Chapter 16 Chapter 15 The Game of the Sea Breeze

After dinner, Luo Fei decided to go for a walk outside alone and enjoy the sea breeze at night, so as to clear his mind.At the same time, you can also return the finished book to Li Dong by the way. When they arrived at Li Dong's house, the two sat down and chatted for a while.Luo Fei tried his best to bring the topic to Dr. Xue. Judging from Li Dong's description, he is a man who is knowledgeable, rigorous, kind and broad-minded.As his student, Li Dong also somewhat inherited some of these qualities.Although no clues about the case were obtained, the conversation was pleasant.After chatting for nearly an hour, Luo Fei got up to leave.

After leaving Li Dong's house, it was already dark.Because of the unfamiliarity of the terrain, Luo Fei tried his best to avoid the mountain road on the return journey, preferring to take a detour through the villages at the foot of the mountain.Although the temperature has dropped sharply in the past two days, the sky has gradually cleared up.Along the way, the sound of the waves was faint and the moon was shining brightly. If the two murders happened in succession did not disturb his mood, Luo Fei would have stopped to feel the leisurely atmosphere. Before he knew it, Luo Fei came to the village where Fu Yuzhu was again.Thinking of what he saw and heard at noon, he couldn't help feeling a little awkward, and unconsciously raised his head to look in the direction of "Ghost Watching Slope" in the distance.

But when he saw it, his eyes seemed to be fixed, and he couldn't move any more. At the same time, he opened his mouth half-open in surprise, with an unbelievable expression on his face. Luo Fei clearly remembered the hawk-beak-shaped rock that Fu Yuzhu pointed out to him in the afternoon. He only saw a vine above the rock at that time, and there was absolutely no "tree branch" that Fu Yuzhu described.But now, a thick branch of a tree stood upright, and the bright moonlight shot through it, leaving a hideous black shadow on the mountain wall. Could it be that this is really a "ghost tree" that disappears during the day and only appears at night, as Fu Yuzhu said?

The sea breeze blew past, Luo Fei shrank his neck subconsciously, and a chill spread all over his body.Since he set foot on Mingze Island, he has heard all kinds of bizarre legends about "Ghost Watching Slope" many times, but he will never believe that there is anything beyond natural power.Regarding the term "ghost", he generally only considers these directions: either it is not the illusion produced by the person concerned under certain conditions;Deciphering the rumor of the "headless ghost" on Nanming Mountain further strengthened his understanding.But now, something beyond common sense appeared clearly in front of his eyes, which made him unable to explain.

Aside from being surprised, Luo Fei also felt a little excited.What I saw with my own eyes this time at least proved that Fu Yuzhu was not lying; and being able to visit the scene in person is the best chance to solve the mystery. There are many things in this world that cannot be understood by just thinking about them. For some things that cannot be figured out, the best way is to step aside for the time being and observe patiently.Luo Fei not only understands this truth, but also his patience and perseverance are much stronger than ordinary people, so he can always see more things than ordinary people.

Luo Fei first went to Fu Yuzhu's house to borrow a quilt and a chair.The couple had already rested. Although they didn't know Luo Fei's intentions, they still cooperated to meet his request.Then Luo Fei moved the chair to a place with a wide view outside the house, and sat alone facing the "Ghost Watching Slope", quietly looking at the branch of the tree above the Yingzui Stone. The sea breeze whizzed past, and the more it blew, the more violent it was. Luo Fei wrapped the quilt tightly around his body to resist the cold current in the middle of the night. Thus passed the long night, and he had completely neglected the cold, the hunger, and the loneliness.Occasionally he would stand up and take two steps back and forth to dissipate the irresistible tiredness.But even at such a moment, his eyes are unwilling to leave the target on the distant hillside, and he will never miss the moment when the "ghost tree" disappears because of his own negligence.

At dawn the next day, the early villagers found Luo Fei.After a night of hard work, the circles of his eyes were slightly darkened, and the eye sockets were sunken, but his eyes still shone with a sharp light.His hands are subconsciously playing with a soft branch that looks like a vine on a hillside.The villagers gathered around curiously, looked at this "weird man", and talked a lot. The morning sea breeze blows in the fresh sea air.Luo Fei took a deep breath, his eyes lit up suddenly, as he expected, some kind of change was quietly happening on the distant hillside. About an hour later, Luo Fei stood up from the chair, spread the quilt on his body, and stretched his muscles and bones wearily.Although his complexion was not very good, there was a satisfied smile on the corner of his mouth.At this time, the "ghost tree" disappeared above the hawk-beak-shaped rock of "Ghost Watching Slope", and he obviously succeeded in observing something.

What Luo Fei didn't expect was that today he would gain more than that. An old woman in her sixties approached Luo Fei and looked at him sympathetically: "You have been guarding here all night? Do you want to wait for that female ghost to appear?" Luo Fei rubbed his frozen nose, and said to himself, "Female ghost? I really hope she will show up too." The old woman sighed: "Oh, don't wait. I know you are a policeman, but you can't catch her. She just misses her son. After two days when the child is gone, she won't come out Toss." "Which child are you talking about?" Luo Fei thought she was just a villager watching the fun, but now that she heard her words were not easy, he suddenly became vigilant.

"It's the kid who came with you. I heard from Sun Fachao that he is Wang Chenglin's son? Well, he just left, why did he come back? The island has been unclean for two days." A surge of hope ignited in Luo Fei's heart: "Do you know why they left in the first place?" "Isn't it because the child's mother can't leave?" The old lady narrowed her eyes, with a serious look on her face, "Then Fu Yuzhu said that when he saw the black shadow was a woman holding a baby, no one else on the island would believe it, but My heart is clear. Who else can a woman with a baby besides Wang Chenglin's wife? Although she was drowned in the sea, she couldn't let go of her eldest son. That's why she looked into the village from the hillside. I didn’t want to leave. Later I told Wang Chenglin that after he took his son away from the island, didn’t the ghost appear again? Now that his son is back, of course the mother followed. I said this yesterday I told Fu Yuzhu, and he nodded repeatedly."

Luo Fei scratched his head in disappointment, what the other party said was obviously not the answer he wanted to hear.But he didn't give up yet, and asked again: "Are you familiar with Wang Chenglin's family?" The old woman shook her head: "The col where they lived was the lowest place on the island, and they were all submerged when the tsunami came. Except for Wang Chenglin who was not on the island that day, only the child survived in the col. So with their family People who are familiar with him have already met Yan Wang Yeluo. But I saw this child during the tsunami, so I was more impressed."

"Oh?" Luo Fei regained his energy, "Where did you meet?" The old woman pursed her lips, seeming to be lost in memories. After a while, she continued in a pitiful tone: "At that time I fled to the top of a mountain and saw this child sitting on Chang Jian's raft. Alas, a Crying hard, crying for my mother, crying so hard that even an irrelevant person like me feels sad when I see it, how can the mother of the child give up?" "Chang Jian? Is this person still on the island?" Luo Fei caught a clue and refused to let it go. "Yes, but now you are a monk?" A name almost blurted out from Luo Fei's mouth: "Deping?" The old lady nodded in agreement: "Speaking of which, he is still the child's savior." "Is there anyone else on the raft?" Luo Fei was unwilling to let go of any potentially useful details. "No, just the two of them." The old woman pursed her lips, "The raft is so small that it couldn't hold too many people." At this moment Luo Fei couldn't hold back the excitement in his heart.With such an important discovery, he went straight to Monk Deping without taking a rest all night. When Luo Fei arrived at the sacrificial hall hidden in the bushes, Deping and his disciples were sitting in meditation with their eyes closed in the second hut. The coffin was still parked in the middle of the room, containing Xue Xiaohua's mutilated body. Sensing someone coming, Deping opened his eyes and called out in surprise: "Officer Luo?" Luo Fei smiled and called him by his first name, "Chang Jian." Deping was obviously not mentally prepared for this change. He was taken aback for a moment, and he realized it after a while. After a slight sigh, he turned his head and told Huitong beside him: "You go out first." Hui Tong agreed, got up and left obediently.There was even a relieved expression on his face, as if he didn't want to stay here any longer. "It seems that you already know something?" Deping had adjusted his mood and regained his composure. "Yes. But I don't know enough." Luo Fei's tone was a little aggressive, "I need you to tell me the rest." Deping just smiled lightly: "But I don't know what you mean at all?" "Okay." Luo Fei was not interested in going around with him, "You saved Meng Shaohui during the tsunami, I want you to tell me, what happened to Meng Shaohui back then?" Hearing Luo Fei's words, Deping seemed more relaxed, and he asked indifferently: "It seems that you have met Mrs. Sun? Then she should have told you everything I know." Luo Fei realized that he had met a difficult guy, his seemingly careless words were trying to unknowingly reverse the situation of the conversation and lead him to be passive.After pondering for a while, Luo Fei decided to forcibly bring the situation back to the rhythm he controlled.So he went straight to the topic: "Why is Meng Shaohui on your raft? He should be with his mother. Where did his mother go at that time?" "How do I know?" Deping still had an unhurried attitude, "Do we still need to consider so many issues when saving people? When I found Meng Shaohui, he was holding a piece of wood in the seawater Struggling, and the whereabouts of his mother, no one has ever known." The other party's remarks are well-founded, and it is difficult to refute them.Luo Fei decided to start from another direction for the time being: "Then why did you hide the fact of saving Meng Shaohui? You know the purpose of his coming to Mingze Island, why didn't you tell him? Wouldn't this help him?" "But what's the point of this kind of help?" Facing Luo Fei's question, Deping put on a straight face and replied seriously, "You are a policeman with a natural instinct to pursue secrets and explore the truth. But I'm not interested in that. As a monk, all I care about is the suffering of the world. Officer Luo, have you ever seen a sad child? Do you know that for a child, there is a kind of sadness that is unforgettable and unbearable?" Luo Fei didn't know how to respond for a while, so he had to remain silent for a while. The more Deping said, the more moved: "It seems that you don't know. Let me tell you, that is the life and death parting from the mother. For a seven-year-old child, what could be more tragic than this? More desolate? I've seen him cry, and that scene still hurts me. If he's already forgotten all this, why do we remind him? Make him suffer again?" Luo Fei sighed silently, and said in a different tone: "You are right, I hope this is what you said from the bottom of your heart. But now that murders have occurred on the island one after another, I must find out the truth and bring the murderer to justice." Law." "There is no murderer at all." Deping said softly, but his tone was irrefutable, "It's just that she is protecting the person she loves the most." "You mean that 'female ghost'? Do you agree with this statement?" Luo Fei looked at Deping in surprise. "You forgot, I'm a monk, why don't I agree with the theory of ghosts and gods? Besides, besides this kind of theory, can you have a better explanation for some things that happened?" Deping said, looking at the people outside the house An imperceptible smile appeared on the corner of the mouth of the lonely tomb. "Some things seem to be inexplicable on the surface, but it's just because what we know is too one-sided, or we are confused by some illusions. As long as we observe carefully and analyze rigorously, the answer will eventually surface." Luo Fei insisted He explained his own scientific beliefs, and explained with an example, "Just now, I discovered a very wonderful thing, and this discovery can solve some puzzles." "What is it?" Deping narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at Luo Fei seriously. "A secret about the 'Ghost Watching Slope'." Luo Fei paused, and then expanded the topic, "According to the legend, the shadows on the 'Ghost Watching Slope' only appear at night and disappear during the day. It's just a normal phenomenon and has nothing to do with ghosts and gods." "Have you found out why?" "It's actually very simple to say, it's just the vines on the hillside. These vines will tilt in the direction of the sea wind. Depending on the direction of the wind, they sometimes cover something, and sometimes reveal what they cover .Not long ago, I observed with my own eyes how swinging vines cover a branch of a tree. If in summer, the vines are densely covered with leaves, it is not a problem to cover a person." "Oh?" Luo Fei continued to explain: "The sea wind is very strong on the island, and the 'Ghost Watching Slope' is at the mouth of a valley, and the plants on the mountain wall are under greater wind force. Those slender vines are unable to resist the sea wind, so their branches The tissue is very weak and can swing a lot, so as to protect itself in the strong wind. Last night, I went to the mountains to collect some vine specimens to verify my guess. But even so, I still insisted on waiting until morning After the sun came out, until I witnessed the phenomenon I expected to happen." Deping listened intently, a trace of admiration gradually appeared in his eyes, and perhaps a little fear, but he did not give up easily, but continued to ask his own question: "If, as you said, it is entirely the power of the wind, Then how can it be controlled so precisely? And the phenomena that appear during the day and night are completely different?" "This is the sea-land breeze." Luo Fei was prepared for this question, and answered without thinking, "This kind of wind occurs at the junction of the sea and land, and it is a kind of atmospheric local circulation with a cycle of 24 hours. You live all year round. On the island, I should have more life experience than me; and I, I understand science, so I can answer some things theoretically. From a meteorological point of view, sea and land breezes are caused by differences in the thermal properties of land and sea. Land Because of the lower heat capacity, the temperature changes much faster than the ocean. During the day, under the sun's rays, the land heats up faster than the ocean, so a difference in temperature and pressure is formed between the sea and land atmosphere, making the air from the ocean to the air. Flow to the land to form a sea breeze, and the high-altitude atmosphere flows from the land to the ocean to form an anti-sea wind. Together with the updraft on the land and the downdraft on the ocean, they form a local circulation of the sea-land breeze. Similarly, at night, the land cools faster than the ocean , there is a difference in temperature and pressure between the sea and the land that is completely opposite to that of the day, so there is a local circulation with the wind in the opposite direction. I don't know if you fully understand why, but it's science. It's confusing The strange phenomenon of solution is actually just a game played by Haifeng and us." Deping was stunned for a while, Luo Fei's theory of explaining the facts was comprehensive, almost without any loopholes.Even if he was not reconciled, he could only change the topic and ask questions from other directions: "But what about the woman holding the baby on the hillside? Is she a human or a ghost? How could she appear in such a place? And there are still people in the middle." Eighteen years apart? If she is a human being, who is she? Where has she been during these eighteen years?" "I can't explain these things for the time being." Luo Fei looked at the other party firmly, "But I will find the answer eventually." "Okay." Deping sighed, and gave up the confrontation with Luo Fei, "We are facing the same thing, you have your way, I have my way...tonight, I will do a ritual, Sacrifice to the undead in the tomb, hoping they can rest in peace." "I express my respect for the victims. But," Luo Fei said bluntly, "I don't think this will be an effective method." "I haven't tried it yet, how do you know it doesn't work? Maybe after tonight, all this will be over." Deping said leisurely, thoughtful.