Three Ghosts of the City

Chapter 3

Ming was burned to death; if it were blue, it would indicate suicide.

"So what about black?" I was a little overwhelmed. "If your 'testing papers' are so convenient, what's the point of having police?"

"That means," Fang Lei said gravely, ignoring my mockery, "that they were killed by ghosts, and with great resentment! The test results also prove that these people didn't die easily; they were all killed by ghosts, and their deaths were gruesome. The blood of the deceased has been completely corrupted by ghostly energy. If the bodies aren't disposed of quickly, there's a possibility of them turning into zombies."

"What? A zombie resurrection?" My head must be twice the size right now. My materialistic beliefs are in danger of being shaken after going through so many trials.

"You don't believe me?" Fang Lei's expression was a little impatient, clearly feeling helpless towards someone like me who had no magic.

"How can I believe that? A zombie apocalypse! You think it's just spoiled food?" I rolled my eyes at the beautiful forensic doctor, my mind racing. She didn't seem to be lying, but how was I supposed to deal with these bodies? The case wasn't closed yet, and the higher-ups would never approve cremation. Were I just supposed to throw them all away? Old Cao would be furious if that happened!

"I do have a plan, but I need your help." Fang Lei's tone was persuasive, as if she were casting a net, just waiting for me, this innocent, pitiful little animal who had committed a heinous crime, to walk right into it.

Unfortunately, I, being the clueless little animal I am, actually blurted out, "What kind of help?"

"If the deceased were killed by a ghost, the only way to help them pass on is to take them back to the place where they died and perform a ritual," Fang Lei said casually, as if she were simply throwing a bag of trash into a bin.

"Please, these are corpses, not just anything else! And there's more than one. I can't magically transport these corpses to the scene of the accident!" I hoped Fang Lei had another idea; I didn't want people to think I had a penchant for stealing corpses.

"It doesn't have to be a complete corpse, just the heart will do." Fang Lei answered me calmly. I immediately felt that she had grown two horns on her head and a triangular tail swaying in front of me.

"Don't even think about making me do something so inhumane and despicable."

"This isn't inhumane; this is helping them!"

"If they're going to try to justify themselves, then killing them will be a way of freeing them."

"It's different. Do you want to wait for the zombies to turn into zombies?"

"I don't want them to turn into zombies, and I don't want them to. Please, I just want to do my promising career as a forensic pathologist peacefully!"

"Wait until they turn into zombies and see how you do your job as a forensic doctor!" Fang Lei threatened me fiercely.

I sighed again. Why did this thankless task have to fall on my shoulders? If I didn't believe her, I was afraid that the corpses would really turn into zombies, since these corpses were indeed strange.

"This is illegal, my dear lady." I pleaded with Fang Lei, explaining the seriousness of the situation, hoping this fanatic could change her mind.

"Take them out quietly; no one will notice. After all, these corpses are under your control."

"This isn't a matter that will be noticed by others; it's a matter of professional ethics. Do you expect me to steal from someone in charge?"

"Forensic pathologists sometimes remove parts of the deceased, don't tell me you've never cut off a hand or foot, or dug out a heart or lung for examination."

"......" I started sweating. This beautiful woman's choice of words was very inappropriate.

"I'm doing this to conduct a forensic examination, it's just a little unconventional."

"..." I continued to sweat, and it seemed she was still very confident in her argument.

"If you don't do it, I'll do it myself!"

"...I'm going to faint, my god, who can save me?!"

Chapter Six: A Trip to Heart Lake

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I finally understand why female warriors in martial arts novels are usually beautiful. Because if everyone's martial arts skills are roughly equal, men with a chivalrous heart and a desire to befriend a beautiful woman and potentially develop a romantic relationship are often unable to resist her moves. Of course, characters like Dongfang Bubai and Yue Buqun are exceptions. And that's how easily beautiful women are drawn to martial arts.

He defeated all the heroes under heaven and became a legend in the martial arts world.

And so, I was naturally defeated by Lady Fang. After all, she was a disciple of the Emei Sect, from a prestigious lineage! Losing was one thing, but why did I feel like banging my head against the steering wheel? Was it because Fang Lei in the back of the car was laughing too smugly, or because the bag of human hearts in the seat next to me smelled so pungent?

The closer the car got to Heart Lake, the fewer vehicles there were. It really was a quiet place amidst the hustle and bustle. It's a pity that the feng shui is bad; it's a haunted place where more than a dozen people have died. No wonder people no longer call it Heart Lake, but just Ghost Lake.

We finally arrived at Heart Lake. Although I had been there before for the on-site inspection, the large number of police officers and onlookers at the time prevented me from seeing its full extent. Now, Heart Lake is actually quite beautiful, an eerie kind of beauty, like a bloodthirsty demon that doesn't eat human food. Because there's no one around, not even a bird in sight, it's eerily still, the lake surface as calm as a mirror.

It can reflect all the misery and evil of the world; who knows what lies hidden beneath its calm surface! The lake is surrounded by towering trees and dense shrubs; it's truly rare to find such an unspoiled natural environment in this city. The reason Heart Lake remains untouched is entirely due to its terrifying legends; its beauty has been preserved for this very reason. It's truly a blessing for humanity.

Is it unfortunate?

"This place really does have a strong sense of injustice," Fang Lei said, stroking a large tree beside her.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Of course, you see, its orientation is west, and the west is the paradise of the dead. Its lake shape resembles a heart, so people call it Heart Lake. And the heart is a very mysterious and strange thing in the world of magic. Lakes are actually places that easily absorb the ghostly energy of the underworld. And why do people like mountains and rivers? It's not just because mountains and water together have an artistic beauty, but also because mountains have a suppressing effect."

"Fruit can, to some extent, help the water block ghostly energy. But this lake is surrounded by flat, mountainless terrain, making it easy for ghostly energy to accumulate. And look, the lake is surrounded by locust trees." Fang Lei rattled off a whole bunch of things in one breath.

"What's wrong with the locust tree?" I asked curiously.

Ms. Fang glanced at me disdainfully out of the corner of her eye, clearly looking down on my ignorance. "How do you write the character for 'locust'? It's a 'tree' plus the character for 'ghost.' Of all trees, it's the most unlucky, and ghosts like to perch on locust trees. It's easier for ghostly energy to concentrate there. And notice, besides shrubs, the only trees around here are locust trees. If they grew naturally, that's too much of a coincidence!"

Fang Lei's words made me look around, and sure enough, just as she said, there were only locust trees, no other species. I couldn't help but shudder, hoping that no ghosts might be dwelling in these locust trees.

"Are you scared?" Fang Lei asked coldly, without a trace of concern. I'm such a failure. How could a handsome, dashing, and promising young man like me be ridiculed by a lady?

"I'm just an ordinary person, it's normal to be scared. Unlike you, a female knight-errant of the Emei Sect!" I winked at her defiantly, successfully eliciting a slightly angry look from Fang Lei. I felt so good! Oh God, it's not that I'm a good man who wants to fight with a woman, I'm actually quite a gentleman.

Fang Lei didn't speak, turned her head away, ignoring me, and walked off alone. I could only shrug and follow behind. What could I do? I was still carrying a bag of human hearts. I just hoped this chivalrous woman could finish her ritual quickly so I could get rid of this bag of things. But as if she knew what I was thinking or was deliberately trying to make things difficult for me, she just stood there silently.

They just ignored me by the lake.

I stood beside her, looking at her with a sense of unease. A gentle breeze ruffled her long hair, making it flow freely. At that moment, she possessed a stunning beauty, seemingly blending into the scenery, a harmony that was almost eerily harmonious. Fang Lei gently tucked her hair behind her ear, revealing her delicate neck. Sometimes, a woman doesn't have to be completely naked to be sexy; a little unintentional exposure can be even more alluring and arousing.

The urges in a man's lower body... Oh my god, what am I even thinking!

I shook my head vigorously, trying to clear my mind of those inappropriate thoughts, cleared my throat, and decided it was best to speak first: "When exactly are you planning to perform the ritual for the deceased?"

"Don't you think this place is beautiful? It makes you feel free and without burdens." Fang Lei suddenly blurted out something unexpected, which startled me.

"Yeah!" I could only go along with her, and then somehow I asked a strange question, "Don't you usually feel a sense of freedom, or even a burden?"

A faint sadness flashed in Fang Lei's eyes, and the sorrow on her face was enough to make any man want to protect her, cherish her, and hold her in his arms. Fortunately, the bag in my hand prevented me from giving her a hug, otherwise I would probably have ended up being slapped into the lake by her.

"You wouldn't understand, as..." Fang Lei sighed and didn't continue.

"As what?" My persistent and inquisitive nature kicked in once again.

"It's nothing," Fang Lei smiled at me. I finally understood what it meant to have a smile that could make all the beauties in the palace pale in comparison.

"Let's begin!" Fang Lei reverted to her serious and unsmiling demeanor.

"Alright!" I said regretfully, handing her the bag in my hand, hoping this absurd thing would end quickly, that there would be no more zombies or ghosts.

Fang Lei put the bag on the ground, then took out a yellowed book from her purse. I looked at it closely and realized it was the Great Compassion Vajra Mantra. Was she going to recite it from the book? If so, it seemed that performing a ritual for the deceased wouldn't be so difficult! However, Fang Lei's actions immediately refuted my guess. She then took out a lighter from her bag and lit the book on fire. The fire quickly consumed the entire book, leaving only...

A pile of ashes. Fang Lei bent down, grabbed a handful of ash, and scattered it in a circle within a meter's radius of the bag, completely enveloping it. Then she took out a bottle of mineral water from her bag. Just as I thought she was going to drink some water to quench her thirst, I saw her holding the water bottle in her left hand and taking out a yellow talisman from the bag with her right. She muttered something, and the talisman suddenly burst into flames. Fang Lei gently...

With a gentle flick, the ash from the talisman entered the water bottle, instantly turning the originally colorless and transparent water into a pale golden yellow, which was quite beautiful.

"Move aside a bit, or a ghostly whirlwind might form in a moment." Fang Lei put her bag on the ground.

"Ghostly Whirlwind?" I was completely baffled once again.

"Actually, ghosts should be considered as a form of strange particles. A person's memories, longings, and resentments from their lifetime can be preserved in the form of these particles. However, some are too weak to take shape. When I perform rituals to help them pass on, I am merely sending these particles to the underworld, which is where they should ultimately reside. And at that moment, a spatial portal to the underworld will inevitably open."

"Because the underworld is different from here, just like how tornadoes form on Earth due to air pressure, a ghostly whirlwind will also form later due to the pressure difference between the two spaces. Be careful, if you get swept away, you'll be taken to the underworld!" Fang Lei explained calmly, but it almost made me faint. This woman hadn't mentioned anything like this before she came.

That kind of thing happened!

Fang Lei walked over to me and handed me the strange bottle of mineral water. "Here you go. This water contains Guanyin talismans. If necessary, you can sprinkle it on the Spirit Whirlwind; it can hold it off for a while."

"Just to hold you off for a while? So, Miss, this stuff might not even work?" I took the water and let out a strange cry. It seemed that whether I survived tonight to accompany Li Yang to that Black Forest bar depended on this bottle of water.

"Don't worry, I'm just making thorough preparations. I've done exorcisms before, and the resulting whirlwinds of spirits only lasted for a short while and didn't amount to much," Fang Lei reassured me.

Although I really wanted to believe her, my eyes started twitching again, which was a bad omen! I subconsciously touched my eyes, hoping it was just my imagination this time.

Fang Lei ignored me and stood in front of the bag, clasped her hands together, and began chanting some strange incantations that I couldn't understand at all—probably some kind of scripture or spell! As Fang Lei's chanting became faster and faster, a wisp of gray smoke slowly rose from the bag, but instead of rising upwards like smoke, it floated on the ground, like sentient snakes spreading outwards.

The circle spread outwards. And the circle made of ash began to rotate, the continuous rotation causing the ash to gradually form a spiraling, upward-rising circular barrier, which just blocked the smoke in the bag, preventing it from escaping even half a step out of the circle.

The serpentine plumes of gray smoke thrashed wildly within the circular barrier, violently crashing against it, while the barrier spun faster, deflecting them time and again. The continuous rotation of the circle created a gust of wind, and a small whirlwind was forming, threatening to grow larger. The whirlwind was unusually cold, and I couldn't help but shiver. This was what Fang Lei had described.

Was it just a small whirlwind that wouldn't amount to anything? My rapidly pounding eyes told me that it might actually become something this time.

========----- The following content was added on 2004-11-08 14:56:42-----========

Chapter Seven: The Rise of the Spirit Ghost Whirlwind

"Miss, if what you call 'not yet a threat' is already this powerful, what if it becomes a threat and kills me?" I walked to Fang Lei's side against the increasingly strong wind, but Fang Lei's condition was not optimistic. Her face was pale and bloodless, and her hands were trembling incessantly.

"Water, quick!" Fang Lei shouted to me with great difficulty, there was even a trace of blood at the corner of her mouth.

"Huh? What?" I was stunned for a moment, then immediately realized that she wanted me to spill the water, so I quickly unscrewed the cap and poured the water into the bag. But I didn't expect the wind to be so strong that it blew all the water back. The gray smoke, stimulated by the Guanyin water, seemed to have taken a stimulant and became even more vigorous. One of the wisps even broke through the circular barrier and rushed straight towards Fang Lei.

"Watch out!" I threw the water bottle to the ground and lunged at Fang Lei, managing to catch her in my arms before the plume of smoke hit her. We both tumbled to the ground. Just when I thought we'd escaped, I looked up and saw the smoke, which had curved in the air, continuing its trajectory towards us. Good heavens, does it have eyes?

"Get out of the way!" Fang Lei suddenly pushed me aside. "Evil spirit, retreat!" She threw out a yellow talisman, which formed a ball of flame in front of us. The gray smoke was blocked by the flame, and this time it really turned into a wisp of green smoke and disappeared.

"Fang Lei, to the right!" I shouted, because the wisps of gray smoke in the circle had completely broken through the barrier and burst out. The thickest one was rushing towards Fang Lei, and it was as thick as a python.

"Retreat!" Fang Lei threw out another talisman, but this time there seemed to be a problem. The gray smoke was partially blocked by the flames, but the rest of it actually passed through the flames and continued to attack.

"Damn it!" Fang Lei cursed in a very unladylike manner, then grabbed me, who was still lying on the ground, and ran away as fast as she could.

"Think of something quick, don't just run away!" I reminded Fang Lei as I ran. I didn't want to run around like a rat in the street.

"The ghostly energy of the Ghost Whirlwind is too strong; the Fire Spirit Talisman can't withstand it at all! Is there more than one dead here?" Fang Lei kept throwing talismans behind her as she ran, temporarily blocking the Ghost Whirlwind's attack.

"Nonsense, how could it become Ghost Lake if so many people didn't die?" I roared angrily. What was this woman thinking? It seems she clearly underestimated the enemy.

"Quick, hide behind that tree." Fang Lei grabbed my hand. I could feel her hand trembling uncontrollably, and it was ice cold. She must be very nervous too. Oh well, having a beautiful woman accompany me to the underworld isn't a bad thing!

Although the tree was large, it wasn't wide enough for two people to hide side by side, so Fang Lei and I squeezed tightly together. Her body was almost completely pressed against mine. A faint, sweet fragrance wafted from her and into my nose, making me feel restless. Even in this life-or-death situation, it seems this is what they mean by "dying under a peony is still a romantic death." A whirlwind of spirits swept over us...

A strong whirlwind swept past, sending splinters of wood flying from the tree trunk. I knew this tree wouldn't last long; the whirlwind might soon knock it down.

"Watch out!" Fang Lei suddenly pulled me to the right. I looked up and saw a whirlwind coming towards us, veering off a corner. It was coming so fast that I knew we couldn't avoid it. Fang Lei was in front of me. I was stunned. Although I don't have magic, I could never use a woman as a shield! I don't know where I got the courage and strength, but I pulled her over...

I shielded Fang Lei with my back, using it to block the damned whirlwind. Suddenly, a sharp, burning pain shot through my back, like it was being corroded by sulfuric acid. I could even hear a sizzling sound, like it was being grilled! The pain brought tears to my eyes. Looks like I'll have to break my promise to Li Yang tonight!

Although the pain in my back was almost making me faint, my mind was unusually clear. I saw several more whirlwinds hurtling towards us. This time, it was really over. I couldn't possibly block these whirlwinds from all directions again. I had to fight this time. I gritted my teeth, grabbed the dazed Fang Lei, pushed her to the ground, and then used my entire body to shield her as much as possible.

She completely took herself under her body.

"You!" Fang Lei probably guessed my intention and started pushing my chest with her hands, trying to push me away.

This woman is truly ungrateful. I gritted my teeth and growled at her, "Don't move!" Fang Lei was perhaps frightened by me and didn't speak again. Her eyes suddenly misted over, giving her a hazy, alluring beauty. Just as I was admiring her beauty like a lustful man, I suddenly felt a sharp pain all over my body. A whirlwind, like knives, scraped against my skin; I could even see my blood being spun around.

The wind was blowing and splashing everywhere. It must be a beautiful scene. I smiled bitterly while struggling to resist the force that Fang Lei was trying to push me away. Good heavens, does this woman want two people to die?

Does pain eventually subside? My consciousness began to blur. The burning, scalding pain gradually numbed, and the splattered blood seemed like petals drifting in the air. I thought I must be nearing the underworld, but if the underworld was so beautiful, why be afraid? I looked down. Yin Xue, yes, it was Yin Xue, smiling at me. I seemed...

I was back to that night, and Yin Xue beneath me was smiling shyly, her snow-white skin flushed pink with desire. The dazed look in her eyes ignited my lust, making it uncontrollable. I gently kissed her red lips; if I were to die, I only wanted to die in her arms. I felt a warmth in my chest, then it grew hotter and hotter, until it was burning hot, and then my whole body was ablaze.

It felt like it was about to explode, followed by an overwhelming, excruciating pain. My vision went black, and I thought, "This is really the end for me!"