Zhou Li stepped off the car onto the dirt road and instantly felt the oppressiveness of the place. Just looking at it felt oppressive. It was like a natural prison, especially considering that everyone in the village ahead was its eyes and ears...
The school had been sealed off by now, but there were still people inside. The incident had occurred just two days ago. Although the authorities had already taken control of those involved and the police had notified all the students’ parents, it took ti for those who lived far away to arrive. Besides, a few parents might not have been very concerned.
"Let’s go," Yin Le said, stepping forward.
Under the guidance of a policeman, they easily entered the school.
Bloodstains still remained at the school entrance.
The facilities inside were old. The ground was concrete, with cracks and holes everywhere. The teaching building and dormitory ahead were also very dilapidated, nearly structurally unsound. It had the feel of a concentration camp.
Yin Le led the way, speaking as he walked. "Her na is Rong Mingxia. She’d been here for over half a year. Generally, contracts signed here lasted from one to two years."
"That’s a pretty na," Zhou Li said.
"I think so too," Yin Le whispered, noticing the confusion in Zhou Li’s eyes. "Actually, she should have been nad Murong Mingxia. But when her household registration was being processed, double surnas weren’t allowed for so reason. I’ve talked quite a bit with her. Maybe because we’re similar, she wasn’t resistant to . We started by talking about the smallest things, and she quickly let down her guard."
"That’s pretty too," Zhou Li comnted.
"Her parents had high expectations for her. Due to their poverty, they always hoped she would marry into a good family."
"I see..." Zhou Li nodded and walked on.
A police car was parked on the school playground, which gave the remaining students so sense of security. So students ca out of their dormitory and sat on the steps, staring blankly. When they saw two people walk in from outside, they all looked towards them.
Zhou Li also quietly observed them. These students ranged in age from their teens to their twenties. It was hard to imagine people in their twenties still being forcibly sent here by their parents for ’reform,’ wasn’t it? Yet, sadly, that was the reality. Their faces were deeply tanned. Beyond that, they all shared a common expression of numbness and confusion. Perhaps they already knew that the school was going to be investigated and that the people involved would be dealt with. But what about after that? With Beigao Te gone, were they really free?
Obviously, there was a stark difference in the ntalities of the two groups. Anyone normal could see that Zhou Li and Yin Le did not belong here.
Zhou Li spotted Huai Xu in the direction of the dormitory building, so they walked over.
The dormitory building had two stories and originally contained dozens of rooms, but most were sealed. For easier managent, the school had opened only around ten large dorm rooms. These were converted into large bunk spaces, where dozens of people lived cramd into a tiny room. One could only imagine the conditions.
Zhou Li first went to the window to look in before turning to Huai Xu, who was sitting in a tree. "Did you find anything?"
"Maybe."
"What do you an?"
"Indeed, I slled the scent of a Demon, and it wasn’t pleasant," Huai Xu jumped down from the tree. "The scent is very faint, very, very faint. I guess this thing is professional, but still, it couldn’t fool my nose."
"Professional?"
"So evil Demons enjoy doing this kind of thing—so for fun, and others for profit," Huai Xu spoke casually, as if he was used to it. "So make deals with humans: ’I’ll help you with sothing, and in return, you pay a price.’ So leave marks on humans to harvest whatever they want at a later ti. But this one is very professional. If it weren’t for , it might have gone undetected."
"I see..."
"Report it to the Local Governnt. See if they can find any evidence," Huai Xu shrugged. "I can’t find any myself... I doubt they will either."
"Could it be related to Lin Zhong?" Yin Le suddenly asked.
"What if it is?" Huai Xu didn’t answer, but instead asked back, "With your current abilities, trying to cause trouble for Lin Zhong would be less realistic than just going ho and dreaming about it."
"Would he do such a thing?" Yin Le still asked.
"I don’t know..."
"It would benefit him," Yin Le shifted his gaze as if talking to himself. "Whether he can do it is a question of ability, but whether he would do it or not..."
"I’m just saying it’s possible, and I can’t find any evidence either," Huai Xu scratched his head and looked around. "Even though there’s a Demon’s scent, it doesn’t prove that this matter is related to a Demon. Even in Chunming, there are plenty of places with lingering demonic scents. You can’t just bla a Demon for a murder that happened here, can you?"
"I heard you used to be human?" Yin Le raised an eyebrow.
"None of your damn business!"
"’Ahem. I think, to confirm this, couldn’t we just ask Rong Mingxia directly?’ Zhou Li interjected, knowing that otherwise Yin Le might beco annoying again and perhaps even get beaten by Huai Xu.
"I will ask her," Yin Le said, looking away and heading into the dormitory.
Rong Mingxia’s dormitory was empty; all the students had moved out. The floor was littered with various bits and pieces, mostly trash. Any useful items had already been inspected by the police. Yin Le clearly knew he lacked the specific expertise; he just walked around aimlessly, holding a mini oil lamp and shining it about.
The mini oil lamp emitted a faint light, very faint, barely visible even in the dim dormitory unless one looked very closely.
Being a Heavenly Master isn’t easy... Huai Xu muttered quietly from behind.
"It’s all the Demons’ fault!" Yin Le responded without thinking.
"Let’s go check the teaching building," Zhou Li said, once again intervening and grabbing Huai Xu’s arm to stop him from saying more.
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