Chapter Eighty-Six: To Meet Someone

That day was the seventh wedding anniversary of the carpenter and his wife. To mark the occasion, the carpenter went out early and came back from the market with a great deal of fine wine and food. He even cooked the meal himself, intending to celebrate properly with his wife.

That evening, both he and his wife drank a great deal. They ate happily, and when it came time to turn off the lamp and sleep, the carpenter's wife, perhaps from having drunk too much, quickly fell asleep.

But the carpenter could not sleep no matter how he tossed and turned. Looking at his wife lying before him, he knew he should not touch her. Perhaps the alcohol had gone to his head, for he suddenly felt wronged.

And so he thought: She is my wife. Why should I not touch her? What reason is there in this world for a husband not to touch his wife?

Thus, a bold thought began to take root in the carpenter's heart. While his wife slept soundly, he cautiously reached out his hand toward her, then slowly removed her outer garments.

Seeing his wife's beautiful body, the carpenter's mind wandered. After hesitating for quite some time, he finally could not resist reaching out and touching her skin. Yet the instant his finger made contact, he jerked his hand back as if struck by lightning.

After that, as though he had seen the most horrifying thing in his entire life, he was so terrified that he tumbled from the bed!

The story ended there. No further words followed. At the close, there was once again that sentence, which had already seemed to become a kind of curse in my heart: "If one day, on a street in a foreign land, you suddenly meet an acquaintance who has already been dead for a long time, what will you do? You are given three choices..."

After finishing the book, I realized that I was covered from head to toe in gooseflesh. I kept wondering whether this was meant to be an open ending, or whether it simply had no ending at all.

What had the carpenter seen when he touched his wife's body? Why had he fallen from the bed in such terror? What became of them in the end? Had the carpenter died? And what was going on with his wife being brought back to life?

Countless questions swirled in my mind, and I could not think of even the faintest answer. And what on earth had that ghostly scholar written this for? Why had he used email to send Peng Li information about the water rat and Wang Lun?

My thoughts were in utter chaos, but one thing was certain: this story had to be connected to the case in which Liu Dong killed Wang Lun. In fact, it was strikingly similar.

Because Wang Lun had already died once half a month ago, and then half a month later he appeared again at the karaoke bar and was killed by Liu Dong a second time. And in that story, the carpenter's wife was first killed by the carpenter, and then brought back to life. That was the greatest point of connection between the two.

I immediately picked up the phone and called Peng Li. I said, "Brother Peng, I've finished reading it. Can you use your police connections to let me see Wang Lun's body? And can you have one of the computer experts at your bureau track down that ghostly scholar?"

On the other end, Peng Li sighed and said he was not the officer handling the case now, so he did not have those powers. Besides, the case had already been classified by the police as a major one, and Wang Lun's body was under police control. Without official approval from above, no one was allowed near the corpse.

I frowned and asked whether there was really no way at all.

Peng Li said there was one way, but it would depend on how I performed. Then he repeated the words he had told me when we parted earlier: to wait for him at school tomorrow, and he would drive to the school gate to take me to meet someone.

I had no idea whom Peng Li intended to take me to see, or why he would say it depended on how I performed. While I was lost in thought, Jiang Chao had already finished eating and come back.

As soon as he returned, he asked where I had been all day and why he had not seen me once.

I did not know how to explain, so I just said I had gone to see a police friend and ask whether he could help a little.

When Liu Dong was mentioned, Jiang Chao's expression darkened at once, and he kept asking me whether Liu Dong would be sentenced to death.

I knew Jiang Chao was very close to Liu Dong, and I could understand the anxiety and pain in his heart. But I could not answer his question either. In the end, I handed him a cigarette and said, "Brother, don't worry. Liu Dong will definitely be fine."

Early the next morning, Jiang Chao, the academic advisor, and I went to the detention center to see the Great Emperor. Because of Liu Dong's special status, no one except his immediate family had the right to visit him, so we could only see the Great Emperor.

The Great Emperor had only been detained in the detention center for fifteen days, and there were some local toughs in there whom he knew, so he had not been bullied or anything. But his mood had been gloomy the whole time, and he looked utterly dispirited.

I could understand how he felt. Wang Dan's death had already dealt him a tremendous blow, and now, because of the conflict between the Great Emperor and Wang Lun, Liu Dong had killed someone. Naturally, the Great Emperor was utterly shattered inside.

When he saw us, he immediately asked, "Dao'er, how is Liu Dong's case going? What did the police say? Will he be sentenced to death?"

I answered that we did not know anything yet, and that in the end it would still be up to the court.

The Great Emperor's eyes reddened at once. I had known him for more than a year, and I had never once seen this guy cry. Yet in these past few days, I had seen him cry twice. Once was when news came that Wang Dan had killed herself in the psychiatric hospital, and the Great Emperor had broken down sobbing in the bathroom. The other time was now, when he was clutching his head and crying and sniffing without stop.

I hurriedly said, "Boss, don't be like this. This isn't your fault. You don't need to blame yourself."

The Great Emperor suddenly looked at me with red eyes and said, "Dao'er, you're an expert, right? You must have a way to save Liu Dong, don't you? Have you never thought about it? How could one beer bottle possibly knock the head off that Lord Guan? That's simply impossible."

I kept nodding and said this matter was definitely not as simple as we had imagined. I had already gotten in touch with that Officer Peng, the one who had come to the hotel last time, and was trying to investigate. "Don't worry, Boss. Liu Dong will definitely be all right."

After comforting the Great Emperor for a few more words, I went back to school with Jiang Chao and the others. Not long after we returned, I received a call from Peng Li. He said he was already at the school gate and wanted me to come immediately.

I answered yes and ran straight to the gate. From afar, I saw Peng Li's battered SUV. After I got in, he stepped on the gas and drove off.

I found it strange that Peng Li was driving so steadily today. Although he was still going very fast, at least he did not crash into a telephone pole or a trash can, and he did not run a red light.

Just as I was wondering why his driving had suddenly become so skillful, I realized that he had not drunk any alcohol today.

I chuckled and said, "Brother Peng, you're driving without drinking. The sun must be rising in the west."

Peng Li glared at me, his expression suddenly becoming extremely serious. "Stop making fun of me. I'm taking you to meet someone very important. If I can get his approval, I may be able to take over this case. Once it is in my hands, I will immediately classify it as a supernatural case. Then I will also have the authority to see Wang Lun's body and trace the exact address of that ghostly scholar. Once that happens, as long as we can uncover the truth behind this supernatural incident, I have nearly an eighty percent chance of helping your brother clear his name."

The moment I heard this, I was instantly energized and hurriedly asked him whether it was true, whether he was certain he was not lying to me.

Peng Li glanced at me and said, "Why would I lie to you? But I’ll say it again: whether we can get that man's approval or not still depends on you."

I was startled. "Depends on me? What can I do? I don't have any connections in the police. What am I supposed to do?"

Peng Li answered, "As long as you are one of those from the Yin-Yang world, that alone is worth trying."

That immediately piqued my interest, and I quickly asked who exactly the person was that Peng Li planned to take me to meet.

Peng Li's answer made my heart lurch violently.

"My uncle. The chief of the Ba Shu City Public Security Bureau, Peng Lei."