The task force arrived even sooner than Xu Nian had anticipated.
Guan Xia and Pang Le had only been back in Lijia Village for a little over an hour, just finishing the search of the bedroom, when Xu Nian's phone rang. The first members of the task force had already landed and were on their way to the district police station, expected to arrive by 12:30 PM.
Upon hearing the news, all three of them perked up. Pang Le asked, "Should we head back now? Hand things over to the task force and then leave immediately?"
Guan Xia glanced at Xu Nian and, after a moment of thought, said, "Here's what we'll do—we'll split up. Xu Nian and the others can handle the handover. I want to meet with Li Feng and see if there's any chance of getting him to talk."
Guan Xia still held onto hope because of her unique soul. She remembered what the system had told her—because her soul was different from ordinary people's, it could confuse criminals, making them more likely to confess to her than to the police. Even though it was unlikely she could extract any clues or evidence related to Wu Yang from Li Feng, she still wanted to try within the limited time they had.
Neither Xu Nian nor Pang Le seemed surprised. Pang Le looked completely unfazed, while Xu Nian simply nodded and said, "Alright. I'll notify Brother Jiang and the others now, then regroup at the district station. I’ll also contact Wang Yu to book our flights—we’ll take the latest one out tonight."
It was only 11:45 AM, and the last flight of the day was still at least seven or eight hours away. That gave her plenty of time to try and pry open Li Feng’s mouth.
Time was tight. After quickly discussing their next steps, the three of them hurried downstairs, got into the car parked outside the villa, and sped straight to the district station.
Pang Le drove while Xu Nian, sitting in the passenger seat, efficiently contacted the others. Guan Xia, meanwhile, took the opportunity to mentally review the next case they were set to investigate—one they’d be pursuing that very night.
Since only a few days had passed, Guan Xia still remembered it clearly. The case had occurred during Wu Yang’s senior year of high school. The victim was the father of a girl in their grade, Class 2. He had been killed late one rainy night near an abandoned construction site. Over thirty years later, the case remained unsolved.
Because of the heavy rain that night, very few clues had been left behind. Additionally, in the early 90s, urban infrastructure was still underdeveloped—there were no surveillance cameras, so the investigation relied entirely on manpower. The victim had been a man with a notorious reputation, indulging in drinking, gambling, and womanizing, and had made plenty of enemies. This made the police’s job incredibly difficult—everyone they investigated had a motive, but no matter how deep they dug, they never found the crucial evidence. Even later, when forensic technology advanced, multiple attempts to reopen the case yielded no results.
The only possible connection to Wu Yang was the victim’s daughter, who attended the same school and was in the same grade. Both she and Wu Yang were top students. However, based on Xu Nian’s investigation, Wu Yang had never interacted with her—not in private, nor even in public. The only overlap was during award ceremonies—Wu Yang consistently ranked first in science subjects, while the victim’s daughter usually topped the humanities. Occasionally, she even managed to take the overall top spot, but more often than not, Wu Yang came out ahead.
When Guan Xia and the others first reviewed the case’s basic details, their gut instinct had pointed to Wu Yang’s involvement. But after discussion, they concluded that Wu Yang had no motive and no direct link to the case. Even if they went to investigate, it was unlikely they’d make significant progress in a short time. That was why, after much deliberation, they had ultimately chosen to go to Lijia Village instead.
But now, after circling back, they were only three days behind schedule—and they were still going to investigate this case after all.
Pang Le drove fast, managing to reach the district station just before the task force arrived.
Xu Nian got out of the car to wait for the task force, while Guan Xia and Pang Le went ahead. They found the middle-aged policewoman they’d met earlier and, after a brief exchange, followed her to the interrogation room where Li Feng was being held.
After a night and a morning in custody, Li Feng looked even worse—perhaps due to illness, his face had taken on a sickly gray pallor. Hunched in the interrogation chair, he almost looked pitiable at first glance. But neither Guan Xia, Pang Le, nor the policewoman felt an ounce of sympathy for him.
"Are you planning to interrogate him yourselves?" the policewoman asked.
Guan Xia replied, "That’s the idea, but we don’t know if he’ll cooperate." She then asked in return, "Has he said anything since last night?"
The policewoman shook her head. "He’s tight-lipped. We’ve cycled through several teams, but he hasn’t uttered a word—won’t even drink water. He’s a tough nut to crack."
Guan Xia wasn’t surprised, but hearing this dimmed her hopes a little further.
Despite her words, the policewoman remained composed. As a seasoned detective captain, she’d dealt with countless tight-lipped suspects—patience was never in short supply. More importantly, this case had both witnesses and physical evidence, so time wasn’t a pressing issue.
With that in mind, the policewoman said amiably, "Go ahead and try. If you can get him to talk, great. If not, don’t be discouraged—we’ve got all the time in the world to wear him down."
Guan Xia kept her expression neutral, but inwardly, she let out a bitter laugh. Who said we have time? We’re desperate for it—so desperate we’d gladly crawl into Li Feng’s brain just to see the secrets he’s buried all these years.
After thanking the policewoman, Guan Xia and Pang Le pushed open the door. They studied Li Feng for a moment before taking their seats in the two chairs across the table from him.
Logically, any normal person left alone in a windowless room—no matter how strong their mental fortitude—would react in some way when two people suddenly entered. But Li Feng acted as if he were blind and deaf, still sitting with his head slightly bowed, neither looking up nor speaking, like a lifeless statue.
Guan Xia and Pang Le had expected this, so they weren’t fazed. After sitting down, they observed Li Feng briefly before beginning their questioning.
Guan Xia didn’t have time to waste, so she cut straight to the chase. "Li Song’s death—you were an accomplice, and Wu Yang was the mastermind, wasn’t he?"
The name Wu Yang finally brought Li Feng to life. His head snapped up, his eyes locking onto Guan Xia. Though his face remained expressionless, she could clearly read shock in his gaze.
A reaction—good. Guan Xia smiled slightly before pressing on. "Lv Xiangmei witnessed the murder scene, but because Wu Yang was involved, you had no choice but to silence her, didn’t you?"
Each question hit Li Feng like a hammer blow. Despite his efforts to control his expression, Guan Xia could see flickers of fear, anguish, and resentment breaking through.
This time, Guan Xia was genuinely surprised. It seemed Li Feng’s feelings for Lv Xiangmei ran even deeper than she had assumed. All these years, though he had kept his secrets tightly locked away in his heart and tirelessly worked for their hometown, Lijia Village, he still harbored some resentment toward Wu Yang over what had happened back then.
Seizing the moment, Guan Xia pressed further, "Over twenty years have passed, and you still haven’t forgotten Lv Xiangmei, have you? Have you ever dreamed of her? Did you dream of her hating you?"
Guan Xia deliberately spoke words meant to wound, doing everything she could to provoke Li Feng’s emotions, hoping he would break down and confess Wu Yang’s involvement.
But to her disappointment, while Li Feng did indeed break down, after sobbing for a while, what he said was, "I did kill Li Song, and she saw it. But I had no choice! I didn’t want to kill her, but she insisted I turn myself in. If I didn’t, she threatened to report me to the police. Miaomiao was only five years old—what would happen to her if I went to prison? And Lv Xiangmei… she was so beautiful. If I were locked up, she’d never wait for me. She might even remarry the moment I was arrested. I loved her so much—just the thought of her marrying someone else and having children with them while I rotted in jail was unbearable. I’d rather see her dead than belong to another man."
Li Feng’s face flushed with agitation, but Guan Xia felt a chill run through her.
Li Feng continued shouting, "Who knows? Maybe she already had someone else! Otherwise, why would she push me to confess? What good would it do her if I went to prison? She didn’t work—she and Miaomiao depended on me. If I were locked up, she’d lose her comfortable life. She must have had another man waiting. Otherwise, she would’ve helped me cover it up instead of urging me to turn myself in!"
The more he spoke, the more self-righteous he became, his expression feverish as he piled baseless accusations onto Lv Xiangmei.
Guan Xia and Pang Le didn’t believe a word of it. They watched him with cold scrutiny, their expressions laced with disdain as he performed.
No matter how plausible Li Feng’s words sounded, they contradicted key parts of Li Miao’s testimony. More importantly, if Lv Xiangmei had truly been vilified in Li Feng’s heart as he claimed, he wouldn’t have spent the last twenty years in such torment—kneeling before her remains day after day, kowtowing in remorse, even crying out apologies in his sleep.
Guan Xia let out a cold laugh and cut through his act. Calmly, she said, "Do you really think we came to Lijia Village by accident? Do you think mentioning Wu Yang’s name was just a test? We already have plenty of evidence. You killed Li Song, and you killed Lv Xiangmei—but you were just the executioner. The one who really decided their deaths was Wu Yang, wasn’t it? We know the truth: you killed Li Song to silence him. He stopped obeying Wu Yang, strayed from the original plan, and became a liability. So you eliminated him—am I right?"
Li Feng lowered his head again, hiding his expression, but Guan Xia didn’t care. She continued, "You truly loved your wife, Lv Xiangmei. Growing up an orphan, you cherished your family. But she discovered your secret. You didn’t want to kill her, but Wu Yang insisted. That’s why you’ve been drowning in guilt all these years—because she loved you. She was the one person in this world who loved you most. And yet, you strangled her with your own hands."
Li Feng remained silent, his head bowed, but his shoulders trembled occasionally, betraying his turmoil. Guan Xia pressed on, "It’s been twenty years since you killed her. Have you ever met anyone who loved you like she did? Do you still dream of her? Does she appear in your nightmares, her sweet smile turning into tears of blood as she demands to know why you killed her—the woman who loved you so deeply?"
Guan Xia hoped repeatedly invoking Lv Xiangmei’s name would shake Li Feng, and it did—though he refused to show his face, his trembling shoulders and the tears splashing onto the interrogation table proved he was unraveling.
But after so many years at Wu Yang’s side, Li Feng was no pushover. Even on the verge of collapse, he didn’t utter a single name. Instead, he sobbed, "I failed Xiangmei. I failed her. But I couldn’t go to prison. I had no parents, endured so much hardship—I couldn’t throw my life away for her. Why did she have to come looking for me that day? If she had just stayed home with Miaomiao, if she hadn’t seen me disposing of Li Song’s body… we could’ve stayed happy, the three of us. But she came. I had no choice. No choice at all."
He buried his face in his hands, weeping uncontrollably, but Guan Xia and Pang Le only exchanged cold, mocking glances.
All this performative grief was just an act. Guan Xia finally gave up on getting Li Feng to expose Wu Yang. After all these years by his side, Li Feng was no fool—even in emotional ruin, his lies remained airtight, leaving Guan Xia with no desire to keep probing.
Faced with such a cunning old fox, she knew further questioning would yield little. Instead, she shifted focus back to the murders of Li Song and Lv Xiangmei.
Perhaps because the evidence was overwhelming and evasion impossible, Li Feng’s torrent of lies finally included some truth.
According to his confession, he killed Li Song partly due to long-standing grudges, but also because Li Song had set his sights on Lv Xiangmei. He wanted Li Feng dead so he could take her for himself—so Li Feng struck first.
Planning meticulously, Li Feng chose a derelict house in a soon-to-be-demolished area and arranged to meet Li Song there when he was free. He had already hidden plastic sheets and a knife, waiting to stab Li Song the moment he arrived.
He had practiced for days, and his preparation paid off—the plan went smoothly. A single stab to a vital area felled Li Song. Though not yet dead, his weak cries for help went unheard in the deserted area.
Leaving the knife embedded, Li Feng hastily bound Li Song and laid out the plastic sheets. By the time he finished, Li Song had stopped breathing.
Next came the dismemberment. He hid the body parts, intending to transport them into the mountains after dark. But just as he was carving up Li Song, Lv Xiangmei unexpectedly arrived.
What happened next completely took Li Feng by surprise. He had assumed that even if Lv Xiangmei was frightened, given their strong relationship, she would ultimately cover for him. To his shock, she insisted that he turn himself in, even saying things like, "If you love me, go confess. I don’t want to live with a fugitive." She spoke so matter-of-factly, so righteously, as if Li Feng would unquestionably obey her.
Li Feng was stunned at first, then overcome with fury. He felt betrayed by Lv Xiangmei—if she truly loved him, shouldn’t she help him hide the truth? What kind of woman would urge her own man to surrender and go to prison?
Their argument escalated quickly. Consumed by rage, Li Feng lost control and strangled Lv Xiangmei to death. Only afterward did the reality of what he’d done sink in. He wept bitterly, consumed by regret, but then forced himself to continue disposing of Li Song’s body.
Originally, he planned to dismember Lv Xiangmei’s corpse like he had with Li Song, but when he saw how beautiful she still looked even in death, he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Instead, he hid her body and later went to great lengths to transport it into the mountains for burial.
Of course, he didn’t bury Lv Xiangmei and Li Song in the same place—they were laid to rest separately. It wasn’t until years later, when he had earned enough money and no longer wanted to stay in that heart-wrenching place, that he dug up the two skeletons, now reduced to bones, and returned to Lijia Village with Li Miao.
He despised Li Song, but they were from the same village, and if you traced their ancestry far back, they were even distantly related. So, in a moment of pity, Li Feng buried him in the grave of Li Song’s deceased father, allowing him to return to his roots and reunite with his dad in death.
Lv Xiangmei, however, was different. Even though she was dead, she was still his wife. In life or death, they belonged together. Without much thought, Li Feng encased her remains in a wall—that way, whenever he missed her, he could sit near the spot where her bones rested.
As for Li Miao, the mere mention of her made Li Feng seethe with hatred. He claimed that if she didn’t resemble her mother so much, and if she weren’t his only flesh and blood, he would have killed her long ago and sealed her in the wall too. But no matter how strange her temper or how much she opposed him, she was still his and Lv Xiangmei’s daughter. "A family should stay together," he declared. Li Miao would never escape him.
Throughout his confession, Li Feng alternated between expressions of anguish and twisted love, but neither Guan Xia nor Pang Le was convinced.
If anything, Guan Xia felt a chill run down her spine. She was utterly appalled—never before had she seen someone act so convincingly. Had they not already pieced together much of the truth, they might have actually fallen for Li Feng’s performance.
