then as if suddenly remembering something, she raised her hand to grab that photograph, scrutinizing it for a while before uncertainly asking: "... I seem to have seen someone yesterday who looks a bit like her..."

The sundial completes one full rotation in a day, marking the sun's rise in the east and its set in the west, in a continuous cycle that symbolizes the essence of life and the unending nature of reincarnation. Zhao Yunlan paused subtly at this point, adding, "However, there is another perspective that views reincarnation as a process of constant 'killing,' where the old gives way to the new, and what is lost is lost forever. The past will never return; once a moment has passed, one can only look back but cannot turn back. After a full cycle, one may not even know where to look when glancing back."

"Did you not come from that direction?" Zhao Yunlan interrupted her

That person knows nothing and remembers nothing... ? ... When one crosses the Naihe Bridge and drinks the water of oblivion, passing through the gate of reincarnation where the three good and three evil deeds are judged, the soul is washed clean, bare and empty, what can one remember?

Zhao Yunlan glanced at his watch, the reflection of the old man still visible in the center of the dial, yet the hands of the watch had not turned red—how strange, the vitality of this newly deceased ghost seemed to have intensified

"Why don't you also live in the East District?" Zhao Yunlan asked

Li Qian did not have time to speak and directly responded to him with an expression of utter terror

I... I... Li Qian was at a loss for words, and after hesitating for a while, she finally said in a flustered manner, "I took a detour to buy something..."

"You didn't see me, but I happen to live on the top floor and have seen you. I also saw..." Shen Wei paused for a moment, appropriately revealing an expression as if he had recalled something incredible. "I also saw you capture a shadow from a room on the top floor, stuff it into a bottle, and then say to someone, 'The suspect has been apprehended, everyone can wrap up for the day.'"

Zhao Yunlan inquired: "Were there many people wearing that outfit yesterday"

Her name is Lu Ruomei, a graduate student at Longcheng University. You asked me what happened last night? I am now telling you, your classmate has died, " Zhao Yunlan said slowly, his eyes fixed intently on Li Qian's expression, " and the time of death was approximately around 10 o'clock last night, which means you might have been the last person to see her.

When the two of them walked into the school hospital, they saw Li Qian sitting against the wall with a window, holding a cup of hot sugar water that the school doctor had poured for her

I understand. Zhao Yunlan stared at the space between her eyebrows, leaning slightly forward, with his elbows resting on his knees. After studying for a while, he said, "But I see that your heavenly eye is not open, so theoretically, you shouldn't be able to see anything. The reason you are involved with these things is either due to being born with a light fate or having tampered with something that shouldn't have been touched"

"Most of them are students from our school," Li Qian said, "There aren't too many people... Most of the students are in the new campus, and there weren't many people in the old campus to begin with"

Li Qian bit her lip

It is unclear how much Zhao Yunlan truly believed, but in any case, he did not pursue the matter further

Shen Wei himself knew that he had truly lost his composure too much today... He should not have met Zhao Yunlan.

Shen Wei's words became a bit more fluent, probably after the first lie was spoken, there were no more reservations: "About five or six years ago, when the Twin Towers near Wanquing Bridge experienced twelve consecutive suicides, I was nearing graduation, having just moved out of school, and was looking for a place to rent nearby. At that time, the Twin Towers were experiencing a downturn in business due to the incidents, so the accommodation fees were relatively cheap, and I was one of the few who still dared to live there.

He took out a photo of the deceased from his pocket and asked, "Have you seen this classmate recently?"

"Yes, there are quite a few passersby, and there are also many cars." Li Qian observed his expression and keenly sensed something, asking, "What’s wrong?"

Li Qian looked at him in surprise and hesitantly nodded her head

"Last night," Li Qian thought for a moment, "the library closed, and I just got back. It should have been after 10 o'clock. I went outside the school to buy something, and I seemed to have seen someone at the entrance... I don't quite remember what they were wearing... Ah! That's right, I remember now, it was a welcome T-shirt. I happened to have one as well, which is why I noticed her."

He did not see Shen Wei behind him suddenly tremble

When a living person exhibits signs of death, it indicates that the time has come to extinguish the lights and remove the candles. However, what does it mean when a deceased person shows signs of vitality?

I did not!" Li Qian stood up, took a step back, bent her waist, and faced Zhao Yunlan sideways, instinctively making a defensive gesture, "How could I use the family heirloom to do something bad! You are talking nonsense! You... cough cough..."

Shen Wei unexpectedly met his gaze, and his mind went blank in an instant. For a second or two, he stared blankly at Zhao Yunlan, unable to look away for quite some time

Is it time to be reincarnated

Fortunately, Zhao Yunlan seems to have accepted it. He even jokingly expressed some sentiment: "It was indeed our oversight in our work. According to the rules, we should eliminate the memories of the public that are unrelated to this case, yet I failed to notice you... By the way, how did you feel at that time? Did your entire worldview based on materialism collapse afterward?"

"Reincarnation Disk," Zhao Yunlan said

Zhao Yunlan rubbed his nose and said, "Alright, I won't ask about unrelated matters anymore. One last question, and after I ask it, I will leave immediately."

In my heart, countless times... I dare not see you, yet I know every detail about you... Shen Wei was almost overwhelmed by the impulse to blurt this out, but in the end, what he managed to say with great difficulty was: "In a case you have handled."

"Which time?" Zhao Yunlan asked, somewhat unexpectedly.

Li Qintong's pupils suddenly constricted, and the cup in her hand fell to the ground, shattering. She seemed oblivious, her eye twitching nervously for a moment, her fingers, which had opened unconsciously, trembled slightly, and her lips turned pale.

No, I did not ask you about the university road; I am referring to the small alley at the side entrance of your school. She walked through there, didn't she? Were there any other people in that small alley at the time?

Well, let me rephrase my question: Have you ever used it to do something bad

"But didn't you just say that you had already bought it and came out?" Zhao Yunlan interrupted her again, his tone beginning to grow stern, "Classmate, the police uncle also wants to be a good uncle who 'salutes and shakes hands', and he doesn't want to scare you at all. However, you need to cooperate with the investigation and tell me the truth, right?"

Shen Wei lowered his head and said, "You can check the accommodation records; I am telling the truth."

Shen Wei furrowed his brows, walked over to block Zhao Yunlan's increasingly intense gaze, and patted Li Qian on the back: "Take your time, don't rush."

After an unknown amount of time, Shen Wei finally spoke in a somewhat hoarse voice: "I have seen you."

Zhao Yunlan did not directly answer Li Qian's question, and his deliberate evasion made Li Qian feel uneasy. Her gaze drifted to the side as she nodded slightly, then shook her head in confusion: "I... I can't remember clearly, it seems... maybe? She seemed to have gone that way, but I didn't follow her in. That small alley is a dead end, and usually only those of us living in the eastern campus of our school take that shortcut through the small gate; it is generally quite quiet..." That small alley is a dead end, and usually only those of us living in the eastern campus of our school take that shortcut through the small gate; it is generally quite quiet...

Zhao Yunlan was taken aback: "Not only did you stay there, but you also stayed on the top floor? You certainly have some nerve."

What did you do with it? Zhao Yunlan asked

Have you worn it as well

She became overly emotional and suddenly choked, breaking into a violent cough

Li Qian became nervous again, gripping the hem of her clothes tightly: "... I am telling the truth."

Oh? It seems to be the latter. Tell me, what have you done?" Zhao Yunlan lowered his voice

Zhao Yunlan's expression turned serious: "What time was it yesterday? Do you remember what she was wearing?"

Li Qian could not help but bite her lip, her fingers twisted so tightly that the joints turned pale

Zhao Yunlan raised his hand and knocked on the door, Li Qian shivered and nervously lifted her head. Upon seeing the visitor, she finally let out a slow sigh of relief

What he said is certainly true; he was indeed at the Twin Towers at that time, but it was merely because he wanted to sneak a glance at someone, not for some foolish reason like looking for a house. This lie is half true and half false, yet he spoke it with such exhaustion that it nearly drained him of all his strength

Zhao Yunlan gazed at her in silence

Since Teacher Shen has made it clear that he knows what these people are really doing, Zhao Yunlan no longer avoids the fact that Shen Wei is still present and straightforwardly asks: "Recently, have you been able to see certain things that you shouldn't be seeing?"