The police arrived swiftly, cordoning off the scene and herding all of us out of the ancestral hall. They took Uncle San's family to the station for questioning; Uncle Qiang and I were also escorted away.
After a brief interrogation, I was released around noon. As I exited the police station, I overheard two officers conversing.
"No heart is one thing, but the report says natural causes?"
"That's not the strangest part. The heart's a mass of blood vessels, but there wasn't a single trace of blood on the body!"
I listened, my face impassive, and walked past them. And that mask... Just as I was pondering it, my phone rang. I answered; it was a call from the village reporting another incident.
Returning to Huai Shu Village, I found the same group from yesterday had returned. Steeling myself, I went to deal with them.
"Mr. Huang, my apologies. An incident has occurred in the village, so we cannot provide an answer regarding the land so quickly," I said to him earnestly.
"My name is Huang Shibu," he replied, seemingly ignoring my statement. He looked up at me.
"And?"
"The rest is for you to consider, young man. I will return tomorrow." Huang Shibu offered a faint smile, placed a business card on the table, and left with his entourage.
The moment they stepped outside Uncle Qiang's door, they were confronted by an angry mob of villagers. Some brandished carrying poles, shouting about avenging Uncle Chen San.
The men in suits swiftly formed a protective circle around Huang Shibu. Surprisingly, their car parked outside remained untouched amidst the chaos—a detail that struck me as odd.
Alone in Uncle Qiang's room, I felt a wave of helplessness. The villagers outside vowed to post guards at the ancestral hall in shifts that night, swearing to keep outsiders at bay.
I doubted Huang Shibu would be deterred.
Was he testing me? I glanced at his card: "Antiques Dealer." A cynical laugh threatened to escape. Anyone with sense knew something valuable must lie beneath the ancestral graves!
I discarded the card, picked up my bucket, and headed for the well. Finding the area deserted was unusual. Normally, after meals, people gathered here to chat. Where was everyone?
After drawing water, I returned home, boiled it, and drank. An unexpected drowsiness washed over me. Seeing it was only 2 PM, I decided to take a nap.
I woke up and checked my phone: 9 AM. 9 AM? I confirmed with my watch. It really was 9 in the morning!
The village was eerily silent. At this hour, it should have been bustling with activity.
After a quick wash, I instinctively ran to my neighbor's house. They opened the door, yawning, and asked, "Xiao Lin, is that you? Had dinner yet?"
Hearing that, I knew instantly something was terribly wrong.
I urged my neighbor to wake the entire village and sprinted towards the ancestral hall alone. Inside, I found three more bodies! And that purple mask was back on the offering table!
I distinctly remembered the police taking it as evidence yesterday. How was it here again? Ignoring the mask for now, I ran deeper into the ancestral graveyard.
Country burials are often haphazard; graves are placed wherever space allows. I navigated the chaotic jumble of mounds until I reached the large locust tree. To its right, there had always been a grave mound with a blank stone tablet. But today, the mound was gone, replaced by a gaping robber's hole.
"Who's there!" a male voice barked from behind. I turned to see two men in suits aiming knives at me.
My instinct was to flee, but just then, two more emerged from the bushes on the other side. I was trapped.
"Stay back..." I frowned, assessing my limited escape routes.
"The boss said anyone from the village snooping around gets dealt with," one suit stated, as if reminding the others.
Anger flared within me. As I prepared to fight, a clamor arose. A crowd of villagers, armed with farming tools, was charging towards us.
Seizing the chance, I bolted towards the villagers. The suited men, seeing they were outnumbered, exchanged glances and retreated.
With the immediate threat gone, I slipped away via a small path. Once in a secluded spot, I pulled out my phone and made a call.
"Hello." A familiar woman's voice answered.
Without preamble, I said, "They're here."
"I'll send someone immediately." She hung up.
I pocketed my phone, composed myself, and headed back towards the locust tree, running and shouting, "What happened? More deaths at the hall?"
The villagers guarded the robber's hole, saving me some trouble. Why had everyone slept so soundly? Could they have been drugged? But dosing every household seemed implausible.
I pondered this until my eyes fell on my water bucket. Then it hit me.
All of Huai Shu Village's water came from the well. That was the only feasible point of attack!
I hurried to the well, intending to draw a bucket for inspection, when my phone rang.
"What?" I answered without checking the caller ID.
"It's your esteemed brother here! Come meet me at the village entrance!" I recognized the voice immediately.
At the village entrance, a familiar black Jeep was parked. A fashionably dressed man stepped out, a wide grin plastered on his face.
"You're here," I said flatly, arms crossed.
Zhao Feiyu's grin widened. "Xiao Lin! Been years, huh..."
I didn't engage, simply turned and walked away.
Undaunted, Zhao Feiyu caught up, slinging an arm around my neck. "Come on, we grew up together! If you hadn't agreed to help back then, you wouldn't even be seeing me now, right?"
"Less talk, more action," I cut him off, finally silencing him. I led him quietly towards the old locust tree.
Zhao Feiyu trailed me, relentlessly trying to smooth things over.
"Xiao Lin, we've known each other so long. You wouldn't cut me off over something small, right?"
"See? I rushed here the moment I heard you were in trouble."
"I did save your life once, remember?"
"Hey, how's the scar on your back?"
His chatter was grating. I spun around. He stopped immediately, beaming at me.
"I only came here to help because you were dying. I needed a change of scenery. That's all!" I said, my voice low and deliberate, face dark.
Zhao Feiyu finally fell silent.
A small mercy. With him quiet, I continued. When we reached the tree, villagers were again confronting the suited men.
"This is Huai Shu Village land! Keep away!"
"There are people down that hole! Your recklessness could get them killed! You'll all end up in prison!"
Sometimes, the threat of jail was the most effective way to intimidate country folk.
The suited men's words quieted the crowd. I gave a wry smile, pushed through, and addressed the villagers, persuading them to leave and let me handle the discussion.
他们信任我,尽管有些人拿着锄头在附近徘徊,担心这些人可能欺负他们受过大学教育的官员.再次安抚后,他们才依依不舍地散去.
再次面对西装革履的男人,我的表情冰冷.
"你还敢回来?上次我们就放过你了,你别指望现在还能活着走."其中一人冷笑道.
上次我是表现得很克制的.把你的事实说清楚."我反驳道,看着他的眼睛,嘴唇上挂着冷笑.
正当我准备战斗时,赵飞宇上前,语气轻浮. "你想活命,就赶紧滚吧,我保证不会打断你的狗腿."
"你说得太多了,"我说道,双臂仍然交叉.
赵飞宇一脸受伤的表情. "我不是杀你父亲的凶手,你为什么要这样——"他话到一半就打断了,转身面对着诉讼者.
我已经受够了这种故作姿态.我向西装革履的男士发起进攻.
他们的数量超过了我们.尽管我很快就打倒了一些人,但还是有一个人把他的刀深深地刺进了我的胸口.
没有流血.我感觉不到疼痛.我听到了赵飞宇尖锐的惊呼声,看到了袭击者脸上的震惊.
我二话不说,一拳猛烈地打在了那个人的脸上,在他反应过来之前,他就倒地不起.我从胸口拔出刀,看了一眼本该是心脏的地方,没有受伤,然后把刀扔到一边.
"慕...慕琳..."赵飞宇在我身后结结巴巴地说不出话来.
"我已经习惯了做一个无情的人,你到底在怕什么?"我转过身,定定地看着他.