Xiao Taos Geistergeschichten (Vollversion)

Kapitel 23

Although this was only the easiest of the three vengeful spirits to deal with, judging from the Taoist priests' confident demeanor, the incident at the Netherworld Palace was not enough to affect the operation of the entire Hailing City, and there was no need to relocate everyone out of the city.

Ling Li returned to the control room and had someone lead the two Taoists to a resting place, only then did he feel a little sleepy.

Back at the villa, upon opening the door, I saw Tao Rujiu holding a hairdryer in one hand and a milk carton in the other, with only a bed sheet wrapped around her waist. The flush on her skin had not completely subsided.

The young man was somewhat surprised to see him and subconsciously put the milk back on the table. Ling Li was about to say a few more harsh words, but after thinking about it, he just glared at him coldly and turned to walk towards his bedroom.

Tao Rujiu was startled; Qi Maoxian was still in the bedroom.

Sure enough, half a minute later, he heard a cat meowing, cursing, and even the sound of tables and chairs hitting objects coming from the bedroom. When all this subsided, a fierce-looking man with several scratch marks on his face grabbed the big white cat by the scruff of its neck and threw it in front of Tao Rujiu, while simultaneously slamming his own clothes onto the table.

"Put on your clothes and throw this ball of white fur out right now!"

Tao Rujiu put down the hairdryer, stood quietly, and nodded expressionlessly.

Tao Rujiu put on his clothes, rolled up his sleeves and trouser legs, picked up Qi Maoxian, and walked out of the villa without saying a word.

"He just wanted me to leave, why did you come out too?" Although the cat fairy said this, she still enjoyed the feeling of snuggling in the young man's arms.

“I’m already dressed, there’s no need for me to linger,” Tao Rujiu replied.

"Are you leaving?" the white cat asked him. "I'll really miss you."

Tao Rujiu chuckled faintly: "I'm just going back to Cuiying Pavilion. Ling Li can't control where I want to go. At worst, I'll rent a house outside the city, come during the day and leave at night. I can get in for free with my press card. If he dares to do anything, I'll sue him."

Qi Maoxian chuckled and said, "Are you trying to hold a grudge against him?"

Tao Rujiu shook his head. "I want to know how this matter of the Netherworld Palace is resolved."

"You want to write this as a report? Don't be silly." The cat's paw gently patted his hand.

Tao Rujiu shook his head, "I just feel a connection with everyone in the opera troupe and want to know what they'll do next."

The Cat Immortal said seriously, "Those two Taoists are so arrogant, Ling Li probably won't withdraw his people for the time being. But the Emerald Oriole Pavilion is covered with talismans, so even if the Vajra Net of the Netherworld Palace is broken, ghosts can't get in. It's good that you don't leave for now, I will urge Dong Li to get that thing."

Tao Rujiu frowned and asked, "What is it?"

“Ox tears,” the cat fairy replied dismissively. “You know what they’re for, right?”

“I’ve heard of it,” Tao Rujiu nodded. “It’s said that if you put it on your eyes, you can see ghosts. But isn’t that too easy?”

The cat fairy nodded, "After obtaining the original ox tears, they must be blessed with magic. Otherwise, they will be useless."

"What do you need that ox tears for?" Tao Rujiu asked. "You don't mean to make Ling Li see ghosts, do you?"

Cat Fairy nodded solemnly, "Otherwise, if he can't see Dongli Bupo, how will that dead ghost explain your situation to him?"

"No need to explain." Tao Rujiu shook his head. "I don't care about his regret. Anyway, there's no future for him. What's the point of explaining to a stranger?"

The cat fairy flicked its tail, as if it wanted to refute something, but after thinking about it, it didn't say anything. Instead, it gently patted Tao Rujiu's heart with its paw.

The cat's paw was only a tiny bit big, with a soft pad on it. When it struck Tao Rujiu's heart, it still caused a dull ache.

The woman and the cat left the villa and slowly walked towards the misty Jiangnan area. The distance between the parks was not short to begin with, and Tao Rujiu, still injured and feverish, became somewhat exhausted after walking only a short distance. The cat jumped to the ground and ran forward, somehow attracting a tour bus. It turned out to be Xiao Chen, whom Tao Rujiu had met when she first entered the park.

After returning to Cuiying Pavilion in Xiao Chen's car, it was nearly noon. Tao Rujiu looked up at the golden plaque under the sunlight and suddenly felt an urge to cry.

Everyone else went out to eat, but Master Lü sat alone in front of the stage, fanning himself. He had been restless for the past few days and had no appetite. At noon, he only asked Xiao Li to bring back a thin bowl of porridge, and then he just stared blankly at the empty courtyard.

Tao Rujiu called out "Master Lü" and slowly walked over to sit down with him. The old man had more gray hairs on his head after not seeing him for several days. He silently looked at Tao Rujiu, and after a long while, finally uttered a single sentence: "It's good that you're back."

Ling Li told the opera troupe that Tao Rujiu had fallen down a steep slope while collecting folk songs and had been recuperating at the villa. Tao Rujiu accepted this lie and accepted everyone's condolences with a wry smile.

However, when Qin Huakai appeared before him with a smile, Tao Rujiu realized that he could no longer smile back.

Qi Mao Xian saw Tao Rujiu with the opera troupe, so it didn't follow them. It squatted at the entrance of Cuiying Pavilion and shook its fur. Suddenly, it felt a pair of hands land on it.

"You're getting bolder and bolder to be out running around in broad daylight."

The white cat didn't look up, nor did it open its mouth. Its words were conveyed entirely through thought. The person who placed their hand on it slowly crouched down; it was Qin Huakai.

"I feel very comfortable inside Huakai's body." Dongli Bupo's voice was also transmitted through spiritual thought. "I feel very uncomfortable with Tao Rujiu's body, which is also predominantly yin. I will stay inside Huakai's body for the next few days to solidify the relationship between Lingli and him."

"All your efforts have been wasted, and you've ended up cheating on yourself."

Qi Maoxian rolled her eyes at him, "When are you going to find ox tears? Why do I feel like you don't want Ling Li to know the truth?"

Dongli Bupo only gave a bitter laugh and did not answer.

The cat fairy saw through his thoughts, "You can't be so selfish. Look how Tao Rujiu treated you, not to mention the flowers blooming, what have you given back to him?"

Dongli Bupo coldly replied, "In this world, the winner takes all. Only selfishness can protect one's own interests. This is the only truth I have come to understand in the past few hundred years. As for Tao Rujiu, if he were to wander underground for several hundred years, he would probably be even more selfish than me."

"Tao Tao isn't that kind of person," Qi Mao Xian scoffed. "But Xiao Lingzi only needs a hundred years to surpass you. I'm sure of it."

After saying this, the big white cat ignored Dongli Bupo and shook off the hand on its back, deciding to personally go to Hailing City and visit the villages outside.

Ling Li stayed in the villa all day, smoking one cigarette after another. The ashtray by the bedside quickly filled with cigarette butts, and the bowl of pork liver porridge finally emitted a strange smell in the paper bucket.

The man angrily opened the window, picked up the cardboard bucket, and threw it into the trash can outside the front door. Looking down, he saw Tao Rujiu's old, tattered clothes, and next to them were the bed sheets that had been thrown down from upstairs yesterday morning, covered in dark brown blood. It was a horrifying sight.

Tao Rujiu must be in a lot of pain. Ling Li glanced at his watch; it was 4:16 PM.

The young man should have already left Hailing City; once he left, it would probably be difficult to see him again. Thinking about the bits and pieces of the past month, the man found himself becoming sentimental. He recalled with self-deprecation that night in the weeds, the intertwined figures of Tao Rujiu and Hua Kai, which was more convincing evidence than any words or feelings, proving that the relationship between him and Tao Rujiu was completely twisted and ridiculous.

Sometimes he simply couldn't believe that Tao Rujiu, who appeared so gentle and even somewhat dull, could harbor such deep thoughts. If he approached him to obtain news scoops, then what was his purpose in approaching Huakai?

Ling Li couldn't figure it out, and after that night of losing his mind, he even became somewhat confused.

Tao Rujiu struggled and cried out, his body covered in bruises and bloodstains. Was this also part of the young man's disguise?

Even though he had already been exposed, severely punished, and humiliated, why did he stubbornly pretend to be an innocent victim? Was he trying to gain his sympathy or guilt? And why did he ultimately choose to leave?

Was it because he was forced to wear muddy tattered clothes, because he was kicked out of the villa and rolled down the steps, or because of that bowl of pork liver porridge that was swept into the trash can?

Even the most cunning person can be hurt, and I have successfully made Tao Rujiu give up completely.

Ling Li leaned against the wall, laughing silently. Should he celebrate? He took out another cigarette, held it in his hand for a while, but realized he couldn't light it. Just as he was about to go back inside, he looked down and saw a white tail flash outside the open French windows of the bedroom. The big white cat seemed to have turned back.

The man frowned and hurried back to the bedroom. But he couldn't find the cat anywhere. He was puzzled, but didn't notice the colorless, unidentified liquid that had been spilled on the towel he used to wipe his face in the bathroom.

Back in the bedroom, he lit a cigarette and leaned back onto the large bed covered in breadcrumbs. The thin blanket that Tao Rujiu had left behind was piled up beside him, covered with a thin layer of cigarette ash.

After finishing the cigarette, he felt a little sleepy, so he leaned against the bed and dozed off for a while. Around six o'clock, he got up again to eat something.

After quickly washing up and changing his clothes, he went out, intending to find something to eat in the city. The canteen in the Imperial District was open at this time, so he decided to make do and order two stir-fries.

However, once they arrived at the restaurant, all their attention was no longer on the food.

Tao Rujiu did not leave Hailing City; he was having dinner with the rest of the opera troupe. Unlike his gloomy state while staying in the villa, the young man still had a gentle and kind demeanor as he was surrounded by the opera troupe members, smiling at Xiao Li beside him.

What surprised the man most was that Hua Kai sat down beside him with a pleasant expression, as if the incident three days ago had never happened, or as if it wasn't an accident at all, but rather a tacit understanding between the two of them.

Losing his appetite, Ling Li turned away from the glaring scene with a dark expression, his face hardening. He couldn't help but recall the words Tao Rujiu had uttered that night that had utterly enraged him:

"Yes... I've liked the flowers blooming for a long time, and I was going to take action anyway, but who knew you'd interfere..."

Could it be that I really am the third party in this emotional mess? Did I rape Tao Rujiu out of jealousy, even though she had no feelings for me at all?

He chuckled.

Several employees passing by Ling Li greeted him inappropriately. Hua Kai noticed the man's presence from afar and immediately put down her chopsticks and ran over.

"These past two days, Hua Kai has been seeing President Ling in a particularly cloying way," Xiao Li muttered to Tao Rujiu.

The young man also saw the man standing in the distance, but he remained silent and continued to eat the food in his bowl.

It was so salty it tasted bitter, he thought. After being hungry for two days, the food should have tasted especially delicious.

Ling Li also felt that Qin Huakai had been acting strangely lately.

The once quiet and shy boy suddenly became proactive and affectionate. Ling Li had always thought he was effeminate and introverted like a girl, but seeing him so proactive now felt even stranger. Especially the boy's intentional or unintentional physical contact with him, which gave him an inexplicable sense of unease.

He does care about Huakai at all times and in all places, but that doesn’t mean he’s willing to have an overly intimate relationship with her.

As before, he subtly shook off Hua Kai's grasp, completely unaware of the sudden dark and displeased look in Dong Li Bu Po's eyes, who was possessing Hua Kai's body.

Losing all appetite, Ling Li circled the entrance once, then walked out of the restaurant. He didn't know where to go.

As he walked, his mind was filled with doubts and the image of Tao Rujiu that he had just seen, and he unconsciously became gloomy again.

Walking along the tree-lined path after leaving the imperial city, the park was almost deserted in the evening. Ling Li slowly walked towards the control room, and after a while, he remembered that today was the first day of the lunar month, and another Taoist priest had been injured, so they could not enter the underground palace at night; for a moment, he had no direction and did not know where to go.

Just then, a soft voice came from the corner behind him. It was at least ten paces away, and most people wouldn't have been able to hear it. Ling Li heard it because the voice uttered two words that were incredibly sensitive to him:

His name.

Ling Li stopped and turned around. It was already dark. The streetlights weren't on yet. The only thing he was certain of was that no one had appeared in the direction the sound had come from.

He quickly became alert and reached into his pocket for his military knife.

But the voice didn't call out repeatedly as he expected; it only called two or three times before stopping. Then, a rustling sound came from the grass, and a white thing emerged.

It is the white cat of Cuiying Pavilion.

How could a cat talk? Ling Li laughed at himself for being paranoid. He prepared to continue walking forward, but unexpectedly, the white cat had already run up to him in two or three steps and sat down in the middle of the road.

"My name is Qilinpo, and I am an earth immortal who possesses the body of a white cat."

Although he couldn't see clearly whether the white cat's mouth was moving, Ling Li was still certain that the words were indeed spoken by the big cat in front of him.

He stopped in his tracks, but he wasn't surprised. He just frowned as he looked at the white figure blocking the middle of the road.

The big white cat continued, "This afternoon, I entered your villa and put cow tears on your towel."

“No wonder.” Ling Li finally spoke slowly, “You were already a cat when I was a child, but you haven’t aged at all more than ten years later. So you’re a monster.”

Qi Maoxian twitched its ears and made a mocking hissing sound: "If you're scared, it's better to vent it. Anyway, I've seen you in your open-crotch pants, so it doesn't matter how embarrassing it is."

Ling Li paused for a moment, snorted coldly, reached into his cigarette case, took out a cigarette, and lit it.

"Don't always walk with your tail wagging like that. I don't want to see the fairy's chrysanthemum anytime, anywhere."

The big white cat was panting in the darkness, but it hadn't forgotten its purpose in coming to find Ling Li, even though it was now somewhat regretful.

"Enough with the nonsense, I'm here to take you to Cuiying Pavilion. Follow me."

"Why do you want me to go there?" the man frowned.

"Don't you want to know the truth about what happened between Tao Rujiu and Hua Kai?"

"The truth?" Ling Li murmured repeatedly, "Isn't what I saw the truth?"

The white cat sneered, "I'm afraid you'll feel heartache." It paused, then added, "If you have the heart."

At eight o'clock in the evening, Tao Rujiu hid in a room in Cuiying Pavilion. The daily evening party had been canceled due to the recent tense atmosphere. Xiao Li said that in order to ensure the personal safety of the opera troupe, Ling Li had even given each person a mobile phone. However, for older people like Master Lü, not only was it difficult to spend money on phone calls, but even sending a text message using pinyin was very difficult.

Besides, when you're truly haunted by ghosts and monsters, a cell phone is completely useless. Tao Rujiu smiled bitterly.