The Ghost Lips' Unforgettable Kiss

Chapter 5

As I stood up to leave, a sudden gust of night wind blew a thick, fog-like substance onto my face and shoulders. I grabbed a few strands and slowly turned around, my gaze meeting that of a dark shadow. What I was holding was a woman's long hair. I was no longer surprised; it was the faceless woman in black, with only a hint of red lips—or perhaps a ghost. I slowly released my grip, and the strands of hair slipped away as I watched in astonishment. She lowered her head, raised her hand, and handed me a small cloth bag, which I accepted blankly. My eyes, however, remained fixed on her hand. I saw clearly: she only had three fingers.

"Who are you? What is this thing?"

I suddenly realized the cloth bag in my hand and asked in a daze. There was no answer. Far from harming me as I had imagined, the female ghost's long hair flowed out like a lotus leaf under the moonlight, and she turned towards the ghost infants. Only then did I notice that she was not as terrifying as I had seen in the video, nor was she without a lower body. Instead, she had a perfectly exquisite body, so slender that it stunned me. If I hadn't never seen her eyes and face, I would have truly thought she was the most beautiful woman in the ancient palace.

Chapter Thirteen: The Female Ghost CD

Those embroidered shoes were still so beautiful. In the dark night, for the first time, they felt familiar to me because they were on the feet of a beautiful woman. She had a graceful figure, a pretty skirt, and a gentle touch. She couldn't be a malevolent ghost, I firmly believed.

The ghost infants gathered around her, and she cradled them like a mother hen protecting her chicks. Among them was a slightly larger "girl," who, like her, had only long hair, no arms, and a frail, slender silhouette. The ghost infants and she walked silently toward the archives. As they walked, the ghost infants turned back and smiled at me, especially the girl without a jaw, who had beautiful, large eyes and was also trying to smile. But that inexplicable flaw made her smile heartbreaking. That was the first time I felt pity for a terrifying ghost with human kindness.

Although the heartbreaking deformity made my heart tremble, I still admired the female ghost's tenacity. I now understand that what was most frightening in this dark building was probably the intrusion of people. Perhaps the female ghost was afraid that her ghost babies would be persecuted, which is why I experienced so much terror! But were those footsteps upstairs hers?

The faceless female ghost in front of me walks silently, so why are those terrifying footsteps so real? Is there another vengeful ghost wandering in the building? Why was the small-eyed doorwoman hanged? Was it suicide or murder? Did she die today, or did she, like my Sister Zhen, have her soul departed two years ago? Why did this beautiful female ghost in the black dress give me a cloth bag? What's inside...?

"Hey, you little rascal, you've been here for so long, it's already 10:15!"

I was startled awake by a booming voice. When I turned around, I recognized the voices of the people who had come. It was my leader, Captain Ji, and two new members, Lu Ying and Xuan Lin, who had come to find me.

"Sorry, Captain, I... it's too dark in this building, I'm a little lost."

I didn't dare mention the word "ghost," because he wouldn't believe it.

"Lost? Don't tell me it's haunted again. Don't let your imagination run wild, go on patrol now."

"Yes, Captain."

"Patrolling is not child's play. You must arrive at your post on time, not a second late. We are dealing with sophisticated criminals, and we are protecting the honor of our country, understand?... Here, take this weapon."

After a lecture, the captain handed me a black pistol.

Will it work?

"Yes, I am still a sharpshooter, but I was in police academy and haven't had any real combat experience."

"Wow! Tough guy, I really need to spar with you sometime!"

"How can anyone compare to the captain!"

"Don't flatter me. If you can't show real strength when dealing with criminals, nothing I say will help."

After speaking, Captain Ji was about to lead me away. I hesitated for a moment, then stammered out my concerns:

"Just now in the elevator, a woman hanged herself, and she's still hanging there."

"What? Someone's dead? There's nobody here at night!"

"I think she's beyond saving... Should we call an ambulance?"

As soon as the words left my mouth, I regretted it. An ambulance? The small-eyed female corpse had heavy bruising on her neck. I studied forensic medicine and she should have been dead long ago. But if I stammered like this, wouldn't the captain suspect that I was involved in the case?

"Are you telling the truth? Is the person in the elevator right now?"

"Yes, I was planning to call the police."

Who was the deceased?

"He seems to be a gatekeeper."

"This is an electronic checkpoint, there's nobody here, you little brat..."

The captain grumbled and pulled me to the elevator. Strangely, the elevator was completely empty. Captain Ji glared at me angrily.

"You need to know the police discipline from now on. Talking nonsense will get you fired!"

"I did see a woman... but I don't know how she disappeared again..."

"Can a dead person untie their ropes and run away? It's simply..."

He was furious and scorned my dishonesty. He yelled at the three of us officers:

"Next time, no matter who it is, if they mention that nonsense again, don't blame me for giving them a zero on the assessment."

I knew what he meant: a zero score meant I'd have to go back to police academy, which would mean losing my job opportunity in Beijing. But I clearly saw the hanged woman, so why so quickly…? No, when I glanced at the elevator floor, a faint trace of liquid was still visible, which convinced me that my experience wasn't a hallucination. That trace was the liquid left by the hanged woman—perhaps saliva or bodily fluids—direct evidence of my belief. However, I didn't dare persist, so I remained silent and went with the captain and the others to the Forbidden City for their shift.

On the way, my hand, tucked into my pocket, tightly clutched the CD—a crucial piece of evidence retrieved from the filing cabinet of coffin number 1644. The other was the cloth bag the black-clad female ghost had given me. As I walked, I secretly opened it; the touch told me it contained another CD. A question immediately arose in my mind: could the things the female ghost gave me also be video materials?

Chapter Fourteen: The Shadow in the Public Toilet

We ventured into the depths of the Forbidden City under the cover of night, and the team leader remained silent throughout the journey. Soon we arrived at the Chuxiu Palace, the former residence of Empress Dowager Cixi.

Outside the palace walls, a group of people were busily working. Apparently, several fire brigades had been conducting fire drills at Chuxiu Palace all summer, but today a film crew from a movie studio had suddenly taken over – I had no prior knowledge of this. It's already 11 PM, and they're still working so hard on filming?

A director wearing a distinctive hat came over to greet us. Captain Ji spoke with him for a few minutes, and then the captain left me on set to guard the film crew, making sure they didn't damage the Forbidden City's architecture. I had some doubts, but I couldn't admit to suspecting these people, so I agreed. The captain, along with Lu Ying and Xuan Lin, went to inspect the Forbidden City's archives, a very important area. In a few days, the Palace Museum's 80th anniversary celebration would be grandly unveiled, and there were already rumors that the "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" scroll, considered a national treasure, would be on a nationwide tour. Security was extremely tight at the moment.

The first time I watched a film shoot on location, dozens of people were bustling around outside the old walls of the Forbidden City. Of course, the men's interests weren't about looking at the director's strange hat; they were at least eyeing the female lead. It was a kind of voyeuristic enjoyment. No matter what kind of film it was, pretty girls were never a rare sight. However, because I was suspicious of where these people came from, I secretly held a gun in my hand, watching them act with the male lead while cautiously observing the surroundings for any possible developments.

The beautiful girl, seemingly playing a princess, was captivatingly beautiful. From a distance, she appeared like a fairy. Soon, the Qing Dynasty drama reached its climax, with the male and female leads embracing and kissing. The long braids of the Qing Dynasty and the small braids of the young girls swayed in my hormone-fueled eyes. Gradually, I became distracted, my vision blurring. Suddenly, I noticed a discordant scene on this harmonious filming set: several palace maids, also dressed in Qing Dynasty attire, were perched on the wall, silently watching. I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. How did they climb such a high wall? And their bodies seemed to be inside the Chuxiu Palace, only their upper bodies exposed. How could they stand without any support? Were they female members of the film crew? How mischievous! I wanted to go up and persuade them to come down, but just then, my gaze met that of the female lead filming the romantic scene. I couldn't help but shudder. She looked so much like someone—perhaps it was my cousin, Pang Zhen.

An ominous feeling washed over me, and I started backing away, trying to avoid this strange film crew, when I bumped into a prop man.

"Officer, why are you stopping watching? Wasn't it exciting enough?"

"Ah, that's great, but I need to use the restroom."

"Oh, you're really enjoying this, aren't you! We're all men here, I understand how you feel! Hang in there, the best is yet to come!"

"Oh no, you misunderstood, I really need to use the restroom."

I was somewhat frightened by the man's lewd gaze. However, he didn't seem to notice my evasive words and continued:

"There's a public restroom in the back. Watch out, don't drop your pistol in there!"

He made a joke, but then glanced at me with a peculiar look. I felt a little strange and tried to close my eyes to avoid looking at him, but the image of him in my mind suddenly changed. His lewd eyes seemed like a bloody hole. I opened them in fright, trembling all over. When I turned around again, he was gone. I thought he had gone to the film set, so I rushed over, following his directions, pretending to go to the toilet. As soon as I got there, I didn't want to go in. The toilet was pitch black with only a dim light inside. Since it was an internal spare toilet, its exterior was very simple and rustic, with weeds growing on the roof, hidden deep within the dark palace walls.

I suddenly recalled what the man had said earlier, "Watch out for the pistol!" and I couldn't help but feel nervous. Maybe he was warning me that a thief might be coming in? I gripped my gun tightly and didn't go in. Instead, I slipped to the side, wanting to observe the film crew from a different angle.

Just then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a red shadow in the toilet. Glancing sideways into the toilet, a round lantern flickered in front of me! It was a palace lantern! ...What modern Forbidden City toilets have such a thing? Looking inside the toilet again, a black shadow suddenly appeared and was walking out. My heart immediately started pounding, and I involuntarily drew my pistol and released the safety.

Who's inside?

No one answered. Could it be a trick by the thief? There could be thieves in any corner of the Forbidden City. Whoever they are, I'll go in first—that's an ironclad rule. Thinking this, I suddenly sprinted into the restroom.

I saw a tall man with his back to me, looking at a long scroll painting inside. I immediately thought, "That's something like 'Along the River During the Qingming Festival'!" Then it suddenly dawned on me—he was pretending to come to the restroom; he must be a painting thief.

"Don't move! Put the painting down, I'm a police officer!"

The shadowy figure, seeing me approach, didn't panic. Instead, it suddenly stood up, turned around, and raised its weapon at my head—it had a gun! Facing a criminal, I'm someone who remains calm under pressure. In police academy, during target practice, I always got headshots with a single shot. The instant he turned and raised his gun, my shot rang out:

Bang!……

The bullet pierced his palm and struck him squarely in the chest. The man raised his head, clutching the blood flowing from his chest, staring at me in terror, before collapsing... When I could finally see his eyes clearly, I was immediately filled with dread.

Is that Qi Silong? My fellow alumnus!

"It's you?!"

I screamed and rushed forward to hug him, but just then, he staggered backward into the toilet and fell into the latrine.

"Big brother!"

I shouted anxiously and rushed outside, hoping to find a latrine to save him, but it was pitch black and I couldn't see anything. When I went back inside, the eerie palace lantern had gone out. I immediately turned on the flashlight the captain had given me, but there was nothing there. Where was the light? Everything was as if nothing had happened. Why the hell was that?

I know nothing happened; there was no blood on the ground, which means I was hallucinating or seeing a ghost. But one thing did happen: one bullet was missing from my pistol, and I couldn't find any bullet marks on the wall.

I saw a ghost? Why is that? My pistol is missing a bullet, how am I supposed to explain this to my superiors? I can say I hit the toilet, but where's the bullet? Who would believe my lies! Why did I shoot? What was the target? … I was terrified, sweating profusely. The police force's strict discipline doesn't allow for ghost stories; I'm facing the most rigorous investigation.

Chapter Fifteen: The Fragrance of Locust Blossoms Returns

I wanted to call the captain, but hesitation and fear prevailed. I worried that he wouldn't believe me, but would also scold me for being forgetful, and that mentioning ghosts again would get me fired immediately. However, I had to take full responsibility for the missing bullet; that was a basic principle of being a police officer. I searched the restroom inside and out, trying to find the bullet and the ejected copper casing, but to no avail. I clearly saw him being shot and bleeding, but why wasn't a single drop found?

What's even stranger is that the gunshot didn't attract any other police officers patrolling nearby. In the quiet Forbidden City, could it be that no one heard the gunshot? ...

It seems I've experienced another absurd story. However, what awaits me are the stern officers from the Public Security Bureau's Internal Investigation Department. They will question me as a suspect, and then misfortune will befall me!

I walked silently toward the film crew's post, feeling dejected. The image of Qi Silong's desperate and melancholy expression after being shot lingered in my anxious mind. I didn't know why this strange thing had happened, or what the consequences would be. Was the warning from the film crew member to "be careful of the handgun" a reminder to me?

I walked blankly toward the film crew. Now all I could do was wait for the captain and the others to arrive, tell them what had happened, and ask for their help. Just as I was walking back, I suddenly heard a sharp gunshot ahead, and it sounded like many people were firing. I quickly grabbed my gun and ran over, only to see another perplexing scene unfold: the film crew who had just been shooting a Qing Dynasty drama had changed into uniforms of the Beiyang Army from the Republic of China era. Several people were filming a shooting scene outside the wall, and ahead of them, a group of people were running wildly, all dressed in Republic of China student uniforms. I finally understood why my shot hadn't been heard by my companions—it turned out they were also "firing" here, and the chaotic gunfire had masked my shot; it was just a movie shoot.

"Bang!……"

Several running students collapsed. In the darkness, the female student costumes worn before the May Fourth Movement shone brightly before my eyes. Why did they change film crews so quickly?

Where's my cousin? Where's the director with that weird hat? Where did the scene of my cousin hugging and kissing the male lead go? I caught up with her, and just then, a female student running in my direction was "hit." She swayed a couple of times and was about to fall. I quickly caught her and asked anxiously but politely:

"Hey, miss! Have you been filming a movie here the whole time?"

"Yes! We've been here the whole time! Let me lie down, the cameras are on us!"

I quickly lay down on the ground as well, grabbed the girl's hand, and anxiously asked:

"Wasn't there a Qing Dynasty film crew just now, with a princess in them? Didn't you see her?"

"What princess? There isn't one!"

The pretty girl smiled. She had short hair, wore a black skirt, a white cheongsam, and a short top—a style reminiscent of women from the Republican era—delicate and elegant. It seemed I was really seeing things; my cousin's film crew didn't even exist. But why did I see them filming so clearly? ...Later, I avoided her and went to the restroom, and then Qi Silong was "shot"... Did I inexplicably lose a bullet?

"Hey, don't point a gun at me, my brother!"

The pretty girl gave me a charming smile, then pretended to be injured, stood up and ran away. A fragrant breeze wafted past me. The way the girl ran was beautiful, even her stumbles were beautiful, just like the injured Xi Shi.

"Oh, sorry, you can keep running, I won't bother you! I'll just pretend to be dead." I obediently lay down on the ground and didn't move.

"You'll see yourself in the movie, so watch out for your gun!"

"Thanks!"

I nodded. At that moment, the camera followed me. I lay there, feeling a sweet warmth in my heart. It seems even being an extra is possible. After all, a beautiful woman held my hand! Of all the strange things that happened tonight, only the smile of the girl from the Republican era was the most comforting.

The film crew was shouting and yelling as they started shooting, but I couldn't concentrate anymore. I looked up at the moonlight, and then at the palace walls. Wait, how could I forget? In the faint moonlight on the wall, I could still see the shadows of those palace maids, now peering down at me. I was terrified again. They were still there, but my "cousin's" film crew had disappeared!

I am now absolutely certain that they were not members of the film crew at all, but ghosts, phantom-like spirits of the Forbidden City, watching the "stories" of the human world below with a melancholic curiosity.

I lay on the ground, no longer afraid, staring at them, enjoying the sight of the Forbidden City's female ghosts "enjoying" the farce of the human world. The actress's alluring smile lingered in my mind; what a wonderful profession! Earning money and living an enviable life with beauty and athleticism. But when my gaze returned to the film crew, my eyes immediately filled with terror. Where were the Beiyang Army soldiers? Where were the wounded female students? It was all a fabrication. The place where the Beiyang Army had fired was a row of crooked old trees, and the beautiful female student who had fallen with me was nowhere to be seen. The direction she had "run" towards was a red wall.

Outside the walls of the Forbidden City, all was silent. Two ghost stories unfolded in one night. I still refuse to admit that the Republic-era girl I saw for the second time was also a ghost. She was so pretty, charming, and spoke so sweetly—so youthful and beautiful, especially her gorgeous red lips! ...Red lips!

Suddenly, a faint fragrance wafted from my hand that had touched her body, passing over my clothes and wafting intoxicating scents. I instantly snapped back to reality; it was the pleasant fragrance of locust blossoms! I abruptly sat up from the ground, startling the palace maid ghosts watching from the wall, who let out a shrill scream and vanished from the wall in an instant.

I remember now—those alluring red lips, that slender figure, those bright, dark eyes filled with a subtle, unspoken allure—it must be her! The woman whose face I never saw must be the one who gave me this nightmare! Her fragrance is unforgettable! But why did she have to reveal her beautiful face? In Qi Silong's diary, she wasn't said to love him that much, and she was even called "Luoyi," implying her face was stripped off? And there's video evidence in file number 1644, showing her and Qi Silong so intimately entwined, yet she never revealed her true beautiful face. Was she only dressing up for me, "a woman adorns herself for her lover"? Or was she truly a beautiful, vengeful ghost? Giving you a good impression first and then killing you—we can't jump to such conclusions… Qi Silong might have had another cause of death…