For thirty years, he has roamed the Northeast, his divine might overwhelming all immortals under hea

"Big Wave Bro!"

"So this is the meat you were talking about!"

"Tsk tsk, Thirteen, you just don't understand."

Huang Dalang's voice rang in my ears, carrying a hint of mockery.

"Saving a life is more meritorious than building a seven-story pagoda; this merit is far more precious than eating meat."

I took a closer look.

She looked to be only fifteen or sixteen years old, huddled in the corner of the wall, wearing a worn-out woolen coat with her chest open, underneath which was a faded floral cotton-padded jacket.

Her messy hair covered half of her face, and the small part of her face that was exposed was as white as paper, without a trace of blood.

He was wearing a pair of rubber-soled cotton shoes, the toes of which were worn through, revealing the dusty cotton inside.

I quickly crouched down and reached out to check the girl's breath.

Fortunately, he still had some breath left, but it was very weak, and all he exhaled was white mist.

I touched her forehead again; it was ice-cold, the chill of this late autumn night seeping into her bones.

"Girl? Girl, wake up!"

I gently patted her face.

no response.

We can't delay any longer.

I gritted my teeth and reached out to pick her up.

This girl was frighteningly light; holding her felt like holding a bundle of firewood, and her bones were hard to hold.

"Too light..."

I muttered to myself, then held on tight and started walking back.

The autumn night wind blew coldly into my collar, but the person in my arms was completely cold.

I quickened my pace, my rubber shoes crunching on the frozen dirt road.

Back at the hotel, the owner was still slumped in his chair, the copy of "Jin Ping Mei" still covering his face, snoring loudly.

I tiptoed past him, pushed open the door to the inner room, and placed the girl on my bed.

The room was dark, so I felt my way to the wall and pulled the light cord.

The dim light bulb lit up, illuminating the girl's pale face.

That's when I could see what she looked like.

She had delicate features, but was so thin she looked unrecognizable, with prominent cheekbones and chapped, peeling lips.

I poured half a tub of hot water from the thermos, tested the temperature, and then gently lifted her head to feed her little by little. Some water dripped down her chin, but she managed to swallow a few mouthfuls.

I covered her up completely with the blanket again, then dragged a chair over and sat on the edge of the bed to wait.

"Hey, Brother Dalang, what's wrong with this girl? How could she faint on the roadside?"

"Who are you asking? Ask her."

"But I can tell you, there might be a surprise!"

"surprise?"

I turned to look at the girl, a hint of doubt in my eyes.

The wait is long.

This wait lasted for more than half an hour.

The room was so quiet that you could hear your own heartbeat and the occasional sound of the wind outside the window.

I stared at the girl's face, wondering whose child she was and why she had fainted on the street in the middle of the night.

Just as I was pondering this, the person on the bed suddenly moved.

I quickly went over.

The girl's eyelids trembled, and she slowly opened them a crack.

His gaze was initially unfocused, staring blankly at the ceiling for a while before slowly shifting and landing on my face.

The next second, her pupils contracted sharply, and she shrank back into the bed like a frightened rabbit, pulling the blanket over herself, her eyes filled with terror.

"Who...who are you?! Where am I?!"

His voice was hoarse, and trembling with tears.

It seemed as if he had used up all his strength.

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid!"

I quickly took two steps back and raised my hands to indicate that I was harmless.

"My name is Li Shisan. I'm a new policeman at the local police station, and I'll be reporting for duty tomorrow. I saw you faint on the street just now, so I carried you back. This is a hotel in the county town; it's safe."

The girl stared intently at me, her wariness lessening slightly.

She huddled in the corner of the bed, her whole body taut like a fully drawn bow.

Upon hearing the word "police," she scrutinized me, as if trying to determine whether what I said was true or false.

"You...are you really a police officer?"

Her voice was still trembling, but it wasn't as high-pitched anymore.

"It's true, how could it be fake? But tomorrow is only my first day as a policeman."

I nodded emphatically.

He made up an identity for himself.

When you're out in the world, your status is entirely up to you.

The girl remained silent for a while, then slowly loosened her grip on the blanket.

She lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes casting a small shadow on her pale face.

"Th-thank you..."

The sound was so faint it was like a mosquito's buzz.

"Don't mention it."

Seeing that she relaxed, I felt a little more at ease.

"What's your name? Where are you from? What are you doing unconscious on the street in the middle of the night?"

The girl looked up, her eyes red.

"My name is Liu Xiaomei... I come from Sihetun, which is 30 miles south of the county seat."

She sniffed.

"I came to the county town... to find my sister."

"Looking for your sister?"

I dragged a chair to sit a little away from the bed so as not to frighten her again.

"Does your sister work in the county town?"

Liu Xiaomei nodded, then shook her head, and tears suddenly streamed down her face.

"My sister...my sister works at a cement factory."

She said, her voice choked with emotion.

"But...but she hasn't been home for months...not even a letter. My mother is very ill and talks about her all the time. I had no choice, so...I secretly ran away..."

My heart skipped a beat.

Cement plant.

It's a cement factory again.

"What's your sister's name? What does she do at the cement factory?" I tried to keep my voice steady.

"Liu Yulan".

Liu Xiaomei wiped away her tears.

"She helps out in the factory canteen. She came to the city last spring and started sending money home every month and writing letters occasionally. But since... since this summer, we haven't heard from her at all."

She became more and more agitated as she spoke, and her hands, gripping the corner of the blanket, were trembling.

"My mother asked someone at the factory to inquire, and they said... that my sister thought the wages were too low and ran off with a rich man!"

She suddenly raised her voice, and tears streamed down her face.

"Impossible! My sister isn't that kind of person! She loves my mom and me the most. Even if she really wanted to leave, she wouldn't leave without saying a word!"

The feeling that something was wrong with me grew stronger and stronger.

When was the last time you received a message from your sister?

Early June.

"She brought back ten yuan and a letter, saying that there was a lot of work at the factory and we might have to work overtime, so we shouldn't worry about it. The letter also said... and that she had discovered some things and would tell us once she figured them out."

"Have you discovered something?"

"What is it?"

Liu Xiaomei shook her head.

"The letter didn't go into details, it just said... it just said it was about the factory, and she felt something was wrong."

Cement plant.

The missing female worker.

All these fragments were rapidly piecing together in my mind, gradually forming a blurry yet unsettling outline.

I stood up and paced around the small room.

Outside the window, the sky was still dark, and it would be some time before dawn.

"Liu Xiaomei".

I turned around, looked at the thin girl on the bed, and my voice became serious.

"What you've said is very important. We can't wait until dawn. I'll take you to the police station now to find Captain Sun."

Liu Xiaomei opened her eyes wide.

"Now? But..."

"Human life is of paramount importance."

I interrupted her, grabbed my coat from the bed, and handed it to her.

"Put these on, let's go. Your sister's situation might not be so simple. You'd better be prepared, your sister might..."

When Liu Xiaomei heard the words "Your sister is probably...", she froze, even stopping her breathing for a moment.

She stared intently at me, her eyes, which appeared unusually large due to her thinness, were a mixture of fear and a premonition she was unwilling to acknowledge.

"...I'm afraid something's wrong?"

Her voice trembled violently, and her fingers clenched so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

I took a deep breath and swallowed my words.

Some of my guesses are better left unsaid, especially to a girl who has just recovered from her shock.

"I'm afraid this matter is not simple."

I changed my words and lowered my tone.

"You haven't heard from your sister for months, and the factory gave that kind of response; there's definitely something fishy going on. We need to contact the police right away."

Liu Xiaomei lowered her head, and her shoulders began to shrug slightly.

She didn't cry out loud, but large tears fell onto the blanket, spreading out a small, dark, damp patch.

After a while, she wiped her face hard with her sleeve. When she looked up, the murky despair in her eyes had faded somewhat, replaced by an almost stubborn determination.

"Walk."

Her voice was still hoarse, but it was no longer trembling.

"I'll go with you."

She struggled to get off the bed, and as soon as her feet touched the ground, she swayed.

I quickly reached out and supported her arm.

"Are you able to walk? Or... maybe you should rest a little longer?"

Looking at her pale face, I felt a little uneasy.

Liu Xiaomei shook her head, steadied herself, and pulled up the collar of her cotton-padded coat.

"It's nothing, just a little unsteady, but I can still walk."

Seeing her resolute attitude, I stopped trying to persuade her.

As I opened the room door, the hotel lobby was still filled with the incessant snoring of the hotel owner, and the copy of "Jin Ping Mei" had slid to the side of the chair leg.

We tiptoed past him, pushed open the creaking wooden door of the hotel, and plunged into the cold autumn night.

It's colder outside than before.

The wind blew close to the ground, swirling up a few withered leaves and sending them flying into people's trouser legs.

The sky was overcast, like a thick, waterlogged cotton quilt. The stars and moon were nowhere to be seen; only the dim yellow light of a few streetlights in the distance stretched out small, blurry halos in the darkness.

Liu Xiaomei followed closely behind me, her steps a little unsteady, but she didn't fall behind.

"Big Wave Bro".

I asked myself.

"Is there... anything wrong with this girl?"

Huang Dalang's voice rang out after a while, unusually devoid of its usual sarcasm, and tinged with a hint of contemplation.

"Nothing's wrong, she's just too weak, probably from the cold weather and hunger. She'll be fine after eating something. But when she mentioned her sister, I had a feeling I couldn't quite put my finger on. I can't quite put my finger on it, I'll have to take another look."

My heart sank.

Huang Dalang's intuition is rarely wrong; he has a feeling that he can't quite put into words. So, Liu Yulan's disappearance is probably not a simple matter.

We walked one after the other on the empty street.

At this hour, the county town was already fast asleep, and only the sound of our footsteps was particularly clear in the silence.

Occasionally, I would pass by a window, the light inside was off, and I could vaguely hear snoring.

"Big brother."

Liu Xiaomei suddenly spoke softly from behind, interrupting my thoughts.

"Um?"

"Are you really a police officer?"

Her voice seemed to drift in the wind.

"You're not reporting for duty until tomorrow?"

"Ah, yes."

I agreed, my face burning a little, but thankfully it wasn't noticeable in the dark.

Lying is a truly unpleasant experience.

"I used to work as an assistant manager elsewhere, and this time I'm officially transferred here."

I feel a little guilty about the lie I made up, but since I've already said it, I can only bite the bullet and keep it up.

"Hello, police officer."

Liu Xiaomei spoke in a low voice, as if talking to herself.

"The police can find people and uphold justice."

"We shamans aren't so bad, are we? The police deal with things in the mortal world, we deal with things outside of it."

Huang Dalang's competitive spirit suddenly surged up, and his voice echoed in my mind.

I didn't reply.

Upholding justice is a heavy responsibility.

I still have untold "karmic debts" on my shoulders, and I rely on the spirits behind me to make a living. Now I'm pretending to be a public servant and getting myself into this mess.

I never imagined that I, a shaman who has been a fool for over a decade, would one day get involved in a police murder case.

But looking at the girl's frail figure beside him, and thinking of the possible misfortune that might have befallen her sister, he suppressed his hesitation.

Never mind that, let's focus on the present.

After turning another street corner, you can vaguely see the lonely porch lamp next to the police station gate, swaying slightly in the wind and casting a flickering shadow.

Liu Xiaomei slowed her pace.

She stared at the lamp, her lips pressed tightly together, her eyes filled with expectation, fear, and a desperate resolve.

"Brother Li."

She suddenly stopped, turned around and looked at me. The dim light shone on her face, revealing a solemnity that seemed out of place for her age.

"If... if something really happens to my sister, will it... will it end up like that factory manager's wife who went missing a while ago?"

My heart skipped a beat.

"You know about that?"

"On the way here, I overheard people chatting on the shuttle bus. They said the cement factory was haunted, haunted at night, and that the factory manager's wife was even lured away by a ghost and drowned in the pool. And now..."

She didn't finish speaking; she bit her lip, and tears welled up in her eyes again.

"My sister...could she also...?"

"Don't overthink it!"

I interrupted her, my voice rising slightly before softening again.

"Once you get to the police station, tell them everything you know. Captain Sun and his team are veteran criminal investigators with experience; they'll definitely be able to figure it out."

Even so, I had absolutely no confidence.

Sun Dasheng and his team are obviously investigating the cement plant, but I have no idea how they are progressing or what they have found.

Are Liu Yulan's disappearance, the factory director's wife's "accident" and Lao Chen's strange behavior all connected?

If so, how deep is the water hidden behind this?

I shook my head, temporarily suppressing these chaotic thoughts. The most important thing right now is to get Liu Xiaomei and the message she brought to where they need to be.

"Let's go."

I gestured with my chin towards the police station.

"Tell Captain Sun the truth when you see him."

I walked ahead and pushed open the door of the police station.

It just so happens that Zhu Daneng is on duty.

Upon seeing it was me, I immediately stood up.

"Mr. Li, what's up? Can't sleep in the middle of the night and want to chat?"

"Officer Zhu, I have important news."

As I spoke, I pushed Liu Xiaomei, who was behind me, in front of me.

"She has something to say about the cement plant."