Wandering Gods of Day and Night-Chapter 28 - 25 Faith

28: Chapter 25 Faith

28 -25 Faith

“There really is a hint of a Blood Sacrifice…” Liu Tianen’s voice got quieter and quieter, as if afraid to startle something.

Zhou Xuan assisted in the analysis.

“This poem, its original meaning is ‘fate that is unknowingly stirred and grows deeper and stronger; living people might die voluntarily for the sake of fate, while the dead might be revived because of it!

If living people cannot die voluntarily and the dead cannot be revived, it’s because fate hasn’t reached its extreme.'”

“Of course, the lyrics are fixed; changing a few words is still not enough to convey Mr.

Dai’s personal experience, but based solely on these lyrics, Mr.

Dai must have seized some kind of fate, this mystic power that comes with such fate can transcend life and death.

Such great fate doesn’t come out of nowhere, naturally it comes from…” Zhou Xuan deliberately didn’t finish speaking, pointed up to sky, then pointed down to earth, leaving the rest unsaid.

Heaven and earth,

Gods and ghosts.

“Oh, fate comes from deities, Buddha, Evil Ghosts…

Hence Mr.

Dai would perform a Blood Sacrifice, using his own life as a sacrifice to receive the enlightenment of fate.

We are indeed getting closer to the truth…

and very close at that!”

Liu Tianen enjoyed immersing himself in the torrent of thoughts, though he didn’t think much, but he did think.

The rhythm of the conversation was mostly controlled by Zhou Xuan, but Liu Tianen was not completely led by the nose.

He wasn’t a simpleton.

One who has had many years of dealing with the strange ghosts, Divine People, and supernatural events in Ping Shui Prefecture naturally has his abilities.

He carefully considered Zhou Xuan’s deductions, and faintly saw a key point, saying, “Brother Zhou, your deductions are penetrating, but there is a lapse…”

What?

There’s a lapse?

Let’s hear the recommendation from Director Liu, and then I’ll continue to fabricate!

The storytelling rhythm was interrupted, but Zhou Xuan was not panicked.

His expression remained calm, and he made a “please” gesture, generously saying, “Director Liu, your guidance, please.”

“It’s not really guidance…

I once had the fortune to hear Master Jianchi from Yunhe Temple preaching.

He said that when Buddha enlightens mortals, timing is crucial, once the moment of Chan opportunity is missed, the fate is also gone.

If the moment has not yet come, even enlightenment won’t take.

Mr.

Dai’s opportunity may not come from the Buddha, but the principle is the same, it depends on the very strict timing, but today, Mr.

Dai’s Blood Sacrifice ceremony did not present the element of timing.”

“It did!”

Zhou Xuan murmured to himself – So Director Liu doubts the timing, which actually doesn’t need fabricating, the truth will do.

Phew!

He silently breathed a sigh of relief.

Luckily, the most central nexus is not doubted by Director Liu, otherwise it would indeed be tough to fabricate.

But this core nexus,

Within the entire Zhou Family’s Troupe and the hundreds of villagers who acted as eyewitnesses, aside from Zhou Xuan, no one else should have seen it.

As long as he keeps his mouth shut, no second person would know.

“When did the timing appear?

Regarding the timing of Mr.

Dai’s Blood Sacrifice ceremony.”

Liu Tianen took out the small notebook he carried with him, opened his Mailing steel pen and shook it, ready to record at any time.

Zhou Xuan temporarily left to find a playbill, spread it out on the table, and pointed to the row of numbers representing the date and time in the upper left corner, saying: “Usually, after the clients choose the play, both parties will discuss and fix the exact time for the start of the Netherworld Play.

I’ve asked my sister-in-law, and today’s showtime was not the result of a discussion between both parties; it was picked by Mr.

Dai himself, disregarding the suggestions of the troupe.

The time for the opening of the Netherworld Play is fixed, as is the duration of the performance…”

“Can your performances really be timed?” Liu Tianen was somewhat skeptical.

“Of course they can be, an orthodox pear garden troupe can sing for as long as they want when they’re in a good mood, but we are a Netherworld Play Troupe, there are so many guests waiting at the funeral, and there are various procedures in the funeral to go through.

The performance time must be fixed and not delay the main household’s funeral.”

“Boss, indeed that’s the case…”

Liu Jiaotian chimed in from the side: “Actors in the Netherworld Play Troupe are always mindful of the time like carrying a watch.

If it’s required to perform for only five minutes, then it will only be five minutes.

This is our basic skill to make a living, outsiders can’t question it.”

“Hmm.”

After listening, Liu Tianen wrote down the notes and eagerly looked at Zhou Xuan: “Brother Zhou, please continue.”

“The performance time is fixed.

Mr.

Dai’s Blood Sacrifice ceremony began right after the performance.

In other words, by picking the right time for the Netherworld Play to start, he can perfectly make the time of the Blood Sacrifice ceremony align with his plan.

That was the timing!

He chose it!”

“So that’s how it is…” Liu Tianen’s hand quivered a bit with excitement as he wrote.

The progress of the case was much smoother than he imagined.

Now his head didn’t feel so heavy, and he felt spirited, writing the record, hey, it wouldn’t be tiring to write five pages in one breath.

But just as the excitement was building, Liu Jiaotian threw a bucket of cold water over Liu Tianen’s head: “It seems the Young Master has forgotten something…Today, when you went to pick up Mr.

Dai for the performance, you were late, missing the opening time…um…by about half an hour.”

After hearing this, Liu Tianen turned his gaze to Zhou Xuan, hesitantly saying, “Could it be that this half-hour delay was also part of Mr.

Dai’s plan?

Intentionally late?

Is the old guy that sly?”

“It wasn’t intentional!

Mr.

Dai really did run late; plans can’t keep up with changes, after all.

So, to avoid missing the opportune moment, he took corrective measures.”

“How did he correct it.”

“He used his status as the financier to cut the final act of the Netherworld Play, ‘Monkey King’s Birth,’ which is a lively act that just happens to last half an hour.

Starting half an hour late and ending half an hour early, all in all, the timing still falls within Mr.

Dai’s plan.”

“Is that so?” Liu Tianen asked Liu Jiaotian.

But Liu Jiaotian just waved his hand, saying, “I don’t know; I always feel exhausted after a performance and then go back to the dressing room to rest a bit, so…so…so…”

She grew nervous again.

Liu Tianen, annoyed with the person who couldn’t get the words out after mumbling for a long time, waved Liu Jiaotian away and called over Xu Li, asking if Mr.

Dai had indeed cut the last act.

Xu Li was infuriated when he heard this, saying, “Yes, those kids playing monkeys had been preparing for so many days, so clever and diligent, every one of them impressive. freēwēbηovel.c૦m

In the end, they didn’t even get to perform; they would have been better off putting on a show in the street.

What a waste of time…”

It had to be said that, although Xu Li was rambling, his words were truly infectious.

Listening to his litany of grievances, Zhou Xuan couldn’t help but think of the image of the little actors who couldn’t perform their monkey play, huddling together and crying backstage.

Such a pity,

Just when the little monkeys were about to take the stage, both literary and martial arts were set to flourish; but before the blossoming, the roots were cruelly torn out!

“Right, Director Liu, there’s another detail.

When Mr.

Dai died, he had a smile on his face, with a look of extreme satisfaction…” Zhou Xuan offered a reminder.

Actually,

He too originally thought that the villagers eating Mr.

Dai was nothing more than a supernatural incident of an Evil Ghost devouring people.

But only after feeling the deceased Mr.

Dai’s smile did he link all the incidents together and deduced that Mr.

Dai had come to offer himself as a sacrifice.

“Because he completed the Blood Sacrifice, so he smiled out of satisfaction?”

Liu Tianen reviewed all the information in his brain and, once his thoughts matured, quickly outlined the thread of this case on paper.

First, Mr.

Dai discovered some kind of “faith” which promised to grant him power over life and death.

This granting wasn’t unconditional; the “faith” chose Mr.

Dai’s flesh and blood as a sacrifice.

Then, Mr.

Dai planned a Blood Sacrifice.

Using the Netherworld Play as the venue for the Blood Sacrifice,

using the end time of the Netherworld Play as the moment to receive the enlightenment from the “faith”.

After that,

the Blood Sacrifice began under the direction of Mr.

Dai, with his flesh disappearing into thin air and the living becoming a pile of bare bones by its conclusion.

The motive, timing, process, and crime scene were all there; the investigation was basically complete, with just one last question remaining.

If this last question could also yield a satisfactory answer, Liu Tianen could hand over the investigation results to the capture squad of the magistrate’s office so they could seek solid evidence…

Once the crucial evidence was found, the case could be closed, and the reward claimed.

Actually, whether or not there’s a reward doesn’t really matter; what’s important is to have a heart that seeks truth and justice!

Well,

Liu Tianen almost fooled himself.

He restrained his joy and redirected his attention back to the case.

“The final question, Brother Zhou, if Mr.

Dai had long planned for the Blood Sacrifice, why didn’t he carry it out secretly?

Instead, he invited Zhou Family’s Troupe, a well-known Netherworld Play troupe, and even publicized it in the newspapers, making it known throughout the city?”

Liu Tianen was not new to Blood Sacrifice cases; he was well aware of the strict controls on sacrificial practices in Ping Shui Prefecture in recent years.

These controls were quite effective, and although sacrifices still occurred frequently, the scale had been greatly reduced, most moving to the rural countryside.

The number of participants each time was also reduced, varying from a few to a dozen or so; nothing as blatant as Mr.

Dai’s.

Mobilizing a great effort, making a grand scene!

Zhou Xuan rested his chin on his hand, sighed, and slowly shook his head.

“Even someone as capable as Brother Zhou can’t provide a reasonable explanation?”

“It’s not that, I’m afraid…”

“I, Lao Liu, have your back!

What’s there to fear?!”

Zhou Xuan: “I’m afraid that if your case wraps up too smoothly, you’ll become arrogant!”

“…,” said Liu Tianen.