El misterio del periódico K

Capítulo 35

After we'd argued enough, Gu Ming suddenly pulled me into a tight hug. The hug felt like it could strangle me; I could feel the warmth of his arms and the steady thumping of his heart. Even the gentle warmth of his breath brushing against my ear was palpable. Then he kissed me—our second kiss. The tender air was sweet. He pressed his forehead against mine, chuckled softly, and gazed at me with bright, crescent-shaped eyes. He said, "Study hard for your exams, eat well, spend quality time with your friends and family, and live each day to the fullest. Little Fatty, I love you."

As the train pulled away, Gu Ming stood by the window, still smiling. It was a warm smile, so warm it hurt my heart. Even after the train had gone quite a distance, I still couldn't understand why he had said those things. I was just going to take an exam; it's not like I wasn't coming back. It was so inexplicable…

I arrived at the station around 10:30, took the bus to the school, ate lunch, took a nap, took a written test at 2:30 pm, and had an interview at 5 pm. I felt... really... not very good.

It was already dark when everything was over. The next train back was at midnight. Rather than going back in the middle of the night, I might as well stay here for the night and go back tomorrow morning.

I called Gu Ming before going to bed, but his phone was off.

I called Xia Canyue, but her phone was off.

I called "Moonlight," but no one answered.

Where did all these people go...?

Why wasn't even a single cloud left on May 10, 2005?

In the early morning, my forehead began to throb slightly. My dream gradually became clearer from its initial chaos. I saw Gu Ming sitting in the "moonlight" with Xia Canyue, Xia's father, Xiao Bai, Daoist Cangyi, and the people from Bailu Mountain around him. Everyone was sitting around Gu Ming. Gu Ming opened his mouth, but I couldn't hear the sound. However, from the shape of his lips, it seemed like he was saying, "Let's begin."

What's starting? My head started throbbing again. In my dream, the person took out a black box, and inside was the red crystal. Before I left, I clearly stole that crystal from Gu Ming's room. How did it end up in his hands again?

I knew I was dreaming, but the dream was strange. Gu Ming's expression reminded me of his parting words. I panicked and tried to wake up, but my body seemed to be bound by something, and I couldn't move an inch.

At this moment, Daoist Cangyi lit a talisman, which instantly burned out and turned into a thin, bright yellow thread. Gu Ming picked up a red crystal, tied one end to it, and then inserted it straight into his forehead. His body trembled, as if he had suffered immense pain, and his face instantly turned pale. My heart tightened, and I was about to call out to him when I saw the other end of the thread fly out of the window. Immediately afterward, my forehead felt as if it had been pierced by a heavy object. A strange aura was seeping out from my forehead along the thread. I struggled to get up, but even the strength to lift a finger was suppressed. I clearly felt the aura surging more and more from my forehead, flowing along the thread into Gu Ming's body. Blood seeped from Gu Ming's forehead, dripping down his shoulder.

What is this aura?

What is hidden on my forehead?

Spirit!

Suddenly realizing something, tears streamed down her face, and as she fainted, her breath completely vanished...

The dream remains a dream, its clarity bordering on cruelty.

Two figures, one in blue and one in red, appeared at Er Gou Manor. The red fleshy mass crawling with maggots was firmly attached to the hair of the person in blue. I finally saw the person in blue clearly: an oval face, pale, delicate skin, rosy lips, willow-leaf eyebrows, and large eyes, but her eyes were full of pain and struggle. She was Fu Yi.

I couldn't hear the voices in my dream, but the air was filled with a faint fragrance and a strong stench. I knew the fragrance was the scent of Yuexia Su on Fu Yi's body, and the stench came from Xue Ling.

Suddenly, the Blood Spirit stretched out a small, red arm, and rotting flesh fell to the ground. The ground seemed to tremble as if it were sensing this, and a thick white murmur filled the air. One after another, souls emerged from the ground, and the nearby mountains began to shake. Looking around, the entire Er Gou Manor looked like a vacuum cleaner. Ethereal green ghosts drifted and rushed in this direction, carrying a cold aura, and gathered into a huge beam of light.

The light grew thicker and thicker, tinged with a rich, luminous green. If left unchecked, the condensation of tens of thousands of souls could unleash the power of the Ten Thousand Ghosts Gathering Evil. He was in a great hurry, but he couldn't even open his eyes, and his body was stiff and unable to move.

Just then, a sharp sword flashed red light and appeared among the countless ghosts. Some of the surrounding souls were terrified by the red light and fled, while others were cleaved in two by the sword's energy. The emerald green light also stopped growing. The person wielding the sword was none other than Daoist Cangyi. My heart immediately settled. Since Daoist Cangyi had arrived, the others must be nearby as well.

Sure enough, Cang Yue, Cang Yu, Cang Lang, Cang Zhenzhen, Xia Canyue, Xia's father, and Xiao Bai, each carrying a magic weapon, followed closely behind Daoist Cang Yi. As soon as they landed, they used various spells to scatter the approaching souls. Judging from the wide eyes of the ghosts, the green slime that splattered when they were hit by the magic weapons, and their gaping mouths, Er Gou Manor must have been filled with ghostly wails and howls.

Her eyes continued to search, wondering why Gu Ming hadn't come and where he was. The image of his forehead bleeding earlier flashed through her mind, and her heart ached with each passing moment.

Just then, a white figure appeared, swirling with immense aura as it attacked Daoist Cangyi and the others. A faint fragrance wafted over; this white-clad female ghost was none other than Chen Si, transformed from a piece of the Soul Eater's flesh. Daoist Cangyi hurriedly turned to defend himself, but the surrounding green spirits followed, grabbing at his back. Just as the sticky hand was about to touch the Daoist's back, a flash of silver light appeared, and the ghost's arm fell to the ground. The next second, white smoke rose from the wound, and the ghost clutched its head as if enduring immense pain. Before it could even utter a cry, its entire body was enveloped in white smoke, rapidly dissolving and disappearing before their eyes. Meanwhile, Xia's father stood behind him, coldly holding a black longsword.

At this moment, Daoist Cangyi was locked in a fierce battle with the female ghost in white when Xia's father suddenly joined in. He shouted something to Daoist Cangyi, who immediately jumped out. The female ghost in white attacked with a palm strike, but Xia's father flew forward and blocked it with his sword. Daoist Cangyi then joined Xia Canyue and the others in their fight against countless ghosts.

Before long, many ghosts were eliminated, but a continuous stream of emerald green ghosts continued to fly towards Er Gou Manor from the surrounding mountains. Xia Canyue shouted, and judging from her lip movements, she said, "There are too many, far more than tens of thousands."

Looking at Xia's father again, a black longsword was in his hand, streaks of cold light flashing through the female ghost's white aura. However, the aura was extremely dense, far stronger than when Gu Ming fought her last time. It seemed Chen Si had deliberately concealed her identity back then, fearing her identity as a Food Soul would be exposed. Now that everyone knew, she must have released her full aura; the concentration of the white energy was more than a hundred times stronger. Xia's father's forehead was covered in a dense layer of sweat, and his sword-wielding hand trembled slightly. The white-clad female ghost saw the flaw, changed her hand gesture, and struck down with a palm. The dense aura was like an incomparably sharp dagger. Xia's father couldn't turn around in time, and seeing that the palm strike would surely injure him, he instinctively fell to the ground. The moment he touched the ground, he rolled to the side. The aura was incredibly fast, yet it still struck Xia's father's shoulder, leaving a long wound on his left shoulder, blood splattering everywhere.

Seeing Xia's father injured, the white-clad female ghost naturally seized the opportunity and launched a series of fierce attacks. Xia Canyue, seeing this, kicked away the ghost that was clinging to her and flew over. She threw three talismans at the female ghost with her backhand. The talismans emitted a huge red light. The female ghost did not expect this sudden change and was hit by the red light, rolling backward a long distance.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Xia Canyue hurriedly helped her father stop the bleeding, anxiously asking him something. Her father shook his head, his face pale. Being injured by the shrill energy was indeed unusual, especially such a strong shrill energy. Meanwhile, the white-clad female ghost had already blocked the three talismans. Her left hand formed a seal, and three streams of shrill energy pierced straight through the talismans. After sparks flew, the talismans turned into dust and disappeared.

Xia Canyue was quicker and faster. She picked up her father's sword and attacked before the female ghost could react. Although her skills were not as good as her father's, she had taken over the body that had been reforged by the gathering of ten thousand ghosts. No matter how powerful the female ghost was, she could not hurt her. Although the ghost's aura tore her body and stained her clothes with blood, the wounds under her clothes healed automatically in a short while. The two fought for a long time. Xia Canyue was almost exhausted, and the ghost's aura had also weakened a little, but the two were still unable to determine a winner.

Just then, Xia Canyue lost her footing, and the white-clad female ghost seized the opportunity to kick her. The kick, imbued with pure white aura, struck Xia Canyue squarely in the abdomen. Xia Canyue coughed up blood and collapsed to the ground, unable to recover for a moment. Seeing that she was injured, the white-clad female ghost did not continue her attack but instead ran off in another direction.

Following the direction of the white figure, the blue and red figures saw an enormous, emerald-green pillar of light in front of them. Their hearts pounded. Had those ten thousand souls already gathered together? Weren't Daoist Cangyi and the others trying to disperse the ghosts?

His eyes anxiously searched for the people, only to find that Cang Yue, Cang Yu, and the others were surrounded by ghosts. His sword flashed like lightning, but the ghosts were like a flood, extinguishing one group only to be replaced by another. Xiao Bai and Daoist Cang Yi weren't surrounded, but judging from the sweat pouring down their faces and their gradually slowing pace, they were...

Following the direction of the white figure, the blue and red figures saw an enormous, emerald-green pillar of light in front of them. Their hearts pounded. Had those ten thousand souls already gathered together? Weren't Daoist Cangyi and the others trying to disperse the ghosts?

Their eyes searched anxiously for the people, only to find that Cang Yue, Cang Yu, and the others were surrounded by ghosts. Their swords moved with lightning speed, but the ghosts were like a flood, extinguishing one group only to be replaced by another. Xiao Bai and Daoist Cang Yi weren't surrounded, but judging from the sweat pouring down their faces and their gradually slowing pace, they wouldn't last much longer. Xia's father was also struggling to disperse the luminous green things with one hand. Looking at Xia Canyue, blood was still flowing from her mouth, her hands were covered in mud, and she struggled to her feet only to collapse again.

What should I do? I was so anxious I was almost in tears. Damn it, wake up, I kept telling myself.

Just then, a very familiar person came into view. Dressed in black, he had a tall and imposing figure. His fine hair was blown by the night wind, revealing bright eyes and a wound on his forehead. The wound was clearly fresh, with traces of blood seeping through the gauze. I thought of the thread that had connected us earlier, and my heart ached as if it were breaking.

Gu Ming, what you're doing is too cruel to me.

As the emerald green pillar of light slowly began to rotate, the white-clad female ghost stood beside the one in blue and the one in red. Gu Ming, however, didn't look at her at all. Instead, he raised his head, curled the corners of his lips into a smile, opened his mouth, and softly uttered a few words, his eyes curving into crescent moons as he smiled sweetly. Then he nodded deeply, instantly concealing all his tenderness, and looked coldly at the emerald green pillar of light and the three people behind it.

I had no strength left. I lay there like a corpse, my eyes still closed, and I didn't want to open them anymore. Scenes from my dream kept replaying in my mind, and I couldn't stop them. I could only feel tears streaming down my face with every move Gu Ming made, dripping onto my pillow.

I watched him swiftly shift his footwork and leap to the pillar of light. I watched him tear off the bandage on his forehead, and watched a white light burst forth from his forehead, piercing through the enormous, luminous green pillar. After a violent tremor, the massive pillar of light vanished instantly, and the white light shot straight towards the red mass. The stench, decay, darkness, and dampness—everything dissipated in that instant.

The red mass of flesh stared in horror at the sudden change, its pupils filled with disbelief. Another burning sensation filled the air as white light pierced through the mass. Horror was replaced by pain. The white maggots on the mass of flesh crackled and fell off, making a squeaking sound upon hitting the soil, emitting white smoke as they disappeared. The maggots clinging to the blue-clad man's hair also began to slide down.

The woman in blue stood motionless, her eyes filled with tears and despair. She watched her child slowly fall, slowly die, little by little, until the red mass of flesh completely disappeared. Then, a smile appeared on her lips. It was a very faint smile, as if all her worries had vanished, leaving her with a serene and carefree state.

The white light pierced the blood spirit but did not disappear. Seeing this sudden change, the white-clad female ghost mustered all her strength and tried to resist the white light. However, a deep musical note sounded, and the white-clad female ghost began to tremble violently. Following her gaze, Xia's father and Daoist Cangyi sat facing each other on the ground, their mouths covered in blood. Where their hands were pressed together was a pitch-black talisman. The talisman slowly opened like a door, emitting a bright light. Accompanied by the musical note, two tall and majestic figures emerged from the door.

The white-clad female ghost was completely paralyzed upon seeing this. The two shadowy figures, radiating yin energy, approached her. She knelt on the ground as if her knees were shattered and cried out, "Lord Ghost Messenger."

Before they could see clearly, the two ghost messengers had already disappeared with the female ghost amidst the low, mournful sound of musical instruments…

The night sky was so quiet it was suffocating. Fu Yi slowly lifted his foot and walked towards the crowd, maintaining a smile as he gave them a deep bow. His eyes were as calm as a lake. Then he suddenly turned around and rushed towards the white light. The white light and the blue figure turned into fragments and scattered into the night sky.

Xia's father and Daoist Cangyi did not breathe a sigh of relief at the scene. Instead, like Xia Canyue, they stared at a certain spot, where Gu Ming had fallen. Blood, bright red, flowed all over the ground. So much blood, so much that it was as glaring as his smile. My heart felt empty. All I could think about was him smiling at me with his eyes crinkled as he spoke.

He said, "Take good care of yourself, you must take good care of yourself."

I touched the small stone on my neck, my hand covered in powder. That little stone he gave me shattered into pieces the instant he fell...

I returned to the city in the afternoon. It was pouring rain, and the trees were washed clean, looking lush and shiny. It was wonderful.

I went straight to the lab when I got to school. I couldn't delay my graduation project. Xiao Bi said I was finally being positive, but I only realized how positive I was when I told her I despised her.

It was raining non-stop on my way back to the dorm that night, and my pants were soaked through, making me a bit cold. I was starving before bed, so Xiao Bi and I made four packets of instant noodles together. What a life…

May 11, 2005 (Rain)

It rained all night and it's still pouring today. The school's underpass is flooded, forcing us to take a detour. It's so annoying.

I had two eggs, a bowl of porridge, and a plate of spicy cabbage for breakfast. I also snatched a piece of steamed cake from Xiao Bi. She pettily scolded me all morning, and I swear if she scolds me again this afternoon, I'll post a picture of her picking her nose online...

It was already 1 p.m. when we finished the experiment. Deng Fei and Jia Yanchan suggested we go for hot pot. The four of us were enjoying our meal around the charcoal fire when Xiao Bi asked the waiter to bring a dish of tofu gravy for seasoning. But when I saw that patch of red, my mind went blank, my stomach started churning, and I rushed to the bathroom and vomited violently.

Deng Fei walked me back to my dorm, and as he was leaving, he asked, "Did you go to 'Moonlight' after you came back?"

"without."

"Why?"

"We need to do experiments."

"Oh." Deng Fei looked at me, as if he had something to say, but ultimately shook his head and walked away.

When Xiao Bi came back in the evening, he brought me some plain porridge. I ate it and went to sleep...

Rain on May 12, 2005

It rained a lot, the raindrops pattering lightly on my shoulders; it's best not to use an umbrella on a day like this.

Eat breakfast, do experiments.

Have lunch, do experiments.

Eat dinner, go to bed...

A very light rain on May 13, 2005.

A few drops of rain fell in the early morning, then the sky darkened and not a single drop fell.

Today's events were the same as yesterday's, nothing much to say.

Oh, I almost forgot, I had soy milk this morning, black rice porridge yesterday, and spicy hot pot tonight. Last night… I ate… I forgot…

May 14, 2005, cloudy

I didn't go to the lab this morning because Xiao Bi sat on a stool in a daze after getting up. When I woke up, she stared at me and then said, trembling slightly, "Something's happened."

"What happened?"

"Gu Ming...something happened to Gu Ming." Xiao Bi bit her lip, her eyes welling up with tears, filled with sympathy and reluctance.

"..."

“You…” Xiao Bi’s eyes widened, then she pointed at me uncertainly, “You haven’t been to ‘Moonlight’ since you came back, and you haven’t said a word about Gu Ming. I felt something was wrong. Do you… do you know something?”