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Kapitel 29

“I’m a bit confused right now. If they’re talking about revenge, their target should be me and Chu Yan. But now they’ve captured Chu Yan but haven’t killed her. Instead, they’re playing this killing game with me. I think the Ba people must have some other reason for doing this.”

"Could it be related to that treasure?"

“I think so too, but only my adoptive father, Ba Rong, knew the whereabouts of those Ba tribe sacred objects. Now that he is dead, no one in this world knows the secret of the sacred objects anymore. Even if they find me and Chu Yan, it will probably be a waste of their efforts.”

Qin Ge shook his head: "I've heard you talk about your adoptive father. He's a meticulous and shrewd man. He can spend more than ten years setting up a trap and is willing to sacrifice his adopted children. So, he must have considered what the consequences would be if the plan failed."

Ma Nan paused for a moment, suddenly unsure of what to say.

In his memory, Ba Rong was a kind old man. He lived with Ma Nan and his six siblings in a small town on the northwestern border, raising these former orphans. Although Ma Nan now knew that it was just a link in his trap, the memory still stirred some warm ripples in his heart.

Those should have been the happiest times in Ma Nan's memory, but now they have become the greatest pain in his heart.

He would never forget that winter night when he met Ba Rong. Snow blanketed the unknown city, and he huddled in a street corner, thinly dressed, staring fearfully at the swirling snowflakes, unsure if he would survive the night. Suddenly, a light emerged from the darkness, enveloping an old man. Young Ma Nan opened his eyes wide, trying to see the old man who had approached him more clearly. But in the end, he helplessly lowered his head, letting the old man pick him up.

That old man was Barong. Manan was the first child he adopted.

Distant memories filled Ma Nan with sorrow tonight, and he even forgot the killing and danger he was about to face.

"Could Ba Rong have left the secret of the treasure to someone? And that person is the one he trusts most?" Qin Ge hesitated before saying, "Ba Rong once hid some false clues in five jade artifacts. The Ba people came to you half a year ago because they knew that only you could crack those codes. This time, the Ba people have returned, not to seek revenge, but to play games with you. Could it be that they have discovered some other clues, just like last time, and only you can uncover the secrets within them?"

Qin Ge's words shocked and moved Ma Nan.

Having witnessed Ba Rong's death, he subconsciously believed that the whereabouts of the Ba tribe's sacred object were no longer known. Now, Qin Ge's words suddenly jolted him awake. If what Qin Ge said was true, then the Ba people's series of actions could be explained.

The Ba people's resurgence could not be without seeking revenge for their fallen kin. But even more important than revenge was the search for the lost sacred artifacts of the Ba people—Chi You's head and the Wind and Thunder Hammer.

In order to lure and kill his clansmen, Ba Rong did not hesitate to sacrifice his adopted children, but among these children, only one knew about his plan, and that person was Chu Yan.

Chu Yan was not Ba Rong's adopted daughter; she was his biological daughter. Before stealing the sacred artifact, Ba Rong had spent a long time in the outside world, and it was during that time that he met Chu Yan's mother. After Chu Yan's birth, he wanted his daughter to receive an education and become a member of the civilized world, so upon returning to the Ba tribe, he concealed this fact from everyone. Later, he brought his daughter to live with him, letting her live among the orphans he had adopted. In fact, Chu Yan had a very good relationship with her father, and even betrayed several of her brothers to help him carry out his plan to lure and kill Batu. If there was anyone in this world whom Ba Rong could trust, it was undoubtedly Chu Yan.

Chu Yan likely knew the whereabouts of the Ba tribe's sacred artifacts, so the first thing the Ba people did upon their resurgence was to find Chu Yan. They succeeded; Chu Yan was now in their hands. But why didn't they search for the treasure, instead choosing to kill people here?

The only reason Manan could think of was that although the Ba people had obtained clues about the sacred object, they still couldn't find the treasure's whereabouts. Ba Rong was cautious throughout his life; even the false clues used to lure Batu were hidden within five jade artifacts. How much more so would the clues left behind this time be the real clues about the whereabouts of the Ba people's sacred object.

The Ba people found Chu Yan and also discovered the secret that Ba Rong had left for her, but they couldn't understand it.

So they thought of Ma Nan. Half a year ago, after many hardships, Ma Nan finally found the Kunlun Temple on Peach Blossom Mountain by following the clues in the five jade artifacts. Although it was a death trap prepared by Ba Rong for the Ba people, Ma Nan found it with his own true skills.

So the Ba people approached Manan.

Qin Ge was an outsider, but a casual remark he made hit the nail on the head.

Ma Nan sighed, "Now I realize that perhaps the clues left by the Ba people in Xu Wen's death will not lead me to Chu Yan, and they never intended for me to find Chu Yan at all."

After a moment of surprise, Qin Ge understood what Ma Nan meant. He frowned and asked, "Could the clue be about the treasure?"

Ma Nan stood up and said heavily, "No matter what, we must solve the mystery of the locked room in Xu Wen's death as soon as possible and help the Ba people find the sacred object. Perhaps only in that way can we resolve the enmity between me and them."

Qin Ge nodded, but what he was thinking about was that if he could find that treasure, he could lure the Ba people out. No matter who it is or what the reason, murder is a crime, something that cannot be tolerated in modern civilized society.

Chapter 19

"When exactly did your nightmare begin?" Yang Mei asked in a low voice.

“It must have been when I was very young.” Yang Zheng hesitated for a moment, seemingly unsure. “When I was little, I often dreamed of that warm sea. But the sea was calm, and I was the only one in it. At some point, I began to notice something else in the water. So, I started to feel uneasy in my dreams, and I desperately wanted to know what it was.”

"Have you figured out what that thing is now?" Yang Mei asked.

Yang Zheng shook his head: "I've never seen it. Every time I become aware of its presence, a thick darkness rushes over me. As I get older, it grows stronger in my dreams. Later, when the darkness comes, I can even feel it tearing at my body and sucking my blood..."

Yang Zheng's body convulsed, and so much pain appeared in his eyes.

"Therefore, I doubt that it actually exists."

Looking at the helpless man before her, Yang Mei recalled the scene she had witnessed in the old house in the back alley—Yang Zheng charged at her like a wild beast, his eyes bloodshot, his face contorted in a ferocious grimace, as if he had become a completely different person—it must have been something from Yang Zheng's dream that controlled his mind. But even as Yang Zheng charged at her, he did not harm her, clearly indicating that the thing from his dream had not completely controlled him.

A chill ran through Yangmei from the bottom of her heart.

If the things in Yang Zheng's dreams completely take over his consciousness, how terrifying would Yang Zheng become?

“After I started my escape, I was constantly on guard against that thing in my dreams—that is, another person deep inside me. But I found that when I was careful, it didn’t appear at all, and didn’t even show any sign of its existence. But as soon as I relaxed my guard, it would start to act. At that point, I had no choice but to confront it head-on, and you have seen what happened. If I failed in my confrontation with it, I don’t know what I would do that would cause me lifelong pain.”

"And there's something else that worries me even more. It stirs up when I'm awake, and I can fight it and try to calm it down in other ways. But if I'm asleep and it wakes up, I have no control over my own actions—that's how I killed my girlfriend in my city, and I won't allow that to happen again, but if it does happen, I'm powerless to stop it."

Yang Zheng's pain deepened. These were his deepest secrets, and now, in front of Yang Mei, he seemed unable to control himself and wanted to reveal them all.

"Later, I met Luo Bin, who took me to a QQ group where most people had sadomasochistic tendencies. When I watched some violent scenes, I was able to become unusually calm. I knew I had found a weapon to fight against the things in my dreams, like Yu the Great controlling the floods, where dredging was more effective than blocking. So, later, when I saw that torture video online, I volunteered to become an assistant to the detective. At the time, I only hoped to find temporary relief through this, but I never expected to be in such a predicament now."

Yang Mei was clearly unaware of the video recording and the interrogator, so Yang Zheng briefly recounted his recent experiences to her. Finally, he asked Yang Mei, "The interrogator seems very familiar with my situation; did he ask you anything?"

Yang Mei shook her head: "I have never mentioned your matter to anyone. I also woke up one morning and found myself here."

"How long have you been here?"

Yang Mei shook her head again: "It's impossible to tell day from night here. I only remember that I've been here for many days. When I first arrived, I was very scared and didn't know what would happen next. But so many days have passed and nothing has happened, except for today. When I woke up, I saw you lying in my bed."

"So how have you been these past few days?"

Yang Mei had a strange expression on her face: "Every now and then, I can vaguely smell a fragrance in this room, faint and almost imperceptible. Every time I smell it, I fall asleep quickly, and when I wake up, there will be some food on the table."

Yang Zheng thought of the faint fragrance he had smelled in that dark room.

"What does the executioner want with us locked up here?" Yang Zheng muttered to himself. At that moment, he suddenly thought of Luo Bin, and he seemed to hear Luo Bin's shrill scream again.

He seemed to understand something, but he was still somewhat confused.

If the executioner only wanted to use them to kill people, why did he send Yangmei to him in the first place?