Oni-tsubo

Kapitel 38

The next day, Chen Kai went to the park again, still wondering. The sun was shining just as brightly as it had the day before. He could see some flower fairies struggling to emerge from their buds; the flowers in the park were about to bloom.

"You're here!" Chen Kai was staring blankly at the flowers when he heard Aunt Huang's voice in his ear.

"Yes!" Chen Kai greeted her with a smile. The old man in the wheelchair she was pushing had a bib around his neck, and his eyes were still vacant. It seemed that he had really seen wrong yesterday.

"This is for you!" Aunt Huang said, taking out a lunchbox. "Take it home and try it. I'm really good at making chicken!"

"Thanks!" Chen Kai said, taking the lunchbox. "I'll watch over the old man for you. You can go ahead and do what you need to do!" He knew better than to accept something for nothing!

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I'll go buy some groceries first and be right back!"

"Go ahead, come find us here later!"

"Thank you, I'll be going now!" Aunt Huang said, jogging along as she dragged her slightly plump body out of the park. Chen Kai watched her retreating figure with great pleasure. This kind-hearted middle-aged woman always reminded him of his mother, who was just as busy and just as full of love.

"Young man!" Suddenly a voice rang out from the side. Chen Kai looked around but there was no one there. He broke out in a cold sweat. Could he have seen a ghost in broad daylight?

"Young man, can you see me? Can you hear me?" This time there was no mistake, someone really spoke. He looked at the old man in the wheelchair, still with a dazed face and empty eyes. It couldn't be him.

"Who, who are you?" Chen Kai looked around in a panic.

"It's me! The person in the wheelchair!"

Chen Kai was startled. This time, he looked more closely at the old man in the wheelchair. In a daze, his expression seemed to come alive, and there seemed to be something floating on his wooden face watching him.

"Who are you?" Chen Kai stared at the somewhat transparent face, his legs going weak. Why hadn't he thought to bring Fei Xiao along today!

"Young man, can you see me? Please save me!" At this moment, Chen Kai could see very clearly that it was the soul of an old man with the same face as the old man in the wheelchair. However, this soul seemed to be quite clear.

"How can I save you? Who wants to harm you?" Chen Kai asked him. Recently, he had been seeing strange things, which he guessed were the old man's soul.

"You're going to hurt me!" The old man suddenly stopped talking and changed the subject. "Help me! My reason is trapped in one place, and I can't find a way out!"

"What kind of place is it?" Chen Kai asked him hurriedly.

"It's a place with two moons and a deep canyon!"

"Two moons?" Chen Kai asked him curiously. It seemed that this ghost also had Alzheimer's disease. How could there be a place in this world with two moons?

"Yes, two very big, round moons, a deep canyon with surging water!"

"Where am I supposed to find that?" This seemed to be a sign of paranoia. He continued, "Besides, aren't you doing just fine?"

"I've lost all my senses, I can't control my body anymore," he said, then suddenly stopped.

"Hey, say something!" Chen Kai asked him, but the man in the wheelchair was still a demented old man, just staring blankly at the sky. Before he could finish speaking, a "rustling" sound came from behind; someone was coming.

Chen Kai turned around and saw Aunt Huang, her forehead covered in fine beads of sweat, carrying groceries and smiling as she walked towards them.

Why? Did the old man stop talking once he knew she was coming? Chen Kai thought about seeing her smiling face and suddenly felt scared. He hurriedly said goodbye to her and rushed home. Behind him, the old man's pleading gaze, a gaze that only he could see, clung tightly to his back, as if praying for a glimmer of hope.

As soon as they entered the house, Feixiao pounced on them, wagging her snow-white tail, "I smell chicken!"

Chen Kai looked at him helplessly, wondering when he would want to change back. He dejectedly took out the lunchbox and handed it to Fei Xiao.

"What's wrong? Something on your mind?" Fei Xiao asked him while eating chicken.

"Yes!" Chen Kai said, and then told him the story. "How could there be a place in this world with two moons?"

To everyone's surprise, Fei Xiao, while munching on a chicken leg, wasn't astonished as she replied, "Yes, but it's not in this world!"

"What?" Chen Kai could hardly believe his ears. Even Fei Xiao said that. Could it be that he was the one who had gone mad?

“It’s the River of Oblivion!” Fei Xiao said between bites. “The River of Oblivion has two moons and a deep canyon!”

Chen Kai was delighted to hear this. "Then let's go to the River of Oblivion and see if we can find anything there?"

"You're trying to be a pushover again, aren't you!" Fei Xiao glanced at him with her foxy eyes. "That's a place only the dead go to; they might not come back!"

"If we find that old man's spirit, wouldn't that be perfect? We could help him!"

"Him?" Fei Xiao said, hugging the chicken leg, as if deep in thought. "It seems he didn't jump into the River of Oblivion. Why is that?"

"Why what?" Chen Kai asked him.

"It's nothing!" Fei Xiao said, continuing to eat. "If he hadn't jumped in, he probably could have been saved. The strange thing is, how could the soul of a perfectly healthy person end up in a place like that?"

"The fifteenth of this month!" Fei Xiao continued, "This matter is very strange. On the fifteenth of this month, I can turn into a human. There are still three days left. Let's think of another way!"

"Great! You're finally coming back! I've missed you so much!" Chen Kai said, grabbing the fox that was eating chicken and rubbing its snow-white fur. Finally, finally, Fei Xiao was going to turn back into her original form. His joy seemed to burst out of his chest and fly away.

"What are you doing? My chicken!" the fox, whose fur was all ruffled and messed up, protested.

That night, Chen Kai was unusually happy, having completely forgotten about the old man. Gazing at the bright moon outside the window, he thought, "Three more days, the moon will be full in three days, and Fei Xiao will be back."

Even in his dreams, there was a boy dressed in white standing under the full moon, his face like a silver plate, his eyes like bright stars, and his black hair like a waterfall. That was the face he longed for, as if he had missed someone like that a long, long time ago.

For the next three days, Chen Kai continued to go to the park every day to help Aunt Huang look after the old man. However, the old man's spirit never reappeared; his blank eyes simply stared blankly at the sky, a hint of sadness in his gaze.

"Chen Kai, thank you. We won't be coming tomorrow!" Aunt Huang said to him as they left.

"Why?" Chen Kai asked, puzzled. "Are you moving?"

"No!" Aunt Huang's slightly aged face showed a pained expression. "My father's condition seems to have worsened these past two days. I just contacted the hospital yesterday, and he will be hospitalized for observation tomorrow!"

What if his condition worsens?

Aunt Huang pushed the wheelchair, her head bowed. "Alzheimer's is an illness too, and all illnesses end up the same way if they get worse," she said, then fell silent. Turning to Chen Kai, she said, "You're a good boy. Cherish everything you have now! I'm so glad I know you!" Tears seemed to well up in her eyes.

Chen Kai was left alone, standing blankly on the lawn. The sky was still blue, the grass green, and spring was in full bloom, but Chen Kai's heart felt as if it had been suddenly covered by ice and snow. Why? Why was human life so fragile? He had only known the old man for a few days, and now they were facing separation by death. The old man's spirit, those eyes that yearned for life, still flickered before him. The world was so beautiful; who truly wanted to die? Who didn't cherish life?

No, we can't do this. We absolutely cannot just stand by and watch a life disappear like this.

With tears welling in his eyes, Chen Kai ran home, thinking, "Feixiao, Feixiao, I must make Feixiao take me to the place with two moons, no matter how dangerous it is, I have to try."

As soon as he pushed open the door, a man's cool voice came from inside: "Chen Kai, you're back?"

A man dressed in white sat cross-legged on the sofa, his hands clasped together, his slender fingers almost transparent. He smiled, and his beautiful eyes looked at Chen Kai with loving eyes, as if he were looking at his own child.

Chen Kai stared at the scene before him, hardly believing his eyes. The afternoon sunlight shone on the man's back, as if gilding him with a layer of gold, making his beauty appear even more ethereal.

Chen Kai's eyes welled up with tears again as he looked at her. He opened his mouth and said in a trembling voice, "Fei... Feixiao, is that you? You've finally come back!"

"Silly child!" Feixiao looked at him with a smile, "Haven't I always been by your side?"

Chen Kai smiled through his tears, wiping them away. "Yes, how could I forget? I thought you really left me and would never come back!"

"Sigh!" Fei Xiao sighed, seemingly disappointed. "It seems that it's better to communicate with people in a human manner!"

"No, no, I didn't mean anything by it, don't overthink it!" Chen Kai hurriedly waved his hand, afraid that he would come up with a bunch of fallacies again.

"Fine, fine, I'm not going to argue with you!" Fei Xiao said, standing up. "Let's pack up and get ready to leave!"

"Where to?" Chen Kai, her face still wet with tears, looked up at him, bewildered.

“Let’s go to a place with two moons!” Feixiao said, winking at him. “You’ve been thinking about it the past few days!”

"Oh, right!" Chen Kai suddenly remembered why he rushed back. "That old man seems to be critically ill. We need to hurry!"

"Is that so?" Feixiao frowned slightly upon hearing this. "But we need time!"

"What time?" Chen Kai asked him, puzzled. Didn't Fei Xiao say she was going to that place?

Feixiao turned her head and glanced at the clear blue sky outside the window: "We have to wait for the first moon to rise!"

Chen Kai followed his gaze to the blue sky outside. It was only afternoon, and it would probably be another four or five hours before it got completely dark. The first moon wouldn't appear until then.

"Where are we going?" Chen Kai followed Fei Xiao, his steps uneven. The wild grass in the field grew wildly in spring, making it difficult for them to walk.

"Come with me!" Fei Xiao led the way. It was almost dusk, and his white clothes had been dyed golden by the setting sun.

Chen Kai looked around. It was a wilderness. Fei Xiao had brought him to this remote place that afternoon, and he didn't know what they were going to do.

The surrounding grass, however, was also tinged yellow by the setting sun, carrying a touch of melancholy, completely different from the bustling flowers in the city.

Feixiao picked a clean spot, found some stones, and piled them into a hollow circle in the center of the small open space. She turned to Chen Kai and said, "Only the dead can go to the place we're going to! Otherwise, wait for me?"

"No, no, I'll go with you!" Chen Kai hurriedly shook his head. He had finally met her again, and he didn't want to wait for Fei Xiao to return in this desolate wilderness.

Feixiao smiled at him: "You and Zijin look alike!" Then she sat down cross-legged. She took out a bamboo flute from her clothes, "There's still a while before it gets dark, I'll play a tune for you!" After saying that, she waved the flute in her hand at Chen Kai, "This one isn't as good as my old one, but you'll have to make do with it!"

It was rare for him to be in such a good mood, so Chen Kai sat down to keep him company.

Feixiao held a flute in her slender hand, tilted her head and began to play. An ancient melody slowly unfolded with Feixiao's flute playing, sometimes gentle, sometimes mournful, and sometimes soaring. Chen Kai felt as if time stood still, and even the air was filled with music, as if someone was confiding their feelings to him through the music.

Scenes from the past unfolded before him with this melody: his first meeting with Feixiao, everything they experienced together, the persistent and lovable people he encountered, the ghost who lingered in the human world—his life became extraordinary because of that afternoon's encounter.

"Feixiao, are you saying goodbye to me?" Chen Kai suddenly felt heartbroken upon hearing this song.

Feixiao stopped playing upon hearing this, "This is 'Spring River Flower Moon Night,' one of Zijin's and my favorite pieces!"

"This name seems to be from a poem by Zhang Ruoxu?" Chen Kai asked curiously.

"Indeed!" Fei Xiao smiled as she looked at the flute in her hand. "Who first saw the moon by the riverbank? When did the river moon first shine on man? Life goes on endlessly, generation after generation, but the river moon remains the same year after year!" After saying this, she sighed deeply, "Isn't life just like that!"

The two remained silent, sitting quietly among the weeds, waiting for the moon to rise. Chen Kai dared not ask again, nor did he want to, when Fei Xiao would say goodbye, fearing he would receive an answer he did not want.

A full moon finally rose slowly, and Chen Kai and Fei Xiao became two dark silhouettes under the moonlight.

“Let’s go!” Fei Xiao turned to Chen Kai and said. The bright moonlight shone on his face, making him look unrealistically beautiful.

"Which way?" Chen Kai stood up and looked around. It was a desolate wilderness. Which direction should he go?

Feixiao didn't answer him. She stood up, dusted herself off, took a candle out of her pocket, bent down and placed it in the center of the circle of stones that had been piled up just enough to block the wind from the outside.

With a flick of his wrist, the candle was lit, its white flame glowing with a bluish-green light in the night.

"What are you doing?" Chen Kai asked, looking at Fei Xiao's actions with curiosity.

“Build a bridge!” Feixiao replied, “Build a passage from the human world to the land of the dead!”

"This is the bridge?" Chen Kai pointed to the flickering candle. "This looks like it's for lighting, not for building a bridge."

Feixiao smiled at him, and with a flick of her hand, she pulled out a white lantern from behind her back. "The bridge is here!" she said, and with a wave of her hand, the lantern emitted a cool light, illuminating the path ahead.

He turned to Chen Kai and said, "Let's go!"

"Where did you hide your lantern?" Chen Kai followed behind him, looking Fei Xiao up and down, as if there was no place in his clothes to hide something so big.

Before he could figure it out, he noticed that the road beneath his feet had changed. It had gone from being overgrown with weeds to being covered with rubble, and the stones were hurting his feet.

"Feixiao, let's take another route!" Chen Kai complained.

"It's too late!" Fei Xiao turned back and smiled at him. "We're already at the River of Oblivion. Listen, you can hear the sound of a river!"

Chen Kai was startled when he heard this. He looked around and when he looked up again, he was completely stunned. There were two bright moons above his head.

"We need to hurry! The candles outside will only burn for another ten minutes. If they go out, we'll all be in danger!"