Flowers of the Departed Souls - Chapter 15

Along the way, everyone’s heart was probably harboring a single question: Why did Ge Jianliang do that?

Luo Xiaofeng’s impression of Bird Slope was already vague; she didn’t know the exact way. Luo Bozi, appearing from nowhere again, led the way. After traversing a few slopes, he pointed in a direction. “It’s right there.” But from a distance, not a single bird could be seen.

Luo Bozi explained as they walked: “A long time ago, there used to be a large number of birds here: sparrows, magpies, orioles, woodpeckers, seagulls, both migratory and resident birds. For a period, some idle villagers here developed a love for bird hunting. In no time, the birds were either killed or fled, not a single shadow of them could be seen. Later, after the village issued a ban on bird hunting, the place slowly regained its former vitality, and birds loved to stay here again. However, one day about three months ago, large groups of fierce carrion vultures flew in from who knows where, often appearing and disappearing like ghosts, hunting them for food. So, the small birds were either eaten or fled, and this place became very desolate. But these vultures seem to live in secret caves; no one can find them for now, and people don’t dare to touch them. However, so far, they haven haven’t harmed humans, so people don’t hold any ill will towards them. It seems they only come out to forage in the dead of night, so very few people see them, and basically, they’ve been forgotten.”

Kelou asked, “So, Uncle, have you seen them these past few days?”

Luo Bozi thought for a moment. “A few nights ago, I couldn’t sleep in the middle of the night and got up to make porridge. I found I was out of firewood, so I went to the yard to get some. At that time, I saw a black shadow sweep over my head like a ghost. It really startled me. I looked up and realized it was a carrion vulture.”

“A few nights ago? Do you remember the exact date?”

“I remember. It was the day the first guest at the small inn had an accident, so I remember it very clearly.”

“Oh?” Kelou and Xiao Zhao exchanged glances.

“Do you remember roughly what time it was?”

Luo Bozi shook his head. “That I don’t know. I remember I slept for a bit that day, then woke up and couldn’t sleep anymore. It must have been the middle of the night. I didn’t check the time then. After warming up the porridge, I saw the sky was still very dark, so I went back to bed to sleep.”

Kelou nodded. While chatting, they arrived at “Bird Slope.” The so-called Bird Slope was actually a small mountain hollow, with many tall, ancient banyan and pine trees, evergreen throughout the seasons. They didn’t shed their leaves in such a cold winter, indeed a good place for birds to roost.

Luo Bozi pointed to a mountain about a hundred meters away. “That’s Illusion Cliff, so this place is still quite close to Illusion Cliff.”

Kelou instructed everyone, “Since Ge Jianliang mentioned ‘Bird Slope’ before he died, there must be some clue here. Everyone, let’s search and see if we can find anything.” So, everyone began to search.

Luo Xiaofeng was the first to find a bracelet in the grass. “This must be Zhong Dan’s. When she came in to register and write, I was attracted by this agate bracelet on her wrist. I said the bracelet was beautiful, and she said her husband bought it for her during his trip to Yunnan.”

Kelou pondered for a moment. “If I’m not mistaken, Zhong Dan’s body might be buried nearby.”

Xiao Zhao squatted down beside a banyan tree, carefully examining the soil and pinching some with his fingers. “The soil here seems to have been freshly disturbed; it’s different from other places. Let’s dig here.”

“Alright.” The two began to dig with shovels.

Meanwhile, Luo Xiaofeng surveyed her surroundings. A feeling of both familiarity and strangeness lingered in her heart. Every plant and tree here was once so familiar. She remembered how, as a child, she and her friends used to raid bird nests and collect bird eggs. Those bird mothers must have hated them to death.

At this thought, she couldn’t help but smile. However, she always felt that this place was different from before, but she couldn’t pinpoint the exact difference. She glanced at Luo Bozi, who sat silently on a rock, puffing on his pipe, as if recalling something. All day, his words had been surprisingly few. Besides the few sentences he spoke just now, this was not his usual style. Moreover, he often appeared and disappeared like a ghost, but now, it wasn’t convenient for her to question him.

The sun directly overhead cast its rays through the gaps in the trees, shining directly into her eyes. She had to squint, turning her gaze towards the sky. The sky was very blue and clear. For a while, it had always been raining, and now, it was always sunny. This kind of weather, this Bird Slope, she suddenly remembered, her cousin Luo Xiaojie had disappeared right here. This was why the adults had strictly forbidden them from coming here.

She also remembered Luo Xiaojie mysteriously telling her a few days before his disappearance, “Sister, I found a really fun place on Bird Slope. Do you want to play? I’ll take you there.” At the time, Xiaofeng was busy with her midterm exams and didn’t even look up. “If you want to play, go play by yourself. I don’t have time to accompany you.”

Didn’t Luo Xiaojie say there was a fun place here? She looked up at the distant Illusion Cliff. Illusion Cliff seemed to be shrouded in clouds and mist, surrounded by clouds, a blurry image. Could the fun place he spoke of be Illusion Cliff? No, that couldn’t be. Luo Xiaojie was afraid to go to Illusion Cliff. Once, when Luo Yifu saw him being naughty, she brought up the name Illusion Cliff, and he immediately became much more obedient.

So, where could the fun place he spoke of be? Did it still exist? A sudden flash of insight, like lightning, struck Xiaofeng’s mind. Could his disappearance be related to this “fun place”? I’ll look around the vicinity; maybe I’ll discover something. As she walked, Xiaofeng’s feet suddenly stepped on something soft. She almost screamed.

It was a head, a small head, tilted to one side by her foot. It was just a bird, a dead bird, a shriveled dead bird. However, it was enough to terrify Xiaofeng because its eyes were open, its small eyeballs so black, so round, so clear and prominent, yet filled with deep fear, like any person who died with their eyes wide open. Xiaofeng inexplicably thought of Xia Yimin and Zhong Dan, who also died with their eyes wide open. However, the difference was that their eyes had been forcefully gouged out. At this thought, Xiaofeng felt a chilling current flow through her body from top to bottom, as if many pairs of dead, wide-open eyes were staring directly at her.

She wanted to run, but when her eyes looked at the little bird again, she discovered that it had a body, only its body was buried beneath the soil. Or perhaps, continuous rain had washed away the soil, exposing the bird’s head. She looked around, terrified. She didn’t know how far she was from them.

However, she told herself not to be afraid, not to be afraid, “I am strong and brave.” Then she took a deep breath, squatted down, and dug out the bird’s body. Although, at the time, she didn’t understand why she was digging out that dead bird.

But when she dug out the little bird, she found that beneath its body, another little bird’s head was hidden. She continued to dig, digging like mad, like a demon possessed: one, two, three, four, five, six…

Finally, only two dark words filled her mind:

Bird Tomb.