Ghost Stories - Chapter 44
A phone rang, and Shi Xin, still somewhat distracted, pulled her hand away from Gu Feng's forehead and answered the phone: "Hello."
"Shixin, what exactly happened? Why did the Taoist temple end up like this?" The man's voice rose eight octaves, clearly indicating his anger.
Shixin exclaimed incredulously, "Dad!"
Yuan Hong shouted, "Answer me quickly, what exactly is going on?"
Shixin became nervous and stammered, "Actually... well, this matter can't be explained in a short time. Dad, where are you? Let's talk face to face."
"Where else could I be? Of course, I'm at the Sandao Society."
"San Dao She!" Shi Xin exclaimed in surprise, "Then...did you see anything you shouldn't have seen...?"
"There's nothing here that I should be seeing!"
...
Shi Xin put down the phone, and Gu Feng, having overheard her conversation, roughly guessed who it was: "The bishop is back?"
Shixin nodded: "Mm."
Xiaobing: "If he and the president saw the current state of the Taoist Society, they would definitely go crazy."
Ah Mao: "Then how do we explain it to him? Should we just say it was caused by ghosts or monsters?"
Gu Feng: "They'd be a fool to believe that!"
Shi Xin: "Gu Feng, are you feeling alright now? Going to the San Dao Society shouldn't be a problem?"
He nodded in a classical style.
Soon, four people appeared in the main passageway of the Sandao Society. In front of the Taekwondo gym, which was almost in ruins, stood two people with doubts and worries. Who else could they be but the headmaster Yuan Hong and the president of the Sandao Society, He Feizhi?
As soon as Yuan Hong saw them, he shouted from afar, "Give me a reasonable explanation. How did all this happen?"
Shi Xin said seriously, "If I tell you the truth, I'm sure you two will think it's absurd!"
He Feizhi asked in surprise, "Oh? Tell me about it."
Looking at her father's slightly tense face, who was staring intently at her seeking an answer, Shixin slowly uttered four words: "A ghost...is...spreading...spirits!"
"Absurd!" the two exclaimed almost simultaneously.
Shixin waved her hand: "I wasn't wrong, was I?"
Yuan Hong was surprised and doubtful: "But... what you're saying seems a bit too far-fetched."
Gu Feng, seeing the dome of the dome that had been ripped off, said meaningfully, "Does the bishop think this is because of a missile attack?"
Yuan Hong: "I'd rather believe that's the case. Hey, when did you start getting a new look, Gu Feng? Not bad, a bald head suits you quite well."
Gu Feng scratched his head: "Speaking of my hair, it's also directly related to that ghost."
He Feizhi: "Can't you talk about something more plausible? What era are we living in? How could ghost stories possibly exist? No one would believe it if you tried to fool them."
Xiaobing said, "President, we're not lying to you, there really are ghosts. Also, that... senior brother of the karate club, the one called Kexing, has also become a ghost. He's the one who made Daoka look like this."
Yuan Hong looked at the completely destroyed reinforced concrete building behind him: "You mean... all this destruction was caused by him alone?"
Xiaobing nodded without hesitation: "Not only that, even the rest of us, if we hadn't run fast and been lucky last night, we wouldn't have been able to meet you two today."
Although they spoke with great conviction and seemed to have a serious attitude, people who don't believe in supernatural things usually won't accept such talk unless they've experienced it firsthand. He Feizhi and Yuan Hong have always been atheists, so it would be very difficult to convince them, no matter how convincingly Shixin and the others spoke.
The two men exchanged bewildered glances. While they harbored considerable skepticism about the explanation, the scene before them was undeniably bizarre. Such destructive power—if it were truly man-made, perhaps a missile was used, as Gu Feng had suggested? Furthermore, they noticed something strange: despite the severe damage, a visceral judgment suggested that the destruction had occurred in an instant, something that heavy machinery like bulldozers could never achieve. There was no smell or trace of gunpowder at the scene, ruling out the possibility of an explosive attack. Apart from these factors, there seemed to be no other plausible explanation. Perhaps what they said was true—the work of a ghost?
With no other reasonable explanation available, they had no choice but to temporarily and helplessly accept Gu Feng's "absurd" statement.
"Where are they? What about the thousands of people in the Taoist temple? You're not trying to tell me that apart from the four of you, they were all swallowed by ghosts, are you?" He Feizhi asked.
Gu Feng shrugged: "They ran away. They all ran away the day the strange thing happened. Not a single one was left."
Yuan Hong frowned: "Did those bishops and assistant bishops also run away?"
Gu Feng nodded: "After all, ghosts are often something that humans cannot fight against. Even if those coaches are black belts and have outstanding abilities, they have no choice but to run away because of their human instincts."
He Feizhi's expression was extremely unpleasant. The Sandao Society, which he had worked hard for several years and invested all his savings to build, was ruined by the absurd ghost they were talking about in just a few days while he was away on a business trip.
This is unacceptable.
"No, I don't believe any of this is true."
Gu Feng looked at this "emperor" who used to wield immense power in the San Dao Society with a strange gaze, but now seemed to be going crazy and trying to deny reality: "I understand how you feel. I felt the same way when I learned about my parents' accident. I don't want to comfort you. Money is just an external thing after all. Take it easy."
Yuan Hong was clearly taken aback: "Gu Feng, what did you say? Zheng Tian...they..."
Gu Feng forced a bitter smile: "He's passed away!"
Yuan Hong stood there, stunned. What was he feeling? A friend he'd known since elementary school was gone, just like that, with those three words, spoken with a bitter smile, in a classical style?
Yuan Hong suddenly laughed: "You're not kidding, are you?"
Gu Feng was still forcing a bitter smile, but they could clearly see tears welling up in his eyes: "What do you think?"
Yuan Hong closed his eyes. This year has truly been a turbulent one! Old friend, are you really... no longer here?
An eventful autumn
Gu Yuehan, July 4th, 19:26
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Chapter 75 of Volume 3: Reflecting on Cause and Effect
Gu Feng also closed his eyes.
"Mom and Dad, don't worry, I will do my best to bring you back to life!"
Next, Shixin gave the two a brief account of what had happened in the past few days, leaving them stunned. They almost began to wonder if what Shixin was saying was a plot from some supernatural novel (hehe, the novel is called "Ghost Talk"). In today's scientifically-driven civilized world, what she said was simply unbelievable and inconceivable.
Gu Feng looked at the two people's suspicious eyes and said, "I know it's hard for you to accept, you don't understand, and you're very skeptical. Turn your eyes to look at the streetlights over there."
The two of them hesitated for a moment, then turned their attention to a street lamp a dozen meters away to their left. Even Shi Xin and the other two were curious about what tricks Gu Feng was up to, so they turned their attention to it.
Gu Feng's tone was calm: "You must know that supernatural powers exist."
The Spiritual Fire Spell was now second nature to him. He silently chanted the incantation, then let out a loud shout and pushed his palm forward like the wind. A blazing yellow fireball roared from in front of Gu Feng's palm and hurtled towards the street lamp with speed faster than a bullet. With a crack, the three-meter-high lamppost snapped in two, thick black smoke still billowing from the cut...
They both froze, and at that moment, they must have been thinking at the same time, "Am I dreaming? A scene that only happens in movies or novels is actually happening right before my eyes?"
Although they had seen Gu Feng display his supernatural abilities many times, it was almost always when he was on the verge of death and his mind was already dulled. Seeing Gu Feng show off his abilities so clearly now was a completely different experience. The astonishment of Shi Xin and the other two seemed to be no less than that of Yuan Hong and the other two. A Mao murmured with his mouth agape, "Amazing...amazing...Brother Feng, you must teach me."
Gu Feng smiled and looked at Yuan Hong and the other man: "If... please explain it scientifically, what is the explanation for the move I just used?"
He Feizhi murmured, "It seems that superpowers really do exist!"
Gu Feng: "Don't be surprised. What's coming next might completely disrupt and turn your thinking upside down. Just remember one thing... nothing is certain. The unknown does not mean it doesn't exist!"
Yuan Hong stared intently at his apprentice, who looked even more childish than before because of his shaved head: "Gu Feng, you've grown up!"
Gu Feng slightly raised the corners of his mouth twice, but ultimately did not laugh.
Faced with this situation, can we still act as recklessly and ignorantly as before?
One wrong move, and your life could end in the next moment...
The supernatural is a realm I know nothing about. I even tried to prove its falsehood before. Now that I think about it, my actions were indeed a bit ridiculous. Perhaps it is really as that old man said: every effect has a cause, and things will turn around when they reach their extreme!
Is all of this happening to me because of my own ignorance?
Gu Feng thought of Zheng Yangzi and his words: everything is preordained, and perhaps he really shouldn't care about anything. If he perseveres, he will achieve final victory!
Thinking about cause and effect
Gu Yuehan, July 6, 15:08
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Volume 3 is finished.
At this point, Yuehan really should consider what to do next. After listening to so many suggestions from friends on QQ, she summarized the following shortcomings of Ghost Talk:
The central idea is not clear enough, and the structure of the article is too scattered.
1. The plot is too simple, and it often ends before it can express the mood that the reader wants to see, making it impossible for the reader to immerse themselves in the story.
2. The atmosphere of terror is insufficient, and it lacks a strong sense of excitement.
3. The characters' personalities are not clearly expressed; the protagonist is really annoying. (Yue Han disagrees with this view.)
4. Slow update speed.
With a few exceptions, most of the points raised are quite correct. The reasons are: 1. Yuehan was writing ghost stories for the first time and lacked experience. 2. Her motivation for writing was purely spontaneous; apart from a few key events, the story wasn't planned in advance. 3. She lacked inspiration when she had time, and lacked time when she had inspiration, coupled with her inherent laziness.
I didn't expect to write so much at first, and I didn't expect that some friends would actually like it. Since that's the case, Yuehan certainly can't keep wasting everyone's time with empty words. I haven't figured out the development path for Volume 4 yet, so please give me some more time. Slow and steady wins the race, right? Besides, the editing of the new book is in full swing right now, and I also have to work, so time is tight. I hope everyone will continue to support me and not give up on Ghost Talk just because there won't be any updates for the next few days...
Hopefully, Volume 4 will bring a new breakthrough!
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Chapter 76 of Volume 4: Unrest
It was early winter, and the wind on the street was getting increasingly fierce. Although the two club presidents had tried to persuade them, they were still determined to reorganize the Sandao Club. Gu Feng didn't want to discourage them, and since further discussion would be pointless, he felt that he had been feeling too depressed these days. So he took Shi Xin and went for a stroll in the city center.
As a man, he naturally didn't enjoy shopping like most people. What he sought was the feeling of being surrounded by a large, bustling crowd. Although he wasn't fighting alone these days, he hadn't felt that kind of liveliness in a long time.
As Gu Feng and Shi Xin moved through the crowds, watching the men and women, some with purpose and others strolling leisurely, a feeling of alienation suddenly welled up in their hearts. Yes, society was still running along its original trajectory, but they were like planets that had deviated from their orbits. They could either correct themselves through their own abilities or... say goodbye to their home planet forever.
Gu Feng suddenly saw a familiar figure flash by in the crowd. Perhaps he wouldn't have noticed it before, but now his eyesight has improved by leaps and bounds, and he has an unknown, burgeoning power. Even though the shadow only vaguely swept past his eyes, he still recognized it without revealing a trace.
Gu Feng strode forward and put his arm around the man's shoulder: "Zhuangzi."
Zhuang Yu was startled (try how you would react if someone suddenly grabbed your shoulder on the street), and turned around: "Gu Feng?"
"If it's not me, then who is it? How have you been lately?"
Zhuang Yu shrugged: "What else can I do? I can't learn Taekwondo, so I'm not interested in anything else. On the other hand, my parents aren't in a hurry for me to earn money for their retirement, so I just wander around aimlessly!"
Gu Feng naturally thought of his parents lying stiffly in the ice coffin and said with a wry smile, "You, on the other hand, are living a very leisurely life."
Zhuang Yu didn't notice the strange expression on Gu Feng's face at all: "How is the Taoist Society now? I heard from the fellow disciples that it's haunted. I went back the day before yesterday and saw a dark shadow that almost scared me to death. Gu Feng, since you're so brave, you should go back and take a look when you have the chance."
Gu Feng smiled wryly again: "I've already gone back."
Zhuang Yu's eyes widened: "Did you see anything?"
Gu Feng shook his head against his will and said, "Hehe, it's just bad luck. I didn't see any ghosts when I went back. I accidentally destroyed the dojo."
Zhuang Yu's face clearly said three words: "You're bragging!"