Pesadilla

Capítulo 10

Zhou Ping seemed caught off guard by the question: "What...do you mean?"

“Perhaps my father killed Chen Jian.” Wu Yanhua said her thoughts without any attempt to hide them. “If you knew my father and the grudges between them, you would think the same way.”

To be honest, Zhou Ping had also made such a guess, but Wu Yanhua's words aroused another curiosity in him: "What kind of person is your father? Can you tell me?"

"He's short-tempered, narrow-minded, and extremely vengeful. If he finds out about Chen Jian and Zhang Bin, he won't let them off the hook." When Chen Jian and Zhang Bin were mentioned, a look of anger and triumph appeared on Wu Yanhua's face. In that instant, the imagined pleasure of revenge seemed to have overshadowed the grief of losing her loved ones.

"You hate them too?" Zhou Ping noticed the change in the other person's heart and asked tentatively.

“They made me lose my father. No matter how hateful he was, he was once the person who loved me most in this world.” Tears welled up in Wu Yanhua’s eyes again, but her face remained indifferent.

“But as far as I know, your family has a good relationship with Chen Jian and Zhang Bin, and it seems that you don’t hold a grudge against them because of what happened in the past.” Zhou Ping looked at the woman in front of him, and the inner world she gradually revealed aroused his interest in continuing to explore.

"You know about our past?" Wu Yanhua looked slightly surprised.

"Zhang Bin mentioned it to me."

“Hmm.” Wu Yanhua adopted a calm and gentle tone. “My husband is too forgiving. He has forgiven those who have hurt us. For his sake, I can hide those hatreds.”

From Wu Yanhua's words, Zhou Ping clearly sensed her affection for Hu Junkai. Beneath this woman's calm and refined exterior lay a powerful inner strength, capable of embracing both love and hate. What kind of person must Hu Junkai be to have won over such a woman?

"Wasn't it your husband who secretly rescued your father from the cowshed back then?"

"yes."

"So where did your father go after that? Don't you know?" Zhou Ping slowly steered the conversation toward the area he was most concerned about.

“I knew about it at first. My husband took him to Nanming Mountain and hid him in the home of a local villager.”

"And then what happened? How did he disappear again?"

Wu Yanhua sighed softly: "Back then, my father ran away, and my husband and I were prime suspects. Those young revolutionaries kept a close watch on us all day long, and we didn't dare to have any contact with him. It wasn't until a few years later, when those days had passed, that we went into the mountains to try to bring my father back, but by then he had already disappeared."

"Did the original household move away?" Zhou Ping guessed.

“No, we found that family, but they said my father only stayed for less than three months before leaving alone and never coming back.” After saying this, Wu Yanhua murmured to herself, “Could he have spent the past 20 years at the Kumu Temple? Why didn’t he come back to find us?”

"So that's how it is." Zhou Ping also secretly pondered this possibility: After suffering hardships, Wu Jianfei saw through the world and simply went up the mountain to become a monk?

To get a more definitive answer, Zhou Ping felt it necessary to continue investigating along the clues: "Where do those villagers live? Do you remember their names?"

“The time I went into the mountains, my husband led me all the way. I don’t know the exact place name, but it was a small village in the valley to the north. The man’s surname was Huang, but as for his given name…” Wu Yanhua shook her head, “I really don’t remember it.”

"After all these years, it's quite impressive that you can still remember his surname," Zhou Ping said with satisfaction. Within the limited number of residents in his jurisdiction, finding the target based on such a clue shouldn't be difficult.

“The man’s speech was a bit unclear. I had to ask him several times before I could understand that his surname was ‘Huang’ instead of ‘Hua’, so I remembered that better.”

"Okay, that's all for now. Thank you for your cooperation," Zhou Ping said politely. "I will verify the information further."

"How is my husband? Any news?" Wu Yanhua looked at Zhou Ping expectantly. "Is he staying on the mountain because he knows my father's identity?"

Wu Yanhua's guess made a lot of sense, and Zhou Ping couldn't help but secretly admire her sharp thinking ability. However, she never imagined that Hu Junkai had already followed Wu Jianfei into the world. Having lost two of her most beloved family members in one day, Zhou Ping could only sigh silently for her.

“I’m not entirely clear on these matters either. We’ve completely lost contact with people on the mountain. I’ll let you know as soon as I have any news.”

Wu Yanhua looked at Zhou Ping with some hesitation, clearly dissatisfied with his perfunctory attitude, but she still politely and softly said, "Thank you."

After leaving his office, Zhou Ping convened a brief meeting with Deputy Director Wang, Xiao Liu, and other relevant colleagues. Zhou Ping briefed everyone on the situation and then decided that, after daybreak the next day, Zhou Ping would go to the village in the northern mountain valley to continue investigating Wu Jianfei's case; Deputy Director Wang, depending on the snow conditions, would arrange further search and rescue efforts for those who fell off the cliff and send reinforcements up the mountain.

After the plans were finalized, everyone found a place to rest for the night. Zhou Ping, who had been running around since the previous night, received special treatment: he slept on the only bed in the duty room.

Around 5 a.m. the next day, as dawn was just breaking, everyone got up early. Zhou Ping stepped into the courtyard and was delighted to find that the snow had stopped.

The logistics team prepared breakfast, and everyone quickly ate their fill before setting off through the snow.

Shortly after entering the mountains, Zhou Ping parted ways with the main group and headed north into the mountains alone. The road to the mountain villages was much easier to travel than the path leading up the mountain, and Zhou Ping reached his destination a little over an hour later.

Because the villagers in the mountainous area live very scattered, it was impossible for Zhou Ping to visit each one. He went directly to the local village committee and explained his purpose to the village head.

The village chief, surnamed Liu, was a mountain man in his forties. He said in a very casual manner, "There are eight or nine households with the surname Huang in the village. If you try to visit each of them one by one, you'll be exhausted. I'll send a notice to the radio station for you."

The broadcasting room was right next to the village committee. Village Chief Liu interrupted the opera program that was playing, grabbed the microphone, and said, "Now, I'm broadcasting an announcement. Residents of the Huang family in the village, which of you took in a man from outside the mountains in 1972? This family, come to the village committee immediately. The police want to ask you some questions. Do you hear me? If the person in question doesn't hear me, other villagers, please call out to him."

After saying that, he chuckled and bounced the microphone: "It was just installed last year. With this thing, it's so much more convenient to find someone or broadcast an announcement."

"Even if that person hears us, the road is covered in snow, would he be willing to come?" Zhou Ping was a little worried.

Village Chief Liu looked confident: "If it hadn't snowed, he might have had work to do and wouldn't have come. But now, with this kind of weather..."

Everyone's stuck at home, bored out of their minds, and the neighbors can hear everything. Does he dare not come over?

Sure enough, less than an hour later, a woman around 50 years old came to the village committee. She stood at the door, peering inside, and said somewhat timidly, "Village chief, it was you who just notified us..."

“Yes, it was me who broadcast the announcement.” Village Chief Liu interrupted, “So this is your family? Come in, come in. This is Captain Zhou from the police station. He has some questions for you.” Then he pointed to the woman and said to Zhou Ping, “This is Zhou Xiuying from our village. You two are from the same clan. Her husband’s surname was Huang, but he died three years ago.”

Zhou Xiuying was a typical village woman, thin and small, her dark face etched with wrinkles left by the mountain winds. Perhaps not understanding the captain's meaning, she entered the house, squinting as she looked Zhou Ping up and down, and asked, "You must be the police officer?"

“Yes, I’m a policeman.” Zhou Ping moved a chair over and gestured, “Come on, ma’am, sit down and let’s talk.”

"I'm fine standing, I'm fine standing," Zhou Xiuying said, somewhat flattered, and declined repeatedly.

Village Chief Liu tried to smooth things over, saying, "Just sit down when we tell you to. You haven't broken any laws, what are you afraid of?"

Seeing that the village chief had spoken, Zhou Xiuying finally agreed, carefully sat down in the chair, and leaned forward respectfully.

"More than 20 years ago, did a middle-aged man stay at your house?" Zhou Ping asked.

Zhou Xiuying nodded: "Yes, they live at my house. I came over as soon as I heard the broadcast."

"Well, I just wanted to ask you some questions about this person."

“I know.” Zhou Xiuying shifted her body uneasily. “You’ve finally found me. I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time.”

Zhou Ping was slightly puzzled: "What? Did you know I was coming?"

Zhou Xiuying sighed and said, "It was bound to happen sooner or later. This matter won't just end like this... Someone delivers a living person into your hands, and then they just disappear. Who can accept that? You can hide for a year, two years, or 10 years, but can you hide for a lifetime? That's what I've always told my husband."

Seeing Zhou Xiuying's uneasy demeanor, Zhou Ping felt that this woman seemed to be blaming herself too much for Wu Jianfei's disappearance. He changed the subject, trying to ease the tension: "Your husband's surname is Huang, right? What's his name?"

"Huang Deming." The pronunciation of "Huang" in the mountain accent is indeed difficult to distinguish from "Hua".

"Huang Deming?" The name seemed familiar. Zhou Ping searched his memory for related information. "Oh! The car accident at the foot of the mountain a few years ago..."

"Yes, yes, yes! It's him." When the matter was mentioned, Village Chief Liu showed a regretful expression. "What a good person, but he just happened to get into such a strange situation. It's really a great injustice."

Huang Deming was the victim of a bizarre car accident that occurred three years ago on a mountain road. He was walking normally on the side of the road when a truck loaded with logs drove by, its front wheel running over a sharp stone on the road. The stone flew up like a bullet, striking Huang Deming squarely in the side of the head, causing his death despite attempts to save him. Zhou Ping was the first person to arrive at the scene after receiving the report and had a vivid memory of the incident.

“It’s all God’s will, no one can be blamed,” Zhou Xiuying murmured, seemingly quite accepting of her husband’s unexpected death.

Originally intending to help the interviewee relax, Zhou Ping almost backfired. He had no choice but to steer the conversation back on track: "Do you remember when that person came to your house?"

"In the spring of 1972."

This timing matched the information Luo Fei already had. He nodded and then asked, "Who brought him here back then?"

“A young man surnamed Hu.” Zhou Xiuying closed her eyes slightly, recalling the past. “He said that the man was his master, and that he would be killed in the city, so he wanted to hide in the mountains for a while. We agreed because we felt sorry for him, and the young man had given us some money. Who knew that such a thing would happen later…”

How long has he been staying at your house?

"It's been about two months."

Zhou Ping already knew some of this from Wu Yanhua, but what he was really concerned about was the part of the situation that Wu Yanhua didn't know either: "Did he leave on his own later? Do you know why he left?"

Zhou Xiuying hesitated for a moment, then shook her head and said slowly, "He didn't leave."

"He didn't leave? As far as I know, that's what you said back then." Zhou Ping frowned in confusion.

A hint of helplessness was hidden in Zhou Xiuying's cloudy eyes. She looked at Zhou Ping and said, "That's because their daughter and son-in-law came to our door. We had no choice but to make up such a story to deceive them."

"Is that so?" This was unexpected for Zhou Ping. "If he didn't leave, then where was he at the time?"

Zhou Xiuying remained silent, her constantly rubbing hands revealing her inner fear and struggle. Finally, when she made up her mind to tell the truth, Zhou Ping's reaction could only be described as utterly dumbfounded.

“He’s dead.” Zhou Xiuying’s voice was slow and low. “He was beaten to death by my man.”

After examining the footprints in the snow, Luo Fei went into the house where Kong Wang had lived for the second time, hoping to find some clues that could explain the mysterious "walking" of the corpse.

However, the result was disappointing. Apart from the body no longer being in its original position, everything in the house was exactly the same as when he first inspected it yesterday morning. He had no choice but to ask Shunping to find someone to move the body back into the house while he went to get information from the initial witnesses.

Kongming was one of the more senior monks at Kumu Temple, but because he wasn't particularly outstanding in any area, he rarely received any attention. However, today he came to the abbot Kongjing's room. Luo Fei, the police chief at the foot of the mountain, wanted to hear his account, because he was the first person to enter the courtyard when the Shunde death occurred. His description of the situation was as follows:

"I have kidney problems and frequent urination, so I always have to get up two or three times a night. Last night, I was halfway through my sleep when I woke up needing to pee again. I had no choice but to put on my coat and get out of bed. I turned on the light, dragged the chamber pot out from under the bed, and had just emptied half of it when I suddenly heard someone scream. The sound was terrifying in the quiet night; I was so frightened that I jumped and even held back my pee. I mustered my courage and went outside, looking in the direction the sound had come from. I saw someone lurking at the window of my dormitory in Shunde..." My first thought was that someone had been robbed, but then I realized something was wrong. The footprints behind the person extended from the room next door, Kong Wang's. Looking closer, I almost collapsed in fright—the person in the window was none other than the already dead Kong Wang! My mind went blank; I stood there, frozen, my legs trembling. Then the lights in the rooms gradually came on, and everyone seemed to have run into the courtyard. Then I heard the head of the gang, Shunping, tell everyone to go back to their rooms and not to wander around.

"How far is the place you left from your dormitory in Shunde?" Luo Fei asked after listening to his explanation.

"Our dormitories are all in the same row, separated by two rooms, and the distance between them is no more than 10 meters."

"How was the light in the yard when you went outside?"

"It wasn't very dark in the snow. The light from inside the Shunde house shone through the windows, so the lighting around that house was quite good."

Luo Fei stared at Kong Ming: "Then are you sure that when you came out of the house, there was no one else in the courtyard, especially near the house where Shunde lived?"

“There shouldn’t be any.” Kongming thought for a moment, then added, “I’m certain there aren’t any near the Shunde dormitory. Because as soon as I entered the courtyard, I immediately looked in that direction and didn’t see anyone.”

Luo Fei nodded: "That's all for now. You can go back now. If you think of anything else, come and tell me immediately."

Shunhui, who shared a room with Kongming, gave a largely consistent testimony: "I was woken up by Kongming getting out of bed. But I was still half asleep and hadn't opened my eyes. The scream that followed really terrified me; I was instantly wide awake and sat up immediately. Kongming looked terrified too. To be honest, he shuddered so much that he urinated on the floor. We stared at each other in shock for a while, and then I started getting dressed while he went out to check. When I went out too, no one else had come out yet, only Kongming was standing there blankly. I followed his gaze and was so frightened that my heart almost jumped out of my mouth! What on earth happened? I really can't stay in this temple any longer..."

"What nonsense are you talking about!" Kong Jing interrupted him. "Things will definitely be clarified! With Director Luo here, what trouble could possibly arise?"

Despite saying that, Kong Jing's eyes and tone revealed a complete lack of confidence.

Just as Shunhui opened the door to leave, Shunping walked in, carrying a pile of things in his hands, his face very solemn.

"How is it?" He looked at Luo Fei and Kong Jing in the room with an inquiring gaze. "Any clues?"

Luo Fei rested his hand on his forehead and slowly shook his head. Kong Ming and Shun Hui's words just now only further confirmed the perplexing nature of the incident.

Shunping sat down at the table, remained silent for a moment, and then said, "I do have some thoughts, and perhaps it's time to say them."

"Hmm?" Luo Fei looked up, his eyes fixed intently on him. "What are your thoughts?"

“There are some things I said before that you wouldn’t have believed, and even I thought they were absurd.” Shunping paused for a moment. “But now that something like this has happened, and we can’t find a reasonable explanation, maybe we can only think about it from this perspective.”

"What exactly are you trying to say?" Luo Fei frowned, wondering what he was up to.

Shunping said in a calm and serious voice, "I feel that something mysterious has indeed appeared in this temple. We cannot understand its existence, but it is exerting its terrifying power."

"You mean...haunted?" This was actually a thought hidden deep within Kong Jing's heart, and now that Shunping had brought it up...

This immediately resonated with him.

"How is this possible?" Luo Fei looked out the window, shaking his head expressionlessly. No matter how many inexplicable and bizarre events occurred, he would not accept such a superstitious viewpoint.

"Director Luo, I know you can't accept this, but there's a lot you don't know about what's going on at the temple." Shunping wasn't discouraged by Luo Fei's attitude; instead, he seemed to be giving him a sharp retort.

"I don't know, so why didn't you tell me sooner?" Luo Fei's dissatisfaction was evident in his tone.