Astrology Hall with Flesh and Blood

Chapter 21

A timid voice rang out:

"Special abilities?"

“That’s right!” Yan Wuyue exclaimed, “You have the ability to communicate between two worlds!”

The words, spoken abruptly, were like a thunderclap, leaving everyone stunned. A flurry of chatter erupted as everyone discussed the "special abilities," their emotions running high. Yan Wuyue then remembered that the ten missing senior brothers and sisters were all enthusiasts of mysterious phenomena, naturally possessing extensive knowledge in this area. She tried hard to discern the Lonely Cow's voice, but it was drowned out by the heated discussion, making it impossible to identify. Perhaps this was his and An Lin's Eden, and they didn't want to leave? She thought sadly.

"Let us go back!" those who had been imprisoned here for five years shouted in unison. "We've had enough of this hellhole! Let us go back to a normal life!"

"You...you mustn't believe that junior sister's nonsense!" Da Wenxuan panicked. "I'm just like you, I'm forced to stay in the photo and can't escape!"

"Senior brother~" This was the first time Yan Wuyue had addressed him so solemnly. "When you appeared at the Ivy Haunted House, although your whereabouts were mysterious, you were able to flip through those magazines. Before that, I had also touched those magazines—don't tell me those magazines were also in-depth images or something—you touched real objects in a real form. Doesn't that prove that in the real world of the Ivy Haunted House, you truly exist as a being of flesh and blood?"

“You could have left the world in the photos and returned to the real world—yet you chose to lie and stay locked up here with them. What are your true intentions?” She pressed on relentlessly, showing no sign of letting up. “Speak!”

“I think,” the astrologer began quietly, “he may have had reasons for doing this.”

"Reason?" Yan Wuyue asked, puzzled.

“For example, you have to escape the real world, hide in a corner where no one notices you, and fend for yourself…” The astrologer’s eyes were misty and blurry, “It’s a kind of self-punishment, a prison sentence from the heart, don’t you think?”

Da Wenxuan's hands trembled uncontrollably, starting from his fingertips and spreading uncontrollably to his shoulders; his entire body shook violently. Who was that strange man? How could he so accurately guess his thoughts, as if he could read his mind?

It was an afternoon fifteen years ago. K University's "Mysterious Association" was holding its usual discussion in the activity room. Despite its name, the association was quite small, specializing in researching popular topics like supernatural abilities and mysteries of nature. From the president to the lowest-ranking members, there were only thirteen people in total. But these thirteen shouldn't be underestimated; they were new members whom the president had personally recruited with great effort. Today was the joyous occasion of the new members joining the association. The president had laid out forms in the activity room early, ready to fill in this year's activity items. Activity names… well, let's discuss that once they're all here. This year, they finally had more than ten members, and they wanted to take advantage of the "Campus Culture Festival" to put on a grand and impressive event. He naturally flipped to the first form, weighed it down with an ink bottle, and then stared blankly at the second blank form for a while.

The incandescent bulb cast a dim, yellowish light above his head, and he noticed then that the sky outside the window had completely darkened, blending seamlessly with the somber woods. Why weren't those guys here for the meeting? He anxiously looked up, feeling a growing emptiness in his stomach. If they didn't come soon, there wouldn't be any dinner...

"Da Wenxuan!" someone called out to him, then walked in with heavy steps, the wooden floorboards creaking under his feet.

Volume Two: The Haunted House Incident with Spider Lily and Ivy (Part Thirteen)

"Call me president!" Da Wenxuan shouted angrily in his heart. "You're too late, vice president!" he said, feigning a reprimand. "Where is everyone else?"

The vice president let out a heavy breath through his nose, and his shifty eyes did not escape Da Wenxuan's notice:

"The others... won't be coming."

"What happened? Something came up?" Da Wenxuan couldn't believe his ears. "You're the only representative?"

"I..." The vice president suddenly stammered, as if he had choked on water, managing only to utter the word "I" before stopping. Da Wenxuan waited hopefully for him to continue, but the vice president turned his gaze to the dark window, stubbornly staring at a small grove of trees under the night sky. Finally, he made up his mind:

"Da Wenxuan, I think it's time for me to leave."

"There is no such thing as superpowers in the world. All the major newspapers in the country have said that it is pseudoscience and should be debunked!" He withdrew his gaze and looked at the former president with a hint of pity. "What qigong masters, what superpowers, grabbing objects from a distance, it's all just tricks played by fraudsters, it's magic!"

He grabbed Da Wenxuan's shoulder and looked sincerely into his eyes:

"Stop being fooled by those swindlers!" he roared. "We are science and engineering students about to pursue scientific careers, how can we be deceived by these scoundrels masquerading as scientists! Dissolve the association!"

Da Wenxuan's dazed eyes slowly swept across his face. "You mean... disband?"

“Yes!” The vice president nodded vigorously. “We should approach the mysterious phenomena of nature with a rigorous scientific attitude, instead of blindly following the crowd and chasing after charlatans! What do you think? We can establish a scientific research and exploration association to conduct on-site investigations of those amazing natural landscapes—it will definitely attract many science enthusiasts.”

"Are you crazy?" Da Wenxuan shoved him away angrily, his face full of rage. "'The Mysterious Association' is something I painstakingly created, and I won't allow you to disband it!"

The vice president sighed. It seemed he wouldn't listen to reason. "How many times do I have to tell you before you understand? Special abilities are pseudoscience; countless scientists have debunked it. Even if you cling to this belief alone, it's useless. At K University these days, nobody believes your nonsense!" He turned away, his tone as cold as ice. "I'm here on their behalf to submit my 'withdrawal application'—but for a club that's practically empty-handed, it seems unnecessary!"

If only one member remains, the school will definitely disband the club... "Come back!" He rushed over without hesitation, grabbing the vice president. "Don't go! King Kong!" he called his name. "This club needs you!"

"Let go!" King Kong struggled desperately. "I've had enough of this boring game!"

A fierce disagreement, argument, and anger... the two men cast chaotic shadows under the incandescent light. Da Wenxuan must have been blinded by Jin Gang's betrayal until a heavy thud shattered his hazy dream, bringing him back to reality. He then saw Jin Gang's burly body slumped limply before the table, blood streaming down his forehead. He looked at his own hands, finding it unbelievable that these were the hands that had pushed Jin Gang to his death. Jin Gang's temple had struck the sharp corner of the desk.

He's dead? Da Wenxuan's most like-minded companion since university died at his hands.

"I didn't mean to!" he screamed frantically to himself, "I never intended to kill him!" But King Kong's corpse was irrefutable evidence; no matter how much he protested, he couldn't clear his name. He seemed to see himself being handcuffed in gleaming handcuffs, head bowed, being escorted into a police car by armed police, and then the police car sped off towards the execution ground...

No, I can't let this be the end! Even in death, I can't be executed like a dog at the execution ground as a murderer! He frantically and desperately scanned the entire room. This was the headquarters of the "Mysterious Association," a place he knew intimately, a place filled with his most cherished memories and deepest longings. Perhaps it would be better to commit suicide here, to let the place he loved in life become his final resting place—not such a bad thing after all. His gaze finally settled on the photograph on the wall, and he slowly walked over, his hands involuntarily reaching out.

"King Kong, Little Li, Old Zhou..." That photo was a group photo taken when the club was first established. Back then, they were all full of passion for the club's future, their bright smiles catching the eye under the Guo Moruo statue. But now? The place is deserted, the "Mysterious Association" is just an empty shell, and his best friend King Kong has fallen beneath him, cold and dead.

If only I could go back to that time… Da Wenxuan leaned his head weakly against the photograph, muttering to himself, “Let me return to those fulfilling moments and talk with them about mysterious phenomena…” He was so tired of supporting an entire club all by himself…

"And then, when you wake up, you're already in the photo?" Yan Wuyue asked.

Da Wenxuan gave a bitter smile. "I don't even know when I woke up. Did I return to the past, or to a long, long time in the future? I have no way of knowing. The figures in the photograph are just illusions. When I reached out to touch them, they all turned to ashes and disintegrated. I can only glimpse the outside world through the photograph, watching them work, live, their bodies gradually aging and decaying under my gaze. What meaning does time have for me? Flowers bloom and wither, winds rise and clouds surge, stars shift and constellations move. I don't know how long I've been alone in this photograph." He was silent for a moment. "For so many years, I've been imprisoned in this photograph, alone, always alone. I don't age, I don't die. Before me is an endless expanse of life, living a lonely and painful existence. I can't even complain, because I can't see the end line of liberation. There is no sky here, and no one here."

"All that awaits me is survival, a desperate and endless struggle for survival."

Five years ago, however, a new club called the "Science Exploration Club" emerged. Coincidentally, this club also moved into this room as their activity room. When Da Wenxuan gazed at their discussions through the photographs, his passion was rekindled. Hearing the heated discussions of his younger schoolmates, he would sometimes smile and sometimes furrow his brow in deep thought. It was only then that he realized that ten years had passed since he fled from this world.

Volume Two: The Haunted House Incident (Part Fourteen) - End

Listening to the opinions of fellow enthusiasts was truly fascinating. For the first time, Da Wenxuan felt a desire to get closer to them, and this longing grew stronger with each passing day. He yearned to be near those vibrant minds, to possess them, to engage in heated debates with them, and to claim their sharp wit as his own. One night, as the members of the Exploration Club were arguing endlessly about their special abilities, no one noticed a figure silently appearing behind them.

Da Wenxuan, finally unable to bear the loneliness any longer, stepped down from the photograph.

"Telekinesis, you mean?" He pushed up his black-rimmed glasses and said leisurely, "Would you like me to demonstrate for everyone?"

He slowly stretched out his hands, making a grasping motion towards the air. All ten members of the Exploration Club stared wide-eyed at him.

Next, he captured them all in the photos.

All of this happened just before Qiao Yongfa stepped into the Ivy Haunted House. Da Wenxuan saw his panic but remained unmoved. These people belong to me, and no one can take them away! In an instant, the Ivy covered the entire building, sealing off the haunted house and, in doing so, sealing off his own heart, declaring that no outsiders were allowed to enter. In the photos, he was no longer lonely, playing and frolicking with the newcomers day after day. He told them there was no going back, utterly extinguishing their hopes. Five years, a full five years, passed by in a flash.

Until recently, the Ivy Ghost House reopened.

"I think you know better than I do what's coming next," he said to Yan Wuyue.

"You hid in the photos for fifteen years, just because of that vice president's death?" she asked.

He gave a bitter laugh. "Yes. Because I'm afraid of death, I hid in this place that's neither human nor ghost. But maybe, this is where I'll atone for my sins. I've been in the prison of photographs for fifteen years, and I'll be imprisoned here forever in the endless years to come."

"Aren't you being incredibly foolish?" she snapped. "Even if you killed someone, it was unintentional! Is it worth torturing yourself like this? And isn't that enough? You're dragging these innocent people down with you!"

"Besides," she took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, "what if that vice president wasn't dead at all?"

What?! Da Wenxuan could hardly believe his ears. "Jin Gang? He's not dead?" His words couldn't hide his excitement, and his voice trembled.

"I mean, just in case..." Yan Wuyue's voice immediately lowered, "I'm not entirely sure... but at K University, I've never heard any senior students mention a murder case at the Ivy League Ghost Dormitory..."

"Even suicides are rare... let alone heinous murders..." Yan Wuyue thought seriously for a moment, "Have you ever heard of one?"

The senior students rolled their eyes, indicating that they were unaware of the situation.

"Could it be..." At this moment, Da Wenxuan truly didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He looked up at the empty air, something faintly gleaming in the corner of his eye, "Is King Kong still alive?"

"Please see us out!" Yan Wuyue said sincerely, "Then we'll let you know about Jin Gang as soon as possible!"

Da Wenxuan's lips twitched nervously. "Really?"

"I promise, senior brother!" she solemnly swore.

"I promise!" the ten senior students swore in unison.

"Me too!" Lonely Cow shouted, hugging An Lin even tighter.

A pure white light, like the bright sunlight reflected off the wings of an angel… When the light disappeared, Yan Wuyue found themselves standing on the floor of the Ivy Ghost House, the snow-white fluorescent lights enveloping the entire room in a quiet and peaceful embrace. She saw Da Wenxuan sitting alone in front of the bronze statue of Guo Moruo, his hands clasped behind his head, his lonely figure looking so sorrowful.

It's all over... finally...

After saying goodbye to the astrologer, Yan Wuyue and Lonely Ox solemnly returned the keys to the Ivy League Haunted House to the student council. The supervising teacher wasn't there, but a tall, burly young teacher stood to the side. As Yan Wuyue approached to return the keys, the teacher casually asked:

Is there anything wrong with the house?

"Huh...?" Yan Wuyue hadn't expected him to ask. Oh well, as long as she found out about Jin Gang, Da Wenxuan shouldn't come out to arrest people anymore, right? So she shook her head and replied with a smile, "Nothing."

"That's good..." The teacher breathed a long sigh of relief. "I always hear people talking about ghost houses, it's really not a pleasant thing to hear."

Something in his tone caught Yan Wuyue's attention, and she stopped in her tracks:

"Teacher, you...?"

The teacher scratched his head sheepishly and smiled sheepishly, "It's nothing, I just miss that house a little."

"A lot happened there, some unpleasant, but more importantly, it was a time of passionate youth..."

"Teacher Jin, the phone is ringing!" a female teacher shouted from afar.

Teacher Jin hurriedly ran out. Yan Wuyue, lost in thought, followed behind him. She asked the female teacher:

Is this male teacher new? What should I call him?

"Yes, Ms. Jin just returned from the United States. Speaking of which, she's an alumna of our school's class of '88!" the female teacher replied. "From now on, all of your clubs will be under Ms. Jin's management!"

"Then..." Yan Wuyue asked cautiously, "May I ask about Teacher Jin...?"

There was no need to ask anything. Lonely Ox patted her shoulder, and following his finger, Yan Wuyue saw a huge mailbox cabinet, each mailbox labeled with a teacher's name. Lonely Ox's short, stubby finger was clearly pointing to two words, two black characters that made her heart flutter.

Vajra.

She smiled and ran, the gentle breeze ruffling her short hair and tickling her face. She had to hurry and tell Da Wenxuan the good news; she couldn't wait to see him and help him break free from his own shackles. From then on, the ivy would no longer grow wildly, flowers would bloom in spring, birds would sing on the branches, and the ivy haunted house would become a faint, fading mystery in people's hearts, until it vanished completely.

Yes, the legend of the Ivy House will come to an end today.

September 7th

Birthday flower: Goldilocks

Flower language: Flight

The golden jacaranda was chosen to be offered to Saint Clad, the Frankish prince, who, after his father's death, was hunted down by his uncle who plotted to seize the throne. To escape, he renounced his right to the throne and became a clergyman. Therefore, the golden jacaranda symbolizes escape.

Those born under the blessing of this flower tend to be melancholic, often preferring to observe from a distance, even in lively settings like dances. However, when their loved one appears, their personality may suddenly change, and they may truly embrace their belief in love!

Volume Two: The Taxi Driving to Hell (Part 1)

What are the odds of two people meeting in a vast sea of people? And what about meeting again? For example, consider taking a taxi. With a population of over one million and tens of thousands of taxis, how many times would each citizen have to take a taxi on average before getting into the same car again? Three times?

Xiao Di stumbled upon this rare event, and the bizarre encounter left a lasting impression on him. One afternoon, as usual, he was slowly cruising the streets in his Xiali. Ever since his minor accident the previous week, he hadn't dared to drive fast. Business was good; soon, a gaunt middle-aged woman hailed his taxi. She looked haggard and lost, and it wasn't until Xiao Di asked her three times that she suddenly snapped out of her daze and reached for the black handbag strapped to her wrist. The handbag was clearly made of artificial leather, its patent leather sheen giving it an extremely cheap look. She shakily pulled out a yellowed piece of paper and began to read from it:

"No. 666 Frozen Street, an astrology hall with flesh and blood."

An astrology shop? What kind of place is this? Xiao Di was quite familiar with Frozen Street, a bustling alley next to K University in H City, but "No. 666"? He stepped on the gas, and the Xiali roared and sped off for quite a distance. He couldn't help but wonder, was Frozen Street really that long? The house numbers were already over six hundred?

"What is this astrology hall for? Is it similar to an observatory, a place to look at the stars?"

He glanced in the rearview mirror; the middle-aged woman's lips were tightly pressed together, clearly indicating she had no intention of answering his question. The taxi quickly arrived at Frozen Street, and before he could even compare the house numbers one by one, the woman suddenly cried out in surprise, quickly paid the fare, and got out of the car.

Long after she left, the car was still filled with the pungent smell of her cheap artificial leather.

Before he knew it, the clock had struck six, time for shift changes. All the taxis, like fledglings leaving their nests, were preparing to fly back to their parent company. It was rush hour, and he was wedged in a torrent of vehicles, slowly inching his red Xiali. If only he could pick up a passenger or two along the way—that was the wishful thinking of almost every taxi driver. Seeing someone waving, he naturally pulled up, first asking where the person was going; refusing a fare if it wasn't on their route was an old rule in the business.

Surprisingly, the woman replied, "Wherever you go, we'll go too."

He coughed incredulously and pointed to the bright white company logo on the roof of the car. "I'm going back to the company to hand over my shift. Are you guys going too?"

The reason I say "you" is because behind that woman stood a girl in a black dress and skirt, who, judging from her smooth, bare ankles, was no more than twenty years old. Unfortunately, her face was never visible; she was completely hidden behind her cascading, thick black hair and the frighteningly high collar of her sweater.