After hearing the news, Zhang Nu immediately reported it to Lin Xiao and the others. But upon learning it, Lin Xiao and the group found the story highly suspicious.
Why hadn’t Madam Fu told them from the beginning? Why wait until they were already suspecting the presence of a YaoGuai in the manor before bringing it up?
Was she intentionally hiding the truth?
“I still think Madam Fu can’t be cleared of suspicion,” Lin Xiao said. “Even if her father was killed by a YaoGuai, that doesn’t mean she’s safe from suspicion. The YaoGuai could have killed her father first and then possessed her.”
Zhang Nu found Zhao Yang’s reasoning sound. Still, he believed the possibility was slim—unless they were out of options, he wasn’t willing to treat her as the enemy.
“There’s definitely a chance, but let’s not jump to conclusions unless absolutely necessary,” he said. “Let’s put aside the YaoGuai in the manor for now. First, we should investigate the one who killed Madam Fu’s father.”
Lin Xiao and the others all nodded in agreement. But this time, they had no leads whatsoever on the culprit. Looking for the YaoGuai who killed her father was like searching for a needle in a haystack.
“We don’t have a single clue,” someone said. “Are we really going to comb the town blindly? That’s far too inefficient.”
Zhang Nu nodded solemnly—he agreed, but what else could they do? Madam Fu had told them nothing beyond the fact that her father was killed by a YaoGuai. She couldn’t provide any concrete leads.
“There’s no other option right now,” Zhang Nu admitted. “We can only pray that the heavens show us some mercy and help us find the culprit.”
Ling Xi shook her head. She felt certain that Madam Fu was hiding something.
“If we’re going to help her hunt down the culprit,” she said. “Shouldn’t we at least ask for the full story?”
“Surely she must know something more—how could she only know that her father was killed by a YaoGuai and nothing else?”
Zhang Nu and the others fell into thoughtful silence. Ling Xi made a fair point. But Madam Fu was just a normal person—how could she have tracked a YaoGuai?
And if she had tracked it, wouldn’t that make her even more suspicious? If she is already possessed, then why would she expose her own trail?
“Even if she knows something, she probably wouldn’t tell us,” Zhang Nu said. “If she’s possessed, she’ll hide it at all costs. No YaoGuai would be stupid enough to give themselves away.”
That made sense. But Lin Xiao thought differently. If Madam Fu truly wanted to avenge her father, she’d likely have done some investigating. Perhaps she had discovered something—but didn’t trust them enough to share it.
“Zhang Nu, I see it differently,” Lin Xiao said. “I think she does have some clues—she just hasn’t told us.”
“At the end of the day, she doesn’t trust us. She probably thinks we’re not capable of catching the YaoGuai. If her father was really murdered by one, there’s no way she hasn’t been looking into it. How could she have absolutely nothing?”
Zhang Nu couldn’t deny the logic. Everyone’s arguments seemed valid… but the situation refused to unfold as simply as any of them hoped.
“You’re all making sense,” he said. “But I still don’t know what to do. I can’t offer a definite answer either way.”
“Are you saying we should just confront her directly?”
Hearing this, everyone nodded firmly.
If they asked Madam Fu directly, she might just tell them the truth. After all, this was about her father’s death—something she couldn’t possibly take lightly.
And if she didn’t want to speak… that alone would raise her level of suspicion.
Maybe the human side of her still had control most of the time. And when something darker stirred, the YaoGuai took over.
“In any case,” Zhang Nu said, “we shouldn’t skirt around the issue or beat around the bush. We ask her directly.”
“Only then can we judge her reaction clearly.”