Ghost Pot - Chapter 62
Captain Qi asked anxiously, "Who are you saying is missing? Where did they go?"
"The old man is gone... Waaah..." Ge Lao Er began to sob like a child.
Just then, hurried footsteps came from outside the courtyard; it was the village chief.
"Oh dear, Officer Qi, you've finally arrived! Old Master Li has gone missing," the village chief said anxiously.
"Old Master Li... Sister-in-law Li's younger brother-in-law?" Captain Qi was taken aback upon hearing this.
“That’s right. This old man has been paralyzed on the kang (a heated brick bed) for most of his life. How could he suddenly disappear?” the village chief replied in surprise.
"Didn't you ask Sister-in-law Li?" Captain Qi said.
“Sister-in-law Li went to the county town a couple of days ago and hasn’t come back. The cart owner came back to the village and told me that the mule cart took them directly to the gate of the county public security bureau,” the village chief replied.
"Sister-in-law Li hasn't come home yet? And paralyzed Grandpa Li is also missing..." Captain Qi vaguely sensed that something was amiss.
"Let's go inside and take a look." Captain Qi and the village chief entered the earthen house, looked around, and found nothing unusual.
"Ge Lao Er, when did Old Master Li disappear?" Captain Qi asked.
"What time...hehe, I forgot." Ge Lao Er shook his head and said with a silly smile.
"This kid is an idiot," the village chief explained from the side.
“Officer Qi, the morning after Wang Laonian died, when I went to help Sister Li choose a burial site, I found that Old Master Li was missing. I asked Sister Li, but she didn’t know either. This is really strange. I’m wondering, this old man’s legs are not very strong, where could he have gone?” the village chief said, puzzled.
Captain Qi frowned, pondering. Old Master Li was paralyzed and bedridden, so his disappearance must mean someone had moved him. But who would move such a useless old man? And what would they want? Also, he clearly remembered dropping Sister-in-law Li off at the crossroads in the early morning, but why hadn't she gone home? And the arson at "Yan Erbizi's" hideout also happened in the early morning—it was all too strange, too coincidental. Everything that had happened in recent days, including the bizarre "human-shaped wriggling barbarian," seemed inextricably linked to the sudden arrival of this old Taiwanese woman…
Captain Qi finally realized that this "Sister-in-law Li" was indeed very suspicious.
Captain Qi returned to the Shuiwan outpost dejectedly, where the police officers were packing the charred corpse of the "human-shaped wriggling barbarian" into sacks, one sack per body, arranged side by side.
Director Wen listened to Captain Qi's report with a grim face.
“In that case, this Sister-in-law Li is indeed suspicious, but why would she expose the ‘human-shaped worm’ to the government? We knew nothing about it before,” Director Wen said, seemingly puzzled.
Captain Qi pondered for a moment and said, "Chief, I suspect that this arson case is related to Sister-in-law Li, and that she kidnapped two live 'wriggling barbarians'."
"If that's the case, we've been tricked. Sister-in-law Li used us to dig out these thirty-six 'humanoid wriggling barbarians,' because she absolutely couldn't have done it on her own. Then, she kidnapped, or rather 'rescued' the two 'wriggling barbarians' that were most important to her, while the others were burned to ashes and cruelly murdered," Director Wen analyzed logically.
"But the guards said they didn't see Sister-in-law Li, they only found that long-necked old ghost..." Captain Qi said doubtfully.
Director Wen smiled calmly upon hearing this, and said earnestly, "Old Qi, how could you be so confused? 'You can't see the true face of Mount Lu because you are in the mountain yourself.' Does that mean that Sister-in-law Li might be that 'long-necked old devil'?"
Captain Qi blinked, finding it hard to believe.
“But she also had a cute little boy with her,” Captain Qi argued slightly.
"Hey, Lao Qi, that kid could very well be a little devil! Think about it, that little guy is so small, yet he has a parrot that's fatter than a rooster, and it can even talk. Don't you find that strange?" Director Wen said reproachfully.
“Parrots and mynahs can both learn to speak human language,” Captain Qi muttered.
“But that parrot not only speaks human language, it also has human thinking. Who knows, maybe it’s some kind of little devil.” Director Wen’s tone became increasingly stern.
Captain Qi sighed and said, "Director Wen, what do you think we should do about this? We'll follow your instructions."
"Hmm," Director Wen's tone softened slightly as he said, "We need to report to Secretary Xing and County Head Shangguan that the entire incident was caused by one person, and that person is Sister-in-law Li! After returning to the bureau, I will ask Section Chief Hu of the Political Security Department to immediately contact the First Division of the Provincial Department to investigate whether this old woman is connected to the Taiwan Military Intelligence Bureau."
"Taiwanese spies?" Captain Qi exclaimed in surprise.
"Is there anything impossible?" Director Wen said coldly, his face stern.
"Yes, I understand." Captain Qi knew in his heart that Director Wen was trying his best to absolve himself of responsibility. Well, at least he didn't dump all the blame on him. This official was already being quite lenient.
An emergency meeting of the Standing Committee is being held in the county party committee conference room.
"In that case, the identity of this 'Sister-in-law Li' from Taiwan is indeed very suspicious," Secretary Xing said decisively after listening to Director Wen's report.
"Yes, we consulted with the Provincial Department this morning, asking them to assist in investigating the old woman's identity and background. At the same time, we set up roadblocks at all traffic intersections in our county leading to the interior to intercept this Taiwanese old woman and prevent her from escaping," Director Wen continued in his report.
"Director Wen, aren't there still two missing 'humanoid wriggling barbarian' corpses? Do you know their identities?" Secretary Xing suddenly asked.
"I don't know," Director Wen replied awkwardly. "The corpses were all burned to a crisp and were completely unrecognizable."
"My personal opinion is that your deduction that 'Sister-in-law Li' from Taiwan set fire to the bodies to cover up the identities of the two 'wriggling barbarians' she abducted is correct. Think about it, the overall security situation in our Nong'an County is quite good. The number of criminal cases has been decreasing year by year, and there hasn't been a single major criminal case since the beginning of this year. I dare say that this horrific and brutal crime of burning thirty-four people to death was definitely not committed by any locals," Secretary Xing pointed out astutely.
The members of the Standing Committee all nodded in agreement.
The propaganda minister began, “Our people here are simple and honest, and they have also received education from the Party for many years. Therefore, I completely agree with Secretary Xing’s judgment. It is 100% certain that the crime was committed by outsiders.”
County Magistrate Shangguan said with extreme disappointment, "Comrades, it's such a pity. We originally planned to hold an exhibition of 'Nong'an Insect People.' Just their head-turning performance alone would have shocked the whole country and boosted the development of our county's tourism industry. But this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity has been lost. Alas..."
"Director Wen, you must notify me immediately if there are any new developments," Secretary Xing said sternly.
"Yes," Director Wen replied.
The Standing Committee meeting adjourned, and Director Wen walked out of the meeting room, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.
"Chief, what's the situation?" Captain Qi got up from the bench in the corridor and walked over to ask with concern.
Director Wen nodded, let out a sigh of relief, and said, "We've finally passed the test, but there's still one thing we need to do right away."
"What's the matter?" Captain Qi asked, puzzled.
"The 250 yuan bonus allocated by the government for each person has all been taken back," Director Wen said dejectedly.
Secretary Xing returned to his office, leaned back wearily in his chair, and finally calmed down. His father was really ruthless; he burned them all to death... But why did he leave two alive?
"Knock, knock, knock," came the sound of knocking on the door.
"Come in," Secretary Xing said loudly, sitting up straight.
Minister Zhao from the Publicity Department tiptoed into the room and closed the door behind him.
"Secretary Xing, you've found a partner..." Minister Zhao said happily.
"Oh, tell me quickly, what does it look like?" Secretary Xing's previous gloom vanished, and he asked with great interest.
"Over 1.7 meters tall, high school education, and a total foreign hump," Minister Zhao said, gesturing to his chest. "This is big, she'll definitely have plenty of milk in the future, a round bottom, and a smooth waist..."
"Where's your face?" Secretary Xing asked anxiously.
"She's so beautiful, with thick eyebrows, big eyes, double eyelids, good skin, and a mouthful of white teeth. Unlike the people in our Nong'an area with high fluoride levels, everyone here has a mouthful of yellow teeth." Minister Zhao couldn't help but swallow.
"Did she agree?" Secretary Xing asked nervously.
Minister Zhao nodded and said, "I heard that the man is the county party secretary, and her parents are overjoyed."
"What is her own opinion?" Secretary Xing asked with considerable concern.
"They said they'd decide after we met," Minister Zhao replied truthfully.
"Alright then, you can arrange a time as soon as possible for me to meet her," Secretary Xing said calmly.
The next day, Secretary Xing, accompanied by Minister Zhao, carried two boxes of cakes and four bottles of Yushu Daqu liquor to the woman's home in the countryside for a blind date. The car was parked in the woman's yard.
Secretary Xing and the girl fell in love at first sight. The girl's parents set the wedding date for the tenth of next month, with the groom's family responsible for the dowry and banquet. Secretary Xing readily agreed. He then found the girl a job in the government and transferred her household registration to the county town, making her a non-agricultural household with a red certificate.
The wedding day caused a sensation throughout the county. People praised the newlyweds as a perfect match and sincerely wished them a long and happy life together with many children and grandchildren. This event became a celebrated story in Nong'an County in the 1980s, and the elderly people in the county still remember it to this day.
Chapter Ninety-One
A light rain began to fall from the sky, and Tongguan City was shrouded in a misty fog in the morning light. Master Weidu stood quietly in the rain, silently watching Youliang, who was huddled up under the bridge, trembling all over...
After a long while, Youliang stopped sobbing, wiped away his tears with his sleeve, and stood up resolutely, saying, "Uncle-Master, Nizi has been kidnapped by that Taoist priest Jia. I must go and rescue her."
"Alas...child, the Central Plains are so vast, where will you go to search?" Wei Du sighed.
"I don't care where Nizi is. As long as Youliang has a breath left, I will keep looking for her," Youliang said with a dazed look in his eyes.
“Child, come back to Foya Temple with me. You don’t know any martial arts now, so how can you save anyone from Master Jia?” Master Weidu kindly advised.
Youliang shook his head, biting his lower lip tightly, blood already visible at the corner of his lips.
“Youliang, after we return to the mountain, I will teach you the ‘Five Forms of Bodhidharma.’ Only if you master them will you have a chance to fight Jia Shiming,” Weidu said.
"Uncle-Master, how long does it take to learn the 'Five Forms of Bodhidharma'?" Youliang asked.
"It could take several years, or even decades, depending on your talent for sudden enlightenment," Wei Du replied.
"It's too late, Nizi won't live to see that day," Youliang said painfully.
"Alas..." Master Weidu sighed, "The world is governed by cause and effect, and it is only right that girl should suffer this calamity. Master Jia's Quanzhen Sect's 'Innate Qi Gong' is astonishing, even I am not as good as him, so how can you possibly attain it?"
"Uncle-Master, do you know this Taoist priest surnamed Jia?" Youliang asked in surprise.
"Well, he claims to be Jia Shiming, the abbot of the Baiyun Temple in the capital of the Quanzhen Sect. He seems to have a very prestigious reputation, but I have always ignored such mundane matters of the martial world," Master Weidu said with a wry smile.
“The capital city…” Youliang murmured to himself.
"Clang, clang..." On the Nantongpu Railway, a freight train slowly headed north.
"Uncle-Master, please go back. Youliang is determined to find Nizi. In this life, I only ask to be with her. If I cannot, I would rather die." Youliang gazed northward and said softly.
“Alas… ‘Form is not different from emptiness, emptiness is not different from form; form is emptiness, emptiness is form.’ The cause of the past life, the effect of the next life, let everything go with the flow…” The old monk, who had not yet been saved, sighed deeply, his kind eyebrows drooping.
Youliang bowed down on both knees and kowtowed three times to Master Weidu, then turned around and walked into the rain and mist without looking back.
A long sigh came from behind.
Youliang stood soaking wet at the foot of the railway embankment, waiting silently... Finally, a freight train came from the south and slowed down by sounding its horn as it was about to cross the Fenglingdu Yellow River Railway Bridge.
Youliang leaped up and grabbed the iron handrail on the freight car, then hung on it and climbed into the car.
"Boom..." In the drizzling rain, the train drove onto the Fenglingdu Yellow River Bridge.
The train crossed the Yellow River Bridge and gradually increased its speed.
The freight cars were empty, with a layer of fly ash scattered on the ground. When it was soaked and stirred by the drizzle, it turned into black mud. These were empty freight cars returning after being transported south through the Great Wall.
Youliang was soaked to the bone, his teeth chattering from the cold. He didn't care how dirty the ground was; he curled up tightly in the corner of the carriage to avoid losing too much heat. From dawn till dusk, Youliang was both cold and hungry. Only his strong belief in reaching the capital and rescuing Nizi sustained him; otherwise, he really wouldn't have been able to hold on.
The long night finally passed, the sun rose again, and the warm sunlight shone on Youliang. He woke up and struggled to stick his head out to look down from the car.
The train was already slowing down, and finally came to a loud thud on the platform.
Youliang squinted and made out the station sign on the platform: Fengtai.
Where was he? He had no idea how far he was from the capital… He stood up, rubbing his legs, which were almost numb. Below the carriage, two dirty little boys were carrying baskets, picking up small coal slags scattered on the ground along the railway embankment.
"Where is this place?" Youliang asked, his mouth dry and his voice extremely hoarse.
The two children were startled and looked up to see Youliang clinging to the side of the carriage. They stammered, "Yes, it's Fengtai."
"How far is it from Beijing?" Youliang then asked.