The Road of Wronged Ghosts, Part 1 The Road of Wronged Ghosts

Chapter 6

Old Li picked up the diary and slowly turned to the first page. The first line, written in all too familiar handwriting, read: "Actually, I am not a person, but a ghost, a vengeful ghost who has been wronged for many years." Old Li's vision went black, the world spun, and he fainted with a thud. He Jianfei, who was prepared, caught him safely.

Master Chanyue sighed, "Alas! Junior brother, why do you keep hitting him with one blow after another?" He Jianfei looked up and smiled bitterly, "He went through so much trouble just to find out the cause of A-Qiang's death as soon as possible. How could I go against his wishes? Even ghosts have feelings and loyalty, so how could I break my promise?" Master Chanyue nodded and said, "It is truly rare to see such a vengeful ghost, who has roamed for many years and killed countless people, yet is so attached to the feelings of friends."

When Old Li woke up, it was already the next morning. A ray of soft sunlight shone through the window, and He Jianfei was sitting beside him, flipping through the diary. Old Li sat up abruptly, their eyes met, and they remained silent. Who would have thought that all his hard work would lead to such an unwanted ending? After a long while, Old Li finally spoke, asking, "What's written in that diary?" He Jianfei pondered for a moment, and Old Li suddenly realized, "Could it be..." He Jianfei interrupted, "That's right! It records in complete detail the cause of Dong Lu's death, or more precisely, Dong Lu's injustice." Old Li's body trembled slightly. Fifty years ago, he hated Dong Lu because of A Qiang's death, but who knew that his friend, whom he had sympathized with for nearly half a century, was actually the murderer.

"Let me see it." He Jianfei stared at it for a long time before finally handing it to him. The handwriting that had been his close companion for three years in college made his heart clench once again.

"The moment I saw Donglu, I fell utterly in love with her. Her pure and flawless beauty captivated me, and her smile made me hesitant to act impulsively. So, I began to work desperately, joining the student council, competing for leadership positions, striving to stand out, all to win her favor. Finally, my efforts paid off, and I became the student council president. Donglu also began to notice me. My heart was filled with joy… until one day I discovered my greatest regret—I could not be with her; only Aqiang would benefit, not me. I was unwilling! I was not reconciled! Only I, not Aqiang, could be worthy of Donglu. There was only one way to have her: to make her a vengeful spirit, never to be reborn, accompanying me for thousands upon thousands of years! I didn't kill her to absorb her spiritual energy, but because I loved her!… So, I used my position as student council president to sneak into the exhibition hall, steal a small bottle of cancer bacteria solution, and then, under the guise of a chemistry experiment, injected it into her veins…"

Old Li tossed the diary far away, exclaiming, "Heavens! Why must I bear the cruelest game in the world?!" He Jianfei calmly replied, "Aren't you going to read on? The following is about you." Old Li looked at He Jianfei in confusion and asked, "What did he write about me? Slander? Or insults?" He Jianfei said, "You shouldn't say that about him. He's still your great benefactor!" He then went over and picked up the diary, handing it to him.

Old Li, half-believing and half-doubting, flipped through his diary again. It clearly stated: "Little Li knows me too well. Often, the more secrets someone knows, the more likely they are to discover the truth. I can't tolerate him, but for some reason, I can never bring myself to do it. Seeing his happy face as he runs around looking for me, I realized I can't live without him. I've developed something that shouldn't exist in the ghost realm—friendship!… I've begun to care for him, because in over a hundred years, including during my lifetime, no one has been so sincere and warm towards me… I discovered a vengeful spirit surrounding him, some wandering ghost trying to take his life. I chased it away while he slept, but he woke up. Alas, he discovered I have magic. This secret probably can't be kept for long; I must hasten my kill of Dong Lu…"

Old Li sighed and closed his diary, saying, "This diary alone is enough for me to end my life." He Jianfei said, "Then you are deluding yourself. His love for Donglu is perverted, but he didn't ask you to go down and keep him company. His feelings for you are normal."

Old Li waved the diary in his hand and said, "It's one thing for him to kill Donglu, but why drag a whole class of twenty-three people into it? He didn't explain this shameful matter clearly."

He Jianfei laughed and said, "Don't blame him, it has nothing to do with him."

Old Li was immediately taken aback: "It's none of his business? Or is it my business?"

He Jianfei did not answer his question, but instead asked, "Who told you about the protective stone for the seat?"

Old Li blurted out, "It's A-Qiang." As soon as the words left his mouth, he realized he had made a mistake and quickly said, "No, it's that vengeful ghost."

He Jianfei said, "Then you're wrong again. That one is the real A-Qiang."

Old Li was immediately bewildered, as if he had fallen into a fog: "Then what did you say...?"

He Jianfei said, “Being possessed by a vengeful ghost doesn’t mean it has replaced A-Qiang’s soul. A-Qiang’s soul still exists, but it has been suppressed for a long time and cannot function independently. It wasn’t until after he was admitted to university, when A-Qiang faced the bronze statue of Sun Yat-sen, that his righteous energy greatly suppressed the vengeful ghost’s abilities, allowing A-Qiang’s soul to awaken for the first time in twenty years. After awakening, A-Qiang’s soul coexisted with the vengeful ghost. Although it still couldn’t control its body independently, it had its own consciousness and could control its body for a short period after absorbing Sun Yat-sen’s righteous energy. The vengeful ghost obviously didn’t notice this. In order to carry out its plan as soon as possible, it sometimes had to escape from the body, which gave A-Qiang’s soul more room to maneuver. After A-Qiang’s soul learned of this evil plan, it tried its best to stop it, but it was too late. The relationship here is very complicated. Do you understand?”

Old Li said softly, "It's really too complicated. But what about the deaths of those twenty-three people?"

He Jianfei said, "That's a story for later. Let me explain something first: for a vengeful ghost to possess someone, it needs to become familiar with and interact with that person for a long time. A-Qiang, filled with regret, decided to sacrifice himself to stop the ghost, but fearing it would harm others, he realized that treating the symptoms was not as effective as addressing the root cause. A-Qiang thought of the simplest method—perhaps a master had told him—but it was also a rather ruthless and effective one—the Twenty-Three Children Formation. This involved using the blood of twenty-three people to severely injure the ghost. It was precisely because of this that Dong Lu was able to absorb the ghost's resentment." He then sighed, "This kind of magic is absolutely forbidden in our magical realm; otherwise, one will be severely punished. That's why I never thought of it. After making this decision, A-Qiang secretly informed the entire class. To save the situation, the entire class decided to commit suicide. These twenty-three people, along with A-Qiang, are all nameless heroes!"

Old Li said with a wry smile, "I'm the only one who's a coward."

He Jianfei laughed and said, "That vengeful ghost wouldn't even dare to possess you, you bear!"

Old Man Li asked, "Did he ultimately get the winter jujube?"

He Jianfei said, "Of course not! Donglu also deeply loved Aqiang. I don't know how she discovered that the vengeful ghost had harmed her. To be killed by the one you love and to suffer immense pain from illness is an unquenchable grief. Because of her immense resentment and unwillingness to become a wronged spirit, Donglu took her last breath in the moment of death and absorbed a considerable portion of the vengeful ghost's resentment. In fact, her resentment surpassed that of the vengeful ghost. This was something the vengeful ghost had not anticipated. He himself was also greatly weakened as a result. In order to obtain Donglu and suppress her resentment, the vengeful ghost had no choice but to return to the temple where he used to reside to continue recuperating."

Old Li covered his face with his hands and said, "I really hope that all of this is just a nightmare, and that all my memories will vanish when the sun rises tomorrow."

He Jianfei looked at him with pity and said, "If it were me, I would also find it hard to bear such an ending. You are one in a trillion unfortunate people."

Old Man Li released his hands and said, "Can I talk to Ah Qiang, no, that vengeful ghost?"

He Jianfei stood up and said, "Come with me! I asked my senior brother to stay so that you could talk to it. Please persuade it to explain the whole story to Senior Donglu."

Old Li slumped out of bed and said, "If it still considers me a friend."

Chapter Nine

The three of them took a car to their destination, a ten-story apartment building, where the student council president lived on the seventh floor. Old Li rang the doorbell himself. An elderly man with gray hair opened the inner door, peeked out, and suspiciously looked him over. His gaze finally settled on Old Li's face, scrutinizing him for a while before he suddenly became excited and quickly opened the door, saying, "Senior!" Old Li smiled and said, "Good! Good! I asked Xiao Huang to recommend you as his successor, and he really listened. I didn't expect you to still recognize me after so long." The old man quickly said, "I saw you at the alumni association three years ago. You and Senior Brother Qiang were known as the 'Campus Duo' back then. I've always kept your photos as inspiration; how could I forget so easily?" Upon hearing the name "Qiang," Old Li's face darkened. He Jianfei quickly poked his head out from behind to interrupt, "What's your surname, sir?" The old man smiled and said, "Chen. Is this your grandson? He's quite adorable." Having learned his lesson before, He Jianfei reacted exceptionally quickly this time, shouting, "No!" This startled Old Man Li, who exclaimed, "No means no! Why are you yelling so loudly?"

Old Chen ushered the three to the hall, personally poured water and made tea, then pointed at Tian Yinzhen and said to Old Li with a smile, "I thought this young lady was a spy sent by the school, but I didn't expect she was with you. The death of Senior Brother Qiang is full of secrets and twists, and it is a very important matter. How could I easily tell others about it?"

Old Li sighed sadly, "There's no need to mention that sad matter anymore! Have you seen the missing records I left behind?"

Old Chen said, “I saw it. When Senior Brother Huang was in office, he mobilized a large number of people to conduct a covert investigation, but ultimately returned empty-handed because he had no clues. I also advised him that if Senior Brother Li and Senior Brother Qiang, who were so familiar with each other, still couldn't figure out the mystery, let alone us? So when I took office, I completely put the matter aside. Who knew that in my term there would actually be an exceptionally intelligent person. He finally figured out the answer, and he became the Minister of Organization, and thus…”

He Jianfei interrupted, "What's his name?"

"Zhang Junxing. Why are you asking his name?"

He Jianfei did not answer, thinking to himself: "Jun Zu" is missing "Ting Zu".

Old Chen continued, “He used his position to make many friends and read widely, gaining extensive knowledge. Several months later, after pondering all night, he finally guessed the answer to the poem: ‘Donglu is wronged, and his life is in urgent need.’”

Tian Yinzhen interjected, "Was it because he guessed correctly that Dong Lu killed him?"

Old Chen was taken aback and asked, "How did you know he was dead?"

Old Man Li exclaimed in surprise, "Didn't you write this?"

"No!"

He Jianfei said, "Those who created the gaps were Zhang Junxing's accomplices, or rather, people who were searching for the answer with him."

Old Li nodded and said, "Just keep talking. I'll tell you about those things later."

Old Chen quickly replied, "Yes! Ever since Junxing figured out the answer to the riddle, he seems to have been bewitched by that female ghost. He's been busy researching, asking people, and writing all sorts of nonsensical diary entries. I tried talking to him, but he remained obstinate. Then one night, he went mad and went to that road by himself. The next day, we found him lying there, his face covered in blood, barely alive. I shook his shoulders hard and called his name, and he finally managed to open his bloodshot eyes, looking around blankly, his hands flailing wildly in the air, as if shouting with all his might, 'You stingy woman!' Then he died. Even stranger, three days later, Junxing's girlfriend also died inexplicably."

Tian Yinzhen's bright eyes lit up and she said, "Her name is..."

"Shi Ting!"

"Ah! It's all here!" He Jianfei couldn't help but cheer. Tian Yinzhen rolled her eyes at him and said, "So what if it's all here? Do you even know the details?"

He Jianfei laughed and said, "How do you know I can't guess it?"

Upon hearing this, all three men's expressions changed drastically. They jumped to their feet and exclaimed in unison, "What did you guess?"