PD -Chapter 92 Blood-Red Mark

I turned to observe the dormitory building. Every floor had windows and pre-installed spaces for air conditioners, so climbing up wasn’t very difficult.

We quietly moved to the back of the dormitory. Zhu Zhu told us the victim’s room was on the fifth floor, so I asked her to stay behind and provide cover while Liu Xiaopeng and I climbed up along the rear of the building.

Stepping on the brick ledges reserved for air conditioner installation, we quickly reached the fifth-floor balcony of the dorm room.

I peeked inside and found it pitch dark. I tried pushing the balcony door—and it opened easily. So I signaled to Liu Xiaopeng, and we slipped inside silently, standing by the balcony as we observed the room.

Because the entire dorm was covered in blood, we were afraid of stepping on it and leaving footprints, so we didn’t go in further.

Moreover, with a large crowd gathered downstairs, we couldn’t turn on the lights either. We could only use our phone flashlights at the lowest brightness, relying on the faint beam to see.

The lower bunk near the door was soaked in crimson. The bedsheet’s original color was completely gone, clearly the victim’s bed.

I extended my phone forward and carefully illuminated that spot—then suddenly noticed a blood-red mark on the side wall of the bed.

“A taiji?”

I frowned. It was a mark carved into the wall with a sharp object—a simple Yin-Yang Taiji diagram. Every carved line was stained with blood, making it look extremely eerie.

“That mad Taoist’s Taiji sword! So it really is that mad Taoist turned into a vengeful spirit causing trouble?” Liu Xiaopeng exclaimed as he looked at the mark.

I took out my EMF detector. As soon as I turned it on, I found the dorm’s magnetic field in total chaos—the readings instantly maxed out, and the device emitted a piercing alarm.

At that moment, we suddenly heard footsteps in the corridor outside. I immediately shut off the detector and signaled Liu Xiaopeng to retreat the same way we came.

When we got back outside the dormitory building, only Zhu Zhu was waiting anxiously. We then quietly climbed back down the same route.

“Why do you think that mad Taoist’s spirit keeps clinging to Yu Qi?” Liu Xiaopeng asked on the way back, puzzled.

I didn’t answer directly. Instead, I took out my phone and opened some previously photographed archival materials from the library, showing them to him.

They were old records of violent criminal cases.

In 1890, the only Catholic priest in the eastern city, after discovering his daughter was involved with a petty thug, killed the thug and his three brothers in rage.

In 1993, a beggar monk who traveled and begged for a living passed through the eastern city. He broke into a small inn, killed the receptionist, then forced open rooms and killed three more people.

After being arrested, all of them claimed they had been controlled by a terrifying force, and that only by killing could they feel released.

“These… what do they suggest?” Zhu Zhu asked, leaning in to look.

“Priests, monks… the killers in these cases were all religious figures,” Liu Xiaopeng frowned after thinking for a moment. “Are you suspecting… Taoist Master Yu?”

I nodded.

“Do you remember what Yu Qi told us when we met her tonight?” I asked.

Liu Xiaopeng thought for a moment. “She complained that Taoist Master Yu interferes with her friendships and private life.”

I nodded again. “Think about it. The victims in these two cases—one was a dishonest boyfriend who stole things and lied, just playing with relationships. The other was a socially active so-called ‘bad friend’ in the eyes of parents. Everything revolves around Yu Qi.”

“Can Taoist Master Yu control the mad Taoist’s ghost?” Liu Xiaopeng asked in shock.

I didn’t confirm or deny. I looked toward the dorm building behind us.

“Spirit summoning and spirit control techniques… those aren’t particularly rare in the Zhengyi sect. If Taoist Master Yu has spiritual power, he could absolutely do it.”

“Of course, this is just my speculation. It’s also possible that Taoist Master Yu, like the monk and priest before him, is a victim himself—maybe they were all possessed by that mad Taoist’s spirit.”

“So what do we do next?” Liu Xiaopeng asked.

After thinking for a moment, I said, “We split up. I heard that Taoist Master Yu has a house in the suburbs not far from the school. Since he took Yu Qi away so late at night, he must have gone straight there.”

“If my guess is correct, the most dangerous person right now might be Taoist Master Yu. I’ll go keep watch on him.”

“Xiaopeng, you go to Huanglong Temple and investigate. If he can control that mad Taoist’s vengeful spirit, then he must have preserved the mad Taoist’s body or bones. If you can find them and destroy them, this case may finally be resolved.”

“What about me?” Zhu Zhu pointed at herself.

I thought for a moment. “You come with me. Yu Qi is with her father now. If I, a male teacher, show up at night, it might raise suspicion. With you, it’ll be easier to explain.”

The plan was set, and we immediately split up.

Since Huanglong Temple was far from the school, I gave the car to Liu Xiaopeng. Zhu Zhu and I took a shared electric bike and rode toward Taoist Master Yu’s residence.

From a distance, we saw a figure sitting outside the house. In the moonlight, I recognized it was Yu Qi.

Zhu Zhu and I exchanged a glance and rode straight over to greet her.

She seemed surprised to see us and quickly wiped her tears. “Teacher Qiu, why are you here?”

“Qi Qi, why are you sitting outside? It’s windy!” Zhu Zhu said after parking the bike.

“We were worried, so we came to check on you,” I said with a smile.

Yu Qi lowered her head, eyes dim. After a long pause, she slowly said, “Teacher Qiu, I think you should stay away from me.”

“Qi Qi, why would you say that?” Zhu Zhu grabbed her hand, but Yu Qi slowly pulled it back.

“Because I’m a jinx. Everyone who gets close to me seems to be cursed. In the end… you’ve all seen what happens.”

Tears began falling rapidly to the ground.

“Qi Qi, don’t think like that. This has nothing to do with you…” Zhu Zhu tried to comfort her, but she couldn’t find stronger words.

After all, from the surface, the deaths of those two people did seem closely tied to her.

“No one at school wants to talk to me anymore. Even the police think I’m the prime suspect—they just haven’t found proof yet…” Yu Qi continued crying. “Do you believe me? I didn’t kill anyone!”

“Do you know what my father said? He told me to be reverent and devote myself to the Dao!” Yu Qi became more agitated. “He chants and performs rituals every day in the temple—but his daughter is still a jinx!”

“He’s a hypocrite! He talks about seeking the Dao, but behind my back… he was seeing other women without my mother knowing!”

Her eyes gradually changed—from pitiful to filled with anger and hatred.

“He even told me to be reverent! Ridiculous!”

She covered her face and cried again.

At that moment, I heard a door open nearby.

Taoist Master Yu seemed to have heard our conversation and stepped out of the house to look at us.

But then—I suddenly saw something behind him.

At the entrance of the house… he was not alone.

Behind him, a black shadow flashed past quickly.