Using rules against rules, since these are the rules I set, I must abide by them.
Eldest Sister called Old Ghost. By then, Old Ghost had already purchased the human bone flute and was on his way to buy pastries from Daohua Village. We arranged to meet at a copper hot pot restaurant near Daohua Village.
Buying pastries before eating hot pot, and in summer too—only Old Ghost could pull something like that off.
...
However, when we arrived at the hot pot restaurant, there were several police cars with flashing lights nearby. Eldest Sister and I watched helplessly as Old Ghost was taken away by the police. I recognized one of the law enforcement officers; he looked like the one who had questioned me at the bone artifact shop.
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I glanced at Eldest Sister. Her expression was even grimmer than mine. She said, "We've been tricked."
...
I quickly called Wang Zeyai, asking him to help inquire about Old Ghost's situation. Wang Zeyai, also a friend of Cao Shi, readily called the criminal investigation team. It was then that we learned they had solid evidence. A wealthy tycoon in Hong Kong, superstitious about bone artifact sacrifices, had funded a murder. He had handed over the remains to the bone artifact shop owner for crafting: tribal killing bones from Oceania, sacrificial bone lamps from Europe, and the Tibetan Gāngdòng (human bone flute).
The bone artifact shop owner had been apprehended. The police had secured evidence that the funding came from a Hong Kong national. Most importantly, when the police found Cao Shi, he was already in possession of the human bone flute, making him caught red-handed.
It was clearly a trap set for Old Ghost. I believed Old Ghost could surely extricate himself; such things wouldn't hold him. However, he wouldn't be able to help tomorrow.
...
That evening, we went to Eldest Sister's place nearby. She looked dejected and didn't want to eat. I could only buy two sets of Jianbing on the way and brought them home. I offered them to her, but she refused, saying she needed to rest.
Eldest Sister needed to go to bed, and due to the rope, I did too. I sat by the bed eating Jianbing. Eldest Sister, with her back to me, lay curled up on the bed. She asked, "Tang Nan, have you ever suspected me?"
"No."
"You're truly naive. Do you know, after Zhu Guang was caught, I already predicted he would escape prison. Zhu Guang has always had health issues, and after his two clashes with you, he needed a place to recuperate. Prison was that place. To achieve this, Zhu Guang had already arranged for his people to infiltrate the detention center beforehand, making it impossible for us to use the same methods we used against Senior Uncle Zhang Si."
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"You wanted to kill him?"
"Should I have let him live? As long as I could find his fatal weakness, I would have acted without hesitation. Unfortunately, prison wasn't his weakness. I could only keep an eye on him and discovered that his loyal subordinate had only made one box for bone artifacts. Following that lead, I found the bone artifact shop we had visited."
The owner of the bone artifact shop was named Zhao Dayong, a sculptor by trade. However, bones, by nature, exuded a chilling atmosphere, attracting few customers, and Zhao Dayong's business was sparse.
One day, Zhao Dayong had a toothache and had it extracted. Most people would keep a tooth as a memento or discard it. But Zhao Dayong, being in the bone artifact business, took the tooth back. During his idle hours, he meticulously carved the bad tooth, transforming a small molar into a bone Buddha. httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
Someone recognized it as a tooth carving and paid a hefty sum for the ancient Buddha. After this windfall, Zhao Dayong seriously considered if this was the beginning of his business, so he went to the dentist and bought more bad teeth.
However, these teeth did not bring him wealth. For some reason, he couldn't find that same vitality, that so-called inspiration, on other people's teeth. So, Zhao Dayong pulled out a healthy tooth and continued carving. Indeed, the shape of this tooth surpassed his limits, and he achieved success once again.
He wanted to pull more teeth, but the dentist shook his head. The dentist explained that some teeth were foundational and couldn't be removed, or the entire set would fall apart.
Zhao Dayong pondered, "If I can't pull them, then I'll sever them."
By the time he was in his thirties, his mouth resembled that of a seventy-year-old grandfather. No dentist was willing to serve him anymore.
Since opening his shop, Zhao Dayong had never imagined he would be on the verge of despair due to a lack of carving inspiration. He fell into depression, reluctant to speak or conduct business.
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Then one day, a funeral procession passed by his door. He stared at the procession until it disappeared.
That night, Zhao Dayong went to the funeral home and began purchasing human bones at high prices. Sculpture depended on nature, on the innate contours of the material. Human bones once again ignited Zhao Dayong's creative talent.
Not only that, but Zhao Dayong also found a rarer customer base than those who simply liked bone artifacts; some people enjoyed human bone artifacts and were willing to spend more money for them.
...
His wealth grew exponentially, but more importantly, his inspiration never ran dry. Whenever he felt quiet, whenever his inspiration waned, he would silently gaze at the artistic skulls and hand bones in the corner.
The skull belonged to an old man, and the hand bones to a young woman who had died prematurely.
Under the dim blue light, the hand bones seemed to tremble, and the skull seemed to moan in pain. Each time this happened, Zhao Dayong felt the evil artist within him awaken.
...
I never expected Eldest Sister to be so familiar with that bone artifact shop owner. I looked back at her, but she still had her back to me.
"Zhu Guang's people found Zhao Dayong and provided him with the remains of a young girl," Eldest Sister continued.
"The driver's daughter?"
"Yes. That girl was sixteen years old. The photo we saw was taken a few years ago. Although the girl was still in high school, she associated with people from society, behaved improperly, and looked down on her father. One night, she didn't come home, spending the night with a thirty-year-old man. Her father scolded her severely, and she chose to run away from home."
"Did Zhu Guang's people kill her?"
"I don't know. But I don't think Zhu Guang would do that. The Schemer wouldn't kill without reason, but if the girl's death could be used in a plan, then it could be utilized."
I sighed...
"Tang Nan, the world is dark. It's never as bright as you imagine. Do you know who the man the girl spent the night with was? He was the driver of the prison van at the detention center."
"What?"
"That driver knew the girl was involved with some delinquent youths. To satisfy his perversions, he threatened the girl. If I had to guess the cause of the girl's death, it's likely that after she ran away, she needed money, threatened him, and he killed her."
"Since you know all this, why the charade?"
"In my heart, Zhu Guang is a ticking time bomb. Someone like him could harm me at any moment. Since he won't let you go, let's defeat him outright."
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Hearing this, I finally understood. I turned and pushed Eldest Sister, "Turn around and look at me."
Eldest Sister didn't move. She started crying.
"You already guessed Zhu Guang would use the child against you."
"Yes, and I confirmed it with 'The Enchantress'."
"Cao Qian, are you even human? Tang Yi is so young, and she's your daughter. You treat your own child as a tool."
Eldest Sister said tearfully, "All things under heaven are for my use! I invited Master to help me find the human bone flute, and then we would have a bargaining chip when dealing with Zhu Guang. Moreover, Master is an external factor; he can help me find Tang Yi. But we were tricked. Everything I could predict was within Zhu Guang's calculations. Tomorrow's game has no element of props. These so-called 'props' are actually a trap set for me. He knew I could invite Master."
Hearing this, I took a deep breath, suppressing the rage surging within me, "Under what conditions did you invite Old Ghost?"
"Duan Dongyang goes to prison, and he takes 'The Enchantress' to Hong Kong."
I gave a helpless smile, "Wonderful. I thought you had agreed to our alliance, to contain Zhu Guang together. Now, it's great. We're going to be wiped out."
"I'm sorry!"
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Eldest Sister said, sat up, and hugged my back. I forcefully pushed her away and roared, "Stay as far away from me as possible. Tomorrow, we'll rescue Tang Yi, and from then on, you and I will have no relation."
...
This woman's acting was ingrained, and her heart was as venomous as a snake.
From the moment this chain appeared between us, she had been acting with me, a master of emotional drama. The pain of losing her daughter, the anxiety of making choices, the disagreements between us—all of it was her performance.
That night, Eldest Sister lay on the bed with her back to me, and I sat on the floor, leaning against the bed.
Tang Yi's image kept flashing in my mind. She was as cute as a princess. Even though she was still very unfamiliar with me, her father, and wouldn't even let me hold her, I wouldn't let her be in danger.
No matter what, I had to rescue Tang Yi.
...
We got up and prepared around four o'clock. Together, we washed up, used the restroom, and ate breakfast. The rope only allowed a two-meter distance, but Eldest Sister and I didn't exchange a word, each attending to our own tasks.
After everything was done, we sat at opposite ends of the sofa, waiting.
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My phone rang, and hers did too.
We both received a message at the same time: proceed to the game location set by Zhu Guang.