It was a tiny, dark red speck of soil.
I held the dirt in my hand and examined it carefully.
The red clay had a strange, indescribable smell, but I couldn't quite put my finger on what was so strange about it.
Am I overthinking it?
"What is this?" Luo Tianhe leaned closer, somewhat puzzled.
I sniffed, my expression changed drastically, and I finally recognized what it was:
"This is special soil used to line coffins! My grandfather said it can suppress the corpse, but it can also make the dead absorb the earth's energy and become restless. Besides, this method is usually used for burial in rural areas, but his father was cremated, wasn't he?!"
Why would corpse-suppressing soil be found in the cold storage of a funeral home?
Luo Tianhe and I exchanged a glance, both of us noticing the seriousness in each other's eyes.
"Brother Yan, what kind of special soil? Isn't soil just dug from the ground? Is there such a thing as special soil?!" Li Huai scratched his head and asked, somewhat puzzled.
"This stuff is said to be made from the deepest, darkest soil of a century-old grave, mixed with cinnabar and realgar, dried ingredients, and grass from the grave mound, and prepared at midnight during the yin hour!"
"This kind of soil can suppress the corpse, preventing it from decaying or stiffening. But it also traps a lingering aura of misfortune, making it difficult for the soul to leave the body. Over time, the corpse can easily become tainted by the yin energy of the ground!"
I explained it to them.
Luo Tianhe frowned as he listened: "So, someone deliberately put this thing on Old Master Zhao's body. But this is cremation. He's already burned to ashes. What's the point of suppressing the corpse then?"
“That’s the problem.” I pulled out a yellow talisman, wrapped up the dirt, and stuffed it into my pocket. “How do you know his body was cremated?”
I turned to look at Director Wang, whose face was ashen, and Zhao Jianguo, who was both terrified and furious: "Mr. Zhao, please think carefully about whether there was anything unusual before or after the old man's cremation. Or was there any special procedure or strange person involved during the cremation?"
Zhao Jianguo frowned, trying hard to recall. Suddenly, as if he had just remembered something, he said with eyes wide with rage:
"Yes, the car and people from the hotel that day seemed normal, but when the body was being loaded into the car, I saw a person wearing dark blue overalls, a mask and hat, sneaking around a few times and even reaching out as if to hold the stretcher."
I was preoccupied at the time and didn't pay much attention, assuming it was a long-time employee of the funeral home.
Looking back now, the weather wasn't exactly cool, and he was bundled up so tightly, even covering his face completely, it definitely wasn't because he was cold!
"Isn't that guy a bit short, a little hunchbacked, and has a mole on his left eyebrow?" Director Wang suddenly interjected, his voice trembling slightly.
"He's not very tall and a bit hunchbacked, but he was wearing a mask covering his face, so I couldn't see if he had a mole on his eyebrow," Zhao Jianguo said after thinking carefully.
"That's Old Liu, it must be him! What was he doing there that day instead of picking up the body?! What did that damned bastard do? Was he trying to destroy the funeral home?!" Director Wang pounded his chest and stamped his feet, looking furious.
I can't tell if this guy is acting or if he genuinely feels he's been tricked.
The situation is becoming increasingly confusing.
Taking advantage of his position, Lao Liu tampered with Lao Zhao's cremation process!
He brought in this corpse-suppressing soil one hundred percent!
But what is he after?
Old Master Zhao is just a farmer, what could possibly make him go to such lengths?
I looked up at Zhao Jianguo:
"Mr. Zhao, is there anything special about your father? For example, did he work as a feng shui master when he was young?"
“No, my father is just an ordinary old farmer. How could he be involved with a feng shui master?” Zhao Jianguo shook his head.
This made me swallow all the questions I wanted to ask later. I thought he might be like my grandfather, someone with some knowledge and skills.
Or perhaps it's someone like Li Huai, whose fate is rather unique, and whose corpse is easily coveted.
But Zhao Jianguo had no reason to lie to me; he was terrified.
Now I am his lifeline, and he will definitely tell me everything he knows.
“Director Wang, I’m giving you a chance to redeem yourself. You should know Lao Liu’s address and where he’s from, right? Has he done anything unusual lately, or mentioned any particular person?” I said, staring at Director Wang.
At this moment, whether to make amends or to distance himself from the situation, Director Wang was spilling everything he knew, like a dumpling pouring from a bamboo tube.
"He lived in the staff dormitory, which was the row of bungalows behind the funeral home. His hometown seemed to be in the northern mountainous area, but I don't know which village exactly."
"As for the strange things lately, he mentioned it to me once when he was drunk. He said there was a very efficacious temple for a goddess in the back mountain of his hometown, and the incense burning there was very strange; people would go to burn incense in the middle of the night!"
"And he's been living a very extravagant life lately. He's switched to better cigarettes and keeps taking sick leave, saying he's not feeling well, but he seems to be in great spirits!"
"Oh, right, he also secretly set up a small shrine in his dorm room, covered it with a black cloth so no one could see it. One night when I was checking up on him, I happened to peek through his window and found that what was enshrined inside wasn't Guanyin Bodhisattva or any deities, but a little wooden figure in red clothes, which looked really eerie!"
Director Wang is now extremely cooperative, wishing he could explain every single hair on Old Liu's body.
I fell into deep thought: the little wooden figure in red, the temple of the goddess, and burning incense at midnight.
Is this a human or a ghost being worshipped?!
"Now, take us to his dorm!" I decided immediately.
Now, Director Wang dared not disobey us. He led us around the main building and to a row of low, dilapidated bungalows at the back.
Seeing this ward, I couldn't help but twitch my lips. This is what they call staff dormitory?
I think this thing was converted from a pigsty.
Soon, Director Wang led us to the door of Lao Liu's dormitory. The door was locked. Luo Tianhe raised his foot to kick it without saying a word, but I quickly stopped him.
"Why are you kicking it like that? What if he's set something up inside? You'll be in big trouble!"
I gestured to Director Wang to go find the spare key, and he nodded and bowed, then hurriedly ran to find the logistics department.
We waited there, and Zhao Jianguo looked worried and fell into deep thought.
It's no wonder he felt terrible about this. The old man, who was originally healthy, suddenly died, and it was only after his death that it was discovered that he might have been murdered.
Most importantly, he's also harassing his entire family, making it impossible for them to make a living, and they can only rely on us for help.
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