Exorzismus - Kapitel 6
This text message was actually sent by Qingyou!
Although Chunyu couldn't believe her eyes, the "Sender" field in the text message menu was indeed "Qingyou".
The two of them often texted each other, and "Qingyou" appeared most frequently in Chunyu's phone, so there was absolutely no mistake. Looking at the time the text message was sent, it was exactly two minutes ago. But, wasn't Qingyou... wasn't she already dead?
This afternoon, Qingyou's phone was also burned by her mother. Since the phone no longer exists, how could this text message have been sent? Even if the number could be transferred to another phone, the phone's owner is dead, and no one has touched it for days. How could it have been transferred?
So the only possibility is—a text message sent by a ghost?
Curled up in bed, Chunyu recalled that night when she received a text message from Qingyou saying "Save me," and then that terrible thing happened. Now Qingyou was nothing but ashes, yet she still sent a message to her best friend. Was it true?
What exactly was the text message Qingyou sent?
In the dark bed, Chunyu's hands trembled for several minutes before she finally read the ghostly text message: "Do you know what the 19th level of hell is?"
It's that fatal problem again.
Chunyu felt icy cold all over, and the stuffy air in the bed almost suffocated her. Finally, she threw off the covers and gasped for breath, only then realizing that her forehead was covered in cold sweat.
The dormitory room was still pitch black. Chunyu, wearing only her underwear, sat on the top bunk, oblivious to the biting cold. She followed...
He turned on the bedside lamp, and the soft light illuminated his Samsung phone.
"The 19th level of hell?" Chunyu murmured, repeating it again. Qingyou had also asked this question that night when she was pacing around the dormitory, which terrified the girls.
At this moment, the deceased Qingyou sent this question again via text message.
What on earth is this problem? Chunyu's face turned deathly pale, and she was completely unable to think. Hell—could Qingyou already be in hell?
A text message from hell?
At this moment, Chunyu's mind was completely muddled. She couldn't tell if it was surprise or fear; it was as if an invisible hand in the darkness had dragged her into a chaotic maze. Chunyu suddenly shivered and said nervously, "Since it's a text message from Qingyou, I should reply to her." She pulled the blanket over herself again, her right thumb trembling as she typed a few words on her phone—"Qingyou, is it really you?"
After pausing for a few seconds, I finally replied to the text message.
With a long sigh, Chunyu felt a wave of exhaustion, wondering if Qingyou, who was in hell, could receive it.
She was still wrapped in a blanket, sitting on the top bunk. The soft light from the bedside lamp shone on her face, and Chunyu felt that her complexion must be very pale, like a lost lamb...
Time ticked by, tormenting Chunyu's heart.
Suddenly, the text message alarm went off.
The phone screen glowed, and Chunyu noticed the time: exactly midnight. She took another deep breath, then slowly pressed her thumb, and saw Qingyou's text message reply—"Welcome to hell."
Midnight.
Ancient books say that at this time of year, the wind howls, all is silent, and spirits roam...
At this moment, Chunyu sat trembling on the top bunk of the girls' dormitory, wrapped in a thick quilt, staring at the text message she had just received. "Welcome to hell," Chunyu read the message aloud, each word deliberate, a chill running down her spine.
Suddenly, it felt like she could smell hell. She looked helplessly around the dormitory; it was unusually dark under the dim light of the bedside lamp, and outside the window was still pitch black. Was hell right next door?
Chunyu shook her head, trembling. Why did Qingyou have to drag her into hell as well?
Staring at her phone screen, the seven-word hellish text message was branded into her eyes like a hot iron. Just as Chunyu was at a loss, the text message ringtone suddenly sounded again.
It was Qingyou again, sending a text message—"Your nickname?"
Upon seeing the text message, Chunyu was confused. What did it mean? Nicknames were only used in online or mobile chats. Did Qingyou want to have a conversation with her from hell? "My nickname?" Chunyu rarely chatted online, so she had never used a nickname before. She thought for a while, and suddenly a name popped into her head—Xiaozhi. Xiaozhi from *The Deserted Village Apartment*? Yes, this name held extremely special meaning for Chunyu. So, Chunyu typed "Xiaozhi" into her phone as her nickname and replied to the text message.
Less than five seconds after sending the message, Chunyu received a reply text message.
However, the content of the text message was inexplicable—"You have entered the first level of hell and will choose 1: Dracula's Castle; 2: Lanruo Temple; 3: Jamaica Inn; 4: Ghost Inn; 5: Deserted Village Scholar's Residence."
Chunyu repeated it to herself, even more confused—"The first level of hell?" What did that mean? Chunyu immediately thought of the saying "eighteen levels of hell," a curse she often heard as a child that went something like, "I'll send you to the eighteen levels of hell." Then why were these five place names given: Dracula's Castle, Lanruo Temple, Jamaica Inn, Ghost Inn, and the Desolate Village Scholar's Residence? Chunyu had never heard of "Dracula's Castle," but she knew of "Lanruo Temple"—in the classic story "Nie Xiaoqian" from *Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio*, Ning Caichen and Nie Xiaoqian fell in love at Lanruo Temple.
"The Jamaican Hotel" is even more famous, known for its eponymous novel, a well-known suspense novel in literary history, written by British author Elisabeth du Maurier, who also wrote "Rebecca." "The Ghost Inn" is the name of a Chinese-made full-length thriller novel, which Chunyu also read and was once very fascinated by.
As for "The Desolate Village Scholar's Residence," it is even more unforgettable for Chunyu, because she had been to that place and experienced the most incredible things in the world there.
Now, she has to choose one of these five places.
Since she had chosen "Little Branch" as her nickname, it was natural for her to return to "Little Branch's" home. So, Chunyu subconsciously chose "5"—the Desolate Village Scholar's Residence.
She replied to the text message, which was edited to "5".
After only a few seconds, Chunyu received a reply text message: "You have entered the Desolate Village Jinshi Mansion. You will choose from: 1. Main Hall; 2. Small Building; 3. Backyard; 4. Underground Palace." Looking at this message, it felt like she was back in the Desolate Village. If you've read the novel *The Desolate Village Apartment*, you'll know that "Jinshi Mansion" is a large mansion in the Desolate Village, hiding many ancient secrets and having been Chunyu's recurring nightmare.
Now, she is reliving her nightmare once again.
Spring Rain unconsciously chose "backyard" and replied with the text message "3".
The reply came immediately: "You have entered the backyard. Besides a plum tree, you also see: 1. A grave; 2. An ancient well; 3. A pond; 4. A cave."
At this moment, Chunyu had focused all her energy, completely forgetting where she was, and no longer feeling cold or tired. She looked at the text message from hell, carefully recalling the distant, desolate village… Yes, there was indeed a plum tree in the backyard, but no grave, no pond, no cave, only an ancient well. “The well!” Chunyu made her choice without hesitation: “2”.
You received a reply within seconds of sending the message—"You made the right choice. You walked to the ancient well, looked down into the deep well bottom, and seemed to see a pair of eyes. You will choose: 1: Continue; 2: Leave."
At this point, Chunyu seemed to have lost control of herself and unconsciously chose to "continue".
The moment I sent the "1", the other party replied again: "I'm sorry, your choice will make you regret it for the rest of your life. When you stand on the edge of the well and look down, suddenly a pair of hands push you from behind, causing you to fall to the bottom of the well."
Upon seeing such a text message, Chunyu's hands immediately trembled. She felt a slight warmth on her back, as if two hands had actually pushed her, causing her to fall into a bottomless black hole.
Chunyu's body jerked violently, almost causing her to fall off the top bunk. The entire bed frame shook as well, and she dared not sit there any longer, so she obediently crawled back into bed.
The text message ringtone sounded again. Chunyu tucked her phone under the covers and checked the message: "Right now, you are surrounded by complete darkness, with only a faint glow above your head. You reach out and touch the walls of a cool well, covered in smooth moss."
Curled up in the dark under the covers, reading the text message on her phone screen, Chunyu felt like she was already at the bottom of a well—another dark environment, but she was confined to a small space, only able to see a sliver of light, whether it was the well's opening or the phone screen? "Have I really fallen into a well?"