Chinesisches Neujahr

Kapitel 2

After a few pleasantries, I got straight to the point, telling Ye Xiao everything from my trip to the deserted village a few months ago, to the novel "The Deserted Village" I published after returning, and the recent troubles I'd encountered. As I spoke, I became increasingly afraid. Cold sweat dripped down my forehead after I finished speaking—completely unlike my usual self. After listening to everything, Ye Xiao remained silent for a long time. He was still as cold and composed as ever, silently savoring every detail he had just heard. But this time, he was deep in thought, like a Go master suddenly faced with an unsolvable endgame. However, his answer disappointed me: "Are you sure all of this is true?" "Of course, of course it's true. Do you think this is just my imagination, or another novel?" Ye Xiao replied calmly, "Don't be nervous, I understand how you feel."

"Right now, there are two main things that are giving you a huge headache: First, the four college students who went to explore the deserted village told you on the phone today that Mr. Ouyang, whom you met four months ago, actually died eight months ago, plunging you into deep fear; second, there's a mysterious woman calling herself Nie Xiaoqian who's been harassing you constantly with some absurd legends about the deserted village, and even secretly following you." "Yes, you have to help me." "Don't worry, your problems are my problems. However, I think you shouldn't interfere anymore. Just let these things pass; everyone will forget about them soon enough." "Okay, then please tell me, what should I do now?" "The first problem can't be solved right now unless you go back to the deserted village yourself." I immediately shook my head: "No, I won't go again." "However, I can help you with the second problem."

Section 10: Holding the cat's bone

It's raining again. The torrential rain has cooled Shanghai at the turn of spring and summer, and all the plants are growing wildly in the rain, extending their green branches and leaves into every crevice. Under the shade of the lush climbing vines, I quietly went out with my umbrella. A misty vapor filled the air, enveloping me like a fog. The subway smelled musty on a rainy day, unusually quiet and desolate. I leisurely passed through the ticket gates and went down to the somewhat empty subway platform. Instead of standing behind the yellow line to wait for the train as usual, I found a seat, took out a book, and started reading. The subway train roared into the station. I watched coldly as the doors opened, people got out, and people got in, while I remained sitting on the platform bench, unmoved. A few seconds later, the doors closed again, and the train sped away.

A little while later, another train arrived from the other direction. I remained firmly seated on the platform chair, watching it depart. Twenty minutes passed like this, and I remained seated, watching several trains come and go on either side of me. Suddenly, I left the platform and headed towards the upper hall. I quickened my pace and soon exited through the ticket gate. Just as I was about to leave the subway station, I heard a series of crisp, hurried footsteps behind me. I immediately turned around alertly and saw a young woman in her early twenties, dressed in all black, running towards me. Her hair billowed in the wind, and she was strikingly beautiful. As she ran, her eyes remained fixed on me. We stared at each other coldly until she passed me.

Suddenly, I reached out and grabbed her wrist, feeling as soft as squeezing a cat's bone. She let out a soft meow, then struggled a few times, but I wasn't going to let her go. "Nie Xiaoqian?" I asked, staring into her eyes. She froze, a look of depression and stubbornness in her eyes. Then, she lowered her head and stopped struggling. Just then, Ye Xiao finally ran over. He looked at the woman in front of him and said, "It's definitely her. I've been secretly observing her for twenty minutes. She's been watching you from a distance, and she followed you when you left the platform. When I came over and asked her a question, she immediately ran towards the exit."

Last night, Ye Xiao came up with a plan for me: to lure this "Nie Xiaoqian" out of the way. When I entered the subway station, Ye Xiao secretly followed me. I pretended to be a fool, sitting still on the platform and deliberately missing many trains. If someone was watching me, they would miss many trains like me, making me easily discovered. Sure enough, Ye Xiao noticed this strange girl and concluded that she was the one following me. Now, she was in my hands. She finally looked up, her eyes filled with a hint of grievance, and gently parted her lips: "You hurt me." "I'm sorry." My hand immediately recoiled as if electrocuted. Faced with this pitiful young girl, I became somewhat at a loss.

She was completely different from the harasser I had imagined. The long, angry outburst I had planned to unleash vanished from my mind. She rubbed her wrist, looked at me and Ye Xiao, and said, "Now that you've got me, do whatever you want with me." My confidence faltered, and I timidly said, "We won't do anything to you." I then whispered to Ye Xiao, "Thank you for finding her. May I speak with her alone?" Ye Xiao looked into the girl's eyes, then whispered to me, "Okay, but be careful. Don't be too soft-hearted. In my experience—angels and devils often coexist." After saying this last meaningful sentence, Ye Xiao smiled, patted my shoulder, and then solemnly said to the girl, "I'm sorry, I startled you just now."

"I'm a police officer, and he's my cousin. Neither of us are bad people. I hope you won't bother him anymore, or I'll come looking for you again. Goodbye." Ye Xiao quickly left the subway station, leaving me alone to watch the girl in black, and I couldn't help but feel nervous. She slowly exhaled, staring into my eyes, and said, "I am Nie Xiaoqian." Unbelievable! My first impression of her was that she was exactly like Nie Xiaoqian from *Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio*. I remember reading the vernacular version of *Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio* when I was a child. Whenever I read "Nie Xiaoqian," an image of an ancient woman would appear before my eyes: she would silently appear in ancient temples, with long, flowing black hair, a slender waist, a beautiful, fox-like face, and eyes like a spring pond. Most alluring was the faint sadness in her eyes, like ripples gently across the surface of water—and now, she was right in front of me. But I dared not look at her anymore. Her face was like a scene from a movie playing on repeat, once again stirring up my childhood fantasies. I couldn't help but sigh softly, "She's just too much like her." "What do you mean?" Just like I heard on the phone, her voice was like a magnet. Was this the voice of the female protagonist in Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio?

I shook my head awkwardly and said, "It's nothing—can I buy you a cup of tea?" She turned her head to the side and said, "I'm already your prey, do as you please." So, I took her out of the subway station. The rain outside was heavier than before, and we went into a small teahouse on Shaanxi South Road. As soon as I sat down, she stared into my eyes and asked, "You seem a little nervous." "Nervous?" I deliberately avoided her gaze, looking out at the rainy scene, and said, "Of course, who wouldn't be nervous sitting and drinking tea with someone straight out of a ghost story?" She didn't seem to care, still staring straight into my eyes, and coldly asked, "Have you really been to the deserted village?" "Yes, I've been to the deserted village, I'm absolutely not lying to you." "But there are too many mistakes in your 'The Deserted Village,' it's not realistic at all." "'The Deserted Village' is a novel, and novels are a hybrid of reality and fantasy." She said contemptuously, "Then you're far from reality, your deserted village is just a painting seen through a telescope." "Yes, the deserted village must have many secrets I don't know." I didn't want to be led by the nose by her, so I immediately changed the subject, "Now it's your turn to answer, is your name really Nie Xiaoqian?"

For a fleeting moment, a flicker of fear crossed her eyes; I guessed she seemed to remember something, but it vanished quickly. She nodded and said, "Yes, my name is Nie--Xiao--Qian." She drew out the last three words, almost startling the people at the next table. "It's incredible, such a coincidence of names." I said with a wry smile, "Your father must have never read *Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio*, or—he was too engrossed in it." "Enough! Does a person's name really matter?" I stared at her shifty eyes and said, "Yes, it's very important. You know what? You really look like Nie Xiaoqian from the book." "Okay, I'll give in." She shrugged helplessly, "If you insist that the name Nie Xiaoqian reminds you of the female ghosts in *Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio*, then please just call me Xiaoqian." "Xiaoqian?" "Yes, Xiaoqian from the Nie family." I nodded quickly, "That's good, it sounds much better that way, like the girl next door—Xiaoqian."

Suddenly, she became impatient again: "I've already given you so much, can I leave now?" "But I still have so many questions to ask." "I have to go to work now, you can ask me later." She stood up hurriedly. I followed behind her and asked, "But who knows where to find you again?" "I work at the ice cream shop across the street, you can come find me anytime." The pouring rain soaked her, and she dashed out of the teahouse like a deer, head down, running across the crosswalk and disappearing into an ice cream shop across the street. I didn't react for a moment, still standing at the teahouse entrance, unsure whether I should go across the street. A few minutes later, she appeared behind the ice cream counter, now wearing an orange work uniform, her long black hair tied in a ponytail. "Nie Xiaoqian, the ice cream seller?" I suddenly smiled, a few raindrops landing on my nose.

Section 11: Everything...everything is normal

I woke up early to find that the heavy rain from last night had finally stopped, but the buildings across the street were still wet, and the air was filled with a damp smell. I wondered if it had rained in the deserted village. Strange, why was I thinking about the deserted village again? My heart skipped a beat. I went to the bathroom, looked at myself in the mirror, and whispered, "Forget about that place." My mood finally improved, and I gave myself a smile before starting to wash up. A few minutes later, just as my mouth was full of toothpaste foam, my phone suddenly rang. Without even rinsing my mouth, I hurriedly picked up the phone and heard a girl's voice: "Hello, this is Han Xiaofeng." It was those college students who went to the deserted village again! My hand trembled, and I forced myself to remain calm as I asked, "You're still in the deserted village? What happened this time?" "Help us! You have to help us!" Her voice was so shrill that it startled me. There seemed to be other people talking all around me.

With my mouth full of toothpaste foam, I said, "What happened? Han Xiaofeng, tell me slowly." "I saw it! I saw it!" Hearing her desperate voice, I could imagine her expression. "Saw what?" "Last night... at midnight... I... I saw... in Jinshi Mansion..." She spoke haltingly, seemingly incoherently, "I saw... I saw... that thing!" "What thing?" Actually, I was a little guilty; I was really afraid she would say that terrible word. Han Xiaofeng's half-crying voice came from the phone: "You know... you must know that thing." I know that thing? Oh my god! What is that thing? I was almost dumbfounded by the questions. Suddenly, the voice on the other end changed to a boy's: "I'm sorry, Han Xiaofeng is alright." "Who are you?" I asked warily. "I'm Huo Qiang." I breathed a sigh of relief: "What happened?" "No... nothing's wrong, all four of us are fine. Everything... everything is normal."

"What happened to Han Xiaofeng?" "She had a nightmare before she woke up this morning, and she still thinks it's real. She's calm now, so please don't worry." Huo Qiang's voice sounded very hurried. "Sorry to bother you." Before I could speak, he ended the call. I slowly put down my phone, pondering this call from the deserted village, then went back to the bathroom to brush my teeth. No, Han Xiaofeng couldn't have had a nightmare; she must have seen something in the Jinshi Mansion. Huo Qiang's later account of the call was clearly a lie, but why was he hiding it from me? What exactly did they discover in the deserted village?

Ten is a special number. I feel it's more like a door. Before "10," we linger slowly before that door, either waiting or turning back. But once we step through that door, the number "10" becomes a rope around our necks, pulling us forward recklessly, regardless of whether heaven or hell lies ahead. Today is the tenth day of this story. Exactly ten days ago, those four college students suddenly visited my room and told me about their daring adventure plan. That same evening, I received a mysterious email from a girl named "Nie Xiaoqian."

From then on, they dragged me into a vortex, leading me step by step to the threshold of fear. Should I go in? This question haunted me all day, tormenting me. By evening, I couldn't sit still any longer; the echoes of yesterday morning's bell from the deserted village and Han Xiaofeng's terrified screams seemed to still linger in the room. I hurriedly left the room and headed towards Shaanxi South Road. --I was going to find someone. I finally stopped in front of the small teahouse on Shaanxi South Road. Across the rolling traffic, I saw the ice cream shop on the other side. Red neon lights illuminated the shop entrance, where several young girls, seemingly unconcerned about gaining weight, were licking ice cream. Behind the counter, a girl in an orange uniform was busily making ice cream, her ponytail bouncing behind her head. She was "Nie Xiaoqian, the ice cream seller."

The ice cream business was unusually good tonight; it was only after a while that the counter became empty, and she finally had a chance to look up. I remained standing across the street, quietly watching her eyes as if observing a city street scene at night. About a minute passed, and then she saw me too. I'm never really comfortable making eye contact with people, especially across a busy street. Many cars whizzed past between us, but strangely, the neon light on the street kept illuminating her face, and her eyes remained clearly in my line of sight. The light turned green. I calmly crossed the street and went to the ice cream counter. She looked at me quietly, without the slightest surprise. There was no one else at the counter, so I casually said, "I'd like a strawberry ice cream." She gave me a cold look, then silently turned around and handed me a strawberry ice cream. "Thank you." I stood in front of the counter, took a bite of my ice cream, and said, "Hmm, it's been a long time since I've had anything strawberry-flavored." Finally, she spoke: "You like ice cream?" "No, I rarely eat it." I said, licking my ice cream as I spoke, "Today's an exception." She maintained her expression, calmly watching me finish my ice cream, then suddenly said, "Sorry, you haven't paid yet." "I'm sorry." I hurriedly took out my money and gave it to her, feeling a little embarrassed. "When do you get off work? I'd like to talk to you." "Then you might have to wait a long time, because I have to wait for the replacement." I replied nonchalantly, "I'm fine with waiting as long as I can."

Then, I slipped to the side of the ice cream shop door and glanced at her behind the counter. Unexpectedly, the replacement arrived quickly, and she looked somewhat helpless. Two minutes later, she came out, having changed her clothes. She was still wearing that tight black dress, the neon lights outlining her figure. She walked to my side with her head down and said, "Shall we go across the street?" "Hmm—okay." We crossed the street and went into the small teahouse. After we sat down, she still had that indifferent expression and said, "Is this the place you wrote about in your novel?" "What?" "In the novel 'The Deserted Village'—after you and Xiaozhi first met, you took her to a small teahouse near the subway and asked her to go to the deserted village." "Yes, although all of that is fictional, this small teahouse is real. In fact, I often come here, but I've never noticed you across the street." After saying that, I looked at the ice cream shop across the street; now there was a queue in front of the counter again. "I just started working there last month." "You seem to be still a student, right? Which university?" She answered noncommittally, "Sort of. But I won't tell you the name of my school."

Section 12: The Smell of the Dead

"Who exactly are you?" "Does it matter?" She avoided my gaze. "Alright, since you won't tell me, let me ask you another question—do you really know about the deserted village, or is it all just your imagination?" "Of course not!" Her expression turned unusually serious. "I swear, every word I've said about the deserted village is true. The deserted village is not something anyone can joke about." I did admit to her last statement. So, I also became serious: "Then, please tell me about the well in the deserted village. Is it your imagination after reading a novel, or just hearsay?" "You really saw that well?" "Of course I saw it, in the backyard of the old Jinshi Mansion. However, I felt that the well had a peculiar smell, and I dared not write it into the novel." "A peculiar smell?" "Yes, when I faced that well, I felt nauseous. Besides smelling the peculiar smell, I seemed to hear some strange sound—" Suddenly, I stopped speaking.

How could I say such a thing in front of her? She stared into my eyes, seemingly anticipating my next words, but I didn't continue. After a moment of stalemate, she finally spoke slowly, "I know what that peculiar smell is—the smell of the dead." Her words pierced my heart like sharp ice, and my heart inexplicably began to pound wildly again. "Are you trying to scare me again?" She shook her head and said with unusual calmness, "Now, let me tell you—the secret of this ancient well." "The secret of the ancient well?" Nie Xiaoqian nodded slightly, took a sip of tea, and began to recount, "In the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China, although the desolate village was still a barren land, the Ouyang family started a maritime smuggling business." They became the wealthiest family in the deserted village. The Ouyang family lived in the ancient Jinshi Mansion, leading a life of luxury and extravagance. The three courtyards were lavishly decorated, practically a palace in a desolate village. The backyard of the Jinshi Mansion was a small garden at the time, filled with various precious trees and flowers. Pebble paths paved the ground, and several Taihu rocks were scattered among the flowers and plants. Every year during the coldest time, the plum blossoms would quietly bloom. "Plum blossoms?" As she softly described it, the scene of the backyard of the ancient mansion seemed to appear before my eyes.

"You saw the plum blossoms bloom?" "Yes. The backyard of the old house I saw wasn't the small garden you described at all, but a desolate and barren courtyard. The old well was in the center of the courtyard, and a plum tree was blooming beside it, with some petals scattered around the well. Perhaps it was a coincidence, but I arrived at the deserted village during the coldest season, and the plum tree seemed to be waiting for me. It was a strange feeling; in the desolate courtyard of the old house, there was only an old well and a plum tree, as if it were a scene from another time and space." "Another time and space?" She nodded thoughtfully. "Your analogy is excellent. Then tell me more about the deserted village in another time and space."

In the early years of the Republic of China, the patriarch of the Ouyang family was over forty years old but had no children. At that time, the Ouyang family was a single-lineage family; the patriarch had no other brothers or nephews, and this ancient family was on the verge of extinction. Although the Ouyang family business was booming, making them veritable local tyrants in the remote village, the patriarch was far from happy, and his wife, who had been married for several years without conceiving, spent her days in tears. To continue the Ouyang family bloodline, the wife finally came up with a plan—to sell her wife. "I remember now—I read Rou Shi's novel *The Mother of a Slave* a long time ago." Instantly, the words from the book resurfaced in my mind. I frowned, recalling that tragic novel—in the early years of the Republic of China, in a rural area of eastern Zhejiang, there was an unfortunate young woman. Her husband was a gambler and alcoholic, and her son, Chunbao, was chronically ill. The husband "rented" his wife to an old scholar who longed for a son for one hundred silver dollars. The young woman gave birth to a son for the old scholar, named Qiubao.

The old scholar also liked the young woman, but his first wife wouldn't allow her to stay. The young woman could only return alone to her useless husband, embracing her sick son Chunbao through the long nights… I shook my head: “But what does this have to do with the deserted village?” She coldly uttered two words: “Wife-selling.” “What did you say?” “The novel *The Mother of a Slave* describes the custom of ‘wife-selling,’ where a wife is ‘rented’ to someone else for a certain price, and then returned to her original husband after the rental period. Rou Shi was from the eastern coastal area of Zhejiang, and ‘wife-selling’ was a popular custom in the eastern coastal region of Zhejiang at that time.”

"The deserted village is also on the coast of eastern Zhejiang—I understand what you mean. Was this custom of 'wife-selling' also prevalent in the deserted village back then?" She nodded. "Yes, back then, Master Ouyang and his wife, in order to continue their family line, chose a poor couple from the deserted village. The couple had a healthy son, but the husband was weak and sickly, and the young wife worked hard to manage everything at home. Master Ouyang spent eighty silver dollars, and the young woman became his 'wife-selling' for a three-year term. This young woman was sent to the old mansion of a scholar who had passed the imperial examinations, and on her first night there, she served the master. Although the 'wife-selling' woman came from a poor family, she had a natural, unpretentious beauty, far more attractive than those heavily made-up women..." Mrs. Fang was much prettier, so she won the master's favor. A year later, the "pawned wife" indeed gave birth to a son for the master, and the Ouyang family finally had an heir. "As the ancients said, 'A mother's status rises with her son.' This 'pawned wife's' life must be much better." "Not at all. After giving birth to the son, the madam's attitude towards the 'pawned wife' changed. She beat and scolded her all the time. Master Ouyang was afraid of his wife and dared not protect the 'pawned wife.' The lease term was three years, and the 'pawned wife' had to stay in the Jinshi Mansion for two more years. She missed her husband and son from her original home very much, but the master forbade them to see each other. The 'pawned wife' was locked in the backyard of the old house, living a life of slavery where every day felt like a year."

She began to curse the old mansion, and the Ouyang family that had brought her so much suffering. She tried several times to escape the mansion, but each time she failed, only to be beaten badly each time. "I couldn't help but sigh," I said. "It seems she's even worse off than the 'pawned wives' in novels." "Yes," she continued, "finally, one day she escaped the mansion and found her former husband and son. They wanted to escape the isolated village together and seek freedom in the outside world. However, the Ouyang family was powerful in the village, and they wouldn't allow the 'pawned wife' to escape. Soon, they were caught by the Ouyang family in the nearby mountains. The poor husband had his leg broken, while the 'pawned wife' was taken back to the mansion. The mistress had long considered the 'pawned wife' a thorn in her side, believing she had been unfaithful to the Ouyang family during her lease term. The village was a conservative and backward place, and the punishment for a woman's infidelity was the private torture of drowning her in a well." "Drowning in a well?" "Although Master Ouyang was reluctant, his wife had already lost her humanity. She bound her 'wife' tightly and took her to the backyard, and then—she personally pushed her into that ancient well!" "Oh my god!" I seemed to hear a splash, well water splashing onto the damp well walls, and then there was eternal darkness... I clutched my chest, speechless for a long time. "What's wrong?" Her bright eyes moved closer to me.

"It's nothing. It's just that the story you told was so tragic that it made me feel a bit suffocated." She suddenly gave a disdainful sneer: "Aren't you a writer? You've written so many thrillers, so many tragic stories, how could you be afraid of this?" "I don't know why, maybe I'm just a sentimental person." I shook my head and gave a bitter smile. "Alright, I've told you the secret of the well in the deserted village." "But what happened after that? Was that well never used again?" "A well where someone drowned, would anyone dare to drink the water from it? Not only that well, but no one dared to go to the small garden in the backyard either. People say that the 'wife-selling' ghost is restless, often crying in the garden at night..." "So, the small garden in the backyard gradually became deserted, leaving only a well and a plum tree." A terrible thought arose, "No wonder the plum tree blooms so eerily and beautifully, it's because the 'wife-selling' is at the bottom of the well." As I said this, I myself became a little scared. "Stop being so sentimental. Now you should believe me, right?" "This is the secret of the abandoned village?" "Of course not, this is only a small part of the secret. For us, the abandoned village will always be a mystery." "You mean, there are many more important secrets about the abandoned village?" She nodded solemnly: "You can't imagine how terrifying the secrets of the abandoned village are." I asked skeptically, "Is it really that terrifying?"

Our eyes met for a moment, then she suddenly stood up. "I'm sorry, I have to go." "But you haven't answered my questions yet!" I was a little surprised. "Next time, I'll answer all your questions." She said, already walking towards the teahouse entrance. "It's too late today, I have to go home." I followed her to Shaanxi South Road. Huaihai Road, not far away, was still brightly lit, illuminating her face, which resembled Nie Xiaoqian's. Finally, I couldn't help but call out, "Xiaoqian—"

Section 13: Did he die in his sleep?

She turned around and looked at me with a strange expression. "Excuse me, may I call you that?" She paused for a while before saying, "Of course." "Where do you live? I'll take you home." "No, please don't—" Her words suddenly stopped, as if she remembered something, "Remember, don't answer the phone tonight." "What do you mean?" But Xiaoqian didn't answer, turned and disappeared into the crowd of people walking at night, quickly swallowed up by the men and women of Huaihai Road. I could no longer see her. I stood alone on the side of the road, a cool night breeze blew by, and I thought of the story of 'wife-selling' again. I kept thinking about Xiaoqian's words, and the image of that well—no, maybe it was just her imagination. Perhaps after she read my novel "The Deserted Village," she connected it with Rou Shi's novel, and then placed the plot of "The Mother of a Slave" in the setting of a deserted village and a scholar's residence, weaving this terrible story about a deserted village and "wife-selling." But that well really existed. And that plum tree, I had never told anyone else. Moreover, her eyes told me that every word she spoke was sincere. She really didn't look like the kind of harasser I'd encounter. No, I shouldn't be fooled by her appearance; who knows what else she might say? Lost in thought, I finally made it home. It was already late, and I felt incredibly tired. Without even turning on the computer, I went to bed early.

Lying in bed, still feeling uneasy, I tossed and turned for a long time, unable to fall asleep. After what seemed like an eternity, I felt increasingly agitated, so I silently started counting sheep in my mind. One sheep, two sheep… a hundred sheep—then my phone rang! I reflexively sat up in bed, my eyes widening in the darkness. I seemed to see something—then I came to my senses; all the sheep vanished instantly, leaving only the ringing of the phone. "Don't answer the phone tonight." Suddenly, I remembered Xiaoqian's last words when we parted. Could this be her call? I immediately answered the phone: "Xiaoqian, is that you?" Unexpectedly, a male voice came from the other end. "This is Huo Qiang." "Huo Qiang?" It was the college student who went to the deserted village—hearing that name, my heart sank, but I still tried to remain calm and asked, "Where are you?" "We're back in Shanghai." "Back so soon?" This news surprised me even more.

Now that they're back in Shanghai, I should be happy for them, but I can't say a word of joy. "We got off at the long-distance bus station on Hanzhong Road and are about to take a bus back to school." I heard a lot of car horns on the other end of the phone; they must be at the station. "Are all four of you alright?" Huo Qiang was silent for a moment before slowly saying, "No...we're fine, everyone's safe and sound." My heart finally settled down, and I breathed a sigh of relief, saying, "It's good that you're safe and sound. I told you to come back sooner. Okay, now hurry back to school." There was silence on the other end again, only the sounds of people and cars. My heart suddenly tightened for no apparent reason: "Hey, what's wrong? Say something!" But there was still no response. I waited a few seconds and then ended the call. Strange, why is my back sweating so much again? In the darkness, I fumbled for the light switch; it was midnight. That meant the four college students had rushed back to Shanghai from the deserted village overnight. I thought of Xiaoqian again. She said not to answer the phone tonight, which must have meant this call—but how did Xiaoqian know? I shook my head, unable to explain, and turned off the light to lie down again. I hope they are all safe and sound.

I spent the entire day in the deserted apartment writing my new novel. I hoped this novel would break free from my existing ideas and frameworks. This process was going to be very painful. But I didn't expect that an even more painful process awaited me. That evening, Ye Xiao suddenly came to my house. He barged in with a cold expression, staring at me with a chilling gaze, and my heart started racing again. Although he was a police officer, he was usually quite casual with me. I've mentioned that I've written many novels about him, and I've personally participated in many of the mysterious cases he handled. We could be considered brothers and close friends. However, he had never looked at me like that before—the suspicious look unique to a police officer. Finally, I couldn't help but ask, "Why are you looking at me like that?" "Where did you go today?" "Nowhere, just stayed home writing my novel." Ye Xiao said calmly, "Don't be so tense." "What happened?" "This morning, I took on a case."

He paced on my floor, saying, "The deceased was a college student who died in his dormitory. His roommates woke up in the morning and found him lying in bed, unable to be woken up, and discovered he was dead." "How did he die?" "A preliminary autopsy was done this afternoon; the cause of death was a myocardial infarction." "So it was a natural death? At least homicide can be ruled out." "But the deceased had no history of heart disease, and his expression was very strange, as if he was extremely terrified." Ye Xiao frowned again, "That expression was so frightening; it still seems to be flashing before my eyes." "Could he have seen something in the middle of the night?" "That was what I initially thought too, but his roommates all testified that from the time he returned to the dormitory and went to sleep in the early hours until he was discovered dead, none of the four roommates heard or saw anything unusual." "So, he died in his sleep?" I shook my head vigorously, "That's too bizarre."

Section 14: There must be some secret behind this.

"Yes, the forensic doctor also thought his cause of death was very strange. Since the deceased had no organic heart disease and nothing else happened at the time of death, the only possibility is that he was scared to death by himself while having a nightmare." "A nightmare?" I've never heard of such a thing before, being scared to death by a nightmare. "This is just my speculation. Even the forensic doctor doesn't really believe in this kind of thing. It's possible that the nightmare was too terrifying, severely stimulating the heart during sleep, causing a sudden myocardial infarction, and instantly stopping breathing and dying." "That's really scary, like someone suddenly being frightened and immediately stopping their heartbeat." Ye Xiao nodded: "Yes, sometimes the fright in dreams is more terrifying and more deadly." "Yeah, sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night from a nightmare and find myself covered in sweat, with my heart beating incredibly fast. Many people have had this experience, right? It's just not to the point of being scared to death. But I still can't quite believe it, it seems like I've never heard of such a thing before." "Yes, I've never heard of it either."

"So, I think this is too bizarre, and that college student's death is too suspicious. There must be some secret behind this." "What secret? Have you investigated?" Suddenly, Ye Xiao looked directly into my eyes and said, "Yes, I investigated—I found his call records on the deceased's phone. At midnight yesterday, his phone made a call. And what I never expected was that the dialed number was my cousin's—yours." My heart plummeted to the bottom of a well, shattering into countless pieces. I slumped down helplessly, muttering, "What was the deceased's name?" "Huo Qiang." "Oh my god, it really is him—" "I knew you must know the deceased, that's why I came to find you." Ye Xiao said coldly. "How could he have died in his dorm room?" "According to Huo Qiang's four roommates, Huo Qiang went out of town a few days ago and only returned to the dorm at two o'clock yesterday morning. He went to bed immediately after arriving at the dorm, and it wasn't until the students woke up in the morning that they discovered Huo Qiang was dead."

I stood there, frozen in disbelief. Huo Qiang had called me just yesterday at midnight, and now, a few hours later, he was dead in his dorm room—did he really die from a nightmare? Or was the nightmare just beginning? Ye Xiao clearly noticed something in my eyes and continued to press, "What's wrong? Did you remember something?" I nodded blankly. "Okay, the classmates said Huo Qiang went out of town a few days ago. Do you know where he went?" After a long silence, I finally uttered those two words—"A deserted village." Ye Xiao was slightly surprised: "A deserted village? Isn't that a place from your novel?" "Yes. Ye Xiao, didn't I tell you? Four college students came to me once, determined to explore a deserted village. A few days ago, they actually found it and called me several times." "I understand. Huo Qiang is one of those four college students, right?" "Yes. At midnight last night, I received a call from Huo Qiang. He said he had just returned to Shanghai and was at the long-distance bus station on Hanzhong Road, preparing to return to school with his companions." "Don't be nervous, you've provided an important clue."

Although Ye Xiao was only three years older than me, he was much more mature. Next, he asked me for details about the four college students, and I told him everything I knew without hiding anything. Ye Xiao seemed satisfied with my answer, and we chatted for a while longer. He told me to stay calm, not to worry, and especially not to get involved, just like I wrote in my novel—fear stems from the unknown. At nine o'clock that night, Ye Xiao left my house. I was left alone in the room, staring blankly at the darkness outside the window. Even now, I still couldn't accept the news Ye Xiao brought. I subconsciously reached for my phone; it seemed Huo Qiang was still on the phone with me. But he was dead, just hours after our call ended. What did he dream about? Thinking of this, I gasped, a strong premonition filling my heart, instantly forgetting all of Ye Xiao's concern. No, I had to know the truth. How did Huo Qiang die?

Driven by this intense impulse, I could no longer suppress my inner urge and hurriedly ran out of the house under the cover of night. I hailed a taxi on the street and sped towards Huo Qiang's university. I arrived at my destination around ten o'clock. I barely managed to fool the gatekeeper and slip into this nationally renowned university. I already knew Huo Qiang's class from Ye Xiao, so I quickly found his dormitory building. The four-story dormitory building looked quite old. I walked up the stairs with my head down. In the dimly lit, narrow corridor, I seemed to hear several dark figures and some soft sobbing. In this seemingly unreal scene, I boldly walked towards the group of those terrifying figures. The corridor lights suddenly turned on, a soft scream rang out, and the pale light illuminated those young faces. I immediately called out their names: "Han Xiaofeng? Su Tianping? Chunyu?"

It turned out to be Huo Qiang's three companions who had gone to the deserted village with him. They all looked at me with pale faces. Su Tianping asked tremblingly, "You... how did you get here?" I looked at their grim faces and said, "I already know—" "Huo Qiang is dead, he's dead..." Chunyu cried softly again, and Han Xiaofeng hugged her tightly. "Can I go to Huo Qiang's dormitory to take a look?" "Of course." Su Tianping nodded and opened the door behind him. I carefully stepped into the room and looked around at the room, which was about twenty square meters. There were bunk beds on both sides, and a lot of miscellaneous items were piled up by the window, giving off a strange smell that was unique to boys' dormitories. "Where are the others in the dormitory?" "Someone just died this morning, who would dare to live in this room? They've all moved out." Su Tianping pointed to the lower bunk of a bed and said, "This is where Huo Qiang slept." Obviously, the bed had been tidied up, and there was nothing of value on it. I turned back and asked, "Did he leave anything behind?" "The school took it all; there's nothing left here." The room felt suffocating; I wondered if it was the smell of a dead body. I hurried back into the hallway, leaned against the railing, and took a deep breath. I turned to Han Xiaofeng and said, "Were you two going back to school together last night?"

Section 15: The Most Terrifying Scene in the Nightmare

"Yes, we went back to school together and immediately went back to our respective dorms. Nothing else happened." Strangely, Han Xiaofeng seemed so calm now, unlike the panic she had when she called me that day. Chunyu was still sobbing on Han Xiaofeng's shoulder. "You know—" I started to ask them loudly, "You know why Huo Qiang died, don't you?" The three of them trembled slightly, looking at each other, none of them answering my question. I sighed softly and nodded, saying, "You do know." But they still didn't answer. The hallway was deathly silent, the light shining on their faces as if painted white. "Then can you tell me—what happened to you in the deserted village?" Another long silence followed. Finally, Chunyu raised her head. The petite girl whispered, "No, we didn't see anything...we didn't see anything..." I shook my head and said to Han Xiaofeng, "Han Xiaofeng, didn't you say on the phone that you saw something? What did you see?" "No, it was a nightmare, just a nightmare." "But Huo Qiang died in a nightmare." Han Xiaofeng's lips trembled, and she murmured but couldn't speak.

Suddenly, Su Tianping cried out impatiently, "Enough! Please stop asking questions! We'll take care of ourselves." "No, why hide it? Is it out of fear?" Su Tianping turned his face away. The three of them fell silent. I sighed again; it seemed there would be no more gains tonight. I softened my tone and said, "If you need my help, you can call me anytime." With that, I quietly left the dormitory building and wandered through the dark campus for a while before finally leaving. By the time I got home, it was almost midnight. I collapsed wearily onto my bed, then suddenly sniffed hard, as if I could smell that boy's dormitory room again. The smell of nightmares?

Perhaps it was fate that destined me to be involved in this. It all stemmed from my novel, *The Deserted Village*. If this novel hadn't captivated them, would Huo Qiang have died? Yes, now I was in a bind. Suddenly, my phone rang again. I immediately answered, and a trembling female voice came through: "Hello…it's…Han Xiaofeng…" It was her? I quickly calmed myself and asked in a calm tone, "Han Xiaofeng, what's wrong?" "I'm so sorry, we weren't telling the truth earlier. I didn't dare say it in front of everyone—something did happen in the deserted village." Her voice was still tense, and she hadn't dared to speak out, so she could only call me secretly. "I knew it. What happened?" "It's a long story, I can't explain it over the phone. Can you come to the school to find me tomorrow morning?" Then, she told me the location of her dormitory; she would wait for me downstairs at the girls' dormitory at nine o'clock tomorrow morning. It was too late today, so I didn't ask any further questions and quickly ended the call. I took a deep breath; finally, I could find out about their situation in the deserted village. But why were Su Tianping and Chunyu hiding it? Perhaps, there were more unexpected things to come.

The next morning, I left home on time. I took a taxi to Han Xiaofeng's school, carefully slipped into the campus, and arrived at her dormitory. It was exactly nine o'clock, and the sunlight shone on my forehead. The awkwardness of being outside the girls' dormitory made me quietly retreat to the shade of a tree. I saw girls coming out of the building one by one, their expressions all unusual, whispering among themselves. When they passed by me, some of them glanced at me, making me quite embarrassed. I waited for more than ten minutes, but Han Xiaofeng still hadn't come out, so I called her cell phone, but it rang for a long time without being answered. I became increasingly suspicious, and I mustered up my courage to walk to the entrance of the building and cautiously peek inside—suddenly, a hand landed on my back, and I immediately jumped up. But to my utter surprise, the person who patted my back was none other than my cousin, Officer Ye Xiao. I asked, my mouth agape, "How is it you?" "That's the same question I wanted to ask you."

Ye Xiao looked at me suspiciously again, pointed to the corridor inside, and said, "Let's go upstairs and talk." Ye Xiao and I walked up the stairs to the girls' dormitory. Girls kept running down the stairs, all looking panicked. We reached the second-floor corridor and saw several teachers-looking people standing at the door of one of the dorm rooms, talking nervously. My heart started racing again for no reason, and my legs involuntarily followed Ye Xiao to the door. Ye Xiao showed them his police ID, and I followed him inside. There was that strange smell again, just like the one in Huo Qiang's dorm room last night. Ye Xiao coldly scanned the room, his gaze landing on a bed by the window—there was a girl lying on the lower bunk, curled up, her face turned towards the wall. Ye Xiao immediately put on a pair of white gloves, carefully reached out to the girl lying there, and slowly turned her face towards him. I saw that face—Oh my God, I almost screamed. I had never seen anyone with such a terrified expression. Her mouth was so wide open, it looked like she was about to swallow her own eyeballs whole. What kind of terror was that? I'm sorry, I really can't describe her face in words. I can only say that if you saw it once, it will be etched into your memory forever, becoming the most terrifying scene in your nightmares.

Section 16: Died a Violent Death

After staring blankly for over ten seconds, it suddenly dawned on me—I knew this girl, I even knew her name—Han Xiaofeng. Han Xiaofeng was dead. I couldn't believe my eyes and instinctively retreated to the doorway. I sniffed hard again; yes, that was it, the smell of death from Huo Qiang's dorm room. Ye Xiao carefully examined Han Xiaofeng again, then left the still-erect body and turned to a teacher, asking, "Is she Han Xiaofeng?" The teacher, not daring to approach, kept wiping the sweat from his brow as he answered, "Yes. This morning, her roommates woke up and found Han Xiaofeng still asleep. They assumed she was sleeping in and didn't pay any attention to her. Around eight o'clock, they discovered she was dead." "Was anything unusual last night?" "No, her classmates said she went to sleep at 12:30 AM. It was very quiet that night; there were five students in the dorm, and no one noticed anything amiss." Ye Xiao said coldly, "Just like Huo Qiang yesterday." Was she also scared to death by a nightmare?

At this moment, several other police officers came in and began investigating the scene. Ye Xiao pushed me and the teacher out of the dormitory, saying, "No one is allowed to enter this room until the investigation is complete." Then, Ye Xiao came out himself, found a secluded spot, and said to me, "Now you can tell me, why are you here?" I could no longer hide it from him, so I told Ye Xiao everything: I had found Huo Qiang's dormitory last night, and then Han Xiaofeng had called me. Ye Xiao said seriously, "Why didn't you listen to my advice?" "No, it's my responsibility. It all started because of my novel." "What is this? Guilt, or self-blame? Remember, this has nothing to do with you!" But I shook my head and said blankly, "I must find out the secret of the deserted village." Before I finished speaking, I ran quickly out of the girls' dormitory building. I had to find the remaining two people—Su Tianping and Chunyu. However, when I finally found their dormitory after asking around several times, I discovered that they had both disappeared. Their classmates hadn't seen them since this morning.

Perhaps they've already heard about Han Xiaofeng's death? But where can we find them now? I scratched my head for a long time, but couldn't come up with a solution, so I went home dejectedly. Back home, I was still restless, spending the entire day lost in thought, unable to concentrate on writing any new novel. I lay on the sofa with my eyes closed, recalling the first time I met Han Xiaofeng. It was the first day of this story, in this very room, she seemed full of energy and fearless, a stark contrast to the girl named Chunyu. But later, her phone call from the deserted village was filled with fear and erratic behavior. I was 100% certain she had seen something, but for some reason, she couldn't or dared not speak of it. What force caused Huo Qiang and Han Xiaofeng's untimely deaths? Can nightmares really kill? Suddenly, four words flashed through my mind: deserted village nightmare. A chill ran down my spine. Perhaps no one can escape this dream. But are there really nightmare-related murders in the world? If so, there must be relevant information. Yes, researching information has always been one of my strengths, so I immediately turned on my computer and started frantically searching on Google.

However, after searching online for several tens of minutes, all I found were boring web pages. I finally lost my patience and logged off. Maybe I could find it in a bookstore? I immediately ran out of the house and into the nearby subway station in the night. There was a bookstore there that I frequented, the place where I wrote about signing books and meeting "Xiaozhi" in my novel. It was eight o'clock at night, and the bookstore wasn't crowded. I stood alone in front of the psychology and criminology shelves, flipping through books describing crime and death. But I still couldn't find what I needed. Perhaps, there had never been such a bizarre case before? Suddenly, a faint, almost imperceptible footstep came from behind the bookshelf in front of me. For some reason, my heart skipped a beat. So, I took a book down, creating a gap in the shelf that allowed me to see a pair of eyes behind it. It was the eyes of a young woman, her eyelids lowered, flipping through some book. Suddenly, she realized someone was watching her, and slowly raised her head. Her soft gaze met mine. For a moment, we were both stunned. --Nie Xiaoqian. Through the gap in the bookshelf, I looked into her fox-like eyes, as if I were looking at a comic book that had suddenly appeared.

She suddenly smiled slightly at me, then vanished in a flash. Gone like smoke? I pressed myself nervously against the bookshelf, peering through the gaps until a hand patted my back. Turning around tremblingly, I found she was behind me. "Xiaoqian? What are you doing here?" I asked. She replied casually, "You can come here to read, so why can't I?" "You just got off work, right? What are you looking for?" She held up a book; it was Süskind's novel *Perfume*, telling the story of a murderer obsessed with fragrance. I nodded. "I love this book too, a wonderful novel." She seemed a little reserved, saying softly, "She should go now." I followed her to the cashier, and she bought the book. Just as she was about to leave, I called out to her, "Excuse me, can I talk to you some more?" She hesitated for a moment, then said, "Okay, I'll give you ten minutes. Where?" I looked around and said, "Right here."

In one corner of the bookstore was a small reading area with a few tables and chairs, where people could chat and drink tea while reading. We sat in an inconspicuous corner, a white candle burning on the table. In the flickering candlelight, I hesitated for a long time, unable to speak. She glanced at me and said, "You have limited time, so speak quickly." The matter of the deserted village was so complicated that I didn't know where to begin, so I blurted out, "Two people have died." "What did you say? Who died?" She was clearly startled. "The people who went to the deserted village were two college students. They had just returned to Shanghai the night before last, and died yesterday and early this morning, respectively." Instantly, her face turned pale, and she covered her mouth with her hand, saying, "You mean, someone died shortly after returning from the deserted village?" I nodded tremblingly, "Yes." "What exactly happened? Can you tell me more details?" In the white candlelight, I thought carefully again.

Section 17: Yesterday's Secrets Are Terrifying

Those four college students suddenly arrived, and it wasn't until this morning that Han Xiaofeng's death was discovered. Then, I took a sip of tea and recounted everything to her. My narration far exceeded ten minutes, but she had long forgotten the time limit I had given her, and only after I finished did she let out a long sigh. I noticed that her face in the candlelight resembled "Nie Xiaoqian" even more. She said softly, "Thank you." I was a little confused: "Thank me for what?" "Thank you for telling me all this. I think we can discover the secret of the deserted village from those college students." "Are you also looking for this secret?" Her expression was somewhat strange: "I'm sorry, I can't explain it clearly either." "However, I have one more thing to ask you—the night before last, you warned me not to answer the phone before we parted. But the phone did come that night; it was Huo Qiang, who had just returned from the deserted village, calling me."

"That's strange, how did you know he would call me?" She stared into my eyes, paused for a moment, and then suddenly said, "A feeling, do you believe in feelings? The other night, in that moment by the roadside, when I looked into your eyes, I heard..." "What did you hear?" Her gaze shifted to the white candle, and she said blankly, "The phone ringing." "No, that's impossible! I don't believe in such things." "Because you've written so many things like this in your novels, you think it's all man-made, is that it?" "Who do you think you are? Nie Xiaoqian from Lanruo Temple? A psychic? Or a shaman?" After saying that, I realized I had lost my composure. "I'm sorry, Xiaoqian..." She gave a faint hum: "Forget it, I know what you're thinking right now."

"You think I'm just a crazy, unreasonable girl, you think everything I say is just wishful thinking." "But you can't prove your words are true. For example, how did you know about the deserted village?" "Do I have to answer?" I answered resolutely, "Yes, you have to answer, right now! If you don't answer, I'll consider you a liar and never listen to your harassment again." "But..." she took a deep breath, "I can't say." "In that case, you have no way to convince others." I stood up abruptly, looking rather frightening. She stared at me coldly, her eyes, like something out of a ghost story, appearing terrifying in the candlelight. I stood, she sat, our gazes locked for over ten seconds. Finally, her eyes softened, and she lowered her eyelids, saying, "Okay, I'll tell you." I nodded and gently sat back down in my chair.

Through the flickering, ambiguous candlelight, she said softly, "It was my grandmother—everything about the deserted village was told to me by her." "Your grandmother was from the deserted village?" "I don't know." She became flustered, lowering her head. "I only vaguely remember when I was little, my grandmother held me in her arms and softly told me stories about the deserted village." "I see. Where is your grandmother now?" I immediately asked anxiously. If her grandmother were still alive, I would definitely visit her. "My grandmother died long ago, more than ten years ago." Sigh, my newly emerging hope was extinguished again. I foolishly said, "I'm sorry." But I pressed on, "Why do you remember the stories you heard as a child so clearly now?" "I don't know why," she said, tilting her head back and sighing softly. "You might not believe it, but I can't even remember what my grandmother looked like. Only those stories remain vividly in my memory. It's as if the stories of the deserted village have replaced my grandmother, stubbornly growing in my mind." "Hmm, if those stories are true, your grandmother must have had a deep connection with the deserted village." She sighed noncommittally. "Who knows?" "I will know," I said coldly, staring into her eyes as if trying to dig out all the secrets within. Finally, she glanced at her watch and said, "I have to go. I'm way past the time I gave you." "I'm sorry, I…" "Goodbye," she interrupted, hurrying out of the bookstore. I followed closely behind, shouting, "Wait a minute!" But she seemed not to hear me, dashing into the subway ticket gate like the wind and disappearing without a trace in the blink of an eye, leaving me standing alone in the empty hall.

Today is the thirteenth day of this story. In Western culture, this is considered a very unlucky day. Even more coincidentally, it's Friday. By this day, things seemed to have spiraled out of control, completely beyond my wildest imagination. Perhaps not only was yesterday's secret about the deserted village terrifying, but even the question of "what will happen tomorrow" had become part of the fear. At one o'clock in the afternoon, my phone rang. I immediately recognized the voice on the other end—it was another male student among the four college students who had been to the deserted village—Su Tianping. "Su Tianping, is that you? They said you're missing." "Never mind that, can I talk to you now?" His voice was clearly trembling, but I tried to answer calmly, "Sure, where?" "The coffee shop across from our school gate." "Okay, I'm coming right now." After hanging up, I immediately went out, hailed a taxi, and sped towards the university. Sitting in the car, I felt uneasy. Would it be the same as yesterday morning?

Han Xiaofeng asked to meet me to talk, to tell me about the abandoned village, but she was already dead when I arrived. So what about Su Tianping this time? Does that terrible nightmare always get to me first? I finally arrived at the university gate, and sure enough, there was a small coffee shop across the street. I quietly went inside; it was a semi-basement, dimly lit and gloomy. The coffee shop was almost empty, with low, mournful music playing. For a moment, I thought I was being tricked, but then a voice sounded behind me: "You've finally come." I immediately turned around and found Su Tianping in a dark corner, almost invisible if you weren't paying attention. He looked worried, his voice so soft it was almost inaudible: "I've been waiting for you for a while. Please have a cup of coffee." "What's wrong? Why aren't you at school?" I took a small, symbolic sip of coffee. "Huo Qiang is dead, Han Xiaofeng is dead, we've all been to the deserted village, who will be next? No, how can I dare go back to school?" He seemed agitated, yet huddled in a corner, like a creature in a burrow in Kafka's story, constantly fearing someone would take its life. "So, you want my help?" Su Tianping nodded tremblingly: "Yes." "Then you must tell me the whole truth—what happened to you in the deserted village?" He stared intently at me, slowly uttering two words: "Nightmare..." "Nightmare?" That terrifying word again made my heart skip a beat. "Could you be more specific? Did you have a nightmare in the deserted village, or did you experience something terrifyingly nightmarish?" "Perhaps, both."

He took a big gulp of coffee, finally calming himself down. "I've loved history and science fiction since I was a child, just like Huo Qiang loves travel and adventure. We joined the university adventure club because of our different personalities and reasons. I've read all your books and I really love your novels. Perhaps it's because of your novels that we have so much unknown and mysterious in our lives, especially your novella 'The Deserted Village.'" "Do you think it's real?" "I don't know, but I believe the deserted village must exist, and it must have many special stories, otherwise it would never have been written so vividly."

That's why Huo Qiang, Han Xiaofeng, Chunyu, and I all became very interested in the abandoned village, and we decided to go on an adventure there. "You went to great lengths to find me, but you didn't expect me to refuse your request." Su Tianping shook his head and said, "But that's not important. I know how to find the abandoned village. I went to the map publishing house and looked through all the maps published in Zhejiang Province. Although I couldn't find Xiling Town on the provincial map, I was sure I could find it on the county and city maps. Sure enough, I found the 'K City' you mentioned in your novel. On the city map of K City, the name Xiling Town was clearly marked, and the map showed that it was indeed very close to the coastline." "I understand." I sighed. Actually, I should have thought of that a long time ago. After knowing where the abandoned village was, we immediately packed our bags and took a long-distance bus to K City. That afternoon, we arrived in K City, Zhejiang Province, and immediately transferred to a minibus to Xiling Town. It was already dusk when we arrived in Xiling Town. We quickly ate dinner in town and then asked around for directions to the abandoned village. To our surprise, even in a prosperous place like Xiling Town, the abandoned village wasn't accessible by car; we had to walk several miles of mountain road to get there. Perhaps due to excessive excitement and impulsiveness, everyone wanted to see the village quickly. Huo Qiang insisted on traveling through the night because of his camping experience, so we had no choice but to follow him. "You guys are really brave!"

However, when I went to the deserted village, I was just as impulsive as they were. "I still remember that night clearly. The road was rugged and uneven, the wind howled all around, and as far as the eye could see, there were only barren mountains and ridges, as if we had entered another world. The two girls, Chunyu and Han Xiaofeng, were very scared, and Huo Qiang walked in front with a flashlight. We walked for several hours, and when we arrived at the deserted village, it was already 11 p.m. "And then, you called me?" Su Tianping took a breath and said, "I'm sorry to have bothered you that night, but we were too excited at the time and wanted to share our joy with you. To be honest, when I looked up at the archway in the darkness, I suddenly had a strange sense of oppression, as if the stone archway would collapse at any moment and crush us to pieces." "And then, you ignored my advice and went into the village immediately?" "We rushed into the deserted village overnight, feeling like we were bravely entering the gates of hell. Everyone was terrified but also extremely excited. The first place we were looking for, of course, was the ancient mansion of the Jinshi Mansion mentioned in the novel."

We wandered through the maze-like village for ages without seeing a soul; every house had its doors and windows tightly shut. Finally, Huo Qiang's flashlight shone on the gate of the Jinshi Mansion. We cautiously knocked, but no one answered for a long time. Then we realized the gate wasn't locked at all, but ajar. So we pushed it open and quietly entered the old house. Naturally, it felt exactly like what you described in your novel—the Jinshi Mansion was eerie and terrifying, filled with a musty, rotten smell. "Didn't you find anyone in the Jinshi Mansion?" "No, we searched carefully, from the front hall to the back courtyard, checking almost every room, but there was no sign of anyone living there. This surprised us greatly. Could it really be like what you wrote in your novel, that Xiaozhi's entire family is dead?" I didn't know what to say, and could only shake my head repeatedly. Su Tianping licked his lips and said, "That night, we slept in the Jinshi Mansion." Fortunately, we had prepared for our wilderness trip in advance, with essential items such as blankets and tents. We chose a room on the ground floor of a two-courtyard house, each person sleeping in a tent, close together so everyone could look out for each other. Our first night in the deserted village passed just like that. Perhaps because we were so tired, everyone slept very well that night, and nothing unusual happened. "The next day, you went to ask the villagers?" "Yes, because we couldn't figure out whether Mr. Ouyang in the novel was dead or alive."

During the day, we finally saw some villagers. They were astonished to see us, as if they had seen a ghost. With great difficulty, a few villagers who understood Mandarin said that Mr. Ouyang had died eight months ago. Later, we asked several other people, and they all gave the same answer. Someone even told us that Mr. Ouyang's grave was on a nearby mountain. We immediately went to the mountain behind the deserted village to search and indeed found a very new cement tombstone with Mr. Ouyang's name engraved on it. "Although his description was so detailed, I still shook my head: 'No, I did see him four months ago, a living, breathing Mr. Ouyang. I wrote in my novel that he was dead; it was entirely fictional. I was worried that he might be unhappy if he saw this novel. Could the Mr. Ouyang I saw be—' I suddenly stopped, not uttering that terrible word. Su Tianping kept taking deep breaths: 'I don't care what you saw, Mr. Ouyang is dead.'"

That day, after discovering Mr. Ouyang's grave, our curiosity and adventurous spirit intensified, so we strolled around the abandoned village. You're right, the abandoned village sits between the sea and the cemetery; on one side, the hillsides are covered with graves, and on the other, a coastline strewn with reefs and cliffs. Even the sea itself is black, and the surging waves crashing against the rocks create a chilling sound. In short, what we saw was just like in the movie "Jamaica Inn"—utterly desolate. It was hard to believe this was on the southeastern coast of China. That afternoon, we all returned to the Jinshi Mansion, thinking that such a large, empty house must hold many things waiting to be discovered. Sure enough, I discovered something you didn't mention in your novel—a well. "Hearing the word 'well,' I immediately thought of Xiaoqian and that terrifying story: 'You've reached the backyard?'" "Yes, I found the backyard. In the middle of the yard was a well that looked very old, and next to the well platform was a short tree." As Su Tianping spoke, he recalled that his eyes suddenly turned very dark, like two deep ancient wells. "When I saw this well, I suddenly had a strange feeling, as if... as if I heard some kind of sound? I leaned over the well platform and looked down. It was dark inside, like an eye. A cold air from the ground suddenly surged up, and I shivered."

I felt the well was unlucky, so I kept my distance. I stared into Su Tianping's deep, well-like eyes and asked, "Are you scared?" "Yes, a little scared. But that only made me more curious—I was certain there was some secret in this old house. We ate the food we brought ourselves for dinner that day. Next, I suggested we all experience the life from the novel, specifically the room you lived in." "The room upstairs in the second courtyard?" "I did live in that room." Yes, we rushed upstairs excitedly. The room was indeed as you described in your novel, with a screen in the middle and a wooden couch behind it. Yes, the four paintings on the screen—you weren't wrong in the novel—were truly amazing. I was completely stunned, and I still can't describe them in words. "You stayed in that room that night?" "Yes, but no one dared to sleep on the wooden couch. The four of us each chose a spot in the room, pitched our own little tents, and slept there."

Of course, everyone was too excited, and no one could sleep for the first half of the night, so I had to tell them stories. I had thoroughly read "Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio" and "Notes from the Thatched Cottage of Close Observation," and they also enjoyed listening to these stories—now that I think about it, it's a little scary. In such a terrifying place as a deserted village, and in such a gloomy and eerie old house, several people gathered under a flashlight telling stories from "Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio," who knows, maybe the characters in those stories would really come out. "Hearing this, I secretly mocked myself—hasn't Nie Xiaoqian from "Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio" already entered my life? Su Tianping didn't have time to joke with me. He said nervously, "That night, we talked until two in the morning. Everyone was too tired to stay awake, so they all crawled into their tents to sleep."

I fell asleep quickly, but after some time, I woke up in the darkness because I heard a strange sound... "What sound?" "It sounded like footsteps, I don't know which room in the old house it was coming from, 'tap...tap...tap...', like the sound of wooden-soled slippers walking on the floor, drifting over in a daze."

In an instant, my heart leaped into my throat, and I hid in the tent, too afraid to move. Then, the strange footsteps disappeared again, and after a few seconds, I heard an extremely faint sound, like... like a woman's weeping. The sound was intermittent, sometimes there, sometimes not... " Su Tianping's lips trembled, and he gasped, "But it also sounded a bit like a baby crying. In short, the sounds that night were terrifying. I barely slept the rest of the night, and the night passed in constant fear." "You just spent your second day in the deserted village like that?" "Yes, when I got up in the morning, I asked the others if they had heard any strange noises, but they all said they were fast asleep and hadn't heard anything."

I was also puzzled. Was my hearing too sensitive, or was I hallucinating from exhaustion? Or was it just a nightmare? He paused abruptly when he mentioned the word "nightmare." I said coldly, "Are you afraid of nightmares? Go on." He remained silent for a long while before speaking again: "This is our third day in the deserted village. Everyone is convinced that there must be something hidden in the Jinshi Mansion."

So we began our search of the old house, opening the doors to every room. Some rooms had been empty for decades, covered in thick layers of dust and cobwebs, the musty smell making our eyes water. But one room upstairs was different; it looked like a girl's room, complete with a computer and television, and decorated very cleanly, much like a city room. "That's Xiaozhi's bedroom, now that she's dead." As I said this, a pang of sadness shot through me, and I finally couldn't hold back any longer. "Enough! Opening someone else's room without permission—didn't you realize? This is illegal!" "We couldn't care less at the time. Like I said, we were blinded by curiosity. We were already in this deserted village; it would be a waste of all our hard work if we didn't find something important. Besides, the old house was empty, and all the owners were dead; no one would bother us. But more importantly—" A strange glint suddenly appeared in Su Tianping's deep, abyss-like eyes, "We did discover some secrets."

As soon as I finished speaking, I felt a chill run down my spine: "What did you find?" "It's in the second courtyard of the old house. There's a small wooden building on the side, and a room under the building. The furnishings inside look relatively new, with some furniture that's only been there in recent years. There's also a large bed against the wall, made of very fine wood, surrounded by complete shelves; it looks like an antique from the Ming or Qing dynasty." "You mean Mr. Ouyang's room?" "Perhaps. But that room is a bit strange. Compared to the neighboring rooms, its width is the same, but its length, or depth, is much smaller. Anyone could see that at a glance." Huo Qiang walked to the bottom of the room and knocked... They knocked on the innermost wall, and it felt hollow inside. We all got excited; perhaps there was a hidden chamber behind it? So, the four of us worked together to move the antique bed aside, only to discover a hidden door behind the mosquito net. "A hidden door in the wall? Sounds like an ancient tomb." Su Tianping immediately nodded: "Yes, I definitely had that feeling, like tomb raiders discovering the entrance to a tomb." However, the hidden door was sealed with bricks. Huo Qiang carefully felt the bricks and found that they weren't glued together, but rather placed individually on the door. It seemed the door was functional; sealing it with bricks was just a cover.

We quickly moved the bricks aside, and the hidden door finally opened. Excitedly, we squeezed inside. Sure enough, it was a dark room, about ten square meters in size. Chunyu took a few steps in the dim light, then suddenly slipped and screamed. If Huo Qiang hadn't caught her in time, she would have fallen. She was terrified. Then we noticed an opening in the floor of the dark room. Shining our flashlights down, we saw what appeared to be steps. "You've found a tunnel?" "Doesn't that sound like tomb raiding?" Indeed, we had found a tunnel in this dark room. Everyone was both excited and scared. After much hesitation, we decided to go down. Huo Qiang led the way, holding a large flashlight and carrying various survival gear in his bag, while the others followed closely behind. The steps seemed to be made of stone. We descended step by step. It was pitch black all around, and echoes seemed to come from the distant tunnel—it felt just like tomb raiding. After walking about ten meters, we came to a level passageway. Huo Qiang shone his flashlight forward, revealing a large stone gate. The gate was made of two slabs of bluestone, with strange patterns carved into its surface. However, a large iron padlock firmly secured the gate at the seam between the two slabs.

Section 18: Jade Ring

I suddenly thought of the underground palace of the Eastern Qing Tombs. Ancient people generally didn't use locks on the tomb passage doors; they usually used ancient techniques like "self-locking stones" to close the doors. "What kind of lock is it? Is it rusty?" "The large iron lock is of very good quality, basically rust-free. It doesn't look like an antique; it's probably one of those common locks from the 1980s." We were stunned. We pushed the stone door hard, but it wouldn't budge. But we couldn't let this impenetrable barrier cause us to fail. Huo Qiang took out a pair of steel pliers from his bag—a tool occasionally used for wilderness survival. He clamped the large lock with the pliers, and I helped him hold the other handle. The two of us boys used all our strength and finally broke the large iron lock. "How is this any different from robbery?" Su Tianping continued, seemingly oblivious. "After opening that underground stone door, a strange smoke immediately rushed out. My first thought was the smell of a corpse, but then I realized it didn't seem like it."

After the smoke cleared, we cautiously entered. The passageway inside was dark and narrow, with a noticeable downward slope, meaning we were heading deeper underground. We turned two corners along the way, surrounded by dark tunnels, and everyone was on edge, even Huo Qiang, the bravest of us, was trembling. Finally, the flashlight beam illuminated a large open space, looking like a 'hall' in a cave. "Have you reached the underground palace?" "I don't know, but the feeling was strange. The flashlight's sweeping range was limited, and we couldn't see into the deep darkness. We could only roughly estimate the size of the 'hall,' maybe several hundred square meters." At that moment, Han Xiaofeng suddenly shouted. Something white had flashed by in the flashlight beam. We immediately focused our attention there, and saw some strange objects lying against the wall. We cautiously approached and discovered dozens of jade artifacts piled on the ground. "Jade artifacts? What kind of jade artifacts?" "At first I didn't realize it, but Chunyu noticed it immediately because she really liked jade bracelets and other jewelry."

We roughly counted about twenty jade artifacts in total, some several tens of centimeters in diameter, others only the size of a finger. These jade artifacts came in all shapes and sizes: some were round like flatbreads, others cylindrical like wooden stakes, some looked like axes, and the rest were small objects. Chunyu said the styles of these jade artifacts were too strange, completely different from what we'd seen on the market. "Sounds like burial goods from an ancient tomb?" "Yes, indeed." I was just about to look for a coffin or something when I discovered a small door on the wall behind the jade artifacts, about 1.5 meters high, but the material was very special. We boldly touched it and discovered that the small door was actually carved from a single piece of jade. Looking at this jade door, we felt as if we were facing another world; everyone was stunned. "The Gate of Life and Death?" "I couldn't help but mutter to myself, imagining their feelings as they faced such a jade door in the dark underground palace. At that moment, Su Tianping's forehead was covered in sweat, and he nodded tremblingly, saying, 'At this moment, Han Xiaofeng suddenly became frightened and said, "Let's all go back." But Huo Qiang rudely interrupted her, saying that even if the door led to a ghostly world, we had to go in and take a look. Huo Qiang's opinion was agreed upon by Chunyu and me, and Han Xiaofeng didn't dare leave on her own. We tried pushing the jade door, and unexpectedly, it opened. It turned out there was no lock on the door, nor any bolts or latches inside.'"

Then, we each took a deep breath and ducked into the small door. "Is it a tomb chamber inside?" "No, inside the jade door is a secret chamber about ten square meters in size, no more than 1.7 meters high. An ordinary person standing inside would have to duck their head." We carefully shone our flashlights around, but found no trace of a coffin, only a box-like object hidden in a corner of the inner chamber. This small box was also carved from jade, only about ten centimeters long, wide, and high. "I thought carefully and said, 'That should be called a jade box.'" "The box wasn't locked, but there was a clay seal at the opening, with what seemed to be some writing on it. However, the writing was too small, and we didn't pay attention at the time, so Huo Qiang forcibly broke the clay seal." "What? You actually broke the clay seal?" "I was really angry. So-called 'clay seals' are clay blocks used in ancient China to seal bamboo slips and affix seals, serving as encryption for documents. Clay seals were already in use during the Spring and Autumn Period, and were very popular during the Qin, Han, Wei, and Jin Dynasties. Clay seals preserved to this day are precious cultural relics, and the inscriptions on them are often very helpful for research. I shook my head and said, 'Even in ancient times, breaking a clay seal was a serious crime, as grave as stealing state secrets. Many people lost their heads for it.' 'I'm sorry, I wanted to stop Huo Qiang at the time, but it was too late. Actually, he knows nothing about history.' Su Tianping's face turned pale, and he swallowed hard, saying..."

Then, Huo Qiang opened the small box… “What’s in the jade box?” My heart was pounding, afraid he would say something terrible. Su Tianping wiped the sweat from his brow and slowly replied, “A jade ring.” I was stunned for a moment, then repeated, “A jade ring?” “Yes, there was nothing else in the small box, just this jade artifact—shaped somewhat like a ring, but thicker than a regular ring. The jade ring’s color was peculiar, a semi-transparent bluish-green that shimmered faintly under the flashlight. But on one side of the jade ring, there was a strange, blood-red hue, looking like some kind of stain. Chunyu said she had never seen jade of this color before.” “A jade ring inside the jade box? I wonder if it has any special meaning?” But then, something unexpected happened. Perhaps Huo Qiang was too excited; his flashlight accidentally fell to the ground with a crisp sound, and the secret room was plunged into darkness.

The group, suddenly plunged into darkness, panicked. Han Xiaofeng screamed immediately, and we scattered in disarray. The room was extremely narrow and low; I bumped my head several times. Huo Qiang crouched on the ground, groping around for a while before finally picking up a flashlight, but it wouldn't turn on—clearly broken. Although he had a spare flashlight in his bag, he couldn't find it in the dark. Han Xiaofeng seemed terrified; she ran out of the room in the dark, and we all followed her. "At this point," Su Tianping suddenly stopped, his eyes becoming strange. "What's wrong? What else happened?" I sensed that he was hesitant to say something. Su Tianping's eyes darted around, avoiding my gaze, and he replied, "No, nothing—let me continue."

We all ran into the underground hall, but it was pitch black and we couldn't see anything. We could only shout each other's names to avoid getting lost. We groped our way forward like blind men when Huo Qiang suddenly said he had found the exit. We immediately followed his voice and found him. Led by him, we were indeed back in the tunnel. Everyone hurried forward, the slope under our feet clearly rising. Finally, we found the two large stone doors, and beyond them were high steps. "It's like an Indiana Jones thriller!" "No, I think it's more like a horror movie." We frantically climbed the steps and finally saw a sliver of light overhead. After all the hardships, we finally returned to the surface. In the end, everyone ran into the courtyard, breathing heavily towards the sky, as if they had just suffocated. Thank goodness, it seemed everyone was just terrified and no one was hurt. "Aren't you scared afterwards?" "Scared afterwards? Of course, we were all very scared afterwards. Even Huo Qiang regretted it, saying he shouldn't have been so reckless in venturing underground." That night, we still slept in the upstairs room, but no one dared to tell any more stories, and the atmosphere among the four of us was a bit tense. We all went to bed early. But in the middle of the night, another strange thing happened. "His startled tone made my heart race again: "What strange thing?" When I was asleep in the middle of the night, I was suddenly awakened by a sharp scream.

I immediately crawled out of the tent, and everyone else in the room came out too, except for Han Xiaofeng, who was nowhere to be seen. We rushed out of the room and saw a ghostly black figure standing in the corridor outside. I cautiously approached and discovered it was Han Xiaofeng. She was shaking her head in a panic, her face ashen in the dim moonlight, muttering something unintelligible. We hurriedly carried her back to the room, giving her hot water and pinching her philtrum until she finally came to her senses. She really looked like a ghost then. Guess what she said next? "Tell me quickly." "I'm getting impatient." Han Xiaofeng said she had seen a ghost—she said she heard strange noises in the middle of the night, then quietly went outside and saw a faint light coming from the next room. She cautiously approached the window, poked a hole in the paper pane, and found a candle burning in the room. The dim candlelight illuminated a dressing table, where a woman dressed in white stood with her back to the window, facing the mirror. Han Xiaofeng was speechless with fright. She saw the mysterious woman combing her hair, half of her jet-black hair hanging down, a wooden comb going on and on—"Just like in my novel?" I finally couldn't help but exclaim, shaking my head repeatedly, "How could this be? This scene is just fiction in my novel."

Section 19: Getting into even bigger trouble

Su Tianping nodded and said, "That's right. Han Xiaofeng said she screamed in fright and then became somewhat delirious. After hearing her description, we were also terrified and decided to go next door to check. When we tiptoed into the next room, we found it pitch black. We shone a flashlight around, but couldn't see a single ghost, only a dusty dressing table with half a candle sticking out, which looked like it hadn't been used in a long time." "Could it be Han Xiaofeng's hallucination?" "Nobody can say for sure. Maybe she read your novel and mistook the fictional elements for reality, or—maybe she had a nightmare?" "Another nightmare?" But I immediately shook my head.

The next day, Han Xiaofeng grew increasingly terrified. She secretly called you, but we discovered her immediately. Huo Qiang, worried she would tell you what happened yesterday, grabbed the phone and spoke to you… I interrupted him: “Alright, I know all that. Let’s talk about something else.” That afternoon, Han Xiaofeng and I hid in our room, too afraid to go out, while Huo Qiang and Chunyu went for a walk outside, returning only at dusk. They looked terrible when they came back. I asked them what had happened, but they wouldn’t tell me; it must have been something terrifying again. We were restless all day. Everything we had seen underground the day before kept flashing before my eyes, as if we could be trapped in the dark underground at any moment. After nightfall, it was our fourth night in the deserted village, and everyone went to bed early. To prevent Han Xiaofeng from running out again in the middle of the night, Huo Qiang even set up the tent outside the room.

"As if I knew the future, I asked, 'What happened that night?'" Su Tianping stared into my eyes and slowly uttered two words—"Nightmare." "What did you say?" "I said nightmare—that night, I had a nightmare." Su Tianping's expression grew increasingly terrifying, his deep, well-like eyes flickering uncertainly. "I dreamt of a woman, a young woman in a white robe, with dim firelight flickering around her. She had long, flowing hair and a fair, beautiful face, but her eyes were so peculiar, as if from another distant land. She had a peculiar look in her eyes, indescribable whether it was sadness or despair, yet the lines of her lips were somewhat strong, as if she had made up her mind to do something. She appeared calm and composed, her aura so noble, even holy, something that no one today could possess—" "Like Cleopatra, the Egyptian queen in Shakespeare's play?" "Yes, you're thinking the same thing as me." Just like Cleopatra, the Queen of Egypt, calmly reaching into a box full of poisonous insects.

I saw her raise a stone knife with a sharp edge, and then, with unusual composure, slit her own throat with it—I watched helplessly as her snow-white skin was cut open, and blood flowed freely from the cut in her throat… Suddenly, Su Tianping's eyes widened, as if he were seeing that scene again. I quickly urged, "What happened next?" "Then—I woke up." He shook his head violently, finally recovering from the memory of the dream. I also let out a long sigh of relief: "Strange, I usually forget my dreams as soon as I wake up. But why do you remember this nightmare so clearly?" "Yes, but I can't explain it either. I remember this dream very clearly, even vividly, perhaps I will never forget it. Yes, I can clearly recall the face of the mysterious woman in the dream, her unique eyes, and all the details, as if she had really appeared before my eyes." "As he spoke, he actually reached out and touched her, as if the woman were sitting right in front of him. I quickly pushed his hand away and said, 'Don't scare me, okay?' Su Tianping gasped for breath, closed his eyes, and said, 'I'm absolutely not trying to scare you, I really felt it—okay, let me continue.' That morning, after I woke up, the nightmare kept replaying in my mind, so I told Huo Qiang about it. Huo Qiang was shocked after hearing it. He told me that he had also had the same dream last night, in which a woman in white cut her own throat with a knife, exactly the same."

Then we told Han Xiaofeng and Chunyu, but to our surprise, they said they had also dreamed the same thing last night. We were all stunned. "You mean—the four of you had the same dream on the same night?" "Absolutely!" Su Tianping repeated, enunciating each word clearly. "On the fourth night after arriving in the deserted village, the four of us dreamed of the same mysterious woman in that room upstairs." "How is that possible?" I lowered my head, thinking about the mysterious events I had written about in novels, and shook my head. "Perhaps there are indeed many things in the world that cannot be explained." We were all terrified. We didn't know who the mysterious woman in our dream was, why she did it, or why we all dreamed of her at the same time in that room. It was definitely an ominous sign. Even Huo Qiang started trembling. Thinking about what we had done these past few days, everyone gasped.

"Only then did we begin to regret it, regret not heeding your warning. This place was simply too terrifying; no one could bear it." "So, you decided to leave the deserted village?" Su Tianping hurriedly nodded: "Yes, the deserted village was practically Count Dakula's castle. We didn't dare stay a minute longer, so we immediately packed our things and hurriedly left the old mansion, Jinshi Mansion. When we left the deserted village, the villagers all looked at us with strange eyes. It felt so weird, like... a funeral..." "The villagers looked at you like you were at a funeral?" "That's how I felt at the time, maybe it was just my imagination."

We fled the deserted village as if our lives depended on it, heading back along the mountain path we had come from. I took one last look at the village: the imposing stone archway at the village entrance, the surrounding desolate mountains and wilderness, the cold, black sea, and the endless ancient cemetery. I whispered, "Farewell, deserted village." This extravagant description immediately stirred my memories: "Yes, that's how I left too." The journey out of the village was arduous, and we didn't reach Xiling Town until noon. Then, we took a minibus to the K City long-distance bus station and finally boarded a long-distance bus bound for Shanghai. No one spoke a word on the way; clearly, none of us had yet recovered from the fear of the deserted village. When we returned to downtown Shanghai, it was already past eleven at night. "Huo Qiang called me as soon as he got off the bus." "I was there too. Actually, he hesitated, unsure whether he should tell you all this. I never imagined he would die so soon." "At this point, Su Tianping suddenly covered his mouth, his face contorted in pain. 'But why wouldn't you tell me the truth that night in Huo Qiang's dormitory?' 'I didn't dare say. What the four of us did in that deserted village must have violated some taboo. I was afraid that if I told anyone, it would cause even bigger trouble.'"

Section 20: Sucking the Souls of the Listener

"You've gotten yourself into even bigger trouble." "Yes, when I heard that Han Xiaofeng was also dead, I was immediately terrified, afraid that I would be the next victim..." Su Tianping was silent for a while before lowering his head and saying, "So, I ran out of the dormitory that day and moved to a rented room outside the school. Huo Qiang and Han Xiaofeng both died in the dormitory, I couldn't stay in that kind of place anymore." Hearing this, I could completely feel Su Tianping's bone-chilling fear, as if I myself had fallen into the abyss with him. Before I knew it, an afternoon had passed. In this dark and cold little coffee shop, Su Tianping told me about their bizarre encounter in the deserted village. I don't know how to describe his expression when he spoke; it was like a person about to drown, grasping at the last straw on the surface of the water. Su Tianping's complexion seemed a little better than before, perhaps because he had poured out his heart. He was breathing heavily, as if he had just gone through a strenuous exercise. I stared at him for a long time, but couldn't think of a single word to comfort him. It's understandable; how could anyone not be terrified and desperate in this situation? Suddenly, Su Tianping bent down, took a leather suitcase from under the table, and placed it in front of me. He said softly, "I'm sorry, you can keep these things." I was stunned, looking at the suitcase and asking, "What's in here?" "You'll find out when you take it back," he said mysteriously.

"Why must you give it to me?" "These things don't belong to me, but I can't give them to anyone else. Now I can only trust you." I touched the surface of the box, feeling nothing unusual, but I still hesitated for a while. However, looking into his earnest eyes, I finally nodded. But I didn't open the box in front of him; instead, I placed it at my feet. Su Tianping seemed to breathe a sigh of relief: "Thank you for coming today." "Why? Just to tell me these things?" "I don't know, but I felt very suffocated by this, and I had to find someone to confide in, and that person had to be trustworthy—that's you." I couldn't help but nod. Moreover, this whole thing started because of my novel "The Deserted Village," so if we're going to trace it back to its source, I guess I have to be part of it too: "So what do you plan to do next?" "I don't know, I just hope death ends here."

"At least I can tell you I don't have a heart condition; I won't scare myself to death in the middle of the night." "I also hope you're alright. However, I still advise you to go back to school; your teachers will help you." "Thank you, I'll take care of myself." I stood up; my legs were a little numb from sitting for hours. I said casually, "It's getting dark; I should go. Call me if you have any problems. Goodbye." Just as I was about to leave, Su Tianping called me back, "Wait a minute, here's your suitcase." "Oh, I almost forgot." I scratched my head sheepishly. Actually, I had deliberately forgotten, but since he reminded me, I had no choice but to pick up the suitcase and leave. Leaving the small basement café, I finally breathed in some fresh air; I felt like I'd been pulled out of water. It was already dark. I looked at the suitcase in my hand. What could be inside? Without time to think, I hailed a taxi and quickly left.

Perhaps the story of the deserted village I heard in the small café yesterday was too terrifying, because I've been restless all day. Su Tianping's voice seems to keep echoing in my ears—trembling like a black hole, constantly sucking at the listener's soul. That evening, Ye Xiao came to see me. His sudden visit surprised me, and he didn't seem too well. Ye Xiao didn't speak as soon as he entered. He looked into my eyes for a long time before saying softly, "That female college student named Chunyu has been found today." Found? Not a corpse, right? Han Xiaofeng's face immediately flashed before my eyes, and my heart leaped into my throat: "Where is she? Is she still alive?" "Don't worry, Chunyu isn't dead. This morning, a teacher found her at the school gate, but she seemed mentally unstable, so the school took her to the hospital for a checkup." "You mean Chunyu went crazy?" "Yes, I questioned her myself, but she was trembling all over, her eyes were vacant, and she was muttering to herself, in a state of extreme fear. I think she's mentally broken and can't provide any clues." "Then what about Su Tianping? Is there any news about him?" Ye Xiao silently shook his head: "The school has been looking for him for two days, and there's still no news of him, except..."

He stopped halfway through his sentence, making me uneasy. "What did you mean, besides?" "Besides yesterday afternoon, someone saw Su Tianping with a man in his twenties in the coffee shop across from the school gate." "With whom?" I was stunned and asked a very stupid question. "The witness was Su Tianping's classmate. He recognized Su Tianping at a glance, but didn't know who the other person was." Ye Xiao suddenly turned around and stared into my eyes. "However, I already guessed who that person was." Facing Ye Xiao's eyes, I could no longer hide it and had to surrender. "Okay, I admit it. I saw Su Tianping yesterday." "What did he want with you?" "Su Tianping told me everything, everything that happened to the four of them, the college students, in the deserted village." I took a sip of water and then briefly repeated what Su Tianping had told me yesterday to Ye Xiao.