So he offered his sincere assessment.
"Oh~ So impressive."
Wang Ping: "..." Wow, how halfhearted.
Xu Tian glanced at the camera, her brows tightly furrowed.
Even now, she still felt that all of this had to be a smokescreen put up by the real murderer!
How could ghosts and monsters possibly exist in this world? It was simply impossible.
"Mr. Jiang, please."
Wang Ping raised a hand to gesture him forward, nodded again when he saw Si Yan, and followed half a step behind.
Seeing this, Daoist Priest Hu assumed they were together and could not help scoffing.
"After you." He put on airs, his tone snide.
Old Madam Jiang treated Jiang Nuo very well. She smiled at him, then had Jiang Zhong open the main door so the masters could all go inside and take a look.
Evening was approaching. The sky was dyed orange-yellow, casting a dusky glow over the ground and eaves, and the air seemed to burn with flames.
Only beyond the Jiang Family's open front door was there a gloomy chill, as though it were cut off from the world.
The frail Old Madam Jiang even shivered and let out a long sigh.
Jiang Zhong supported her as they walked inside, still looking none too kindly at the nanny.
After all, she was the person the police considered most likely to have killed his younger brother.
Here we go, here we go! Time to watch God Nuo solve the case and catch ghosts!
Si Jiaojiao, why are you here again? I thought I was seeing things...
Okay, but us shameless shippers are ecstatic! Someone even caught them having lunch together today! It's reasonable to suspect they've been all lovey-dovey the entire day!
No way, people actually believe this??? LMAO, Jiang Nuo is a complete and utter fraud!
No way, after all these times, people still think it's fake? Then how do you explain the Dao Xuan Association?
The bullet comments erupted into a fierce argument the moment the livestream began.
But this time, sitting behind the main camera feed was not the director, but a group of men in suits, sitting stiffly upright and staring intently at the screen.
On the office plaque, several large words stood out.
Promote science in the new era, strive to be progressive and accomplished Daoists
After entering the villa, Jiang Nuo had been holding Si Yan's hand quite leisurely, but the instant he approached the entryway, he stopped.
As soon as he stopped, Si Yan stopped too. Then Wang Ping asked, "Mr. Jiang, did you notice something?"
"Is this Buddha statue an antique?"
As Jiang Nuo asked, he looked around, seemingly searching for a handy tool.
Old Madam Jiang wondered why he was asking, but still answered, "It's not an antique. Mr. Jiang, you... Ah!"
The moment she said it was not an antique, Jiang Nuo picked up an ashtray and smashed it down on the Buddha statue.
It gave Old Madam Jiang quite a fright.
Everyone turned to look at once.
Among the broken pieces lay a cloth doll, its entire body deathly pale, with only vivid red rouge painted on its cheeks and a line of writing running down from its chest.
Jiang Nuo picked it out, blew off the debris, and gave an exclamation.
"Now that's one hell of a destiny."
Wang Ping leaned closer to look and was startled too. He hurriedly asked, "Mr. Jiang Zhong, are these Tongtong's birth date and time?"
An extreme yin set of Eight Characters, yet a male destiny.
Jiang Zhong worked out the date and nodded with difficulty. "Yes, that's Tongtong's birthday... What is this doll?"
"It's a curse doll. Judging by its condition... it's probably been working for some time."
Jiang Nuo pinched the doll's head and turned it twice, then exerted force with his wrist, separating its head from its body.
Only then did everyone notice that an extremely thick needle had been driven down through the crown of the doll's head, piercing straight through its entire body.
Old Madam Jiang's vision darkened. Choking up, she asked, "Does it... does it make someone complain about feeling unwell all day, with headaches and aching bones, pain everywhere, but no cause can be found...?"
When Jiang Nuo nodded, she could no longer hold back. She collapsed against Jiang Zhong and wailed, repeatedly crying out, "My precious darling!"
Jiang Zhong's eyes reddened, and he too choked up as he explained to everyone, "These symptoms started a long time ago. We thought Tongtong was under too much pressure at school and was making up lies because he didn't want to go."
After all, they had consulted many doctors, but none had found anything wrong. He had undergone full-body examinations many times.
Who could have imagined it was because of a curse?
Xu Tian could barely hide the shock on her face.
How could something like this turn up?
"There's another doll here!"
Daoist Priest Hu suddenly spoke up.
They looked over at his words. In the passage leading from the entryway to the reception room stood a floor-standing gold-leaf money tree, but people rarely paid it any particular attention, usually just glancing at it as they passed.
Daoist Priest Hu parted the outermost leaves, revealing an ugly doll hanging among the tangled branches and leaves in a corner.
Unlike the curse doll, this one wore very proper clothing. Its body faced the front doorframe, and its eyes stared through the gaps all the while.
But Jiang Zhong recognized those clothes... They had been made to imitate the pajamas his younger brother wore most often at home.
They were practically an exact replica!
Unwilling to be outdone, Daoist Priest Hu quickly turned the doll over to inspect it too. But there were no birth details for Jiang Tong on this doll. Apart from its eerie appearance and its incongruous placement,
it looked like the most ordinary doll imaginable.
He rolled his eyes to himself and put the doll back.
"Perhaps someone was playing a prank. Let's go."
Holy crap... A livestream like this feels scarier than the show. After all, this is stuff happening right around us!
What a vicious curse. I've been feeling unwell lately too. Has someone cursed me as well?!!
Person above, try getting up and moving around first. Maybe you'll feel better, hahaha!
Everyone continued toward the reception room. Jiang Nuo abruptly turned to glance behind him.
Nothing seemed amiss.
Meeting Si Yan's puzzled gaze, he curved his lips. "It's nothing. Must be my eyes playing tricks."
But in the very next second,
the doll on the money tree suddenly turned around and stared fixedly toward the reception room, the corners of its stiff mouth slowly lifting into a sinister smile.
Jiang Zhong gestured for them to sit. Without a camera pointed directly at them, they could be more natural too.
The nanny instinctively moved to pour tea, but Old Madam Jiang stopped her and asked Uncle Jiang to pour tea for the masters.
That one remark left both of them displeased.
Xu Tian gave a soft huff and linked arms with the nanny. "Mom, we don't need this job. Once this matter is settled, quit!"
Si Yan had no interest in the matter. He simply stayed obediently beside Jiang Nuo, occasionally glancing at the furnishings in the room.
Intent on outshining them, Daoist Priest Hu was the first to ask after accepting his teacup, "So what exactly are these supernatural incidents you mentioned? Tell us in detail."
At the mention of this, the expressions of the Jiang Family members and the nanny, who had lived in the house for a long time, all changed.
In the end, Jiang Zhong explained.
"The strange things... started after Tongtong went missing. We were all busy searching for him and were exhausted every day. At first, Grandma heard someone crying in the middle of the night. She thought Tongtong had come home, but when she turned on the lights, she found nothing."
"A few nights later, I heard the crying too, but it wasn't a boy's voice at all."