Zwölf Jadetürme

Kapitel 3

"I'm a free man, a faithful one, and I'm still looking for a wife. Do you want to be my wife?" the man said in his usual flippant manner.

"Hmm, that voice sounds familiar... like... 'Ouyang Bingbing,'" Leng Ruofeng suddenly realized.

"Really? You want me to be your wife after such a short time? Do you think I'll believe you... um..." The woman couldn't finish her sentence, only letting out soft moans.

Leng Ruofeng's heart was in turmoil. If it were just a normal affair between two people, he could easily ignore it. But the woman's voice sounded more and more like Ouyang Bingbing, the cold-blooded beauty in Leng Ruofeng's mind. If it really was her, then this man might become the fifth man to vanish from the world, even if he was insignificant, even if he was scum who should disappear. A strong urge compelled Leng Ruofeng to walk towards the voice—a strange sense of responsibility, and a self-preservation urge to uncover the truth. After a few steps, he got closer and realized the voice was coming from a car parked by the roadside. The car window wasn't closed, and in the silent, thick fog, every sound was clearly audible.

Yes, it was her! Her figure was all too familiar. Even though he only saw a blurry silhouette, how could he not remember the figure he had seen on the brink of death time and time again? Why did he keep encountering Ouyang Bingbing? What was fate thinking? This young man, barely twenty, who had only ever lived a life of mere survival, neither good nor evil, had he angered any deity? At this moment, Leng Ruofeng didn't know what to do. Should he go up and stop her, saying that the girl was the incarnation of a demon? The consequences would either be that the man would think he was crazy and beat him up, or he would willingly offer himself up to the female demon who wanted to kill him. Thinking of this, he took out his phone.

"Hello."

"Hey, Liu Wen, it's me, Leng Ruofeng..." Leng Ruofeng walked aside and quietly called Liu Wen.

"Oh, really? Okay, wait for me, I'll be right there," Liu Wen replied hurriedly on the phone.

After finishing the call, Leng Ruofeng sighed, then tiptoed closer to the car.

"Hey, what's this? It's so pretty!" Ouyang Bingbing said, stopping their verbal sparring.

“Oh, it’s a talisman,” the man said.

"You're quite superstitious, aren't you? Have you done something wrong and are you afraid of being retaliated against?" Ouyang Bingbing continued.

"Nonsense, I have nothing to hide. I just wore it casually because I thought it looked unique..." the man replied.

"Really? Then take it off and let me see. Hurry up, why are you being so stingy?" The man pondered for a moment, then took an ornament off his neck and handed it to Ouyang Bingbing.

Leng Ruofeng saw all of this clearly. Just as he was mocking the man for being unable to resist temptation, he saw Ouyang Bingbing tear the man's pouch-shaped amulet to shreds and throw it out the window.

"What are you doing?" the man asked angrily, then opened the car door to retrieve it.

"Hahaha, hahaha..." the woman laughed wildly. Wait! This voice isn't Ouyang Bingbing's. Although it sounds somewhat familiar, it definitely isn't hers, Leng Ruofeng thought in surprise. Just then, a sudden gust of wind arose all around, and thick fog mixed with half-broken, withered leaves swept towards him, overwhelming him.

What, could it be... again?

Before he could even consider it, he felt his body slip out of his control. Like a sleepwalker, he felt adrift, yet with a lingering pain, as if he had fallen into a bottomless abyss.

"Do you remember me?" In his dazed state, Leng Ruofeng seemed to hear a woman's chilling voice and struggled to open his eyes. He found himself lying face down in a patch of weeds. The mist had disappeared from his surroundings, and the only things he could feel were a faint, eerie glint of light and irregular, cold swirling air currents.

"Ah!" A heart-wrenching scream startled Leng Ruofeng. Looking through the gaps in the weeds towards the source of the sound, he saw... Leng Ruofeng couldn't believe it. What he was seeing was the ancient tomb he had seen before, and he himself was in the weeds beside it. Was this a real or illusory scene?

"You, you, you are Zhu Zhu..." a man's voice trembled as he spoke.

Leng Ruofeng didn't know what had happened, but it seemed he had been unintentionally dragged into it, and no one had noticed yet—at least for now, he was completely forgotten. He struggled to straighten his aching body, half-crouching in the grass, and finally saw clearly: a man was tied to the large tombstone of a grave, only his profile visible, looking very much like the man in the car earlier. Opposite the man was Ouyang Bingbing, and... that female ghost. The difference was that the female ghost's eyes were no longer bleeding profusely; though her face was cold, it revealed a hint of allure. The man must have been terrified, as his body was visibly trembling. Leng Ruofeng was also terrified, but even more so, he was filled with confusion. He didn't know what had happened, what was about to happen, or why it was happening.

"Hahaha..." the female ghost suddenly sneered, her laughter shrill and hollow, chilling to the bone.

"Weren't you... already dead? How could you..." the man said tremblingly.

"Die, huh... You pushed me off the building yourself, the twelfth floor! My brains were splattered out, every blood vessel in my body burst open, how could I not die? What do you think?" The female ghost said, slowly approaching the man.

"No, no, don't come any closer..." The man's voice was almost choked with sobs. "Yes, it's my fault. I had no choice. I still regret it so much, I really regret it..." Watching the female ghost approach him step by step, the man's legs involuntarily tried to move backward, but it was completely futile for him who was bound all over.

"Hmph... Hmph... Helpless? You proposed to me against your will just to get my father's money, and you wanted to kill me against your will just because I discovered your secret? A mere 'helpless' excuse erases all your despicable, shameless, and viciousness? Hahaha..." The female ghost was extremely agitated, approaching the man step by step. It seems even ghosts have emotions, just like humans, only their emotions differ depending on their circumstances.

"I'm sorry... Zhu Zhu... I really love you, I just acted on impulse... Please, spare me." The man's sobs grew louder and louder. Faced with the sudden appearance of the ghost, he was so frightened that he didn't know what to do. If he hadn't been tied up, he would probably have already kowtowed to the female ghost.

"Hmph! You really disappoint me. Where did that proud and dashing gentleman go? Where did my Prince Charming go? Hahaha..." The female ghost continued to laugh coldly.

Through the female ghost's words, it seemed she had once deeply loved the man before her, and that feeling still lingered. The man seemed to sense this as well. "Zhu Zhu, I'm sorry, I was wrong. I truly love you. I was just confused at the time, it's all my fault..." the man said slyly.

The female ghost lowered her head, remaining silent, seemingly lost in thought. Leng Ruofeng roughly understood the reason; it seemed that things might be taking a turn for the better.

"A moment of folly! Was seducing my sister a moment of folly? Was persecuting my sister a moment of folly?" the female ghost suddenly asked fiercely.

Faced with the female ghost's sudden question, the man stammered, "Your sister, she, she found out how I killed you, so I..."

"You were forced into this situation again, weren't you!" The female ghost's voice was fierce, her eyes wide with anger. "You know how much I loved you back then. I knew long ago that you had ulterior motives, but I naively hoped you would change. I never imagined your ambition would be so great, and your actions so ruthless. You harmed me, and I didn't even want revenge; but you even tried to harm my sister! You are utterly hopeless, you have disappointed me so much!"

"Ah!" The man's scream startled Leng Ruofeng once again. Looking again, the female ghost's face suddenly contorted into a grotesque grimace, and thick blood gushed from the corners of her eyes once more. This instantaneous change signified the female ghost's decision. Then, Leng Ruofeng watched as the female ghost's claws pierced the man's heart. Before the man could even let out a final cry, he was already too weak to groan.

This all happened so fast that Leng Ruofeng could hardly accept it. He realized that the female ghost still harbored feelings for this man, which was why she acted so quickly to prevent him from suffering unnecessarily—what a pitiful female ghost. But at this moment, besides fear, Leng Ruofeng immediately realized what his fate would be. Had he been brought here unintentionally? Were they completely unaware of his existence?

"Ah!" A woman cried out in pain.

Leng Ruofeng looked in the direction of the sound and saw the female ghost viciously gripping Ouyang Bingbing's neck with her sharp claws. How could this be? Leng Ruofeng was very surprised.

"Stop!" Leng Ruofeng shouted without even thinking.

The female ghost was startled, then turned her bloodshot eyes back to look at Leng Ruofeng, and slowly lowered the hand that was gripping Ouyang Bingbing's neck.

"Cough, cough... It's you! What are you doing here?" Ouyang Bingbing asked, coughing painfully.

"I don't know why all this happened, including why she's trying to kill you now. Weren't you two together?" Leng Ruofeng replied casually.

"Hahaha..." The female ghost let out another shrill howl, sending a chill down Leng Ruofeng's spine. He had just been pondering why he had stepped forward. But now, such thoughts were meaningless; he could only face it all head-on, this dreamlike world.

"Didn't you promise to let me go after I finished this? Cough, cough..." Ouyang Bingbing asked the female ghost.

"Hmph, I'll let you go. Now that it's started, there's no turning back. Otherwise, there's only one path: death!" the female ghost said coldly, emphasizing the word "death."

"I know that turning back is just wishful thinking, and it's impossible. I was too naive. But Leng Ruofeng has nothing to do with this. He's innocent. Please let him go," Ouyang Bingbing pleaded with the female ghost.

Leng Ruofeng was somewhat stunned; Ouyang Bingbing was actually pleading for him.

"If it weren't for him, you wouldn't have betrayed me. Why did you save him time and time again?" the female ghost asked.

Leng Ruofeng became increasingly confused, staring blankly at the human and ghost in front of him.

"If Ouyang Bingbing had taken your virginity back at the hotel, you would have become my sacrifice long ago. I think that bitch fell for you, and she saved you several times, ruining my plans. She is unforgivable," the female ghost said angrily.

"I don't know where all this started, or why there are so many 'whys.' But I won't allow you to hurt Bingbing." Although Leng Ruofeng didn't know the whole story, he at least knew that Ouyang Bingbing wasn't what he had initially imagined, and he immediately had an idea: he had to save her.

After Leng Ruofeng finished speaking, Ouyang Bingbing glanced at him, her eyes revealing gratitude and happiness.

"Hmph... How naive you are! What makes you think you can say such things! If I could kill you, even if you were a virgin, I would still have ways to deal with you in this extremely yin place. And today, this bitch must die." After saying this, the female ghost spread her arms wide, glared at the sky, and a fierce wind suddenly rose up around her.

Leng Ruofeng felt his strength gradually draining away, just as he always had. He knew he would soon lose consciousness and then fall into a coma. "No, no, if I faint, Ouyang Bingbing will definitely die." However, the raging wind was too weak for Leng Ruofeng to do anything. With the swirling gale, a piece of paper was swept from Leng Ruofeng's pocket. A golden light streaked across the night sky, followed by a scream from the female ghost, and the gale immediately stopped. Leng Ruofeng looked at the female ghost and saw the paper ripple with light—it was a talisman, the one Lu Xiaoming had given him. Although he hadn't used it then, Leng Ruofeng had always carried it with him, and now it was working. Seeing this, Leng Ruofeng immediately grabbed Ouyang Bingbing's hand and ran desperately down the mountain. He didn't know how far he had run when he tripped and fell. Looking around, the overgrown wilderness suddenly vanished, and everything returned to normal, back to the hazy fog that had clouded their senses. They were currently at the foot of Fortress Mountain, with the highway just ahead. Leng Ruofeng didn't think much of it, only wanting to leave this troublesome place as soon as possible. He hailed a taxi and returned home with Ouyang Bingbing.

[5] The Mystery of Bingbing

The fright and exhaustion had left the two of them utterly weary. Leng Ruofeng, wondering if the female ghost would follow them home, seemed to remember something. He turned on the computer and played an MP3 of the Great Compassion Mantra: "Namo Great Compassionate Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva, Thousand Hands, Thousand Eyes... Shariputra Shabha..." With the peaceful melody, he gradually relaxed. He had heard that the Great Compassion Mantra was extremely powerful; even the most formidable ghosts would fear it.

Only now did Leng Ruofeng notice Ouyang Bingbing. He could tell she was also nervous, but not out of fear. Rather, it was because neither of them had expected this sudden turn of events. Under the lamplight, Ouyang Bingbing's beauty was made even more radiant and graceful by her nervousness, which reminded Leng Ruofeng of their first meeting at the hotel.

"Are you alright?" Ouyang Bingbing asked.

"Oh, it's nothing. What about you?" Leng Ruofeng immediately pulled himself out of his thoughts. At a time like this, how could he still be in the mood to appreciate beautiful scenery?

The two looked at each other and burst into laughter at the same time. Leng Ruofeng himself didn't know why he was laughing so happily, not only because he was overjoyed to have survived such a close call, but also because of an inexplicable tacit understanding.

"Ring...ring..." The phone rang. Leng Ruofeng glanced at it and saw it was Liu Wen calling. Oh, he'd almost forgotten about him; he must have been incredibly nervous all this time. Leng Ruofeng told Liu Wen everything that had happened, but he changed one thing: he didn't tell him about Ouyang Bingbing's time at his house, only saying that Ouyang Bingbing was a good person. He could only say that, since Ouyang Bingbing was directly involved in several murder cases. Weighing the pros and cons, although he shouldn't have done it this way, he did it anyway.

"Tell me everything. You know what I want to ask? How could such a pure and lovely girl like you get involved in these bloody and bizarre things?" Despite being exhausted, Leng Ruofeng still wanted to know the reason and truth behind all of this immediately.

"Give me a hug, okay?" Ouyang Bingbing said softly, looking down.

"What?" Leng Ruofeng thought he had misheard.

"Hug me, please." As soon as she finished speaking, Ouyang Bingbing threw herself into Leng Ruofeng's arms, leaving Leng Ruofeng momentarily stunned.

"You..." Before he could finish speaking, Leng Ruofeng felt a warmth on his chest. Then came the sound of sobbing. Ouyang Bingbing was crying in Leng Ruofeng's arms.

The previously bewildered Leng Ruofeng suddenly seemed to understand the girl's heart. Though unspoken, this deep-seated understanding seeped into Leng Ruofeng's soul. Ouyang Bingbing was a good girl, a kind girl, but she carried too much helplessness and suffering. Leng Ruofeng could at least believe that. Looking at Ouyang Bingbing in his arms, Leng Ruofeng felt a strange peace, as if this moment had been destined all along.

For a long time, Ouyang Bingbing quietly released the tears from the depths of her heart, while Leng Ruofeng remained motionless, letting her nestle in his arms.

Finally, Ouyang Bingbing raised her head. "I'm sorry, I haven't cried in a long time, but I really want to cry today."

"Oh, it's alright." Leng Ruofeng didn't say much. Ouyang Bingbing's eyes, which had just been washed by tears, revealed a uniquely resentful look, which made Leng Ruofeng feel sorry for her.

"What kind of girl did you just describe me as? Innocent? No, actually, I stopped being innocent months ago." She paused, glancing at Leng Ruofeng's questioning gaze, and continued, "It was a full moon night, the moon in the sky was so round and beautiful! On Fortress Mountain, it was my first time meeting someone I met online. I imagined it would be a wonderful and memorable night. But the seemingly gentle 'little fox' online turned out to be a 'wolf' in real life. He tore my clothes, ravaged my body, and destroyed my soul. That beautiful full moon became a testament to my humiliation."

Leng Ruofeng's eyes widened. So that's how "Yuanyue'er" (Round Moon) came about online. Surprise and pity filled his heart simultaneously. He didn't know what to say to comfort the girl before him; such pain couldn't be soothed by mere words.

"Hmph." Ouyang Bingbing sighed. You don't need to comfort me, and I don't need to. My heart has endured this for months, and it's already numb.

"At the time, I didn't even get a clear look at the wolf. It was masked, so cunning," Ouyang Bingbing continued. After the nightmare ended, I felt I had no reason to live. I found my favorite silk scarf, the only intact thing I had left. I hung it securely on a tree; I knew that if I put my neck against it, everything would end, and the pain would disappear. It was then that I met her, or rather, she saved me."

"You mean that female ghost?" Leng Ruofeng, who had been listening quietly, asked.

"Yes, she was a female ghost named Zhu Zhu. She was a female ghost with a tragic fate just like me. When I saw her, I wasn't afraid at all. I think my heart was already dead. Once the heart is dead, there is nothing to fear. But she told me not to choose death, but to take revenge with her, to take revenge on those hateful men in the world. I agreed."

"Then why is she seeking revenge? Is it because that man wronged her today?" Leng Ruofeng asked.

"Zhu Zhu's father was the president of a company with assets exceeding ten million. The man feigned interest in Zhu Zhu and proposed marriage. Zhu Zhu inadvertently discovered that he was using the company's name to amass personal wealth. She pretended not to know, hoping he would repent. However, by chance, Zhu Zhu discovered that the man was using the company's assets to buy stocks and engage in high-value black market transactions. The family business that Zhu Zhu's father had painstakingly built could be destroyed in an instant. At this moment, the man, revealing his true colors, pushed Zhu Zhu off a high-rise building. Zhu Zhu died with boundless hatred, her death extremely gruesome and tragic. The man not only didn't stop, but went even further, destroying the evidence of the murder and then seducing Zhu Zhu's sister, all to satisfy his insatiable greed. Heaven has eyes..." The man pushing Zhu Zhu to her death was recorded by a DV camera Zhu Zhu was testing in her room. The man, eager to destroy the evidence, inadvertently forgot the DV camera; by sheer coincidence, the recording was discovered by Zhu Zhu's sister. It was evening, and Zhu Zhu's sister was on a date with the man on Paotai Mountain. She had completely fallen into his carefully laid trap, but at that very moment, holding her deceased sister's DV camera, she learned the whole truth. Enraged and unable to control herself, she was persecuted by the man. He smashed a blue stone against Zhu Zhu's head. Poor Zhu Zhu, thankfully didn't die, but the extreme shock and brain damage drove her insane. At this point, Ouyang Bingbing paused slightly, and Leng Ruofeng handed her a glass of water.

"Do you remember the first time you accidentally entered the forbidden area of the ancient tomb? The crazy woman who appeared later was Zhu Zhu's sister. Because she went mad, the man didn't harm her anymore. Perhaps the only thing a madwoman remembers in her mind is the place where she went mad. That day, she happened to return there, and she happened to disturb Zhu Zhu, who wanted to kill you. That's why you escaped with your life."

"Then?" Leng Ruofeng wanted to ask something, but felt he didn't know where to begin.

“You have many questions, don’t you? Then I’ll tell you step by step.” Ouyang Bingbing understood Leng Ruofeng’s gaze.

"I don't really know whose grave it is or how it came to be. All I know is that after killing the chosen man, Zhu Zhu would suck the blood from the nine orifices of her prey and send it to that grave. I asked Zhu Zhu about it, and she said it was to worship the gods and for her own reincarnation. I can't explain why, but I always feel like she's hiding something."

"So, is revenge and killing really that satisfying? Does it bring you any comfort? I know what you've suffered, but you should be taking revenge on those who harmed you. By indiscriminately killing innocent people, aren't the people you killed also wronged? Who should they seek revenge against?" Leng Ruofeng didn't want to provoke Ouyang Bingbing, so although his words were sharp, his voice was as gentle as possible.

Ouyang Bingbing lowered her head. "No, I already regretted it when I helped Zhu Zhu kill the first person. I saw the man's pitifulness, his helplessness, and his bloodied hand reaching out to me in his dying moments. I knew it was wrong, but Zhu Zhu advised me not to be soft-hearted and reminded me of what I had gone through. So I killed the second and the third." When she mentioned the third person, Zhu Zhu slowly raised her head.

"The third one is the one I saw at the hotel, right? So why did you let me go?" Leng Ruofeng asked.

"The people Zhu Zhu and I killed were almost all identified online. I don't know why, but Zhu Zhu always asked me to find men born on June 6th."

"June 6th?" Leng Ruofeng suddenly remembered the dominoes and the Xu Family Manor on them. Unfortunately, Ouyang Bingbing didn't know the details. She only knew that Zhu Zhu used one of those dominoes every time she drained men's blood. "I've personally witnessed Zhu Zhu using the dominoes while silently chanting incantations, cruelly rupturing the men's blood vessels and draining their blood from their nine orifices. I've asked her about the secret of the dominoes, but she only said it was a treasure she used for cultivation and told me not to ask too much. I always felt that she didn't use dominoes to drain blood, but rather..."

“What does it look like?” Leng Ruofeng asked immediately.

“It’s like feeding dominoes with blood,” Ouyang Bingbing replied.

"What, hello?" Leng Ruofeng was startled. Suddenly, he seemed to have thought of something, but then thought it was unlikely, so he stopped talking.

"I started to regret it. I should say, I started to regret it ever since I followed Zhu Zhu. I increasingly felt that this endless, aimless killing only made my heart emptier and my soul more restless, without any sense of relief from revenge. I spent almost every day in nightmares and pain. I often dreamed of blood-soaked people rushing at me, demanding my life." He took a sip of water, then looked up at Leng Ruofeng and said, "Ever since I met you, I've fallen deeply in love with you while chatting with you online. I needed someone to lean on, someone to confide in. I wanted to see you, yet I didn't want to see you, because seeing you would be the time to kill you. That day at the hotel, before you arrived, Zhu Zhu had already killed someone. Zhu Zhu said she wanted the blood of two people that day. But when I saw you..." Unable to control my pain, I cried for a full ten minutes in the bathroom. When I came out, you asked if the shampoo I was using was "Cyndaquil," and I was thrilled; it's my favorite scent. Especially when you called me "Bingbing," I couldn't control myself anymore, because I felt the nickname my parents used to call me—friendship and family affection intertwined within you at the same time. So I made up my mind that no matter what, I would save you. I believed you were still a virgin; ghosts usually can't harm virgins because their bodies are protected by spiritual energy. That's why I showed you that dead man, hoping you would run away in fright and escape this ordeal, so I could use Zhu Zhu as an excuse to let you escape unintentionally. Unexpectedly, Zhu Zhu intercepted you, but thankfully, as expected, you escaped danger.

The bell tolled for eleven notes. Leng Ruofeng looked up and gestured to Ouyang Bingbing that if she was tired, they could continue tomorrow. But Ouyang Bingbing insisted on finishing, as if worried that if she didn't speak today, she would never have the chance again. Leng Ruofeng had no choice but to comply.

"That night you accidentally knocked Zhu Zhu's dominoes down, and she naturally chased after you relentlessly, even going to your house to look for you the next day."

"What? My house?" Leng Ruofeng exclaimed in surprise. So the police did indeed see a female ghost. Then, was his dream real or just a dream? Leng Ruofeng wondered.

Ouyang Bingbing continued, "It seems that for some reason, it didn't work out. I think it was because they were afraid of your virginity. So Zhu Zhu wanted to use external forces to kill you, because you were a threat to her."

"You mean the car accident and the sofa thing?"

“Yes, I’ve made up my mind to save you, so I’m not worried about anything else.” After saying that, she glanced at Leng Ruofeng. “However, even though she didn’t succeed, two days later she found another domino. It seems that she can’t kill without the domino, or rather, killing is meaningless.”

“I have a general understanding now. So, what about the man who persecuted the Zhu sisters? He is the one who deserves to die the most, so why did he wait until today to make his move?” Leng Ruo asked.

"I don't know either. I think it's because Zhu Zhu is reluctant to part with her."