Flowers of the Departed Souls - Chapter 37

Guangming and Luo Yifu stared blankly at the Divine Bird Cult members still chanting. They truly couldn’t understand how this bird cult could go on endlessly with these rules and regulations. But it was also good; this way, they wouldn’t miss any important information. Finally, they decided to blend in. They both put on masks and black robes and quietly joined the group.

Luo Yifu’s gaze remained fixed on the cult leader, who had not spoken and sat at the head. When the “priest” finally finished his endless incantations, the cult leader began to speak.

“My fellow initiates, you are all children of the Divine Bird Heavenly Father, the pioneers of the Heavenly Father. The Divine Bird Cult, after so many years, began with only a few individuals who held a deep interest in ancient culture and our ancestral traditions, especially the revered belief in birds. Now, the Divine Bird Cult has reached such a scale. I feel very happy and comforted. This is also the glory that the Divine Bird Heavenly Father deserves. Our worship of the Divine Bird did not begin with us; it has a history of five to six thousand years, starting from ancient times. As you can see, the bird-headed masks we wear are the heads of the Great Roc. It hatched from eggs of three colors: white top, black bottom, and red middle. It is the embodiment of the three gods—Youth, Dragon, and Praise. These three great gods are the original deities of this cult. When the universe was still unformed and chaotic, the Great Roc and the Turtle separated heaven and earth. Therefore, it is the most sacred, most powerful, and fiercest animal—now, to sacrifice to our Divine Bird—”

As soon as his voice fell, darts flew everywhere. The small birds watching the commotion fell like raindrops, shot down by a dart thrower. Guangming’s palms broke out in a cold sweat; what accurate darts!

Some people picked up the fallen birds and arranged them into the shape of a large bird. Luo Yifu finally understood why there was a bird tomb here, and why the dead birds were arranged in such strange shapes. It turned out this was a sacrifice ritual.

These birds were doused with gasoline and set on fire. Watching the cruel flames rage, the crackling sounds were like the cries of these poor small birds. Luo Yifu felt her heart shatter into pieces, pulverized into powder, then vanished like a wisp of smoke with the flames. Yes, she had already realized that the leader of the Divine Bird Cult, wearing the mask with complete beast-face patterns, was her father.

She couldn’t control herself anymore. She threw away the mask on her face and rushed forward. “Dad!”

Luo Jialiang’s eyes behind the mask flickered in surprise. At this, some people rushed forward to seize Luo Yifu. He waved his hand. “Aren’t you going to school?”

Guangming couldn’t stop her for a moment and watched anxiously. Luo Yifu was already in tears. “Dad, you always taught me to be good, not evil, not wicked, not to harm others, not to bully the weak, not to fool people. But please, explain to me, what exactly is going on?”

At this moment, two masked figures rushed forward again, seizing Luo Yifu. “Leader, what should we do?”

Luo Jialiang’s gaze was extremely complex. He said calmly, “Take her away first. Await further instructions.” Luo Yifu cried and screamed, cursing at her father, but soon her mouth was stuffed with a towel, and she was dragged away.

Luo Jialiang then said in a clear voice, “Brothers and sisters of the cult, our members have been killed repeatedly! Shouldn’t we rise up and resist?”

The crowd below shouted in unison: “Yes!”

At this moment, a masked figure below, wearing a mask with eight beast-face patterns, said, “Leader, you have always been compassionate, which is why the enemy is so arrogant. If we do not rise up and resist, we will surely suffer even more brutally. I suspect we have an internal traitor. The killing of our cult members is the work of an internal traitor.”

At this, there was some commotion below, and Guangming’s heart raced. Are the serial murders in the city not their doing? Or is someone deliberately framing them, or are they deliberately concealing the truth to absolve themselves of guilt? But at such a grand assembly, why would they conceal the truth? Could there truly be another hidden agenda? But then, how to explain the cases at the inn? And Chi Ziming and Kelou met with accidents; he didn’t know what happened to them, but it was certainly the Divine Bird Cult members who buried them alive. Now they were acting hypocritically here; it was truly disgusting.

And where was Luo Xiaofeng? Such a worrying matter. If Kelou and Chi Ziming could tell him what happened, that would be great. But their lives were currently unknown. Dug out of the soil, it was uncertain if they would survive.

At this moment, everyone looked around, glancing at Guangming several times. Guangming’s heart palpitated. They wouldn’t suspect me, would they?

Just then, the two men whom Guangming and his team had knocked out and thrown into the bushes ran back. “Leader, we were attacked! Someone knocked us out, then stole our clothes and masks.”

At this, the assembly erupted in commotion. Luo Jialiang pointed to the mask Luo Yifu had thrown on the ground. “Is this yours?”

“Yes, it’s mine, Leader.”

“Then it’s alright. You may withdraw.”

Guangming’s heart, which had been in his throat, now slightly settled. It seemed Luo Jialiang didn’t want to pursue the matter further. With his intelligence, he should know that there was another masked person with Luo Yifu, but it was highly likely that he didn’t want to get further entangled in matters related to his daughter, which he was unwilling to see or let happen. Or perhaps, he originally didn’t want his daughter to get involved in this mess, so he was anxious for her to go to school. Guangming held onto this hope, remaining in the assembly area, looking suspiciously at everyone else, just like the others. He knew that if he made any sudden move now, he would become the target of all.

At this moment, the voices of two women stood out prominently. One masked person dragged another masked person. Both appeared to have small builds. Judging by their voices, both were women. One of the women said, “Leader, I suspect she is a traitor in our cult.”

The assembly immediately exploded in chaos. Luo Jialiang shouted loudly, “Silence!”

The voices instantly ceased. He continued, “Who are you, and who is she? Why do you suspect she is a traitor? What evidence do you have?”

“Reporting to the Leader, I am Zhang Xiaoqian, a five-patterned member (Divine Bird Cult uses patterns as official ranks). I will show you the evidence.”

She suddenly tore open the sleeve of the other female masked person’s robe. On a fair, smooth arm, there was a red bird-headed human tattoo, but it was horrifyingly marked with a large, blood-red “X.” The “X” was clearly carved with a knife and had not been carved long ago, so no black, hard scab had formed yet.

Her mask was removed, her hair falling disheveled. The wind blew, and her face was pale. Guangming’s heart suddenly pounded faster. God, isn’t this Cai Yilian?

Luo Jialiang’s voice deepened. “Bring her forward.”

Cai Yilian was brought before Luo Jialiang. “What’s your name?”

“Cai Yilian.”

“Why is there a cross on our sacred totem?”

“Two days ago, I was attacked on my way. The person stabbed me twice. It wasn’t something I did intentionally, Leader. Please understand.”

“Oh, a very good explanation. Where were you injured? Who attacked you? Was there anyone else with you who saw it?”

“I was attacked on my way back to the Divine Bird Fortress the day before yesterday. It was a back attack. I didn’t see clearly who it was before I fell. There was no one else around at the time. But I thought it was just a minor injury, and I didn’t tell anyone after I returned. I never expected her to suspect me.”

Luo Jialiang gazed at Cai Yilian. “You couldn’t see your attacker, and no one can prove you were attacked. And that attacker is truly strange. Why did they only stab your arm? And stab with such skill, precisely on the tattooed area, and not anywhere else? Or why not simply stab your heart and send you to heaven with one blow? Could that assailant harbor deep hatred for your tattoo?”

At this moment, Luo Jialiang’s voice suddenly became severe. “Don’t treat us like fools. Why do you hate this emblem so much? Or rather, why do you hate the people of our Divine Bird Cult? Who exactly are you? Oh, your face is looking more and more familiar. No, your surname isn’t Cai, it’s Xiao.”

Cai Yilian suddenly burst into laughter. No, it should be Xiao Yilian. “You finally recognized me, didn’t you? You finally remembered the heinous crimes you once committed, didn’t you?”

Her eyes seemed to spit fire, and Luo Jialiang slumped onto his seat. Yes, how could he forget? That old memory, which he always avoided recalling, was even more deeply etched in Cai Yilian’s mind, constantly remembered.

Before Luo Jialiang could respond, a gleaming dagger appeared in Cai Yilian’s hand, without anyone noticing when. “Do you know? For over twenty years, I’ve been waiting for this day.”

She suddenly raised the dagger high, but at that moment, countless bullets pierced through her back. Blood seeped from the bullet holes in her clothes like spring water, dripping onto the soil. Luo Jialiang screamed heartbreakingly, “Don’t shoot! Don’t shoot! Don’t shoot!”

Luo Jialiang embraced her. No one understood what was happening. Cai Yilian’s, no, Xiao Yilian’s voice was broken, every word laced with hatred. “Luo Jialiang, from the day I joined the Divine Bird Cult, I never intended to leave alive. You’re truly great; you’ve eliminated all threats. But remember, even as a ghost, I won’t let you go!”

At this moment, Xiao Yilian’s wide-open eyes never closed again. Those eyes, etched with hatred, seemed to hold immense injustice. She just stared fixedly, fixedly at Luo Jialiang.

Legend has it that those with too much lingering resentment will not have their souls disperse.

When Luo Jialiang remembered this saying, a chilling wind blew past him, and he shivered.

He trembled as he reached out and closed Xiao Yilian’s eyes. “Someone, bury her properly. Disperse the assembly, return to the city.”

Guangming, however, was stunned by this sudden turn of events. Cai Yilian, no, Xiao Yilian, had died just like that, just like that.

There seemed to be a deep hatred between her and Luo Jialiang, but what kind of hatred was it? Now that she was gone, Luo Jialiang was the only one who knew the answer. How could Luo Jialiang easily reveal it? It must be his unspeakable secret. Oh, right, didn’t Luo Jialiang just say Cai Yilian should be surnamed Xiao? Xiao, such a familiar surname. It seemed he had seen it somewhere, but not referring to the names of people he usually saw.

Another question remained: Were the tattooed Divine Bird Cult members killed in the city related to Xiao Yilian? Did she infiltrate the Divine Bird Cult to find Luo Jialiang, but since she never had the opportunity to meet him, she vented her resentment on other Divine Bird Cult members, secretly killing them, one by one?

He instinctively touched the letter; it was still there. So, if he wasn’t mistaken, many relevant secrets were still in this letter.