Astrology Hall with Flesh and Blood

Chapter 30

“You can call me the House of Hope,” the astrologer said, licking his lips discreetly. “I can make any dream come true for my guests, but you will have to pay an exorbitant price.”

He subtly replaced "price" with "cost," but the woman didn't notice. She let out a relieved cheer, "Great! You'll protect me, okay?"

A Citroën Fukang was waiting at the street corner, its engine revving energetically without stopping. When the astrologer opened the car door for Shen Mingjie—the woman's name—a man in a suit looked at him with surprise. "That's Lawyer Wang," Shen Mingjie introduced. She started the car and drove towards their destination. The Fukang weaved through the dark streets and alleys, the shadowy trees swaying beside the sidewalks flashing past their skin. The three of them sat in silence for over an hour, until Shen Mingjie slammed on the brakes.

"We've arrived at the Shen Family Compound, get off the bus!" she said.

The astrologer and Attorney Wang got out of the car one after the other, and then Shen Mingjie drove the car into the backyard to park. About five minutes later, she appeared in front of them carrying a small travel bag. The astrologer immediately and tactfully took the lady's burden, rewarding her with a captivatingly sweet smile.

She knocked on the door, and it took a full two minutes before someone opened it. A fat man with a face full of scars, his cunning, rat-like eyes darting around, was holding a bottle of beer. Shen Mingjie snorted in displeasure, "What, it's you? Where the hell has A-Qiu gone?"

"Ask me? What a joke! She'd never listen to me!" the fat man replied sarcastically. "Has the lawyer arrived yet? I can't wait!"

"Don't worry, you won't be shortchanged!" Shen Mingjie took off his gloves, gestured with his lips, and instructed the astrologer to put the travel bag on the ground. The man with the yin-yang magic hairpin did as he was told. At this moment, the fat man spoke up:

Who is this strange-looking person?

“A friend of mine,” Shen Mingjie replied, “was worried about my safety, so he insisted on coming to protect me.”

A woman's sharp, sarcastic voice suddenly rang out, "Friends? Hmph, Mingjie, I think you just want a bigger share, don't you?"

"Sister Feng, what do you mean by this?" Shen Mingjie retorted, not to be outdone. "Let's talk this out in person! What kind of person are you, always hiding behind someone's back and whining?"

"Hmph, I'm too lazy to go out!" the woman shrieked. "I don't have your good connections or any protectors! I've always been all alone. What if some greedy devil who covets the inheritance colludes with outsiders to kill me? Wouldn't that be a pointless death? I'd rather stay in my room!"

"You...!" Shen Mingjie's face turned pale with anger. At this moment, a thin girl moved slightly in the shadows in the corner. Shen Mingjie grabbed her braid and dragged her over.

"Ah Qiu!" she shouted fiercely. "Where were you all this time? Why didn't you open the door for me?"

"I'm so sorry... Miss..." The maid was on the verge of tears. "I really didn't mean to..."

Attorney Wang coughed lightly, "Ms. Shen, if you don't mind, I'd like to get this done as soon as possible..."

“Look at you, Attorney Wang,” Shen Mingjie said with a smile. “Don’t be shy! Let’s eat first, and then we can talk about things later, okay? Ah Qiu, let’s eat first. The lawyer and I are both hungry.”

A-Qiu hesitated for a moment, then said, "Then I'll go call Miss..."

“There’s no need for that,” Shen Mingjie said maliciously. “She wouldn’t dare show that ugly face to anyone anyway! Just bring her some food to her room!”

“Then,” she smiled sweetly at the fat man, “let’s discuss the will matters properly, don’t you think, Brother Du?”

Volume Three: The Hell Record - Earth, Water, Wind, and Fire Incidents (Part Two)

The wait for dinner felt incredibly long. The astrologer and Attorney Wang sat in the reception room, listlessly reading newspapers. Out of courtesy, Miss Shen stayed with the two guests, trying to dispel their boredom.

"...I apologize for making this family farce seem so ridiculous... However, if you knew that although we siblings are blood relatives, we were born to different mothers, and we didn't even know each other existed until a few days ago, perhaps you wouldn't be surprised that our relationship is so cold."

Shen Yisen, the biological father of the Shen siblings and the owner of the Shen family compound, had built a successful business from scratch. Due to the failure of his early marriage, after his divorce, he no longer devoted himself to any one woman, instead indulging in a life of promiscuity. It wasn't until his death last month, when his lawyer revealed his will, that it was discovered he had several children born out of wedlock. The will clearly stated that the final distribution of the estate could only be announced after all the children had been gathered, and it also included the names and addresses of those children. The mothers of these children regularly received living expenses and allowances, and all of them coincidentally named their children Shen Ming×. Without Shen Yisen's deliberate arrangement, it's hard to imagine this was merely a coincidence. Under the powerful call of the will, the three Shen siblings quickly gathered at the Shen family compound to receive the lawyer's final distribution of the estate.

"Mr. Shen left behind approximately three million yuan in bank deposits, five million yuan worth of stocks, and seven properties, including this mansion, with a total value exceeding ten million yuan," the lawyer announced.

“But the servants have already taken a million!” Shen Mingjie said. “That’s how the old man arranged it!”

To thank the servants for their years of care and to compensate them for the losses caused by the new master, Shen Yisen stipulated in his will that they be given varying amounts of money according to their seniority, and then dismissed them. Except for A Qiu, who stayed for an extra month to take care of the mansion, she could only decide whether to stay or leave after the inheritance was divided, at the behest of the new master.

Just then, A-Qiu informed them that dinner was ready, so everyone went to the dining room. The dazzling crystal chandelier overhead was mesmerizing. The food was surprisingly delicious; whether it was the cold braised beef, the chicken stew with mushrooms, the stir-fried shrimp, or the shredded pork with garlic sauce, every dish was flavorful and delicious. It was hard to imagine that such a young girl could have prepared it. Shen Mingjie suggested some drinks to liven things up, but the lawyer politely declined, saying, "I have important business to attend to later."

"How about some red wine to whet your appetite?" Miss Shen said with a smile. "A Qiu, go to the wine cellar and get a bottle of fine red wine."

The fat man replied gloomily, "Red wine is also part of the inheritance. I'm afraid you're not qualified to touch it yet."

Miss Shen's eyes suddenly fixed on him, almost spitting fire from them. "Put it on my end!" she said through gritted teeth.

Perhaps out of consideration for Miss Shen's wallet, A Qiu brought out ordinary Great Wall Castle dry red wine. After filling everyone's glasses, Shen Mingjie raised her blood-red glass, smiled brightly, and said, "Thank you, Attorney Wang, for coming and bringing good news to my brother, sister, and me."

"At the same time, I wish Sister Feng good health and a long life." She took a sip of red wine with a strange smile, then suddenly spat it out, her expression changing drastically.

"Ah Qiu! What kind of wine is this? It tastes so strange!" she exclaimed.

“Cabernet Sauvignon,” Attorney Wang said, taking a sip of the wine and savoring it slowly. “This is the taste, no doubt about it.”

“But this taste… Mr. Xue,” she pushed the wine glass toward the astrologer, “you try it, isn’t it strange?”

The astrologer took the glass, but instead of drinking as Shen Mingjie had hoped, he held it to his nose, carefully inhaling the aroma. Indeed, his brow furrowed; a strange smell wafted from the rich fragrance of the wine. It was a pity he hadn't brought Maya; otherwise, if only she had tasted it…

"Mr. Xue, please try it!" she pleaded. "Could it be that there's something wrong with my sense of taste?"

Unfortunately, aside from yogurt, he didn't want to touch any human beverages. So he poured the glass of wine into the spittoon. "Let's get another one," he said.

Miss Shen took the empty glass and casually placed it on the table, but didn't pour any more wine. She kept chatting and laughing with Lawyer Wang, while the fat man would occasionally peek out from the dishes with his greasy mouth and make sarcastic remarks to her. A Qiu busied herself around the table and under the table, changing bone plates. The astrologer's gaze slowly swept across the table, and suddenly, as if struck by a thunderbolt, he stopped.

He distinctly remembered spilling all of Miss Shen's red wine, and she hadn't poured any more since. Yet now, a small half-full glass of red liquid had appeared out of nowhere, with a few drops of crimson, like beads, clinging to the outside and slowly sliding down. The astrologer slowly looked up along the wine glass until he saw the brilliant shadow of the crystal chandelier. Enduring the burning pain from the light, he seemed to see a bright red line of blood quietly flowing down the base of the chandelier.

So he turned off the light.

Ignoring Miss Shen and the others' strong protests, he insisted on getting a flashlight from A Qiu, turned it to maximum brightness, and then shone it on the chandelier. The scene still chills me to this day.

A pale, paper-white face floated in the darkness. Miss Shen screamed, "Sister Feng!" before fainting.

The two gentlemen, Attorney Wang and the astrologer, helped each other up and finally managed to remove Shen Mingfeng's head—or perhaps it would be more accurate to say Shen Mingfeng's head—from the chandelier. The cut on his neck was quite clean and smooth, and the blood was still warm, dripping continuously, clearly indicating that he had only recently died. It was the blood flowing from the head wound that dripped into Shen Mingjie's wine glass, giving the dry red wine a strange taste. It was because of this horrific fact that the unfortunate younger sister screamed and fainted.

"This is terrifying!" Shen Mingdu's jaw trembled uncontrollably. "Someone must have killed her to seize the inheritance! We have to call the police right away!" However, as he rushed towards the door, he found the astrologer blocking the entrance and defiantly pulling out the key; another man, Attorney Wang, called out, "Wait a minute, Mr. Shen! Maybe we don't even need to call the police!"

"What do you mean?" the fat man asked warily.

“His meaning is simple,” the astrologer slowly walked up behind him, “there’s no need for the police to come; the murderer is right here in this compound.”

Volume Three: The Hell Record - Earth, Water, Wind, and Fire Incidents (Part Three)

“When we entered the room,” Attorney Wang glanced at his watch, “Ms. Shen Mingfeng was still alive at 6:15. Mr. Xue, and the rest of you can testify to that. After that, Ms. Shen Mingjie, Mr. Xue, and I sat in the reception room chatting until A Qiu came to call us, and then we went to the dining room together. During that time, none of the three of us left the room, which means that we are each other’s alibi.”

“And Miss Shen Mingfeng was killed during this period,” he said solemnly.

They searched the entire compound, finding nothing in Shen Mingfeng's room, but suspiciously, they discovered a patch of overgrown grass in the backyard. Sure enough, haphazardly placed beneath the grass lay Shen Mingfeng's pitiful, decapitated body. Blood flowing from her severed neck soaked her clothes, turning them crimson. Shen Mingjie, pale as a ghost, gripped the astrologer's sleeve tightly, almost collapsing, and whispered, "This is why I asked you to come here. Even at a high price, I don't want to lose my own life."

Back in the reception room, Attorney Wang stood up and said loudly, "I think it's time to announce the will."

What?! The Shen siblings couldn't believe their ears. Shen Mingfeng's body was barely cold, and they didn't even know if the murderer was still lingering in the compound. At this critical juncture, he wouldn't let them call the police, and he actually wanted to divide the inheritance? But Attorney Wang remained unmoved, opening his briefcase with undisputed authority, and carefully took out a disc record. It was originally a black vinyl record, but strangely, the entire front was painted a bright, vivid blood red, which was quite eye-catching.

"Mr. Shen's last words are all recorded on this record," Attorney Wang said with a professional smile. "Please listen carefully."

The stylus slowly glided across the blood-red record, first followed by a series of inexplicable gasps, cries, and sobs, then a man's aged voice rang out.

“My foolish children, I, Shen Yisen, am your father,” a voice that commanded respect without anger, said. “When you hear this, it means I am already dead.”

"Perhaps you're laughing your heads off because of my death? After all, my multi-million dollar fortune is just falling from the sky and crashing down on your heads, hehe..." Shen Yisen laughed in a chilling way. "Wait! Don't be too happy yet!"

"All this money is earned through my own hard work, so I can only entrust it to qualified people. My silly children, are you up to the task?"

"Shen Mingdu. He is incompetent and lacks both virtue and ability. He can't even find a decent job. His wife has eloped with someone else and abandoned him. He can only drown his sorrows in alcohol every day and live a muddled life."

"Shen Mingfeng. Ugly in appearance, mean and eccentric in personality, barely passed the accounting license exam, and is still an old maid."

"Shen Mingjie. She was vain and fantasized about using her beauty to climb the social ladder, but she was taken advantage of and abandoned, and had two abortions."

"Which one of you is worthy of my inheritance, capable of using it to accomplish great things? None! But, though incompetent, you are still my own flesh and blood. With no other choice, I have to choose the best among the worst. There is only one person, listen carefully, 'only one'! I only recognize the strong. As long as he can prove himself superior to the others, he can control all my wealth. As for the others who lost, they won't even get a penny! Now, let's begin! The one who obtains this 'Hell Record' will be the heir to all my wealth!"

His voice faded, leaving only the strange noise from the record player. No one thought to turn it off; everyone seemed terrified by Shen Yisen's insane will. After a long while, Shen Mingjie finally managed to open his mouth with difficulty: "...So you killed her?"

Shen Mingdu's face flushed red. "...Who are you talking about? Explain yourself!"

"I'm talking about you!" Shen Mingjie screamed hysterically. "You overheard the contents of the will, didn't you? As long as both of us sisters died, the inheritance would all go to you! So you killed her!"

"You! You're spouting nonsense!" Shen Mingdu roared, raising his fist in a rage. "If you make another sound, I'll kill you!"

Oh no! Just as his expression hardened, he noticed Lawyer Wang and A Qiu, who had been standing in the center, slowly moving closer to his sister, their faces filled with distrust. Lawyer Wang spoke coldly, "Mr. Shen, the current situation is indeed very unfavorable for you. You see, only you and A Qiu are left in the entire compound with the opportunity to commit the crime, and a frail girl like A Qiu," he lifted A Qiu's arm, "is already questionable whether she can subdue the tall Miss Shen Mingfeng, let alone cut off her head without making a sound. Besides, A Qiu has been cooking for us..."

"That's it! The food!" Shen Mingdu's small eyes suddenly lit up. "Maybe A Qiu put sleeping pills in the food and then killed her... that's for sure!"

Attorney Wang shook his head impatiently. "Your accusations are completely unfounded in court. What deep-seated hatred does A Qiu have for Ms. Shen Mingfeng that she would be so satisfied with beheading her? They are complete strangers with no conflict of interest. Mr. Shen, only you have both the motive and the timing of the crime. It seems we need to call the police."

Before he could finish speaking, Shen Mingdu flashed a switchblade, threatening menacingly, "Get out of my way! Or I'll stab every single one of you!"

Shen Mingjie's voice trembled, "Shen Mingdu! It really is you!" The astrologer quickly covered her mouth. Taking advantage of this moment, Shen Mingdu had already smashed through the French windows and jumped into the darkness. The sound of an engine starting came from the backyard, and Lawyer Wang shouted, "He's trying to escape!"

"Drive my car!" Shen Mingjie shouted after them. They hurriedly got into her Fukang, tailgating Shen Mingdu's car and giving chase relentlessly, their headlights illuminating the night sky. Shen Mingdu abruptly veered onto a mountain road, pressing the accelerator even downhill to evade their pursuit. Suddenly, the road ahead vanished, the bright headlights only illuminating a patch of dark sky. It was a sharp bend, and Shen Mingdu's car crashed through the guardrail, leaping into the air—

With a loud crash, a burst of flame shot into the sky, scorching everyone's retinas.

The astrologer stood silently to the side, watching as Attorney Wang held Shen Mingjie's delicate hand tightly in his own. "Miss Shen, congratulations. From now on, you are Mr. Shen's only legal heir."

"Hell Records and his vast fortune are now all yours."

Volume Three: The Events of Earth, Water, Wind, and Fire in the Hell Record (Part Four)

Back at the Shen family compound, Shen Mingjie and Attorney Wang immediately sat down to discuss the specifics. "It seems my task is finished," the astrologer thought with a touch of regret. Just then, A Qiu brought over three glasses of red wine—no longer ordinary dry red, but Lafite, the most prestigious wine from the Bordeaux region of France, each bottle costing a hefty 2500 RMB. Before Shen Mingjie could react, the astrologer snatched the glass, "Thank you, A Qiu. However, Miss Shen cannot eat or drink anything for the time being."

Shen Mingjie glanced at him with gratitude, her eyes possessing a captivating, feminine allure. Attorney Wang chuckled, "Mr. Xue is overthinking things. A-Qiu isn't a mind reader for Miss Shen; how could she possibly know she'd gotten the poisoned wine? Unless A-Qiu kills all three of us, the probability of her killing the right person is only one in three." He then took a sip of his wine without a care, the delicate aroma of the Lafite swirling gently on his tongue.

"It's impossible to kill three people," the astrologer sneered, "because I'm immortal." Shen Mingjie complained, "These days, you can't even trust yourself," while calling for A Qiu to taste the wine. Seeing that the maid was unharmed after drinking it, she raised her glass, took a deep sniff of the aroma, and exclaimed, "Indeed, fine wine!" She was deeply intoxicated.

While she was in the restroom, A-Qiu asked Attorney Wang tremblingly, "Sir... should we call the police now? The young master and young lady are still outside..."

Attorney Wang scoffed and exhaled a puff of smoke. "Why call the police? That's your Shen family's business. Why are you asking me about everything? I'm just a lawyer. I'm only responsible to Mr. Shen. I don't concern myself with anything else. Mr. Shen explained everything clearly in the record. As long as I transfer the assets to Ms. Shen Mingjie, my task is complete. As for the others, that's none of my business."

"The facts are clear: Shen Mingdu killed Shen Mingfeng and died in a car crash while fleeing. Alright, report it to the police like that, but don't summon me to testify—I'm busy," he added.

But A Qiu didn't move, her white eyes fixed on him. "But, did the young master really do it?"

"How many times do I have to say it? We entered at 6:15, and Shen Mingjie and Shen Mingfeng started arguing. She wasn't dead yet at that time...!" Lawyer Wang was getting impatient, and his voice rose.

"Is that really the young lady?" A-Qiu asked weakly.

Attorney Wang was suddenly taken aback. "Who else could it be but her? That imperious voice, and her quick wit in her responses, doesn't sound like it came from a recording... No, I swear it's definitely not the voices of any of us!"

"And what about ventriloquism?" the astrologer interjected curtly.

“Ventriloquism? Wait a minute,” Attorney Wang’s eyes darted around rapidly. “Wait! So you mean, one of us impersonated Shen Mingfeng’s voice, in other words, Shen Mingfeng was already dead at that time?! We became witnesses to the murderer’s alibi? No, no, no, I still can’t understand,” he clutched his head, deep in thought. “It’s understandable that you and I couldn’t recognize Shen Mingfeng’s voice, since we weren’t familiar with her—but how could her siblings have been fooled? Even if one of them was the murderer, how could the other not be suspicious? Or was the ventriloquist highly skilled, mimicking Shen Mingfeng’s voice so perfectly?”

“It’s not that complicated,” the astrologer said, gazing at the starry sky outside the window. “Don’t forget that they only met for the first time a few days ago, and besides, a woman’s voice is completely different when she is being humble and when she is being arrogant.”

"Aren't you right, A-Qiu?"

Under the light, the thin maid named A Qiu visibly trembled. Lawyer Wang's eyes widened in surprise, and a sly smile appeared on A Qiu's face, undoubtedly proving the astrologer's prediction.

"Where did you get that idea, Mr. Xue?" It was astonishing that the voice she spoke was neither as soft and gentle as the maid A Qiu's, nor as high-pitched and shrill as Shen Mingfeng's. Instead, it was sweet as honey, soft as cotton, languid and magnetic, even more seductive than Shen Mingjie's alluring voice.

“I should say, from the first time I learned your names,” the astrologer replied.

Shen Mingdu, Shen Mingfeng, Shen Mingjie. Individually, they seem unremarkable, but put together, they have a subtly strange feel. Leaving aside the fact that "Du" is rarely used in names, take "Shen Mingjie" for example. "Jie" is a typical male name, yet it's used for a beautiful woman. "Jie" or "Jie" would be far more fitting! However, these three characters together share a common characteristic.

The astrologer silently drew four strokes in the air: a horizontal line, a vertical line, a left-falling stroke, and a right-falling stroke. It couldn't be clearer—it was the character for "wood."

Wood plus earth, plus wind, plus water—Du, Feng, Jie. The four elements are missing one: fire. Combined with wood, it becomes—

"Autumn".

"That is, you, A Qiu, Shen Yisen's fourth child."