Making harassing phone calls to girls' dormitories

Chapter 9

“This boy looks like Lu Shaohuai, but his daughter looks about the same age as him, and they’re dressed so strangely,” Li Ke said, frowning.

"Let's take a look at the third photo one last time."

The third photo still features the girl with the kite, but she looks a bit more mature than in the previous one. She's sitting upright in a chair, no longer holding a kite, but cradling a baby. Her expression is quiet and dignified, with a happy smile on her face. Standing behind her is Lu Shaohuai, still wearing a short-sleeved shirt and looking young, with the same smile on his face. This is the most heartwarming of the three photos.

"What's going on?" all three asked at the same time.

"It's obvious that the first photo was taken last, the second photo was taken first, and the last photo was taken sometime between the first and second. If that's the case, the problem isn't hard to imagine," Xu Xian analyzed, looking at the photos. He then glanced at Jiang Yu and the others.

"You guessed right. The first photo was taken in 1921. Lu Shaohuai's daughter was eleven years old that year. The second photo was taken in 1906, when Lu Shaohuai was fourteen years old, and the girl next to him was twelve. The third photo was taken in 1910. His daughter was also born in 1910."

"So that means his daughter wasn't born to his wife, but to this woman sitting in front? Who is this woman? Where did she go afterward? What is her connection to this whole affair?" Li Ke rattled off a string of questions.

"Alright, time is limited, so let's skip the guessing and just tell you directly." Jiang Yu closed the documents, sat down at the table, and slowly began to tell a long-forgotten story.

The cold moon has no light

"The Peng family—oh, the one we mentioned earlier, the largest local gentry. The eldest patriarch of the Peng family passed away long ago, leaving behind a son and a daughter. At the time, the children were still young, and the Peng household was managed jointly by the eldest wife and the second patriarch. Now, I mainly want to talk about the eldest patriarch's daughter. The eldest patriarch had two wives in his life. His first wife was a well-matched lady from a wealthy family, as her family was in business. She was shrewd and capable, and after marrying into the Peng family, she bore them a son, so her status in the Peng family was self-evident. His second wife, however, was bought by the eldest patriarch from a farming family. It is said that she was originally intended for the eldest patriarch..." The wife worked as a maid. Later, Master Peng, seeing her cleverness and obedience, took her as his concubine. However, she died in childbirth, leaving behind only a daughter. This daughter, for some reason, was mute. Master Peng disliked her greatly. Strangely, however, the wife was very protective of this mute child born to the concubine. But the girl's background and her disability made her quite lonely and pitiful in the Peng family. When the girl was ten years old, she met a young farmhand who had been sold into slavery in her household. The farmhand was only two years older than her, orphaned at a young age, and had a tragic past. The two pitiful children thus came together. They got together. As they grew older, their feelings for each other changed. However, the Peng family was a wealthy household, while the young farmhand was merely a servant who had sold himself into the Peng family. Therefore, the Peng family strongly opposed the relationship, severely beating him and throwing him out. But not long after, rumors spread that Miss Peng and the young farmhand had eloped. Two years passed, and everyone had almost forgotten about the incident. But one rainy day, Miss Peng and the young farmhand returned to the Peng family with a two-year-old girl, saying that the child was sick and urgently needed money. However, at that time, Old Madam Peng was already terminally ill. The eldest son of the Peng family was now in charge, so no matter how much Miss Peng pleaded, the family remained unmoved. Fearing Miss Peng would return and claim a share of the family fortune, the eldest son conspired with his relatives to have her drowned in a pig cage on charges of adultery. On the day of the incident, Miss Peng used sign language to tell her husband that he must live for their daughter and that she would return to him. Thus, a happy family was torn apart. The young farmhand and his daughter also disappeared. Later, some people, sympathizing with the tragic fate of Miss Peng and the farmhand, buried Miss Peng's body in the place she frequented as a child.

Jiang Yu recounted this tragic story, which seemed quite ordinary for that era, in one breath.

“If we assume that the young farmhand is Lu Shaohuai, and that Miss Peng is the elegant and beautiful woman in the photo, and the little girl later is their daughter, then are they involved in the whole affair?” Li Ke said.

"Before Miss Peng drowned herself, she said she would come back to find Lu Shaohuai. What do you think she meant by that? It feels a bit strange," Zhang Xiaodi said.

"The most bizarre part of this story is the Peng family's final fate," Jiang Yu said solemnly, then stared intently at Xu Xian. "I discovered these things while investigating my sister's death. It was a description written by an old man who had once worked for the Peng family, when he was writing about the Peng family's rise and fall. Later, I learned some unknown inside stories from his book and from his descendants. The most bizarre of these is the story of the Peng family's decline. It is said that on the forty-ninth day after Miss Peng's death, the weather, which had been sunny during the day, suddenly turned terrible at night. It was still August, but fine rain, the kind that usually falls in March, began to drift down from the sky." Fine willow catkins. The next day, people found the eldest son of the Peng family dead in his own water vat, and all of the young master's accomplices in this incident were found dead in the river three days later. Later, it was said that the young master and these people were not drowned directly, but were frightened to death and then thrown into the water. As for what they saw, no one knows. From then on, for some unknown reason, no more children were born into the Peng family, and even those adopted did not live past 18. Therefore, no one dared to give their children to the Peng family for adoption, and no one dared to do business with the Peng family. Everyone said that it was the vengeful spirit of Miss Peng seeking revenge.

"Xu Xian, what do you think?" Li Ke looked at Xu Xian.

Xu Xian had barely spoken from the beginning, seemingly pondering something from the three photos. Hearing Li Ke's question, Xu Xian paused for a moment before saying, "It seems so. But… if her enemies are already dead, why would she kill again? And why was she so certain to her husband that she would return? And what did those five hand gestures mean? But one thing I'm certain of is that the whole thing is definitely related to Miss Peng and Lu Shaohuai's story."

"Why?"

"Do you remember Wu Xi's dream?" Xu Xian looked at Li Ke and Zhang Xiaodi. "It's the dream Wu Xi told us about after he met the red shoes."

This reminder brought to mind a passage from Wu Xi's description of his dream:

"The dream went like this... A boy and a girl were playing with a kite, both laughing and seemingly very happy. The girl was dressed very elegantly, in a red silk cheongsam and matching long skirt, while the boy was only wearing plain clothes. It seemed the boy was a farmhand for the girl's family, because I dreamt he was chopping wood and fetching water at her house, but the girl didn't look down on him, and they were very happy. Then, something seemed to happen; a grave appeared on the hillside where they were flying the kite. I don't know if the boy or the girl died, or maybe some other unrelated person died. Anyway, that's all."

"Yes, that means his dream was real. But why would he dream about this part of history? What is his connection to the whole thing? Captain Jiang, do you know the approximate location of Miss Peng's grave?"

"I'm not entirely sure, but here's a topographical map of this place from 1912. You can take a look." Jiang Yu found the map in the data and handed it to Xu Xian.

“This is the Peng family residence…this is the river…oh, this is the Peng Clan Ancestral Hall…ah, this place is a small hill behind the Peng Clan Ancestral Hall, and it’s also the closest small hill to the Peng family. There’s also a willow grove here. This should be it, it’s also the closest to the river.” Jiang Yu pointed to the map and told Xu Xian.

"Compare it to the current map." Xu Xian reached out and took the map from Li Ke, then exclaimed, "Ah!"

"What's wrong?"

“Look, isn’t this hillside where our school is located? Captain Jiang, you said before that our school was originally Lu Shaohuai’s residence, right? Is that building still there?” Xu Xian asked nervously.

“Yes,” Jiang Yu nodded. “It’s your library.”

This answer surprised everyone present.

"Alright, I understand. Now we need to take a nap and recharge to uncover the truth of the whole thing." Xu Xian glanced at his watch, then at the night outside the window. Knowing that now wasn't a good time, and that they were tired, they decided to rest early; they had many things to do tomorrow.

A few hours later, Jiang Yu, Li Ke, and Zhang Xiaodi woke up to find Xu Xian already sitting at the table, casting a divination. Li Ke and Zhang Xiaodi solemnly stopped Jiang Yu from speaking. Jiang Yu, being a former policeman, was still somewhat skeptical about ghosts and spirits. Looking at Xu Xian and the other two, he found it somewhat amusing, but couldn't bring himself to laugh.

About ten minutes later, Xu Xian let out a long breath and gave instructions to the three people standing in front of him: "Wu Xi and the other two are still safe, but we have limited time. Li Ke and Xiao Di, you two help me prepare the things on this paper. Captain Jiang, could you find a way to get me a few anti-jamming lavalier communicators, and then seal off the library? Don't let anyone set foot in the library today. I also need to prepare some things now. If everyone has no objections, then meet here in an hour."

No one had much objection to Xu Xian's arrangements, and the four of them went off to prepare separately.

One hour later...

"flashlight…"

"have."

"Is there enough power?"

You can rest assured that I can handle things well.

...

"The communicator is working. The library has also informed us that it needs to be locked down."

"Okay, everything is ready."

Xu Xian and his three companions prepared their gear and arrived near the library. The campus was nearly deserted due to the holiday. The August weather felt like March, with fine willow catkins drifting in the air. Xu Xian stopped near the library and said to his three companions:

“Originally, I planned to use ox tears to let you see what you needed to see, but the effect of ox tears can only last for half an hour at most, and you have no ability to resist. Although Li Ke is tough and not a big problem, and Jiang Yu is a policeman with strong yang energy, so it's not a big problem either, Xiao Di has had his soul separated from him, and the whole thing started because of him, so his yang energy is the weakest. Letting him go would be like sending him to his death, so I've decided to go alone. You stay here to take care of Xiao Di and also to clean up the mess for me. Remember, you stand here. These are three soul-protecting talismans. No matter what happens, don't lose them, and don't go near this library again.”

"Wh...what? How can this be? We're best buddies, we promised to face this together." Li Ke said excitedly to Xu Xian.

"Ugh... it's all my fault. I shouldn't have made that damn phone call. Since it's my fault, I should handle it myself. Trust me, I won't cause you any trouble." Zhang Xiaodi grabbed Xu Xian's shoulder and tears streamed down her face.

"Alright, Xiaodi, how old are you to still be crying? See if you dare pretend to be a ghost and scare people again. Forget it, life and death are predestined. I, Xu Xian, am not that unlucky." Xu Xian patted Xiaodi's shoulder. Then he said to Jiang Yu:

"Please, I'll help you find out the cause of your sister's death. If I haven't returned in four hours, take Li Ke and Zhang Xiaodi to Shaolin Temple to find my martial uncle, Master Yuanyin, and have this library destroyed. Promise me you'll protect Li Ke and Xiaodi. If I don't come out, bury this secret forever and don't investigate any further." Xu Xian reached out his hand to Jiang Yu, hoping she would accept his request.

Jiang Yu gritted her teeth. She knew that given Xu Xian's personality, he wouldn't agree to anything she said at this point. Besides, someone really needed to stay behind to clean up the mess.

"Okay, I promise you. But you must come back alive." Jiang Yu held Xu Xian's hand tightly. Li Ke and Zhang Xiaodi also placed their hands on top of his.

"This is my pistol, it has a full magazine of bullets inside. Take it with you just in case."

As Xu Xian took the pistol from Jiang Yu, he quickly turned around, said "Wait for me to come back," and ran towards the library without looking back.

Xu Xian stepped into the empty library. The only sound in the vast space was the ticking of a clock. The indoor temperature was frighteningly low. Xu Xian knew this wasn't due to the central air conditioning, as the school usually didn't turn it on during holidays. He cautiously approached the archives. At the entrance to the stairs, Xu Xian stopped. He heard a series of rhythmic, heavy footsteps coming from the hall behind him. And the footsteps seemed to be getting closer.

Who is it?

Are they classmates from school?

No, the library has already been sealed off. Jiang Yu wouldn't make such a mistake.

Did Li Ke and his group come here without permission?

No, the footsteps are too rhythmic. Given their current state of panic, Li Ke and his group wouldn't be making such footsteps. Besides, the footsteps indicate there's only one person.

Was that the mastermind behind it all?

That doesn't seem likely either. Those things must have been done by some unknown force; it couldn't possibly have made such heavy footsteps.

Who could it be?!

The sound grew closer; it seemed to be not far behind them.

what to do?

Should I turn around? But if I accidentally extinguish the three primordial spirit flames on my body, it would be even more dangerous...

Just as Xu Xian was unable to make up his mind, the footsteps suddenly stopped.

"Slap!" A pair of hands landed on Xu Xian's shoulders. Instantly, the hairs on Xu Xian's body stood on end.

When the hoarse and cold voice of the person who had been holding him rang out, Xu Xian breathed a sigh of relief.

The reason it was described as "half a breath" was because the voice belonged to Liu Bin, which meant that Liu Bin should be alright. However, when Xu Xian turned around, he was startled by the chilling aura emanating from Liu Bin and gasped in shock.

Oh no, Liu Bin seems to have been controlled by a soul-capturing spell. If that's the case, even if we can get them out safely, the consequences won't be good. Xu Xian pondered.

"Follow me," Liu Bin's heavy footsteps sounded again, leading Xu Xian toward the back of the Xuan Temple.

Xu Xian followed Liu Bin through the Xuan Guan and arrived at the records room. There, Wu Xi remained in the same posture as before.

"Go in," Liu Bin ordered.

"Wu Xi! Are you alright?" Xu Xian asked. He knew that besides Wu Xi and Liu Bin, there was another powerful and fearsome force in the room, so he couldn't afford to be negligent in the slightest.

"Hello." Wu Xi turned to look at Xu Xian. At this moment, a strange smile appeared on his ashen face, giving off a bloodthirsty and murderous aura.

Xu Xian noticed that Wu Xi's face had a somewhat indescribable quality, something ambiguous yet unsettling. What exactly was that feeling? Xu Xian didn't have time to think about it for the moment.

"You've been here so long, and you're the first person alive and conscious to see me. Heh heh heh," Wu Xi, or rather "it," said to Xu Xian with a cold laugh.

"Who are you? Why did you kill so many people?" Xu Xian suppressed his fear and anger, staring at "it" as he asked.

"You should have guessed some of it by now, otherwise you wouldn't have dared to come here alone," it mocked sarcastically.

"Are you Miss Peng?" Xu Xian guessed, and the expression on "its" face softened for a moment, but only for a fleeting instant, as if nothing had happened.

"Sigh, although you were wrong, you were very close. It seems you put in some effort to find this out. But with the intelligence of people like you, trying to guess the correct answer... hehe, that's really asking too much of you," it mocked.

What? Could I have guessed wrong? This… can’t be. Xu Xian was startled. If it wasn’t Miss Peng, then who could it be?

"Do you want to know the answer? Okay, then come to the basement." It stared into Xu Xian's eyes and spoke to him in a slow and gentle voice. At this moment, Xu Xian seemed to enter a hypnotic state until "it" led Liu Bin away from Xu Xian.

Just as "it" disappeared through the basement doorway, Xu Xian snapped out of his daze, breaking out in a cold sweat.

Good heavens, its soul-capturing technique is so skillful! It hypnotized me without any prompting. If it wanted to kill me now, it would be as easy as turning its hand. Such a powerful soul-capturing technique explains why so many people have their souls separated from them in their sleep.

At this moment, Xu Xian was repeatedly trying to sort out those complicated thoughts in his mind.

Why did "it" kill those people?

What did those people discover? What did they see?

Why are there those strange hand gestures?

What do those gestures represent? Are they a spell to break the spell? Or clues to solve the mystery?

Why did its soul-capturing technique fail in the instance involving Zhang Xiaodi and Liu Bin?

Who is that person with gray hair?

Why does "it" say that "it" is not Miss Peng—the woman most likely to use the excuse of a vengeful spirit to commit murder? Then who is "it"? And what role does "it" play in the whole story?

Why didn't it kill me while I was hypnotized? What was it trying to do?

Could that basement be hiding the secret, just as I suspect?

These unanswered mysteries, like silkworm cocoons, tightly wrap the truth up completely.

"Forget it, let's go to the basement now. I believe the truth will be revealed there." Xu Xian thought of the communicator on his body and decided to check on Jiang Yu and the others' safety before letting them know he was alright.

After making sure they were alright and reassuring them, he strode towards the basement.

"I hope I can get out of here unscathed this time." That was Xu Xian's first thought as he stepped into the basement.

The basement was dark and silent, and the deeper one went, the more suffocating the atmosphere became. Xu Xian turned on his flashlight and walked for about ten minutes before a staircase leading downwards appeared ahead.

What? So this basement wasn't the lowest level after all. Xu Xian's heart skipped a beat, a terrible premonition washing over him. But he had no time to hesitate. Sigh, he'd leave it to fate. He burned the soul-driving talisman his uncle had left him on his way down the mountain to ashes and drank it with the mineral water he carried. Then he carefully descended the steps. When he reached the last step, he suddenly realized his feet were submerged in dark yellow water.

Yes, this is where the real danger begins. He thought to himself.

In a terrifyingly quiet underground sewer, listening to the sound of his own feet moving in the water, Xu Xian realized that the scariest thing wasn't what you encountered or saw, but that you saw nothing at all. Most importantly, it was too quiet, so quiet it felt like being inside a black hole in the solar system. He realized that the noise he once hated was actually a sign of life, while this place could only be described as deathly still.