The Young Girl's Chronicles of Demon-Slaying

Chapter 17: Testing the Waters

The two police officers didn’t stay at the house for long before leaving. It was still early—just past 3:00 p. m. —so it was naturally too soon to start making dinner. However, some dishes required long simmering, so after seeing the police officers off, Lin Yuqin got busy in the kitchen. Fang Heng had originally intended to go into the kitchen to help, but Lin Yuqin told him there wasn’t much to do and sent him off to watch TV. Seeing this, he didn’t press the issue and actually went to watch TV. However, there really wasn’t much to prepare. After chopping up the duck and giving it a preliminary cleaning, she placed it in a clay pot and set it on the stove to simmer slowly. When she was done, Lin Yuqin tidied up the kitchen. Seeing that it was almost time, she reminded Fang Heng to keep an eye on the stove so the liquid wouldn’t boil dry or the flame go out. Only after Fang Heng assured her did she quickly tidy up and head out to give her private lessons. For many college professors, their main source of income isn’t actually their salary, but rather private lessons. This is especially true in Yashan City, home to a nationally renowned music conservatory, which fosters a vibrant musical atmosphere. Many families are willing to spend money to have their children learn a musical instrument; even if they don’t become professional musicians, it’s still a great experience for them to shine at school recitals. Fang Heng walked Lin Yuqin to the gate of the compound, watched her leave, and only then turned to go back. Just as he turned, a figure suddenly emerged from an alley diagonally across from the gate. He was a middle-aged man in his forties—tall and thin, with an unremarkable appearance. Even if Lin Yuqin hadn’t recognized him, Fang Heng certainly would have—it was Wang Yiting, the real estate agent who had had dinner at their home the previous night. Wang Yiting seemed to have been waiting in the alley for quite some time. When he saw the girl he’d met the night before come out with Lin Yuqin, he’d assumed the two would leave together. But to his surprise, only Lin Yuqin walked away, while the girl turned back. He couldn’t help but wonder: What exactly was this girl’s connection to the Song Wencheng family? When he’d met the girl yesterday, Song Wencheng hadn’t seemed inclined to introduce her, so he hadn’t pressed the matter. Later, during dinner, when he heard the girl address them as “Uncle” and “Aunt,” he’d surmised she might be one of Lin Yuqin’s students. Although he’d known Song Wencheng for less than half a month, he’d actually thoroughly investigated Song Wencheng and his wife long before they met. He knew their monthly and annual incomes inside and out, not to mention their jobs and daily routines—he was fully aware of every detail. He had originally waited here for quite a while, hoping to climb over the wall and enter the house after Lin Yuqin left, but now that there was a girl in the house, his plan to sneak in that way was naturally out of the question. Wang Yiting pondered for a moment. He figured a girl in her teens would be easy to fool—after all, he wasn’t exactly a stranger; they’d even had dinner together the night before. If he came up with a plausible excuse, she probably wouldn’t suspect a thing. With that in mind, he made up his mind, stepped out of the alley, and walked straight toward the courtyard gate. Inside, Fang Heng—who had just returned to the living room to sit down and watch TV—suddenly heard the doorbell ring again. Though he found it a bit odd, he didn’t give it much thought; he called out in response and went to open the door. He was naturally on his guard, so instead of opening the door right away, he first engaged the chain and opened it just a crack to see who was there. What he saw made him feel a bit puzzled. He wondered, “Why is Wang, the real estate agent, here? Does he have another appointment with Song Wencheng?” But it was clear that Song Wencheng hadn’t come with Wang Yiting; otherwise, since the former had a key, he would have simply unlocked the door and walked right in instead of ringing the doorbell. Wang Yiting was already prepared for Fang Heng to answer the door. He broke into a smile and said, “Little girl, do you remember me? I’m Uncle Wang—the one who had dinner here last night!” Pfft! “Uncle Wang”? That’s so gross! Although that’s what I was thinking, I certainly couldn’t say it out loud. Without giving the slightest hint of my true feelings, I replied, “Yeah, I remember. What’s up?” That was a bit of a tricky question. Even if he really had something to discuss, it would be with Song Wencheng—there’s no way he’d talk to a little girl like me! Wang Yiting grumbled inwardly, but kept his smile on as he said, “I need to talk to your Uncle Song about something. I just happened to be passing by, and I didn’t feel like going back and coming all the way here again… Could I come inside and wait for him?” Fang Heng actually harbored a strong sense of wariness toward Wang Yiting. After all, it was right after he delivered the vase that the hauntings began that very night—he couldn’t help but suspect that Wang Yiting was behind it all. Although, judging from the conversation between Lin Yuqin and Lin Dian at school, it seemed Lin Yuqin had been having nightmares for some time already, Wang Yiting’s suspicion still couldn’t be ruled out. Fang Heng used to be a staunch atheist, but the events he’d experienced in just these few days had already reshaped his worldview. He now realized that the world was far more complex than he’d ever imagined. Perhaps the monks and Taoist priests featured in movies and novels actually existed in modern cities—they were simply hidden among the masses, indistinguishable to outsiders. Based on this realization, it’s not hard to understand how an ordinary person, through a stroke of chance, might learn some form of occult magic and use it to commit crimes or even murder. And this Wang Yiting standing before him was a prime suspect—especially since he’d rushed over the very next day after Wang had just vanquished the ghost infant the night before, which only heightened the suspicion. Logically speaking, under these circumstances, Fang Heng shouldn’t have allowed Wang Yiting to be alone with him. But then he reconsidered: although the Buddhist prayer beads had worked wonders last night to drive the ghost infant away, and he hadn’t found any lingering traces when he inspected the antiques during the day However, as a complete layman—not even a half-baked one—he couldn’t be certain whether the ghost infant had been driven away or was simply hiding. Now that the suspect was right there, why not have Wang Yiting go inside and take a look? Perhaps he could confirm one way or the other. Fang Heng believed that where there is evil, there is good. In broad daylight, even if Wang Yiting really knew some demonic arts, he wouldn’t dare to flaunt them, would he? Not to mention, he had his Buddhist prayer beads to protect him! Having worked this out, he swallowed his refusal and said instead, “All right. Come on in!” With that, he unlocked the chain, opened the gate, and stepped aside to let Wang Yiting enter the courtyard. Once inside the courtyard, Wang Yiting walked toward the living room door while asking a question he already knew the answer to: “Where’s Aunt Lin?” “She’s out,” Fang Heng replied, following Wang Yiting into the house. Once inside the living room, Wang Yiting didn’t head for the sofa. Instead, he stopped, glanced at the TV, and said, “I don’t know when Uncle Song will be back, and it’s boring just sitting here watching TV. Could I go upstairs and take a look at Uncle Song’s collection?” “Will Uncle Song agree?” Fang Heng asked. “Haha! Of course he’ll agree! I’ve looked at it before when you weren’t here! It’s no big deal!” Wang Yiting laughed. “Go ahead, then!” Fang Heng nodded in agreement. After getting the go-ahead, Wang Yiting nodded with a smile on his face, while thinking to himself, “Kids are just kids. Even though he looks pretty and cute, he’s still so easy to sweet-talk.” He headed toward the stairs. After taking just a few steps, he suddenly heard footsteps behind him. He turned around and saw that it was Fang Heng following him. So all that reassurance earlier was just an act? Now that he was about to go upstairs, she still didn’t trust him and wanted to follow him up? Wang Yiting smiled silently to himself, turned back, and paid her no mind. Whatever he was about to do—let alone for a little girl to see—would go unnoticed even by Song Wencheng. Since the girl wanted to follow, let her follow! It might even help divert suspicion from him. Once on the second floor, Wang Yiting made his way into the small living room as if he knew the place by heart. He stood in front of the shelf displaying antiques, looking here and there. Occasionally, he’d take an item down, hold it in his hand, and examine it closely with a magnifying glass he’d produced from somewhere, appearing quite serious as he did so. Meanwhile, Fang Heng stood at the entrance to the small parlor, watching Wang Yiting move back and forth inside, pacing in front of the shelves—everything looked perfectly normal. After a few minutes, Wang Yiting put the jade artifact he’d taken back on the shelf, turned around, and walked toward Fang Heng. As he walked, he shook his head and sighed, “Ah, kids these days! They’re just too suspicious! Never mind, I won’t put you through this. I’ll just come back next time when your Uncle Song returns.” Fang Heng remained expressionless and unmoved. However, seeing that Wang Yiting seemed ready to leave, he couldn’t help but feel a bit puzzled. Could it be that he had truly wronged this man? He had been observing him closely for quite some time, and he really hadn’t noticed Wang Yiting doing anything suspicious. Or perhaps Wang Yiting’s movements had been too subtle, and his own eyesight wasn’t sharp enough to catch them? In any case, Wang Yiting was indeed leaving. As he passed by Fang Heng, he muttered something that sounded like a scolding yet also like a joke: “You mischievous little rascal!” At the same time, he reached out to pat Fang Heng on the head. Almost the moment the hand came toward him, Fang Heng reflexively flinched, dodging Wang Yiting’s touch. Fang Heng’s reaction was so sudden that it momentarily startled Wang Yiting, but he quickly regained his composure, shook his head with a smile, and continued down the stairs without pausing. This guy… did he just try to attack me? Fang Heng narrowed his big eyes. Just now, when Wang Yiting reached out to touch him, he had clearly sensed a strong wave of malice—as if there were something extremely filthy on the other man’s hand—which made him feel nauseated and repulsed. Almost without thinking, his body had reflexively dodged the touch. The dodge was more instinctive than deliberate, which is why the movement was a bit exaggerated—he wasn’t sure if it had aroused the guy’s suspicion. (End of Chapter)