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Kapitel 16

Do you remember the Ba people I told you about?

Qin Ge paused for a moment, then his expression turned serious: "Of course I remember. That Ba tribe assassin is still in detention."

The Ba tribe assassin, named Yu Lei, was the son of the Ba tribe's chief priest. The chief priest's mission was to protect the tribe's sacred objects, but these objects were stolen by Ma Nan's adoptive father, Ba Rong. Enraged, they committed suicide in front of their tribe, and their son was raised by the Ba tribe's leader, Batu. When the chief priest's son was fourteen years old, Batu gave him the name Yu Lei.

Yu Lei was originally the name of a celestial being in ancient mythology. He and another celestial being named Shen Tu jointly governed the wandering ghosts in the human world. The wandering ghosts in the world dared not act recklessly in the human world because they feared the brothers Shen Tu and Yu Lei. Later, people pasted their portraits on their doors, and they became the door gods of the human world.

Batu named him Yulei in the hope that one day he could avenge his parents and punish Barong, who betrayed his tribe and stole the sacred object—what difference is there between a person who betrays his tribe and a wandering ghost?

Later, Yu Lei indeed killed Ba Rong's four adopted sons, who were also Ma Nan's brothers. But in the final battle, the Ba people were almost completely wiped out, leaving only Yu Lei, who finally killed Ba Rong, but was eventually arrested by the police who arrived later.

When Ma Nan mentioned the Ba people, Qin Ge immediately realized that things were not as simple as he thought.

"I told you that, according to legend, the ancestor of the Ba people was Taihao, the Heavenly Emperor of the East, who is what we often call Fuxi. Fuxi and Nuwa are said to be the ancestors of the Chinese nation. Did you know that the Chinese nation was originally a nation with a flower totem?"

Qin Ge leaned back slightly, knowing that Ma Nan was about to start telling stories again, but fortunately his stories were not boring.

"Fuxi's mother was named Huaxu. She conceived after stepping on the footprint of a thunder beast in Leize, which is the so-called 'Huaxu gave birth to Fuxi by stepping on its footprint.' In fact, it also contains another meaning, which is the flower totem of the Chinese nation. Huaxu was also called Huaxu, with Hua and Hua both meaning bright flowers. Huaxu's surname was Feng. When the flowers bloom and bear seeds, the flower petals fly with the wind and fall into the mud, which means that Huaxu stepped on the footprint of the thunder beast. The seeds are covered by the soil and enter winter, which is the meaning of the 'Fu' in Fuxi. Therefore, some people say that Huaxu was actually the name of an ancient flower goddess."

Qin Ge didn't quite understand this part, but he remained silent and listened to Ma Nan continue.

"To be more specific, the totems of the Fuxi tribe are the rose totem and the chrysanthemum totem, which respectively represent the seasons of growth in the summer half-year and withering in the winter half-year. I remember that when my father mentioned these things to me, he specifically pointed out that their tribe still uses the chrysanthemum as a totem."

"Why chrysanthemums and not roses?" Qin Ge asked. "If I had to choose, I would definitely choose roses."

"I asked my father the same question back then. He said that, according to legend, the Ba Kingdom was destroyed by Qin, and only their branch survived. They were all descendants of warriors who guarded sacred objects. Warriors often carried a sense of solemnity and killing intent on the battlefield, so they all used the chrysanthemum, which represents the winter half of the year, as their totem."

“Now I understand.” Qin Ge shook his head and sighed, “You dragged me out during the New Year just because someone gave you a bouquet of chrysanthemums, and chrysanthemums happen to be the totem of the Ba people, so you felt uneasy.”

Ma Nan stared at him blankly, then slowly nodded.

"Then I'll give you four words—'worrying about the sky falling'," Qin Ge laughed. "It's just that someone gave you a bouquet of flowers, and you've already made up so many stories about it. If someone gives you something else tomorrow, won't you be unable to sleep at all?"

Ma Nan remained silent because he wasn't sure about the matter either, so he preferred to trust Qin Ge's judgment. However, there were some things he couldn't let go of. For example, the moment he saw the chrysanthemum, he immediately became tense, feeling as if something was slowly approaching him.

Of course, this was just a feeling. Police investigations require rational evidence and clues, so he didn't expect Qin Ge to agree with his premonition, and therefore, he didn't intend to tell him his feelings.

"Okay, if you're still not reassured, give me the receipt from that flower company and I'll check to see who delivered the flowers to you. That way you can put your mind at ease."

Qin Ge was efficient; after breaking up with Ma Nan, she went to the flower company, but the investigation yielded disheartening results. The flowers delivered to Ma Nan had been pre-ordered in cash two days prior. The young woman processing the order racked her brain before remembering that the person who placed the order was a young man who looked like a migrant worker, speaking with a non-local accent. While processing the order, she noticed a large travel bag at his feet and casually asked where he was going. The young man was excited, saying he was going home for the New Year but couldn't get a train ticket and didn't know what to do. Then, a kind person not only bought him a ticket but also refused to accept payment.

Because there was a lot of business that day, the young woman felt it was strange, but she didn't have time to ask.

Leaving the flower company, Qin Ge felt a little heavy-hearted. Based on the information provided by the young woman, it wasn't hard to deduce that the person delivering the flowers to Ma Nan wasn't the migrant worker himself. Someone had paid him a train ticket to place the order. Choosing a migrant worker and providing a train ticket also served another purpose: to conceal the real delivery person. Even if someone came to the flower company, the migrant worker would have already left the city, making it impossible for anyone to find him.

Qin Ge began to think that things might not be as simple as she thought, given how much effort was put into sending a bouquet of flowers.

Chapter 11

The date was January 30, 2006, the second day of the Lunar New Year. The second day of the new year.

Yang Zheng continued trying to contact Yang Mei, but the call still wouldn't go through. Around 10 a.m., he went to the neighborhood where Yang Mei lived. The streets were filled with the festive atmosphere of the New Year; adults and children were all dressed in brand-new clothes, beaming with joy. Shops were decorated with lanterns and colorful banners, and there were New Year's discount posters everywhere. It took Yang Zheng quite a while to hail a taxi. Sitting in the back seat, he looked out the window at the festive streets and felt that they were very far away from him.

Standing at the entrance of Yangmei's residential compound, he suddenly realized a problem—he couldn't find where Yangmei's house was at all.

He had only heard Yang Mei mention this neighborhood before, and the last time he took her back, he only dropped her off at the entrance. There are at least twenty buildings and several hundred households in this neighborhood, so there's no way he could ask each and every one of them.

He lingered at the entrance of the residential area for about 10 minutes before leaving dejectedly.

Back in the back alley, he ran into a group of young people who came to take photos; they all looked like middle school students. Yang Zheng wasn't in the mood for a photoshoot, and since he didn't have a makeup artist, he told them he was on holiday for the Spring Festival and sent them away. He hadn't been sitting down long when more business came in—a group of girls from the old street. During the New Year, everyone wanted to dress up beautifully and have some photos taken to create lasting memories; it was a common wish. This time, Yang Zheng couldn't refuse; they were all acquaintances, and they had already done their own makeup when they arrived.

You don't necessarily have to take photos in a studio; anywhere on the old street can be a backdrop.

So Yang Zheng took a group of girls out, and after a short while, other people joined in. Everyone knew Yang Zheng was skilled and was a local, so they figured he wouldn't overcharge. Yang Zheng was initially struggling with the filming, but he became more and more engrossed, eventually forgetting all his worries.

He turned around when someone tapped him on the shoulder from behind and saw Luo Bin.

At noon, Yang Zheng and Luo Bin found a small tavern, ordered four dishes and a bottle of baijiu (Chinese liquor). After a short while, both of their faces were flushed. Yang Zheng hadn't intended to tell him about his encounter with the detective the previous night, but as they chatted, he inadvertently let slip that the detective had asked him to meet him at the Night Child Bar at 8 pm that evening.

“You definitely didn’t tell the detective about me.” Luo Bin’s tone carried a hint of reproach.

"I was going to say it, but he logged off before I could."

"I don't care, I'm entrusting this to you. Tonight, I'll go to the bar with you."

Yang Zheng hesitated for a moment and said, "Isn't that a bad idea?"

“There’s nothing wrong with it.” Luo Bin drank his wine. “He just wants to find someone to help him, what’s the big deal about adding me? Besides, who knows if this detective is real or not? Maybe it’s a prank. Too many people have seen that video recording online. Anyone can register an ID online and claim to be the detective.”

Yang Zheng had to admit that Luo Bin's words made sense.

Luo Bin called his girlfriend and told her he wouldn't be going home that night and would be staying with Yang Zheng. Yang Zheng stared at him, knowing he was determined to go see the detective with him that night.

In the afternoon, Luo Bin and Yang Zheng went back to the old house. They came up with an idea and wrote a "Temporarily Closed" note on the door so that no one would disturb them. Both of them were a little drunk by then. One slept on the bed, and the other slept on the sofa. When they opened their eyes, it was already getting dark.

At Night Child Bar, a neon sign displays a crying child, with the tagline: "We are all lost children."

The bar is spacious and decorated in a very unconventional way. The entire bar is set up like a street – the walls are painted with abstract depictions of skyscrapers, ambiguous neon lights and people walking at night. The seats are also designed to resemble a corner of the street, with roadside benches, street gardens, back alleys, and even buses and sewers.

It was crowded, and all the good seats were taken, so Yang Zheng and Luo Bin had to sit on the "street side." It was their first time at this bar, and they felt like country bumpkins visiting a grand mansion. This place was truly different from other bars: dim "streetlights," shabby "alleys," chaotic "buildings," and dense "tree shade." Even though you knew it was all fake, you still felt like you were there; it was just that the "street" atmosphere here made you feel incredibly comfortable.

There's a telephone next to each seat. If you need drinks, you can call the bar, and a server will bring them to you. Of course, the telephone also has another use: you can call other guests to invite them to chat, avoiding the awkwardness of a face-to-face meeting even if they decline.

"How did that judge find us?" Luo Bin thought of this question after he sat down.

Yang Zheng was also quite puzzled by this. Everyone online is just a symbol; very few people reveal their true identities. Especially in that group of killers, because the topic was so unusual, everyone was extremely careful to conceal themselves. The detective and Yang Zheng didn't know each other; that night he only said they would meet here, but didn't leave any instructions on how to recognize each other. Did he really have some kind of special ability to find Yang Zheng?

"I still suspect that the executioner was just playing a prank," Luo Bin muttered.