Chapter 540: Doubts
Chapter 540: Chapter 540: Doubts
"Aside from confirming that Master Wen passed away of his own volition, have you investigated anything else?" Hua Zifeng asked, gesturing for his assistant to take notes.
Officer Liu replied, "We have. We checked the phone records for Master Wen’s residence and found nothing unusual. He also hasn’t had any contact with A Tai recently. Furthermore, he didn’t do anything out of the ordinary before he passed. As you know, Master Wen was getting on in years and had been living a reclusive life for the past two years. Very few people could get him to make a house call, so he rarely went out."
Hua Zifeng frowned and asked, "Not a single clue?"
"None." Officer Liu sighed. "That’s why we asked you here. We were hoping you could help us determine if there’s a connection between Master Wen’s death and the disappearance of his four disciples and grand-disciples. You have no idea... Right now, all of Xiangcheng is talking. It’s not just the wealthy circles; even people on the street are saying there’s more to Master Wen’s death than meets the eye, that there must be some hidden secret. The rich folks who Master Wen helped are calling the station several times a day, asking for updates on the case and demanding we give them an explanation."
As he spoke, Officer Liu shook his head and sighed. "You can understand, we’re under a lot of pressure here."
The assistant at his side couldn’t help but ask, "What if the investigation ultimately concludes that everything was normal?"
"We have to provide an explanation, no matter the outcome. The chief has given us a direct order on this. Right now, this case is the top priority at the station," Officer Liu said hurriedly. He then turned to Hua Zifeng. "Mr. Hua, please help us. And don’t worry, you’ll be paid in full."
"I’m not worried about that." Hua Zifeng waved a hand dismissively. "If you’re free now, let’s go take a look at Master Wen’s residence."
"Ah, yes, of course." Officer Liu readily agreed, quickly getting up to drive Hua Zifeng and his assistant to Master Wen’s home.
"Oh, right, Officer Liu. There’s someone else I need you to investigate for me," Hua Zifeng said.
"Of course. Go ahead."
"A girl named Susan," Hua Zifeng told Officer Liu. He then proceeded to describe the appearance of Susan—Su Qing in disguise. Besides having his own assistant run a search, Hua Zifeng wanted the police department to look into her as well.
"Alright, no problem." Officer Liu quickly jotted down the details and had a colleague start the investigation.
Hua Zifeng followed Officer Liu to Master Wen’s residence. Since Master Wen had passed away, the front of his home was covered in a sea of bouquets, all left by people who had come to pay their respects.
As they approached, someone who was just arriving to leave a bouquet saw Officer Liu and hurried over. "Officer, what’s really going on with Master Wen’s case? Have you figured it out yet?"
Officer Liu quickly replied, "Please be patient, please be patient. We’re investigating, we’re investigating."
"Well, you need to investigate faster! You owe an explanation to Master Wen, and you owe one to us!"
"Rest assured, rest assured. We’ll get to the bottom of this."
While dealing with the people, Officer Zhang quickly ushered Hua Zifeng and his assistant into Master Wen’s residence. Fortunately, out of reverence for Master Wen, no one followed them inside.
Officer Liu breathed a sigh of relief and said to Hua Zifeng, "Mr. Hua, as you can see, everyone is on edge. They keep hounding us... Ugh, we’re under a lot of pressure."
Hua Zifeng nodded silently. He was well aware of Master Wen’s influence in Xiangcheng.
After walking through Master Wen’s residence, Hua Zifeng’s brow remained deeply furrowed. Officer Liu, who was following behind, saw his expression and quickly asked, "Mr. Hua, have you found anything?"
Hua Zifeng said, "It’s clear that before he passed on, Master Wen methodically put everything in order."
Pointing to the neat and tidy room, Hua Zifeng continued, "If you haven’t touched anything in this room, then it means Master Wen deliberately put everything in order before he passed away."
"That’s right. Master Wen also bathed and changed his clothes before he passed. We haven’t touched this room either; it’s been kept exactly as we found it," Officer Liu said quickly.
’But why?’ Hua Zifeng couldn’t understand. Master Wen was said to have always been in excellent health, a master of self-cultivation. ’Why would he suddenly choose to pass away?’
’There must have been some compelling reason!’
’But what could it be?’
Hua Zifeng still couldn’t figure it out. What could possibly compel such a highly respected Feng Shui Master to willingly end his life? And did it have anything to do with Little Master Wen and the other three? If it did, what was the connection?
As he pondered, Hua Zifeng walked into the meditation room where Master Wen had passed away. Seeing the items laid out on the table, he remarked, "These are the tools Master Wen used."
A Compass, Copper Coins, a pot of vermillion, a brush, a Lu Ban Ruler, and other items were laid out on the table, all perfectly arranged.
"Yes," Officer Liu said quickly. "Nothing has been moved. They’re arranged exactly as we found them."
Hua Zifeng nodded and examined the objects closely. A thought suddenly struck him. ’Could it be that Master Wen foresaw something, and that’s why he chose to pass on?’
’Could he have foreseen something that even he couldn’t possibly defend against?’ Hua Zifeng had every reason to believe that an expert of Master Wen’s caliber was capable of predicting good and bad fortune.
’If that’s the case, then what event, or who, could have frightened Master Wen so much that he felt he had no choice but to end his own life?’
At this thought, the image of Su Qing disguised as Susan flashed through Hua Zifeng’s mind. He wondered silently, ’Does this Susan really possess such terrifying strength? Enough to make a Feng Shui Master of Master Wen’s caliber prefer death over facing her?’
Recalling Su Qing’s movements in Kongkan Prefecture, Hua Zifeng pressed his lips together tightly. His suspicion of her intensified.
’Just what kind of woman is she? And what is her connection to Master Wen and his disciples?’
Hua Zifeng silently wondered about Susan’s purpose for going to Kongkan Prefecture. If she had been targeting Little Master Wen and his group, what kind of grudge could there be between them?
"Let’s go back to the station," Hua Zifeng said to Officer Liu.
"Oh, right." At this point, Officer Liu was completely following Hua Zifeng’s lead. Hearing his command, he quickly escorted Hua Zifeng and his assistant back to the police station.
As soon as they returned to the station, Hua Zifeng called the police department in Kongkan Prefecture. He asked them to investigate the recent whereabouts and activities of Little Master Wen and his group.
Just as he hung up the phone, another officer approached them and said to Officer Liu, "We’ve got a lead on the whereabouts of that woman, Susan, you asked us to investigate."