Chapter 1337: I Only Want You (35)
He waved and instructed his subordinates, “Send them away.”
He then headed upstairs.
Mr. and Mrs. Bu wept in agony and continued to call his name incessantly.
Jin Qingyan was beyond disappointed in Bu Xianxian. He felt that she was a complete lost cause.
It was better not to save her, lest she creates more trouble when she’s released.
He thought that he had already done enough to repay them for saving his life. If Bu Xianxian did not test his patience and push the boundaries, he might have allowed them to continue staying in Wei Ni Estate. However, Bu Xianxian had ruined everything.
She had misused her credit for saving him by emotionally blackmailing him.
She had completely thwarted the rationale behind the noble act of saving another person’s life.
——
An Xiaoning did not make any comments after hearing that Bu Xianxian had already divulged everything. She spent the entire day chatting with the other women of the village together with Madam Wang and ended up learning a lot about the village.
An Xiaoning had a feeling that their accounts were credible.
One of the stories had piqued her interest and curiosity.
It was one about an extreme tradition and rule that the villagers used to practice in the past. If a woman and a man were to be caught committing adultery, the woman would be drowned in a wicker basket while the man would be beaten to death with a rod.
It was an ancient form of punishment that was widely used in the olden days.
The person who had piqued her interest was Juan Zi, a wanton woman in the village who was known to be promiscuous.
She had once committed adultery with five different men and ended up getting caught red-handed by her husband. Needless to say, the consequences were dire. The five men were beaten to death while Juan Zi was drowned in a wicker basket. Back then, everyone took pity on Kong Desheng, Juan Zi’s husband whom she had made a cuckold out of.
To the shock of everyone, Kong Desheng died all of a sudden, just when they all thought the matter would blow over gradually.
The doctor diagnosed that a heart attack was what caused his death.
Hence, the incident became a hot topic for discussion and everyone took pity on Kong Desheng.
“Where did they drown her?”
“Where the water reservoir is. That place used to be a punishment ground before the water reservoir was built. It used to be a lake but it was much smaller.”
What a coincidence.
It was understandable for there to be lots of spirits in the reservoir since it used to be a punishment and execution ground. There must have been lots of casualties even before the reservoir was built.
No wonder it felt so spooky last night.
In the evening, Fan Shixin whipped up a few dishes that the two of them ate together while chatting about the latest information that she had received in the afternoon.
After taking a short break, the two of them proceeded to the reservoir.
An Xiaoning gave Fan Shixin two amulets to guard him against spirits.
She would feel much less bored with Fan Shixin’s company.
The moon was not out tonight. Thus, it was extremely dark outside.
An Xiaoning and Fan Shixin arrived to see that the female maintenance worker was still waiting for them.
“Aren’t there any lights around the water reservoir? Switch them on.”
“There are lights, but they aren’t that bright. Besides, the lamps are situated at a distance away from the reservoir.”
An Xiaoning expressed assent and said, “It’s alright, I’ll just wear my night vision goggles.”
The female worker switched on all the lights. Just as she was about to tag along, An Xiaoning stopped her from doing so and said sternly, “You may stay behind here. Don’t follow us.”
The worker actually did not wish to tag along. However, she found that it might have been inappropriate if she did not do so. Hence, she asked, “You really don’t want me to go with you?”
“Yes, you don’t have to.”
“You guys be careful, then.”
“Got it.”
An Xiaoning and Fan Shixin said, “We won’t be coming back but keep the lights on.”
“Of course.”
The two of them began walking toward the water reservoir and pretended to be a couple. An Xiaoning held onto Fan Shixin’s arm and continued walking slowly.
The two of them did not put on their night vision goggles, for their perfect eyesight allowed them to see their surroundings clearly despite the dim lights.
“The air in this village is rather fresh. Shall we stay here for a few more days?”
“Sure, as long as you like it. We can stay here for a few more days.”
After walking around for a while, An Xiaoning stopped in her tracks and turned around. She then tiptoed and rested her head on Fan Shixin’s shoulder before whispering, “It’s out…”
Fan Shixin froze in shock and asked, “Where?”
“The middle of the reservoir.”
Fan Shixin took the night vision goggles out of the bag and handed a pair to her. The goggles resembled an ordinary pair of shades. An Xiaoning could see much more clearly after putting them on.
She took out an amulet that she had already prepared beforehand and held it in between her index and middle finger. She stood up straight and began murmuring a spell, after which the amulet darted away from her fingers.
It hit the spirit in the water reservoir accurately.
The spirit was then propelled out of the water, after which An Xiaoning pulled Fan Shixin and shoved him behind her. She then chanted a spell that brought the spirit toward her.
She could finally see the spirit’s features.
An Xiaoning said, “Hello.”
The woman stared at her, unable to move. “Who are you…”
“It doesn’t matter who I am. What matters is, who are you?”
“I refuse to tell you.”
“Sure, stay silent forever, then. I bet you’ve been delaying your reincarnation for several years. I shall just hand you over to the reapers.”
As soon as she saw An Xiaoning raising her hand, she yelled frantically, “Don’t, I don’t want to reincarnate. I haven’t fulfilled my wishes yet.”
“I’m a police officer. What wishes do you have? Maybe I can help you fulfill them.”
Upon realizing that An Xiaoning was a police officer who could see her, she asked agitatedly, “Are you really a police officer?”
“Yes.”
“My name is Zhang Lili and I drowned to my death here eight years ago. I haven’t gone to reincarnate because I want to see my son. However, they’ve never come here before, and I couldn’t have left the reservoir if it weren’t because of your amulet.”
An Xiaoning asked in puzzlement, “Why couldn’t you leave? Spirits like you should be able to move about freely out of your own will.”
“Yes, but there are rules here. We’re not allowed to leave this place unless we’ve found a scapegoat.”
“Rules? Who set them? Do you have a boss or something?” An Xiaoning asked with raised brows.
“If you let me see my son, I’ll tell you,” said Zhang Lili.