Chapter 58: Taking the Police to See the Mountain God

What the village chief said was no different from yesterday.

Sun Zhenbang pondered for a moment and said, "Before I came, I kept hearing the villagers here talk about the Mountain God; could you tell me what's going on?"

The village chief scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly and said, "Originally we didn't believe in such things, but after last night's events, everyone felt it was too mysterious, and many have started to be half-believing, half-doubting."

Actually, the initial cause was that two villagers from our village saw some small animals on the mountain worshipping the moon, and then it was that girl Xiaocao who said she saw the Mountain God.

The village chief took a puff of dry tobacco, and the words slowly emerging from the smoke rings made it feel like listening to a story; all the police were somewhat entranced.

Afterwards we went to look, and it was really frightening—those small animals seemed to be possessed; now thinking about it, perhaps they weren't worshipping the moon but maybe the Mountain God.

The village chief shook his pipe, tobacco flecks falling down, he cracked a smile, but that smile looked mysterious no matter how you looked at it.

Police comrade, I'm just chatting casually.

Sun Zhenbang clearly saw that the village chief's eyes flickered with a strange color; obviously he believed eight or nine tenths of the Mountain God talk, but out of respect for the police's dignity, he didn't want to publicize these theories.

And what about Hu Xiaocao?

Sun Zhenbang didn't suspect Hu Xiaocao of having the ability to kill; he just felt that as the first person to have seen the "Mountain God," there must be some unknown secret behind it.

This girl Xiaocao is also a pitiful soul—her father died early, and she has a seriously ill mother; they rely entirely on assistance from relatives and neighbors to get by so far...

……

When they walked out of the village chief's house, it was already nearly noon, and Sun Zhenbang declined the chief's invitation to stay for a meal.

Looking up at the big sun overhead, Sun Zhenbang and the others had the village chief's recent words drifting in their minds, and the situation became increasingly bewildering.

Sun Zhenbang rubbed his temples and said, "Let's go, let's go check out Hu Xiaocao's house."

Hu Xiaocao's house is easy to find, right at the village's edge.

What came into view was an extremely dilapidated house, just as the village chief said—Hu Xiaocao's family is impoverished, with very poor conditions.

They had just reached the doorway when they saw Hu Xiaocao carrying firewood more than half her height, neatly stacked against the wall, her movements very practiced.

Those firewood piles pressed on her frail shoulders; from Sun Zhenbang's group's angle, only a tiny head could be seen, almost unable to lift up.

Several big men inexplicably felt a pang of sadness.

Their daughters, though about the same age as Hu Xiaocao, are pampered to the extreme, cherished by grandparents; they hardly do such heavy work, let alone ordinary chores.

Hu Xiaocao seemed to hear footsteps, looked up, and recognized Sun Zhenbang.

"Police uncles, how come you're here?"

Probably because Sun Zhenbang had given her candy before, Hu Xiaocao had a deeper impression of him.

Sun Zhenbang's tone unconsciously softened: "Uncles, we have some things we want to ask you, okay?"

Because it was too late yesterday, and Hu Xiaocao had just escaped from human traffickers, they also didn't want to press too hard.

Hearing the conversation outside, a weak female voice came from inside the house.

"Xiaocao, who are you talking to?"

Hu Xiaocao loudly replied, "I'm talking with the police uncles."

Hu Xiaocao wiped her hands, led everyone into the inner room, and a strong medicinal smell hit them.

Sun Zhenbang surveyed the interior furnishings; it could be said to be bare walls—if a thief came in, they'd want to cry and leave.

"Police uncles, please have a seat quickly."

Faced with Hu Xiaocao's enthusiasm, Sun Zhenbang couldn't bear to refuse her kindness.

Several old chairs creaked when they sat on them, and they all worried the chairs might fall apart.

Fortunately, although they only had three legs, they were still the stubborn kind.

Hu Xiaocao poured them several cups of water; compared to her own familiarity and enthusiasm, her mother appeared somewhat restrained, and upon closer look, still a little fearful.

The woman had never dealt with the police before.

Now Hu Xiaocao had almost been abducted by traffickers and was implicated in four lives, making this simple, honest woman especially uneasy.

The woman anxiously asked, "Um, police comrades, what's the matter? Did our Xiaocao cause trouble?"

Sun Zhenbang soothed, "Don't worry, we're just here to understand yesterday's situation."

Hearing that, the woman obviously relaxed.

Then came the routine questioning; what Hu Xiaocao said was no different from yesterday, her articulation clear, especially when describing the white mist in the forest and the Mountain God's manifestation, which she vividly portrayed.

Yesterday the woman wasn't present at the scene, and Hu Xiaocao had been sent back by other villagers; she only learned of these things later, and now listening to her daughter's narration, she couldn't help but feel tense.

"Xiaocao, don't talk nonsense in front of the police."

The woman quickly spoke up to stop her.

Hu Xiaocao obviously felt wronged, pouting her lips, "But I didn't speak nonsense; what I said is all true."

Sun Zhenbang shook his head, indicating it didn't matter, "It's fine, let Xiaocao speak."

The woman looked at Sun Zhenbang, saw his expression unchanged, and then put her mind at ease.

Hu Xiaocao's fondness for Sun Zhenbang increased further, especially as these police uncles listened while taking notes in a notebook, listening very attentively.

"Xiaocao, could you tell me what the Mountain God looks like?"

Sun Zhenbang had only heard villagers discuss the Mountain God, but no one had ever deliberately described what it looks like.

If the Mountain God were really someone impersonating it, using this to mystify things, wouldn't Hu Xiaocao have once seen the true face of the "Mountain God"?

"Mountain God Grandfather looks mighty impressive; I'll take you to see him and you'll know."

In Hu Xiaocao's mind, no words could describe the Mountain God's true appearance, and she also wanted to bring the police to see the shrine she had built.

However, Sun Zhenbang and the others misunderstood her meaning.

Several police officers exchanged glances, feeling somewhat excited inside.

Could it be that Hu Xiaocao really saw the "Mountain God"!

Is this Mountain God really someone impersonating it?

Who would have thought that the question lingering in their minds could be resolved so quickly.

Feeling somewhat excited and complicated, the police followed Hu Xiaocao to the mountain foot, keeping watch on their surroundings the whole time, wary of any suspicious individuals.

Hu Xiaocao skipped ahead, leading the way, "The Mountain God Grandfather is just up ahead."

Sun Zhenbang lowered his voice: "If anyone spots suspicious individuals, we act immediately. A Ming, remember to protect Hu Xiaocao so she isn't taken hostage by criminals. Everybody clear?"

"Clear!"

Sun Zhenbang looked at Hu Xiaocao, feeling somewhat apologetic; although this might be somewhat unfair to her, for the sake of the investigation he had no choice.

However, when they arrived at the place Hu Xiaocao had mentioned, aside from them there was no one else around.

"Could the person have already fled?"

(End of chapter)