When the little boy cried out the name “Grandma Yu,” Tan Yunlong’s ears immediately perked up.

Earlier that morning, he had just mentioned “Grandma Yu” to his son. That same morning, his son called to say they had found the body of the missing person, Tang Qiuying.

His son had also asked him to bring along the file on “Grandma Yu,” explaining that he had just visited a classmate’s dorm room on the same floor and heard a classmate, who was still asleep, call out “Grandma Yu” in his dream.

This led his son to suspect that his classmate, Lin Shuyou, might have been abducted by human traffickers and taken to Fujian.

Tan Yunlong certainly didn’t believe such nonsense, but he knew his son’s confidence wasn’t just a baseless bluff.

Since Xiaoyuan wanted the file, Tan Yunlong would certainly provide it.

And indeed, the clues had connected.

Tan Yunlong was growing accustomed to such occurrences.

However, when the excited little boy, Yongyong, changed his self-address to “Beibei,” Tan Yunlong felt a wave of relief.

Under current conditions, not only was it difficult to search for abducted children, but it was also incredibly challenging to find the biological parents of rescued victims.

Human traffickers often preferred to abduct very young children, then immediately transport them by long-distance bus or train.

Experienced trafficking rings typically didn’t limit their operations to cities or provinces but rather used broad directional terms like “east, west, south, north” to define their abduction and selling areas.

Young children, due to their age, couldn’t remember much and quickly forgot their past. Records kept by parents regarding their children’s appearance, habits, and other features might become outdated within six months to a year.

Even more frustrating, some traffickers, even after being caught, would deliberately conceal the facts of their crimes.

Tan Yunlong had often seen emaciated parents desperately searching for their children for years, clutching baby photos and old toys.

As a father himself, he could deeply empathize with their heartbreak and sorrow.

If Yongyong—no, if Beibei—could recall more details, such as pinpointing a province or city, it would be a tremendous help in locating his biological parents.

Tan Yunlong kept glancing at the boy in the rearview mirror, hoping the boy would have a method.

“Uncle Tan, Beibei is hungry. Can we stop up ahead to buy some snacks?”

“Xiaoyuan, how long will you be?”

“Wait until I call you back to the car.”

Tan Yunlong pulled the car over at the next intersection. After getting out, he saw other police cars and motorcycles that had been with them passing by. He waved them on, then pointed to the nearby convenience store.

His colleagues headed back to the station.

Tan Yunlong moved a little further from the police car, stood under a utility pole, and lit a cigarette. Although his gaze wandered, his attention never left the vicinity of the police car.

As the arresting officer for a suspect, with an abducted child still in the car, he should have returned to the station promptly to follow procedures without delay. Yet, when he got out, he didn’t rush Li Zhuiyuan or even remind him to hurry up.

He knew the police station was noisy, and it would be difficult to arrange a private, undisturbed space for Xiaoyuan and Beibei.

“Good. It seems Xiaoyuan has a plan.”

Tan Yunlong, still holding the cigarette in his mouth, looked back at the police car. Through the window, he saw Li Zhuiyuan, sitting in the back seat, holding a talisman and sticking it onto Beibei’s forehead.

The cigarette butt in his mouth twitched, and ash fell onto his clothes.

Tan Yunlong quickly brushed it off, then averted his gaze.

Inside the police car, Beibei, with the Purification Talisman on his forehead, stopped crying.

The Purification Talisman was originally for the living, used to dispel evil influences. Even without such influences, it could have a calming and soothing effect.

Beibei indeed stopped crying. He wiped away his tears and quietly looked at the older boy in front of him.

Li Zhuiyuan placed a pen in front of Beibei, motioning for him to focus on it, then gradually guided Beibei into his hypnotic rhythm.

Li Zhuiyuan had not systematically studied psychology or hypnosis, but he had been the subject of psychological research and had been hypnotized many times himself.

Although it hadn’t cured his own condition, he had indeed learned a lot from prolonged experience.

Beibei’s eyelids gradually closed, and he entered the “you ask, I answer” session led by Li Zhuiyuan.

Li Zhuiyuan didn’t start by asking about “Grandma Yu,” as this memory would cause a strong reaction in the boy and might break the hypnotic state. Instead, he first inquired about the “young mom and dad” from the boy’s deeper memories.

The little boy’s cognitive abilities, including language and concepts, were still developing. One had to discard preconceived notions and accept his “descriptions,” then integrate and interpret them.

Fortunately, this wasn’t difficult for Li Zhuiyuan, not because he was still young, but because the feng shui books he read were often infinitely more abstract and obscure than a child’s world.

Tan Yunlong’s cigarette was gone, so he went into the convenience store and bought some drinks, snacks, and two packs of cigarettes. With the two children, one older and one younger, staying in the police car, he wasn’t worried about any safety issues.

When he came out with his purchases, he saw Beibei sobbing in the car. Li Zhuiyuan met his gaze and waved him over.

Tan Yunlong opened the car door and got back in. As he handed the snacks and drinks to the back, he asked:

“How did it go, Xiaoyuan?”

Li Zhuiyuan showed him the paper in his hand, which contained many strange descriptions and some phonetic symbols.

Instinctively, Tan Yunlong deduced these were Beibei’s lingering memories of his true hometown.

“Xiaoyuan, can you…”

“Uncle Tan, I’ll give it to you once I’ve organized it.”

“Alright, thank you for your hard work, Xiaoyuan. Are those phonetic symbols dialect words?”

“Yes, but I don’t know where they’re from.”

“It’s fine, we can find that out.

Haha, if this dialect is from Jiangsu or even Nantong, it would be much easier to pinpoint the location.

In many places, half a province or even an entire province shares one dialect, with only minor differences. But in Nantong alone, we have four or five dialects, and they’re mutually unintelligible.”

“Yes, when I attended the city’s Math Olympiad, the teachers accompanying students from different schools spoke Mandarin when chatting among themselves.”

It wasn’t that the teachers were being polite; it was purely because if they spoke their own dialects, it would be like talking to a brick wall.

Li Zhuiyuan opened a can of drink and handed it to Beibei.

Beibei, holding the drink, continued to sob. After two sips, he was both crying and laughing.

Li Zhuiyuan couldn’t help but sigh, “Children are still easy to appease.”

He used to make similar expressions and gestures as a child, though he paid more attention to detail and rhythm.

Other parents would have found it perfectly normal and adorable, but Li Lan would constantly drag him to a psychiatric hospital.

Tan Yunlong drove attentively.

Li Zhuiyuan silently flipped the paper. On the back were Beibei’s memories of Grandma Yu.

“People are flying in the sky, so many people are flying.”

“Fire people, fire people, fire people.”

“Disappeared, gone.”

“Seven dwarves.”

“Play-Doh.”

These descriptions were a bit too bizarre.

Li Zhuiyuan knew he couldn’t analyze them with an overly complex or meticulous puzzle-solving approach; he needed to find a “feeling.”

But that “feeling” wasn’t easy to find.

“Let’s put this aside for now,” Li Zhuiyuan thought. He flipped the paper back to the other side to first organize Beibei’s memories of his hometown.

After organizing the information, Li Zhuiyuan transcribed it onto another piece of paper and handed it to Tan Yunlong, who was driving.

“That fast?”

“Yes.”

Tan Yunlong scanned the information. “Hmm… it sounds like somewhere in Shanxi? I’m not sure. We’ll have them verify it back at the station.”

The car pulled into the station. An officer came over and asked, “Brother Tan, what took you so long? They’ve been waiting for you.”

“Had a flat tire on the way.”

Tan Yunlong led Li Zhuiyuan and Beibei out of the car.

A female officer took Beibei. As he walked with her, holding his drink, he kept looking back at the older boy. But that older boy turned away, not even glancing at him.

“Xiaoyuan, wait for me here. Once I’ve handled things, I’ll take you back to school to find Binbin for a late-night snack. I’ll be as quick as I can.”

“Okay, Uncle Tan.”

Still uneasy, Tan Yunlong waved to a young officer ahead. “Xiao Zhou, this is my nephew. Please look after him.”

“Yes, Brother Tan.” Xiao Zhou approached Li Zhuiyuan. “Come, little brother, follow me to the lounge.”

Li Zhuiyuan followed.

He had expected the lounge to be a quiet place where he could think.

However, upon being led inside after the door was opened, he found a dozen or so children. Some younger ones were playing with toys on the floor, while others, some Li Zhuiyuan’s age and some older, were each at a desk or chair doing homework.

So, this was the police station’s temporary daycare for children waiting for their parents to finish work?

He, of all people, had been assigned here.

At that moment, all the children, both older ones doing homework and younger ones playing, looked up curiously at the new face.

“Little brother, come, I’ll get you something to eat.”

“No, thank you, Officer Zhou, I’m not hungry.”

“Then what grade are you in? Shall I get you some books to read?”

Li Zhuiyuan smiled, offering no reply.

There was an empty spot at one side of a desk where a thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl was sitting. Li Zhuiyuan took the vacant seat.

“Officer Zhou, I’m fine. You can go back to your work.”

“Oh, alright. Tiantian, please look after the new little brother.”

“Mm-hm.”

The girl replied perfunctorily, then used the hand holding her pen to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear before burying her head back in her homework.

Although there were many children here, they were generally very quiet. Even the younger ones playing with toys did so silently, and their conversations were hushed.

Li Zhuiyuan decided to stay there and continue to analyze the “Beibei Code.”

A little while later, Tiantian, the girl beside him, turned her head to look at the boy next to her. Once she looked, she couldn’t help but keep looking.

Regardless of gender, people have an instinctive fondness for beautiful things.

Just as Li Zhuiyuan had felt when he first saw Ah Li, he himself was now, in a way, “Ah Li” in others’ eyes.

After all, his clothes were custom-made by Liu Yumei, and his hairstyle was cut by Aunt Liu.

Just as she was about to ask whose child this boy was, she saw him turn his head to look at the children playing with toys on the floor.

Immediately after, the boy closed his eyes, then picked up his pen and began writing rapidly on the paper.

“People are flying in the sky” — acrobats on ropes or scaffolds, spinning high above.

“Fire people” — fire breathers.

“Disappeared, gone” — magic tricks, vanishing acts.

“Seven dwarves” — actors with dwarfism.

“Play-Doh” — contortionist performance?

This is… an acrobatic troupe!

This meant Beibei was abducted while watching an acrobatic show with his family.

Furthermore, the high frequency and repetition of these descriptions in Beibei’s memory suggested he had seen such performances more than once; he must have spent some time with the acrobatic troupe.

Therefore, there was reason to suspect that Grandma Yu was hiding within one of these acrobatic troupes.

Acrobatic troupes typically tour, performing one or two shows in each location. If the audience turnout was low or profits weren’t high, they would quickly move to the next place.

It would be convenient for Grandma Yu to use this identity as a cover for child trafficking.

In Beibei’s memory, he had been beaten, scolded, and threatened by Grandma Yu, and he recognized her distinct appearance. This implied two possibilities:

First, the “Grandma Yu” worshipped by the acrobatic troupe was her true form, and children are naturally prone to seeing unusual things, so he was influenced by Grandma Yu.

Second, someone in the troupe was a devotee of Grandma Yu, and while worshipping her, they were also imitating her…

No, considering that the river spirit had pushed this information to him, there must be an influence from Grandma Yu’s true form.

So, the second possibility should be revised: the devotee might not be imitating her, but rather possessed or assimilated by her.

But now the problem arose: with countless acrobatic troupes traveling nationwide, how could they pinpoint which one Grandma Yu was with?

Just then, the door opened, and Tan Yunlong walked in. Seeing so many children, a look of surprise crossed his face.

Why was Xiaoyuan placed in a “nest of children”?

In his opinion, his own son, Binbin, would have seemed less out of place here than Xiaoyuan.

Li Zhuiyuan left his seat and walked towards Tan Yunlong. Together, they left the room and proceeded down the hallway.

“Xiaoyuan, I didn’t know Xiao Zhou would put you here.”

“It’s fine, Uncle Tan. Being here helped me figure some things out.”

It was through a child’s perspective that he found that “feeling” and made the connection to the acrobatic troupe.

They walked to the outdoor area at the end of the corridor. Passersby, seeing the older man and the younger boy, would never have guessed they were discussing a case.

“Wang Chaonan admitted to killing Tang Qiuying and burying her body, but he adamantly denies the child abduction, insisting that ‘Yongyong’ is his biological son.

As for his wife, she seems to have some mental issues, and I suspect Wang Chaonan was solely responsible for buying the child. She likely has no idea who the trafficker is or who he contacted.”

Li Zhuiyuan said, “If I had known, I wouldn’t have sent Wang Chaonan to the police station so soon.”

“Cough, cough…” Tan Yunlong couldn’t help but cough twice, then changed the subject. “Xiaoyuan, I’ve already had my colleagues investigate and verify the information you gave me, and we’ve notified the comrades in those potential regions. Soon, we’ll fax over Beibei’s name, photo, and some details. Oh, right, my colleague found a birthmark on the child’s back, which will help greatly in finding his biological parents.”

Just then, an officer ran over and said, “Brother Tan, someone from Wang Chaonan’s village just came to the station to volunteer information. He said Wang Chaonan asked him last night if he wanted a son, telling him to prepare the money first, and then he would take him to Tong’an Town the day after tomorrow to buy one.”

“Did that person say who the contact was?”

“He doesn’t know; he only dealt with Wang Chaonan. He heard Wang Chaonan was arrested for murder and got scared, so he quickly came to explain the situation and clear his name.”

“Have the comrades at the local police station been notified?”

“Yes, but Brother Tan, you might not know that Tong’an Town has an industrial park with a large resident population. Without a specific target, even if we deployed all our police force, it might not be enough. And if the traffickers are there, they’d probably be too scared to go through with the deal if they saw our presence.”

Tan Yunlong gritted his teeth. “We still need to make Wang Chaonan talk. That beast.”

“Uncle Tan, you can continue with the interrogation. I’ll head back to school now.”

“Hmm?” Tan Yunlong looked at the boy, hesitated, then said, “Alright, I’ll take you to the police station entrance to hail a taxi.”

“Okay.”

“Brother Tan, I can drive the child. Which boarding elementary school is it?”

“Do you have your own car?”

“I… I can ride a bicycle, hehe.”

“No need. Go take a statement from that person first.”

“Alright, Brother Tan.”

Tan Yunlong and Li Zhuiyuan walked to the entrance of the police station.

“Xiaoyuan, have you discovered something?”

“Yes.”

Wang Chaonan said yesterday that he would take the villager to buy a son the day after tomorrow, which meant the transaction would happen the day after tomorrow.

No matter how large Tong’an Town’s population was, finding an acrobatic troupe that would need to set up a large tent in an open space would be quite easy, if one was actually there.

Calculating the time, Beibei must have been abducted about half a year ago. That’s enough time for an acrobatic troupe to have left and returned to the Jinling area for performances.

“Xiaoyuan, are you not going to say anything else?”

“Uncle Tan, I won’t hide it from you. I need to investigate and confirm something myself first. Once I’ve confirmed it, I’ll call the police.”

Tan Yunlong pursed his lips. “Your uncle can go with you to investigate.”

Li Zhuiyuan smiled and shook his head.

“Then at least Binbin must go with you.”

“Of course.”

Tan Yunlong hailed a taxi, told the driver the school’s name, and paid the fare upfront.

After the car drove away, Tan Yunlong watched it go, then sighed.

Inside the taxi, Li Zhuiyuan looked at the street scenery outside the window. He hadn’t directly told Tan Yunlong about the acrobatic troupe because he didn’t want the police to tip off the criminals.

Indeed, he trusted the abilities of the police, but Grandma Yu was not just one person.

His advantage now was that he had proactively chosen this case, and he had already “sensed” the other party’s presence in advance.

In other words, he had the opportunity to make the first move.

This was a significant advantage and the meaning behind choosing his own “case.”

If Grandma Yu were startled and fled, leaving the acrobatic troupe, it would mean he would lose sight of her.

Since the river spirit had pushed her towards him, she would inevitably come before him. The two were destined to be each other’s tribulation.

Therefore, losing track of her location would mean he would have to be prepared for her sudden appearance at any moment for an indefinite period.

Back at school, Li Zhuiyuan entered the dorm building and first pushed open Lu Yi’s dorm room door.

Lu Yi was at the shop. Tan Wenbin and Lin Shuyou were in the dorm room.

“Brother Xiaoyuan, where did you go?”

“Went out with your dad.”

“Oh, no wonder you didn’t take me.”

“Brother Binbin, have you recovered now?”

“I was freezing at noon, but I’m fine now. The red sausage really does replenish qi and blood.”

“That’s good. Come out with me to discuss something. The day after tomorrow, something utterly heinous is going to happen, and we must stop it at all costs.”

Tan Wenbin was startled at first. Since when did Brother Xiaoyuan like to use so many adjectives when he spoke?

But then, Binbin understood and immediately adopted a compassionate tone, saying:

“That is our duty. For righteousness, we’ll stop at nothing.”

“Mm.” Li Zhuiyuan turned and left the dorm.

Lin Shuyou reached out and grabbed Tan Wenbin’s hand, anxiously asking, “What’s going to happen?”

“Ah You, this has nothing to do with you. It’s our responsibility as ‘body retrievers.'”

“Then isn’t it the Guan Jiang Shou’s responsibility?”

“You’re still injured.”

“My injuries are almost healed. If it weren’t for you, Big Brother, wanting to keep me here to get more leave slips from the instructor, I would have gone back to military training long ago.”

“Ah You…”

“Big Brother, just tell me secretly after Brother Xiaoyuan tells you.”

Tan Wenbin pretended to be reluctant, then nodded. “Alright, fine.”

Li Zhuiyuan waited in the hallway for Tan Wenbin to come out. The two didn’t return to their own dorm room but went downstairs.

“Brother Xiaoyuan, Ah You is handled.”

“Mm, I might have found Grandma Yu. The day after tomorrow, Tong’an Town, acrobatic troupe.”

“Then Runsheng and Yin Meng probably won’t be able to make it. Phew, good thing you spared Ah You’s life back then, Brother Xiaoyuan. That’s given him a chance to defend righteousness again and achieve infinite glory.”

Then, Tan Wenbin’s voice grew quieter:

“Otherwise, you’d be left with just me, and I’m not much use.”

Li Zhuiyuan suddenly stopped, frowned, and his expression became somewhat pained.

Tan Wenbin was startled and quickly asked, “Brother Xiaoyuan, what’s wrong?”

“Binbin, don’t say things like that in front of me again.”

“Yes, I understand. I won’t act negatively in front of you again, Brother. I was wrong, I was wrong.”

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head. “That’s not it.”

“Huh?”

“It’s that comforting you from the heart makes me feel very uncomfortable.”

Hearing this, Tan Wenbin froze.

“I don’t want to lie to make you happy, like I just did with Lin Shuyou, and send you to your death for me.”

“Brother Xiaoyuan… I understand, I really do.”

Li Zhuiyuan continued walking.

Behind him, Tan Wenbin’s entire face broke into a wide smile. He then leaned back, put his hands on his hips, and followed with a swaggering, bow-legged gait.

Li Zhuiyuan had originally hoped to check on Runsheng and Yin Meng.

However, upon arriving, he saw Runsheng lying on the ground, exhaling more than inhaling, his body covered in red furrows—his skin had completely split open.

Uncle Qin, meanwhile, stood there with clenched fists.

Runsheng, who still had sixteen coffin nails in his body, was already struggling with movement and exertion. In this state, he had also been beaten by Uncle Qin.

It seemed Uncle Qin’s training intensity was far from its peak.

He also knew this was his only chance to impart his knowledge, so he was making the most of the time, sparing no methods.

Uncle Qin said, “Runsheng, eat an extra bowl for dinner. Before you sleep tonight, I need to split your skin open again.”

Runsheng replied, “Okay…”

Uncle Qin looked at the approaching boy. “Xiaoyuan, I’m loosening Runsheng’s skin and flesh.”

“I see, Uncle Qin. You’re working hard.”

He estimated that Runsheng would be in a near-death state throughout these special training days. So even if the training stopped now, with only one day for recovery, Runsheng would still have to be carried on a stretcher to the acrobatic troupe the day after tomorrow.

“Xiaoyuan… you’re here…” Aunt Liu stood at the doorway, one hand on the doorframe, the other clutching her forehead. “What do you want to eat tonight… I’ll make it for you…”

Aunt Liu’s voice was hoarse, and she looked like she had a severe fever.

There was no need to go back to the old building to check on Yin Meng’s condition. Even if she was still alive, she might be worse off than dead.

“Aunt Liu, you don’t need to cook. Just get some takeout from a restaurant.”

“The old lady… doesn’t like… outside food…”

“It’s fine, I’ll go get it. The old lady won’t blame me.”

“Okay… you’re right…”

“Aunt Liu, you should rest.”

Li Zhuiyuan glanced at Tan Wenbin, then walked out with him.

Arriving at Old Sichuan restaurant, business was bustling because it was dinnertime.

Tan Wenbin went in and greeted the boss in the kitchen, indicating that they wanted to cut the line to get their order made first for takeout.

The boss nodded in agreement, saying it was hot on the first floor and suggesting they find an empty private room upstairs to enjoy the electric fan. He would call them down when the food was ready for pickup.

In the middle of summer, with charcoal-grilled fish being the specialty, it was indeed hot.

Li Zhuiyuan and Tan Wenbin went upstairs, found an empty private room, entered, turned on the ceiling fan, and sat inside, enjoying the breeze.

“Brother Xiaoyuan, do you want anything to drink? Soy milk?”

“Sure.”

“Wait here, I’ll go get it for you.”

Tan Wenbin came back with the drinks. As he opened a bottle cap, an angry voice of an older man suddenly came from the adjacent private room:

“Shi Yuqing, are you crazy?”

The name “Shi Yuqing” was snarled, but quickly, the old man deliberately lowered his voice for the rest of his words.

However, the private rooms already had poor sound insulation, and Li Zhuiyuan’s hearing was exceptionally sharp, so the words still clearly reached his ears.

“I think Runsheng needs more nourishment. Should I tell the boss to add…”

Li Zhuiyuan raised a hand.

Tan Wenbin immediately fell silent.

Li Zhuiyuan remembered the name “Shi Yuqing.” On the day he had “walked the river,” there had been a severe thunderstorm, and lightning had damaged all the appliances in the family compound.

After the rain, the old professor’s wife next door had cursed at the sky, saying heaven was blind for destroying their color TV but not striking Shi Yuqing dead.

From the mutterings of their neighbor across the hall, he learned that Shi Yuqing was a former student of the old professor from his youth, and she was now divorced.

It seemed the old professor’s wife’s intuition was indeed correct. Her husband did have a special relationship with this former student; otherwise, they wouldn’t be alone in a private room at a restaurant, knowing there would be gossip.

For the rest of their conversation, both spoke in hushed tones. Li Zhuiyuan had to lean closer to the wall to hear clearly.

“I’m not crazy. I divorced for you, so why haven’t you divorced yet?”

“I can’t help it. You know how formidable my tigress at home is.”

“You’re lying! She’s just a village woman; how formidable can she be? I know you don’t want your children to disown you, right?”

“No, not at all.”

“Don’t forget, I also bore you a son, even though he was awarded to my ex-husband after the divorce.

But as soon as you marry me, I’ll fight him for custody and get our son back.”

“Yuqing…”

“Tell me when you’ll get a divorce. I’ve run out of patience. If you keep procrastinating, I’ll expose the fact that you slept with me when I was still a student. Let everyone see what kind of person you, this highly respected old professor and former vice principal, truly are.”

“Yuqing, don’t be impulsive. Besides, this kind of thing was consensual; who can truly explain it?”

“Heh, are you trying to deny it?”

“No, how could I?”

“It’s easy for you to deny me, but what about others? This matter was quite a buzz around the school recently, with police coming in waves.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You don’t understand? That’s fine, I can remind you.”

“Yuqing, I warn you not to talk nonsense.”

“Me talking nonsense? What are you afraid of?”

“I… I’m not afraid.”

“Are you afraid your precious Qiu Minmin will crawl out of the underworld to claim your life?”