Zhu Yan’s expression grew serious as she searched her memory:
“I’ve read about soul separation syndrome in my master’s records. This situation seems quite similar.”
Shen Du’s eyes were clear, filled with trust as he looked at her.
Zhu Yan furrowed her brow in thought, searching her memory for traces of this condition: “My master had two books. One was ‘The Source and Illumination of Miscellaneous Diseases: The Origin of Sleeplessness and Oversleeping,’ which states: ‘When the spirit is restless, upon lying down, the soul flies away. One feels the body in bed while the spirit leaves the body, causing fright and nightmares, unable to sleep all night. This is called soul separation syndrome.’
Another book, ‘Record of Syndrome Differentiation: The Chapter on Soul Separation,’ also mentions it, saying ‘When a person’s heart and kidneys are both injured, they may suddenly feel their body split into two. Others cannot see this, but the person alone perceives it. People consider this soul separation syndrome, unaware that it’s due to the heart and kidneys not communicating.'”
She had also noticed that Lai Luofu’s condition was unrelated to her multiple identities, but: “Even if she has soul separation syndrome, how could there be a Wusun soul in her body?”
Everyone agreed with this point, as Lai Luofu’s condition seemed to match exactly what Zhu Yan had described.
“Yes, how could it be someone from Wusun?”
Zhu Yan asked Jing Lin again about Lai Luofu’s origins.
The Internal Affairs Bureau oversaw all officials, and their life stories and backgrounds were kept in the Imperial Cabinet’s secret archives. At Shen Du’s request, Jing Lin had sent people to investigate further.
Jing Lin stepped forward, bowing slightly:
“She’s from Tong Pass County in Yong Prefecture, not far from the capital. It’s now under the jurisdiction of Wanqing County in the capital.”
Zhu Yan looked at Shen Du, while Jing Lin stood up straight, looking at Lai Luofu with confusion:
“Lai Luozhi was the first person the Cabinet investigated. According to the records, Lai Luozhi came from a humble background. Her family was poor in her childhood. Lai Luozhi’s parents passed away when she was very young, and she was raised by her older sister. They had a deep bond. But when Lai Luozhi was thirteen, her sister fell ill with an epidemic and died due to poor health. This information was verified locally at the time, without any errors.”
They all knew what happened afterward. Lai Luofu was resurrected, first becoming Madam Tang and lurking in the capital to commit crimes, committing heinous acts. But before that, she had already been committing murders in other provinces under the identity of Chen Huoe.
Shen Du rubbed his index and middle fingers together, his eyes downcast as he said, “No matter when the investigation was conducted, Lai Luofu had no connection to the Western Regions.”
So how could they explain the scene before them?
Su Guang was still communicating with Lai Luofu’s young soul. Watching this bizarre and absurd scene, a clear doubt flashed through Shen Du and Zhu Yan’s minds. Zhu Yan gripped Shen Du’s hand, and they looked at each other, confirming that they shared the same thought.
“Didn’t we arrest Madam Tang before, and she died in the judicial prison shortly after her capture?” Zhu Yan asked, and Shen Du nodded in agreement.
“What about Chen Huoe?”
“Publicly beheaded.”
Zhu Yan’s eyes reflected a blaze of light: “And Lai Luofu died from illness when Lai Luozhi was young.”
Everyone was confused. Pan Chi rubbed his head in frustration: “How could three unrelated people be so entangled? It’s a pity I wasn’t present for the previous cases. Thinking about it makes my head hurt.”
Zhu Yan took out her notebook and quickly flipped through it page by page. The clues in her mind scattered like stars in the night sky, but there seemed to be a thread trying to connect them all.
Zhu Yan had always possessed tenacity, never doubting herself, which was one of the reasons for her success as a coroner.
Shen Du, not wanting Zhu Yan to work so hard, helped organize the relevant information:
“When did Madam Tang first start committing crimes?”
Zhu Yan flipped back a page: “About a dozen years ago.”
“Chen Huoe?”
She flipped another page: “Five or six years ago.”
After receiving the response, Shen Du nodded: “So these two people existed simultaneously for a period.”
Zhu Yan’s eyes lit up: “Five or six years ago, Madam Tang was committing crimes in the capital, while Chen Huoe had already started committing crimes in other provinces.”
“Correct.” Shen Du praised, looking at Zhu Yan with a gentle light in his eyes.
Zhu Yan continued to flip through her notebook. Previously, for the Buddha’s Sin-Swallowing case and the Chen Huoe case, she had carefully examined the files from the Ministry of Justice and the Imperial Cabinet, meticulously recording everything. Details that seemed unrelated before now seemed to connect, and an idea became increasingly clear.
“Madam Tang never left the capital. At most, she went to the suburban Foguang Temple to pray for blessings and then returned. For many years, she lived a quiet and wealthy life as a widow.”
“If she never left the capital area, how could she have gone to other provinces to commit multiple murders?”
If it was truly one person using two identities to commit crimes, how could they appear in different places simultaneously?
Standing nearby, Pan Chi listened in confusion. He tugged at Zhu Yan’s sleeve and leaned in: “Yan’er, your records are so detailed. Let me take a look. Maybe I can help. As the saying goes, even a bad cobbler…”
“If you know you’re a bad cobbler, then stay away.” Shen Du grabbed Pan Chi and threw him towards Su Guang, causing Su Guang to stumble a few steps.
“Yan’er… he’s bullying me.” Pan Chi was naturally beautiful, acknowledged by both men and women. With his red lips half-bitten and eyes glistening, it was truly hard to resist.
Shen Du blocked their line of sight and gave Pan Chi a fierce glare: “If you have time, listen to what they’re saying.”
Pan Chi stamped his foot, somewhat dissatisfied, but quieted down.
Zhu Yan was still immersed in her thoughts, pointing at her notebook:
“The Ministry of Justice has records that five years ago, there were multiple murders in Henan County. The methods were brutal. After investigation, the culprit was identified as Chen Huoe. One case, in particular, seems especially suspicious now,”
Zhu Yan licked her lips, which had become dry,
“That day happened to be the Fast-Breaking Day, which was the most important festival for the Empress. Foguang Temple held a grand ceremony, attended by all court officials. The Empress herself presided over it.”
“Madam Tang, as the widow of the National Guard General Tang Chengyi, was naturally present. In other words, she was praying at Foguang Temple when the crime occurred.”
“But now it’s proven that she and Chen Huoe are the same person.”
One was killed in other provinces, while the other was praying at Foguang Temple.
Shen Du nodded: “Five years ago, on Fast-Breaking Day, I was at Foguang Temple and saw Madam Tang.”
“This is easy to verify. Many people were present at the time, and Madam Tang was acquainted with the imperial relatives and nobility.”
Shen Du’s testimony alone was enough to prove Zhu Yan’s conclusion correct.
The same person used two different identities to appear in different places at the same time.
Could there be a technique for resurrection in this world?
“The scholars laugh at moths flying into flames, not knowing that their own lives are as fleeting as mayflies, born in the morning and dying in the evening, not entering the cycle of rebirth. The moth, dying in the fire, escapes the cycle and is reborn.”
Zhu Yan recited these words, making a bold conjecture: “Could it be that this resurrection also includes the ability to create multiple bodies?”
Shen Du was the first to shake his head in opposition: “Impossible. Human life is limited and inescapable. Birth, aging, illness, and death are constant and unchangeable. No one can alter this law.”
The Buddha says: Some are born in the morning and die in the evening, those who are born in spring and summer and die in autumn and winter, and those who die after ten years, a hundred years, or a thousand years. Although there are differences in speed, how much time separates them?
“One person becoming several versions of themselves is simply absurd.”
Zhu Yan agreed with this view, but if they didn’t consider this possibility, how else could they explain it?