Murder painting - Chapter 5
Luo Fei moved another stool from beside the bed and stood close to the corpse. The deceased was rather short, so Luo Fei had to bend down slightly to be at eye level with his head. In that instant, Luo Fei suddenly seemed to notice something strange; he brought his nose close to the deceased's head and took a deep sniff.
That's right! The strange smell that permeated the entire room was actually coming from Kong Wang's corpse!
Luo Fei pondered for a moment, unable to determine what the smell meant. In short, it was definitely not the smell of a corpse undergoing changes, nor was it related to body odor from not bathing for a long time.
Luo Fei didn't know if the smell was related to what he was concerned about, and he had no clue as to its source, so he could only put the mystery aside for the time being. He began to carefully examine the corpse from head to toe and make some corresponding judgments based on his observations.
The body was suspended by a white cloth strip about 4 centimeters wide, with a total length of about two meters. It was tied into a loop 30 centimeters above and to the left of the deceased's face. Luo Fei's gaze swept briefly across the room and he quickly found the origin of the cloth strip: the bed sheet was disheveled, with obvious tear marks, and its texture and color were exactly the same as the cloth strip.
The deceased exhibited rigor mortis throughout their body, most pronounced in the upper limbs and less so in the lower limbs; the corneas were partially cloudy, but the pupils were still discernible. Preliminary assessment indicates the time of death was approximately 6 to 10 hours prior, between 10:30 PM last night and 2:30 AM this morning. This is precisely...
The timeframe before and after Chen Jian's fall from the cliff indicates that these two deaths are at least temporally related.
The deceased was fully dressed, indicating that he had not gone to bed before the incident. Luo Fei examined vital areas such as the chest, abdomen, face, and head, and found no external injuries, only obvious bruises on his neck. Based on the cause of death, it can be preliminarily determined that he died of asphyxiation.
To avoid disturbing the scene, after a brief examination of the body, Luo Fei remained standing on the stool, surveying the room. The furnishings were very simple: a bed, a cabinet, a table, and two stools (one lying on the floor, the other at his feet). The only odd thing was a large basin of water in the corner below the window, filled with a bunch of grass-like plants.
Luo Fei got off the stool, walked closer, and picked up a plant to examine it. The plant was dazzlingly green, with unusually large leaves; it must have been quite eye-catching growing in the grass.
Luo Fei couldn't name the plant, but it seemed rather strange and unpleasant to look at. He wondered what Kong Wang was doing collecting so much of this stuff and keeping it in the house—for ornamental purposes? For eating? Neither seemed quite plausible. Luo Fei shook his head and put the plant back into the basin of water.
Even without the horrifying corpse, the room seemed to be filled with an eerie atmosphere. However, Luo Fei was fully confident about the case. No matter how bizarre the surface phenomena were, all the answers must be hidden in this small temple. He believed that as long as the criminal investigators went up the mountain and conducted the necessary interviews and investigations, all the mysteries would be solved.
Staying inside wouldn't make much difference; too much activity would negatively impact the next stage of the investigation. Luo Fei decided to leave the scene. He went to the door, which was locked from the inside with a latch. There were no signs of impact on the door frame, but that didn't prove anything. Since the window was open, if it were a murder, the perpetrator could easily have entered or exited through there.
Luo Fei unlocked the latch and came out.
More than a dozen monks had gathered outside the door. Some were whispering, some were peering through the window, while Kong Jing stood to the side with a worried expression.
"What are you all doing here? Disperse! Go do your own thing!" With this shout, a middle-aged monk walked into the backyard. He was of medium to tall stature, with a thin face, but looked very strong. His deep-set eyes gave him a somewhat gloomy first impression. Several other monks followed behind him, their clothes covered in mud and their hair wet. While the others looked exhausted and listless, he alone remained full of energy.
This person's words were quite effective; apart from Kong Jing and Shun De, all the other monks immediately dispersed.
Kong Jing took two steps forward to greet her: "You've come back just in time, something else has happened at the temple—Kong Wang is dead!"
The middle-aged monk suddenly paused, looking towards the empty house. The scene inside the window made his expression change. He quickened his pace, arriving at the door of the small house with a worried expression, just as Luo Fei appeared in front of him. The monk stopped, looking at Luo Fei with a hint of doubt.
Kong Jing quickly introduced, "This is Chief Luo from Nanmingshan Police Station." Then she pointed to the monk and said, "This is our temple's head, Shunping."
In the temple, the head monk's position is second only to the abbot, and he usually wields considerable power. No wonder those monks were so obedient to Shunping's words.
When Shunping learned of Luo Fei's identity, the tense expression on his face relaxed slightly. Instead of bowing like Kong Jing, he extended his right hand to Luo Fei.
"Director Luo, hello." He shook Luo Fei's hand and greeted him like an ordinary person.
"Hello." Luo Fei's tone was as calm as ever, revealing nothing about his likes or dislikes towards this person.
"Let me go inside and take a look." Shunping seemed very concerned about what had happened. He had barely finished his polite words when he turned to rush into the house. Luo Fei quickly reached out and grabbed him: "The situation is unclear right now, we can't go in yet."
Shunping had no choice but to stop. He stared into the room for a moment, then asked somewhat unwillingly, "What about Kongwang? Is he just going to hang there like this?"
"This is the only way for now. We must wait for forensic technicians to come and examine the scene to determine the cause of death."
"The cause of death is confirmed, isn't it hanging?" Shunping said, looking into Luo Fei's eyes, seemingly trying to discern the truth.
Get some answers.
Luo Fei met his gaze without backing down, but then changed the subject: "Did you just come up from the valley? Were you searching for the person who fell off the cliff?"
"How's it going? Any results?" Kong Jing interjected impatiently, confirming Luo Fei's guess.
"With this much snow, we can't even get to the bottom of the valley. There's no hope of rescuing them now. We're just wondering if we can find the body. Sigh, I should have stopped them from staying yesterday." Shunping pouted, seemingly full of resentment with nowhere to vent, then changed the subject, "What's Kong Wang up to? He locked himself up a few days ago and now he's trying to commit suicide in the temple. Isn't there enough chaos already?"
Luo Fei remembered that it was Shunping who arranged for Chen Jian and the other two to stay in the small house behind the temple, and asked, "You were the one who let those three guests stay in the small house yesterday, weren't you? Aren't there any empty rooms in the temple?"
“There were vacant rooms, but the temple recently has a rule that pilgrims are not allowed to stay overnight. It was too late at the time, so I had no choice but to let them make do in that small room for the time being.” Shunping said, glancing at Kong Jing as if he had something to hide.
Luo Fei grunted in surprise and looked at Kong Jing. This was the first time he had ever heard of a temple rule that pilgrims were not allowed to stay overnight.
Seeing Luo Fei's expression, Kong Jing quickly explained, "There's a reason for that. A while ago, several items were stolen from the temple, and it's very likely that a thief infiltrated among the overnight worshippers."
"Oh? Was the lost item valuable? Why didn't you report it to the police?" Luo Fei asked.
Kong Jing gave an awkward, wry smile: "They were just some incense burners and the like, but they're quite old. I was just thinking about taking precautions in the future. After all, it wouldn't sound good if something like this happened in our Buddhist monastery."
Luo Fei nodded; this idea was understandable.
Ever since Shunde saw Kong Wang's body through the window, he had been absent-minded and hadn't said a word, seemingly quite frightened. Now, he seemed to have regained some composure and nodded in response to Kong Jing's words.
Luo Fei had hoped that Shunde's quick wit would play an important role in his work, but he never expected him to be so timid.
Luo Fei pointed into the room and asked Shunde, "Are you usually afraid of him?"
Shunde shook his head blankly: "No, my uncle has always been very kind to us."
Kind? Luo Fei simply couldn't reconcile that word with the angry face he had just seen. He glanced back into the room, looking utterly bewildered.
Shunping followed Luo Fei's gaze and also showed a surprised expression, but he echoed Shunde's words: "Hmm, he looks a bit scary, but he's always had a very good temper, and I've never seen him lose his temper. But his expression now is so terrifying, he's completely different from usual. I wonder what he's going through that's bothering him?"
Kong Jing shook her head, muttering softly as if talking to herself, "No, no..."
"What's wrong?" Shunping's tone sounded rather impatient.
Kong Jing looked up at Shunping: "You said he has never lost his temper, that's because you haven't been in the temple long enough."
Shunping was taken aback: "What do you mean? Did you see Kong Wang lose his temper?"
Kong Jing frowned, recalling some long-forgotten events: "You would be very surprised to see Kong Wang like this now. But for me, it's a familiar feeling: the old Kong Wang has returned."
“The Kong Wang of the past? How long ago?” Shunping squinted and stared intently at Kong Jing. “I’ve been in the temple for 10 years.”
Kong Jing pondered for a moment: "It should be... 72 years, that was the first time I met Kong Wang. His temper back then was very different from the one you met later."
Luo Fei sensed something was amiss and pressed, "What exactly happened? Tell me in detail."
Kong Jing glanced at Shunping and said, "This Kong Wang, like you, is also a latecomer to the world of Buddhism. For some unknown reason, he fell into the 'Valley of Death' in Beishan. It was my master Zhengming who saved his life."
Shunping and Shunde were also hearing this story for the first time. When Kong Jing mentioned "Death Valley," their faces involuntarily changed color. Shunde, in particular, involuntarily took two steps back, staring at the door in horror, as if afraid that the deceased Kong Wang would walk out from inside.
Luo Fei also knew about "Death Valley," a treacherous deep valley located on the northern side of the mountain. Because of its perilous terrain, many people had previously committed suicide by jumping off the cliff there, and over time, it acquired the name "Death Valley," which also gave rise to some terrifying legends.
The strange legends are probably what makes Shunde so afraid. However, protective railings have now been installed on the cliff, and nothing happened during Luo Fei's tenure.
Kong Jing seemed completely unconcerned about the listeners' reactions, continuing her story: "When Master carried him to the temple, none of us expected that he would survive. He was covered in injuries, especially his neck, which was severely injured and he couldn't even straighten his head."
This was a cervical spine injury caused by a fall from a height. Luo Fei thought to himself, it's truly a miracle that he's still alive after such a serious injury.
“My master had him stay in the small house behind the temple and took care of him personally. My master was not only well-versed in Buddhist principles, but also very knowledgeable in traditional Chinese medicine. After about half a month, the man’s physical and mental health gradually recovered. However, he was completely ungrateful for my master’s life-saving grace. Every day we could hear him roaring and cursing from the small house. During that time, the thing I feared most was going to the small house to deliver food, because just seeing him, even for just 5 minutes, would make me tremble with fear for the rest of the day.”
"Is it his anger that scares you?" Luo Fei asked.
Kong Jing nodded and said in a chilling tone, "I will never forget that scene. His entire face was contorted, his body was radiating rage, and his terrifying eyes were fixed on you with a vicious glare—he wasn't a person, but a demon, a demon that wanted to devour you at any moment!"
Luo Fei imagined the look in the eyes that had appeared on the corpse. If that look were on a living person, it would be even more terrifying.
After a moment of silence, Kong Jing let out a soft breath, seemingly freeing herself from that terrifying memory, and continued, "But my master wasn't afraid of him at all, and didn't even care about those vile insults. He stayed in the hut all night, chanting scriptures and preaching Buddhist principles, seemingly trying to reform the man. Gradually, the roars coming from the hut decreased. But when I occasionally went over, I could still see that man's face full of violence, his eyes filled with anger. Until that incident happened..."
"What's the matter?" Luo Fei asked.
“One day, our master asked us to prepare paper, brushes, and paints for painting and deliver them to the small house. Then the two of them stayed in the house for a whole day. When the door opened again, he had undergone a complete transformation—although his appearance was still ugly, his eyes gave people a gentle and refined feeling, and there was no longer any anger in them.”
"So they spent the whole day painting in the house?" Luo Fei felt this bizarre situation was like listening to a story. Suddenly, he realized something. "Could it be that they were painting..."
“That’s right.” Kong Jing nodded. “It’s the ‘cursed painting’ that went missing last night. My master immediately sealed it away and forbade anyone from seeing it. Later, that person stayed at the temple, and my master took him as a disciple, giving him the Dharma name ‘Kong Wang’.”
A cursed painting! It's that same cursed painting again! What exactly does it depict? It can change a person's temperament, yet it's mysteriously sealed away. More than 20 years later, it's opened again, and a series of murders occur in the temple. What's the connection between these events?
One question after another tangled in Luo Fei's mind, like a loose, tangled ball of yarn. You have to find the end of the thread to unravel it and sort it out.
And this loose thread probably needs to be untangled starting from before Kongwang became a monk.
After a moment's thought, Luo Fei asked, "Do you know anything about Kong Wang's situation before he became a monk?"
Kong Jing shook her head and said, "I don't know either. But there are records of the tonsure ceremony, so maybe there will be some information on them."
"Go and investigate now."
"Okay, okay," Kong Jing readily agreed, then turned and walked towards the front yard.
At that moment, Luo Fei's walkie-talkie rang—it was Zhou Ping calling him.
Around 8 o'clock, Zhou Ping returned to the station from the hospital and immediately contacted Luo Fei via walkie-talkie. In this remote mountainous area, this small radio, with a coverage radius of 5 kilometers, was the only means of communication.
The two reported what they knew to each other, and the "murderous painting" became a common clue. The deteriorating situation at the scene worried Zhou Ping greatly: the death of Kong Wang, the artist of the "murderous painting," made the case even more complicated, and Hu Junkai's illness on the mountain was also a considerable problem.
Luo Fei urgently needs reinforcements. Zhou Ping found the police station's scout Xiao Liu and forensic doctor Duan Xueming, and told them to prepare to go up the mountain immediately.
Five minutes later, the three set off on their journey into the mountains.
About seven or eight hundred meters ahead of them, on a mountain road, a group of people were also heading into the mountains. Several of them were wearing police uniforms, making them particularly conspicuous in the snow. Zhou Ping noticed this and asked Xiao Liu, "Are those our comrades up ahead? Have some people already set off?"
Xiao Liu looked up and replied, "That was Deputy Director Wang with several police officers and two local villagers. They went to search for the person who fell off the cliff and set off about 20 minutes ago."
"Oh." Zhou Ping nodded. He also noticed that the group hadn't continued up the mountain, but had turned a corner shortly after entering and disappeared into the valley behind the mountain where the Kumu Zen Temple was located. It seemed that although Luo Fei was on the mountain, he had already arranged everything down below.
The snow continued to fall steadily, showing no signs of abating. The steps along the mountain path were already buried under the snow, leaving only shallow, ripple-like marks on the surface. The three of them had to be extremely careful as they walked, carefully pausing before each step to ensure a firm footing, lest they trip and fall over the uneven stone steps beneath the snow. Under these conditions, nearly an hour had passed, and they had only covered less than a fifth of the distance.
Actually, a slower pace wasn't a big deal; Zhou Ping's biggest worry was whether they could reach Kumu Temple safely. A short distance ahead lay a narrow path nestled in a mountain valley, about 200 meters long. Even on normal days, this section was difficult to traverse due to its steepness, and whether they could pass through in this weather was a huge unknown.
As they rounded a bend and arrived at the entrance to the mountain pass, Zhou Ping realized that his worries were not unfounded: a mountain wind mixed with snowflakes suddenly howled out from the mouth of the pass, making it almost impossible to breathe.
"The wind is too strong! Let's step back!" Xiao Liu shouted at the top of his lungs.
Zhou Ping nodded, and the three of them temporarily retreated to a sheltered spot outside the pass.
"What should we do? Keep going?" Duan Xueming seemed to be reaching his limit; he was carrying the forensic lab kit and was the most exhausted of the three.
"Why did we have to come in this awful weather!" Zhou Ping grumbled helplessly, but after a moment, he said firmly, "When the wind gets a little calmer, you guys follow behind me and rush uphill!"
"Alright." Duan Xueming gritted his teeth, seemingly gathering his strength.
Seeing Duan Xueming's nervous expression, Zhou Ping chuckled, patted him on the shoulder, and teased, "Why are you struggling with your teeth? Here's what we'll do: give me the box first, and from now on, the three of us will take turns carrying it."
"I'll carry this part of the way," Xiao Liu said, taking the box from him. "It's inconvenient for you to lead the way."
“Alright.” Zhou Ping nodded. The sound of the wind coming from the mountain valley seemed to have weakened a bit. He waved his hand and said, “Let’s go.”
The three people filed into the pass and struggled forward against the wind. The situation was worse than they had imagined. Because the path in the pass was flanked by narrow cliffs, the snow on the path deepened rapidly after they entered the pass. Before long, the snow was above their thighs, and it became even more impossible to climb any further.
Zhou Ping stopped and turned around to shout, "The snow in this ravine is too deep!"
"Let's retreat, there's no way to get up there now! Let's think of something after the snow stops!" Xiao Liu replied. Duan Xueming looked at Zhou Ping, clearly agreeing with Xiao Liu's point of view.
Zhou Ping swallowed hard and made a gesture to retreat.
Chapter Two
Luo Fei indirectly learned from Zhou Ping about the scene Zhang Bin witnessed at the time of the crime, making the crucial role of the "murderous painting" in the incident increasingly apparent. However, Luo Fei remained optimistic about the case's basic assessment, believing that once Zhou Ping and the others arrived at the scene, the truth behind both deaths would soon be revealed. In this tiny place, with only about 30 people, what enormous secret could they possibly be hiding?