Chapter 27 - 27 24 Mr

27: Chapter 24 Mr. Dai’s Loophole 27: Chapter 24 Mr. Dai’s Loophole “Blood Sacrifice? Ritual?” Director Liu Tianen had heard of such things before; in fact, he had heard quite a bit. Ghosts and Divine People both have similar rituals, especially the Divine People from the witch factions and the ghosts from the Matriarch of Mang Mountain camp, who are very fond of these kinds of rituals. But according to his understanding of Mr. Dai, Dai Siming’s faith in Maitreya Buddha should not lead him to be keen on such rituals. Director Liu Tianen pondered: “A Maitreya devotee like Mr. Dai shouldn’t be presiding over a blood sacrifice ritual, right?” “Are you talking about that kind of Maitreya?” Zhou Xuan pointed to the cramped Maitreya Buddha statues along the Corridor River and said. “Otherwise?” “Have you ever considered that they might not be the true Maitreya…” “Hiss!” Director Liu Tianen had to admit that he was swayed by the young man’s words, and he began to think deeply along the lines suggested by Zhou Xuan. These Maitreya Buddha statues had been placed in the corridor for many years, and no one ever questioned whether they were fake. Every year, Maitreya Buddha disciples from Mingjiang Prefecture and Guangyuan Prefecture come to Ping Shui Prefecture, and they are all willing to worship in the temples along the Corridor River, claiming that the Buddhas here are miraculous. Could it be that none of them realized that these Buddhas are not genuine? “In this day and age, there are too many deceptions, and how many can discern the true from the false…” Suddenly, Zhou Xuan cut off his words, leaned close to Director Liu Tianen’s ear, and whispered, “For instance, Mr. Dai does good deeds, wanting to perform a requiem play for those six death-row inmates. This event is publicly known throughout the city via the newspapers, but how many people know… that those six people are not death-row inmates at all?” Buzz— Zhou Xuan’s words were like a thick cudgel swung at his head, making Director Liu Tianen’s mind buzz. Others may not know, but Director Liu Tianen was aware. Those six were indeed not real death-row inmates; it was merely Mr. Dai’s public assertion that claimed they were. While it seems to be just publicity, it still required notifying the Prison Director of Pingjiang Prefecture, who, after accepting Mr. Dai’s “respectable” services, turned a blind eye and refrained from inquiring further. Prison Director Guo Changye was an old friend of Director Liu Tianen. After Mr. Dai’s incident, Guo Changye called Director Liu Tianen’s office, explained everything, and begged him to help keep the identity of those six death-row inmates under wraps. “Lao Liu, Mr. Dai’s case is a homicide case, and naturally, the investigation will focus on the homicide aspect. Whatever happens, do not involve me.” Some truths are weighty without measure, while others become overwhelming once placed on the scales. Guo Changye understood this, and so did Director Liu Tianen. “May I have a word?” Director Liu Tianen sensed a “danger” emanating from Zhou Xuan and considered continuing their conversation in public risky, potentially exposing some secrets. “Sure.” Zhou Xuan pointed to the empty space in front of the stage where, not long ago, the audience was seated listening to the opera. It was also here that the one-eyed villagers who ripped off Mr. Dai appeared. The grass in the open space was thick like a quilt, soft and cushy to step on, surrounded by a circle of willow trees. The trees grew strong, with luxuriant branches whose surfaces seemed coated with a matte finish, exuding vitality. Director Liu Tianen chose to talk beside a willow tree. His attitude toward Zhou Xuan was no longer overbearing but much more polite: “Young man, what is your name?” “Zhou Xuan!” “Oh, the Young Master from Zhou Family’s Troupe.” Director Liu Tianen looked up at the stage a little distance away and asked, “Those six so-called death-row inmates are definitely not real death-row inmates, but their true identities are unknown to us…” He really didn’t know, Nor did Guo Changye. He was only responsible for providing convenience to Mr. Dai; he had no time to inquire about the origins of a few dead people. “Hmm.” “Don’t just hum… Tell me about the blood sacrifice ritual. If Mr. Dai was both the host of the ritual and used himself as a sacrifice, what exactly is going on?” Director Liu Tianen was waiting for the main topic. Although he had already considered Zhou Family’s Troupe as a potential scapegoat, it was only a backup because he was not a man without principles. If the case could be smoothly resolved with the truth uncovered, it would be done properly; he would resort to underhand methods only if the truth remained elusive. Courtesy before force, he was a man of decorum. Zhou Xuan didn’t dive straight into the topic but asked instead: “Director Liu, what is your relationship with Mr. Dai like?” “Well, I know him. When we meet, we can greet each other. He’s an influential figure in Ping Shui Prefecture, one of the esteemed Mr. Bai Yun, a member of the Benevolence Society, and me… Heh heh…” Director Liu Tianen gave a bitter laugh: “Just a cold official who deals with bizarre ‘patients’ every day.” Yes, Director Liu has a rough idea in his heart. Zhou Xuan then asked, “What do you think about Mr. Dai’s health condition?” “Very good.” “But from my interaction with Mr. Dai today, he seemed like he wouldn’t live past tomorrow. He kept saying ‘my whole life,’ ‘this lifetime,’ all words with a summarizing tone. And from the bridge to the opera stage, he was constantly sighing. Whether seeing a house or encountering a temple, even spotting a railing post, he would sigh. Now I think about it, those were not sighs. He was saying farewell to his memories, bidding farewell to his life. He knew perfectly well that he would die today.” Liu Tianen shook his head and said, “Maybe you misinterpreted his words? When coming here, my subordinates reported to me that Mr. Dai had detailed business plans. At the end of the ‘Ghost Opera,’ he also announced his plans to build factories, unite with the charity organization and construct a hospital at Corridor River…” “Those were lies he made up.” Zhou Xuan said, “On the carriage, he told my eldest martial brother that he was going to invest in an oil refinery this year, but when announcing his plans, he said he was going to invest in three factories! First one, then three. He is a shrewd businessman, and businessmen are usually extraordinarily sensitive to numbers, unlikely to make mistakes on such simple figures. But he did make a mistake, it can only mean that all his plans were concocted lies, he knew they were lies, and he didn’t care to remember the details.” Liu Tianen found it more and more reasonable, but this was all speculation… to be precise… guesswork! “Your speculation can only prove that Mr. Dai foresaw his own death, and it brings us no progress in the direction of the ‘Blood Sacrifice Ritual.'” “Let’s go!” Zhou Xuan got up and headed towards the opera stage. “Where to?” “To find Liu Jiaotian, to find the evidence you want,” Zhou Xuan replied. … Liu Jiaotian is the mainstay of Zhou Family’s Troupe, usually somewhat cold and proud, which fits her persona as a genius. Genius is arrogant and dismissive of the world. However, Liu Jiaotian, at this moment, was shivering all over, her face pale. No matter how well she sings, she is ultimately a delicate woman. Sёarch* The novёlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Facing someone as ruthless as Liu Tianen, she was very nervous, especially since she felt guilty. “Mr. Liu, don’t be nervous.” Zhou Xuan understood the rules of opera troupes. Famous opera singers, regardless of gender, were all addressed as ‘Mr.’ “Uh… Uh…” Liu Jiaotian could only manage a simple response, her voice trembling uncontrollably. “The opera you sang today was ‘The Interrupted Dream in the Garden,’ right?” “Ah?” Her astonished “Ah” exposed Liu Jiaotian’s stereotypical impression of Zhou Xuan. She remembered the Young Master as a wastrel who didn’t study and spent large sums of money fawning over the opera stars, yet he couldn’t remember a single line of a song. How could he know she sang ‘The Interrupted Dream in the Garden’? Before Liu Jiaotian could respond, Zhou Xuan asked again, “You changed a lot of the lyrics in this opera!” “No… I didn’t!” “Not only did you change the lyrics, but you also altered the singing style. If you won’t admit it, I will go find the third senior brother now and let him speak.” Third senior brother Li Shuangyi is the troupe’s chief instructor. Whether he sings well or not is another matter, but he definitely knows opera, so he would be clear whether the lyrics were changed or not. “I did change it…” Liu Jiaotian no longer dared to be stubborn and admitted it, while coming up with an excuse for such an unorthodox change: “But, we are singing ‘Ghost Opera,’ it’s not like the formal pear garden, so changing lyrics is common, sometimes…” “Whether you change the lyrics or not, it’s not a big concern to me, you don’t need to explain. I just want to ask you—did you change the lyrics because you received money from Mr. Dai?” Zhou Xuan’s words were incredibly direct, so blunt that Liu Jiaotian couldn’t believe this was the Young Master. Was he always so sharp in speech? She felt as if she was naked in front of the Young Master, seen through by his eyes. Oh, speaking of eyes… the Young Master’s eyes seem to have become much more attractive than before, with high arching corners and bright pupils… Zhou Xuan couldn’t really see through people’s hearts; if he could, he’d spew blood from frustration—man, my nerves are already on edge, and you’re here playing sickly, romantic dramas with me? “Just answer yes or no,” Zhou Xuan’s patience was rapidly depleting. Damn, is it this hard to communicate with famous opera singers? “Yes! Mr. Dai gave me three thousand Jing Country Currency… he specifically asked me to change the words and singing style.” Liu Tianen, hearing this, abruptly stood up and asked, “What words did you change?” “These ones.” Zhou Xuan pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to Liu Tianen, “I wrote it down for you earlier.” The lyrics Liu Jiaotian changed after her modifications were written on the paper—Destiny begins unknowingly, and deepens as it goes. The living can die, the dead can live. Those who live without the possibility of death, and those who die without the possibility of returning to life, have not reached the pinnacle of fate. These lyrics, in the context of the opera, seemed normal. But taken out of context, the striking words “destiny, life, death, resurrection,” in conjunction with Zhou Xuan’s description of the “Blood Sacrifice Ritual,” made Liu Tianen shudder!