Flowers of the Departed Souls - Chapter 14

Luo Xiaofeng nodded. “Yes, guests also have a key. After Zhong Dan’s accident, the key was still with Ge Jianliang and he never returned it. With what happened, we were all very sad, and it wasn’t appropriate for me to bring up such a small matter as asking for the key back.”

Kelou looked at Chi Ziming. “You suspect Zhong Dan’s body was moved by Ge Jianliang, and that he also cleaned the scene?”

“Hmm, that’s my intuition. I think the highest possibility is Ge Jianliang. What gave me this intuition was his disappearance, and the dust and mud all over him. I think when I came to this room to look for him, he might have been hiding here. As soon as I left, he started acting. And Luo Xiaofeng also slept at home last night, not at the inn, so there was no one here, and no one discovered him moving the body. However, I don’t know why he would move his wife’s body and completely wipe away all the bloodstains at the scene.”

“Could his wife’s death be related to him, and Xia Yimin’s death as well?”

“You suspect he killed his wife? But why would he kill Xia Yimin? They didn’t know each other. Technically, I don’t know, I’m not a police officer. But emotionally, I don’t think Ge Jianliang would kill his wife. Some emotions can’t be faked. Especially after her death, he had a sense of profound sorrow and despair all over him, as if his entire being had lost its soul, a kind of despondency and loneliness.”

Kelou patted Chi Ziming’s shoulder. “Can you tell me your profession? And why did you come to this small seaside village in such a grand manner?”

Chi Ziming lowered his head. “I write suspense novels. I came here for inspiration. Nothing else to disclose.”

Kelou nodded, then turned to Xiaofeng. “Take us to Bird Slope.” Then he instructed the two other colleagues who had come along, “You two keep an eye on Ge Jianliang’s body for now. Don’t let anyone touch him, and don’t touch him yourselves for now. The rest of us will go to Bird Slope first.”

Meanwhile, Luo Yifu stood outside the room where Ge Jianliang’s body lay, trembling. This was another time she felt death so close to her. And she felt an extraordinary familiarity with the Departed Soul Flowers on Ge Jianliang’s body. She always felt as if she had seen them somewhere before, not by the sea, but in another place. She suddenly wanted to see these flowers again, perhaps it could help her remember. But then, she recalled Sister Xiaofeng’s warning: “You stand guard outside the door; don’t let anyone in. We’ll go to that room first.”

Fear and curiosity battled fiercely within her, an invisible torment where every second felt like an hour. She finally couldn’t restrain herself and slowly pushed open the doorknob. She saw that the Departed Soul Flowers were beginning their transition from peak to decline. Ge Jianliang’s blood had been completely drained by them, as if their main food source had withered and died, and they could no longer find nourishment.

As soon as Luo Yifu entered the room, she felt countless eyes staring directly at her. Those eyes held fierceness, greed, evil, and cruelty, as if they could devour her in an instant.

She recoiled a step, all her nerves extremely taut. In a haze, she felt a voice calling out, a very faint voice, as if from a very distant place. At first, she didn’t hear it clearly and thought she was hallucinating, but she finally understood what the voice was saying. Her whole body froze, unable to move, as if she had been acupointed. “Sister, quick, leave here—Sister, leave here—”

Xiaojie? Could it be Xiaojie? She murmured to herself, “Xiaojie, where are you?” Just then, she suddenly felt a breeze behind her. She turned abruptly, and the door creaked shut.

And the voice continued to ring out endlessly, “Sister, run, run away—!” At this moment, she felt something behind her, emitting a “hissing” sound like a snake’s tongue. Turning back again, she saw that the branches and vines of the Departed Soul Flowers had grown so fast, without her noticing, reaching out to her body. The flowers, which had begun to wither, seemed to have caught the scent of food. They were invigorated, clawing and thrashing, making one last desperate struggle. Yes, as long as they could capture Luo Yifu, they would have a feast again.

Luo Yifu tried hard to calm herself, taking a deep breath. The Departed Soul Flowers were almost touching her face. At this moment, she suddenly turned and rushed to pull the door open. The Departed Soul Flowers, which had coiled like snakes, missed their target. Luo Yifu ran out frantically, but crashed into someone. It happened to be the two police officers who were supposed to be guarding the area.

She felt a rush of weakness, almost fainting.

“What happened? What’s going on?”

“Those flowers, those flowers—”

“What about those flowers? They seem fine?”

Luo Yifu struggled to stand upright and looked back at the room. She saw Ge Jianliang slumped there like a mummy that had aged a thousand years, and the Departed Soul Flowers on his body were like burned paper, light, withered, and then immediately turned into powder.

The Departed Soul Flowers, it turned out, could also die.