Chapter 8: Bone-Piercing Rubbing

Zhou Bie appeared indifferent, but in reality, he was quite worried about Xing Lin. He was distracted in his work, his phone never leaving his side for a second. Every now and then, he would step outside to make a call. Through the floor-to-ceiling window, Qiao Ruyi could see the grave expression on his face. He was usually a carefree, easygoing young man, but once he had something to worry about, he seemed to have grown up.

Qiao Ruyi usually dealt more with stone rubbings and didn't make a habit of observing people, but this Zhou Bie piqued her interest. How should she put it? He was a young man living deep in the Hexi Corridor, working as a handyman in this cafe. He called Xing Lin "brother," yet they didn't seem to be relatives, and their relationship was clearly more than just employer and employee.

He seemed like a slacker, but deep down, he possessed a refined upbringing, suggesting he likely came from a rather good family. This Zhou Bie was quite intriguing.

By dusk, Zhou Bie made coffee for Qiao Ruyi again, this time adding a few pastries. Qiao Ruyi took the tray and said with a smile, "Your coffee is so rich, I’ll probably suffer from insomnia tonight."

She picked up a pastry; its color was a strange, muddled mix of yellow and red, and the pattern on top was indescribable—a chaotic, multicolored smear. Qiao Ruyi examined it carefully and hesitated, "This pattern... is quite abstract."

Zhou Bie hurriedly explained, "Don't misunderstand, this is definitely not the standard of my shop. My skills are far inferior to my brother’s."

"It may not look good, but the taste is quite decent," Qiao Ruyi evaluated honestly.

Zhou Bie beamed, "As long as you like it."

Qiao Ruyi took a sip of coffee and asked unhurriedly, "Is something the matter?"

Zhou Bie quickly moved his chair closer to her, leaned in, and said with a grin, "Ruyi, I’d like to ask you to go to the police station to testify for my brother. I’ve been thinking about it, and what you said earlier is quite important."

In truth, even if he hadn't spoken, Qiao Ruyi could have guessed his intentions. She suspected he had been weighing this for a long time. Her tone was relaxed, "Zhou Bie, I can testify at the police station, provided that your shopkeeper agrees."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Bie didn't even hesitate, "If someone is willing to testify for him, of course he’ll agree."

Qiao Ruyi lowered her eyes and smiled faintly, "Not necessarily."

Zhou Bie stared blankly for a long moment, then let out an "Ah?"

***

Xing Lin did not return to "Wish Come True" that night.

Zhou Bie had remained composed all afternoon, but once night fell, he finally couldn't hold back anymore. He took the initiative to call Captain Liu.

There was wind and sand again tonight, though not as severe as the black sandstorm from the night before. When the grit brushed against the glass windows, it made a rustling sound; what fell was the common yellow sand of the Northwest. Qiao Ruyi did not return to her room to rest; instead, she took a book from the shelf and went to the first floor to read.

In reality, her attention wasn't on the book. Through the window, she saw Zhou Bie’s face looking grim; the situation was likely not optimistic. Once he entered the room and saw Qiao Ruyi, he said, "Ruyi, I need to go to the police station. Will you be alright here in the shop by yourself?"

Qiao Ruyi nodded, "What happened?"

"There’s a new development regarding my brother. I suspect the Wang family’s daughter has changed her statement again." Zhou Bie didn't treat her like an outsider and spoke frankly. He went into the preparation area, grabbed a faded denim jacket, and put it on. "I’m worried, so I’m going to go check it out. Also, I still need to persuade my brother about you testifying."

Zhou Bie was quite resourceful; at dusk, he had indeed brought up Qiao Ruyi’s suggestion to the police station. As expected, Xing Lin had refused. The reason given was simple: Qiao Ruyi was just a guest who had taken shelter from the sandstorm; such matters should not involve outsiders.

Believe that nonsense.

Would a guest sheltering from a sandstorm be staying in the study?

Zhou Bie left by car. Before departing, he repeatedly urged Qiao Ruyi to go upstairs to rest early, warning that another black sandstorm might hit and that she must ensure the doors and windows were locked tight.

Once the car's silhouette vanished into the murky sky, Qiao Ruyi placed the book on the coffee table and took a glance at the title. Xing Lin’s study contained many books—an entire wall of them, covering various subjects, including many ancient texts. She had grabbed this one randomly to look busy, but now, seeing the title, she was slightly surprised.

It was an extremely old book with yellowed pages. Opening it to check the publication date, she saw it was more than two generations older than her. It was a book about the ancient city of Guyang, written entirely in traditional characters and vertical columns; it would truly require patience to read.

Crucially, she didn't dare turn the pages too forcefully, fearing she might tear them. Regardless of whether such an old book was valuable, it was likely out of print and hard to replace.

Ancient Guyang City, was it?

According to the summary, it told the stories of the generations of generals who guarded Guyang City and recounted its history and culture.

Quite interesting.

***

The wind and sand outside grew stronger.

Perhaps traumatized by the black sandstorm, everyone was on edge. Seeing the wind picking up, they had scurried home early. The food street plunged into a deathly silence, not even a passing bird to be seen. The sunset in the Northwest was usually late, but influenced by the wind and sand, the sky was now terrifyingly dark.

All the lights in the cafe were extinguished. As the wind and sand swept past the dim streetlights, occasional shadows flickered across Qiao Ruyi’s face. In the gloom, she sat motionless in her chair. Her eyes had long since adjusted to the darkness, allowing her to clearly see the clock on the wall.

Once nine o'clock passed, Qiao Ruyi rose and left the cafe.

She locked the doors and windows securely, looked around, and upon spotting the silhouette of a battered pickup truck deep in the small street, a dark shadow crossed her eyes. She didn't dwell on it, pivoted on her heel, and headed in the opposite direction, immediately taking out her phone to tap on the "Ginger" avatar on WeChat.

The Ginger avatar replied with a dog-head emoji.

Qiao Ruyi: Have you spotted the tail lately?

Ginger Avatar: No, did you find them?

Qiao Ruyi: Yes.

Ginger Avatar: Be careful.

Qiao Ruyi exited WeChat and walked into a narrow alley. It was a cramped space, cluttered on both sides with old objects—some covered in tattered rags, others left exposed, all layered with a thick coating of sand.

Qiao Ruyi stood at the entrance for a long while before bracing herself to enter. An ominous premonition was brewing in her heart, and as she walked deeper, it grew stronger.

At the end of the alley, there was an object covered by a black tarp. Qiao Ruyi squinted, guessing what it was. She sighed, walked forward, covered her nose and mouth with one hand, and yanked the tarp away with the other.

Sand fell in a flurry, revealing a black heavy-duty motorcycle.

Qiao Ruyi fanned the air with her hand, and once the dust settled, she rolled her eyes at the motorcycle. She tapped the Ginger avatar again, but this time, instead of a poke, she called out the name—

Tao Jiang!

Tao Jiang sent a smiley face: Found it?

Qiao Ruyi: Playing with me? A motorcycle?

Tao Jiang: Didn't you ask for one with good performance?

Qiao Ruyi: Big sister, there’s a sandstorm here!

Tao Jiang was silent on the other end for a long time—

Damn it, I forgot about that. Just make do with it.

Qiao Ruyi sent her a string of ellipses.

She opened the motorcycle's tail box, which contained neatly folded clothes and a small black box. Qiao Ruyi opened the box first and nodded with satisfaction; this person was reliable after all.

Qiao Ruyi pulled out a pair of black cargo pants from the box and quickly slipped them on. Taking advantage of the night's cover, she unbuttoned her cheongsam, loosened the top, pulled her arms out of the sleeves, and swiftly put on a black tight-fitting top. She then peeled off the cheongsam over her legs, folded it, and placed it in the tail box.

Once she donned the black helmet, the sand hissed as it struck the visor.

Qiao Ruyi sighed to herself, thinking that this Tao Jiang really must think she had lives to spare.

Ten minutes later, a motorcycle silhouette surged out of the narrow alley and sped into the chaotic, dark night.

The people in the pickup truck at the corner heard the roar of the engine, but it was too late to look up. The motorcycle was like a phantom, flying past.

The man in the back seat, Yu Renyou, who had been dozing off, sat up abruptly, his fat trembling, "What the hell just went by?"

A-Hu was in the driver's seat, looking dazed. He glanced at the rearview mirror but saw nothing. He rolled down the window to peer out for a long time, his tone uncertain, "It looked like... a motorcycle?"

Yu Renyou barked, "Who the hell would ride a motorcycle in this weather?"

A-Long, who had also been napping, recalled, "It really seemed to be a motorcycle."

Yu Renyou, "Coming out of 'Wish Come True'?"

"Someone did come out of 'Wish Come True,' but it was a woman. Isn't Xing Lin a man?" Sweat began to bead on A-Hu's forehead—had they actually lost their target while tailing them?

Yu Renyou almost choked with rage and slapped A-Hu’s head with a fat hand, "I don't care if it’s a man or a woman! Even if it’s a dog, you follow it! Anyone coming in and out of that cafe at this hour must be related to Xing Lin!"

A-Hu’s head was buzzing, "Then..."

"Stop with the bullshit and chase them!"

Terrified of another blow from Yu Renyou, A-Hu started the car, his head still throbbing.

***

Uncle Ge’s house was in a state of deathly silence, currently under lockdown.

Not just Uncle Ge’s house, but the entire surroundings were quiet. There wasn't a single light on in any of the neighboring houses; only the howling of the wind and sand remained.

Uncle Ge’s family had died in a bizarre manner, followed by the strange mass disappearance event. As friendly as the neighbors were, faced with such eerie circumstances, they naturally wouldn't dare stay. It was said that by noon, they had all fled to relatives' homes.

This made things convenient for Qiao Ruyi.

The courtyard gate was tightly shut. A square lantern hung from the bracket; the surroundings were thick with darkness, with only the lantern above glowing.

It was a unique lantern. Qiao Ruyi glanced upward; it was a leather-carved piece. The lampshade was carved with hollow patterns, and the light spilling through them formed the characters "Lanna" on the ground in front of the gate.

Looking at this, it seemed Uncle Ge still couldn't let go of his late wife.

Qiao Ruyi didn't linger at the gate. She first observed the front and back, checking the outer wall. There were no security devices; the people here were simple and honest, and the neighbors knew each other well, so they didn't feel the need to guard against anyone.

The wall was high, but for Qiao Ruyi, it was a piece of cake. There was just one issue: the shoe covers Tao Jiang had provided weren't slip-resistant, and climbing without them would leave marks.

After a moment's thought, Qiao Ruyi took a wire-like tool from the black box and inserted it into the door lock. Within seconds, a click signaled the lock had yielded.

The lock was clearly insufficient.

Qiao Ruyi entered the courtyard on tiptoe and headed straight for the main house.

There were no police officers present; the matter was suspicious, and normal people wouldn't dream of returning to a crime scene, which worked in Qiao Ruyi’s favor as a stray survivor. She didn't waste time in the living room and went straight to Uncle Ge’s room, guided by her memory.

The concave shape was still there on the wall. Qiao Ruyi shone her flashlight; at first glance, it really did look like a person had been embedded into the wall. But why was the posture so strange when Uncle Ge was killed—why was he kneeling?

Was he begging whatever had harmed him for mercy?

She called the perpetrator "something" because Qiao Ruyi had long suspected that Uncle Ge’s death was related to the black sandstorm.

Qiao Ruyi stepped forward and touched the indentation. Wearing thin black gloves, she could still clearly feel the wall's temperature the moment her fingertips touched it.

It was freezing.

It reminded her instantly of that old stone rubbing.

Qiao Ruyi held the flashlight in her teeth, crouched down, and opened the black box, which contained various tools for making rubbings. She took out a clear glass bottle and sprayed the entire concave wall. A fine mist of water landed on the surface, removing impurities and grime, yet the wall showed no signs of dampness.

Once cleaned, she took another solution from the box and applied it evenly to the wall. This time, the solution soaked in rapidly.

The xuan paper Qiao Ruyi used was handmade by her, possessing far greater resilience than anything on the market, capable of withstanding the solution's permeability and the pressure of the rubbing process. She laid the paper flat against the wall and pressed it gently with a silk-wrapped pad, ensuring the paper adhered perfectly to the surface.

Once attached, Qiao Ruyi took a silver needle from the box and pricked the surface of the paper, activating the components in the solution.

Following that, a wondrous scene unfolded.

A figure rapidly appeared on the xuan paper—a kneeling posture, presented with vivid clarity, completely different from the patterns of ordinary rubbings.

The marks on the xuan paper were not ordinary ink; the rubbed image was lifelike, with the skeleton and skin clearly defined.

It was a rubbing of Uncle Ge.

Still with his back turned.

But from his thin shoulders, one could see the extreme terror and panic he felt before death.

Qiao Ruyi stared at the image on the xuan paper, her brow slightly furrowed. Although there was immense fear, she didn't think he looked like he was begging for mercy. Could he really have been praying?

Praying for what? For heaven to save him from this disaster?

Facing imminent death, one would hardly think to kneel and pray to the heavens.

"Shengqing," Qiao Ruyi called out softly.

The green snake on her wrist began to move slowly, lifting its head slightly and biting her finger. Qiao Ruyi didn't even frown, allowing the creature its insolence.

Soon, a bead of blood formed at her fingertip. As she pressed her blood-stained finger to the paper, an overwhelming chill swept through her entire body. Fragments of painful, tragic, and agonizing memories rushed in like a tidal wave.

These emotions and memories arrived suddenly and powerfully, causing Qiao Ruyi to almost pull her finger away. She gritted her teeth, forcing herself to endure the tidal wave of pain as fragmented images began to fill her mind—

*Lanna, wait for me a little longer, just a little longer...*

*It’s almost time, Lanna, I’ll see you very soon...*

Suddenly, the snake on her wrist became restless, flicking its tongue violently into the air.

Qiao Ruyi pulled her hand back abruptly.