La Mariée aux Yeux Fantômes 2

Chapitre 1

Introduction

He once thought everything was over.

Yes, at least on the surface, he has been living in another world for many years. The joys and sorrows, the partings and reunions of the mundane world are no longer relevant to him.

Even the hatred that once burned like a raging fire, the hatred that devoured him like a demon, was also destroyed along with that painting.

It's been sealed away.

His memories were also buried in dust; he could hardly remember what a terrible sight he looked like and what he felt when he first came here 20 years ago.

He thought that memory would never be touched again, but he was wrong.

The moment the scroll was unfurled, the flames reignited. Before it, what can you do but tremble?

Chapter 1

Late November 1993, Nanmingshan area, suburbs of Longzhou City.

As dusk approached, the sky was overcast, and the north wind howled, growing stronger with each gust.

Luo Fei stood behind the window, gazing at the rolling mountains outside, thinking to himself: It seems the first snow of the year will arrive soon.

It's good that it snowed sooner. In a sense, with the heavy snow blocking the mountains, the year's work can come to an end. Luo Fei felt a sense of relief and liberation.

However, this feeling didn't show on his face at all. In fact, when Luo Fei was thinking, it was very difficult for others to guess his inner thoughts from his expression. His facial skin was naturally somewhat loose, which made him always look like he had droopy eyes and a worried expression. Even when he was very happy, the smile on his face was only two obvious crescent moons at the corners of his mouth. People who didn't know Luo Fei would think he was cold and unapproachable because of this, but in fact, Luo Fei was a typical Scorpio man who was cold on the outside but warm on the inside. In his interactions with others, it often happened that while the other person might still be trying to figure out Luo Fei's attitude, Luo Fei might have already completely regarded that person as his friend. Of course, this person must first gain Luo Fei's approval in terms of character.

Luo Fei has an exceptionally keen eye for people, which may be related to his astrological sign. A book describes Scorpios as having meticulous thinking, a knack for judging people and things, and a talent for reasoning and analysis. These descriptions are extremely apt for Luo Fei; he possesses an innate desire and ability to solve puzzles. "Why" is the word that appears most frequently in his mind; he is always searching for answers to various questions. These questions might seem insignificant or inexplicable to others, but Luo Fei finds them endlessly fascinating. Perhaps in many cases, he is not pursuing the result of the problem, but rather enjoying the process of exploration.

From a young age, Luo Fei had always dreamed of becoming a policeman, like Sherlock Holmes in the novels, solving all sorts of bizarre and mysterious cases. How exciting and thrilling that life would be! He had been working hard towards this dream. Ten years ago, in the summer after the college entrance examination, he finally entered the provincial police academy.

After graduating from police academy with excellent grades, Luo Fei was directly assigned to work at the Nanmingshan Police Station in Longzhou City. He was quickly promoted to deputy director due to his outstanding work, and two years later, he was promoted to director. Luo Fei was in charge of a mountainous area of 30 square kilometers, which was the largest of the 17 police stations in the city, but he did not like the job.

Within Luo Fei's vast jurisdiction, there are 527 households and 4 temples, with a total permanent population of 2,513. For over two years, neighborhood disputes and theft have been the most frequent reports received by the police station. Sometimes Luo Fei would walk long distances through the mountains, perhaps because Zhang's second uncle had drunkenly assaulted Li's son-in-law, or because someone had stolen fruit from Wang's orchard.

In spring and autumn, Luo Fei's work becomes slightly more meaningful. Although Nanming Mountain is undeveloped, its beautiful scenery attracts many tourists when the seasons are right. With more people comes more work. Fire prevention, theft prevention, and preventing illegal logging are all duties that the police station must fulfill.

Undoubtedly, Luo Fei was weary of this kind of work. He would rather be an investigator in a grassroots criminal investigation team, busy running around, visiting and investigating every day, encountering all sorts of people and things, observing them, analyzing them, and searching for the hidden truths. This was the life he had dreamed of and pursued.

Two years ago, Luo Fei submitted an application to his superiors requesting a transfer to the criminal investigation team of the municipal bureau. His request was finally granted recently; the organization has made a decision, and the transfer will be arranged once he finishes his current work for the year.

Therefore, Luo Fei was now eagerly anticipating snowfall. He stood by the window for a long time, gazing at the gloomy sky, but as the sky grew darker and darker, the snowflakes still did not fall.

"Director Luo, not home yet? What are you daydreaming about?" A voice came from the office doorway, followed by a soft sound as the speaker turned on the fluorescent light, instantly creating a nighttime atmosphere.

The speaker's voice was all too familiar to Luo Fei. He turned around, and sure enough, Zhou Ping's smiling face appeared before him.

Luo Fei left the window, sat down at the desk, and casually explained, "I'm on duty tonight."

Zhou Ping casually walked over and sat down opposite Luo Fei: "I'm not going home tonight either."

"Why?"

"Let's watch the game! There's a Champions League match at 11:30, Barcelona vs. Milan."

"Can't I watch it at home?" Luo Fei himself is not a football fan.

“Hey…” Zhou Ping shook his head, “It’s no fun watching alone at home. I have Lao Zheng here to keep me company. When watching a game, you have to chat while you watch.”

Luo Fei nodded in understanding. Old Zheng was the gatekeeper at the station; he was over 50 years old, lived alone, and spent his days...

The cat, who keeps company with the 21-inch color TV in the house, is also a die-hard football fan.

Luo Fei glanced at his watch: "It's not even 7 o'clock yet. Are you going to wait here for more than four hours?"

"I already made plans with Lao Zheng to have a couple of drinks together during this free time. I've left some cooked food and a bottle of strong liquor in Lao Zheng's room. You should come too! If it starts snowing later, it'll be even more atmospheric."

"No, we can't drink alcohol while on duty." Luo Fei rejected Zhou Ping's suggestion without even thinking.

Zhou Ping scratched his buzz cut with some regret: "Hey, being on duty is just a formality! In this weather, who would still go into the mountains?"

Despite his words, Zhou Ping knew that Luo Fei was a meticulous person. Without waiting for a reply, he immediately changed the subject: "Then I'll go have a one-on-one fight with Lao Zheng! If you need anything, just call me anytime."

Luo Fei nodded and watched Zhou Ping leave.

If Luo Fei were to leave this police station, his biggest regret would be losing Zhou Ping as a subordinate. Zhou Ping was a local, not very old, not yet 30, but already a veteran policeman with 10 years of service. Due to his relatively low level of education, he had only managed to become the captain of the criminal investigation team over the years. However, he didn't seem to care about this, always maintaining a high level of enthusiasm for his work, and fully enjoying his free time. Luo Fei greatly admired his personality, but what satisfied Luo Fei most was Zhou Ping's work ability. This guy was not only quick-witted, but also had an almost encyclopedic knowledge of all kinds of people and things in the jurisdiction. This was not only due to Zhou Ping's local status, but also related to his optimistic and cheerful personality. His round, smiling face seemed to exude a mysterious aura, allowing him to easily mingle with all sorts of people.

Luo Fei began organizing the work materials from the past year. As night deepened, the howling wind grew increasingly piercing, making Luo Fei several times tempted to run to the gatehouse for a drink. However, he restrained himself; at this crucial moment before his transfer, he didn't want any mistakes to occur in his work.

During this time, Zhou Ping, slightly tipsy, came over and dragged Luo Fei into a few games of chess. In terms of skill, Luo Fei was slightly better, and he quickly won the first game. From the second game onwards, Master Zheng intentionally or unintentionally sided with Zhou Ping, occasionally offering reminders and suggestions. With this capable assistant, Zhou Ping regained his footing, and for a time the two were locked in a fierce and evenly matched battle.

Before they knew it, it was already 11 p.m. Zhou Ping glanced at his watch, stretched, and said, "That's all for now. I need to wash my face and get some rest before watching the game. Are you coming?"

"I'm not interested in football. You see, I'm taking a nap on the sofa. Call me immediately if anything happens."

"Alright, you can sleep soundly. What could possibly happen in such a run-down place?" Zhou Ping grinned nonchalantly, muttering regretfully as he walked out, "Such an exciting match, and I didn't even get to watch it..."

Although he felt nothing would happen, it was still work time, and Luo Fei couldn't completely relax. He took off his coat and covered himself with it, then hastily lay down on the sofa without even taking off his shoes. A little while later, the sounds of a bustling stadium game could be faintly heard from the guardhouse.

He was quite energetic while playing chess, but now that he's lying down, drowsiness quickly overwhelms him. Luo Fei yawned a few times, and his thoughts gradually became hazy.

He drifted in and out of sleep for an unknown amount of time when he suddenly felt someone pushing him. He hadn't been sleeping soundly to begin with, so he immediately opened his eyes and saw Zhou Ping standing in front of his bed, looking serious as he said, "Chief Luo, someone has reported a crime."

Upon hearing this, Luo Fei's sleepiness vanished instantly. He sat bolt upright in bed and asked, "Where is he? What happened?"

"The person who reported the incident said in the reception room that someone had fallen off a cliff."

"Fall off a cliff?" This is a matter of life and death. Luo Fei decisively gestured for Zhou Ping to leave and hurriedly headed straight for the reception room.

The person who reported the incident was a man in his forties, of medium build and somewhat thin. Although the early winter night was bitterly cold, he was covered in sweat, as if he had just engaged in strenuous exercise. Seeing Luo Fei and Zhou Ping enter the house, he stood up excitedly, his eyes filled with pleading.

Luo Fei looked him up and down.

"My surname is Zhou, and this is our Director Luo." Zhou Ping gave a brief introduction, then got straight to the point, "Tell me about the situation first."

"My...my colleague...he...he..." The man was still breathing heavily and his speech was incoherent.

He swallowed his saliva with difficulty.

"Don't rush, sit down first." Luo Fei interrupted him, then looked at Zhou Ping and pointed to the thermos in the corner.

Zhou Ping understood, poured a cup of hot water, and handed it to the man: "Have some water."

The man took the water glass, subconsciously took a sip, and then gripped it tightly with both hands, causing the water in the glass to tremble slightly.

"Did you bring your identification?" Zhou Ping asked, standing beside him.

“I brought it…” He took a small notebook out of his pocket and handed it over, “This is my… work ID.”

Luo Fei looked at the man and asked casually, "You're a painter, right?"

The man looked up, somewhat surprised: "You... how did you know? I haven't even said anything yet."

Zhou Ping opened the man's work ID, which identified him as Zhang Bin, a professor at Longzhou Academy of Fine Arts. Zhou Ping turned to look at Luo Fei with a hint of surprise.

“It was your right hand that told me,” Luo Fei answered Zhang Bin’s question calmly.

Zhang Bin spread his right hand, looking at him with a puzzled expression. Zhou Ping, who seemed to have noticed something, smiled knowingly.

"You figured it out?" Luo Fei asked calmly.

Zhou Ping nodded: "There are colored paint particles under his fingernails, which must have gotten on him when he was mixing paint not long ago. In addition, there are obvious calluses at the base of his index finger. Just like people who write a lot will have calluses on the first joint of their middle finger, calluses at the base of the index finger are usually the result of holding a paintbrush for a long time."

Zhang Bin observed his right hand in accordance with Zhou Ping's words. His attention was temporarily drawn to this intriguing deduction, and his tense mood seemed to ease somewhat.

Luo Fei hummed in approval of Zhou Ping, then continued to ask Zhang Bin, "Who was the person who fell off the cliff?"

My colleague's name is Chen Jian.

"When, and where?"

Zhang Bin's breathing had calmed down: "It was around 11 p.m., and the location was a temple on the mountain."

"Which temple?" Zhou Ping interjected. There are four temples on Nanming Mountain, all of which may accommodate pilgrims seeking lodging.

Zhang Bin rubbed his water glass together, looking troubled: "I'm not too sure about that. We went into the mountains to sketch, and when it got dark, we decided to stay overnight at a nearby temple. We didn't pay attention to the name of the temple at the time."

Luo Fei's gaze lingered on Zhang Bin's hands, which were holding a water glass, as if he were pondering something. After a moment, he asked, "Is there a pine tree after you enter that temple? That tree is basically dead, but it's very thick; it takes two people to hug it."

"Yes, that's right!" Zhang Bin said with a hint of excitement.

Zhou Ping looked at Luo Fei and blurted out, "Kumu Temple!"

Luo Fei nodded, seemingly already having the answer in his mind. Zhou Ping raised an eyebrow at him: "How did you guess it this time?"

"It's not a guess, it's observation and analysis." Luo Fei smiled slightly, two vertical lines appearing at the corners of his mouth. It seemed that he was quite satisfied with his accurate deduction this time.

"Was it through him again?" Zhou Ping at least noticed Luo Fei's gaze just now.

"Yes, but with the left hand."

Zhou Ping frowned in confusion. He could see that Zhang Bin's left wrist and cuff were covered in mud, but he couldn't figure out what this had to do with where Zhang Bin had been.

Normally, Luo Fei would guide Zhou Ping step by step through the analysis, a process he would find very interesting. However, he couldn't waste time now. Having achieved his goal of calming Zhang Bin down, he directly explained the reasoning process: "Look, his left hand is very dirty, even the cuff is almost worn out. This means that he passed through a long, steep section on his way down the mountain, forcing him to frequently use his hands to brace himself against the mountainside to maintain his balance."

Zhou Ping seemed to understand, but not quite: "There are four temples on the mountain. Going down from Kumu Temple on the south mountain or Daming Temple on the north mountain towards the police station, you'll pass through a rather treacherous mountain path. I've traveled these paths many times. How did you rule out Daming Temple as a possibility?"

"Because his right hand was much cleaner than his left. This indicates that when he was descending the mountain, the mountain wall was on the left side of his body, from which I deduced that the mountain path should lead to the South Mountain."

"That's interesting!" Zhou Ping exclaimed with admiration. "How could I have forgotten that!"

"Let's not talk about that anymore, it's not really related to the case." Luo Fei turned to Zhang Bin, who was looking at him with admiration.

From this point on, Luo Fei was certain that his deduction was entirely correct. However, this was not important to him; he was now concerned with the details of the case.

"Where exactly did the accident happen?" Luo Fei continued to ask.

“On a mountain road outside the back gate of the temple.” Zhang Bin spoke in a low voice, his body hunched over in the chair, looking somewhat exhausted.

Luo Fei and Zhou Ping fully understood why Zhang Bin was in this state. It was 2:45 a.m., and normally it would take at least two hours to walk from Kumu Temple to the police station. Given Zhang Bin's age and physical condition, walking for more than three hours straight down the mountain in such darkness and strong winds, the physical and mental exhaustion he had endured was unimaginable.

"How exactly did the accident happen?" Luo Fei steered the conversation to the most crucial part.

These words seemed to strike a sensitive spot in Zhang Bin's memory, drawing his thoughts back to the horrific scene that had unfolded. Immediately, his emotions surged again. He shook his head uneasily, muttering to himself, "An accident? No, it wasn't...this wasn't an accident..."

"What do you mean by that?" Luo Fei frowned and pressed, "If it wasn't an accident, was it suicide? Or murder?"

"I don't know... what is it? How should I explain it?" Zhang Bin's water glass trembled even more violently than before, and some water splashed onto the ground in front of him.

Luo Fei frowned: "Aren't you an eyewitness? Just say what you saw."

Zhang Bin's gaze darted around, as if he were avoiding something terrifying: "No, you won't believe it... you definitely won't believe it... I saw it..." He had to stop talking because he was having trouble breathing, and gasped for breath.

The atmosphere in the room became somewhat tense because of Zhang Bin's expression. Zhou Ping walked up to Zhang Bin, put his hand on his shoulder, and cautiously asked, "What did you see?"

Zhang Bin gritted his teeth, seemingly mustering immense courage, and finally managed to squeeze out a few words from his throat: "A ghost, a headless ghost..."

"What?" Luo Fei and Zhou Ping exchanged a glance and shook their heads incredulously. This was too absurd!