School of Humanities

Chapter 5

"Okay, I came here to ask you for your library card for the humanities building library."

Magpie Bridge Fairy

Reply [18]: Okay, I'll give it to you right away? By the way, did you find out anything last night? "He's really a good friend, he gave me the library card without even asking me anything."

I took it and replied, "I almost died. Do you think I found anything?" Then, I ran out while he looked at me with a puzzled expression.

--

I arrived at the Arts Building quite early, before the library doors opened. Sunlight streamed in from a clever angle. Looking through the glass doors, I saw rows of books neatly arranged, clearly demonstrating the Arts Building's responsible management of its library.

Even so, I always felt a sense of gloom inside. Dust motes swirled haphazardly in the light, yet they gave me a strange feeling of peace. Gloom and light coexisted beautifully within it.

I turned left from the library's main entrance, walked up a small staircase, and was startled to find the library directly opposite the entrance to the Arts Building. A sense of unease welled up inside me, making me feel like someone was standing behind me. Of course, I looked back several times, only to find nothing but silence. Sometimes my fears lead me to imagine ghosts and monsters. I am a scholar of Taoism, so of course I understand this principle, yet I still feel this fear for no reason.

I walked down the stairs and observed the main gate carefully for the first time during the day. Actually, what Li Zheng's letter that Huang Hua showed me was right. Looking out from here, wisps of yin energy drifted from the direction of Yongfang Hall, but were blocked by the glass at the door. In fact, not opening the main gate could reduce the yin energy in the Arts Building, but from another perspective, it would also cause the yin energy to concentrate at the door.

A question suddenly occurred to me, so I ran to the gate, squatted down, and carefully observed it. Sure enough, I found seven extremely tiny holes in the very center of the gate, arranged in the shape of the Seven Stars. Taoist teachings say: "The Seven Stars represent gathering and scattering." The famous Seven Star Sword of the past was probably forged based on this principle. But in this place where yin energy gathers, someone actually arranged it this way; the wickedness of this person is truly evident.

I was engrossed in watching when a hoarse female voice came from outside the door, startling me. I quickly jumped back, about to speak, when I looked up and saw it was a cleaning lady.

I let out a heavy sigh of relief, but the female worker shouted, "What the hell? So early in the morning? Are you crazy?" As she spoke, she took out her key to open the door.

I quickly said, "Big sister, don't open the door!"

She was taken aback and asked me, "What??" She looked me up and down. "Who are you?"

"In short, whatever you do, don't open this door." I didn't explain, and even if I did, I wouldn't know where to begin.

She laughed and said, "Who do you think you are? The dean just told me a few days ago that I could open the door here and go in, saying it would make it easier for me to clean." "Huh? The dean told you to open it?" I was surprised again.

“Yeah, so who do you think you are?” she said, inserting the key into the spool.

"Don't open it! The dean is dead!" I stopped her again.

"What?" Her hand trembled, and she involuntarily pulled out the key.

"Phew... Big sister, when did the dean tell you to open the door?" I asked her, perhaps this matter was more complicated than Li Xie and I had imagined.

"Just a few days ago," she replied casually, seemingly lost in thought.

"How many days is it exactly?" I really needed her confirmation.

“Well, well…” She thought about it seriously for a moment and said, “Three days ago, yes, I opened it for the first time three days ago.”

"Has he said anything else to you?"

"Yes, he told me that if he's not here anymore, this door can no longer be opened."

Oh, I see. I think I understand now.

The cleaning lady left after I persuaded her, and I immediately ran upstairs to the second floor.

The library was already open, and the librarian was working diligently, as if all disasters would vanish in the world of knowledge. Was this fantasy, or unrealistic expectation? I didn't know. I pretended to be an ordinary reader, searching for what I needed among the books.

The librarian was a very young person, and I figured people like that would be easier to talk to, since finding a copy of "A History of Ancient Chinese Literature" in a sea of books could be a bit of a challenge. So I pretended to search intently for a while, then went over and asked her, "Excuse me, do you have 'A History of Ancient Chinese Literature' here?"

Magpie Bridge Fairy

Reply [19]: "Yes," she smiled brightly at me, "the number is g-0971, in the Chinese Literature category."

"Oh, thank you." I quickly turned around and went in the direction she pointed.

She smiled sweetly at me and said, "You don't need to rush. Take your time looking. Or I can help you."

"Oh," I stopped and looked at her carefully. I found that she was actually very beautiful, but my fear had extinguished my appreciation for her beauty. "You are so beautiful." "Hehe, thank you." She looked at me like an angel, which made me let go of my anxiety.

"What's your name?" I knew this wasn't the time to meet a girl, but I couldn't help but ask, "My name is Xiaotao, what's yours?"

"I'm Lin Wei. Okay, you go ahead and do your thing. I need to start looking for books now."

She agreed, and I headed towards the Chinese literature section. I searched all the way to the very back, finally finding about ten books neatly arranged on the second-to-last row. I took them down one by one and quickly flipped through them, hoping to find the diary of Li Zheng that Chen Penghai had mentioned.

After about ten minutes, I had already flipped through them all once, but still found nothing. I thought to myself, perhaps to avoid the female ghost, the paper would be very small, so I searched again very carefully, turning the pages one by one, but still found nothing.

"What are you looking for?" Xiao Tao came to my side, realizing that my purpose was unusual.

"It's nothing, I'll just look around." I smiled, though I think the smile was probably forced.

“Oh,” she stepped closer and said, “you were lying, weren’t you?”

"This..." Should I tell her that there are ghosts here, and that I'm here to investigate ghosts?

"You don't need to beat around the bush anymore. What you're looking for might be in my hands." She smiled mysteriously.

"You really know? Who exactly are you?" My expression changed, because I was truly terrified of the so-called blood curse.

"Hey, maybe, maybe you are the reincarnation of my grandfather? How old are you this year?"

She didn't answer my question; instead, she lowered her head and asked me the same question.

"Your grandfather? How old am I? What does that have to do with anything?" I still looked at her with suspicion.

“My grandfather was Jia Dao, but he has been dead for 21 years.”

"Jia Dao?"

She took a step closer to me and said, "Do you know what this place used to be?"

I heard this from a group of old men, so I said, "I know, he's a wealthy businessman surnamed Jia... Is he your grandfather?" This time I have to say it's amazing; the world is often full of surprises.

“That’s right, so I know about Hu Xiaodie. I’ve also heard that a lot has happened here these past few days, and I was just thinking about what to do when I unexpectedly ran into you. You must have been sent by my grandfather, because you look a lot like his portrait when he was young. How old are you this year?”

I laughed sheepishly and said, "Exactly 21."

I reached out and shook her hand. As our fingertips touched, a sense of peace welled up in my mind, while my body felt like a river without a dam, a surge of energy flowing from my fingertips into hers. We both shuddered simultaneously, exclaiming, "Lotus Heart Mantra? (Bodhidharma Mantra?)" -- I didn't let go, just quietly looked at her. Her lotus heart energy met my Bodhidharma energy within my body, and as if alive, they automatically intertwined.

I took a step back, looking at her with some surprise. Although she carried Jia Dao's secret, which was connected to the extremely yin-heavy Wenke Building, it wasn't impossible for her to have learned magic. But the fact that she had learned the Lotus Heart Mantra meant that, like me, she came from Maoshan. But I remembered the Taoist priest who taught me magic saying that Maoshan didn't teach women. So how did she learn the Lotus Heart Mantra?

Seeing the doubt in my eyes, she smiled slightly and said, "Don't ask where the Little Escape Lotus Heart Mantra came from. You just need to know that I am your friend, not your enemy."

I nodded in agreement. I knew that when someone was unwilling to speak, there must be a reason, whether it was out of good intentions or bad. I felt a sense of closeness to Xiao Tao, so I completely trusted her.

Seeing that I nodded, she beckoned me to follow her. She glanced towards the doorway, knowing that no one should be here so early, and led me to the southwest corner of the wall. She pushed the bookshelf outwards with force, creating a gap of about ten centimeters. She squatted down, her left hand groping along the wooden panel against the wall. After about two minutes, she said, "Done," and actually pulled out a small wooden strip about ten centimeters long from about three feet off the ground.

Magpie Bridge Fairy

Reply [20]: She took out the wooden strip, stood up, made a hole at the top with her fingernail, then broke it into two pieces, revealing a sheet of A4 paper hidden inside. She took out the paper and said to me, “Lin Wei, I found this half a year ago. At that time, it was still tucked in the book ‘History of Ancient Chinese Literature’, but firstly, I was afraid that it would be discovered by someone and cause everyone to feel uneasy; secondly, I found that the yin energy inside was extremely strong, and ordinary people might be affected by it, so I hid it in this way.”

Oh, I see. No wonder I couldn't find it. So, could Chen Penghai's death also be related to this? Of course, this is just speculation.

Seeing that I was engrossed in the book, she said to me, "Lin Wei, take a look. Come and talk to me after you're done."

"Oh, this is..." Before I could finish speaking, she waved her hand and walked away.

I flipped the paper over and saw that it contained the truth about what Li Zheng had discovered, which Chen Penghai hadn't had.

"On October 14th, at 2 AM, unable to bear it any longer, I finally decided to sneak into the Arts Building. Later, I actually saw Dean Li Haitao dismembering Zhang Xue. Just as I was about to confront the dean, the mysterious female ghost finally appeared—it was Huang Jing, whom I deeply loved. And what about Shan Liang? Where did Shan Liang go?"

Huang Jing was acting strangely; she was covered in blood. Based on my deduction, it was likely the Panlong Blood Curse, forbidden by Taoism. Records state that the Panlong Blood Curse causes the victim to bleed from every pore of their body until death, and the flowing blood can also obscure the person's true form. Therefore, when Zhang Xue bled at the gate, only the Dharma Eye could see it.

I won't say much more. When I fought her just now, I was hit by her blood arrow, and my left hand is now bleeding. I guess I don't have long to live. Those who are destined to read this book should seek out a wise master with the heart of eliminating demons and send 'Ancient Rain' to break it.

Li Zheng's last words.

--I repeatedly pondered Li Zheng's last words, and with the words of Li Xie, Chen Penghai, Huang Hua, and Li Haitao, an unbelievable idea vaguely lingered in my mind, but I just lacked the main thread to clear away the fog and see the truth.

I vaguely knew that if things were truly as complicated as I thought, then I, a so-called Taoist priest, would be utterly incapable of handling them. But where was my master now?

Just when I was at my wit's end, Xiao Tao came over, gently patted my shoulder, and asked, "Lin Wei, have you found the clue you're looking for?"

I smiled bitterly, waved my hand, and said, "I know far more than in his brief last words, but the truth is like a cunning rabbit, disappearing without a trace just as I was about to reach out."

Seeing that I didn't seem to be lying, she said, "Actually, I don't really believe this suicide note either, because it's not only brief, but it also doesn't seem to address the matter itself. Besides, the truth I know comes from my grandfather, and it has nothing to do with Huang Jing and the others he mentioned." She spoke very casually, as if everything was under her control.

She and I were quite similar, so I wasn't surprised by her words and actions. I thought for a while and then said, "Then can you tell me the truth that you know?"

She replied "Okay," turned and walked to the control desk, opened a drawer, and took out a black and white photograph. I followed behind and saw that the photograph she took out was already a bit yellowed. She handed the photograph to me, and I reached out to take it, speechless with astonishment, exclaiming, "Isn't that me?"

She chuckled softly and said, "Don't be so conceited. Why would I keep your photo? This is a picture of my grandfather when he was young. Because you look so much like him, that's why I said you were sent by my grandfather." Oh, I see. Looking at the photo of myself, the same person I see every day, I felt a little lost about life. Life is truly ironic; after all the twists and turns, perhaps the final destination is nothing more than our starting point.

Seeing that I was engrossed in watching, she coughed lightly and said, "Hey, why are you looking so silly?"

"Um... I'm fine," I said sheepishly. Perhaps it was because so many things had happened recently that I had become much slower to react.

"Alright, I'm going to talk about my grandfather now. Listen carefully and don't daydream." She pouted her little lips, looking very serious, but her adorable expression was completely revealed. I was startled and quickly replied, "I'm all ears."

She chuckled, about to say something, but seeing me staring intently at her, her face flushed red. However, a thought flashed through her mind, and she met my gaze instead, saying, "My grandfather, Jia Dao, is not my biological grandfather. My father is an orphan he adopted."

Magpie Bridge Fairy

Reply [21]: She looked at me, as if asking if I understood, or like a storyteller who needs a reaction, and I nodded quickly.

She continued, "Okay, now let me tell you my grandfather's story, which I also heard from my father."

“My grandfather was from Guangzhou and ran a silk fabric business, so he was always traveling around. In the spring of 1915, he met someone he would never forget, and that person was the one who changed my grandfather’s fate.”

"Hu Xiaodie?"

She gave him an approving look and continued, "You're right, it's Hu Xiaodie. My grandfather started that flirtatious relationship with her because he was bored with the journey. But the more time he spent with her, the more he couldn't extricate himself. Later, he found that seeing her twice a month was no longer enough to ease his longing. So my grandfather secretly built a villa, and that villa was the predecessor of the Arts Building."

I suddenly thought of a question, so I asked, "Where is Hu Xiaodie from?"

"Why are you asking this, you Fujianese?" she asked curiously.

Sure enough, only the Fujian dialect is mixed with Hakka and Teochew accents. According to my deduction, we may be just one step away from the truth.

"It's nothing, go on," I said. Before the truth is clear, I can't tell anyone my deductions.

“Yes,” she nodded and said, “Although it was a patriarchal society back then, it wasn’t very ‘patriarchal’ in my grandfather’s family because his business was built on his father-in-law’s financial support. So, my grandfather was caught in a dilemma. On the one hand, he really wanted to give Hu Xiaodie a proper status, but on the other hand, he was afraid of his wife, Shan Fangfang, and could only secretly meet with Hu Xiaodie.”

"What? The wife's surname is Shan?"

"Yes, is there a problem?"

I smiled wryly and said, "Now there are really a lot of problems."

She blinked, looked at me incredulously, and asked, "What problem could make you look like this?"

I gave an awkward laugh and waved my hands, saying, "Actually, it's not a problem, it's just... nothing really. Please continue."

She responded with an "Mmm," and although her eyes were full of suspicion, she continued talking.

“One autumn night in the fourth year of the Republic of China, my grandfather made an excuse to go out to discuss business and rushed here to meet Hu Xiaodie. However, my grandfather said that he should not have gone out that night, because he later found out that Shan Fangfang was pregnant.”

Yes, a woman, especially during the Republican era, would be tolerant of her man even if she had complete control over the economy. Unless, of course, she would genuinely want her man to stay by her side.

Xiao Tao sat down on the chair, looked up at me, and continued, "When Grandpa arrived at Yidie Tower, which was here at the time, before he could even hug He Xiaodie, Shan Fangfang and the housekeeper broke in."