Chapter 10, The Hanging Corpse

Upon arriving at the scene, several individuals in police uniforms were gathered nearby, smoking and chatting idly. When they saw Shu Yi and Shi Qing approaching, they remained silent, merely glancing at the busy Ye Qinghan and Xi Men Wuwang. Shu Yi smiled at them, but not a single person acknowledged him, and their gazes were not particularly friendly.

Xi Qing sighed: "Amitabha, even the Buddha would lose His temper if they continue like this."

As he walked, Ye Qinghan said, "Shu Chu, we found nothing at the scene; the opponent's counter-surveillance capabilities are very strong, and the site was handled very cleanly." Xi Men Wuwang replied, "It's not just the scene; it seems that the road leading to the site has also been tampered with." Shu Yi looked at Xi Men with a hint of approval in his eyes: "Not entirely; at least they left us a little something on the road." With that, he took out the piece of rosin.

Ximen stated: "The deceased should have been covered by a pillow or a quilt, inhaling a small amount of fluff."

Shu Yi said, "If the place where the body was discovered is not the primary scene, then they must have left some clues along the way." After walking for about two kilometers, Shu Yi stopped and picked something up from the ground: "Little monk, what do you think this is?" Shi Qing glanced at it and found that it was a small piece of rosin.

After Ye Qinghan and the others left, Shu Yi's steps became even slower, and his eyes wandered everywhere, as if he were leisurely enjoying the scenery. Shi Qing also remained silent, closely following Shu Yi; when Shu Yi walked quickly, he did too, and when Shu Yi walked slowly, he matched his pace. Shu Yi turned his head to glance at him: "Little monk, don't you want to know what I am doing?" Shi Qing smiled faintly: "You must have your reasons for doing this; if you don't say anything, why should I ask?"

Yan Ling was sitting at the stairway, smoking a dry cigarette. Upon seeing them return, he did not bother with pleasantries and quickly stepped forward to grab Ye Hai, saying: "Why did you turn off your phone? Your colleagues are anxious to reach you; you should call them back quickly." After saying this, he turned to Shuyi and the others, revealing a simple smile: "Mr. Shu, you are back? Please, have a seat for a moment; I will go prepare dinner."

Ye Hai said, "I kindly offered to help him, but who knew he was busy all by himself, not saying a word, as if I didn't exist at all." Shu Yi remained silent and walked straight towards Xi Men, who was examining the body, while Ye Qinghan and Xiao Sheng were carefully inspecting the scene nearby. Xi Men was deeply focused and did not notice Shu Yi and the others' arrival; without looking up, he said, "Miss Ye Hai, please help me by bringing the camera."

The sentiment is still quite perplexing: "If they are our opponents, why would they leave behind the rosin?" Shu Yi said, "It is for the same reason as leaving the qin; the opponent is overly confident. They are provoking us, mocking us, and even if they leave us a hint, we remain utterly powerless."

Shu Yi asked, "How do you determine the timing of this?" Xi Men Wu Wang replied, "This type of simple tattooing technique is generally performed by non-professionals. You can see that the tattoo's patterns have become somewhat blurred due to skin aging. Based on the degree of blurriness and the aging cycle of the skin, it is quite easy to make a judgment.

Shu Yi asked in return, "What do you think?" Ye Qinghan replied, "I suspect someone has leaked our whereabouts." Shu Yi said lightly, "Then who do you think it could be?" Ye Qinghan shook his head, "I don't know." Shu Yi smiled and said, "It's you." Ye Qinghan was startled by Shu Yi's words, "Shu, this is not something to say lightly, how could it possibly be me?"

Ye Qinghan sat down, while Shu Yi leaned against the table by the bed: "I remember you were once Peng Gang's deputy, and you happened to be present when Peng Gang had his incident six years ago. I believe you had already entered their line of sight six years ago, so as long as you appear in Ximing, we will naturally attract their attention. In other words, since I agreed to let you join this team, I have not thought that our movements could remain confidential."

Ye Qinghan's face turned slightly red: "So that's how it is, Shu Chu, I..." He didn't know what to say. Shu Yi smiled: "What about you? This has nothing to do with you. Besides, isn't it more interesting to play a fair game with your opponent?" Shi Qing sat by the bed, looking at his scriptures, seemingly uninterested in the conversation between Shu Yi and Ye Qinghan.

Shu Yi crouched down: "Ximen, have you found anything?" Only then did Ximen look up at Shu Yi, without any pleasantries: "The deceased is approximately between 68 and 70 years old, male. The time of death was around 3 AM today. The cause of death was asphyxiation; it appears he was smothered while in deep sleep. Look here." Shu Yi peered into the deceased's nose and noticed a small amount of white fluff.

Yehai entered without knocking: "Mr. Shu, you were indeed correct. Our two colleagues who stayed in Qian Niu Valley to investigate the giant ape discovered a corpse hanging on a cliff deep in the canyon at around 3 PM this afternoon. The deceased is male, aged between 65 and 70 years, and the preliminary assessment suggests that the time of death was last night."

Shu Yi, undeterred by the astonishment of Ye Hai, continued, "The time for the transaction should have been yesterday, and ultimately, the person who completed the transaction has indeed appeared at hetushu.com. Congratulations, Miss Ye Hai, you have solved another case."

Ye Hai brought a camera and handed a pair of white gloves to Shu Yi. Shu Yi put on the gloves, gently lifted the deceased's hands, examined them carefully, and then set them down again: "Are there any other findings?" Xi Men Wu Wang said: "There is a tattoo on the deceased's left arm, but this pattern is unfamiliar to me; it does not resemble an ordinary design, but rather looks like some kind of symbol."

At around 4:00 PM, Shu Yi and the others returned to their home in Xincheng Ye Hai.

Yehai glanced at Shuyi and pouted before leaving

Shu Yi asked, "Have you already reported it to the police?" Ye Hai nodded. Shu Yi said, "Let's go take a look"

Shi Qing said: "Indeed, it looks as if someone has deliberately cleaned it up." Shu Yi nodded and replied: "Yes, think about it, tourists hardly ever come here. Who would clean this place so thoroughly? If someone went to the trouble of making it so clean, why would they leave this piece of rosin behind?"

"Aren't you even a little curious?" Yehai asked in the car on the way back. Shuyi glanced at Yehai lightly and replied, "Why should I be curious?" Yehai pouted and fell silent, feeling quite uncomfortable, as if she were being ignored.

Ye Hai was completely stunned, and after a long pause, he finally said, "How did you know?" Shu Yi replied, "Actually, if you think about it, it's not hard to guess. However, I do have a question for you: that so-called giant ape shouldn't be one of yours, right?" Ye Hai shook his head and said, "No, our people went to investigate afterward and found no trace of it."

Yehai took out his phone and glanced at it; it was out of battery

She said apologetically to Shu Yi: "I will go back to the room to make a phone call"

Ye Qinghan glanced at the coconut sea in the rearview mirror and smiled. Ximen Wuwang took out a pack of cigarettes, handed one to Shu Yi, and lit one for himself. Shu Yi held the cigarette to his nose and sniffed: "Ximen, you have quite a strong craving for cigarettes." Ximen Wuwang replied with a smile: "Aside from cigarettes and alcohol, I have no other hobbies." Shu Yi said: "I don't like drinking; just the smell makes me uncomfortable. I prefer tea, but I don't have any particular preferences."

The vehicle can only reach the entrance of Qian Niu Valley, which is still four to five kilometers away from the crime scene, so everyone can only proceed on foot. Shu Yi said: "It is cold; you, Ximen, and Xiao Sheng should go ahead with Ye Hai. Coordinate with the police and temporarily leave the scene to us. My physical condition is not as good as yours, and I walk slowly. Shi Qing can accompany me."

Shu Yi whispered softly in her ear, "It seems your colleagues have some objections to us." Ye Hai replied with a bitter smile, "How could they not have objections with you all stealing the spotlight?" Shu Yi asked, "What have you discovered?" Ye Hai said, "You might as well ask him yourself." She made a gesture towards Officer Xi Men. Shu Yi laughed and said, "What’s wrong? Has our Officer Xi Men upset you?"

Yehai could no longer contain himself: "Mr. Shu, don't you want to know what my mission in Ximing is? Don't you want to know why I brought you all to Lingyin Terrace?"

Shu Yi said softly, "What do you think this symbol represents if it is indeed a sign?" Xi Men Wu Wang shook his head, saying, "I don't know about that." Shu Yi then looked up at Ye Hai and said, "Take a picture of it." After saying this, he stood up and addressed Ye Qinghan and Xiao Sheng, who were not far away, "Have you finished your inspection over there? If you have, let's leave and return the scene to the police comrades."

Shi Qing said, "Is this intentionally left by the deceased?" Shu Yi smiled and replied, "Perhaps it was also left by our counterparts and the library. Let's go, we should hurry over, there's no need to search any further; we won't find any clues even if we do." Shi Qing asked in confusion, "Why?" Shu Yi said, "From Qian Niu Valley to the canyon, what have you discovered?" Shi Qing shook his head. Shu Yi continued, "The path in the canyon is too clean; not even a single fallen leaf can be seen. Don't you think that's quite unusual?" Let's go, we should hurry over, there's no need to search any further; we won't find any clues even if we do." Shi Qing asked in confusion, "Why?" Shu Yi said, "From Qian Niu Valley to the canyon, what have you discovered?" Shi Qing shook his head. Shu Yi continued, "The path in the canyon is too clean; not even a single fallen leaf can be seen. Don't you think that's quite unusual?"

Shu Yi shook his head: "I am not speaking nonsense." He patted Ye Qinghan's shoulder: "And you need not be anxious, take a seat, and I will tell you why."

Ye Qinghan did not return to his own room, but instead followed into Shu Yi's room. He glanced at Shu Yi, then at Shi Qing, who was in the same room as Shu Yi. Shu Yi said, "If there is anything to say, just say it; we are all not outsiders." Ye Qinghan replied, "Shu, why did we let the other party keep an eye on us as soon as we arrived in Ximing?"

Ye Hai was busy following Xi Men Wu Wang and, upon seeing Shu Yi approach, went to greet him

Ye Hai did not leave with Shu Yi and the others; she chose to stay and work with her colleagues

Shu Yi smiled and said: "I am not interested in what mission you have in Ximing, and besides, you have your own discipline. However, I know that you must be trying to prevent some kind of transaction, and the location of the transaction should be at Lingyin Terrace. The reason you brought us to Lingyin Terrace is that your companions are stationed there and cannot leave. You want to confirm whether we are indeed the people you are looking for, or more precisely, whether we are the other party in the transaction. Therefore, you have no choice but to find a way to lead us there."

He picked up the deceased's sleeve; the tattoo was not large, about the size of a one-yuan coin. The design was simple, resembling a waning crescent moon, with an upward arrow above it. The pattern was not intricate, likely done with blue-black ink after being needle-pricked. Ximen Wuwang said, "This tattoo should be about thirty years old"