Mortal Dawn and Dusk, My Eternal Life - Chapter 38

The interrogation room at the Tianjin Police Bureau, rather than an interrogation room, was more like a rather elegant reception room. Red sandalwood tables and chairs, a few Western landscape paintings on the walls, and a set of exquisite white porcelain tea set on the table, gently steaming. This was clearly not the treatment for ordinary suspects.

Su Mingyue sat leisurely in the grand armchair, picking up a teacup, and lightly blowing on the tea leaves floating on the surface. Her expression was calm, without the slightest hint of panic or unease from being in a police station. She looked around the room, a faint curve on her lips. It seemed that this General Gu was treating her, this “suspect,” with considerable “courtesy.”

Gu Mingxuan sat opposite Su Mingyue, his hat brim still pulled low, obscuring his expression. He tried to appear stern and professional, but inwardly, he felt… irritated. On one hand, there was his suspicion of this woman and… a strange apprehension. Her appearance was too coincidental, and her skills were definitely not those of an ordinary woman. On the other hand, there was… his damned body!

Ever since he consumed the life force of that wild cat this morning, he had felt some… uncontrollable “cat-like behaviors” popping up from time to time. For instance, that damned “meow” in the alley just now made him want to find a hole to crawl into! Now, he felt a tickle in his throat, constantly wanting to… make that “purring” sound. Moreover, the steaming tea on the table, to him, was far less appealing than the spider plant swaying on the windowsill… He actually had an urge to scratch it! This feeling made him both mortified and furious!

“Miss Su,” Gu Mingxuan cleared his throat, trying to make his voice sound authoritative, “Now, can you please explain why you appeared at that crime scene in the middle of the night?” He tried not to look into Su Mingyue’s clear eyes, which seemed capable of seeing through everything, fearing he might accidentally do something embarrassing again.

Su Mingyue put down her teacup and smiled faintly: “General Gu asks a good question. I, too, would like to ask, since when has Tianjin dictated that respectable women cannot walk the streets at night? Or does General Gu believe that only those with ill intentions appear at night?” Her words were neither humble nor arrogant, yet carried a hint of mockery.

Gu Mingxuan was choked by her. His brow furrowed. “Miss Su, I hope you can cooperate with our investigation. That alley is not a place ordinary women frequent. Furthermore, as I understand it, Miss Su is a physician from out of town. Why would you be so ‘concerned’ about Tianjin’s murder cases, and even… engage with the culprit?” He had sent people to investigate in the afternoon. Su Mingyue did indeed practice medicine in Tianjin and possessed high medical skills, having saved the young girl hit by a car. But this did not clear her of suspicion. Why would a woman of such profound medical skill appear in such a place late at night? What was her motive?

“General Gu’s words are even more amusing.” Su Mingyue maintained her calm and detached demeanor. “I am a healer. To see injustice on the road and offer help is my duty. The black-robed person was about to commit a crime; if I hadn’t intervened, wouldn’t that be neglecting my duty? As for why I appeared there… perhaps, it was merely a coincidence.” She naturally wouldn’t mention that she had been secretly tracking the black-robed person.

“Coincidence?” Gu Mingxuan scoffed, clearly disbelieving. “Miss Su, your ‘coincidence’ is a bit too convenient. Moreover… Miss Su’s skills, it seems… are also not comparable to an ordinary physician.”

“General Gu overpraises me,” Su Mingyue smiled noncommittally. “When traveling the world, one must learn some basic self-defense skills to avoid being bullied by scoundrels. As for General Gu, so young, yet holding such a high position, overseeing public safety, you must also be exceptionally skilled and insightful.” Her words were overtly complimentary, but subtly probing.

Gu Mingxuan heard the hidden meaning in her words, and his eyes narrowed slightly. He could feel that this woman was far smarter and… more difficult to deal with than he had imagined. He took a deep breath, deciding to change his approach.

“Miss Su,” he said in a deep voice, “Let’s be frank with each other. In Tianjin, there have been successive bizarre murder cases recently. The victims have all been drained of life force, dying in an extremely horrifying manner. This matter has caused panic throughout the city. You appeared in Tianjin at this time, and coincidentally had contact with the culprit. We have reason to suspect you are involved in this case.”

“Oh? General Gu means to suspect that I am the culprit who drains people’s life force?” Su Mingyue raised an eyebrow, a playful smile on her face.

“I didn’t say that,” Gu Mingxuan shook his head. “But Miss Su’s appearance is indeed too questionable. And… Miss Su seems to be not surprised by this ‘drained of life force’ manner of death?” He keenly caught the flash of understanding in Su Mingyue’s eyes when she heard the words “drained of life force.”

Su Mingyue’s heart slightly tightened. This Captain Gu’s observational skills were indeed sharp. She was indeed familiar with this manner of death, and even… had personally dealt with similar “demons.” But she naturally wouldn’t tell him any of this.

“General Gu is joking.” Su Mingyue picked up her teacup, taking a light sip, concealing the strange look in her eyes. “I am just an ordinary physician. Hearing of such tragic events, I would naturally feel shocked and… curious. After all, the means to drain a person’s life force are indeed unbelievable.”

Gu Mingxuan stared intently into Su Mingyue’s eyes, trying to find some flaw in her expression. However, Su Mingyue’s gaze was calm and unruffled, without the slightest panic or evasion, as if everything she said was true. This made Gu Mingxuan even more confused. Could it be… he was really overthinking it? Was this woman truly just an ordinary physician who happened to pass by and happened to have some skills?

Just as Gu Mingxuan was deep in thought, he suddenly felt his hand twitch. He instinctively raised his hand, wanting to lick it with his tongue…

Wait!
Lick it with his tongue?!

Gu Mingxuan jolted, forcefully stopping this absurd thought! Damn it! It’s that damned cat-like side effect again! He suppressed the increasingly strong itching sensation on the back of his hand, and the urge to curl up and find a warm place to nap. His face turned grim.

Su Mingyue naturally noticed Gu Mingxuan’s abnormality. She saw his tightly clenched fist and the fine beads of sweat on his forehead, an imperceptible smile flashing in her eyes. This General Gu… seemed to be trying hard to control something? And his previous action of wanting to lick the back of his hand… was actually… quite endearing. Su Mingyue suddenly felt that teasing this seemingly cold but possibly inwardly “secretive” General Gu might be quite an interesting thing to do.

“General Gu,” Su Mingyue asked, feigning concern, “Are you… feeling unwell? Your face looks pale, and you’re sweating quite a bit on your forehead. Would you like me to… take your pulse?” As she spoke, she actually extended her slender, jade-like hand, making to take Gu Mingxuan’s pulse.

“No… no need!”

Gu Mingxuan recoiled like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, violently pulling back, avoiding Su Mingyue’s hand. His voice even changed pitch. “I… I’m fine! Miss Su, please answer my questions first!” He dared not let this woman take his pulse! If she noticed his body’s abnormality, that would be troublesome! Especially… his “soul” that didn’t belong to this body! If the other party was a strange and extraordinary person, it was not out of the question that they might have such abilities! Better safe than sorry!

Su Mingyue looked at Gu Mingxuan’s avoiding-her-like-the-plague expression, and the smile on her lips deepened.