Yin and Yang - Chapter 16

After Shen Qingwei left, Mr. Zhao desperately wanted to approach Yin Zheng, but then he remembered that the two malevolent spirits had already been subdued. What was there left to fear? As for the evidence they’d uncovered, was there any direct proof that he was responsible? No. As Mr. Zhao lowered his head, his shoulders trembled uncontrollably, as if he were shaking with fear, but in reality, he was overjoyed.

Report me to the police? What good would that do? The reputation he’d cultivated over the years wasn’t something to be taken lightly. Without evidence, they’d have to release him, and then he’d still have everything he wanted.

And who would believe the story about feeding malevolent spirits with essence blood?

Mr. Zhao’s calculations were flawless, so he didn’t notice the darkening expression on the face beside him. Yin Zheng glanced at her wristwatch and suddenly asked, “Mr. Zhao, I have two questions for you.”

“Y-yes, go ahead,” Mr. Zhao stammered, feigning nervousness. But the triumphant gleam in his eyes betrayed his true mood. Yin Zheng ignored it and continued, “Why did you dismember the bodies?”

Mr. Zhao froze, then shook his head violently. “I don’t know! I want to ask my wife myself—why did she dismember them? How could she commit such a monstrous act?”

“My wife’s mental health has always been unstable, so I can understand why she would do something like this,” Mr. Zhao said.

Yin Zheng nodded slightly. “Who arranged the layout of your house?”

“I can’t find the Master’s contact information anymore,” Mr. Zhao replied.

This wasn’t a lie. After the incident, he spent a long time in the hospital. When he returned, he immediately wanted to sell the house, but it was a haunted house—no one dared buy it. While waiting, he quickly found another place and never spent another night there. Even so, he still had nightmares every night. He went to temples and Buddhist monasteries, but they all said he had too much Yin energy. Masters came to exorcise the ghosts, but each time they were thrown out. He didn’t even dare approach that door anymore.

Over time, he became even more afraid. Neighbors often said they heard knocking or whispering coming from his empty house at night, and the haunted house’s reputation spread.

He had been waiting for an opportunity to sell the house, but he never expected to encounter a Master. The Master said that with just a bit of his Essence Blood, he could enter and leave the house without any problems. Naturally, he agreed and asked for details. When he learned about refining ghosts, a sinister idea took root in his mind.

He had posted the forum threads, attracted the livestreamers, and now they were dead at his doorstep, giving him free publicity. While everyone in Ping’an Community lived in fear, he alone reaped the benefits.

The Master had said that in three months, he could invite members of the Yin-Yang Sect to intervene. They would surely come and subdue the Malevolent Spirit—perfect! By then, his reputation would be established, the Malevolent Spirit would be captured, and he could even leverage the Haunted House’s notoriety for other ventures!

The more he thought about it, the more delighted he became. He hurriedly invited the Master inside, but the Master waved him off with a smile and turned to leave.

Only after the Master had departed did he realize he’d forgotten to ask his name.

Yin Zheng glanced at him, recognizing the truth in his words. It seemed she wouldn’t get any further information from him. This house’s layout was beyond ordinary design; someone was clearly exploiting the situation to cause trouble.

Her only concern was whether this was the only location involved.

After a moment of silence, Yin Zheng turned to stand by the window. The faint sound of police sirens drifted up from below. Mr. Zhao’s expression grew increasingly relaxed, even smug. Yin Zheng, observing his reflection in the glass, suddenly called out, “Mr. Zhao.”

Mr. Zhao quickly looked up, glancing sideways at Yin Zheng. Her demeanor was cold and detached, like a white lotus rising untainted from the mud. To gaze upon her any longer would feel like a desecration; some lights are too pure to be stared at directly. Mr. Zhao lowered his eyes as Yin Zheng spoke, “Are you very pleased now?”

“No!” Mr. Zhao immediately denied. “Miss Yin, you’re accusing me unfairly!”

“Is that so?” Yin Zheng’s expression remained calm, especially her eyes, which were utterly still. The Soul-Binding Bag at her waist twitched twice. She patted it gently and said, “Mr. Zhao, you should take one last look at the world outside.”

She turned her head. “Soon, you won’t be able to see it anymore.”

Mr. Zhao’s face paled. “What are you planning to do?”

“I’m not planning to do anything,” Yin Zheng replied. “Before I came here, everyone said this place was haunted by a Malevolent Spirit. Is that true?”

Her calm eyes fixed on Mr. Zhao as she repeated, “Is it true?”

Mr. Zhao was bewildered. He didn’t understand Yin Zheng’s meaning. Hadn’t the Malevolent Spirit just been captured? How could there be none? He shook his head. “What do you mean?”

Yin Zheng’s voice turned icy. “Mr. Zhao, there is no Malevolent Spirit here, nor is this a Haunted House. There is only a man who deliberately used the legend of a Malevolent Spirit as a gimmick to inflate property prices.”

Mr. Zhao snapped out of his daze and immediately retorted, “This is slander! You’re trying to frame me!”

He suddenly became agitated, realizing Yin Zheng’s implication: there had never been any ghosts in this suite, nor in the entire Ping’an Community. It was all a scheme he had concocted. Would the authorities believe this?

A chill ran through Mr. Zhao’s heart.

Even if they didn’t believe it, they would still pretend to. They would publicly declare it a haunted house, claiming it was inhabited by two malevolent spirits, and ultimately choose Yin Zheng’s explanation: that it was all a human fabrication.

No, no, no! Impossible! Mr. Zhao’s face turned ashen, cold sweat dripping profusely. He looked up at Yin Zheng and roared, “But I didn’t kill those livestreamers!”

Yin Zheng replied indifferently, “What does it matter?”

She countered, “Did your wife kill your daughter?”

“I—!” Mr. Zhao was speechless. He collapsed to his knees with a thud. “Miss Yin, Miss Yin, you can’t do this! This isn’t what I did! It’s not!”

“Yes, I’ll explain everything to the police!” Mr. Zhao said, but his voice lacked conviction. Yin Zheng watched his desperate struggle and continued, “Your forum account should still be active, right?”

Impossible! I deleted it! I deleted it long ago! It can’t be!

Mr. Zhao collapsed onto the floor like a puddle of mud, his face as pale as paper, his body trembling uncontrollably. For the first time, he truly understood what it meant to be wronged and what it meant to be afraid.

When the police knocked, Yin Zheng opened the door. The officers glanced around in alarm, clearly aware of the rumors surrounding the haunted house. Yin Zheng stood before them and briefly explained Mr. Zhao’s situation. Initially, the police were skeptical, but when they checked Mr. Zhao’s account, they discovered that everything Yin Zheng had said was true. Mr. Zhao himself couldn’t understand why his deleted account had reappeared, complete with every post and comment he had deleted.

The landlord arrived soon after, his face contorted with fury upon hearing about Mr. Zhao’s actions. He erupted in a tirade: “You bastard, Zhao! You heartless dog! You can flip houses all you want, but using dead people to do it? You have no shame!”

“I didn’t do it!” Mr. Zhao wailed, tears welling in his eyes. “Check the surveillance footage! I wasn’t even here when those streamers were!”

“Surveillance footage?” The landlord sneered. “You sabotaged the cameras long ago! I always wondered why the cameras in Building 17 kept breaking down. You damn dog!”

Mr. Zhao and the others exchanged insults, while the crowd remained silent. Even if there were a malevolent spirit present, they preferred to believe it was a fabrication to inflate property values. As for evidence, they could gather it later. This account alone implicated Mr. Zhao beyond doubt!

Mr. Zhao refused to go with them, continuing to wail that Yin Zheng’s accusations were slander and lies. He threatened to sue her, but Yin Zheng watched his outburst coldly. Only when he began jumping up and down did she speak: “There’s one more thing I hope you’ll investigate thoroughly.”

All eyes turned to her. The police asked, “What is it?”

“The deaths of Mr. Zhao’s wife and daughter. I urge you to reopen the investigation and examine it in detail.”

“I have a written guarantee from Mr. Zhao here, clearly stating his intention to divorce his wife. Yet less than a week later, both she and their daughter were murdered.”

The police officers present, with their keen instincts, seemed to grasp the significance of this clue. The landlord clapped his hands in realization: “I remember now! His daughter used to cry downstairs, refusing to go home. I saw her several times!”

“The security cameras downstairs are still working! We can check the footage!”

The police, their expressions grave, accepted the written guarantee from Yin Zheng, promising a thorough investigation. Mr. Zhao was escorted out, flanked by officers on either side to prevent his escape. As they descended the stairs, they found a crowd gathered below, buzzing with speculation.

“What’s going on?”

“I heard there were never any ghosts in the Zhao family’s house! He made it all up!”

“Huh? Why would he do that?”

“For the house, you idiot! Look how many properties he’s bought recently! Good thing we didn’t sell back then. That man is truly vile, resorting to such underhanded tactics!”

“What about those livestreamers?”

“Rumor has it he killed them!”

A collective gasp rippled through the crowd, their voices rising in a clamor. The truth about the Zhao family gradually surfaced. Someone recalled that Mr. Zhao’s daughter, Xiaoqian, had claimed her father was a villain who abused her mother back in her school days, but no one had believed her, and the matter had been dismissed.

Yin Zheng stood among the crowd, watching their lamentations. The Soul-Binding Bag at her waist began to tremble violently. She glanced down, gently patted it, and murmured, “Go now.”

Releasing the bag, two figures materialized beside her—one crimson, the other pale white. Her expression remained cold as she said, “Don’t forget what you promised me.”

Do not harm the innocent.

The two figures glanced at her, bowed, and departed. Yin Zheng watched as they perched on Mr. Zhao’s shoulders, one on each side.

Mr. Zhao felt a sudden chill and shivered uncontrollably. Even the police officers in the car asked the driver, “Did you turn the AC down too low? It’s freezing!”

“I didn’t turn on the AC,” the driver replied, sounding annoyed. As the car door slammed shut, a ghostly face seemed to materialize on the rear window, but when they looked again, it was gone.

Mr. Zhao was taken away, and the crowd dispersed. Yin Zheng stood below, gazing up as scattered lights began to flicker on. The dark miasma that had shrouded Building 17 dissipated. She took two steps forward, then doubled over in sudden, agonizing pain, forcing her to lean against a nearby tree. Her face paled, drenched in cold sweat. She was relieved that Shen Qingwei hadn’t had to endure this pain; otherwise, that girl would have whined, “Senior Sister, it hurts!”

Her pain was a hundred times more unbearable than her own. Yin Zheng closed her eyes, the echo of Shen Qingwei’s angry accusation still ringing in her ears: “Senior Sister, you truly understand nothing.”

She understood everything. But she was destined to never give Shen Qingwei the response she longed for.