Ghost Diary - Chapter 33
"..."
"By the way, who is Si Yan? That name sounds familiar, like I've heard it somewhere before."
"You know that red-haired boy?"
Gu Ming shook his head. "I forgot, but from what you're saying, it seems there's some progress?"
"Mmm." She yawned, her eyes suddenly stinging, and secretly wiped them dry on Gu Ming's clothes. "So sleepy."
"You talked all night?"
"Um, Gu Ming... I want to sleep, carry me up the mountain..."
Gu Ming's lips twitched violently as he looked up at the towering White Deer Mountain, then pinched my chubby cheek and chuckled as he silently let me cling to his back.
The enchanted mountain path wasn't rugged, but from here, the misty mountaintop seemed so far away. The morning mountain wind was chilly, but nestled comfortably against Gu Ming's warm back, I could clearly hear the soft rustling of his shoes against the pebbles with each step. I thought, how wonderful it would be if time could stand still, if this path had no end, if we hadn't encountered so many obstacles...
We reached the mountaintop before noon. Little White, with sharp eyes, spotted us and jumped over, showing no remorse whatsoever. He even grinned and asked, "Found you, huh? I'm so smart, I kicked you right in..."
She suddenly stopped talking, her two big eyes staring intently at my shoulder. She sniffed, carefully reached out and plucked a strand of hair from my shoulder—fiery red, almost blinding in the sunlight. Little White stared blankly at the hair, then sniffed it again, blinking her big eyes as she turned to look at me with disbelief.
"You...this is...fire..."
"You mean this strand of hair? It probably fell on me by accident, Si Yan."
"Si Yan... Si... Si Yan..." Xiao Bai stammered, her eyes wide as if she had been frightened by something.
"It's the red-haired boy we're looking for, what's wrong?"
“Si…Si…Yan, the one who controls the flames…the king of the fire foxes…the only king chosen by all the fox clans thousands of years ago…how…how…” Xiaobai continued to stutter, tightly gripping the hair.
"The Fox King?" Xia's father walked over at some point and asked curiously, "Is the child we're looking for the Fox King?"
I nodded, and then I remembered what I had said last night, and a feeling of tightness and pain shot through my heart.
"Xiao Mo, could you tell me everything you know in detail?" Xia's father asked, pulling me down to sit. Only then did I realize that everyone was gathered around me.
She lowered her head and thought for a moment, "Do you know Gu Yicheng?"
Mr. Xia and Gu Ming were taken aback. "This person is the tenth generation successor of the Gu family. The Gu family's magic was first popularized by him. How did you find out?"
"This story begins a thousand years ago. As everyone knows, a thousand years ago, Fu Yi harmed the world. Master Yichen and Dharma King Dima used all their knowledge and magic to injure his body, thus averting a catastrophe. Gu Ming once told me that Master Yichen and Dharma King Dima fought a fierce battle with Fu Yi, destroying his body, which he had forged using the power of gathering ten thousand ghosts and evil spirits, but not his soul. So, on his deathbed, he used his blood to form a red crystal, and he himself transformed into two spirits, merging into one. He hoped that if this spirit were to be reborn as a human and encounter Fu Yi again harming the world, it could release all of their spiritual energy to save humanity once more. At that time, the tenth generation descendant of the Gu family happened to pass by this place. Before their passing, the two high monks told him about this and enlightened him. The tenth generation descendant immediately understood and vowed that the Gu family would protect the spirits formed by the two high monks for generations. If Fu Yi were to come back to do evil in the future, they would do everything in their power to stop him."
“That’s right. Although there’s no written record, this story has been passed down through generations in the Gu family.” Mr. Xia nodded, glancing at me. “Could there be some error in it?”
"This story is missing one person."
"who?"
"Si Yan".
A thousand years ago, Master Yichen and Dharma King Dima indeed exerted all their strength to injure Fu Yi's body, but they no longer had the ability to merge into a spirit. The Fox King intervened, using their blood to form a red crystal. A spell was cast upon the stone, making it the key to the spirit. This crystal served two purposes: it constantly foreshadowed the emergence of ghosts and monsters, and it protected the spirit. Only the key could unlock its energy, hence the saying, "If ghosts and monsters roam freely, the crystal will surely appear." Later, by chance, Si Yan encountered a descendant of the Gu family, who instructed him in immortal arts, gave him a purple jade for peace, and entrusted him with this matter…
I finished speaking hastily, but everyone's brows did not relax at all, their faces full of doubt and questions. Xia's father said, "Why was the Fox King there at that time? The Fox King is already a god of the upper realm. If the two high monks had already injured Fu Yi's body, how could a mere ghost or spirit escape from his grasp?"
I looked at him and shook my head.
"Yes, he has the ability to help the two high monks form a spiritual body and create a red crystal. Why doesn't he just take in Fu Yi and that Soul Eater?" Xiao Bai interjected from the side.
He still shook his head.
"If that purple jade was a gift from him to Gu Yicheng, the tenth-generation descendant of the Gu family, and the matter of guarding the spirit was also entrusted to him, why is there no trace of him in the stories passed down through generations of the Gu family? What are the ancestors of the Gu family hiding?" Cang Yue couldn't help but ask from the side.
Shaking his head...
After lunch, I went to catch up on sleep. In my dreams, the image of a woman kept appearing. She was laughing, crying, and her eyes were filled with inexplicable sorrow and despair. The images seemed to be vividly recreated. When I woke up with a headache, I realized that it was all just a dream.
In the afternoon, I secretly slipped out of my room for a walk. The leaves on Bailu Mountain rustled in the wind, and dappled sunlight filtered through the dense foliage, falling in dappled patterns on the ground, dancing and somewhat dazzling. I sat down against a tree root. To be honest, my mind was still quite foggy. Si Yan's story from last night shocked me, but it also left me more confused. My lazy nature habitually kept my thoughts wandering, but my rationality kicked in, urging me to think about the things I needed to consider.
I had been lost in thought for the entire afternoon without realizing it. When I came to my senses, there was a warm body beside me. I turned my head and saw Gu Ming smiling with a smile on his lips. There was something in his eyes that I didn't understand. He said, "I've never seen anything that could make you like this."
I was taken aback, "Gu Ming..."
"Are you hiding something from us?" A large hand stroked the top of my head. "Can't you tell us? We'll figure something out together."
Looking at Gu Ming, I opened my mouth, but ultimately didn't utter a single word. It wasn't that I didn't want to speak, it's just that some things, once said, would frighten me...
That evening, Master Cangyi ordered a delicious vegetarian meal to be prepared. Several dishes were even made with flowers that bloomed in the mountains, their colors vibrant and their aroma enticing. I picked up my chopsticks and put a pale white flower petal into my mouth, but a different fragrance came to mind. Upon closer tasting, however, all I tasted was bitterness.
Xiao Bai stomped my foot under the table, rolled her eyes, and said, "What's with that expression? Did you eat poop?"
I kicked back, "You've eaten before..."
Meanwhile, the chopsticks held by the others remained untouched...
May 6, 2005 - A chaotic day
My mind was in chaos, restlessness enveloped my entire body, and my nerves were uncontrollably receiving all the unease in the air. I couldn't close my eyes anymore at 4 a.m., so I left a note in my room, got dressed, and went for a walk alone.
I walked and stopped, stopped and walked, the sky still dark, the damp air carrying the scent of grass, which slightly calmed my chaotic mood. I restlessly reached out and flicked the dew off a leaf, but as the droplet hit the ground with a soft "plop," my heart skipped a beat—unease, unease, still unease…
I called my mom when it got light, and she said everything was fine at home. I called Xiao Bi, and everything was alright at school. I called Xia Canyue, and she said she was cooking millet porridge for Gao Tian.
When the sunlight was too bright, I called Gu Ming. He asked me where I was, and I said let's go down the mountain and go back to "Moonlight". He said okay, and then he appeared in front of me carrying two people's luggage.
When I got off the plane, it was already dark, and not a single star could be seen...
Heavy rain on May 7, 2005
The seven-day May Day holiday is over, and I was supposed to go to the lab, but the plan was canceled due to heavy rain.
Early in the morning, just as Gu Ming was saying that Xia's father had stopped the substitute's spell, Xiao Bi called and exclaimed, "I've turned into a piece of paper!"
After breakfast, Gao Tian came to "Moonlight" and told us with a solemn expression, "Five children died yesterday, severely burned, and their injuries are exactly the same as the pattern on Aunt Gao's body."
I was shocked; I finally understood where my unease from yesterday came from—someone had gotten into trouble…
Rushing to the police station, the same morgue, but different people. Five teenagers lay there quietly, lifeless. They should have been playing, but their lively smiles were gone forever. Their fair skin was covered with burn marks, blooming one by one, with red blood flowing from the wounds. Just like Aunt Gao had done.
"Did she do it?" Gao Tian asked, referring to the white-clad female ghost from Er Gou Manor.
"Judging from the screech, it was definitely her who did it." Gu Ming nodded.
"Why did she suddenly kill them? What's the connection between these children and that female ghost?" Xia Canyue asked.
“I don’t know. The information we have shows that these children are just students from a nearby junior high school. They went out to play together yesterday, but the place they went to was not Er Gou Manor. However, the body was found on the mountain near Er Gou Manor,” Gao Tian said, shaking his head.
"Where were they originally going to travel?" A bad thought popped into my head.
“It’s to…” Gao Tian suddenly stopped, looking at me as if in a daze, and murmured, “Your school…”
Everyone turned to stare at me. I felt a wave of guilt wash over me. Looking at the five children bleeding, I trembled and said, "I'm the one who killed them. That thing must have come for me, it must be..."
Suddenly, the cold feeling was dispelled by a pair of gentle arms. I looked up and saw Gu Ming's worried eyes. He nodded to Gao Tian and, without saying a word, pulled me away from that place.
The car drove a long way until there were no more tall buildings outside the window, and sparse tiled houses with a rural atmosphere came into view. Gu Ming parked the car on the side of the road, gripped the steering wheel with both hands, and lowered his head.
"Where is this?" I asked.
"have no idea."
"have no idea?"
"Yes." He chuckled softly, "I just want to get you away from that place."
"I'm sorry." The image of those children from earlier flashed through my mind again, and guilt washed over me once more.
"Why are you saying sorry?"
"I've been hiding some things."
“We know.”
"you?"
"You idiot, everything is written on your face. It's hard not to notice. Ever since you met that fox king at White Deer Mountain, you've hardly smiled."
"..."
Can you tell me now?
"Gu Ming, I'm in a difficult position."
"Then let's not talk about it."
"No, I mean I'm having a hard time dealing with this."
Gu Ming patted my head and pulled me into his arms, listening as I slowly recounted the story I'd heard on White Deer Mountain that day. Actually, it was a very clichéd story…
More than a thousand years ago, Huanxiu Villa was newly built. Its design was ingenious and appropriate. Looking at the whole garden, one sees layers of mountains and rivers, majestic halls and towering peaks. Entering the garden, one sees ever-changing scenery with every step. This villa belonged to Qian Yuanyao, the King of Guangling of Wuyue. In addition to his close relatives, his cousins also lived there, and naturally, there were also many servants and maids in the villa.
Within Huanxiu Villa lies a courtyard called "Fragrant Garden," where a large number of *Echeveria elegans* (moonflower) are planted. During their blooming season, the entire courtyard is filled with fragrance, hence the name. Living in "Fragrant Garden" is a young lady named Qian Qingqing. She is exceptionally beautiful, always wearing green dresses, and appears gentle, kind, and well-educated. She spends her days appreciating flowers, painting, reading, and writing. Whenever she encounters a problem she doesn't understand, she consults the gentlemen at the villa.
The tutor in this villa was hired to teach the host family's children. He was not very old, only five years older than the young lady. He was quite famous in the Suzhou area for his scholarship and usually loved to study some mysterious arts.
The gentleman's surname is Zhang, and his given name is Feifan. Feifan, Feifan—just hearing the name makes one feel that this person is extraordinary. Upon meeting him, one is even more certain of this. It turns out that Zhang Feifan is not only highly talented, but also exceptionally handsome. At the age of twenty, he wears a jade crown, has a handsome face, and wears flowing white robes. Although his physique is not muscular, it is well-proportioned. Every gesture he makes exudes a gentle and refined scholarly air. The phrase "elegant young gentleman" is the most fitting description for him.
On the surface, Miss Biao frequently consulted Zhang Feifan, but in reality, she had long harbored a crush on him. Each time, she would spend a long time dressing up, carefully selecting clothes and headdresses, lightly applying lipstick and rouge, before gracefully strolling through the manor. Zhang Feifan, in turn, often brought newly acquired calligraphy and paintings for Miss Biao to admire. With these interactions, the people in the manor naturally understood the situation and privately considered the two a couple.
There were many moonflowers planted in the "Fragrant Garden," which were not easy to take care of. So the steward chose a diligent and clever maid to take care of these flowers. This maid was Fu Yi.
Fu Yi was born into an official family in Suzhou, but due to involvement in a court affair, her family fell into poverty, and she was sold into the Huanxiu Manor as a maid. She was beautiful, with bright eyes, white teeth, willow-leaf eyebrows, and naturally rosy lips. From a young age, she was well-versed in poetry and literature, and excelled in painting and playing the zither; even in modern times, she would be considered a stunning beauty. Normally, clever and pretty maids would be assigned to be the personal maids of the young ladies, but Fu Yi was too beautiful; the young ladies didn't want her, fearing she would steal their thunder, so she was relegated to tending the flowers and plants.
One day, Mr. Zhang, the schoolteacher, brought another painting to Qian Qingqing for her to see. The two discussed it in the room for a long time. When they came to their senses, they realized it was getting late, so Miss Zhang saw Mr. Zhang out. The moment Zhang Feifan stepped out of the room, he was stunned by the scene before him. The sun was setting, and the afterglow of the sunset bathed the white porcelain in the moonlight before the door in a golden glow, gilding the pure white of the painting. A woman with bright eyes was gently inhaling the fragrance of a flower. Although she was dressed in coarse cloth and her hands were stained with yellow mud, the gentle, contented smile on her face and the watery eyes in the sunset erased everything else. Even someone with a poor sense of smell would feel the fragrance of the flower upon seeing this scene. Zhang Feifan immediately thought to himself, "This is clearly an exquisite painting. Compared to it, the one in my hand is simply unbearable."
The girl in the painting is naturally Fu Yi, who tends the flowers and plants. Fu Yi, engrossed in the moonlight beneath her, was completely unaware that Zhang Feifan was staring blankly at her. Meanwhile, Qian Qingqing, standing beside Zhang Feifan, saw everything. A tightness in her chest, a sour feeling spreading through her, she thought, "This shameless woman dares to seduce Mr. Zhang at my doorstep! She's completely forgotten that Fu Yi is simply working in her assigned spot."