Chapter 23 Azure Dragon

"If we can find fingerprints on this tattoo pen, it would be a significant piece of evidence!" Gao Mingqiang said excitedly.

"Then are we still going to Mount Xiezhi?" Liu Yuning asked.

"Let's go, be careful. After the inspection is complete, we'll go back together. But Gao Mingqiang, you take this physical evidence back first!"

"I understand. You two be careful!"

Gao Mingqiang took the evidence bag and left. Liu Yuning and I walked out of the villa, got in the car, and headed towards Mount Xiezhi. It wasn't far from here to Mount Xiezhi, as it was all in the north.

On the way, Liu Yuning asked me, "Are we going to the nunnery in the west too?"

"Of course, let's try!"

We set off with a burst of energy. We had originally thought it would be like a TV drama, returning to the scene and finding more clues. However, we had overestimated. We visited two places and found no clues, so we could only return to the police station along the way.

At this time, the forensics department had just sent a message, so it didn't delay us. Returning to the police station early was just waiting anyway. Going back to the crime scene again at least gave us complete peace of mind.

The forensic results for the tattoo pen showed only the victim's fingerprints and nothing else.

How strange? It was probably wiped clean by the murderer. But the tattoo pen had rolled under the sofa. This didn't look like the murderer's deliberate action at all. But the victim's fingerprints weren't on it?

That's why I said it was strange. Could this also be something the murderer did deliberately?

As I was thinking, I looked at Liu Yuning. Judging by her reaction, she probably thought of the same thing as me.

"We were so happy thinking we had found useful evidence, only to end up with nothing!"

"Yeah, what do we do? Do we have to wait for the next victim?" I said.

"Don't talk nonsense, this kind of..."

Before Liu Yuning could finish, another police officer ran into the Special Investigation Team office and told us, "It's bad, Captain Liu. We just received a report that another female body has been found in Donghui Villa in Fuming City!"

"What a jinx!" Liu Yuning cursed me. I felt like I had swallowed a fly and couldn't speak. Could this be my fault?

If we didn't catch the murderer within a day, such a thing was bound to happen again.

We didn't have time to dwell on this and had to rush to the crime scene.

On the way, I checked the information and discovered that Donghui Villa was located in the eastern part of Fuming City, and this place was the home of the boss of Dongming Real Estate, Wei Fangyi.

This Wei Fangyi was 55 years old, single, and female. She had divorced five years ago and had no children. Since then, she had lived alone in Donghui Villa.

Such an outstanding woman was murdered. If this news spread, it would surely cause a sensation in society.

When we arrived at the scene, Liu Yuning instructed all the police officers present, "This time, we must keep it confidential and not let the public know, otherwise the consequences we would have to bear would be beyond our ability to handle!"

"Understood, Captain Liu!" everyone replied. Liu Yuning and I walked towards a main building in the villa.

This villa was ridiculously large, with cherry blossom trees everywhere, as well as some lavender. There were several gardens and many swimming pools. The architecture was very European, and the designs were very elaborate. Even a random wall would probably cost a fortune.

This was beyond what ordinary police officers like us could imagine. Entering the house, we saw a woman hanging from the chandelier in the main hall. Her neck was bound by countless ribbons, and her limbs hung straight down. Her lower body was wet and bleeding bright red blood.

As the chandelier swayed slightly, the corpse also swayed from side to side. When it rubbed against the chandelier, it made a creaking sound that made one's ears tingle and their whole body ache, even sending shivers down their spine.

At this moment, the female corpse's face turned towards us. Her expression was dull and cold, like a spirit floating in mid-air. A stereo on the TV cabinet was still playing a mournful elegy, its melody rippling through the entire hall, weaving back and forth. The sound of endless silence flowed between the corpse and the surrounding furniture, creating an incredibly shocking effect.

If we had been alone here, we would have been scared to death by the scene.

The corpse's top was removed, and on her shoulder, a lifelike tattoo was carved. It depicted an animal with a body as long as a snake, its fangs sharp and full of murderous intent. Its ruby-like eyes were particularly terrifying. Its powerful limbs were distributed on the woman's snow-white skin. Its mouth was open as if it could suck in all the surrounding air.

"Is this a dragon?" Liu Yuning asked.

"To be precise, it should be a Qinglong (Azure Dragon). In ancient China, those with horns on their heads were male dragons; those with double horns were called dragons, and those with single horns were called Jiao. Those without horns were called Chi. Ancient jade pendants often featured large and small twin dragons, still called mother and son Chi. This time, the murderer has left a Qinglong tattoo in the east of Fuming City, which corresponds to the Qiankun Bagua formation, because Qinglong belongs to the east."

"This is the fourth time. It seems I can't help but believe that the murderer's methods are related to the Qiankun Bagua formation!" Liu Yuning was completely convinced this time. She asked Xie Chuchu and others who had arrived at the scene to help me remove the body from the chandelier.

During the process, because the corpse's neck was tied with ribbons, they had to cut the ribbons to remove her. But at our height, it was too difficult to cut the ribbons. We had to find a ladder. Gao Mingqiang climbed up and cut the ribbons, while we below caught the body.

Although the dead person was heavy, it was not a problem for a few of us forensic doctors.

After laying the body flat, Xie Chuchu and I conducted a preliminary examination. I took out my autopsy umbrella, bone hammer, and other tools, combined with the shadowless lamp and UV light, and we worked busily with Xie Chuchu. Based on the stiffness of the corpse, the presence of lividity, and the degree of pupil dilation, we first estimated the time of death to be about 12 hours ago. In other words, the murderer had acted on this victim not long ago.

"He has already completed the rituals for the north, west, and east of the Qiankun Bagua formation. Now only the south and the center remain." I said.

"Consultant He, do you have any solutions? Are we really going to watch him continue to kill, have the victim in the south killed, and then the one in the center? If it really comes to this, what are we police officers for?" Liu Yuning said angrily, kicking a nearby table.

Gao Mingqiang quickly comforted her, "Captain Liu, don't get agitated. We need to stay calm now!"

"I'm sorry, I lost my temper just now!" Liu Yuning apologized. I carefully sprinkled some chemical liquid on the ground, and then together with Xie Chuchu, we turned the deceased's body over. It was then that we discovered that the Azure Dragon tattoo on the deceased's body had opened one bloody eye!