The Ghost Lips' Unforgettable Kiss

Chapter 7

It was a photograph framed in a small heart-shaped cardboard frame. When I saw it, my heart immediately surged with emotion, and a wave of sorrow made me sit frozen on the bed. It was a small color photograph of my cousin, Pang Zhen, almost half-naked. In the photo, Pang Zhen was incredibly alluring and stunningly beautiful. On the back, there was a line of neat handwriting:

"My lifelong John Lone, accompanying your dreams, Zhen. May 2003."

"Zunlong" is an affectionate nickname for Qi Silong; only lovers in the throes of passion would send such a photo. This unprecedented discovery was completely unexpected; I was utterly unprepared for it. That lovely photo was undoubtedly taken before my cousin's car accident, which means they had fallen in love two years prior. Was I the matchmaker? Perhaps, Qi Silong and I are friends, or perhaps my cousin met Qi Silong when she visited me.

My heart ached as I recalled how foolish I had been to kiss my cousin's photo, even giving her my first love, though she was just a shadow in the depths of my mind. It seems so ridiculous now, considering she already had a first love, and a passionate one at that—my classmate.

I put the photo away, knowing it must have Qi Silong's fingerprints on it, and decided to preserve it carefully. Everything is in the past now; I won't be jealous of a dead couple. However, if the person filming in the video was Qi Silong, then the woman crying and embracing him was undoubtedly my cousin?

Even if it is, which cousin is it? Is it real, or is it that ghost in disguise? What if he had another woman? That seems unlikely too; the stains on the pillow indicate he loved Pang Zhen, and the photo is from 2003, so the woman he's embracing must be his cousin. Of course, it's also possible that the cousin he was dating is Pang Zhen's ghost.

People say that ghosts are not easily captured on tape, but I saw my cousin's real body. Maybe those kinds of legends are unreliable.

However, I was still quite pleased with myself for losing the bronze mirror at such a crucial moment. I couldn't help but give a cold smile to the darkness, then shook my head bitterly. I stood up excitedly. Although discovering that Qi Silong and my cousin were in love was something I hadn't expected, it unlocked a chain that had been troubling my thinking. I finally discovered the logical relationship between the three of us in the case: I was Qi Silong's "love rival."

Chapter Twenty-One: The Screams from the Ghostly Phone Call

They really did die in the video. Since it was a gunshot, at least one of them was dead. Was the bond between the living and the dead continuing? Or did my cousin never die at all? ...Why could my real cousin call me from the spirit world? Why did the fake Pang Zhen deceive me on the ghost train, leaving behind a heartfelt red-letter letter? ...Actually, I was quite naive. Isn't a red-letter letter a letter of severance? Otherwise, what was it? ...

The case was beginning to take shape in my mind; at least I no longer saw myself as an outsider. Moreover, my boldness had forced my dark adversaries to resort to such a tactic—they concealed their important possessions, a victory they felt. I couldn't verify the kaleidoscope function of the bronze mirror, but their impatience gave my logical deduction an A. This was enough to show that my adversaries were using the illusion of the mirror, this terrifying medium, to lure me into their trap, and I had seen through their trick.

If they take the bronze mirror, it clearly tells me that the so-called letter from the palace maid during the Republic of China era is pure fabrication, and that half of Qi Silong's diary is a hoax. Why would they do this? What will happen if I walk into their trap? I can say with certainty that my personal life or death is unimportant. If I have something that can be used against me, and something significant at that, then it's safe to say that I'm connected to a major event. So what exactly do I possess or hide that would interest these conspirators?

I knew I was in extreme danger and needed outside help. After the archives incident, I was wary of everyone. So, who could I turn to? Suddenly, I remembered someone. Why not ask her? My high school classmate, Tang Yuqing, now in the Public Security Control Bureau of the Ministry of State Security. But she… was in this predicament now. Perhaps she could help me… However, recalling that painful past, how I had foolishly confessed my feelings to her and been rejected, left me feeling terrible. I was a recognized handsome guy, but she didn't reciprocate my advances. After my love letter, there was no further contact, and she even cut off all ties with me, making me lose face as a handsome guy and leaving me depressed for days.

I remember before coming to Beijing, she asked to see me, but I coldly hung up the phone. I knew she just wanted to say goodbye amicably. However, I regretted that time, and that's how I got her phone number. I know she's a counter-espionage officer on the national front, very cautious in her interactions with the outside world, and extremely careful about her appointments. Will she help me? There's no time to think anymore. Today is a matter of life and death. Even if I'm turned away, I have to find her. She wouldn't just stand by and watch me die.

It's midnight now. I'm sorry, but perhaps she's nestled in her lover's arms, drifting off to sleep.

I took out my phone, dialed her number, and anxiously awaited her response.

"Yu Ling! It's you!"

Before I could speak, Tang Yuqing's pleasant voice came through. Although it was low, it still made my heart flutter.

"You weren't asleep? How did you know it was me?"

"I'm on the night shift tonight. What, do you want me to forget everything about you?"

"I'm in Beijing now, and I've run into big trouble."

Is it a relationship issue or a work-related issue?

"Perhaps it's a conspiracy, and I feel it's hard to escape tonight."

Are you currently in the Palace Museum's security department?

"yes."

"Please don't speak on the phone. Wait a few seconds, and I'll transfer you to a secure call channel."

After she finished speaking, the call was briefly interrupted, and her voice could be heard again three seconds later.

"Tell me simply, what happened?"

"I've seen a ghost. While on duty at the Palace Museum, I encountered a series of strange things. I kept seeing the ghostly mirror in the 'Along the River During the Qingming Festival' scroll. Also, do you remember Qi Silong from our police academy? He's been missing for a month, but he appeared at midnight yesterday, was shot by me, and then mysteriously disappeared again. I'm in a dangerous situation too; I have a feeling something big is about to happen. Now, I have two discs. One is a video Qi Silong recorded himself on February 17th, and the other was given to me by a faceless female ghost. It records a strange murder case. Please help me analyze and identify it."

"Can I access the internet?"

"Yes, broadband has been installed in the dormitory."

Is anyone else around?

"No."

"Okay, connect to the internet right away, insert the CD into the CD drive, tell me your IP address, and you don't need to worry about the rest."

"Is it safe? There were headless ghosts outside the corridor and windows just now."

"Ghosts are not scary, but people are what we need to be wary of."

"Okay, I'll do it right away."

Following her instructions, I turned on the computer that Qi Silong used to use, but I encountered a password and couldn't figure out how to crack it for a long time, even though the CD was still spinning.

"Yuqing, the computer has a private password, what should I do? I can't log in!"

"I have taken control of your computer, and the password is being cracked."

"What a capable agent from the Ministry of State Security," I couldn't help but admire. A few minutes later, the CD drive stopped spinning. I switched to another disc, and she had already downloaded it remotely. Soon after, the CD drive light went out, indicating that everything was complete.

"I understand your situation. Here's what we'll do: I'll see you tomorrow morning at eight o'clock."

"But I don't know if I'll live to see tomorrow, you know there are ghosts everywhere..."

“Good boy, hang in there, you’ll find a way. Be careful, no matter what happens, stay calm. Also, don’t mention this to anyone else. The Forbidden City’s 80th anniversary is in two days, anything can happen, you understand what I mean.”

"Understood. Oh, by the way, Yuqing, could you tell me the code you just deciphered? It might be helpful for my analysis of the case."

Suddenly the call was disconnected. My phone rang again immediately. I thought it was her calling, but a mysterious and terrifying phone number filled me with panic: 0001644004.

I didn't press answer button, but the call connected automatically, and a sinister woman's scream came through. The hoarseness and sorrow sent chills down my spine.

"Yuqing, is that you? What's wrong?! Ah!"

"Help me!"

"Who are you?"

The crying continued. I tried to hang up, but it was no use; the phone seemed possessed, completely out of control. Just then, footsteps sounded outside again. The horrible headless corpse and the grotesque sound of its embroidered shoes echoed in the corridor, creating a ghostly melody with the wailing on my phone.

Chapter Twenty-Two: The Faceless Corpse's Ghostly Scheme

Just then, a flash of lightning ripped through the night sky, illuminating my room. The computer suddenly turned on, and the fan's whirring sound became even more terrifying. Then, the computer automatically booted up, and a horrific scene appeared on the screen:

A poor, bound woman was struggling, held down by several dark hands. Sharp knives flashed, and her face was being peeled off! Her bloodied face was unrecognizable... Her heart-wrenching screams echoed through my phone. Suddenly, a deep male voice came through:

Want to know who this poor woman is?

The horrifying scene drove me insane. Unable to bear the double shock, I suddenly stood up and roared at the devilish phone:

"A murderous monster! Who is she? Stop!"

"Can't you hear her wailing?"

"Pang Zhen?"

"She is guilty and must be punished!"

"You devils! What exactly do you want?"

"A woman's wailing is the best music. Don't you know what we're doing?"

"Bastards! I don't know what you're talking about! Release my sister right now!"

"Hand over the item within 36 hours, or else, 1644 cuts, not a single cut less. Your sister may be gone, but she still has a beautiful body, so let's... torture her to death."

"What are you? What do you want?" I roared at the darkness.

Only you know.

"I'm going to find you! You bastards!"

I threw my phone out the window and then yelled at the door:

"Embroidered shoes! Come and kill me if you want...!"

The door slammed open in the wind, and I instinctively grabbed a chair from the floor to defend myself. But there was nothing in the corridor in front of me except a pair of embroidered shoes placed outside the door. Just as I was searching, a black shadow suddenly appeared at my feet, swaying in the cold flash of lightning. It came from the window, and I turned sharply to look out the window.

I saw a large red box hanging in the window—ah! It was a coffin! I immediately recognized it as filing cabinet number 1644! In the darkness, I couldn't see any ropes suspending it; that terrifying death cabinet swayed in the drizzling rain. Terrified, I tried to pull it down, and when I rushed over, I was so frightened I almost closed my eyes. Inside the cabinet was a basket of women's heads, their faces peeled off, bloated and distorted from advanced decomposition. But just as my eyes left the cabinet, I noticed one of the heads' small eyes, still staring blankly—a sign of unfinished death.

"The small-eyed woman, that hanged man?"

I took a few steps back in fright, leaning against the door. I knew this was meant to scare me. Maybe… that wailing, screaming woman was my cousin? She wasn't dead? And she was suffering torture worse than death… What could I possibly have that would interest the devils so much? What's wrong with this world? Ah! Whom have I offended? ……

Just then, my walkie-talkie, which I had turned off, suddenly rang, but just like an hour ago, it was that terrifying woman's voice calling out:

"Help me! I've fallen into a well!"

The real danger had finally arrived. That well was a death trap. I knew the danger was tonight, and there was no escaping it. So I picked up the phone and calmly replied:

"I'm Officer 307. Where did you fall?"

"Help me! The well in Chuxiu Palace..."

The woman's cries for help were heart-wrenching, and the walkie-talkie was filled with static, making it impossible for me to identify the sound. It seemed I couldn't escape this devil's call, so I glanced coldly back at the coffin, put away the CD, and resolutely rushed out the door. I was about to relive the exact same death journey described in Qi Silong's diary.

Ignoring the ghosts that might appear at any moment inside the haunted dormitory building, I ran wildly to the outside of the building and walked down the steps in the wind and rain. Just as I was about to rush out of the gate into the downpour, I was met by a dark figure. It was right outside the gate opposite. I was stunned by that beautiful black figure. It was her, Luo Yi. She stood alone in the wind and rain, her slender and charming figure like a willow by the river.

I knew she was waiting for me, a faceless woman in black (this time I no longer called her a ghost). The wind tore at her willow-like hair, and what was more desolate than before was that her chin, which only revealed her red lips, was unusually rosy, like a small orange lamp flickering in the darkness.

I rushed through the rain, briefly facing her, gazing gratefully at that slender yet desolate black figure. I saw clearly that the small orange lamp was blood. She was unsteady on her feet, then suddenly opened her arms, like a leaf drifting in the wind, staggering and lunging forward. I quickly caught her as she was about to collapse, only then noticing that the red marks on her neck were becoming increasingly crimson. A dazzling flash bloomed in mid-air, and I suddenly saw through her neck, piercing through the blood-red raindrops opposite me!

My God! Her neck was broken! Barely held together, the woman in black weakly embraced me, the scent of locust blossoms even stronger. Though she was weightless, she was all the more poignant and beautiful. This time, she lifted her head, still only her lips visible, but blood dripped from her pale lips.

I quickly wiped away the bloodstains with my sleeve, then held her and her long hair in my arms. Although we had only met a few times, her pitiful yet kind appearance had already aroused my pity and made me feel attached to her.

I took her hand in my arms, wanting to warm it, but perhaps because of her inferiority complex about having only three fingers, she desperately pulled it back. The rain intensified, so I picked her up and ran to a large hibiscus tree outside the wall, hoping that the raging torrential rain would lessen under the soaking branches and become a sheltered shelter. Her body was as cold as ice in the twelfth lunar month, like a pine tree with branches exposed to the cold, yet she possessed a gentle tenderness amidst the chill. I held her tightly, anxiously cradling her head, hoping that my care could sustain her fragile "life" and warm her body.

"What happened to you? Why did you get like this!"

I shouted, her head drooped limply, and a faint voice drifted out:

"You've made me wait so long..."

"Who are you? Are you that palace maid from the Republican era? Is this the Yellow Silk Diary you wrote?"

She stopped speaking. Perhaps ghosts also fall into a coma after losing their meridians. I gently shook her body, and after a long time, she resumed moving. If it weren't for her strength—I admit it was the strength of a ghost that kept her alive—she might have turned into cold sand in the mudflow by now.

Chapter Twenty-Three: The Terrifying Scarlet Letter

Then, she slowly raised her head. Because of her full black hair, I still couldn't tell the front from the back of her wet, mermaid-like body. Only when her soft breasts gradually came closer did I realize that she was stubbornly raising her head and facing me with her blood-red lips. I knew she was gazing at me. Although I couldn't see her eyes and nose, I believed that she was accumulating a longing to gaze.

A few more drops of blood trickled from the corner of my mouth. I didn't wipe them away with my hand; instead, I bravely met her blood with my lips! I was certain I had fallen into a terrible trap and was about to die. In this world, couldn't even a kind-hearted soul be protected with the jade pot of a man's ambition? What kind of man am I? She fought bravely, perhaps to save my life, and almost lost her head. No matter how bizarre the background of this ghost case is, I will not hesitate to give my life and yang energy for her, for the "Locust Fragrance Girl" whom I have deeply loved.

My unwavering resolve fuels the fury I am about to unleash. I will kiss her fiercely, even if she "dies" before I do. I believe a good soul will be blessed by the Creator. If God can resurrect her through my fervent desire, I would rather have only a single drop of blood left to kiss her goodbye, just to be able to be happy for a second before the God of Love.

But she shook her head, raised her hand, and three withered fingers stroked my hair. Her purple nails were like the last graceful reed in the winter sunset, its tip shimmering like an unseen tear, the raindrops cascading down her "cheek," to her lips, and finally to her beautiful chin. In my throes of excitement, her nails were pale purple, like the jade-like breasts of a tragically deceased maiden, like the blooming irises beside the green vines of her grave.

"You...can't...kiss me."

Her lips didn't move; the desolate, terrifying, and hoarse voice came from her throat, as if she were speaking underwater. As she spoke, bubbles rose from her neck. I knew her throat was broken. To be able to make such a voice was a testament to her resilience; it was the result of enduring intense pain.