Flowers of the Departed Souls - Chapter 11

Tang Xieqiang’s death infuriated Guangming. Four people now, four people.

What was strange this time was that he died under the locust tree where Guangming himself often lay in his childhood. And at the scene, no clues were found. The act of extracting Tang Xieqiang’s heart was done very cleanly, with no blood on the surrounding grass, except for a few drops left by the dog carrying the heart away. It appeared to be the primary crime scene.

Why would the killer bring Tang Xieqiang to this place to murder him? Was the killer challenging him? No, he shouldn’t do that. Another possibility was that Tang Xieqiang came here on his own and then encountered the killer. So, why did Tang Xieqiang come here? Why specifically this place? Guangming felt that everything was subtly connected: the locust tree, Chestnut Alley, Taotie.

What secrets could lie beneath the locust tree and within Chestnut Alley? The former is a common tree and can be initially ignored, but it is intimately linked with Chestnut Alley because that day, Guangming dreamt of Chestnut Alley under that tree. However, this alley seems to exist only in Guangming’s dream that day, or rather, it was a place he visited during an “out-of-body experience,” if a person’s soul can indeed leave the body.

Guangming paid close attention to reports on this topic. Some scientists endorse this view, believing that people who experience out-of-body phenomena are fully conscious. They can think clearly, receive external information as if awake, and freely control their actions, which are even more convenient than when awake. This out-of-body phenomenon is a state of human consciousness. While some scientists believe it’s an illusion caused by sensory confusion, they cannot explain how people in “near-death experiences” can see their souls leaving their bodies. The ancient Greek philosopher Plato even recorded near-death experiences in his famous work, “The Republic.”

So, even if Chestnut Alley was a place he visited after an out-of-body experience, and it was later redeveloped or renamed, why couldn’t it be found? Could it exist in another dimension? A space unintentionally entered under certain complex circumstances, completely unrelated to the real world, like parallel lines that never intersect?

Guangming shook his head, feeling the more he thought about it, the more mysterious it became. Another word surfaced in his mind: Taotie. He immediately searched for related information online and summarized the following points:

1. A legendary gluttonous and cruel monster. Legend has it that the dragon had nine sons, and the fifth was Taotie. It was a fierce and cruel mythical beast from ancient times, fond of eating humans, with a huge appetite and great power. It was used as a talisman by many northern ethnic minorities, who liked to carve its patterns on artifacts, believing that this would allow them to borrow its immense power and avoid being devoured by other fierce beasts, gradually replacing its original cruel, man-eating aspect. “Lü Shi Chun Qiu: Xian Shi” (Spring and Autumn Annals of Master Lü – Discernment) states: “The Zhou tripods are adorned with Taotie, having heads but no bodies, eating people but not yet swallowing, causing harm to themselves, illustrating retribution.” “Shen Yi Jing: Southwest Wasteland Classic” (Classic of Divine Marvels – Southwest Wasteland) states: “There are people in the southwest, with much hair, pigs on their heads, greedy like wolves, fond of accumulating wealth, but not eating human grains. The strong seize from the old and weak, they fear groups and attack the solitary. Their name is Taotie.”
2. Refers to a gluttonous person, especially one who is greedy and voracious. “Wei Shu: Huan Xuan Zhuan” (History of Wei – Biography of Huan Xuan) states: “His extravagance in taking concubines was almost akin to the Six Rites; he even had the Minister of the Department of State Affairs serve as matchmaker and the Grand Historian as guest greeter. His favored concubines were Taotie, celebrating with the Empress.”
3. Reputed to be one of the “Four Evils” during the time of Emperors Yao and Shun. “Zuo Zhuan: Duke Wen’s 18th Year” states: “Shun served Yao, entertained guests at the four gates, banished the four notorious clans: Hundun, Qiongqi, Taowu, and Taotie, casting them to the four remote regions to guard against demons. Thus, when Yao died, the world was unified, and people unanimously supported Shun as emperor because he appointed sixteen wise ministers and removed the four evils.”
4. A compound surname. During the Southern Dynasties, Emperor Wu of Liang bestowed the surname Taotie upon Prince Ji of Wuling. This is recorded in “Liang Shu: Wuling Wang Ji Zhuan” (History of Liang – Biography of Prince Ji of Wuling).

A surname of Taotie? I’ve never heard of it! Guangming mumbled to himself. Just then, Kelou knocked on his door. “Dinner’s ready! Hurry up. Little Jiang is treating us to hotpot tonight. That kid won a couple of hundred in the lottery, so he definitely has to treat us.”

“A couple of hundred and you’re still making him treat? You guys are too unreasonable; he’ll have to pay more than he won. But, I’ve never won before, so it’s only right for him to treat. I’ll get ready and go.”

At the dining table, everyone was devouring their food. Guangming couldn’t help but recall the word “Taotie.” “You gluttons!”

One of them chuckled. “When did your vocabulary become so scholarly?”

Guangming thought for a moment. “By the way, everyone, have any of you heard of anyone with the compound surname Taotie?”

Everyone shook their heads in unison. “These days, there’s no such strange surname.” One of them said, “Why don’t you just ask me? I handle household registrations, and I’ve never dealt with such a peculiar surname. But it doesn’t rule out the possibility that it existed in ancient times, and later was changed due to a crime. Evolving to the present, it might have been replaced by another single or two characters.”

Just then, the waiter serving them leaned over. “What are you talking about? Taotie?”

Kelou waved his hand. “Nothing to do with you. Hurry up and bring the food we just reordered. It’s all out of season.”

“Wait, wait,” Guangming stopped the young man. “Do you know anyone with this surname?”

The young man shook his head. “No, I don’t. But when I was little, I often heard my grandfather talk about this strange beast, and he said that our family surname was extremely rare in ancient times, even absent from the Song Dynasty’s ‘Hundred Family Surnames’ and the Ming Dynasty’s ‘Thousand Family Surnames.’ Our ancestors, originally surnamed ‘Xiao’ with the grass radical. Xiao Ji of Southern Liang, after losing his fight for the throne with Xiao Yi, Xiao Yi believed he was unworthy of the noble surname ‘Xiao,’ and thus ‘bestowed the surname Taotie.’ He was the one who was given the surname Taotie; this is recorded in the ‘Book of Liang,’ you know. Another was Xiao Zixiang of Southern Qi. He was killed for rebellion and ‘was bestowed the surname Qiao (蛸).’ This is recorded in the ‘Book of Southern Qi.’ Later, the surnames Xiao (蕭) and Xiao (肖) became mixed. That’s all I know. I have to serve the dishes now; there are many other guests waiting for me.”

He left after speaking. Guangming called out, “Hey, you haven’t told us your surname!”

“My surname is Xiao (肖).”

“Boss, you don’t think the serial killer’s surname is Xiao or Xiao (蕭), do you? This might just be a totem, something they worship.”

“I’m not sure, but I can’t rule out the possibility. After all, some things have intricate mysteries hidden within them. We can’t overlook even the smallest detail. It’s very likely that this is the key to solving the case.”

At this moment, Guangming’s phone rang. His face suddenly became exceptionally gloomy. Kelou looked at him. “What’s wrong?”

Guangming said word by word, “Luoyang Village, the small inn. Another guest committed suicide by eye-gouging, one is missing, and another is in a coma.”

“How could this happen…?”

“We’ll go to Luoyang Village first thing tomorrow morning to see what’s going on. We still have no leads on the serial killer here, and now this has happened over there. Sigh.”

“How about this: I’ll go with Xiao Zhao to investigate. You can focus on the serial killer case here for now.”

Guangming thought for a moment. “That’s fine too. Be careful, and report any news immediately.”

Kelou nodded. At this moment, his heart was already flying towards Luoyang Village.