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"You mean..." Li Hai pointed at me and said, "There must have been more than one child who was taken away at the time!?"

“I think…” I took a deep breath and said, “Back then, Mu Wanrong and An Zhengbei’s children might have been twins!”

"Another pair of twins?" Li Hai rubbed his temples, feeling a bit of a headache. "So, An Yi must have a twin brother or a twin sister?"

“It’s most likely the younger brother! The An family are descendants of the Moonshadow Clan who have been separated from their lineage, and they have also unknowingly followed the Moonshadow Clan’s rules: the second twin is considered unlucky and should be abandoned,” I said.

"So An Zhengbei only acknowledged An Yi later, ignoring his younger brother?" Li Hai then asked, "And where is this younger brother now?"

"Where?" I raised the corners of my mouth slightly and said, "Li Yang should have mentioned the remains in that unfinished building to you, right?"

"You mean that skeleton is my brother? So An Ran killed him? Good heavens!" Li Hai rolled his eyes and said, "Why do the An family members like killing each other?"

"I'm just guessing," I said. "It's a pity that the skull and face of that skeleton were so badly damaged, otherwise I could have performed a craniotomy to see what it really looked like!"

"It's all speculation. It would be best to have evidence to prove it!" Li Hai said regretfully.

Evidence? I tilted my head and thought for a moment. Actually, it's not that there's no evidence. An Yi's remains have already been taken for examination. There should be some way to find out!

Volume Two: The Devil's Left Eye, Chapter Thirty-Four: Mitochondrial DNA Testing

Volume Two: The Devil's Left Eye, Chapter Thirty-Four: Mitochondrial DNA Testing

"Huh?!" I suddenly had a flash of inspiration and said to Li Hai, "My phone is dead. Does yours still have battery?"

"What?" Li Hai rummaged in his pocket for a while before finally pulling out his phone and handing it to me, saying, "Mine's almost dead too. What can we do when there's no electricity here?"

"I'm going to make two phone calls, hoping to find some evidence." I smiled confidently at Li Hai and dialed the first number:

"Hello, is this Xiao Ren? This is Lin Xiao."

"Lin Xiao? How are you? Do you have any leads? When are you coming back?"

"Can you please stop asking so many questions? I'm telling you now, tomorrow you need to have Xiao Yuan do a mitochondrial DNA test on the remains found in that unfinished building, and then fax the test report to Li Yang and Fang Lei at the **Provincial Public Security Bureau as soon as possible!"

"Mitochondrial DNA testing? Why?"

"Oh, don't ask any more questions. Anyway, it'll be very useful. Okay, that's all for now. I'm hanging up! Goodbye."

"Hey! Lin Xiao... this..." I hung up before Xiao Ren could finish his question because I had a second call to make immediately:

"Hello, is this Fang Lei?"

"Lin Xiao, what's wrong so late? Is something the matter?"

"Oh, nothing happened, Li Hai and I are both fine." I temporarily concealed the fact that Tong Guihe and Li Hai were injured, and said, "Fang Lei, could you do a mitochondrial DNA test on An Yi's remains tomorrow? I've already asked Xiao Ren to do a mitochondrial DNA test on the remains found in that unfinished building, and then asked him to fax it to you as soon as possible. Could you compare their genetic profiles?"

"Why? You suspect they are...?"

"That's possible, so further proof is needed."

"Okay, I'll do it tomorrow."

"By the way, how's Abao?"

"He's been admitted to the hospital, but he should be fine now."

"That's good. Take good care of yourself. I'm doing fine here. My phone's almost dead, so I have to go now. Let's talk in more detail in a few days!"

"Okay. You... take care!" Fang Lei's tone was full of concern, which warmed my heart.

I smiled and said, "Okay, goodbye."

"goodbye."

As soon as he hung up the phone, Li Hai asked in confusion, "What is mitochondrial DNA testing?"

"Mitochondria are organelles found in almost all cells. They contain genetic material and many enzymes that play a vital role in cellular metabolism. They can replicate independently and provide the code to synthesize certain proteins." I explained to Li Hai, "Mitochondria DNA testing differs from regular DNA testing. Each human cell has only one nucleus, but there are hundreds of mitochondria. Mitochondria DNA testing relies on this numerical advantage to obtain more accurate test results. Furthermore, mitochondrial DNA has a unique characteristic: it is inherited through the mother's blood. In other words, a person's mitochondrial DNA can only be obtained from their mother. Although it's not as accurate as traditional DNA testing, it still has special identification value—it can prove whether two people share the same maternal lineage."

"So..." Li Hai tilted his head and thought for a while, then said, "You want to determine whether An Yi and the skeleton in the unfinished building were born from the same mother!"

“Excellent!” I snapped my fingers and said, “Because the skull of the skeleton in the unfinished building was severely damaged, it was impossible to perform craniotomy. Now that we suspect An Yi’s relationship with this skeleton, this testing method is the most suitable.”

"If they are brothers as you think, can we be certain that An Ran is a suspect in the murder?" Li Hai asked.

"Very likely, but I have a feeling things aren't that simple. Don't forget, An Ran is still missing. He's actually the key." I shrugged helplessly. Where on earth did this man go? According to A Bao's computer records, he disappeared five years ago, but then suddenly reappeared three years ago and funded the construction of an unfinished building that was abandoned halfway through. And that art exhibition—it was all so bizarre. Why did everyone who went, except me, die? Was it really An Yi who killed him? What was the motive?

Sighing heavily, I shook my slightly throbbing head and said to Li Hai, "It's so late, let's go to sleep first."

"Yeah!" Li Hai stood up and stretched, saying, "I feel really tired too."

"See you tomorrow!" I smiled and saw Li Hai out of the room. Before leaving, I still asked with some concern, "Is your injury alright? Remember to lock the door tonight!"

"Got it!" Li Hai waved to me and went into his room.

I closed the door and opened the window next to the bed. The mountain breeze that rushed in was damp and chilly, with a faint smell of earth. I, who was used to the smell of formaldehyde, couldn't help but take a deep breath. As the fresh air filled my lungs and carried away the stale air, my previously drowsy head began to clear up again.

Leaning against the bed, I couldn't resist flipping through that abstract art book again. The fantastical blue oil paints seemed to float off the page, giving me a strange feeling, as if I were in a vast, blue world. The paints were constantly rearranging and combining, forming strange images. They felt so familiar, as if I had seen them somewhere before, but something was blocking my mind, and I couldn't remember where I had seen them before!

I rubbed my eyes, put the picture book on the table, lay down fully clothed, and stared intently at the yellowed ceiling. The skulls of the children I had seen in the River of Child Ghosts seemed to float in the ceiling again.

The only sound was my breathing in the silence. I curled up on the bed, closed my eyes, and my mother's gentle face gradually appeared before me. How many days had it been since I last thought of her? People and things I had deliberately tried to forget always came rushing back to me in my loneliest moments.

How old were I when I lost my parents? Probably nine, or even earlier. All I remember is the deafening roar of the car crash and the towering flames that haunted my nightmares for years. Every time I woke up in the middle of the night, I was alone in the darkness. I can't remember what my mother looked like anymore, but whenever I think of her, words like warmth, care, and kindness come to mind. I don't know why. Logically, nine years old should be more mature, but why are my memories before nine so blurry? Jumping, fragmented, overlapping, and vague people and events occupy my memory. But maybe it's better not to remember clearly; some things are better left unremembered.

The dim candlelight flickered, and I could feel subtle, strange fluctuations in the air. I pressed my stomach hard, and a slight pain sent shivers down my spine. No way, it's so late, and I still have a stomachache? Could it be because of all the torment I went through tonight? I struggled to get out of bed, hesitated for a moment, and finally decided to go ask Baiyun for some stomach medicine, because she suffered from stomach problems just like me. The difference was that she always carried her medicine with her, while I never did.

As I opened the door, the pitch-black darkness instantly swallowed the only candlelight in the room. I withdrew my foot, which was about to step out, and the aversion to the darkness made me shiver. However, the stomach pain that was gradually intensifying forced me to take another step.

Walking on the wooden floor, which may have been hundreds of years old, the creaking sound played a strange melody with my footsteps. When I stood in front of the door of the white clouds, I felt the darkness caressing every inch of my skin. This feeling made me feel a little nauseous. Maybe it was just my stomachache acting up again. I shook my head, trying to shake away my strange thoughts.

"Baiyun, are you asleep?" I called softly at the door, but there was no sound from inside. I stood there blankly for a while, thinking that she might have already gone to sleep. Oh well, I'll just have to wait it out. Just as I was about to head back, the door suddenly opened silently. In the darkness, Baiyun's face was almost deathly pale.

"I...I'm sorry." For a moment, I forgot my purpose. A strange smell wafting from her room made me frown. Maybe it should be called a fragrance, but it smelled really strange. It wasn't the jealousy she always liked, nor was it the poison she had started using. In short, it was a fragrance that made me feel a little cold.

"What's wrong?" Baiyun asked me, leaving the door half-closed and only half of her body visible.

"Oh, right." I quickly pointed to my stomach and said, "My old problem has flared up again. Do you have any medicine?"

"Oh!" A strange expression flashed across Baiyun's face as she said, "That's all."

"That's all?" I asked in surprise. "Isn't your stomach problem even worse than mine? You're always on medication, aren't you?"

"I'm all better now," Baiyun said calmly.

"Are you all better?" I asked. "Which hospital did you go to? I want to go there too!"

Without answering my question, after a long pause, Baiyun finally revealed an expression that was both mocking and resentful, and said, "Do you really think I have a stomach ailment?"

"Huh?" My brain seemed to shut down; I couldn't understand what she was saying.

"I always carry stomach medicine with me not because I have stomach problems too." Bai Yun glanced at me lightly, and my mind immediately flashed back to memories of our university days. No wonder Bai Yun never seemed to have a stomachache; no wonder she was always the first to hand me her medicine when I was sick. Could it be... that she always carried stomach medicine not for herself, but... for me? Such a beautiful woman, and I had so easily missed her. But now I already have Fang Lei, and reason extinguished the glimmer of warmth that had just welled up in my heart.

I opened my mouth, but swallowed the words I wanted to say. Four years of living together day and night hadn't made me realize her feelings. Should I say I was just too oblivious, or that I was simply hiding something? When fate was so clearly laid out before me, I couldn't see it at all, only to find myself standing awkwardly like this in the cold night.

A strange aroma filled the air. The torment of my stomach ache made me bend over, almost choking back tears. I said to Baiyun, "If you don't have it, that's fine. I'll go back and drink some hot water, and I'll feel better." With that, I practically fled back to my room. As I ran, I felt a mournful gaze silently falling on my back…

**********

I stared blankly at the bowl of hot porridge in front of me, the rising white steam resembling the faces of demons. My hand holding the spoon trembled slightly; I didn't know if it was because of my lingering stomach ailment or the embarrassment of seeing white clouds.

"Why aren't you eating?" Li Hai nudged me and asked, "Is your stomach still upset? I'll go with you to the village later to ask if there's any stomach medicine that will help."

"Oh, okay!" I nodded mechanically, but my eyes couldn't help but glance towards the door. I heard footsteps approaching; it must be Baiyun!

Sure enough, Baiyun, dressed in a black sweater and blue jeans, appeared in front of Li Hai and me. Her expression was so natural, as if nothing had happened last night. She even smiled and greeted me.

"Good morning!" I nodded a little awkwardly, trying my best to hide my question. But Li Hai noticed the strange expression on my face and asked, "What's wrong?"

"It's probably a stomachache!" Bai Yun said with a smile as she picked up a bowl of steaming porridge.

"Yeah, ha... haha..." I nodded reluctantly. Let's not think about what happened last night anymore; what's past is past.

"Then you should eat porridge even more, it's good for your stomach." Li Hai gestured with his lip and pushed the porridge in front of me towards me.

"Okay." I stirred the hot, white porridge with a spoon and reluctantly swallowed a mouthful. Although the heat of the porridge made my stomach feel a little better, the knife-like pain still made my face turn pale.

After hastily eating a few mouthfuls of porridge, Li Hai dragged me down to the village, leaving Baiyun alone in the temple. The path down the mountain became even more difficult due to my weakness. I desperately pressed my hands against my stomach, but cold sweat still broke out on my forehead.

"I told you to stay at the temple so I could find you some medicine, but you wouldn't listen. Now you know you regret it, don't you?" Li Hai supported me as I swayed, complaining irritably.

"It's better to walk around than to stay in bed," I said through gritted teeth. Actually, I didn't want to face Baiyun alone. Maybe it's because I've always been a coward when it comes to relationships; I don't have much courage to deal with unnecessary emotions.

"I can't stand you!" Li Hai shook his head helplessly and said, "I really don't know how Fang Lei fell for you!?"

"Hehe, jealous, huh?" I tried hard not to think about my damn stomach and joked with Li Hai. It took me almost twice as long as usual to finally get to the village.

After finally finding Tang Jing's house, I was so exhausted that I could barely lift my feet. I just sat there panting.

"Uncle Tang, do you have any stomach medicine here? Look, Lin Xiao has a terrible stomachache!" Li Hai asked Tang Jing, who was serving us tea and water.

"Oh! Stomach medicine!" Tang Jing looked at me with some difficulty and said, "We've always been short of medical supplies here, and we don't have any stomach medicine!"

"Oh no? What should we do?" Li Hai looked at me anxiously and said, "Isn't there a doctor here?"

"Doctors do have them! But you have to go to a small county town dozens of kilometers away to find them." Tang Jing handed me a bowl of hot water, and I shook my head with difficulty.

"Oh, right!" Tang Jing's wife suddenly poked her head out from behind and said to Tang Jing, "Old man, how could you forget about Old Wang next door? His son came to visit him from the city a few days ago, and I heard he brought back a lot of things, maybe even some stomach medicine!"

"Oh? How could I have forgotten about that?" Tang Jing slapped his thigh excitedly and said to us, "Come on, I'll take you to his house to have a look."

"This...this is really troubling you!" Li Hai felt a little bad, but seeing my half-dead state, he could only shamelessly pull me up and follow behind Tang Jing.

*********

Author's note: I'll be going on a business trip in a few days, which will probably last for about a month, so I'll stop updating now!

I've actually finished the second volume and am preparing to start the third. Thinking back to the end of the second volume, when Li Hai died, I hesitated for a long time, but in the end, I still had the heart to kill him off. What a sin! Please, fellow comedy lovers, don't throw bricks at me!

Volume Two: The Devil's Left Eye, Chapter Thirty-Five: The Puzzle

Volume Two: The Devil's Left Eye, Chapter Thirty-Five: The Puzzle

It's truly unbelievable that in today's rapidly developing world, poverty still exists in some corner of society. When the gap between rich and poor is so starkly displayed before us, all we can do is sigh and feel indignant. Looking at the almost bare walls of my home, I almost forgot my own physical pain. Compared to them, I could be considered luxuriously fortunate. While people in the city are looking down on the people in the mountains, they don't realize that the people in the mountains are treating those who once despised them with the most simple and sincere hearts.

Holding the warm water cup, my stomach was gradually improving thanks to the medicine; the pain had subsided. I didn't know how to thank the wrinkled old man in front of me. He had shared the medicine his son had specially brought from the city with me, even though he suffered from a more severe stomach ailment than I did. Perhaps, from a city dweller's perspective, this is nothing—it costs only a few dollars and can be bought at any pharmacy. But I knew that in this village, this medicine was more precious than gold to this old man. Yet, he shared it with a stranger without hesitation. If material conditions and the purity of one's soul are inversely proportional, how many people can choose spiritual wealth?

"Uncle Wang, thank you so much... thank you so much." I didn't know how to express my gratitude, and I even stammered a little.

"Hehe, it's nothing. Medicine is for patients anyway!" Old Wang smiled at us generously, his face almost shy.