This question startled An Jianhua; after all, Zhou Ning’s words were not polite, and there was no smile on his face. Seeing Fang Dongsheng glance over, An Jianhua braced himself to translate.
The elderly lady, however, had no special reaction and said with a smile:
"As I said before, when the sacred blade was bloodstained, it left a blood type imprint. Each of our families hung it in our hos. It’s sothing I see every day. So when your photo had this blood imprint, I naturally recognized it. On the contrary, if I were to see the actual sacred blade, I might not be as certain."
Zhou Ning laughed. He was very satisfied with this answer. His recent insolence was deliberate, intended to gauge the old lady’s reaction. Her calm composure, unique insight, and discerning eye had already indicated the status of her clan. It seed the investigation into the slanted teachings needed a new direction.
Liu Yufei and Zhou Ning exchanged glances. She smiled and said:
"Regardless, we are very grateful for the elder’s assistance. Your explanations have been enlightening, giving us a new understanding of Ganzhou’s history and the developnt of your people. Mr. Fang should arrange for soone to escort the elder ho later."
Fang Dongsheng quickly nodded, arranging transportation and personnel to take the elder ho, while An Jianhua waved his hands apologetically.
"My grandmother says it’s not necessary; I can take her back on my motorcycle."
Fang Dongsheng gestured.
"I’ve already asked the driver to wait downstairs. Don’t worry, it’s not a police car. This way, we’ll feel at ease when she’s sent back. You can follow them back, just drive slowly on the road."
Once the two had left, Fang Dongsheng escorted them out. Liu Yufei and Mr. Zhao leaned closer, glancing at the paper painted with the sacred blade. Liu Yufei thought for a mont and said:
"I feel that the elderly lady spoke mostly the truth but concealed so details."
Zhou Ning was sowhat surprised Liu Yufei had co to this consideration, noting she must have been observing the old lady closely. After all, questioning through an interpreter where language barriers exist is no easy task.
"Mrs. Fei, please share your thoughts."
"I think that her reaction was not as nonchalant as it seed when she ntioned Boyegu. Perhaps she has so connection with Boyegu, or even that her ancestors ca from there."
On hearing Liu Yufei say this, an idea grew in Zhou Ning’s mind.
Zhou Xiaozhou nudged Zhou Ning, glancing towards the door and saying eagerly:
"Zhou Xiaozhou, speak up. I think Mrs. Fei’s analysis makes a lot of sense. The old lady isn’t so simple. What’s on your mind, especially since you kept asking about the sacred blade? Do you have another theory?"
Zhou Ning laughed, placing his hand on Mr. Zhao’s shoulder.
"I do have an idea. The old lady also spoke very indifferently about the sacred blade, and I think it’s not just because of the blood imprint at ho. Especially being able to draw the shape of the sacred blade and clearly explain the position and amount of various stones on it.
And that cross-guard, it can be seen as an artifact that signifies an era. A hurried glance sixty years ago should not be rembered so long, unless that object originated from her ho, or they have sothing similar in their family."
On hearing Zhou Ning speak like this, Liu Yufei slamd the table, strongly agreeing with Zhou Ning’s judgnt.
"I don’t know about other things, but I am certain this old lady is no ordinary person. Despite letting her grandson translate, I think she understands Chinese perfectly well. Supporting her third grandson from a young age to learn Chinese, to attend Han schools, to go to university and beco a police officer—her insight is definitely extraordinary."
Mr. Zhao pulled out a pack of biscuits from sowhere, probably because he was hungry from dissecting earlier and then listening to the old lady’s narration. He snacked while pondering aloud.
"Rewinding four hundred years, if one were to teach their grandson everything about the Han people and even prepare him to be a police officer, isn’t that the sa as infiltrating Guyuan Town? So, is this kind of arrangent a tradition for them?
Logically speaking, to govern a place, one would remove the troublemakers and keep the compliant, or the minority group. Even if they then grew in strength, it would take ti. But back then, Guyuan Town chose the Eight Great Families.
For example, is the reason for the choice related to a character like An Jianhua? If there is such a boy, who, although from a different ethnic group, has fully integrated into the Han culture and even saved the life of the Military Preparedness Commissioner, would such a person’s stance be able to influence the commissioner’s choices?"
Liu Yufei stopped mid-bite into a biscuit, hurriedly took out her phone, and dialed Fang Dongsheng’s number. Just as the ringtone started, the doorbell, set to the sound of brothers hugging, chid, and Fang Dongsheng pushed the door open, looking puzzled at the group.
"What’s wrong with Liu Da?"
"We’ve just analyzed the old lady’s statents, and most of what she said is true. However, she’s still concealing sothing about the sacred blade and Boyegu. We suspect that her ancestry had sothing to do with the sacred blade, whether it’s authentic or a replica, and her family has connections with Boyegu."
Fang Dongsheng was greatly shocked. He had listened to all the questioning earlier, and honestly, he had not spotted any issues. Although he had doubts, his responses were sincere.
"I didn’t notice anything, but since we’re suspicious, should we bring her in for a more thorough inquiry?"
Liu Yufei waved her hand.
"The old lady’s identity is definitely not ordinary. You can tell from her speech and insight. Her secrecy might just be a reluctance to ntion painful secrets, but we need to know the details of the sacred blade. After all, it left marks inside the cave and participated in this ritual, making it the only clue we’ve got.
Even if you bring the old lady back, she won’t say much more, which could be detrintal to the next steps of our investigation. I believe it’s better to have soone follow her. If she knows soone who can get their hands on the sacred blade, I think she will contact them soon, and maybe even arrange for that person to leave Ganzhou."
Fang Dongsheng was a bit anxious upon hearing this.
"Isn’t that alerting the quarry?"
"Without clues or leads, we have to create them. Sotis using a scare tactic can be surprisingly effective. A scare might just make him poke his head out from his hiding place, and that’s our chance to move in.
From now on, have soone keep an eye on the old lady, preferably a local who won’t raise suspicion, soone who can enter their area. This is up to you to decide, as we’re not very familiar with the characteristics of this ethnicity."
After a mont of thought, Fang Dongsheng slapped his thigh.
"I’ve got an idea. I will make a call to set it up. They should carry surveillance and recording devices, with others following at a distance. An Jianhua’s grandmother lives in Kang Le Township, Kang Feng Village, in Sunan Yugu Autonomous County. It’s not the old nomadic felt tents anymore.
Markets co together on different days according to the lunar calendar, each with its own schedule. Today is October 11th, the seventh day of the lunar month. Tomorrow happens to be the eighth, the market day there. I’ll have Mr. Liang from our cafeteria go over. He does this sort of side job during his days off."
Clearly, Fang Dongsheng knew this, and it was no secret. It seed that local wages were probably not high, but that wasn’t for Zhou Ning to consider. He just nodded and said:
"We will provide the equipnt. Mr. Zhao will contact Mr. Qu and have him prepare to follow Mr. Fang’s people and do so tests. The principle is safety first, even if it ans not completing the task."
Liu Yufei stood up.
"I’ll take Chen Cheng with then. Just find us any vehicle; being outsiders, we can pose as backpackers who are here to explore on our own. I think walking the ground might allow us to pick up sothing different. However, the people receiving the audio should ideally be multilingual."
Fang Dongsheng was upset.
"This won’t do. How could we let you do the following? Although this place has banned guns for many years, the area around the township is very complex, being a multi-ethnic gathering zone. If things get physical, it can beco too ssy to explain..."
Liu Yufei waved her hand.
"I understand your concerns; you’re afraid we might get hurt or an accident might occur and affect Qindao’s support for Ganzhou City and the subsequent investnt plans. Don’t worry too much. I’m just a worker, and in my eyes, solving the case is the top priority.
I’m not bragging, but honestly, a dozen n would not be a match for . Otherwise, Director Xu would not have assigned to protect Zhou Xiaozhou and the others. So treat as a colleague, not any sort of leader. Right now, our priority is to find clues, and a fresh face can be very effective."
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