Chapter 46

Chapter 46 Mountain Blaze (06)

Following this line of thought, a very contradictory point arose. If Liu the Fool really wanted to die, what was the reason? At that time, he was not even ten years old. Although he was unhappy being forced to study, that alone didn’t seem enough reason to want to end his life.

Hai Shu mentally drew a timeline, trying to find a connection between Liu the Fool’s drowning and the disappearance of the four Liu family members. But Liu the Fool drowned at nine, and his family went missing when he was seventeen. From the timeline perspective, it was too long and too scattered.

Suddenly, Hai Shu remembered a question she had been curious about when investigating the Flower Viewing Festival: the event “To Live After Death.” The Flower Viewing Festival had only existed for the past ten years, so it was likely planned around the time the Liu family disappeared.

Over the years of investigating, Hai Shu had learned a fair bit about folk customs. One reason folk customs attract people is their mystery. “To Live After Death” was very mysterious—more so than any Hai Shu had encountered—and she couldn’t find information online about how it had been passed down.

Liu the Fool’s former homeroom teacher was no longer teaching and now ran a homestay with villagers to make a living, but having been a teacher, her knowledge was higher than ordinary villagers. Hai Shu decided to ask about the origin of “To Live After Death.” Nothing online, but the educated villagers should know.

The teacher adjusted her glasses awkwardly, seeming hesitant to speak.

Hai Shu said, “Is there something you can’t say?”

The teacher looked away, “It’s not that I can’t say, it just seems unrelated to the case.”

The more she said that, the more Hai Shu pressed, “How can it be unrelated? Liu Xing brought a corpse to participate in ‘To Live After Death.’ Why not another activity? This event must have some important meaning to him.”

“Th-this…” The teacher’s face went pale. “I…”

Hai Shu calmly pushed further, “Folk customs always exist in a gray area. We pass on the good, remove the bad. If this custom led to a homicide, the police must investigate it thoroughly.”

The teacher panicked, “I’ll tell! I’ll tell! There’s no real tradition—it's fake!”

Hai Shu asked, “Fake?”

“Yes! Our village created it to attract tourists—it’s a fake folk custom!” The teacher, clearly afraid the police would suspect her, said everything at once.

Guibai Village had once been a mountain hamlet. Though the trees bloomed in spring, villagers had no tourism awareness and didn’t think flowers could improve their lives. Over ten years ago, some young people started climbing the mountain, gradually introducing the idea of using Guibai Mountain for tourism.

However, the Flower Viewing Festival didn’t really take off until several years later.

At that time, Huiyong City was rapidly developing. Every village had a flower festival. Guibai Mountain was pretty, but lacked uniqueness. Villagers met to discuss how to attract more visitors to their festival. Village Chief Liu even hired an outside marketing team, and eventually created the “To Live After Death” custom.

Hai Shu suddenly understood. “So your village never had the tradition of burying in spring after deaths in autumn or winter?”

The teacher shook her head. “No! Dead people were buried immediately. Back when burials were traditional, bodies couldn’t be kept. Later, with cremation, keeping ashes at home didn’t work either!”

Hai Shu asked, “So the ashes used in the ritual—are they real?”

“Fake! Our village is small; there’s no way to gather so many in six months. Although some outsiders believed in it and brought real ashes.”

Later, Hai Shu confirmed with other villagers that “To Live After Death” was purely a marketing tactic.

Hearing that the festival’s most famous event was fake, Sui Xing’s eyes went wide. After a long pause, he said, “I’ve got to admit, these villagers know how to make money.”

Hai Shu said, “Indeed. Without ‘To Live After Death,’ Guibai Village’s tourism wouldn’t have developed this far.”

Sui Xing turned to Hai Shu. “What are you thinking?”

Hai Shu crossed her arms. “If Liu the Fool isn’t really foolish, could he have deliberately staged that act during ‘To Live After Death’? Immediate effect: scare the guests away. Soon, more and more people would realize the event isn’t a real folk custom.”

Sui Xing was silent for a moment. “Does he hold a grudge against Guibai Village?”

Hai Shu shook her head. “I don’t know about a grudge, but there’s a coincidental timing. His family went missing and missed the chance to benefit from the village’s prosperity. The Liu family had the best life in the village, but before the Flower Viewing Festival planning, Liu the Fool’s two older brothers had accidents in Jianglu City. His parents went there and also disappeared. Now, across the entire village, the only one who didn’t get rich is Liu the Fool.”

Sui Xing exhaled, running a hand down his back. “I feel a chill… like a headless fly.”

Hai Shu felt similarly. At first, the clues were tangled like a mess; every direction had doubts. The most troublesome point was that the victim’s identity remained unknown.

Hai Shu asked, “Did you find any new clues from Liu the Fool today?”

Sui Xing opened his notebook. “I was just going to tell you. Liu the Fool seems miserable, but his life is actually not bad. The village applied for welfare for him. The public social assistance is small, but after Guibai Village prospered, villagers set up a support fund to help those who, for various reasons, missed out on the tourism profits.”

Hai Shu said, “So in Guibai Village, it’s Liu the Fool who missed out?”

“Yes. So the money he receives isn’t small—over nine thousand per month,” Sui Xing said. “Higher than many working in the city. Guibai Village did well in that regard.”

Hai Shu frowned. “It’s good, but…”

Sui Xing: “Hmm?”

“Too high,” Hai Shu said. “Considering the overall living standard in Guibai District and Huiyong City, if Liu the Fool got around four thousand yuan a month, that would be reasonable. Over nine thousand can be explained as the villagers being generous, but it could also be explained as…”

She didn’t finish the sentence, because there was no evidence—just a highly subjective guess. It was dark, born from a detective’s near-instinctive reasoning after seeing the worst of humanity.

Sui Xing quickly understood. “Like… to hush him with money? To buy his silence?”

Hai Shu took a breath and asked, “Anything else? What does Liu the Fool usually do in the village?”

Sui Xing said, “Wanders around, does nothing. But villagers said they’ve seen him driving a three-wheeled vehicle to the new town.”

Hai Shu asked, “What does he do in the new town?”

The new town of Guibai District relied on Guibai Village. Most commerce was related to tourism. Streets and buildings were modern; in peak season, crowds surged, and even off-season, many young people came to check in.

Sui Xing said, “Haven’t found that out yet. I’ll make a trip to the new town later.”

Since the fabricated “To Live After Death” custom was exposed, Hai Shu noticed the villagers’ resentment had grown. The police hadn’t publicly disclosed this investigation, but many media personnel had arrived in Guibai Village over the past couple of days. They weren’t bound by procedures and could learn the truth about “To Live After Death” more easily than the police. Soon, the festival was being dissected online; Guibai Village was being picked apart.

Villagers thought it was all caused by the police. Walking through the village alleys, Hai Shu constantly encountered resentful gazes. The media could not be fully driven away; their presence objectively acted as additional eyes for the police.

As Hai Shu walked, organizing her clues, suddenly a wolfdog burst out from the right, barking aggressively at her. Hai Shu wasn’t afraid of dogs, but its sudden charge made her tense. She looked toward the yard it came from; the people inside, seeing her turn, cowered.

Such homestay dogs are usually tied up to avoid scaring guests. This dog was clearly let loose deliberately to make her uncomfortable.

Hai Shu ignored the dog. After following her for a moment, it returned.

In a short time, Hai Shu experienced several such incidents. Some young men squatted on the roadside, looking at her with ill intent, like they wanted trouble but lacked the courage.

Hai Shu knew well that the investigation had just begun and more would surface later; these villagers were already restless.

Some team members were asking about women who visited Guibai Village last autumn, especially solo travelers. Villagers said such people existed but were vague about whether they had contact with Liu the Fool. Hai Shu instructed the team to try to get names for further verification.

Liu the Fool could be said to be the most relaxed person in the village at the moment. In the police station, he ate and slept as he pleased, and even smiled at anyone greeting him.

Hai Shu once again sat in front of him, giving him the village’s famous spicy cold jelly.

He drank a bottle of Mirinda after eating; Hai Shu had that sent to him as well.

“I met your former classmates and teachers. They all said you were very talented,” Hai Shu said, looking into Liu the Fool’s eyes. She saw no hesitation in his expression. “If you hadn’t drowned that time, you would definitely have been the top college student in Guibai Village.”

Liu the Fool shook his head and smiled innocently.

“But someone as smart as you, why did you fall into that pond?” Hai Shu continued. “This isn’t my suspicion—it’s what your classmates thought was strange. It’s like… like you jumped in on purpose.”

Liu the Fool laughed for a long time, then turned as if about to cry. “I fell in, I fell in. I wasn’t careful, and my dad hit me with a stick.”

Hai Shu: “Why hit you with a stick? Weren’t you in critical condition then?”

“Hit me after I got better. Said I was disobedient, almost died.” Liu the Fool lightly tapped the table, indignant. “I survived just fine, but they’re all dead.”

Hai Shu said, “How do you know they’re dead? They’re just missing.”

Liu the Fool thought for a few minutes. “They’re dead. Otherwise, why haven’t they come back?”

Hai Shu said, “Before your parents went to look for your brothers, did they say anything to you? After they left, did you stay in touch?”

Liu the Fool shook his head. “Gone… that’s it!”

Hai Shu said, “Then let’s talk about Xiao Wei. Why is she called Xiao Wei? We couldn’t find her household registration. Were you lying?”

Liu the Fool said in surprise, “I never lie! She’s Xiao Wei! She’s very pretty!”

“Do you know how she died?”

“Because she had to ‘Live After Death.’”

Talking with Liu the Fool was frustrating, but it had to be done. After coming out, Hai Shu smoked a cigarette, feeling her mind clouded.

At that moment, Cheng Wei arrived with the footprint analysis results. “Team Leader Hai, these shoes really aren’t ordinary.”

Hai Shu took a look. “Special issue… military supplies?”

Cheng Wei was a little proud. “Not even in our database. I had to ask a friend. These are special operations boots from the military. Could it be stolen military supplies?”

Special forces’ military supplies stolen? Hai Shu instinctively denied it in her mind. She suddenly thought of the three strangers she had met at the municipal bureau—the last man indoors was even wearing sunglasses to show off.

Although the man wasn’t in uniform and only wore ordinary leather shoes, his swagger was nothing like someone there to cooperate with the investigation.

There were only a few people who would come to the municipal bureau—countable on one hand. Coupled with what Qiao Heng had mentioned about the special ops, the answer was obvious.

Hai Shu twitched the corner of her mouth, showing a wry, almost-smile. So those special ops had arrived in Guibai District unnoticed? Came without any announcement, and to see the cordoned-off key site, they even had to climb the wall. Why would the criminal investigation team refuse if they gave notice?

Cheng Wei, seeing Hai Shu’s expression shift, asked, “Team Leader Hai, are you okay?”

Hai Shu snapped back to herself and smiled. “I’m fine, fine. Thank you for your hard work, Xiao Cheng.”

Cheng Wei was puzzled and went back to continue studying the footprints.

Hai Shu didn’t pay much attention to the special ops’ spying. She had cooperated with similar units before; their nature meant they would never appear openly like ordinary detectives. They always hid in the dark—not only to avoid detection by enemies but even from colleagues—striking when no one expected it.

Knowing such a group existed could give those standing in the light a sense of security. Yet Hai Shu still felt a subtle irritation—why were all her actions under their surveillance, yet all she could see were their shoes?

Still, annoyance aside, the work had to continue. Hai Shu contacted Wen Xu; reducing the workload for familial DNA comparisons was huge, and results weren’t ready yet. She also called Qiao Heng, who said, “I just got a reply from Jianglu City. I’m organizing my thoughts, and then your call came.”

Hai Shu sensed something unusual. “What kind of news?”

Qiao Heng said, “Hmm, let me think…”

The person Qiao Heng had asked for help was a university buddy and is now the head of criminal investigations in Jianglu City. Once he understood the situation, he immediately dispatched capable Officer Li to investigate.

Over ten years ago, Jianglu City was rapidly developing, with massive urban construction everywhere. Big companies took large projects and subdivided them, sustaining many small teams. Though work opportunities were plentiful, the “cake” was limited, and the number of people wanting a piece was infinite. Conflicts between micro engineering teams occurred almost daily, some resulting in fatalities.

Fortunately, the police records from that time were digitized. Officer Li found that Liu the Fool’s two brothers, Liu Ming and Liu Li, did indeed have a conflict with another engineering team. When the station responded, the altercation had escalated to a brawl. Liu’s brothers and three from the other team were injured, but not seriously.

The leader of the other team, surnamed Leng, was a very burly man. At the station, he berated Liu’s brothers for disrupting local competition, accusing them of dirty, immoral tactics. From today’s perspective, Leng was just xenophobic—he hated the Liu brothers as outsiders and rallied other teams to cause trouble.

The station mediated for a long time, seemingly punishing both sides equally, but leaned toward the locals. The Liu brothers felt wronged and vowed not to back down—they would reclaim their standing in Jianglu City.

Police records showed the fight happened on June 10, while the report of the Liu family’s disappearance to Jianglu City police by Liu Village Chief and two other villagers was on September 8 of the same year—a three-month gap. According to villagers, after the Liu brothers were wronged, they contacted home, probably just asking for money to continue a project. But when the parents heard their sons had been mistreated, they immediately packed and went, and then disappeared.

The village was puzzled; leaving behind a “fool” like Liu the Fool, Guibai Village, being united, decided that Liu Village Chief should lead people to Jianglu City to investigate. The group left in late August, found nothing, and reported to police. The news they brought back was that Jianglu police didn’t take the matter seriously, and all they could do was wait. A decade passed, and everyone, including Liu the Fool, assumed the Liu family had been done away with by the Jianglu City contractors.

Officer Li, however, discovered that the station had immediately launched an investigation and identified Leng as the primary suspect. But Leng was not in Jianglu City during the Liu family’s disappearance; he was working on a project in a neighboring city. Furious, he insisted that he only acted openly and would never commit secret crimes.

Police found no evidence of him committing the crime or hiring someone. After investigation, he was released. But the investigation into the Liu family continued. Officer Li discovered the Liu brothers took another contract in July. After completion, the client liked working with them and signed another contract for September—but when the time came, the client could not reach the Liu brothers.

Furthermore, Guibai villagers said the missing were the Liu family’s four members, but when Officer Li asked the police who had investigated back then, they repeatedly shook their heads—no evidence showed the parents had arrived in Jianglu City. Where exactly the parents disappeared was uncertain, though villagers insisted they had gone to Jianglu City.

Officer Li found Leng, now a successful businessman, smiling like a Buddha. Surprised at Li’s visit, he said, “What, the family still hasn’t been found?”

Li tested him. “Yes, and their disappearance is linked to a recent case.”

Leng remained unmoved. “Li, after all these years, you still think I did away with the Lius. I’ll tell you again, it wasn’t me. I could never do such a filthy thing. I got to where I am by making money, not killing. Back then at the station, after the senior cops scolded me, I thought, why put myself forward? I just wanted money. My cousin had a big project elsewhere, asked me to help—I went. It’s all recorded. I wasn’t in Jianglu City; it really wasn’t me. Oh, and their parents—I never even saw them.”

Afterwards, Qiao Heng asked, “Any thoughts?”

Hai Shu listened and took notes. “Leng may or may not be the culprit, but finding evidence now is basically impossible. So we consider another perspective—he didn’t lie. After that conflict, Leng and the Liu brothers kept to themselves, taking projects separately with no further contact. The Liu brothers weren’t destitute; their fights with local teams gave them some reputation. Subsequent work continued, cooperating well with clients. Before disappearing, they even had new contracts. From this, they wouldn’t have reason to seek revenge on Leng or anyone else. The change happened late August to early September—they disappeared. Villagers claim Liu’s parents left for Jianglu City in June, but the Jianglu police say the parents never appeared there. They might have had an incident immediately after leaving Guibai Village.”

Qiao Heng said, “The Liu Village Chief and others went to Jianglu City in late August–early September. Only their departure and the brothers’ disappearance are verifiable. The parents’ departure time is vague, based on villagers’ accounts.”

Hai Shu frowned, silent for a moment. “Actually, Liu Village Chief’s trip to Jianglu City is also vague; all we know is they reported the disappearance on September 8.”

Qiao Heng lightly tapped the table, waiting for Hai Shu to continue.

Hai Shu said, “I have a theory. No evidence yet, just a hypothesis based on existing clues.”

Qiao Heng nodded. “I’m listening.”

“Liu the Fool receives over nine thousand yuan monthly from the villagers’ fund. That’s absurdly high. Rather than just living expenses, I suspect it’s a form of compensation, or… hush money,” Hai Shu said. “The Liu brothers’ conflict in Jianglu City is factual, but it was resolved. At the time, earning money was the priority. They were healthy, capable, and sending their parents there doesn’t make sense—especially with a foolish younger brother at home who needed them more. Guibai Village was preparing to shift its economy toward tourism, yet the Village Chief went to Jianglu City looking for the Liu family—contacting them was only their claim. So I think the Liu parents disappeared, or were killed, not in Jianglu City, but on the way there, perhaps even in Guibai Village. The Village Chief taking villagers to Jianglu City was to handle the Liu brothers.”