We Monsters Are Not Allowed to Be Single

Jiang Lan’s eyes widened in surprise. He wanted to refuse the offer.

How can I forget that Ying Qiao’s boss was also in the Special Service Branch?

At that time, he looked at Cheng Hua like looking at a potential competitor.

More competitors, less bonus money…..

Cheng Hua was confused.

Why are you looking at me? I don’t want to go.

Ying Qiao was unaware of their unwilling looks. With a smile full of intimidation, he said to Cheng Hua.” Boss, did you just say you are very idle these days? How about lending a hand to Jiang Lan?”

Cheng Hua.”…….”

He wanted to shout to Ying Qiao: Do you really not know how full my schedule is?

Of course he didn’t dare to do that.

In an instant, his expression changed into a standard smile worthy of an exemplary employee.” All right, let’s go take a look.”

Ying Qiao turned to Jiang Lan with a more genuine smile.” Let’s go. We can hitch a ride on my boss’s car.”

Jiang Lan.”……”

He was at a loss for words, unable to find a proper excuse to refuse Ying Qiao’s offer.  At a final resort, he said.” I am afraid I have troubled you too much, by the way, I haven’t bought the Fu[1] yet.”

“No trouble.”

Under the menacing gaze of Ying Qiao, Cheng Hua instantly said.” I haven’t got an assignment for a long time. It’s about time to get a new one.”

Ying Qiao.” You don’t need to buy Fu now. My boss is perfectly capable of writing one for you.”

Jiang Lan gave a desperate look to Cheng Hua and thought to himself: how come a boss was this idle while being so capable?!

Cheng Hua returned a gloomy look: I don’t want to take part in this. He forced me.

They both turned away without understanding each other’s unwilling looks.

Jiang Lan finally got into the car with Ying Qiao.

With Cheng Hua filling the role of a boss, the driver’s part fell to Ying Qiao.

Jiang Lan was asked to take the passenger seat. Ying Qiao explained.” My boss prefers to be alone in the rear, undisturbed by us.”

Being unfamiliar with the rules of the office, Jiang Lan had to believe Ying Qiao’s explanation. But he increasingly felt regret at the prospect of losing his bonus money.

He could only comfort himself by thinking that he was no longer lacking money after an infusion of capital into his account by his old brothers and turning over control of the assets under his name.

Gradually, he could let go of the regret.

The three of them first bought the yellow paper and red ink to write Fu, then went straight to Xue Meng’s home.

On the way, Jiang Lan related the whole story leading to his discovery of the red mushrooms. Even though Cheng Hua wanted to stay out of it at first, this story piqued his curiosity.

He had never seen a mushroom turning into a monster.

With a thoughtful look, Ying Qiao said.” Does this mushroom look like a red umbrella?”

Jiang Lan nodded.” Do you know what it is?”

Ying Qiao.” I heard a friend of mine once said that there was a mushroom called Red devil Umbrella, with an inborn capability to attract resentful ghosts.”

This friend was Geng Chen.

Red Devil Umbrellas prefer to grow in the shade. With a shape like a red Umbrella, it attracted resentful ghosts. This mushroom could absorb the lingering malice as nourishment in the resentful ghost. The more malice concentrated in one place, the more red devil umbrellas were able to grow.

Just because Red Devil Umbrella chose to grow in places where malice was concentrated, they couldn’t survive long. Once a capable cultivator followed the scent of malice to discover such places and dispelled the malice, these Red Devil Umbrellas were in turn uprooted.

Geng Chen led a very nomadic life, travelling through every part of the southern land. In doing so, he witnessed many strange events.

After he came back, he had no one to tell this mysterious tale, except to Ying Qiao.

This had happened a long time ago. He didn’t expect evil creatures like Red Devil Umbrellas to still exist in modern times.

Jiang Lan had never heard about Red Devil Umbrellas, but he paid close attention to “resentful malicious ghosts”.

In modern society, evil spirits like resentful malicious ghosts became increasingly rare, unlike before. Otherwise, the Special Human Bureau cultivators wouldn’t be so idle that they overstepped the boundary to walk into the turf of the Monster Bureau to compete for cases.

Only under certain conditions, with unfinished business and lingering hatred, the spirits of a deceased person could turn into a resentful ghost and linger in this world.

But the cause of Chen Ruomei’s death was an accident. How come she had such hatred?

Jiang Lan’s thought turned to Xue Meng, and the misfortune befell him.

He remembered Xue Meng said to him that when he passed by the manhole where the tragedy occurred, he paused to listen to people gossiping and asked: did the police apprehend the client?

The spores of Red Devil Umbrellas must be selective in choosing their hosts. Otherwise, the entire Hong Jing Apartment Complex population wouldn’t be spared the fate of becoming their hosts.

Apparently, the hosts must meet specific criteria. Based on the experience of Xue Meng, Jiang Lan speculated that those hosts must all take part in the spreading of Chen Ruomei’s rumor.

And the rumor of Chen Ruomei being a prostitute appeared to be fabricated. He believed that this rumor was entirely baseless.

From the news, Jiang Lan remembered nothing was being mentioned of her being a sex worker. Her occupation was reported as being a bar waitress, and this must be verifiable. He also remembered the name of the bar. A search of Baidu[2] confirmed this bar being a legitimate business.

On the other hand, every hosts Jiang Lan met talked about her being a sex worker as if this was an established truth.

Xue Meng was no exception. He didn’t say it outright, but he used the word”client”, implying that she was a sex worker. So he ended up becoming a host. The only difference was that he didn’t mean to use this word to attack the character of Chen Ruomei, so the Red Devil Umbrellas failed to entice more malice from him to use as nutrients for their growth. This explained his mild symptoms.

But these were just pure speculations, and there were crucial points he needed to verify.

**********

Xue Meng had already received Jiang Lan’s message, and he showed up earlier at the entrance to greet them.

After Jiang Lan told him about the red mushrooms lodged in his throat, he began to suspect every part of his body was in bad condition. He not only coughs uncontrollably but also was out of breath. While at the entrance, he was pacing back and forth with an anxious look.

He almost shed tears when he spotted Jiang Lan getting out of the car.” My Dear daddy, you are finally here.”

Ying Qiao threw him a glance and remained silent.

Cheng Hua giggled.” Jiang Lan, your son is almost a grown-up!”

Jiang Lan.”…….”

Nonsense, I don’t have a son like this.

Considering Xue Meng’s pitiful state, he didn’t say it. He said to Cheng Hua.” Boss Cheng, may I trouble you to take a look at him.”

Cheng Hua gestured for Xue Meng to lead the way, and Xue Meng obligingly led them to his home.

After they were home, Cheng Hua first examined his throat. After spotting the tightly packed red devil umbrellas, he appeared disgusted by the creature. Still, he didn’t say anything because Xue Meng’s face had a miserable look.

Xue Meng pleaded.” Master, Can I be cured?”

“Sure thing.” Cheng Hua had learned a few skills from Daoist Monks, and writing Fu was part of the skill set.

“I will write a Fu, and you will drink it mixed with water.”

He brought out a yellow paper and wrote with red ink on the paper. He took about ten minutes to write an evil-dispelling Fu, then he burned the Fu, sprinkled the ashes into a bowl of water. He handed the bowl to Xue Meng.” Drink it and then go to the toilet to empty your stomach.”

Give it a thought, he added.” After you finish, you must flush it clean. If I were you, I would shut my eyes while doing this.”

There were some flames still burning in the bowl, and Xue Meng was a little scared. He gave Jiang Lan a look, and he nodded to him. Closing his eyes and gritting his teeth, he poured the water down his mouth.

He was surprised that the water didn’t burn him. Instead, the water felt icing cold. After he drank it, a feeling of warmth began to spread in his throat, followed by intense nausea. Covering his mouth, he hurried to the toilet.

He grabbed the toilet to throw up. After ten minutes, his feeling of nausea began to subside.

Following Cheng Hua’s advice, he closed his eyes for the duration. But when he stood up to flush the toilet, he opened his eyes without thinking. A toilet full of red mushrooms filled his eyes. Most of them looked alive with stalks wriggling. The whole scene could be described as disgusting.

Xue Meng wanted to throw up again.

Half an hour passed before he finally emerged from the toilet.

Cheng Hua saw his white face and began to admonish him as if he knew what he had done.” I told you not to look.”

Xue Meng.”……”

I want to replace my eyes with a pair of new ones that didn’t see those things.

Getting rid of the Red Devil Umbrellas was worth a little suffering. Looking at Xue Meng’s white face, Jiang Lan asked one more devil dispelling Fu from Cheng Hua.

This one didn’t need to be burned into ashes. It was sufficient to carry it in person as a precaution against spores.

Before leaving, Jiang Lan recalled the two women he met in the morning. Xue Meng’s grandfather also lived in Hong Jing Apartment Complex, so he asked Xue Meng to ask his granddad if he recognized the women with the photo he gave him.

References↑1a scroll written with spell to dispel evil spirit↑2

Chinese Equivalent of Google

After leaving Xue Meng’s home, the three of them went to Hong Jing Apartment Complex.

Jiang Lan had a rendezvous with the young Police officer named Wang Qing, who had handled the Tai Sui Case(Chapter6-13). On the way to Xue Meng’s home, he had already listed some suspicious facts about Chen Ruomei’s death in a message to Wang Qing and asked him for any clues.

Wang Qing went over the case files again, and sure enough, the case files confirmed what Jiang Lan said in the message, which prompted them to meet at the entrance to Hong Jing Apartment Complex.

Wang Qing came together with a colleague; both of them were in plain clothes.

After coming across the Tai Sui case by accident, Wang Qing was made aware of parts of the world beyond his scope of knowledge. As a young and energetic officer, he was not intimidated by this exposure to the supernatural. Quite the contrary, this new knowledge greatly excited his enthusiasm for his job.

Seeing Jiang Lan, he gladly came forward to shake hands with him and introduced him to his colleague.

The colleague was a senior Police officer named Zhao Heng, who handled all the cases involving all non-humans. After Wang Qing accidentally came into contact with a case like this, his superiors assigned him to work as Zhao Heng’s partner. In addition to their regular line of duty, they were responsible for any cases involving non-humans.

After making the introductions, Wang Qing went over the case with them again. The facts contained in the case file matched what Jiang Lan knew about this case.

The only discrepancy in their knowledge of this case was Chen Ruomei’s occupation.

Wang Qing said.” Chen Ruomei was definitely not a sex worker. She was just a bar waitress. Because of her good looks and self-learned dance skills, she occasionally danced to warm up the atmosphere for the bar. As to her call to the Police claiming she was raped, we have confirmed it was true. She was a smart girl, taking care to preserve the evidence. The suspect was her colleague. After she called the Police, he ran away and hid in his country home. At the moment, we are asking the local Police force to arrest him.”

After she died by accident, the Police made inquiries at her workplace. According to her manager, she was a silent girl, not very good at social skills. Because she had no proper schooling and money, she had no choice but to work in a bar. Actually, she was pretty modest and conservative, only wearing heavy make-up because her job demanded it.

The rape, which was confused for a dispute between a prostitute and a client by local residents, took place after Chen Ruomei got drunk in a social gathering with her colleagues. At the end of the party, a male colleague who was friendly towards her at work undertook to accompany her home. No one expected it would end up like this.

Jiang Lan fell silent after hearing this.

Wang Qing said.” Her hometown is in another province. We just made contact with her family. She has no other family members except for her father. After hearing the tragedy, he is now on the way here.”

The real Chen Ruomei was totally different from the one the rumor made out to be.

The rumor spread far and wide in the few apartment complexes in and around Hong Jing Apartment Complex. An ancient saying went like this: three persons could turn into a tiger, which was used to describe the power of people sticking together to accomplish something. In this context, the saying could also describe the power of a rumor that almost changed the narrative of the events surrounding her death.

No wonder Chen Ruomei’s ghost bore such a grudge.

Jiang Lan asked.” Is it possible to find the origin of the rumor?”

Wang Qing shook his head.” It is near impossible. The residents of these apartment complexes are primarily locals, and most of them are resettled villagers. These residents are all connected in some ways, which makes them a close-knitted community. They tend to stick together, whether in spreading the rumor to slander someone or resisting outside force. If we asked them directly, they definitely wouldn’t tell us the truth.”

Ying Qiao said contemptuously.” None of them will get off easily if the origin of the rumor remains unknown.”

He pointed to the manhole not far away.” Look over there.”

There was a thin layer of red mist slowly spreading over the manhole cover. It was easily overlooked if not paid close attention. But once you knew this red mist was the spores of Red Devil Umbrellas looking for hosts, you won’t miss it.

With a solemn look, Jiang Lan walked over to the manhole to recheck it.

There was no red mist when he was here this morning.

Ying Qiao grabbed his wrist, stopping him.” Don’t go; gods know what’s underneath that cover.”

The disgust was all over his face, and he turned to Cheng Hua. The look on his face seemed to say something to Cheng Hua without uttering a word.

Cheng Hua.”…..”

Cursing under his breath, Cheng Hua had no choice but to go forward to check. After removing the manhole cover, he immediately averted his eyes after only one look.

On the manhole walls, tightly packed Red Devil Umbrellas covered every inch of the surface. Even the sewage water was tinted red. It was a mystery how this stuff grew so fast. No wonder the spores are so dense that they formed a mist.

Cheng Hua ignited an evil-dispelling Fu and threw it down the manhole. Then he moved the manhole cover back in place a moment before those Red Devil Umbrellas were consumed in flames.

Wang Qing and his colleagues still remained ignorant of what was going on.” What’s that stuff?”

Jiang Lan offered his explanation.” If Chen Ruomei’s ghost is allowed to remain, those Red Devil Umbrellas will continue to release spores into the surrounding air. No one could be sure how many people would end up being their hosts.”

Wang Qing and Zhao Heng both shuddered at the thought.

Finally, Zhao Heng offered a solution.” Let’s try to start with Xu Meifang and her two friends.”

Xue Meifang was among the three aunties who dragged Chen Ruomei out of the manhole.

Officer Zhao also explained that if they were kind-hearted enough to rescue her, they must have nothing against Chen Ruomei. Any people brave enough to help a stranger must be reasonable and shouldn’t be difficult to talk to.

Wang Qing had their addresses. They had prepared to visit them to try to find some clues.

Ying Qiao and Cheng Hua didn’t want to go with them. Instead, they preferred another approach, which involves using violent means to force the suspects into the open.

But Jiang Lan would like to tag along, but at that moment, they were interrupted by a message coming from Xue Meng.

His grandfather recognized the young woman and her mother from the photo taken by Jiang Lan. The mother’s name was Tan Zhi, the daughter’s name was Tao Liu. They lived in Block 3. Xue Meng even had the flat number.

“Tan Zhi?” Wang Qing stopped and turned to Jiang Lan.

“You know her?”

Jiang Lan showed him her picture.

Unexpectedly Wang Qing recognized her from the picture. He pointed to the photo.” Her hairstyle and dress are very recognizable. She was one of the three people who rescued Chen Ruomei.”

That night, the names of the three aunties who heard the cry of Chen Ruomei were Xu Meifang, Tan Zhi, and Xie Guizheng.

The accident occurred at nine o’clock that night when the three aunties were on their way home from a group dance.

After hearing that Tan Zhi had become a host and had severe symptoms, Wang Qing had a quizzical look.” I don’t get it. She tried to rescue Chen Ruomei. Even though she failed to revive her, she shouldn’t be the target of revenge.”

Based on the current situation, it was easy to guess that the criteria for becoming the hosts of Red Devil Umbrella were spreading the rumor of Chen Ruomei.

Given that, it could be imagined that the ghost of Chen Ruomei was taking revenge on people who slandered her.

But Tan Zhi had tried to rescue Chen Ruomei, and it didn’t add up that she would slander the people she tried to save.

The whole situation didn’t make sense.

Jiang Lan furrowed his eyebrows.” Let’s split into two groups, I went to Tan Zhi’s home, and you went to Xue Meifang’s”

Wang Qing and his partner agreed, and then they split up.

Ying Qiao and Cheng Hua planned to make their moves after nightfall. But because Jiang Lan wanted to visit Tan Zhi first, they chose to tag along.

The Little Monster was too fond of being concerned for humans, and Ying Qiao didn’t like him to remain concerned for long.

After a little thought, Ying Qiao brought out an orange candy from his pocket. Peeling off the wrapping paper, he tried to feed it to Jiang Lan’s mouth while reassuring him.” Take it easy. The monster couldn’t escape us this time when my boss is here.”

Actually, he preferred to say: Take it easy, I am here.

But that wouldn’t be very reassuring considering the role he played now.

Then he cast a cold glance at Cheng Hua as if he was the source of his present inconvenience.

Cheng Hua.”…….”

What’s the matter with you? Why did you look at me like this?

Jiang Lan’s mind was wholly taken up with the matters at hand, so he ate the candy Ying Qiao offered him without thinking. He only realized it when the candy was in his mouth. Instantly he turned to look at Ying Qiao with widened eyes.

So much like a startled bunny. So cute.

Ying Qiao was delighted at that moment, full of a sense of achievement with the success of feeding a cub.

He even raised his hand to massage his head.” Don’t be too worried.”

With his mouth stuffed with candies, Jiang Lan made a sound in reply. Actually, he wasn’t too concerned. He just felt the whole situation was very bizarre.

But he couldn’t specify what exactly was bizarre because he still lacked vital parts in the whole jigsaw puzzle.

While he was turning over the case in his mind, they had reached the tenth floor. The moment the elevator door was opened, a young girl rushed in with red-rimmed eyes and hit the first-floor button with force.

It was not until Jiang Lan left the elevator that he suddenly recalled that the girl was Tan Zhi’s daughter Tao Liu.

Judging by her looks, he thought she must have had a quarrel with her family and left home in anger.

He walked over to Tan Zhi’s home and pushed the doorbell while puzzling over the girl.

After a while, they could hear the sound of Tan Zhi’s loud cursing and cough.

“You damned girl. If you have the guts to leave, why do you come back?”

It was Tan Zhi who opened the door. She had messy curly hairs spreading on her shoulders and an unnatural yellow skin tone. A faint stench came out of her mouth when she started to speak.  

When she saw that it wasn’t her daughter in the doorway, she paused for a second, then cursed and was about to close the door.

Jiang Lan grabbed the door with firm hands. At that moment, he could smell candles burning behind the door.

With squinted eyes, he said.” Auntie Tan, we just met this morning.”

Tan Zhi stared at him with a nasty look.” Let go of the door! How come the female ghost hasn’t devoured you yet?”

When she was cursing, Jiang Lan could catch a glimpse of the Red Devil Umbrellas in her mouth. The red mushrooms start to spread to her tongue as if ready to replace it.

“Have you seen the ghost in the manhole? Has she paid you a visit?” Jiang Lan suddenly asked.

The moment he asked this question, Tan Zhi immediately launched a stream of curses. She was cursing in the local dialect. Even though it was hard to understand, they could see the words must be nasty.

She acted as if she was an emotionless cursing machine. She could barely catch a breath when she talked quickly.

Jiang Lan saw her chest heaved while talking. It looked like she might pass out at any moment.

But she didn’t faint. When she was finished, she acted as if nothing happened and wanted to close the door.

Jiang Lan put a foot inside the door to stop her while throwing bait.” I guess you must sense something is wrong with you. But burning candles wouldn’t make much difference for you. I can help you.”

These words seemed to have an effect on her, and she wanted to say something. But when she opened her mouth, a stream of curse words came out.

The three of them stood and watched her coughing in great pain. After she bent to put her fingers into her mouth, as if trying to clear her mouth of something, she rose with great difficulty and said to them.” You come in.”

They followed her inside.

The white candles Jiang Lan just smelled outside were placed on the balcony together with a copper basin, which contained some black ashes[1].

“You are performing a spiritual service for Chen Ruomei?”

Tan Zhi halted her steps, and instead of talking, she nodded.

Then she spoke in a pained voice.” Can you help me?”

The worried and scared looks on her face must mean she already knew her condition.

All of these further confirmed that Chen Ruomei’s death was not as simple as it appeared. It was them who rescued Cheng Ruomei. Even though they didn’t save her life, there was no need to be this scared. In addition to what she said during the day, she must think her current condition was connected with Chen Ruomei’s ghost.

Jiang Lan didn’t answer her question. Instead, he said.” Please tell us how Chen Ruomei died.”

Tan Zhi looked at him in surprise. Then her looks changed as if she recalled something. She said while holding her hands firmly.” She fell to her death.”

“If you don’t tell us the truth, there isn’t much I can do to help you.”

Jiang Lan watched her coldly. His usual reasonable manner and friendliness vanished at this moment when his worst suspicion was about to be confirmed.

He asked for an evil-dispelling Fu from Cheng Hua and threw it into a bowl of water after burning it. Holding that bowl of Fu water, he said to Tan Zhi.” This water can cure you of this strange disease. But first, we need the truth from you.”

Tan Zhi’s expression suddenly changed. When mouth agape, the red devil umbrella could almost be seen.

“If she didn’t tell you, I will.”

A woman’s gentle voice suddenly came out.

This voice was very soft and gentle, in sharp contrast with Tan Zhi’s high-pitched voice.

Jiang Lan suspected that this voice was Tan Zhi’s original voice.

Jiang Lan didn’t respond, so “Tan Zhi” opened her mouth again. Her mouth was now fully taken up with dark red mushrooms. Some fast-growing Red Devil Umbrellas even came out of her mouth. The smooth mushroom caps were as large as a dollar coin.

Now her mouth was so stuffed with mushrooms at this point that she couldn’t close it while her eyeballs were turning in horror. With mouth agape, the mushrooms in her mouth twisted together to form a “tongue” to replace the host’s original tongue and said.” How about I gave you the truth in exchange for your guys staying out of this?”

Jiang Lan was not impressed.” I will listen. Whether we stay out of this is not for you to decide. Anyway, you can’t win me in a fight…….I mean us.”

He switched from “me” to “us” at the last moment while throwing Ying Qiao a guilty look.

But Ying Qiao thought the look he gave him and the last-minute change of words meant Jiang Lan was scared. So he pushed Cheng Hua forward to defend Jiang Lan and dragged Jiang Lan back to his side and reassured him.” Don’t be afraid.”

Jiang Lan.”…………..”

I am not scared.

He turned to look at Ying Qiao and Boss Cheng, who was pushed forward to protect them. Suddenly it dawned on him that it was Ying Qiao who was scared.

No matter how disgusting and scary Red Devil Umbrellas appeared to be, Jiang Lan wasn’t frightened because he was a Tao Tie. On the other hand, Ying Qiao was only an ordinary snake monster.

He must have been frightened while feeling too awkward to admit it. 

Thinking this, Jiang Lan suddenly felt urged to protect him. He leaned closer to Ying Qiao and grabbed his hand while trying to comfort him in a soft voice.” Don’t be afraid. He is very weak.”

Ying Qiao looked at the Little Monster, who was saying,” don’t be afraid.” At the same time, the Little Monster’s body was honest, leaning close to him as if a cub was seeking protection.

Ying Qiao had a very soft look in his eyes, taking care not to hurt the Little Monster’s self-esteem.” En, we are not scared.”

Suddenly being pushed forward to face the Red Devil Umbrellas and hearing their soft talks behind his back, Cheng Hua was like.”????”

What the hell are you guys talking about?

The Red Devil Umbrella didn’t expect Jiang Lan to be this uncompromising. Extending his many thread-like stalks from the mouth, he said to them in a provoking manner.” Looks like we can’t reach a deal. No need to continue now.”

Then the mushrooms instantly vanished into a red mist.

Tan Zhi was almost scared witless after she regained control of her body. With her hands grabbing her throat, she tried to empty the contents of her stomach.

Cheng Hua didn’t feel any sympathy for her.” If you are not willing to talk, we will speak to Xu Meifang or Xie Guizhen. I am sure one of you will eventually tell us the truth.”

“Xu Meifang wouldn’t tell you anything.”

Tan Zhi suddenly raised her head. With red-rimmed eyes and lips covered with a kind of red liquid and pieces of mushroom stalks, her face was not a pleasant sight.

She gave them a neurotic smile.”It was her who pushed Chen Ruomei to her death. She killed her. How can she confess it?”

The feeling of being controlled while remaining wide awake seemed to drive her crazy. Tan Zhi leaped forward with total abandon, trying to grab that bowl containing Fu water.” Please give me the Fu water. I will tell you everything.”

After a little thought, Cheng Hua poured away half the water and gave her only half.” This amount of Fu water will only make you a little more comfortable but wouldn’t cleanse your body of that stuff. You better tell the truth.”

Tan Zhi grabbed the bowl and poured the water into her mouth.

It took her a while to emerge from the bathroom with a pale face. A smile of relief was on her lips.

She began to tell them what really happened that night from the start to the end.

On the night when Chen Ruomei died, they three were indeed on the way back from a group dance. But what they told the Police was not true. They didn’t hear the loud cry for help from Chen Ruomei and tried to rescue her. The truth was that they had a conflict with Chen Ruomei at the entrance of the apartment complex.

To be more precise, it was Xu Meifang who had a conflict with Chen Ruomei.

Xu Meifang and Cheng Ruomei lived in the same building. Because Chen Ruomei was good-looking and a newcomer, she had attracted a lot of attention. Xue Meifang’s favorite pastime was matchmaking, and she happened to have a single nephew. Seeing Chen Ruomei was always alone and seemed to be single, an idea sprung to her mind. From then on, she took every opportunity to have a conversation with her to gain her confidence.

After they knew each other properly, Xu Meifang naturally brought up the topic of introducing her nephew to her. Chen Ruomei refused without a second thought, claiming she wasn’t looking for a boyfriend at that time.

But Xu Meifang tended to overthink. She believed Chen Ruomei had snubbed her nephew, and she was looking for a rich and powerful man. Her two friends had heard this complaint several times.

It so happened that one day, a middle-aged man drove a BMW to their apartment complex looking for Chen Ruomei, and he coincidentally met and asked Xu Meifang for her whereabouts.

Before, Xu Meifang always thought it suspicious that Chen Ruomei went to work in the middle of the night. This further confirmed her suspicion that she wasn’t a decent girl. If she wasn’t in the flesh business, she must be the secret lover of the middle-aged rich man.

She loved to gossip and held a grudge against Chen Ruomei. From then on, she liked to imply to anyone that Chen Ruomei was a prostitute in a bar.

Everyone who heard this was doubtful about this at first. But it was not long before a rumor appeared claiming Chen Ruomei had a quarrel with her client and called the Police. Xu Meifang lived in the same building, and afterward, she made up in detail what happened at the scene. As a self-claimed witness account, this led many people to believe her story, which described Chen Ruomei as a prostitute. Many people in this apartment complex started to have a low opinion of her.

Chen Ruomei had no friends or relatives here, and no one took the trouble to tell her the rumor. She knew it only after her landlord became reluctant to extend the lease because the landlord thought she was a prostitute.

She had great trouble persuading the landlord to extend the lease until she could find other places to live. On her way to work, she ran into Xu Meifang and her friends, who at that moment were still talking about the incident about the Police and a “client.”

Even though she was silent and tends to keep to herself, she wasn’t weak and stupid. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have the presence of mind to preserve the evidence after being raped.

After being slandered like this, naturally, she wanted to demand an explanation.

But Xu Meifang was known for her temper and tongue. In the midst of a quarrel, Xu Meifang started to act violently and pushed Cheng Ruomei around. Seeing this, Tan Zhi and Xie Guizhen tried to pull them away from each other. No one noticed the manhole behind them missed a cover.

Chen Ruomei was pushed into the manhole.

In the darkness, they heard a dull sound after Chen Ruomei fell into the hole, which must have a depth of several meters.

They instantly fell into a panic. Xu Meifang realized she might kill a person.

Their first reaction was to try to flee. This part of the apartment complex was not lit after the street lights went out, and no surveillance camera covered this area. They might get away with it.

But the moment they decided to escape, Chen Ruomei regained her consciousness and started to cry for help in a weak voice.

Tan Zhi and Xie Guizhen wanted to call the Police, but Xu Meifang stopped them and tried to intimidate them with the debt they own her and the fact that they were accomplices of murder. Finally, under Xu Meifang’s direction, they managed to pull Chen Ruomei out of the hole.

Chen Ruomei had sustained a serious head injury during the fall, and her face was covered with blood. She soon stopped breathing after being lifted out of the hole.

Xu Meifang’s original plan was to save her and compensate her with money while keeping the whole matter private. But seeing the lifeless body, a bold idea sprung to her mind…..

After calling the Police and the first-aid ambulance, she conspired with her friends to present themselves as kind-hearted bystanders to conceal the truth about this killing.

No witnesses, no surveillance footage, and the autopsy report indicated the heavy head injury was the cause of her death. Everyone saw they were on the way home, and as far as the Police know, they had no grudge against Chen Ruomei……….As a result, they fooled the Police and turned from a killer and accomplices to kind-hearted model citizens.

They acted in common interest and stuck to their version of the story.

If not for the series of bizarre events, Tan Zhi would never tell the truth.

She looked at Cheng Hua with a twisted face.” I have told you what I know. Please give me the rest of the FU water.”

Cheng Hua watched her with disgust. Even though he didn’t have any prejudices against humans, he had to admit that once humans decided to be vicious, monsters are no match for them.

So he decided to be a little mischievous.” I just lied to you. I have only one Fu left.”

Tan Zhi stared at him in disbelief. Her eyes almost jumped out of sockets.” Impossible! Are you a grandmaster? Please save me. I didn’t kill her. If there is anyone to blame for her death, it’s Xu Meifang.”

“You didn’t kill her, but you are an accomplice.”

Jiang Lan felt he was supposed to be angry. But after witnessing her attempt to shift all blame to Xu Meifang, he felt his anger had turned to cold disgust.

“We are not masters. We work for the Government.” Jiang Lan showed her his work ID.” I just voice-recorded every word you say. Now the choice is yours. Do you want to turn yourself in to the Police or want us to report you to the Police? [2]”

Tan Zhi stared at the word ID with a blank expression.

****************

Jiang Lan called Wang Qin to tell him what had happened here, But Wang Qin was the first to speak.” Xu Meifang was dead.”

She committed suicide this morning. After her husband went to work, she used a knife to cut her throat.

Her son and daughter were at school, and her husband worked extra time. When Wang Qin came to their flat, her husband came back and tried to open the door locked from inside.

After Wang Qin showed his Police badge and explained his purpose, her husband told them the problem with the door. When they forced open the door, they discovered her dead body on a bed.

She hadn’t been dead for more than 24 hours, but a stench had already come from her body. Oxidized blood turned dark and turned solid. Wet bed sheets acted as a breeding ground for the Red Devil Umbrella Mushrooms growing on the bed.

This scene was both bizarre and scary.

Xu Meifang’s husband fainted right away. Wang Qin and Zhao Heng immediately requested reinforcements to cordon off the scene and returned the body for autopsy.

Jiang Lan sent the voice recording over to Wang Qin. Even though the evidence acquired in this way couldn’t be used in a court of law, Jiang Lan still kept a copy of it.

When Tan Zhi walked out of the bathroom, she overheard what Jiang Lan said on the phone.

With a shocked look on her face, she repeated what she heard.” Xu Meifang is dead.”

With trembling hands, she collapsed on the ground.

Jiang Lan warned her.” If you turn yourself in, you might get a lenient punishment.”

Then the three of them left.

Two police cars were parked nearby when they left the building, with many officers putting up a cordon line. After seeing this, many residents came out and gathered around, trying to get a sense of what’s going on.”

Wang Qin and Zhao Heng were nowhere to be seen. So they must still remain in the flat. Jiang Lan looked up and vaguely saw a red mist floating around a window, looking for their next hosts.

Ying Qiao patted his shoulder.” You can go and wait in the car. It will take a while to finish the business here.”

Jiang Lan nodded and sighed. He was in a low spirit and looked like a helpless cub, first witnessing the dark side of the human’s heart.

Ying Qiao thought he must be very disappointed, considering his affinity with the humans. Raising his hand to pat his head, he tried to comfort him.” Humans are evil by nature. You wouldn’t be disappointed if you always bear that in mind.”

“I am not disappointed.”

He didn’t expect Jiang Lan would shake his head and contradict him.” I am not disappointed. Except for people we just met, the vast majority of humans are good people. I just feel sorry for Chen Ruomei. She was a good girl.”

He never felt disappointed at the evil in people’s hearts; He was just sad about a good girl’s tragic passing.

These people’s evil ruined a girl who was supposed to have a bright future before her and destroyed a family struggling to support themselves.

Cheng Hua shrugged and thought it very interesting that this Little Monster would genuinely feel sorry for a human. The sad looks on his face even moved him to comfort him.” It’s her fate. The Red Devil Umbrella had a hidden agenda in this incident, but anyway, she was revenged.

What he said seemed to have an immediate effect on Jiang Lan.

” You are right. Now Xu Meifang is dead, but Tan Zhi and Xie Guizhen are still alive. They are accomplices to this cover-up and will be punished by the law. I think the Police will release an announcement to dispel the rumor and restore her name.”

He was again his usual self, full of vigor.” I will look for Wang Qin now.”

Ying Qiao looked at the spirited Little Monster, then glanced at Cheng Hua……

……..he took another look at Cheng Hua. 

You succeed where I failed

Ying Qiao.”…….”

I shouldn’t bring Cheng Hua along.

In his heart, a sense of crisis suddenly emerged.

References↑1The remains of paper money, which Chinese elders used to burn for the deceased relatives, they might receive in the afterlife↑2TL’s note: 1. Accidental killing carried a light sentence in China, depending on the circumstances. Sometimes charges will not be brought against the suspect if the victim’s family accepts the financial compensation. But misleading the Police is a grave offense. 2. Voluntarily report to Police after committing a crime is considered a mitigating factor in sentencing