Veya recalled and suddenly asked us with some curiosity, "Didn't we ask this before?"
"Don't question, just keep answering."
"Alright then, our relationship could be described as quite cold. After all, my brother always looked down on me..."
"Did you and he ever have a dispute?"
"No, we mostly had a cold war. It was my father who had a conflict with him before the incident."
"What kind of conflict?"
"They seemed to get into a fight, apparently over the worship of the God of Night. The grand sacrifice ritual was in two days, a major ceremony that only happens once every few hundred years. Father was very anxious, but my brother was completely indifferent. Perhaps it was this careless attitude that made Father so angry, and that's why they argued."
"Did you see your father kill your brother???"
"No, Officer He, don't talk nonsense. My father wouldn't do that. You know, they've fought before. We foreigners are different from you Chinese; we like to fight."
"Uh, okay. When was the last time you saw your brother, and how was he?"
This question was asked by Zhang Keying.
Veya didn't hesitate and quickly replied, "I remember him sitting in a chair, applying some medicinal oil, and muttering curses. You should find some contusions on the body, right? But they weren't very serious, just minor friction."
As I recalled observing the body, we had noticed abrasions on the victim's face earlier, but they were not prominent and hadn't been mentioned. Now that Veya brought it up, with her statement as evidence, I thought she was likely telling the truth.
I changed my tone to a calmer one and asked, "You truly didn't see your father commit murder?"
"No, I told you, he wouldn't do that!" Veya's tone was very steady, without any sign of fear.
Theoretically, given her age, if she had witnessed a murder, she wouldn't be this calm. Veya's testimony was crucial, but if Perseus wasn't the killer, and combined with Bantu's reaction...
Could it be that Bantu was the killer? wap.kanshuwu.net
But what would be his motive?
I was deep in thought and hadn't spoken for a while. Zhang Keying continued to ask some routine questions and found nothing. We could only let Veya go.
As soon as she left, Xie Chuchu returned. She told me, "Senior, you've been summoning the Perseus family frequently lately. The villagers are already unhappy. Xia Hou and I were intercepted by villagers while on duty. This is terrible, we can't go on like this!"
"Did Gao Mingqiang and He Xin go for surveillance?"
"Yes, Senior. We need to find concrete evidence as soon as possible and leave here! I really don't want to stay any longer."
"Don't worry, Chuchu. This won't take long. I believe we'll find the truth during the grand ceremony."
"Sigh, what exactly is this grand ceremony?"
"I'm not sure. I need to go find Uncle Long to find out."
"Oh? Then I'll go with you!"
Since Zhang Keying was resting, I asked Xie Chuchu to accompany me.
When we found Uncle Long, we saw that his house was made of wood and thatch. I wondered if it would collapse in a typhoon. It reminded me of the story of the Three Little Pigs.
After knocking on the wooden door, Uncle Long's hoarse voice came from inside.
"Who is it?"
"This is Officer He Sheng, Uncle Long. I need to consult you about something!"
"Oh? Officer He, please wait a moment!"
Uncle Long hesitated for a moment, then opened the wooden door, coughed, and let us in.
I looked around Uncle Long's house and found it very tidy. Although simple, it seemed comfortable enough to live in. A makeshift water heater was on a worn wooden table. The ceiling had an incandescent light bulb, and the floor was spotless. The bed was connected to the living area. On a small altar, there was a statue of the God of Night, proving his strong belief in the legend.
I was a bit curious because I remembered that other houses had been renovated, but Uncle Long's seemed to be the same as before.
Perhaps sensing my thoughts, Uncle Long chuckled and said, "I'm a person who likes vintage. Although the village has become prosperous, I still want to live like I used to. There's nothing wrong with that."
"So that's how it is, Uncle Long. Actually, we wanted to ask about the legends of the God of Light and the God of Night," Xie Chuchu said.
"Oh? You two young people are interested in these things?"
"Yes, Uncle Long, can you tell us?" Xie Chuchu asked politely, like a student.
"Certainly. Actually, this legend dates back to ancient Roman times..."
The earlier content was similar to what Perseus had told us. However, later, Uncle Long told us, "In 1983, a woman died on the central altar. Her tombstone seems to be nearby, but I don't know its exact location anymore. This woman apparently said something profane in front of Osiris and was punished by the gods. When she died, her entire body was dismembered, and those mangled pieces were pierced into the statue. The scene was like the food you young people see on skewers. She was quite pitiable, but it's said that woman was an outsider. Later, some kind person buried her in the village. We didn't want to disturb her tomb, so we've left it alone. However, it also served as a good lesson, and after that, no one dared to offend the gods."
"Do you know the woman's name?"
"I've forgotten. If you're lucky, you might find the tombstone and know."
Xie Chuchu asked, "Thank you, Uncle Long. Do you think the God of Night truly exists?"
Mentioning this, Uncle Long closed his eyes, struck the ground several times with his wooden staff, and said piously, "Of course, he exists. No one can speak carelessly in front of Osiris and utter blasphemous words, or they will be punished by the gods! That woman is the best example. I even think the victims of these two incidents are the same. It's their fault for not respecting the gods!"
I hadn't said a word from beginning to end, observing Uncle Long's reaction. It was clear that this man truly believed in these so-called gods. From our perspective, of course, we wouldn't believe it.
After leaving his house, Xie Chuchu and I needed to find the woman's tomb. I thought if we found her tomb, we might discover something.
However, at this moment, dark clouds suddenly drifted across the sky, and a torrential downpour began...