Lucky Mutual Aid Society (32)

Afterward, all the high-ranking officials of the Lucky Mutual Aid Society and several people, including Qian Xiaoyi, were taken to the police station for questioning and investigation. The only exception was Harada Taro, who was sent to the hospital for treatment. It's worth mentioning that when Qian Xiaoyi and Inuyama Heita were undergoing inspection with two large bags, the police officer in charge looked at the contents with a strange expression, suspecting that the two had gone to the wrong place.

Since Qian Xiaoyi was the informant, he wasn't given much trouble during questioning. They only asked a few basic questions, such as how he discovered the illegal trafficking of infant corpses and how he got involved in the matter. Qian Xiaoyi used the excuse that his client was being harassed by the Lucky Mutual Aid Society, which led to his investigation. During the investigation, he recognized the purpose of the amulets distributed by the Lucky Mutual Aid Society, and after a period of tracking and investigation, he discovered the address where they hid the corpses and made the ritual artifacts, and then he reported them directly.

After confirming that Qian Xiaoyi's statement had no issues, he was easily released. Inuyama Heita also had a relatively easy time, as he was just a high school student, and his testimony matched Qian Xiaoyi's. Therefore, he was treated as one of the victims deceived by the Lucky Mutual Aid Society, rather than a suspect.

Next, the two were sent back by police car. In the car, Qian Xiaoyi looked around with interest. It was his first time riding in a police car, while Inuyama Heita seemed to have something to say but hesitated. Qian Xiaoyi yawned and said, "It's getting late today. Heitaro, if you have anything to discuss, come see me tomorrow. You must be tired today too, right? Get some good rest."

Inuyama Heita had many questions, but since Qian Xiaoyi had said so, and they were currently in a police car, it was inconvenient to discuss many things. He could only let it go for now and took the police car back to his residence.

The next day, after finishing his classes, Inuyama Heita, full of questions, went straight to the Lingkong Exorcism Office.

"Qian... um, Brother Xiaoyi, are guests coming?" As soon as Inuyama Heita entered, he saw various pastries and snacks on the coffee table. Judging by the variety, they seemed to be the ones packed from the event yesterday, which Qian Xiaoyi definitely couldn't finish alone.

Qian Xiaoyi said, "Guests? Not yet, they'll be here in a few days. These are to celebrate your official onboarding! Besides, some things can't be kept for long, and it would be a waste not to eat them. Sit down, I'll pour you some juice, and we can chat slowly."

Inuyama Heita wanted to say that he also had a large pile of them, but he had other questions to ask. As soon as he sat down, he asked, "You said back then that you wanted to take over the Lucky Mutual Aid Society. You didn't really mean that, did you? After all, you called the police."

"Why would I take over that thing?" Qian Xiaoyi scoffed. "Operating those things requires abandoning one's conscience. I'm not planning to throw that away yet."

Inuyama Heita breathed a sigh of relief. Although he had vaguely guessed the truth, hearing Qian Xiaoyi say it directly made him feel more at ease. He then asked, "Then what did you mean by the onboarding test yesterday? So, you were testing my reaction back then? If I hadn't stepped forward at that time, would that have meant the test failed?"

"Yes," Qian Xiaoyi replied. "As long as you had agreed to my request back then, or shown tacit consent or silence under my pressure, it would have been considered a failed assessment. But I didn't expect you to actually punch me. You're quite brave to dare hit your immediate superior."

"I'm sorry!" Inuyama Heita hastily stood up and bowed apologetically. "I didn't realize it was a test at the time..."

Qian Xiaoyi waved his hand. "It's fine. On the contrary, your performance pleasantly surprised me. In our line of work, the most feared people are those with weak willpower who can't resist temptation, or those who lack self-awareness and are overly submissive. Those people usually end up miserable, either killed by ghosts or by people. So, the more steadfast you are, the higher your score in my assessment."

Inuyama Heita felt a little happy. He asked, "Are you saying that, Brother Xiaoyi, you also oppose Harada being killed like that? I'd rather he be judged than die so absurdly."

"So, you're actually the type who opposes killing people with evil arts," Qian Xiaoyi nodded and said. "It's a pity, I don't really care if Harada died by these evil arts. What I said back then was true: their fate is entirely their own doing. I don't mind them being killed by the things they created. I won't use these techniques to harm others, but that doesn't mean I'll save them."

"Huh?" Inuyama Heita was stunned. He asked, "Then, if the police hadn't arrived in the end, would you have really just watched Harada die?"

"Not exactly," Qian Xiaoyi shook his head. "I still wouldn't let him be killed?"

Inuyama Heita was completely confused. "Why?" He was bewildered by Qian Xiaoyi's contradictory statement.

"You'll know if you look at this," Qian Xiaoyi got up and walked to the door of the storage room, opened it, and revealed the scene inside to Inuyama Heita.

As soon as the door opened, Inuyama Heita felt a gust of cold wind blow out. Inside, the offering table had been modified into three tiers, with seven or eight spirit tablets placed on each tier. Coupled with the dim candlelight on both sides and the incense burner with lit incense in the middle, a pile of snacks was placed behind the incense burner as offerings, creating a very eerie scene. In Inuyama Heita's eyes, the smoke gradually formed the heads of infants, staring at him and giggling.

"You brought them all back?!" Inuyama Heita was so startled that he stood up from the sofa. Then, he seemed to realize something and pointed inside, asking, "Are you saying the reason you didn't let Harada die was because of them?"

Qian Xiaoyi closed the door, and the temperature in the office returned to normal. Qian Xiaoyi nodded. "Yes, because these children are innocent. They died prematurely at birth and were then exploited by bad people after death. They were even whipped periodically. Anyone treated like this would accumulate immense resentment. If I let them kill Harada Taro, they would become true vengeful spirits, and then I would have no choice but to eliminate them all. Such an outcome is heartbreaking to even think about."

"In that case... it seems so. They are indeed very pitiful." Inuyama Heita was convinced. He then asked, "But their Buddha amulets should have been confiscated by the police this time, so how did you collect these little ghosts, Brother Xiaoyi?"

"I went to Matsui's warehouse where he made the Buddha amulets, which is also where he stored the incense burners," Qian Xiaoyi took a piece of pastry from the table and put it in his mouth. "This method of raising little ghosts requires the Buddha amulets and incense burners as a set. I took some of the ashes mixed with bone ash from those incense burners that day, and then I was able to attract them. These little ghosts have heavy resentment and need daily offerings and chanting. It takes anywhere from one year to three years to dissipate their resentment and help them achieve Buddhahood. If left unattended, those high-ranking members are not only doomed but will at least become extremely unlucky, and they will become a menace, harming others."

"So, is it okay now?" Inuyama Heita asked.

"How can it be okay? How can the little ghosts invited be so easily gotten rid of? Those high-ranking members have a very deep connection with their little ghosts," Qian Xiaoyi suddenly chuckled slyly. "That's why I said, in a few more days, we'll have many guests. In other words, the Lingkong Exorcism Office is finally going to officially open!"

Thank you to all the readers who have read this far. Your continued reading and recommendations are my motivation to update. Currently, the data is too dismal, causing no editor to want to sign this book. Of course, this is also related to my poor start. In short, I will continue to update for a while. If the data remains sluggish, I will have to suspend updates and prepare to cut the book. I hope everyone can forgive me.