The Soul Searching Technique isn't as mystical as people imagine. It shares a similar principle with the empathy technique in psychology. Simply put, empathy involves a counselor listening to a client's narrative while entering their mental world, experiencing it as if they were there, and then stepping back to articulate their understanding of the client's inner experience and convey it back to them.
To use the Soul Searching Technique, however, acupuncture needles are also required. I took them out and inserted them into various acupoints on the female corpse's head, such as the Touwei and Yangbai points. At this moment, the corpse's congealed blood began to circulate again, and I could even hear the sound of blood flowing within her.
However, Du Qitai scoffed, "Detective He, have you been scared senseless by this corpse? What are you doing with the acupuncture needles? Are you trying to cure her?"
Du Qitai didn't know that I always carried these needles with me, nor did he know what I was doing. My grandfather's book, "The Secret Manual for Coroners and Modern Forensic Doctors," once recorded, "Silver penetrates blood vessels, coroners gather Qi, capable of communicating with the deceased."
The meaning is that acupuncture needles can restart blood circulation. By utilizing the meridians and bones, a coroner can gather their spirit and reach a state of communication with the corpse.
I gathered my spirit and connected with a hidden consciousness within the deceased. Immediately, I glimpsed the process of her being placed into a wooden barrel.
Then, I opened my eyes and spoke rapidly, "Time of death was 9:25 PM last night. Cause of death was severe tearing of the lower body, leading to excessive arterial blood loss. Strictly speaking, she died of suffocation. The killer left no footprints at the scene because they administered the anesthetic from above. The woman was eating in the room at the time; there were remnants of food and a smell of white wine in the corners of her mouth. After the woman fainted, I couldn't understand how she was put into the barrel. But now I know, because she was actually imprisoned in the barrel. She could only eat, defecate, and urinate in the barrel. Du Qitai, you're quite clever. You thought that by taking away the leftover food, I'd have to go in circles, but you didn't realize I only needed to observe the corners of her mouth to discover so many details!"
As soon as I finished speaking, Du Qitai didn't respond for a long time. I didn't know what he was doing. The moment I pulled out the needles, Xiao Yuande noticed shoeprints appearing on the balcony. I came over and said, "Du Qitai, did you use something to remotely take away that food so there wouldn't be any traces in the living room?"
"Detective He, you're truly remarkable. I really thought you wouldn't be able to figure it out! I used a fishing net attached to a wooden pole to retrieve the items!"
"Heh, if you wanted to know what I was doing, why didn't I just say the killer poisoned the woman?"
"How did you figure that out?"
"The deceased's facial nerves were tense, but there was no charring. She wasn't poisoned; she was temporarily anesthetized. Yet, there was blood all over the ground. Although I didn't see the deceased's lower body, the amount of blood from childbirth is similar to the amount seen at the scene. Therefore, I deduced that the deceased's lower body was cut open. Am I correct, Mr. Du?"
"..." For a long time, I didn't hear Du Qitai's voice. When he finally responded, we were already out of Room 8. He seemed to have been thoroughly discredited and didn't know what to say.
But he wasn't someone who would give up so easily. He quickly composed himself, "Fine! Since you're so capable, this game will become more and more interesting!"
"You still want to play? Didn't you just say you'd let us rest?" He Xin immediately got angry upon hearing Du Qitai's words.
"Alright! Alright! Now I'll tell you how to rest. In the long corridor on your right, there's a place for you to rest, and there's plenty of food there. Rest after you've eaten. When I tell you to get up next time, you'll continue to accept the challenge!"
Du Qitai actually gave us a break, which was a bit surprising. I thought he would go back on his word.
After all, the more time we gained now, the more beneficial it would be for He Xin to find his location.
Conversely, if we continued to play those games, our danger would increase.
We followed his instructions and walked down the corridor on the right. After a distance, we indeed found a room. Upon entering, we discovered a long table laden with a lavish spread of food.
This scene was almost identical to what we had seen at the hotel before. I didn't know who Du Qitai had found to prepare it. Could it be that woman Xiao Hong?
Regardless, we were all starving and decided to tend to our empty stomachs first.
As everyone sat down, Liu Yuning pulled me aside and asked, "Don't we need to test for poison?"
"No need. If Du Qitai intended to poison us with the food, he wouldn't have played those games with us earlier. It would have been much simpler to just kill us. This is basic logic. Don't you understand this?" I retorted. Liu Yuning stuck out her tongue, seemingly completely convinced by me, and began to eat heartily. It was the first time I had seen her so amused.
However, at this moment, everyone's mind was focused on one thing: eating!
I don't know how much I ate before I was satisfied, but everything here, like foie gras and Australian lobster, was something we, as police officers, couldn't normally afford. How could we waste it?
After everyone had eaten their fill and let out satisfied burps, they seemed to have forgotten their predicament for a moment.
Seeing that we were full, Du Qitai's voice came again, "Since you're full, go and rest. Get a good night's sleep, and tomorrow will be the sixth day of your tour. I've prepared even more thrilling challenges for you!"
None of us spoke. The cards were all on the table now, and pretending was pointless. We had no choice but to go to the resting quarters.
There were quite a few rooms distributed here, enough for the few of us to stay in. We paired up, two people per group, and found our rooms. This time, I wasn't with He Xin, but with Liu Yuning. I didn't know why she was willing to be with me.
Back in the room, I thought I'd have to sleep on the sofa, but Liu Yuning sat on the bed and said, "You can't act at all, can you? Anyone can tell we're faking being a couple."
"What's the point of acting anymore? Don't you know Du Qitai saw through it? Sigh, if you mind, I'll still sleep on the sofa!"
Actually, the room was nicely decorated, with an elegant and modern ambiance, which is why I had suggested sleeping on the sofa.
"I'll sleep on the sofa. I feel bad about making you do this every time!"
"You're a girl; how can you sleep on the sofa?"
"I'm not an ordinary girl. It's settled. There's no bathroom here, so showering is out of the question. Let's just sleep!" With that, Liu Yuning lay down on the sofa herself and didn't move.