Ruyi in the cage naturally preened her feathers like a bird, but in her heart, she thought: Some fools seek medicine by knocking on the King of Hell’s door. He Zeyou would be better off ramming his head into the stone pillar beside him than asking Shen Qiyuan for help.

Though it wasn’t his fault, Shen Qiyuan before him truly appeared elegant and refined, sleeves full of clear moonlight. His concerned expression upon hearing this was both gentle and friendly. “What happened?”

“Lady Sun was a virtuous concubine I took in. We had deep feelings for each other, yet one hour after giving birth to our son, she died beside the flower bed in the main courtyard of the primary residence, blood flowing from all seven orifices, her death state extremely tragic.” Speaking of this matter, He Zeyou still felt somewhat sorrowful. “She was meant to enjoy good fortune.”

Ruyi tilted her bird head, feeling somewhat surprised.

The snobbish, power-seeking He Zeyou, who looked down on the lowly and fawned over the mighty, had someone he truly cared for?

Shen Qiyuan followed him to see the scene where the corpse was discovered. Several days had passed, and it had even rained twice since then, so naturally, nothing remained on the ground except for an evergreen shrub with several crushed branches.

He gestured. “Was the deceased lying in this position at the time?”

“Yes.” He Zeyou nodded, then added with some grief and indignation, “Her expression looked extremely unwilling, with some hatred mixed in, so I suspect she must have seen Zhenxue before dying. But Zhenxue adamantly denies it, saying she went to sleep early that night and didn’t come out to see anyone.”

Shen Qiyuan hummed. “Your wife and concubine don’t get along well?”

“Two people who love me desperately—how could they get along when together?” He Zeyou sighed deeply. “Lady Sun was too proud, unable to bear the humiliation of being a concubine. Zhenxue has a fierce temperament and won’t tolerate a mere concubine lording it over her.”

Shen Qiyuan saw the magpie in the cage roll its eyes.

He pressed his lips together. “In that case, the marquis’s wife is indeed the most suspicious.”

“Not just suspicious—it must have been her doing.” Old Mistress He muttered quietly from the side. “A primary wife with such heavy jealousy, constantly making a pregnant woman stand at attention every few days. If not for her father’s sake, I would have had Youer divorce her long ago.”

He Tinglan found this amusing. “It was you who clamored to marry her in the first place.”

Old Mistress He glared at her. “Her family background is superior, her parents both from noble and refined families—naturally, she should be married. She’s just somewhat incompetent at managing the household.”

Continuing to mutter: “We should have made her the primary wife and Ruyi the concubine from the start. Those two were good sisters and wouldn’t quarrel or fight—the manor would have had fewer troubles… Hey, sir, why does the bird in your cage glare at people?”

Shen Qiyuan raised his sleeve to block the birdcage and ignored her.

The corpse was quickly carried over. Shen Qiyuan called toward the back: “Zhao Yanning.”

“Corpse examination ten taels, writing the autopsy report five taels,” came a voice from the crowd.

“Deal.” He nodded.

“Coming, customer!” Zhao Yanning immediately pushed through the crowd of servants and guards, put on a face mask, and nimbly entered the temporary morgue room.

He Zeyou felt somewhat uncomfortable. “Isn’t there a female coroner? This is, after all, my child’s mother.”

“She’s already dead—you’re still concerned about that?” Zhao Yanning rolled her eyes at him irritably and beckoned to Fuman.

Fuman followed her inside as instructed. Shen Qiyuan explained from outside: “When examining female corpses, there will be a female clerk present. Your Lordship need not worry.”

He Zeyou suppressed his displeasure and waited with hands clasped behind his back.

After one incense stick’s time, Zhao Yanning called out: “Lord Shen, please come in first.”

Shen Qiyuan nodded, carried the birdcage inside and closed the door, only to see Zhao Yanning’s expression was complex, her hands trembling slightly.

“What’s wrong?” He sensed something wasn’t right.

“Sir, I’ve never seen a corpse like this.” Zhao Yanning said in a low voice. “No external injuries, no signs of poisoning. It’s as if the blood vessels burst on their own from extreme fright, but after careful examination, I found she had no heart disease.”

People without heart disease aren’t easily frightened to death, and judging from the pupils, the deceased’s anger at the time of death should have exceeded her fear.

In all his years of examining corpses, this was the first body he’d encountered where he couldn’t determine the cause of death. Zhao Yanning was deeply shaken.

Shen Qiyuan pondered for a moment, then felt around the deceased’s crown chakra.

All three souls and seven spiritual essences were gone, and there was a barely perceptible trace of greenish-black on her forehead.

He said to Zhao Yanning, “It’s not your problem. This person’s cause of death likely involves demons and evil spirits.”

Zhao Yanning suddenly breathed a sigh of relief, but then became alarmed again. “Demons again? Last time, wasn’t Yuncheng’s wife also…”

“Write your autopsy report truthfully. I’ll take another closer look.”

“Alright.”

After circling the corpse twice, Ruyi was the first to speak through telepathy: “Sir, you immediately blame demons and evil spirits, but this person’s corpse is so clean and intact—where does it look like the work of demons?”

When determining that Yuncheng’s wife died from demonic seduction and killing, there was also substantial evidence of blood being drained. But the deceased before them not only had full blood vessels but wasn’t even injured in flesh and skin.

“Her soul essence was completely drained—if not demons, what else could it be?”

“That’s prejudice. What’s so rare about draining human souls? Immortals can do it too.”

“Ridiculous. Immortals cultivate the righteous path. Draining human souls is the style of those who cultivate the demonic path.”

As these words ended, both person and bird fell silent for a moment.

It seemed there was indeed such a person who cultivated both the divine path and was tainted by the demonic path.

Shen Qiyuan opened the door and went out to ask He Zeyou: “Had Lady Sun visited places like temples?”

“Naturally, yes. Ever since she became pregnant, she would go to the temple in the eastern part of the city every month to pray for the mother and child’s safety during childbirth.”

Shen Qiyuan closed his eyes.

Since it was, after all, a murder case, after everyone had collected evidence, it was transferred to the Ministry of Justice for thorough investigation orders. Zhang Siguo escorted He Tinglan and the others back to Immortal Meeting Restaurant, then took his men to draft the case files. Only Shen Qiyuan, carrying his birdcage, made a trip to the temple in the eastern part of the city.

This temple originally enshrined the Supreme Lord, but had somehow been changed to Puhua, and the incense offerings were quite flourishing.

“That young lady from the marquis’ manor? She came often. Each time she’d donate money to clear the space and talk alone in the Divine Lord’s hall for a long time,” the nun sweeping the floor recalled. “Every time she left, I had to go in and clean up the traces of incense and candles on the floor, so I remember quite clearly.”

“Incense and candle traces?” Shen Qiyuan frowned. “Many of them?”

“Why else would she be called a lady from a wealthy family? Each time she came, she’d light an entire row of incense and candles—enough to keep me sweeping for half a day.”

Ordinary worship doesn’t require such ceremony—only when conducting sacrificial rituals and making requests do you need so much incense and candles.

Shen Qiyuan suddenly turned and left, spurring his horse toward the palace at full speed.

Ruyi couldn’t stay still in the cage, opened the door herself, and flew into his sleeve, muttering: “When you immortals turn bad, you’re even worse than demons.”

Using divine statues to deceive mortals’ trust, then luring them to set up sacrificial arrays, once their wishes were fulfilled, he would take their souls as payment. Over these years, the people who fell into this trap must not be limited to Lady Sun alone.