schlechte Samen

Kapitel 31

"I... I've given up hope anyway," Yan Hao suddenly blurted out.

“This time is different, Yan Hao. Things will definitely get better! We can’t let this continue!” Xia Tian said resolutely. Zhou Yifeng nodded beside him.

"I just want Xiao Hui'er to come back," Yan Hao murmured in a very low voice.

After leaving the treatment room, the three of them sat down on the sofa in the outer room.

After undergoing this hypnosis session, both Yan Hao and Teacher Xia Tian appeared extremely tired. However, this fatigue also revealed a mixture of excitement and unease.

Zhou Yifeng spoke first: "Teacher Xia, thank you for your participation! Things are starting to look a little clearer."

Xia Tian gently shook her head. "Science... there are just too many things science can't explain." Her face was slightly flushed, perhaps embarrassed by her emotional outburst in the treatment room earlier. "But, Professor Zhou, did you hear that? He said five words at the end: Yungusi, Huiming. Does that mean... the solution to the problem still depends on someone?"

As Xia Tian spoke, she took an envelope from her bag. "Look, this is an envelope that Jiang Boyu left for me before he died. Inside is a photo of him, a letter from Yungusi Temple, and... the lyrics to a song—he must have written it!"

Zhou Yifeng took the envelope. "Really? He prepared all this in advance? He knew he was going to die?"

Xia Tian pondered for a moment, then shook his head and said, "I don't know! His death was sudden, so there shouldn't have been any premonition. But judging from the fact that he prepared this letter in advance, it seems like he knew something."

Zhou Yifeng looked down at the ordinary white envelope. On it, written in neat, regular script in blue-black ink, were the words: "Please forward to He Jihong for safekeeping."

“Take a look, Teacher Zhou! Yan Hao, you can take a look too. It’s okay! The photo is the one I kept under the glass,” Xia Tian said.

Zhou Yifeng pulled out a yellowed letter and a plain A4-sized sheet of white paper from the envelope. Yan Hao also moved closer to Zhou Yifeng, craning his neck to look at him.

The letter was written in Liu style regular script with a brush. There were two lines in total. The two lines read, “The grass is soaked with autumn frost, bringing sorrow; a person stands still on the boat, white sandpipers on the sand.”

On the other sheet of white paper were the lyrics written by Jiang Boyu, which Xia Tian had mentioned. Yan Hao read them aloud, silently reciting them in his mind: "Love never stops, we've walked from dusk till dawn. The sky and our past love have become cold and desolate. I've always loved so cautiously, thinking there would be a response. I'm willing to not wake up when I dream of you. The pain in my heart has long since become quiet. Watching your departing figure, I know I can't get close. I've always had too much confidence. Love at its deepest point will move me, but even without you, love will never stop. If love isn't forever, who would care about this minute or second? Love never stops, it will let you slowly know that the next second will bring blessings. I don't need your smile or imagined tenderness. I just want love to no longer be helpless and alone. I will slowly grow old in the wind. Let love never stop, like a flame burning." Zhou Yifeng looked up from the paper and asked, "These lyrics, they must be for you, Teacher Xia!"

Xia Tian nodded. "It's a pity I've never heard him sing it. There's no sheet music either! All these years, I've just had to keep it like this, along with those two strange lines of poetry."

Suddenly, Xia Tian and Zhou Yifeng both fell silent and tilted their ears. They heard a strange sound—it was Yan Hao, or perhaps another version of him singing.

Yan Hao was still intently staring at the paper. He was tapping his feet to the beat, humming "Love Never Stops." But his expression was a little strange. A little sad, a little obsessed, and a little stiff—it seemed he was completely absorbed in singing, oblivious to Xia Tian and Zhou Yifeng listening.

But the song is really beautiful. Even though it's unaccompanied. Summer once again brought tears to my eyes; I couldn't control myself.

Even Zhou Yifeng's hand holding the lyric sheet was trembling slightly...

According to Zhou Yifeng's arrangement, Yan Hao should focus on his exams first, and then deal with the follow-up issues after he goes home for the New Year. Firstly, the systemic anatomy and physiology exams that Yan Hao is about to face are very important final exams, worth a lot of credits; secondly, Yan Hao's train ticket has already been bought, and he has to leave after the exams, so even if he cancels it—it's hard to guarantee he can book a ticket again during the Spring Festival travel rush a week later!

Neither Yan Hao nor Xia Tian expressed any objection to the schedule. However, the day before Yan Hao was to leave, Xia Tian called him to the physiology department and stuffed five large boxes of "Red Peach K Blood-Nourishing Oral Liquid" into his hands, instructing him to take good care of his health during the winter break.

Yan Hao spent his winter break peacefully and uneventfully. After the initial excitement of returning home wore off, all that remained was an unbearable boredom and loneliness. The festive Spring Festival with its eating and drinking was no longer interesting, he was tired of the action-packed online games, and the gatherings with classmates just kept ending… Even worse, Xiao Hui had completely cut off contact with him—not only with him, but also with Yan Hao's parents—the uncles and aunts she always called so affectionately—Xiao Hui no longer visited them!

Yan Hao had inwardly cursed Huang Xiaohui for being heartless and ungrateful. He did call Huang Xiaohui's parents on New Year's Day to wish them a happy new year, but he didn't visit them—he was afraid that if Xiaohui were to retaliate against him with the same vengeance and hatred, he would lose face as a man! Especially since such a scenario might happen in front of Huang Xiaohui's parents! However, Xiaohui's parents remained incredibly warm and welcoming on the phone, strongly inviting Yan Hao to their home—Yan Hao wondered if Xiaohui had already tried to sow discord between her and her parents, or if they were just putting on a brave face?

But Yan Hao's parents had already sensed their son's feelings. They pressed him for answers a few times, but seeing his impatience and unwillingness to talk, they fell silent. However, Yan Hao's father did offer him some earnest advice, saying, "Son, what is love? Love is the two burps you let out when you have enough beer and bread—it's not good to live without it, but it requires a certain material foundation. Study hard, there are plenty of fish in the sea..."

Yan Hao's mother chimed in, "Don't listen to your dad's nonsense. What do you mean by 'hiccup'? You should study abroad in the future and marry a foreign wife for me, and have a mixed-race son. That's what real skill is!"

Yan Hao felt a mix of anger, amusement, and warmth! He thought that if he ever had a son, he'd simply throw him into an orphanage for a few years, letting him suffer a bit first. After all, no pain, no gain. But he didn't dare say this aloud!

At least the Spring Festival is over. Yan Hao had been looking forward to Zhou Yifeng's call since the fourth day of the Lunar New Year. But it wasn't until the eighth day of the Lunar New Year that Zhou Yifeng called him from school to home, telling him to go back early.

Yan Hao wished he could sprout wings and fly away. His ears were already calloused from his parents' nagging.

The Spring Festival had just passed, and the campus of the medical university was still desolate and quiet.

Yan Hao's train, which was severely overcrowded, was nearly two hours late. By the time he finally got to his dormitory with all his bags, it was already 11 p.m. Yan Hao had considered calling Professor Zhou Yifeng to let him know, but decided against it because it was too late.

The dormitory was a mess. The night before their departure for the holiday, they had partied all night—sunflower seed shells littered the floor, and several overturned Snow Beer bottles remained. Yan Hao knew that Shen Zihan and his two friends wouldn't come until the day before class, and the entire dormitory building was dark—except for the candles burning in Yan Hao's room 406—a sight that kept him tossing and turning all night. At home, he longed for the freedom of school; now that he was at school, he missed the warmth of home!

It was too quiet, so quiet that even listening to his own heartbeat, Yan Hao couldn't fall asleep. From the moment he stepped through the school gates, he felt he was no longer alone. This feeling was something only he could understand; it was indescribable and incomprehensible.

Suddenly, the half-burnt candle that Yan Hao had placed on the table underwent a strange change—the flame shot up high, crackling and popping. It lasted for less than ten seconds before going out completely!

Yan Hao stared wide-eyed in the darkness.

His body began to heat up strangely. His temperature rose rapidly, and soon the quilt couldn't cover him anymore. This intense heat made it difficult for Yan Hao to breathe, and his heart was pounding wildly in his chest! Two minutes later, he was drenched in sweat, his eyes bulging, and his facial skin tense, contorted, and deformed. His hands were still spasming as he forcefully tore at his underwear.

The female dormitory supervisor, who slept on the first floor, heard a low, wolf-like howl coming from upstairs, yet it also sounded like a scream of extreme pain. This horrific and piercing cry sent chills down the spines of everyone who heard it.

When the dormitory manager followed the sound and opened the door to room 406, she saw the most terrifying sight of her life.

Yan Hao had climbed out of bed at some point and was sitting facing the dormitory supervisor. His underwear, torn to shreds, hung on his chest. The female dormitory supervisor gasped, her lips trembling, unable to utter a word.

She saw something moving back and forth on Yan Hao's chest wall. Then she saw an unusually high bulge below the xiphoid process of his sternum. Then, a living, blood-soaked hand suddenly pierced through his chest, struggling and determinedly protruding out.

First it was a hand… then an arm… then another hand… then a head covered by tangled hair burst out of the chest… it was clearly a person… his hands had already groped their way to the ground, then his back, his lower limbs… it was just like childbirth—but even more terrifying and unbelievable!

The female dormitory supervisor didn't even have time to shout before she slid off the doorpost.

Yan Hao also leaned his head back, seemingly unconscious.

That person! The one covered in blood, whose face was obscured—staggered over the unconscious body of the female dormitory manager and disappeared into the boundless darkness!

When Yan Hao woke up, he could hardly believe his eyes—he woke up to find himself seeing a ghost in broad daylight! It was already nine o'clock in the morning when he discovered the dormitory manager lying across the doorway.

Although he fell asleep very late last night, he didn't dream at all. He didn't even know when the half-burnt candle went out!

Yan Hao jumped out of bed and saw that the candle was far from burned out. Then, he mustered his courage and checked the woman's breathing; it was relatively normal. After shaking her a few more times, she finally slowly opened her eyes.

When the dormitory supervisor saw Yan Hao crouching on the ground, staring intently at her, she suddenly leaped up—nearly hitting him on the forehead. Then, while backing away, she screamed for help in a choked, tearful voice. Yan Hao watched her performance strangely, wondering why he had frightened her so much—finally, the dormitory supervisor turned and rushed downstairs. Her shrill cries for help still echoed in the corridor!

Yan Hao stood blankly in the open space in the center of the dormitory for a while—such a strange thing happening on his first day at school really made him feel like he was having a run of bad luck. After a long while, he finally took out his 201 card and started calling Zhou Yifeng.

Unexpectedly, before Yan Hao could even hang up the phone, Zhou Yifeng's voice calling for Yan Hao came from the other end of the corridor.

When the teacher and student met, there was naturally a lot of small talk, such as "Happy New Year, how have you been?" Zhou Yifeng said that he hadn't gone anywhere during the entire winter vacation—in fact, he had secretly visited Wang Danyang at the mental hospital on the 27th of the twelfth lunar month. Although it was through a thick double-glazed window, based on his professional experience, he was certain that Wang Danyang had really gone mad this time—but he didn't tell anyone about this trip to the mental hospital, and naturally he wouldn't tell Yan Hao either.

Yan Hao didn't tell Zhou Yifeng what had just happened. Both of them seemed refreshed, yet each had their own thoughts on their own.

Finally, Zhou Yifeng said, "Let's go visit Abbot Huiming at Fuhu Mountain today." Yan Hao was naturally happy to agree; he wouldn't stay in the dormitory for even a minute longer.

To Yan Hao's surprise, Teacher Xia Tian was also waiting downstairs at the boys' dormitory. It seemed that Zhou Yifeng had arranged everything.

I hadn't seen her for a whole winter break, and Teacher Xia was still the same. She was wearing a light gray trench coat and light makeup, looking tall and elegant.

As the three of them walked out, laughing and talking, they were followed by the female dormitory supervisor with a suspicious and apprehensive gaze.

Although spring has officially begun, the air is still chilly. A strong wind blows across Mount Fuhu, and the cold is biting.

The taxi the three of them were in could only go up the winding mountain road to the halfway point. From there, they would have to hike.

However, because they hadn't seen each other for a long time, the three of them chatted as they walked, and didn't feel tired. When Xia Tian asked about Huang Xiaohui, Yan Hao only said euphemistically that it was all in the past and it didn't matter. But only he himself knew best whether it truly mattered.

After walking for about an hour, we reached the top of the mountain and then followed a path down to the back of the mountain. The flying eaves and beams of Yungusi Temple, which is nestled in the mountain, were already faintly visible.

Yan Hao could tell that both teachers were very excited. Only he remained quite calm—strangely, he seemed to have slept exceptionally well last night, and felt much more relaxed after waking up—if it weren't for that caretaker who flew in and lay down, Yan Hao's energy today would be at its best ever!

Zhou Yifeng's bag also contained three bundles of incense. Before entering the mountain gate, he unpacked the bundles and said, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do. If you see a temple, you should burn incense." Xia Tian smiled faintly and did not object.

It was Yan Hao's first time entering a temple, and he found everything fascinating, wishing he had more eyes to see it all. He even leaned over the railing to touch the Maitreya Buddha's plump belly, hoping for good luck—but Zhou Yifeng scolded him in a low voice, telling him to behave himself. Yan Hao stuck out his tongue and didn't dare to make any more moves.

The three had just finished burning incense in the large incense burner in front of the main hall when a handsome young monk approached them from a side door. He bowed slightly upon reaching them. "Amitabha! Have you three come to see Abbot Huiming?"

Zhou Yifeng and his two companions exchanged bewildered glances. They could only nod frantically, repeatedly agreeing. In their hearts, however, they were all thinking that this old monk was far too formidable, giving them a rude awakening right from the start—it seemed the profound mystery and supernatural powers of Buddhism were indeed not unfounded!

Led by a young monk, the three filed into the warm and inviting "Abbot's Room." Master Huiming, who had already seen them through the window, slowly rose and called out, "You've arrived?"

"Reporting to the abbot, they have arrived!" the young monk bowed to Master Huiming in response.

"It's time!" Master Huiming murmured, though it was unclear who he was speaking to. He then stared at Yan Hao for a long while before reaching out and patting Yan Hao's head. "We were not destined to be together in our past lives, but we are in this one."

From the moment they entered the abbot's room, Zhou Yifeng and the other two didn't utter a single word. They just stared blankly at Master Huiming—the kind-faced old monk's few words had completely "stunned" them!

But they still didn't understand the hidden meaning in her words! So they didn't know how to respond!

Only after the young monk invited them to sit down did Zhou Yifeng ask as if waking from a dream, "Abbot, how did you know we were coming?"

Master Huiming twirled his prayer beads, lowered his gaze, and murmured, "What is meant to come will come. If you can't let go, you'll only carry more burdens. The path to liberation lies solely in Buddhism. Amitabha!"

Silence fell upon the room once more. Only Yan Hao's eyes darted around, constantly scanning the surroundings. In truth, he had been stunned from the moment he entered the abbot's room—the furnishings were incredibly familiar to him, as if he had been there several times before!

Summer actually had a good feeling about the Buddhist holy site. Quiet, elegant, solemn—based on the abbot's words just now, she guessed in her heart that Master Huiming must have had dealings with Jiang Boyu.

“Abbot, we’ve come today to ask you something,” Zhou Yifeng said, pulling a letter from his inner pocket. “Abbot, is this something you have here?”

Master Huiming glanced at it without even turning his head and said, "Of course! However, it's only half; the other half is still with me."

After saying this, Master Huiming suddenly turned to Xia Tian, who was sitting on the other side, and said, “This female benefactor, if I am not mistaken, you must be the true believer! May I ask for your name?”

"That letter was kept by me... My name is Xia Tian." Xia Tian's face turned a little pale.

"If you hadn't changed your name, you wouldn't be surnamed Xia and given name Tian. But I wonder if your original name contained the character 'Hong' or the character 'Yang'?"

“There’s a ‘red’ in it,” Xia Tian said softly. She was already a little uneasy.

"This letter was left to you by that young man, wasn't it? It's been three years! It's time...it's time!" Master Huiming's words were slowly uttered, their echoes lingering in the air.

Zhou Yifeng nodded and said, "Abbot, the young man you're talking about must be that student named Jiang Boyu, right? He died three years ago!" Then Zhou Yifeng pointed to Yan Hao. "The main reason we've come this time is to ask you to take a look at this student. We think only you can solve his problem."

Master Huiming glanced at Yan Hao, who was sitting next to Xia Tian. He shook his head and said, "He's fine now. By midnight, the evil spirits had left him. But the dead are still filled with resentment!" Master Huiming sighed and softly recited, "Tears still flow at midnight, a thousand knots in his heart as he wanders the ends of the earth. Only he remains to wander! Unable to ascend to heaven, with no way to enter the underworld, utterly alone and helpless, suffering immense pain."

These words caused Zhou Yifeng and the other two to change their expressions drastically. Even Yan Hao seemed to have grasped the gist of it—something must have happened to him last night and this morning. He was probably seen by the administrator and... scared! But what could it be? Yan Hao's mind went blank again.

"Grandpa, what is evil aura?" As soon as Yan Hao asked, the little monk who had been standing silently to the side suddenly grinned, trying to laugh but desperately holding it back.

"Call him Master Yan Hao, not Grandpa," Zhou Yifeng hurriedly tried to salvage the situation. Actually, he himself wanted to laugh too.

Master Huiming, however, chuckled heartily. "Since you've already called me that, it's fine. Grandfather or Master, it's all just empty titles. Youth is priceless... Young man, you recently broke up with your girlfriend, didn't you?"

"Ah? Master! How could you know this?!" Yan Hao blushed, extremely embarrassed.

"Didn't you ask me what 'evil energy' is? Your breakup with your loved one, isn't that 'peach blossom evil energy'?" Seeing Yan Hao nod as if he understood, Master Huiming continued, "Our Buddha is compassionate, using the Dharma as a boat, wishing to ferry all sentient beings out of the sea of suffering. In this mortal world, there are the eight sufferings of birth, old age, sickness, death, encountering those you hate, not getting what you want, separation from those you love, and the five aggregates of clinging. There are also the five dull afflictions of greed, anger, ignorance, pride, and doubt. Over many lifetimes, these various accumulations lead to the gathering of evil energy within."

Yan Hao was engrossed in listening and couldn't wait to voice his opinion: "So, does that mean everyone encounters malevolent energy? Everyone generates malevolent energy?"

Master Huiming nodded slowly. “Your aptitude is good. Malevolent energy is not inherent in nature; it is all born from the human mind. It accumulates and settles in the cycle of cause and effect. In minor cases, it hinders people’s wisdom; in major cases, it harms people’s lives. The most terrifying kind is called ‘Mind Malevolence.’ Encountering this malevolence is not enough; one must also wander and suffer in the intermediate state.”

After saying all this in one breath, Master Huiming stood up. "It's time to restore this imperial edict," he said, beckoning to the young monk, "Bring it here."

A moment later, the young monk presented a letter identical to the one Zhou Yifeng held. Master Huiming took it, unfolded it, and said to Xia Tian, "Female benefactor, you should remember those two sentences in your letter, shouldn't you?"

Summer nodded. "The grass, soaked in autumn frost, is filled with sorrow; a person stands still on the boat, amidst the white sandpipers," she recited softly.

Master Huiming closed his eyes slightly and recited the next two lines: "Rain falls on my heart, seeping through three parts; homesickness stretches far beyond the tower." His voice sounded desolate and distant—it was unclear whether it was Master Huiming's deep emotion or the poem's overly melancholic atmosphere.

Zhou Yifeng quickly chimed in, "We would appreciate your clarification, Abbot. Do the first two lines subtly allude to the names 'Jiang' and 'Bo'?"

Master Huiming remained silent for a long time. He gazed at the distant mountains outside the window in silence. After a while, he turned to Zhou Yifeng and said, "What you say makes sense, benefactor. Then the last two lines are easy to explain—'rain' and 'thought' are a hidden allusion."

Xia Tian, sitting next to him, murmured, "Jiang Boyu is dead? Jiang Boyu is dead!"

Master Huiming's face remained expressionless. "Indeed! The entire poem reveals the tragedy of this man's fate—his longing for home is so profound, he should return!"

Summer's eyes were already brimming with tears. "Master, it was him. He sent us to find you. Master, you must help him. It's been three years... Let him rest in peace..." Summer's voice choked with sobs.