mauvaises graines - Chapitre 19
Wu Dajun's words caused the old man with a scar on his forehead standing beside him to slightly flicker his eyes. However, Xu Haicheng didn't notice. He was filled with sorrow; he hadn't found Wu Chunbo's body and had clung to the hope that he was still alive. Since he hadn't returned to Tongluozhai, the chances of him being alive were slim. His sorrow remained hidden, but his face remained calm as he said to Wu Dajun, "Could you please introduce your teammates?"
Wu Chunping nodded and introduced each of his uncles in turn: Second Uncle, Third Uncle, Fourth Uncle, Fifth Uncle, Sixth Uncle, Seventh Uncle, Eighth Uncle, and Ninth Uncle, and also mentioned their names. Second Uncle had a somewhat fierce appearance, with a long scar on his forehead extending to the corner of his eye; when Xu Haicheng heard the name Third Uncle, he was taken aback, feeling that he had heard the name Song Sanping somewhere before, but he couldn't quite place it.
Pan Xiaolu gently tugged at his sleeve and said, "A family of sorcerers."
Xu Haicheng suddenly realized, wasn't Song Duo's grandfather named Song Sanping? He carefully examined Song Sanping; he was probably in his sixties, with an ordinary appearance, droopy eyes, and a face full of sorrow. He was carrying a wooden box, very similar to the one he had seen at the subway station that day. Xu Haicheng couldn't help but look at it a few more times and asked, "What's in this box?"
"It's a prop," Wu Dajun gestured for Song Sanping to open it. As soon as it was opened a crack, a pair of dark eyes appeared. Xu Haicheng's heart skipped a beat. Looking closer, he saw it was a wooden human head sculpture, the eyes painted with black lacquer, remarkably lifelike, almost indistinguishable from a real one. He suddenly remembered Xu San's fear when he opened the box in the subway station. Could this be what Xu San saw?
"What is this tool used for?"
"It's used in the mountain god ritual." Seeing that Xu Haicheng still didn't understand, his uncle Wu Dajun added, "There's a scene where a sacrifice is performed, and this prop is used."
Does this mean that the ancient practice of human head sacrifice will be reenacted on the day of the cultural festival?
Xu Haicheng was a little surprised: "Is it a performance of human head sacrifice?"
Wu Dajun looked at him in surprise, not expecting a policeman to know about ancient sacrificial rituals. "Yes, in the Jingyun Mountains, we used to sacrifice living human heads a long time ago. This custom has long been abolished, and wooden human heads are usually used instead."
Section 37: Chapter Seven, Part Four of the Abiding Calamity (2)
Xu Haicheng looked down at the human head sculpture. The carving was exquisite, the head looking lifelike, a joyful smile playing on its lips. For a moment, he felt as if he were back on the second basement level of the Jingyun Tongtianling altar. After thinking for a moment, he asked Producer Feng, "Producer Feng, how many Nuo dance troupes did you hire this time?"
Producer Feng stated without hesitation, "The main groups coming to our TV station to record programs are three Nuo dance troupes. On the opening day of the cultural festival, there will be a mountain god worship performance, involving a total of nine troupes and eighty-one people, with the Luotongzhai Nuo dance troupe as the lead performer. Nuo dance performances will also be part of the cultural festival, with the nine troupes taking turns performing. Foreign folklorists are very interested in this Nuo dance."
What does "Luotongzhai lead actor" mean?
Producer Feng pointed to Wu Dajun and said, "This uncle plays the chief shaman in the mountain god ritual at the opening ceremony."
Xu Haicheng nodded as if he understood, then turned to the two large wooden boxes next to him. The boxes were painted with vermilion lacquer, some of which was peeling off, indicating that they were very old. Before he could speak, Wu Dajun had already come over and opened them. One box contained Nuo masks, and the other contained Nuo opera costumes.
Xu Haicheng opened the Nuo masks and looked at them. He had studied Nuo masks for a while when investigating Zhong Dongqiao's case and recognized some of them. The masks in this box were all larger than normal faces, with mottled colors, and looked quite eerie at first glance. He had just wondered if the face He Qing saw flash by outside the window was a mask.
But would Lei Yunshan be scared to death by a mask? He's an archaeology expert; he's seen countless mummies. Why would he be afraid of a Nuo mask?
As Xu Haicheng pondered, he asked the producer and cameraman of the Nuo dance program. They all confirmed that they had been filming the whole time and hadn't had a chance to pay attention to their surroundings. They were only startled when they heard a scream. But at the time, no one paid much attention, assuming it was part of the program's plot.
Everything seemed normal. Xu Haicheng beckoned to Song Sanping and said, "Come out for a moment."
Song Sanping raised his eyebrows in surprise, and his companions looked at each other in astonishment.
"Don't worry, I just wanted to ask about Song Duo."
Upon hearing the name Song Duo, a flash of indignation crossed Song Sanping's old face. Without a word, he handed the wooden box to Wu Dajun, followed Xu Haicheng outside, and said bluntly, "Officer, my grandson died unjustly."
Why do you say that?
"Not even a skeleton has been found. I've searched the places they mentioned for over half a year, but I haven't found anything."
Xu Haicheng was taken aback. It was said that Song Duo had fallen into the depths of Tongtian Ridge, a valley of unfathomable depth. Song Duo had actually gone down there to search for him. Considering his age, and the desolate nature of Tongtian Ridge, the hardships he must have endured, sleeping in the open and exposed to the elements, were unimaginable. The old man before him suddenly evoked a sense of respect and sympathy in Xu Haicheng, who said gently, "I've been to Tongtian Ridge too. There are many wild animals there..."
Song Sanping interrupted Xu Haicheng angrily: "Impossible."
Xu Haicheng knew he didn't want to believe it, so he didn't press the matter further and said, "There's something I want to ask you."
"Go ahead and say it."
"Third Uncle, I heard from Song Duo that when he was a child, someone in your neighbor's house died. There was a tooth mark on his neck. The police determined that he died of a heart attack, but you told him that it was a very powerful witchcraft that killed him, right?"
Song Sanping lowered his eyelids and said, "How could I remember clearly what happened so many years ago? Besides, do you know my Xiaoduo?" He suddenly looked up and stared at Xu Haicheng, his eyes full of suspicion.
"I don't know him, but he left this message online saying that you told him."
The suspicion in Song Sanping's eyes lessened slightly, and he said indignantly, "How come other people are still cared about even after they've been dead for twenty years, but no one has asked about my Xiaoduo who's only been dead for half a year?"
Xu Haicheng recalled Pan Xiaolu's comments about the unusual behavior of the archaeological team, so he said, "How about this, Third Uncle, tell me about that matter, and I promise to help you investigate Song Duo's situation."
Song Sanping's eyes lit up: "Really?"
Xu Haicheng nodded solemnly.
"Okay, it's a deal. You absolutely must find out the truth about Song Duo's death. Our little Duo..." Song Sanping choked up as he spoke, quickly turning away to wipe his tears. Xu Haicheng felt a pang of sympathy watching this, and secretly resolved to find out the truth behind Song Duo's death.
"There is indeed a tooth mark. I've heard others mention it; it's a powerful form of witchcraft that can kill people invisibly. It's said to summon vengeful ghosts to bite people to death." Seeing Xu Haicheng looking at him with suspicion, Song Sanping emphasized, "It's true. That person said this kind of witchcraft is called 'Jie' (劫)."
Calamity.
Xu Haicheng's heart skipped a beat. In Chinese, "劫" means to seize, plunder, or cause disaster, which is quite fitting for this kind of murder.
Seeing Xu Haicheng lost in thought, Song Sanping anxiously added, "Remember to help me find out about Xiaoduo's death."
Section 38: Chapter Seven, Part Four (3)
"Don't worry, Third Uncle." Suddenly remembering something, Xu Haicheng asked, "What are you doing in the Nuo dance troupe in Tongluozhai?"
"I went to Tongtianzhai to find Xiaoduo and stayed at Tongluozhai. I got to know them well. They were coming to the city to perform, but they didn't have enough people. I had performed before, so they let me join." This performance was organized by the city and there were subsidies to be won. It was also the off-season for the villages, so they all responded very enthusiastically.
Song Sanping's words were flawless, but Xu Haicheng still had some doubts about the witchcraft he mentioned regarding the "robbery." After getting the Nuo dance troupe's contact information, he let them leave the TV station. As they left, Song Sanping kept turning back to look at him, his eyes filled with anticipation. Xu Haicheng could only nod heavily to him, implying that he would definitely find out the truth about Song Duo's death.
Song Sanping then strode away. Xu Haicheng sighed inwardly, thinking of the poor old man. He then had Producer Feng lead him to the third floor. He had just thought that if He Qing saw the ghostly face that flashed past the window and it turned out to be a mask, it might be possible to put it into practice; they could simply tie a rope to it and lower it down from the third floor.
However, the small dressing room on the third floor was locked, as were the two adjacent rooms. Producer Feng said they were from different departments and didn't have keys. Xu Haicheng and Pan Xiaolu looked around but didn't find anything, so they went back to the studio on the second floor.
The atmosphere in the studio was tense, like the calm before a storm. No wonder; anyone who came to be a live audience member ended up as a witness – it would be unsettling. Besides, the night was growing deeper, and the police showed no sign of letting them go. Everyone felt increasingly uneasy, and they stopped talking to each other, all staring intently at the police coming and going, hoping to find some clue on their faces.
Producer Feng handed the list of audience members to Xu Haicheng. Xu glanced at it and found that more than half of the organizations listed were Nanpu University. He then asked Producer Feng how the audience members were selected.
Producer Feng explained that there are two ways to register: one is to apply through the website of the city's TV station, and the other is to call the program team, provide your name, age, work unit, ID number, and contact information, and then select suitable candidates from those. Sometimes, when there aren't enough people, they ask friends and relatives of TV station employees to make up the numbers.