As Guan Xia followed Li Miao toward the villa area, the sun had completely set. The streetlights installed in the village and the warm lanterns hanging under the eaves flickered to life in an instant. Yet what stood out most was how the villa district remained shrouded in darkness, as if isolated—a lonely, eerie corner tucked away at the village’s edge.
This wasn’t what Guan Xia had expected. The closer they got, the more she unconsciously slowed her steps. To stay in character, she lingered half a step behind Li Miao and casually probed, "Excuse me, why is this villa area so dark? Are there no streetlights, or are they broken? Or maybe they’re just not turned on?"
Li Miao, carrying a drone in one hand and gripping her phone in the other, kept her gaze fixed ahead, her expression cold. Several seconds passed before she replied, "The streetlights malfunction. No one knows if it’s faulty wiring or poor connections, but they flicker unpredictably at random times. My dad got spooked more than once, so eventually, he just stopped turning them on. But don’t worry—our house is well-lit. Even the rooftop and balcony have lights. You could say it’s practically blazing bright."
Guan Xia couldn’t shake the feeling that Li Miao was deliberately feeding her information. The girl had been silent and reserved earlier, yet now, the moment her father Li Feng was mentioned, her words flowed freely.
Instinctively, Guan Xia exchanged a glance with Pang Le, silently communicating before hesitantly pressing further, "Earlier, when we were strolling around the square, we overheard some village aunties say the villas here aren’t for rent. They mentioned trying to ask a few times for others but always got turned down. If you’re bringing us back so suddenly, won’t your dad get angry? Could he kick us out?"
Guan Xia treaded carefully, ensuring her questions aligned with their tourist personas.
Yet Li Miao’s reaction was sharp, as if she’d sensed something. The moment Guan Xia finished speaking, Li Miao abruptly turned to face her. Her expression remained indifferent, but her eyes seemed to brighten slightly as she studied Guan Xia intently. "Don’t worry," she said firmly. "I often bring back people I take a liking to. My dad used to get mad, but he’s used to it now. At worst, he’ll just refuse to rent to you. He won’t hurt you."
She emphasized the word "hurt," her tone hovering between explanation and warning.
Guan Xia feigned a nervous flinch, her face twisting in hesitation while her mind raced.
If Li Miao often brought back people she "took a liking to," then her sudden invitation must mean they’d caught her eye. But what defined that "liking"?
Guan Xia’s thoughts snapped back to the drone that had been circling overhead earlier in the square. Was Li Miao using it to observe people who showed interest in the villa area? But when that young girl had asked the middle-aged villager about rentals, Guan Xia and Pang Le had only watched silently. How had they drawn Li Miao’s attention? Had they slipped up somehow, making her suspect their true identities?
The more Guan Xia followed this train of thought, the more questions arose. If Li Miao truly suspected they were here about her father Li Feng’s case, then she might indeed know something about her mother’s and Li Song’s disappearances. Could she even be waiting for the police, hoping to collaborate and avenge her mother?
But if Li Miao had real leads, why not just go to the police instead of waiting for them to come to her? Unless their earlier assumptions were wrong—what if Li Miao wasn’t staying by Li Feng’s side willingly, but was being monitored and confined?
Yet Li Miao still left for work. Surely she wasn’t being tailed then too?
The deeper Guan Xia analyzed, the murkier everything became.
But now wasn’t the time to discuss it. Suppressing her thoughts, she exchanged another glance with Pang Le before hesitantly murmuring, "Your dad really hates renting out his place that much? Then we—"
Li Miao cut her off, her voice edged with stubbornness. "My dad equally dislikes everyone who tries to rent from him. But don’t worry—he’s just used to being alone and hates being disturbed. He won’t do anything extreme. The main thing is, he’s old, a bit paranoid, and right now, he’s still on his way back. You’ve got plenty of time to check out the place before deciding whether to rent."
Again, Li Miao spoke at length, subtly weaving in details about Li Feng while strongly nudging them toward her home.
Seizing the opening, Guan Xia pretended to relax, offering Li Miao a relieved smile. "That’s good to hear. We’re just here on vacation—finally using our annual leave to explore some off-the-beaten-path spot, take in the scenery, snap some photos, and unwind. The last thing we want is trouble."
After Guan Xia finished speaking, Pang Le added, "Don’t worry, miss. We’re not the kind to pester you endlessly. We’re just giving it a try. If your father disagrees, we won’t push it."
Li Miao seemed to lose interest and didn’t respond this time. Instead, she turned away calmly and led the way in silence.
The small square wasn’t far from the villa area, and the village committee office was also nearby. After walking for about ten minutes, they passed through an open iron gate and entered the villa district, where lush trees lined the paths and flowers dotted the surroundings.
Though there were no streetlights, one of the six villas had all its lights on—even the courtyard was brightly lit—making it impossible to miss and ensuring they could see the path clearly.
From a distance, the villa’s walls appeared slightly taller than those of the other houses in the village. Up close, the difference was even more pronounced—so much so that Guan Xia had to tilt her head back to look. After staring for a couple of seconds, she noticed something unusual: the top of the wall wasn’t lined with broken glass or other anti-theft measures, but rather a row of small stone beasts spaced evenly apart, perched as if guarding something.
Guan Xia found it odd and stared a moment longer, only snapping out of it when Li Miao disappeared through the door. She hurried after her with Pang Le in tow.
By the time they entered the courtyard, Li Miao had already set the drone down casually on a stone table and taken a seat on the nearby swing chair, making no move to show them around. "Look around if you want," she said, "but make it quick. Preferably within fifteen minutes. My dad will be back soon, and I’m in a good mood today—I don’t feel like arguing with him."
She spoke as if merely informing them, indifferent to their response, then lowered her head to scroll through her phone.
This young woman’s behavior was growing increasingly bizarre. Guan Xia couldn’t help but exchange a glance with Pang Le before agreeing and heading toward the wide-open front door.
Guan Xia had barely stepped inside when a sudden wash of red light startled her, making her instinctively retreat a step. Upon closer inspection, she realized it came from a small altar in a corner of the living room, near the staircase. On it sat a black-and-white photograph and a memorial tablet, with three offerings laid out in front—unlike the usual fruits or candies, these were an odd combination of chocolate, candied hawthorns, and stinky tofu, eerie yet absurd.
Aside from the tablet, two white candles burned on either side of the altar. Above it, two red lanterns hung from nails on the wall, casting their glow over the photograph. Staring too long gave Guan Xia, a staunch atheist, the unsettling impression that the person in the photo had moved, sending a chill down her spine.
Despite her unease, Guan Xia forced herself to examine the scene. She quickly recognized the woman in the photo as Li Miao’s missing mother, Lv Xiangmei. But what puzzled her was the presence of a prayer mat directly opposite the altar, its gray fabric wrinkled and stained, as if someone knelt there often.
Even stranger were the faint, whitish drag marks a couple of meters behind the mat.
Guan Xia bent down for a closer look, concluding they were likely left by something heavy yet movable—perhaps a chair or stool—being dragged repeatedly.
But why would a chair or stool be placed facing Lv Xiangmei’s memorial tablet? Who would sit here for long periods—Li Miao or Li Feng? And who was the one frequently kneeling before the altar? The guilt-ridden Li Feng? Or Li Miao, mourning her mother?
The household was small—just father and daughter—but the strangeness it exuded surpassed all the peculiarities Guan Xia had encountered in her previous cases combined.
Having lingered too long at Lv Xiangmei’s altar, Guan Xia and Pang Le barely finished touring the first floor before their fifteen minutes were up. Li Miao’s voice sounded from the doorway: "Time’s up. Have you decided whether to rent?"
Guan Xia turned to see Li Miao standing by the entrance, clearly ready to usher them out.
Though their observation had been brief, the visit had already yielded more than enough. Neither insisted on staying. They complied, stepping outside to face Li Miao. "We’d like to look around the villa area a bit more before making a decision," Guan Xia said.
Li Miao’s expression didn’t flicker, as if she’d expected this. "Fine," she replied coolly. "But don’t linger. My dad will be back soon, and he won’t be happy if he sees you."
It sounded like a warning. Guan Xia studied Li Miao’s face, but her calm demeanor gave nothing away. With a nod, Guan Xia simply said, "Understood."
After bidding farewell to Li Miao, Guan Xia and Pang Le took advantage of the remaining daylight to explore the nearby area.
It had to be said that although this villa district only had six villas, the land it occupied was surprisingly vast, completely filling the space around the river bend. Even in the dim light, the meticulous landscaping was evident. However, what stood out were the unusual tree varieties—lining the paths were either willow trees or peach trees. While beautiful, the peach trees were manageable, but the willow branches, left untrimmed, drooped so low that they encroached onto the path. As Guan Xia and Pang Le walked, they had to either push the branches aside or detour around them.
Luckily, just as they were about to leave the villa area, they spotted a figure entering from a distance. The person carried an exceptionally powerful flashlight, illuminating nearly the entire surroundings. Even though Guan Xia was far away, the light instantly caught her attention.
Though she doubted Li Feng could see them from such a distance, the two still ducked into the roadside greenery like thieves, hiding completely behind the trees until Li Feng, flashlight in hand, entered the only villa with its lights on. They waited a few extra minutes before quietly slipping away.
Brushing off the weeds clinging to their pants, Guan Xia and Pang Le lost interest in further exploring the village and headed straight back to the resort. But as they walked, the familiar buzzing sound reached their ears again.
Guan Xia looked up and, sure enough, spotted a small drone hovering above them in the sky. It kept its distance, making it impossible to tell whether Li Miao was watching them through it or, as the village committee officials had claimed, simply observing the lively human activity below.
After staring at the drone for a couple of seconds, Guan Xia turned away and hurried upstairs with Pang Le.
To maintain their cover, they couldn’t directly meet with the others just yet. Instead, they first sent a message in the group chat to confirm everyone had returned to their rooms. Then, cracking the door open slightly, they listened carefully for any movement outside before peeking out to ensure the hallway was empty. Satisfied, they darted out and knocked on Wang Yu’s door, slipping inside.
Five or six minutes later, the rest of the group had gathered.
Wang Yu had already drawn the curtains, leaving no trace of the room visible from outside. The windows were shut, the air conditioning on, and with Guan Xia and Pang Le’s room opposite and Xu Nian’s next door, there was no worry of their conversation being overheard.
Seated around the only small coffee table in the room, they munched on snacks and sipped the milk tea Wang Yu had thoughtfully provided, ready to share the clues they’d uncovered that day.
Zhong Xiaoyu, barely containing her excitement, was the first to speak. “Qi Bai and I ran into Li Feng while we were on the mountain doing the rafting activity.”
Guan Xia had thought their own discoveries were significant, but Zhong Xiaoyu and Qi Bai’s encounter topped them all.
“What? You saw Li Feng? When? What was he doing?” Guan Xia nearly exclaimed, her mind racing. No wonder Li Miao had been so bold in bringing them home and acting as though she had complete control over Li Feng’s whereabouts—she must have known he’d gone into the mountains, perhaps even regularly, which explained her confidence in predicting his return time.
Zhong Xiaoyu recalled the scene. “It was around 6 p.m. I remember Qi Bai and I got in line for the rafting at about 5:50. After gearing up and boarding, it was probably 6 by the time we set off.”
Qi Bai added, “We spotted him a short way downstream. He was sitting on a large rock about ten meters from the riverbank, turned slightly away, smoking. The raft moved too fast for us to get a clear look, but he seemed troubled—like life wasn’t as smooth as the records suggest. Something must be weighing on him.”
As Guan Xia listened, Li Miao’s earlier words involuntarily resurfaced in her mind, along with the eerie, out-of-place altar in the living room corner and the well-worn prayer cushion. She couldn’t shake the feeling that Li Feng’s odd behavior was tied to Li Miao.
With that in mind, Guan Xia quickly recounted everything she and Pang Le had encountered that day.
As expected, everyone’s instincts aligned. Before she even finished, brows were furrowed—especially Xu Nian and Jiang Yingyao, the most experienced in investigations, who wore thoughtful expressions.
Qi Bai, ever the most vocal, scratched his head in confusion. “Flickering streetlights, a paranoid old man, an altar, and weird scratches—weren’t we supposed to be working on a criminal case? This sounds more like a ghost story. Do you think Li Miao’s behind all this?”
Qi Bai declared with conviction, "Didn’t Guan Xia say it herself? That Li Miao acts, speaks, and dresses in such a bizarre manner—coupled with the clues we’ve uncovered—it’s obvious she’s planning something to avenge her mother. I think we should investigate further. If the streetlight malfunction really is connected to Li Miao, then it proves she’s aware of her mother’s disappearance case and is deliberately sending signals to the police working on it. At that point, we can afford to be bolder. Who knows? Li Miao might even hold some crucial evidence."
Qi Bai’s eyes gleamed with excitement, but the others hesitated, especially Xu Nian. After a moment of thought, he shook his head and said, "Let’s not rush. We’ve only been here for a day and haven’t gathered enough information yet. Acting recklessly might alert the wrong people. After all, this is Wu Yang’s hometown—who knows if this seemingly small village has ties to that organization?"
Xu Nian’s reasoning was sound, and Guan Xia suddenly recalled the three blood-red soul auras she had glimpsed during her shared vision at noon, aside from Li Feng. All afternoon, she had been keeping an eye on the villa district while intermittently using her shared vision to track down those three criminals.
Unfortunately, she hadn’t spotted them again, and now she couldn’t confirm whether those three were connected to the criminal organization.
