Otherworldly Merchant

The police personnel in charge of the Evidence Unit shrieked horribly. He was so shocked that he wanted to run for his life. 

However, he still stood at the door and shakily apologized to Li Yuntian as he blamed himself for such an incident occurring.

Li Yuntian waved his hand, signaling for the officer to not scream and letting him go.

After the policeman had left, Li Yuntian turned to me, his face pale. “Mister Zhang, you meant the corpse came to the police station, sent the message, and then left its hands here?”

I shook my head in confusion. “I don’t think so.”

If the corpse had come here, the officers on night duty would’ve seen it. 

Li Yuntian seemed to remember something. He hurriedly turned on the computer to check the surveillance cameras in the police station last night. 

Indeed, yesterday, the surveillance cameras showed that everything was normal. There weren’t any suspicious movements. 

Li Yuntian asked me, “What should we do now?”

I smiled mysteriously. “Do you want to know who cut off the corpse’s hands?”

Li Yuntian nodded repeatedly. 

I told him, “It’s simple. Go and get me a brazier, the hotter the better. Just put it here. Within one hour, I’m sure you’ll see something you’d never be able to imagine!”

Li Yuntian bewilderedly looked at me. Apparently, he was questioning what a brazier could do. Anyway, he didn’t say anything as he hurriedly left to find the item I required. 

Wearing a curious face, Yin Xinyue asked me, “Why do you want a brazier? Are you going to do something disgusting, like, grilling the hands?”

I burst out laughing. “Why does a little girl like you always have morbid thoughts like this every day?”

Yin Xinyue pouted. “It has nothing to do with that. I know you have heavy taste. Remember the time in Hong Kong, when you cooked a big pot of radish and large bowel soup?”

I immediately felt nauseous, asking her to stop talking about that. 

Around one hour later, Li Yuntian returned. Two workers followed him, carrying a brazier with burning coals inside. Panting, they placed the brazier in the Evidence Room and asked me what to do next. 

I looked at the blazing stove with a smile “We don’t need to do anything else. Just wait here. Oh right, please close the door.”

Li Yuntian’s curiosity increased. Despite that, he said nothing and closed the door as I’d asked. 

The fire from the coals in the brazier grew higher, like a dancing flame. Gradually, the temperature in the room increased, making people sweat. Eventually, Yin Xinyue couldn’t hold it anymore. She asked me, “Is it okay if we turn on the air-conditioner?”

I waved my hand in denial. “No, we have to close the door because I’m afraid of the wind.”

Shortly after, my method worked! 

White residue slowly emerged on spots on the ground. One hour later, I checked and saw that the spots of residues had almost all appeared. Then, I called Li Yuntian over to check them out. 

Li Yuntian had constantly been gazing at the brazier as he couldn’t imagine what would come out of the fire. When I called him, he finally reacted and walked towards me. 

I pointed at the ashes on the ground to catch his attention. 

The residue congregated into obvious footprints, which came from the door to the lockers of the Evidence Unit. 

When Li Yuntian saw this, he was scared out of his wits. Hurriedly, he asked me, “What on earth happened?”

I patted Li Yuntian’s shoulder, answering, “Actually, this white residue is the result of burning carbon. And, the carbon isn’t from your brazier. They’re from the ancient painting…”

"The ancient painting?" Li Yuntian was terrified. “How are these things here related to the ancient painting?” 

 

“Think about it,” I said. “In ancient times, the main component of ink was carbon. When they used ink to draw characters, they would of course use carbon to do that. The executioner from the painting came here, and he left footprints. Those footprints are made from carbon. Under high heat, carbon will release carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, resulting in white residue.”

Li Yuntian was now petrified. “You mean those footprints were left by the executioner in the painting?”

I shrugged. “I think my explanation is clear enough.”

Li Yuntian squatted, pinching some white residue between his fingers. Pondering for a while, he sighed, “You’re really an expert!”

Since he believed me now, it would be easier for me to take action. I told Li Yuntian that I wanted to stay alone tonight at the crime scene to ‘capture the ghost’. I needed him to find some solution to not let anybody else come close, especially the police. 

Li Yuntian nodded resolutely. “Good, it’s no problem. I can handle it. But… If you don’t want the police to stay close, I can’t ensure your safety.”

I smiled. “It’s all right. Since I dare go there, I’m certain about it.”

Li Yuntian then looked at me with more admiration in his eyes! 

After talking to Li Yuntian, I went back to my shop to prepare. On the way back, Yin Xinyue seemed to want to tell me something, but she didn’t. Looking at her hesitating, irritated expression, I asked, “You want to tell me something?”

Yin Xinyue said, “Tonight, I’ll go with you! It’s my problem and now you have to take risks. I’m worried.”

"What are you worried about?” Listening to Yin Xinyue, I felt warm. “And, it’s not that I’m going to help you for nothing. That murderous weapon is a priceless treasure! Taking risks for a priceless treasure is worth it!”

Yin Xinyue sighed. “You shouldn’t lie to me. What about finding someone to assist you? I know someone experienced in dealing with otherworldly items, too. At most, you can give him a commission after we’re done with this.”

I looked at Yin Xinyue with surprise. “You know some other otherworldly merchant? Who’s that?”

Yin Xinyue said, “You don’t need to worry about that now. Tonight, I’ll ask him to go to the crime scene and meet you there.”

I gave her a faint smile. “Good then. That’ll do.”   

Actually, I wasn’t really certain about the mission tonight. If I had an assistant, I’d feel safer. But still, I wondered if that otherworldly merchant was reliable or not. 

Yin Xinyue and I went to have a simple meal. She even asked me to go and watch a movie her company had just released. She told me that it was to relax. 

I wasn’t in the mood to go to a movie. But, I couldn’t resist her nice offer, so I eventually went to the cinema with her. For the entire length of the movie, I was absent-minded while Yin Xinyue was crying her heart out. 

Actually, I liked romantic movies as well, and I always felt that watching a movie in the cinema with a beautiful girl was very intoxicating. 

However, this feeling and wish of mind were overwhelmed by that murderous ancient painting! 

When the sun set, I went to the crime scene early to wait. I still wondered if the otherworldly merchant Yin Xinyue had asked to come and support me was reliable or not. Would he have real knowledge or would he just be a fraud? 

While waiting for him, I arranged something in the room. 

Soon, I heard someone knocking on the door. I ran to open the door as I thought that it must be the otherworldly merchant that Yin Xinyue had asked to come.

“Baby… Oh crap, why is it you?” As soon as the door sprung open, a wretched voice reached my ear. However, that voice soon turned insulting. 

And, I now saw the man standing at the door. I cheered up as it was Li Mazi.