Murder painting - Chapter 12
Her words were reasonable and well-founded. Zhou Ping chuckled and turned his gaze to the person behind Xu Lijie, changing the subject and saying, "What are the names of these comrades? You're not going to introduce them to me."
Three male police officers accompanied Xu Lijie. The tallest one stepped forward, extended his right hand to Zhou Ping, and introduced himself, "You must be Captain Zhou? We are from the Municipal Criminal Investigation Team. My name is Zhang Yu. You can call these two brothers Xiao Chen and Xiao Peng."
Zhou Ping shook hands with the three men in turn and exchanged a few pleasantries. Then he turned to Xu Lijie and said, "How about it, Comrade Xu, shall we shake hands too?"
"Alright." Xu Lijie pushed Zhou Ping's outstretched hand away. "Hurry up and show us the scene."
The group arrived at the edge of the excavated pit. The young men inside, seeing so many people in police uniforms suddenly appear, stopped what they were doing, standing there bewildered. Several more pale ribs emerged from the soil beneath their feet, and the outline of a complete human skeleton began to take shape.
After observing the situation in the pit for a while, Zhang Yu said, "You all come up here. We'll take care of the rest of the work."
"Come on up, come on up, have a drink of water first, the village committee will give you credit." Under Village Chief Liu's loud shouts, several young men climbed out of the pit one by one.
Xiao Chen and Xiao Peng each carried a box. Zhang Yu and the other two took out a set of white work clothes from one of the boxes and put them on, then went down into the pit with the other box.
The second box was opened, containing some sophisticated digging and sampling tools. Zhang Yu gestured towards the location of the bones in the pit for a while, while simultaneously speaking to Xiao Chen and Xiao Peng. Then, under Zhang Yu's direction, the three began meticulous digging along the exposed edges of the bones.
Looking at their professional demeanor, Zhou Ping suddenly felt helpless. He scratched the back of his head and gave Xu Lijie a self-deprecating wry smile.
"You should learn from them," Xu Lijie whispered in Zhou Ping's ear with a hint of pride. "The others are all experts with formal training."
"Then let's leave it to the experts. I'll just take a break here." Zhou Ping pretended to be stern and left the edge of the pit.
There was a row of stone steps in front of Zhou Xiuying's house. Zhou Ping walked over and sat down, and Xu Lijie followed suit and sat down next to him.
"Are you angry?" Seeing Zhou Ping's worried expression, Xu Lijie panicked a little. "I was just joking with you."
"I'm not as petty as you." Zhou Ping rested his chin on his hand, gazing at the distant mountains. "I'm thinking about something."
Xu Lijie suddenly laughed: "I know what you're thinking."
"Oh?" Zhou Ping turned his face. "Then tell me, what am I thinking?"
"You're probably thinking, didn't Wu Jianfei die at Kumu Temple? How come his body is here again?"
Zhou Ping gave a slightly exaggerated "hmm" to show his approval.
"Actually, this question is too simple; I can answer it for you," Xu Lijie said smugly.
"Then you speak, I'm listening."
"It's obvious, either the Wu Jianfei on the mountain or the Wu Jianfei in the pit, one of them must be a fake!"
"Then which one is fake?" Zhou Ping asked with great interest.
"How would I know?" Xu Lijie looked at Zhou Ping with an innocent expression.
Zhou Ping mustered all his patience and said with a smile, "Then can I assume that what you're saying is all nonsense?"
Xu Lijie raised her eyebrows, snorted, and got up to leave. Zhou Ping watched her retreating figure, smiled, and then fell into deep thought. He knew Xu Lijie's temper; the more you coaxed her at this time, the more enthusiastic she would become; if you ignored her, she would naturally come looking for you again after a while.
Xu Lijie returned to the edge of the pit, seemingly captivated by the work Zhang Yu and the others were doing below. She watched quietly from the side. About an hour later, she seemed to have completely forgotten her earlier unpleasantness, turning back to beckon Zhou Ping: "Come quickly, the remains are almost all out!"
Zhou Ping stepped forward and, sure enough, the skeleton in the pit had completely broken free of the soil, but it remained in the same position as when it was buried, with empty eyes looking up at the sky, as if it were making a accusation.
With their small tools, Zhang Yu and the others completed the work quickly and well in such a short time, which made Zhou Ping feel quite impressed.
Zhang Yu also saw Zhou Ping and greeted him warmly, "Come down and take a look too."
Zhou Ping nodded and carefully jumped into the pit. At that moment, Zhang Yu opened a small plastic sampling bag and put a small piece of plant root-like material into it.
"What's this for?" Zhou Ping asked curiously.
"This tree root has grown into the skeleton. Analyzing its age can provide another perspective on when the skeleton was buried."
That sounds interesting, but Zhou Ping's biggest concern is the following question: "How can we confirm whether this skeleton is Wu Jianfei's?"
“This is a bit more complicated,” Zhang Yu explained patiently. “We can take a picture of the skull, scan it into a computer, and compare it with a picture of Wu Jianfei’s head when he was alive. However, only the provincial criminal investigation analysis center has this technology.”
"Oh, how long will that take?"
"Well... it's hard to say. Optimistically, it'll take at least half a month. If there are a lot of cases, there might be a waiting list..."
Half a month? Zhou Ping was clearly disappointed. With such a long time, they could have gone up the mountain by now. They could then compare Kong Wang's body with the photos and immediately tell which was real and which was fake. Why go through all that trouble?
In the suitcase next to Zhang Yu, there were some other samples that had already been collected. Among them, a large plastic bag caught Zhou Ping's attention. The contents were mixed, including what appeared to be scraps of paper, keys, and a tattered cotton-like item.
Zhang Yu noticed Zhou Ping's gaze and said, "These are the belongings left next to the deceased's body."
"May I take a look at that cotton cover?" Zhou Ping's gaze indicated that he seemed to have made some new discovery.
"Sure, but it's best not to take it out and look through this bag." Zhang Yu handed over the plastic bag.
Zhou Ping examined the cotton cover carefully. It was a flat, cylindrical object, about 20 centimeters long and 10 centimeters wide. Although it was badly rotten, it was clear that it originally had some elasticity.
A look of confusion crossed Zhou Ping's face as he turned his gaze to the skeleton at his feet.
The skeletons lie silently, but sometimes they can tell you something without making a sound.
The skeleton and the cotton cover corroborated each other, confirming Zhou Ping's suspicions. He suddenly smiled with relief and said to Zhang Yu, "Regarding how to identify the remains, perhaps I can give you another suggestion."
"What?" Zhang Yu stopped what she was doing and looked at Zhou Ping in surprise.
"You can check the household registration records of Lindong Village and Guyang Village in the mountainous area to see if any adult men went missing in the spring of 1972. If so, compare the man's photo with the remains directly; that might save you some trouble."
"But why?" Zhang Yu seemed somewhat bewildered.
"Don't ask so many questions. Facts will prove me right." Zhou Ping stood up, a thoughtful expression returning to his face. "Now..."
This skeleton is no longer of much help to my investigation. I need to see a few people immediately; perhaps they can solve the mystery.”
Zhang Yu looked at Zhou Ping, then at the skeleton, becoming increasingly confused.
Zhou Ping said no more, patted Zhang Yu on the shoulder: "Goodbye, let's get together for a drink when the case is closed." Then he smiled amicably and climbed onto the ground.
Xu Lijie walked over, staring at him with wide eyes: "What did you mean just now?"
“If you want to know, come with me. The focus of this case is no longer here,” Zhou Ping said as he walked out of the mountain.
Xu Lijie hurriedly greeted Zhang Yu and the others, then caught up with them, pressing them impatiently, "Tell me quickly, did you discover something?"
"Did you see that cotton cover I was holding just now?"
"I saw it, but I couldn't see it clearly. What's wrong?"
“You may not have seen that thing before. But I grew up in the mountains and I’m very familiar with it.” Zhou Ping showed a hint of pride. “It’s a cotton cover that porters put on the middle of the carrying pole so that the pole won’t chafe their shoulders.”
"So you mean..."
"The man who died in the pit was a porter. I examined the skeleton closely and found that his right shoulder was significantly lower than his left. This kind of acquired skeletal deformity is a characteristic of porters."
“That’s not right, porters also alternate carrying the load on both shoulders, right?” Xu Lijie raised some objections.
"But there is still a difference in the strength of the two shoulders. Generally speaking, the right shoulder will bear the weight for a longer time than the left shoulder. If you have been in contact with these people for a long time like I have, you will not have this question. As for the two villages I mentioned, they were famous villages for professional porters in the past. Almost all the adult men there engaged in this profession—back then, there were no such good mountain roads, and the material exchanges between the inside and outside of the mountains were all carried out by porters."
After listening to Zhou Ping's explanation, Xu Lijie understood somewhat: "So this person isn't Wu Jianfei, but a porter from the mountains?"
Zhou Ping nodded.
"But how could that be? Zhou Xiuying and her husband saw him fall into the pit with their own eyes, and then they buried him with their own hands!"
"You still don't understand?" Zhou Ping curled his lip. "The person Hu Junkai sent to Zhou Xiuying's house back then wasn't Wu Jianfei at all!"
After recounting that terrifying legend, Shunping appeared somewhat exhausted. When he told Luo Fei and Kong Jing the news that the snow had stopped, there was no joy on his face.
"I'm tired, I need to go back inside and rest for a while," he said weakly, then turned and walked out of the house alone.
As Luo Fei watched him leave, he said to Kong Jing, "In your temple, this Shunping is quite a talent."
“Yes,” Kong Jing said with a hint of helplessness. “He is decisive and has excellent martial arts skills. The monks all respect him, and he is actually handling all the affairs of the temple now. Sooner or later, I will have to give him my position as abbot.”
"Oh? He knows martial arts?" Luo Fei couldn't help but glance a few more times in the direction Shunping had left. Sure enough, although he hadn't slept well for two consecutive nights and was showing signs of fatigue, Shunping's steps were still much lighter than those of an ordinary person, as could be seen from the light and neat footprints he left in the snow.
Kong Jing was also starting to feel the strain, yawning repeatedly. Indeed, for someone her age, the events of the past day had been enough to leave her utterly exhausted.
Over the past day, four people have died one after another in this small temple. Apart from some strange and bizarre rumors, Luo Fei has not yet obtained any valuable clues. There is no point in him staying in the empty and quiet room any longer, so he got up to say goodbye and returned to the guest room in the front yard.
To be honest, Luo Fei himself was starting to feel mentally exhausted and needed a rest. He decided to relax and get a good night's sleep first.
Most of the other monks in the temple made the same choice as Luo Fei. Before last night, they had been filled with fear and unease due to the rumors of the "headless ghost" and the "cursed painting," but after the terrifying events of the previous night, their attitudes had cooled. The facts were clear, and discussion and speculation were no longer necessary. Everyone buried their deep fear in their hearts, anxiously and helplessly awaiting further developments.
Fortunately, the snow has stopped, and reinforcements should be able to reach the mountain in two or three days. Although this is somewhat of a drop in the ocean compared to the current situation on the mountain, it still gives the panicked people a glimmer of hope.
Under these extraordinary circumstances, morning prayers were cancelled. The Kumu Temple spent its second morning since Luo Fei's arrival in a suffocating silence. Around noon, several monks from the kitchen were the first to emerge from their quarters—no matter what, they still needed to eat.
Luo Fei woke up shortly after. After a long sleep, he felt much more awake. The only downside was that his stomach started growling. He got out of bed, pushed open the door, and went into the yard. The faint aroma of food immediately and strongly stimulated his appetite.
Luo Fei followed the aroma straight to the kitchen in the backyard. At the kitchen door, a monk dressed as a cook was holding a broom and venting his anger by cursing at the roof.
Luo Fei followed his gaze and saw a dark, wild cat darting across the rooftop twice before disappearing.
"What time is it? They still want to steal our food." The monk said angrily. Suddenly, he seemed to remember something and stared blankly in the direction the wild cat had gone.
Luo Fei walked up to him and asked, "Master, how much longer until lunch is ready?"
The monk was still thinking about the stray cat, so he didn't answer. He muttered to himself, "It's still the best. It can go wherever it wants, appearing and disappearing without a trace, leaving not even a footprint."
Luo Fei was suddenly stunned, as if a spark had suddenly ignited in the darkness. The monk's words strongly impacted his thoughts, and he was so excited that he almost shouted out.
"Do you have a ladder? Go find one for me quickly!" He turned the monk by the shoulder and said urgently.
"What?" The monk was still in shock.
"A ladder. I need to get to the roof."
“But you can’t catch it now, it’s already run into the mountains.” The monk looked at Luo Fei in surprise.
"What do you know?" Luo Fei said sternly. "Just go find it when I tell you to!"
The monk then realized the seriousness of the situation, quickly agreed, and ran towards the main hall—presumably where the ladder was stored.
Sure enough, he returned less than two minutes later carrying a wooden ladder. Under Luo Fei's direction, he leaned the ladder against the roof ridge.
"Director Luo, what are you doing?" Kong Jing was awakened by the noise in the courtyard. As soon as she came out of the house, she saw this scene and came over to ask in surprise.
"I should have thought of this sooner, I just hope it's not too late now," Luo Fei said as he climbed the ladder toward the roof.
Kong Jing looked bewildered. After a moment of hesitation, he followed Luo Fei up the ladder. Due to his age, his movements were...
He was much slower than Luo Fei. When he reached the rooftop, he saw Luo Fei standing not far away, seemingly in a meditative state, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
“We’re not too late.” Luo Fei pointed to the rooftops not far away. “Look there.”
The place Luo Fei was pointing to was the roof of the Shunde dormitory. A faint line of footprints appeared from there, extending for more than 20 meters before disappearing at the edge of the roof ridge.
"Whose house is that?" Luo Fei asked Kong Jing, pointing to the end of the footprints.
"It should be Shunping." Because she was on the roof and couldn't see the whole house, Kong Jing could only guess based on the location.