Volume Twelve: An Invitation from Hell Chapter Six: The Infernal Iron Tree Prison

Back at the station, Yaoguang continued investigating the connection between Linlang, Feng Hui, and Wei Shanshan, hoping to uncover more ties to Wei Shanshan.

“Master, we’re back. You can’t imagine what we found,” Jiang Yun said as he sat down.

“Then let’s hear it,” Yaoguang said, looking at the three children.

“This Wei Jiang is basically a heartthrob. No girl dislikes him: educated, wealthy, gentle, considerate, sunny, with no bad habits, and, most importantly, ridiculously handsome. But he also had a nickname, ‘Wife-Slayer’—not the number seven, but the wife in marriage. People said he was cursed to ruin women; no girl who got involved with him ever escaped trouble. Isn’t that strange? For more than a year now, there hasn’t been a single girl around him,” Jiang Yun said.

“So this was Wei Shanshan’s doing,” Yaoguang said with a smile.

“Master, you’re too clever. We asked the female employees at Wei Jiang’s company, and they said Wei Shanshan was basically a psychopath. She privately threatened several girls at the company who were close to Wei Jiang. One of them even had a bucket of water thrown in her face while leaving the night shift. The girl thought it was acid and nearly collapsed from fear. When she was panicking, Wei Shanshan appeared like a demon and said that if she dared keep pestering her brother, next time it would be acid. She also threatened the girl not to tell Wei Jiang about it,” Huo Mingkun said.

“We also looked into several girls who had dated Wei Jiang. The answers were outrageous. The first was grabbed by the hair and beaten by Wei Shanshan, who told her she had to leave Wei Jiang or she’d kill her. The second was even more direct—thrown into an artificial lake. Luckily, the girl could swim. The third was nearly run over by Wei Shanshan driving a car. It was all intimidation, and there were many more cases like this. Those girls all said that when they first met Wei Shanshan, she seemed like an angel—beautiful, gentle, articulate, kind. But the moment they started seeing Wei Jiang, she changed. In front of Wei Jiang she was an angel; when he was away, she was a demon. One girl even told Wei Jiang that Wei Shanshan had threatened her, but Wei Jiang simply refused to believe it. In front of Wei Jiang, Wei Shanshan wasn’t just good at acting—her disguise was flawless, with not the slightest crack,” Chen Haixu said.

“Fine, then take a look at what we found. Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” Yaoguang said, handing them the case files they had brought back from the hospital.

The three children stared in shock.

“You don’t suspect that both women were killed by Wei Shanshan, do you?”

“It’s very possible. Based on what we know about her now, she’s fully capable of it,” Yaoguang said.

“But both bodies are gone. How are we supposed to find evidence?” Huo Mingkun said gloomily.

“No bodies does make things harder. Wei Jiang won’t be any help either. In his eyes, Wei Shanshan was practically a fairy. He won’t believe it; even if he does, he won’t admit it. He may even keep deceiving himself. Now that Wei Shanshan is dead, and dead so horribly, Wei Jiang will surely do everything he can to protect the image of her as perfect,” Xuan Chen said after hearing everyone’s analysis.

“Heh, I’ve got an idea. Yun, Haixu, come with me. Masters, just wait at home,” Yaoguang said, taking Jiang Yun and Chen Haixu with him.

“What are those kids up to?” Tianyou looked utterly confused.

“Wait. They must have found a way,” another voice said.

In the afternoon, the three children came back looking dusty and exhausted, then crowded around a computer and began typing furiously.

“Haixu, connect to the website,” Huo Mingkun said.

“Got it,” Chen Haixu replied.

“Yun, get ready to receive the data transfer,” Huo Mingkun said.

“Ready,” Jiang Yun said.

“Begin,” Huo Mingkun said.

“What are they doing?” Xuan Chen asked curiously as he walked over to look. “Phoenix, your three disciples have become spirits.”

Yaoguang walked over suspiciously and looked. Good heavens—all the information related to housekeeping services from the human resources department was being automatically filtered. These kids had actually infiltrated the human resources website.

“Start the search,” Huo Mingkun said.

“Received. Starting,” Chen Haixu replied.

“Target found. Data copied successfully,” Jiang Yun said.

“Great, onto the next,” Huo Mingkun said, fingers flying over the keyboard. “This one’s much easier.”

“Data transmission successful. Beginning search,” Chen Haixu said.

“Search complete. Target data found and copied successfully,” Jiang Yun said, stretching lazily.

A printer nearby began to whir.

Before long, two sets of documents had been printed.

“Hm-hm,” Huo Mingkun cleared his throat. “Masters, seniors, let’s begin the meeting. When we visited the neighbors near Wei Jiang’s home, we found that while Linlang was pregnant, Wei Jiang had hired a postpartum nanny. But the day after Linlang’s accident, that nanny abruptly resigned and disappeared. The second thing: a few days after Feng Hui’s accident, Wei Jiang’s home reported a natural gas repair. The neighbors said that on the day Feng Hui was hurt, the whole corridor smelled strongly of gas. Fearing something might happen, they opened all the windows in the hallway.”

“So the question is this: why did the nanny caring for Linlang leave? And Feng Hui was resting at home—why didn’t she notice the gas leak, yet still got poisoned? That’s suspicious enough already. Also, the ones who took Linlang and Feng Hui to the hospital were both Wei Shanshan. But how did Wei Shanshan know something had happened? Either she discovered it by chance, or she was nearby. If it was merely by chance, that explanation is too forced. From the emergency records at the hospital, if they had arrived even a little earlier, neither woman would have died. If they had arrived any later, they would already have been beyond saving. So that explanation doesn’t hold. If Wei Shanshan was nearby, then why did these two women still end up dying because help came too late? That leaves only the third explanation: the timing was calculated by Wei Shanshan herself. She wanted exactly this outcome. ‘I tried to save them, but they still died—then it’s not my fault.’ If that was her mindset, everything would make sense,” Yaoguang said.

“We think so too. If we explain it this way, Wei Shanshan premeditated everything, then killed them, then timed it so they were brought to the hospital for rescue. Doesn’t that make everything fit?” Huo Mingkun said.

“Yes. Then can we go visit that nanny and that repairman? I think we’ll find something,” Yaoguang said with a smile.

“Of course. Master, Jiang Yun, and Captain Xie can form one team. Haixu, Captain Chu, and I will form the other and go to the gas company. Is that okay, Master?” Huo Mingkun asked, looking at Yaoguang.

“No problem. Do it your way,” Yaoguang said approvingly.

“Master, this is the file on that nanny,” Huo Mingkun said, handing over a folder.

“Beautiful. Let’s go. We’ll open the road,” Yaoguang said, and in the next moment he was already gone from the stairwell.

Yaoguang first found the housekeeping company, then inquired about the nanny’s address. When they finally found her, they discovered she was a very kind, gentle woman.

“What can I do for you?” the woman asked with a smile.

“Auntie, we’re from Ye City Public Security Bureau. We’d like to ask you about Linlang,” Yaoguang said.

“Ah, Linlang?!” The woman’s face changed drastically.

“Auntie, don’t be afraid. Wei Shanshan is dead now. No one can threaten you anymore. Please, don’t be afraid,” Yaoguang said. From her reaction, he had already guessed part of the truth. His words were both comfort and a probe.

“Dead? Really dead? This is karmic retribution. Linlang and the child must have come back for revenge, haven’t they? Good, good—she deserved it,” the woman said, and two lines of tears fell. “I wronged Linlang. I was weak.”

“Auntie, can you tell us what happened that day?” Yaoguang asked, helping her sit down.

“Linlang’s death was no accident. It was that cruel girl Wei Shanshan who did it. Wei Shanshan liked her brother, and in her eyes every woman who got close to him was a villain. Mr. Wei and Linlang were very much in love. When I arrived at the Wei household, Linlang had already been pregnant for over four months. Her belly was getting bigger, and naturally she wasn’t as nimble as before. I didn’t have much to do—just look after Linlang. At first I didn’t think anything was strange, but after a while I realized Wei Shanshan was odd. When Mr. Wei was home, she was especially nice to Linlang. But when he was away, she became cold and sharp-tongued. Linlang had a good temper and didn’t mind, but I noticed the way Wei Shanshan looked at her—it was always vicious, as if she wanted to tear Linlang apart and swallow her whole. Later it got worse and worse. Wei Shanshan threatened me more than once, saying if I dared tell her brother, she’d make sure I regretted it. I had originally wanted to quit, but Mr. Wei and Linlang both tried to keep me, so I decided to stay until Linlang gave birth, then look after her through her confinement and leave. But... sigh. On the day it happened, Mr. Wei wasn’t home. Wei Shanshan picked a fight with Linlang over some excuse. Linlang finally snapped, and they started shouting at each other. Linlang was moved by the stress, felt unwell in her belly, and wanted to go back and rest. At that moment, Wei Shanshan伸手 and pushed her down the stairs. Linlang’s head hit the banister, and her body rolled uncontrollably down the steps. By the time she hit the ground, she could no longer stand, and blood was already coming out. I rushed to help, but Wei Shanshan wouldn’t let me. She said Linlang was faking it and even kicked her several times. The blood kept spreading. I said if we didn’t call the police right away, someone would die, but Wei Shanshan said that woman who was seducing her brother deserved to die. Only after Linlang stopped struggling did Wei Shanshan pretend to call an ambulance, while threatening me with a knife, saying if I dared tell anyone, she would kill me too. I was terrified. The next day, when Mr. Wei came home from the hospital and said Linlang was dead, I wanted to tell the truth, but Wei Shanshan stared at me so viciously that I said I couldn’t bear to keep working after something like this. So I left. Mr. Wei was kind and still paid me my wages. After I came back, I kept dreaming for a long, long time of Linlang and the child covered in blood, asking me why I hadn’t saved them. What a sin. Mr. Wei was too kind. I don’t believe he truly didn’t know what kind of person Wei Shanshan was, but he was still willing to believe his own demon sister was a good person. Now that Wei Shanshan is dead, does that mean Linlang and the child’s revenge has finally been answered?”

By the time she finished, the aunt was crying helplessly.

When they left the nanny’s home, Yaoguang and the others all felt a knot in their chests. How could such an innocent-looking girl have such a cruel heart?

Back at the station, Huo Mingkun had also returned.

“Master, the gas leak in the Wei house wasn’t an accident. The repairman said the gas valve had been tampered with. It was done very cleverly—if you weren’t looking carefully, you’d never notice. He said the valve was damaged, and once the gas reached a certain concentration, that area was sealed back up. Whoever did it planned it meticulously. That explains why Feng Hui, asleep at home, didn’t know the gas had leaked. Also, we went back to the hospital where Feng Hui was treated and found that when she was rescued, the hospital discovered sleeping pills in her system. The only person who had been prescribed sleeping pills at the hospital in those days was Wei Shanshan. We checked Wei Shanshan’s medical record; it said neurasthenia. But when we asked the doctor, he was doubtful that Wei Shanshan actually had neurasthenia, so according to hospital rules, he only prescribed two days’ worth of medicine—two sleeping pills. But even two sleeping pills were enough to render a healthy person like Feng Hui completely unconscious.”

“Good. The evidence chain is complete now. Apply for a search warrant and search the Wei residence. Linlang fell down the stairs; there must be traces left behind,” Yaoguang said, closing the files.

At the Wei house, the forensic team began their work. Sure enough, they found blood in the crevice of the stair banister and a bottle of sleeping pills in Wei Shanshan’s room.

After testing, the blood on the stairs was confirmed to be Linlang’s, and the sleeping pill residue was determined to be the same drug found in Feng Hui’s body.

“Mr. Wei, did your sister ever habitually take sleeping pills while she was alive?” Yaoguang asked, looking at the somewhat bewildered Wei Jiang.

Wei Jiang shook his head.

“Mr. Wei, you need to come with us. There are some things we need to explain to you at the station. This is not a summons, only a request for cooperation,” Yaoguang said.

Wei Jiang nodded and followed Yaoguang away.

In the meeting room, Yaoguang laid out the testimonies and records one by one for Wei Jiang to see. “Mr. Wei, the deaths of both of your wives were not accidents. They were murders committed by Wei Shanshan.”

He said only that one sentence, leaving the rest for Wei Jiang to understand on his own. Yaoguang believed there were things Wei Jiang already knew in his heart, though he refused to admit them. But some veils still had to be torn away.

“Haha... so it really was Shanshan. For so many years, I kept lying to myself, stubbornly believing that none of this could have been done by her. But in the end, I still couldn’t escape karma’s cycle. Shanshan died so horribly—could that not be Linlang and Feng Hui, bringing their child back to claim her life?” Wei Jiang said, tears streaming down his face.

He quietly left.

Yaoguang watched his back, and it seemed somehow desolate.

“Master, but why was Wei Shanshan made to end up like that by the killer?” Jiang Yun asked.

“What is the third level of hell?” Yaoguang asked.

“The third level is the Iron Tree Hell. Anyone in life who sowed discord among blood relatives, stirred up conflict between fathers and sons, brothers, sisters, or husband and wife, goes after death to the Iron Tree Hell,” Jiang Yun answered.

“Doesn’t the pillar covered with sharp blades behind Wei Shanshan look like an iron tree?” Yaoguang asked.

“It really does. Wei Shanshan loved her brother obsessively and believed he could belong only to her alone. So she stopped at nothing to block every woman who came near him—if she could sow discord, she did; if that failed, she threatened them; and if that still failed, she simply killed. That wasn’t love anymore. It was madness, a possessiveness so extreme it was revolting,” Yaoguang said with a helpless shake of his head.

Love is beautiful, and terrifying. Love is selfless, and selfish. It can make a person happy; it can also drive them mad.

Wei Shanshan stirred up discord between her brother and his wives, even committing murder without hesitation. That was no longer love. It was selfishness—selfishness so vile it made one shudder. No wonder the killer had taken the victims’ hearts away.

The third level of hell: the Iron Tree Hell.