Flowers of the Departed Souls - Chapter 19

Guangming slowly regained consciousness, his head throbbing. Opening his eyes, he found himself in a completely dark place. He slowly recalled being under that locust tree, in a state of self-hypnosis, and returning to Chestnut Alley. But when he woke up, he saw a person wearing a bird-headed mask, who delivered a heavy punch to him, and then he lost consciousness.

He had been on the verge of finding Chestnut Alley. The case had just begun to show some leads. Yet, at this moment, he was attacked, or rather, met with an unforeseen incident.

He felt around his body. His phone, gun, and everything else were gone. He tried to let his eyes adjust to the darkness and found that the room he was in was empty. There was a large lock on the door. He pulled forcefully, but it was useless. Then he turned his gaze to the window, where there was a small window, for ventilation. He struggled to climb up to the small window, but could only see the empty sky with few stars. He understood that he was likely high up in a tall building. This thought made him a little depressed, but he didn’t understand why the bird-headed masked person had brought him here.

Just then, he heard footsteps, as if several people were approaching. He hid behind the door. The lock was opened, and as they entered, he disregarded everything and rushed out, intent on escaping this ghostly place first. The group of people behind him gave chase. For a moment, shouts and footsteps filled the air.

In the distance, he saw a tall man in a black robe appear in the hallway, standing like a statue, his head slightly bowed. As Guangming approached, he remained statue-like, but his eyes looked straight up at Guangming. There was a look of intimidation in his eyes. “Join us, child.”

Guangming ignored him, leaped up, and swept his legs. The man in black bent down and dodged. Guangming fell to the ground, then scrambled back up. As the two men sparred, the people who had been chasing them surrounded them. Guangming, out of breath, asked, “Why should I join you? Why did you bring me here?”

“Our Divine Bird Cult welcomes all destined individuals. We hope you will obey our will.”

Divine Bird Cult?

Guangming remembered the deaths of Tang Xieqiang and the others, the bird-headed human tattoo and the bird-headed mask, and that strange Chestnut Alley. If he truly wanted to escape this place, it seemed very difficult. Besides the large group of people behind him, there was also this imposing man. If it came to a fight, he wasn’t sure he couldn’t defeat them.

Guangming raised his eyebrows. “What if I don’t?”

The man in black robe looked at him meaningfully. “Then you can try to escape this place.”

Guangming threw a hook punch, but it was like hitting a stone. He exerted his full strength. He hadn’t spent his time in the armed police force for nothing.

He knew that he had no weapons on him. Even if he could defeat this “mountain” of a man, he would still find it difficult to deal with the incoming crowd. However, more importantly, he began to wonder what kind of organization and religious sect this Divine Bird Cult was. Were the deaths of those with bird-headed human tattoos the work of another organization, or was this organization killing its own members for apostasy or other reasons, or was it a means of disciplining its own people?

At this thought, Guangming’s resolve weakened, and he was struck with many punches and kicks. He covered his head and said, “I’ll join the Divine Bird Cult. Stop hitting me.” He thought to himself, Damn it, is there really a cult that beats people if they don’t join?

Immediately, several burly men helped him up and led him into a large hall that looked very much like a medieval Gothic style. The walls were carved with various jade patterns, strange animals and plants. The animals were various hybrids, the flowers were exceptionally large and crimson, and there were also distorted humans. In the center of the hall was a massive, majestic bird-headed human sculpture with a pointed beak and nose, and integrated black wings on its body, looking extremely solemn.

Looking at this sculpture, Guangming felt a sense of familiarity, as if he had seen it somewhere before, perhaps in an ancient book. If he remembered correctly, this type of pattern appeared in books about ancient Egypt or Mesopotamia. The bird-headed human on the tattoo was too small, so it hadn’t given him this sense of déjà vu.

The man who resembled a “black mountain” looked somewhat familiar to Guangming, but he couldn’t recall why at the moment. He saw him holding a book similar to the Bible. He pointed to the bird-headed human sculpture behind him and said, “He is our Heavenly Father, who created all goodness and peace. We live and breathe sunlight, rain, and fresh air in his name. Heavenly Father, please protect our people; let us live for you, loyal to your name. Now, your people, General Jiang, are about to undergo a baptism of body and spirit. General Jiang, are you willing to accept baptism?”

The name “General Jiang” was something Guangming had made up on the spot. He was glad he had left his work ID at the office and not brought it with him; otherwise, they would probably have killed him instead of trying to convert him.

He nodded, pondering what kind of cult this was. It seemed somewhat similar to Christianity, yet it was its own distinct sect. Fine, he would agree for now. They were the leaders now, so he would do whatever they told him to do. “I am willing.”

“Then, men, proceed with the physical baptism ceremony for General Jiang.”

At this, a slender, cold-faced man in a black robe led Guangming to a room filled with misty vapor. Inside the room was a large wooden tub filled with warm water and red petals. The man in black said indifferently, “You may take a bath first. I’ll be by the door. I’ll pick you up in ten minutes.”

Hearing the voice, he realized it was a woman. She placed a set of clothes on the table and turned to leave. Guangming called out, “Hey, what should I call you?” The woman stopped, her tone still cold. “Call me A-Lian.” With that, she left the room without a backward glance.

Guangming was stunned for a moment, then had no choice but to take off his clothes and get in. The water temperature was just right, very comfortable. He thought to himself, Did Tang Xieqiang and the others also receive such treatment when they joined this cult? And a rose petal bath, it seems quite romantic and enjoyable.

Ten minutes later, Guangming reluctantly emerged from the tub, changed into a black robe like theirs, and A-Lian led him back to the great hall. At this point, the “black mountain” man began to speak again: “In the name of the Divine Bird Heavenly Father, engrave the incomparably sacred, incomparably great, incomparably magnificent symbol upon the body of the people’s General Jiang. Tattoo artist, create the most wondrous art with your wisdom and talent.”

When Guangming saw the tools, he was truly horrified. Heavens, this was the most primitive and painful tattooing method: just a simple tattoo knife, no anesthetic. This was how ancient Native Americans were tattooed. The bird-headed human pattern was apparently carved onto the flesh, needle by painful needle. But then he thought, they all have these tattoos, they can endure it, so can I. At this point, he couldn’t refuse to endure it anyway.

That feeling of itchiness and pain was truly unbearable, like a hundred claws scratching his heart. Guangming had been shot before, and he had seen bullets dug out of his own flesh with his own eyes, yet it hadn’t been as painful as this. He gritted his teeth, trying not to cry out, but he couldn’t control his body, which was convulsing due to the extreme pain. The burly men had to forcibly hold him down for the tattooing to proceed smoothly. In fact, not only him, but everyone here had this tattoo. It should be said that they all had experienced such pain.

After the carving was done, the colors were applied. The colors began to look realistic and vibrant. The red bird-headed human image seemed to possess infinite power, expanding within Guangming’s body.

After the tattooing was completed, the official initiation ceremony began. The “black mountain” man, who held a position equivalent to a priest in the Divine Bird Cult, began to read aloud: “First: Strive to convince all people that the Divine Bird Heavenly Father is the true God, that he created all things, created life, created China’s earliest culture and nation, created the Liangzhu culture. Humanity should be proud of him, respect him, worship him, and believe in him. The ancient Liangzhu Kingdom bore his totem, and we should worship him for generations. Second: The people must unconditionally obey the will transmitted by the Divine Bird True Lord, and unconditionally dedicate everything, even their lives, at any time, because the Divine Bird Cult is the noblest and most sincere faith in this world. The Divine Bird Heavenly Father is also the only True Lord in this world. For non-believers, strive to convince them. For those who do not comply, they may be killed. For those who betray or wish to withdraw, their hearts shall be taken and their skulls buried. After death, they shall crawl and repent to the Divine Bird True Lord…”

Guangming gasped. So the truth was really like this. The deaths of Tang Xieqiang and the others were indeed caused by these people. Now they were dealing with an organization, a cult, not individuals. And it was full of evil and cruelty, deceiving people. Yes, a complete cult. But behind every organization there is a mastermind. So, who would be the supreme leader of the Divine Bird Cult? And they mentioned Liangzhu; what was the connection with Liangzhu? Was the cult leader extremely obsessed with the ancient Liangzhu Kingdom?

“New initiate General Jiang, do you understand?” Guangming nodded. “Yes, I understand. But I want to know where our revered cult leader is. Can I gaze upon his great countenance? I will always engrave him in my heart.”

The “black mountain” man’s face suddenly showed a profound and enigmatic smile. “Your thought is good, but the cult leader does not easily appear to meet people. Furthermore, you are still a newcomer. You can only see him at the annual great assembly.”

“When is it? And what kind of assembly is it? Can you tell me, a new Divine Bird initiate?”

The “black mountain” man became a bit impatient and no longer responded to Guangming. “The initiation ceremony for the newcomer General Jiang is complete. From now on, he is a member of the Divine Bird Cult. May the Divine Bird Heavenly Father be with him and bless him with health and peace.”

After being dismissed, someone led him to the dormitory. But what Guangming most wanted to do was find a way to escape from here and contact the outside world. This place looked very familiar, giving him a feeling of having seen it before, but one thing he could confirm: he had never seen a room like this. If he wanted to get out of these high walls, it would be quite difficult. There were guards everywhere, and people were watching him everywhere. When he saw a discarded Buddha statue in the courtyard, he gradually began to understand. This place was where he had once been, the end of Chestnut Alley.

A hall filled with incense. Twenty-five years ago.