As the little boy cried out "Grandma Yu," Tan Yunlong immediately perked up his ears.
Just that morning, he had mentioned “Grandma Yu” to his son.
Later, his son called him to report that they had found the body of the missing person, Tang Qiuying.
He also asked Tan Yunlong to bring along the case files about “Grandma Yu.” Apparently, a classmate of his had been talking in his sleep about “Grandma Yu” while napping in their dormitory.
His son suspected that this classmate, Lin Shuyou, might have been taken away by human traffickers to Fujian.
Tan Yunlong was not inclined to believe such wild tales, but he could tell his son was being bold with confidence—definitely the effect of authority from the police.
Since it was Xiaoyuan who wanted the case file, Tan Yunlong would comply.
It turned out that the leads were connecting nicely.
He was becoming accustomed to this way of handling casework.
However, when he heard the little boy, now excitedly calling himself "Beibei," Tan Yunlong felt a sense of relief in his heart.
Under the current conditions, searching for abducted children was already a difficult task, and finding their biological parents upon rescue was equally challenging.
Human traffickers often targeted very young children, whisking them away via long-distance buses or trains.
The seasoned trafficker groups didn’t limit their activities to certain cities or provinces; rather, they operated across wider regions—north, south, east, and west.
Children, due to their young age, often forgot their pasts quickly.
The records parents kept concerning their children’s appearances and behaviors could become outdated in the blink of an eye, sometimes losing efficacy in just months or a year.
Even more infuriating was that some traffickers would still try to hide their crimes even after being caught.
Tan Yunlong had seen far too many haggard parents clinging to photos and toys from their children’s infancy, desperately trying to find them after many years.
As a father, he could empathize with that heart-wrenching pain.
If Beibei could recall more details about his past, especially which province or city he was from, it would greatly aid in locating his biological parents.
Tan Yunlong kept glancing at the boy through the rearview mirror, hoping he might find a way.
“Uncle Tan, Beibei is hungry. Can we stop up ahead to buy some snacks?” the boy said.
“Xiaoyuan, how long do we have to stop?”
“I’ll call you when I’m ready to get back in the car.”
Tan Yunlong parked at a crossroads up ahead.
After getting out, he waved at passing police cars and motorcycles, signaling for them to go ahead.
He then motioned towards a nearby convenience store where his colleagues would head back to the station first.
Keeping a bit of distance from the police vehicles, Tan Yunlong stood under a power pole, lighting a cigarette.
While he scanned the surroundings, his attention remained focused on the police car.
As a suspect catcher, and with an abducted child inside, he should have returned to the station early to complete the paperwork, without wasting too much time.
Yet, when he stepped out of the car, he didn’t urge Li Zhuiyuan, not even giving a gentle reminder to hurry.
He knew the station would be noisy, making it difficult for Xiaoyuan and Beibei to find a private, uninterrupted space.
It seemed Xiaoyuan might have a way after all.
Tan Yunlong took a drag from his cigarette and peered back into the police car.
Through the window, he saw Li Zhuiyuan placing a talisman on Beibei’s forehead.
The tip of his cigarette trembled, ashes falling onto his clothing, prompting him to quickly pat it off and pull his gaze away.
Inside the police vehicle, Beibei stopped crying after being given the calming talisman.
This talisman, intended for the living, served to drive away malevolent influences.
Even on an empty stomach, placing it on oneself could bring tranquility to the mind.
Beibei indeed ceased his tears; he wiped his eyes and quietly gazed at his older brother.
Li Zhuiyuan placed a pencil in front of him, indicating for him to fixate on it, then gradually guided Beibei into a hypnotic rhythm.
Li Zhuiyuan hadn't formally studied psychology or hypnotherapy, but he had been exposed to psychological research and was no stranger to being hypnotized himself.
Although he hadn’t healed his own issues, he had indeed reached a state of “long illness brings knowledge.”
Beibei’s eyelids started to droop as he entered the hypnotic phase of “you ask, I answer.” Li Zhuiyuan refrained from asking him about “Grandma Yu” first, knowing that delving straight into that memory might frighten the boy and disrupt the hypnosis.
Instead, he chose to explore Beibei’s obscure memories of his “young mommy and daddy,” digging deeper into the innocent child’s memories.
Beibei’s development in language and concepts was still immature, thus Li Zhuiyuan had to dismantle his preconceived thoughts and ideas to accept the descriptions Beibei provided, then recombine and translate those descriptions into meaningful information.
Fortunately for Li Zhuiyuan, this task was not too challenging; the books he had read on feng shui were often far more abstract and obscure than anything from the boy’s world.
When Tan Yunlong’s cigarette burned out, he stepped into the convenience store, buying a few drinks and snacks, along with two packs of cigarettes.
With the children tucked inside the police car, he wasn’t overly worried about safety.
Finally, when he returned with the snacks and drinks, he saw Beibei in tears again, while Li Zhuiyuan waved him over when their eyes met.
Tan Yunlong opened the car door, sliding back inside and handing the snacks to the rear as he asked, “So how did it go, Xiaoyuan?”
Li Zhuiyuan showcased a sheet of paper which was filled with many strange descriptions and phonetic symbols.
His intuition told Tan Yunlong that these might be remnants of Beibei's memories about his true hometown.
“Xiaoyuan, can you…”
“Uncle Tan, I’ve organized everything for you.”
“Good job, Xiaoyuan. Are those phonetics dialect words?”
“Yeah, but I don’t know where they’re from.”
“Not a problem. We can inquire about it later. He chuckled,“If this dialect is from Jiangsu, or better yet, from Nantong, it would streamline the search immensely.
Many places have a single dialect covering half a province or even the whole province.
Even with minor differences, they are still largely the same.
Our city of Nantong has four to five dialects, and they often can’t understand each other.”
“Right, back when I participated in the mathematics competition, the teachers were speaking Mandarin while chatting.”
It wasn’t about the teachers being cultured; rather, they were purely chatting in their own dialects, leading utter chaos in communication. Li Zhuiyuan opened a can of drink and passed it to Beibei. With tears still flowing, Beibei clutched the drink and took a few sips, crying and laughing at the same time.
Li Zhuiyuan couldn’t help but sigh: Children were still easy to soothe. The same expressions and gestures resembled those he had as a child, and he paid more attention to detail and rhythm. Other parents might think this behavior normal and cute, yet only Li Lan would drag him to a psychiatric hospital.
Tan Yunlong drove earnestly. Li Zhuiyuan silently flipped the paper to its reverse side, noting it contained Beibei’s memories regarding Grandma Yu.
“People are flying in the sky, so many people are flying.”
“Fire people, fire people, fire people.”
“Disappeared, gone.”
“Seven dwarfs.”
“Clay.”
These descriptions were far too bizarre. Li Zhuiyuan understood that it wouldn’t make sense to decipher this with overly complicated reasoning; instead, he needed to find a feeling. But that feeling was hard to pinpoint.
He put the paper aside for a moment and reorganized Beibei's memories about his hometown. Once organized, Li Zhuiyuan transcribed the information onto another sheet and handed it to Tan Yunlong, who was focused on driving.
“Was that fast?”
“Yeah.”
Tan Yunlong scanned over the information,“Hmm… this sounds like a place in Shanxi? I’m not sure.
We need to ask the colleagues at the station to verify this later.” As the car rolled into the station, a patrol officer approached, asking,“Tan bro, why are you back so late? They’ve all been waiting for you.”
“I had to fix a flat on the way.”
Tan Yunlong guided Li Zhuiyuan and Beibei out of the car. A female officer took Beibei aside, and as he followed her, he kept turning back to glance at his brother, but the brother’s back was turned, not sparing him a glance. “Xiaoyuan, just wait here a moment.
I’ll finish my tasks quickly and then we can go back to school together for supper.
I promise to hurry.”
“Alright, Uncle Tan.”
Tan Yunlong was still uneasy. He waved to a younger officer up ahead,“Xiao Zhou, this is my nephew; please take care of him for a bit.”
“Sure thing, Tan bro.”
Xiao Zhou walked over to Li Zhuiyuan, saying,“Come on, little brother, let’s go to the lounge.” Li Zhuiyuan followed him inside. He expected the lounge to be a quiet place where he could ponder his thoughts.
However, upon entering, he discovered around a dozen kids inside. Some young ones sat on the floor playing with toys, while a few older kids, about his age or a bit older, were busy writing their homework at tables. So, this was a temporary daycare for the police station while parents were at work?
To his surprise, he had been placed here. At this moment, the kids working on their homework and those playing with toys noticed the new face and looked up, their curiosity evident.
“Hey, little brother, let me get you something to eat.”
“No, Officer Zhou, I’m not hungry.”
“What grade are you in? Would you like to read some books?”
Li Zhuiyuan chuckled but didn’t respond. There was a vacant seat beside an older girl, about thirteen or fourteen, so Li Zhuiyuan sat down there. “Officer Zhou, I’m fine now.
You can go ahead with your work.”
“Alright, Tian Tian, please look after the new brother.”
“Mm.”
The girl gave a perfunctory reply, then swept her hair back with her pen before immersing herself in her studies again. Although there were many kids, the overall atmosphere remained quite calm. Even the younger ones played quietly, speaking in hushed tones.
Li Zhuiyuan decided to continue studying the“Beibei code”here. After a while, the girl, Tian Tian, turned her head to glance at the boy beside her, unable to help but continue looking. No matter if they were male or female, people had an instinctive fondness for beautiful things.
Just as when Li Zhuiyuan first met Ah Li, he himself was now seen as“Ah Li”in others' eyes. After all, his clothes were custom-made by Liu Yumei, and his hairstyle was done by Aunt Liu. As she prepared to ask who this boy was, she noticed him turning his head to observe the children playing with toys on the floor.
Then he closed his eyes, picked up a pen, and began quickly writing on the paper.
“People are flying in the sky”—tied with ropes or spinning on platforms.
“Fire people”—breathing fire.
“Disappeared, gone”—magic, a disappearing act.
“Seven dwarfs”—performers with dwarfism.
“Clay”—soft bone skill performance?
This was… a circus! Meaning, Beibei must have been abducted while watching a circus with his family. Furthermore, the fact that such descriptions appeared repeatedly in Beibei’s memories indicated he hadn’t attended just once; he likely had spent some time with the circus as well.
Thus, it raised the possibility that Grandma Yu could be hiding within a certain circus. Circuses were known for touring various locations, putting on performances in a place for a couple of shows before quickly moving to the next if the audience was small.
Grandma Yu could easily mask her trafficking habits under the guise of being associated with the circus.
Since Beibei recognized her and recalled being frightened and hit by Grandma Yu, it confirmed two possibilities: One, the Grandma Yu worshipped within the circus was her true self; children were more susceptible to seeing certain unique things, indicating Beibei had probably been influenced by her.
Two, there could be someone in the circus who worshipped Grandma Yu, who not only idolized her but perhaps even mimicked her… No, considering the essence of Jiangshui pushing her towards him, there had to be a real influence from Grandma Yu’s true self.
The second possibility would then imply that this devotee might not merely be imitating her but could either be possessed by her or assimilated with her. But now the problem arose: there was no telling how many circuses were crisscrossing the nation. How could he ascertain which one held Grandma Yu?
At that moment, the door swung open as Tan Yunlong walked in, glancing around at the throng of children with a bewildered expression. Why had they arranged Xiaoyuan into a den of kids? In his eyes, his son Binbin would fit in more naturally There than Xiaoyuan.
Li Zhuiyuan stepped out of his seat and walked towards Tan Yunlong as they left the lounge together, advancing down the corridor.
“Xiaoyuan, I wasn’t aware that Xiao Zhou would place you here.”
“It’s fine, Uncle Tan.
I was able to clarify some thoughts while I was here.” It was through the child’s perspective that he connected his feelings to the circus. They arrived outside at the end of the corridor.
Occasionally someone passed by, and when they saw this big brother and little brother together, surely they wouldn’t suspect they were discussing a case. “Wang Chaonan has admitted to the murder and concealment of Tang Qiuying’s body, but he stubbornly denies any involvement in the child trafficking case, insisting that ‘Yongyong’ is his biological son.
As for his wife, she appears to have some mental issues, and I suspect she was completely unaware of him buying children; it's been all Wang Chaonan’s doing.” Li Zhuiyuan replied,“Had I known, we shouldn’t have sent Wang Chaonan into the station so early.”
“Cough, cough…”
Tan Yunlong couldn’t help but cough a couple of times, switching the subject. “Xiaoyuan, I’ve already assigned the information you provided to my colleagues for investigation and have also notified potential districts.
Shortly, we’ll fax over Beibei’s name, photo, and some details.
Oh, and by the way, our colleagues discovered a birthmark on the child’s back, which can help him find his biological parents.” Just then, a police officer rushed in, shouting,“Tan bro, someone from Wang Chaonan’s village came to the station voluntarily to report.
He said last night, Wang Chaonan asked him if he wanted a son and told him to get ready with money because he would take him to Tong'an Town to buy one in two days.”
“Did that person mention who the contact was?”
“He didn’t know; he only had a connection with Wang Chaonan.
He heard that Wang Chaonan was caught for murder and hurried over here to clear his relationship.”
“Did you notify the precinct over there?”
“We did, but Tan bro, you probably don’t know—there’s an industrial zone in Tong'an Town with a large resident population.
Without exact targets, even if we spread our forces thin, it might not be enough.
And even if the traffickers are in the area, seeing our efforts might deter them from making transactions.” Tan Yunlong gritted his teeth.
“We still need to pry open Wang Chaonan’s mouth; that beast.”
“Uncle Tan, then you keep interrogating him; I’ll head back to school first.”
“Hmm?”
Tan Yunlong observed at the young boy, hesitating a moment before saying,“Alright, I’ll take you to the police station's entrance for a taxi.”
“Okay.”
“Tan bro, I can drive the child there.
Which boarding school is it?”
“Do you have your own car?”
“I… I can ride a bicycle, haha.”
“No need, let’s focus on taking that person’s statement first.”
“Sure, Tan bro.”
Tan Yunlong accompanied Li Zhuiyuan to the police station’s entrance.
“Xiaoyuan, have you discovered anything?”
“Yes.”
Wang Chaonan mentioned bringing someone from the village to buy a son in two days, which meant that was likely the date of transaction. Despite the vast population in Tong'an town, looking for a circus needing a large tent was quite straightforward. Calculating the time, it had been half a year since Beibei was abducted.
That duration could allow a circus to perform and then return to Jinling territory.
“Xiaoyuan, do you have no more questions?”
“Uncle Tan, I won’t hide it from you.
I need to investigate this on my own to confirm.
After I do, I will report it.” Tan Yunlong pressed his lips together.
“Uncle can accompany you on the investigation.”
Li Zhuiyuan smiled and shook his head.
“Well, at least let Binbin accompany you.”
“Of course.”
Tan Yunlong hailed a taxi, providing details of the school in advance. As the vehicle pulled away, Tan Yunlong gazed at its retreating figure, letting out a sigh. Inside the taxi, Li Zhuiyuan peered at the streets outside.
He refrained from sharing the circus information with Tan Yunlong as he didn’t want to alert the traffickers. Indeed, he trusted the officers' abilities, but Grandma Yu was no mere individual. Currently, his advantage lay in having chosen the subject and having intuitively sensed the opponent’s presence beforehand.
It meant he had the initiative to strike first, a significant edge and the essence of choosing one’s own path. If he alarmed Grandma Yu, prompting her to flee the circus, he would lose sight of her. Since Jiangshui had shepherded her towards him, she would inevitably appear before him; the two were fated to cross paths as foes.
Thus, if he lost the location of her presence now, it implied he would need to be ready for her sudden confrontation in the times to come. Back at school, he entered the dormitory and first pushed open the door to Lu Yi’s room. Lu Yi was in the store, with Tan Wenbin and Lin Shuyou inside the dorm.
“Where have you been, Xiaoyuan?”
“I just went out with your dad.”
“Oh, no wonder you didn’t take me.”
“Binbin, are you feeling better now?”
“I was freezing at noon but am fine now.
That red sausage really is nourishing for the blood.”
“That’s good.
You need to come with me and plan something.
In two days, a heinous event is going to take place that we must stop at all costs.” Tan Wenbin was stunned initially, taken aback that Xiaoyuan was speaking like this. But soon, he comprehended, and a look of compassion washed over his face as he said,“That’s our duty, to uphold justice at any cost.”
“Mm.”
Li Zhuiyuan turned to leave the dormitory. Lin Shuyou reached out, grabbing Tan Wenbin's hand anxiously,“What event?”
“Ayou, this is our responsibility as scavengers of corpses; it doesn’t concern you.”
“Isn’t that the officials’ responsibility?”
“I’m all about maintenance.”
“I’m almost recovered; if it wasn’t for you wanting me to keep asking the instructor for sick notes, I’d have returned for military training already.”
“Ayou…”
“Elder brother, just wait until Xiaoyuan tells you; then you can sneakily inform me.”
Tan Wenbin pretended to hesitate, before nodding,“Alright, fine.” Li Zhuiyuan waited in the corridor for Tan Wenbin before both of them left the building.
“Xiaoyuan, did you crack it?”
“Yes, I might have found Grandma Yu.
In two days at Tong'an Town, there’s a circus.” “But Runsheng and Yinmeng will likely miss out.
Phew, good thing you spared Ayou’s life earlier; it has given him the chance to defend justice again and regain infinite glory.” Then, in a softer voice, Tan Wenbin added,“Otherwise, you’d have only me left by your side, and I’m not useful.” Li Zhuiyuan abruptly halted, furrowing his brow in a pained expression.
Tan Wenbin jumped and quickly asked,“Xiaoyuan, what’s wrong?”
“Binbin, please don’t say such things in front of me again.”
“Got it, I understand; I won’t be negative in front of you anymore.
I was wrong.” Li Zhuiyuan shook his head,“No.”“Ah?”
“Comforting you from the heart makes me feel uncomfortable.”
Tan Wenbin froze at those words, all expressions stunned.
“I don’t want to treat you like I did Lin Shuyou, deceiving you into happiness while you’d risk your life for me.”
“Xiaoyuan… I understand.
I truly get it.” Li Zhuiyuan continued stepping forward. Behind him, Tan Wenbin’s expression blossomed into a delighted smile, his posture swayed, and he walked with hands on his hips, swaggering to follow.
Li Zhuiyuan initially held some hope to check on Runsheng and Yinmeng. However, upon arrival, he saw Runsheng lying on the floor, gasping for breath, with red streaks sprawling across his body, indicating all his skin had split open. Uncle Qin was clenching his fists nearby.
Still bearing sixteen coffin nails in him, Runsheng was already hindered from movement and pained, and in such a state, he had received a beating from Uncle Qin. It seemed that Uncle Qin's teaching intensity was far from its peak.
Now that he recognized this was a rare opportunity for intense training, he wasted no time, even utilizing any and all means available. Uncle Qin said,“Runsheng, eat extra for dinner, and before bed tonight, I need to split open your skin once more.”
“Okay…”
Uncle Qin turned to the young boy who had just entered,“Xiaoyuan, I’m loosening up Runsheng’s skin.”
“I saw, Uncle Qin; thank you for your efforts.”
Given the intensity of these special training days, Runsheng would remain in a near-death state, so even if they paused training now, he would still need to be carried on a stretcher to the circus in two days.
“Xiaoyuan… you’re here…”
Liu Yi stood at the door, one hand propped against the door frame while the other clutched her forehead,“What do you want for dinner… I’ll make it for you…” Liu Yi not only had a hoarse voice but also looked as if she had a severe fever.
There was no need to check on Yinmeng's condition now; she was likely better off dead than alive.
“Aunt Liu, no need to cook; let’s just grab some food from a restaurant.”
“The old lady… doesn’t like… outside food…”
“No worries, I’ll go get it; she won’t blame me.”
“Okay… you’re right…”
“Aunt Liu, you should rest a bit.”
Li Zhuiyuan glanced at Tan Wenbin, then they both walked out together. Arriving at Lao Sichuan, they found it bustling due to peak hours. Tan Wenbin went inside to greet the boss in the kitchen, signaling to jump the queue for takeout.
The boss agreed while also suggesting they head upstairs to an empty private room to enjoy air conditioning, and wait until their food was ready to be sent down for pick-up. On a hot summer day, with the place specializing in charcoal-roasted fish, it truly was sweltering.
Li Zhuiyuan and Tan Wenbin ascended to the second floor, finding a vacant room to relax in while the fan turned overhead, enjoying the breeze.
“Xiaoyuan, would you like something to drink? How about some soy milk?”
“Sounds good.”
“Hang tight; I’ll get it for you.”
After fetching the drinks, Tan Wenbin walked in, but just as he was opening a bottle, a loud voice erupted from the adjacent private room.
“Shiyuqing, have you gone mad?”
“Shiyuqing”was a name growled low, but the older man quickly lowered his tone for the remainder of his words.
Yet, the sound isolation in the room was poor, and with Li Zhuiyuan’s keen hearing, he easily caught it.
“I think Runsheng really needs a lot of nourishment; should I ask the boss to add on…”
Li Zhuiyuan raised his hand. Tan Wenbin immediately silenced. Li Zhuiyuan recalled the name“Shiyuqing.”
That day he was walking by the river when a torrential downpour struck, with thunder and lightning ruining multiple electrical devices around the compound. After the rain, the elderly wife of the neighboring professor cursed at the skies, lamenting how heaven had no vision, damaging their color TV yet sparing Shiyuqing.
From their neighbors' gossip, he learned Shiyuqing had been a student of the old professor in his youth and had since divorced. It seemed the old lady’s instincts were spot on; her husband indeed had a unique relationship with his former student, as they would not be in a small restaurant private room alone knowing the rumors.
The ensuing conversation had them both whispering. Li Zhuiyuan had to lean closer to the wall to hear clearly.
“I’m not crazy; I’ve already divorced for you! But why haven’t you divorced yet?”
“I’ve no choice; you know how fierce my wife is.”
“You’re lying! She’s just a village woman; how powerful can she be? You don’t want your children to disown you, do you?”
“No, that’s not it.”
“Don’t forget; I had a son with you, even though after the divorce, he went to my ex-husband.
As long as you marry me, I’ll fight for custody and bring our son back.”
“Yuqing…”
“Tell me when you’re getting divorced.
I can’t wait any longer; if you keep dragging this out, I’ll expose the fact that you were with me since school, letting everyone see what kind of person the esteemed professor and former vice-principal really is.”
“Yuqing, don’t act impulsively; besides, this matter is mutual; how can anyone be clear?”
“Hah, are you trying to shirk your responsibilities?”
“Not at all! How could I?”“You can evade me easily, but what about others? This matter has been brewing among the school’s gossips, and it drew police attention a while back.”
“I don’t understand what you’re saying.”
“Don’t worry; I can remind you.”
“Yuqing, I warn you not to speak carelessly.”
“Why should I be afraid?”
“Afraid your darling Qiuying will crawl up from the underworld to demand your life?”