Three Ghosts of the City - Chapter 20
Tian Niang smiled charmingly and said, "Whether you trust me or not is up to you. Anyway, I've already brought the things. Besides, at this time, it's probably better for you to have one more friend than one more enemy, isn't it?"
Tian Niang's words were loaded with meaning; she was clearly familiar with the ghost stories of this city, even sounding quite knowledgeable, which was not a good sign. Considering she could pass on treasures to Li Hai and Fang Lei's masters, Tian Niang should be a righteous person; otherwise, the two old men wouldn't have so rashly sent their sect's treasures to just anyone. This also suggests her abilities are considerable. On the other hand, her sect is too strange—the Ancient Tomb Sect? Just the name sounds unsettling, and given that she might know the secrets of places like Heart Lake yet remains inactive, she's clearly not a very righteous person. So, what exactly does she mean? I'm becoming increasingly interested in this woman, Tian Niang.
"Then we'll thank you for the gift, Aunt Tian. It's getting late, let's go!" Li Hai suddenly sheathed his sword, and before we could react, he grabbed Li Yang and ran off. The rest of us, feeling awkward, could only nod symbolically to Aunt Tian to say goodbye before chasing after them. Before leaving, I couldn't help but look back, only to see Aunt Tian smiling at me with a strange expression.
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"What are you doing? Why are you in such a hurry!" Li Yang shouted unhappily as soon as Li Hai pulled him out of the bar, clearly the guy hadn't had enough of the beautiful women yet.
"Shut up, get in the car." Li Hai shoved Li Yang into the car, and as soon as we got in, he started the car and sped away.
"Fang Lei, did your master mention the Ancient Tomb Sect to you?" Li Hai probably knew we would ask him why he left in such a hurry, so he spoke first.
"I think so, but I was too young to remember clearly. I only remember my master saying that if we encountered something, we should be as careful as possible and avoid conflict if possible," Fang Lei said.
Li Hai took a deep breath and said, "I just remembered that too. My master said that the Ancient Tomb Sect is an extremely strange and very ancient sect that existed as early as the Qin Dynasty."
"So what?" We, oblivious to the strangeness in Li Hai's tone, asked naively.
"Think about it, it's been around since the Qin Dynasty, but what generation did she just say she was?" Li Hai roared, turning around. Instantly, our smiles froze on our faces. I felt like a few crows flew overhead; she seemed to have said she was the third generation! Good heavens, how old is she? A monster? A deity?
Chapter 43 Revisit the Hospital
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It was already getting dark when I stood at the entrance of Sacred Heart Hospital. I hesitated for a moment, then looked at Fang Lei beside me and asked, "Do we really have to go in?"
"What do you mean? We were drawn as the hospital!" Fang Lei winked at me, looking helpless.
"Damn this lottery!" I kicked a pebble in frustration. Just an hour ago, after Li Hai and Fang Lei decided to temporarily set aside Tian Niang from the Ancient Tomb Sect, Li Yang suggested splitting up: one group would go to Sacred Heart Hospital, while the other would continue investigating the clues at Heart Lake. The method for deciding the location was to draw lots—a very old and simple method. In the end, Fang Lei and I coincidentally drew the hospital lot, so we had to come to the hospital entrance again. I really dislike this hospital; just thinking about that wooden sign, the bandaged ghost, the basement, and that pile of corpses makes me shudder involuntarily.
"Fine!" I shrugged. So what if I die? At least I have a beautiful woman with me. After saying that, I took Fang Lei's hand and walked towards the hospital.
Sacred Heart Hospital had just been renovated, so everything looked clean and tidy, which was quite rare for a hospital. But I had a strange feeling, as if it all was unreal. The busy doctors and all sorts of patients in the hospital seemed so far away from me. I was like a viewer watching television, and the white surroundings made me feel empty inside.
Fang Lei and I didn't take the elevator directly; instead, we chose to take the stairs. Partly because I still felt a bit apprehensive about elevators, and partly because we knew that going down the stairs to the basement would be less noticeable. As the stairs spiraled down, I touched the cold metal handrail and slowly felt my body temperature dropping. Perhaps because we were in the basement, I felt the air around me suddenly drop several degrees, and goosebumps rose on my exposed skin.
"Be careful." Fang Lei tugged at me from behind, and the two of us hid behind the wall. A doctor was walking out of the door and entering the elevator.
"Are we there?" I tugged at Fang Lei, seeing that no one else was around. Looking up, I saw a green "B1" written on the wall—basement level one. So where was the second floor the bandaged ghost took me to last time? I looked at the stairwell; there were indeed no more stairs leading down. But that night, it clearly went straight down to the second floor. Could I have remembered wrong? I stood still in the stairwell, a chill rising from my feet.
"What's wrong?" Fang Lei was pressing the door to the stairwell and asked curiously when she saw that I didn't move.
"Wait a minute, there were definitely two floors last time, why are there no stairs now?" I turned around and made sure there were no other staircases to go down to the next floor.
"Are you sure?" Fang Lei asked.
"Of course, how could I forget?" I said, walking to the wall and touching it. The white wall was spotless, unlike its dilapidated state from that night. I crouched down and touched the concrete. The moment my fingers touched the ground, a chilling coldness pierced my skin like a needle, traveling to my heart, and fear slowly spread. Suddenly, ripples appeared on the ground where my fingers had touched, as if I were touching a liquid instead of a solid. The concrete suddenly changed; when the ripples formed a huge circle, they turned into a transparent layer. I jumped back in fright.
"What happened?" I asked Fang Lei hurriedly.
Fang Lei didn't speak, but simply pressed herself close to me, pulling the lotus hairpin from her hair. I looked down at the ground; I could now see a staircase leading downwards from where we had been before, the mottled, yellowish walls, the dark green, rusty handrail, the dim lighting—everything reminded me of that night. And all of this seemed so out of place with our surroundings, like a clear dividing line separating B1 and B2—one new, one an achievement; one safe, one eerie. It turned out that light and darkness could be so distinctly divided. I tentatively stretched out a foot, wanting to step down the stairs, but was blocked by an invisible wall. The situation was this: I could see the stairs, but I couldn't go down; the concrete floor seemed to have suddenly transformed into a layer of glass.
"I'll do it." Fang Lei patted my shoulder, gesturing for me to step back. She then swung her hairpin in the air, leaving streaks of purple light wherever it went. A purple lotus gradually formed in the air, radiating a holy glow. Fang Lei chanted an incantation, and the lotus, which had been budding, slowly opened, releasing golden particles of light.
"When the purple lotus blooms, all ghosts retreat. I can roam freely between heaven and earth." As Fang Lei spoke, the lotus sank towards the stairwell. After a flash of purple light, I clearly saw a black light streak across the invisible wall. When I stretched out my foot again, I had already descended a flight of stairs and was standing at the entrance to B2.
But just after Fang Lei and I reached the bottom of the stairs, the original stairwell turned back into a concrete floor, as if nothing had ever happened.
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The rusty door was almost collapsing. The blood-stained lettering "B2" on the wall was still wet, and a pungent smell of blood filled the air. The dim light flickered, making the already dim light seem even more unsettling. A chilling wind blew in through the crack in the door, and I held Fang Lei's small hand tightly, not wanting to let go for a moment. Fang Lei's other hand also gripped the hairpin tightly, the lotus flower on the hairpin emitting a purple halo.
My heavy breathing sounded rapid in the whistling wind. My hand, already an inch from the iron door, stopped and hovered in mid-air. Even though I knew there was just a huge freezer inside, I still trembled with unease. Suddenly, the iron door reflected the scene behind me—right at the top of the stairs. Because of the limited view, I couldn't see the whole thing, only two legs tightly wrapped in bandages. A chill ran down my spine, my heart leaped into my throat, and I whirled around—nothing there, the stairs were empty. Looking at Fang Lei, her face was also pale, staring at me in terror. It seemed she had seen it too. Sweat streamed down our foreheads. We stared at each other, neither of us daring to look back at the iron door. My grip on Fang Lei's hand tightened, almost crushing her bones. I gritted my teeth, and after confirming there was nothing behind us, I looked at the iron gate again. This time, a face covered in bandages, with only one eye visible, suddenly appeared before my eyes. It felt as if this face was the only thing left in the world, appearing behind us with a sinister smile. The bulging eye had no pupil, only a yellowish-white sclera. I barely had time to scream; I grabbed Fang Lei and turned to back, but still nothing. There was still nothing behind me. I lost my balance in fear and crashed heavily into the iron gate.
With a bang, I slammed the iron door open, and the two of us stumbled and fell inside. Then, with another bang, the door slammed shut the instant we regained our footing. A pungent, acrid smell assaulted my nostrils, followed by a hard punch to the chest. I, who had just regained my footing, immediately fell back to the ground. Looking up, I saw Fang Lei scream. She seemed to have been kicked in the stomach; her abdomen recoiled, and a trickle of blood immediately escaped her lips. But there were only the two of us in the room. What was going on? I struggled to my feet, but inadvertently caught a glimpse of the scene reflected in the freezer's surface, instantly plunging me into hell. The bandaged ghost was choking Fang Lei, even lifting her entirely up. Turning my head, I saw only Fang Lei, breathing heavily, half-floating in the air, her legs kicking incessantly.
"Damn it!" I roared and charged forward, thinking I'd bump into the ghost, but that wasn't the case at all. My body just grazed past Fang Lei. I looked back at the freezer; I was now standing behind the bandaged ghost. The ghost slowly turned its head. I knew its face should be facing me now, but I couldn't see anything but air. Fang Lei was still suspended in mid-air, her pained expression telling me she was about to collapse. I rushed towards Fang Lei, but a blast of scorching gas pushed me back.
What should I do? What should I do? I, who am usually calm, suddenly lost my way. I could do nothing and was powerless to do anything. I could only watch helplessly as the woman I loved died, which made my heart ache. Fang Lei's painful face gradually overlapped with Yin Xue's face in my memory. I seemed to see resentment in both of their eyes.
"Oh!" A strange scream rang out, shaking the entire room. The bandaged ghost suddenly appeared in my sight, its hand, which was covering the other hand, moved away, and a wisp of black smoke was hissing from between its fingers.
"Fang Lei!" I rushed to Fang Lei immediately. She was coughing with a pale face, one hand touching her neck and the other hand holding a hairpin with thick yellow blood on it.
"I'm alright, thank goodness for this hairpin." Fang Lei shook her head. The feeling of having her back in my arms almost made me cry. A sudden realization struck me; when had I become so attached to a woman? Since Yin Xue's death, no woman had ever made me weep like Fang Lei. Holding her tightly, I suddenly felt an unprecedented sense of responsibility—the responsibility a man should have to ensure his woman's safety and happiness. No matter what the future held, at least in this moment I understood my own heart. I lowered my head and kissed Fang Lei's hair. I wanted to remember all her fragrance; even if I went to hell, I wanted to find her.
"Heh." A sound like a broken machine rang in my ears. The bandaged ghost stared at us with its only remaining eyeball, its shrill voice piercing my eardrums, "Today I'm sending you to hell."
"You're the one who should go to hell, Lin Junxian!" I pointed at the bandaged ghost in front of me and decided to try calling out his name. He was stunned for a moment, then let out an extremely horrific laugh.
"Haha, haha, you all know we've arrived? Then you're all doomed." With that, Lin Junxian's spirit lunged at us.
"Get out of the way." Fang Lei suddenly pushed me aside, grabbed the hairpin and rubbed it towards Lin Junxian. Suddenly, countless black flames burst out from around Lin Junxian and flew towards Fang Lei.
"Ah!" Fang Lei cried out, and bursts of purple light shot out from the lotus on the hairpin, entangled with the black flames. Fang Lei and Lin Junxian were locked in a stalemate, neither of them taking another step forward.
"Exit! Exit!" I knew rushing forward would only cause trouble for Fang Lei, so I ran to the iron gate and pushed hard. The gate, which had been so fragile just moments before, was now completely unmoved. I tried several times, but there was still no movement. Looking at Fang Lei and Lin Junxian, their battle of magic had reached a fever pitch. Circles of black flames and purple light collided around them; some black flames disappeared, some purple light vanished, and the remaining black flames or purple light fell to the ground, creating a strange spectacle, like alternating bursts of black and purple fireworks spreading out and then falling like rain. What worried me was that the falling black flames were gradually increasing, forming a circle on the ground that surrounded Fang Lei. What to do? I suddenly looked at the freezer, and a bold plan formed in my mind. No matter what, I'd give it a try! I took a deep breath, mustered all my strength, and suddenly charged towards Fang Lei and Lin Junxian.
I rushed into the circle of black flames, grabbed Fang Lei by the waist, and stood in front of the freezer. Ignoring Fang Lei's screams and the sound of Lin Junxian lunging at me from behind, I pulled open one of the freezer drawers. Thankfully, it was empty. Then, just as Lin Junxian pounced, I jumped inside with Fang Lei in my arms.
Chapter Forty-Four: A Plea for Help from a Ghost
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"Lin Xiao, do you love me?" Yin Xue was still wearing a short blue floral dress, revealing her long, shapely legs. She held a glass in her hand, looking at the sun through it—her favorite pose, saying it allowed her to see the sunlight without being afraid of its glare. The wind ruffled her shoulder-length hair, and she turned to smile at me. I didn't answer her, because I knew I never needed to. She always answered the question herself, just like now.
"I know you love me." Yin Xue put down her cup and nestled into my arms like a little bird. Her still-immature, youthful body stirred a restless desire within me. Do I love you? I wasn't really sure. Maybe it was love, maybe it was just habit, or maybe it was just not wanting to be alone anymore. I held her, as we'd done hundreds of times before. But this time, Yin Xue didn't let me hold her as usual. Instead, she gently pushed me away, looking at me with disdain, even contempt, and coldly said, "You're so heartless. Have you forgotten me so quickly?"
"Forgot you? I didn't," I replied, at a loss for words.
"No? Then why are you looking for someone new?"
"A new love?"
"No? That Fang Lei?"
"Fang Lei? Who is she? I don't know her!" I took a step back. The Yin Xue before me wasn't the gentle Yin Xue I remembered. Her face was twisted with resentment, and her ferocious expression terrified me. Fang Lei? Who is she? I tried hard to recall, but my mind went blank, and a sharp pain shot through me. Yin Xue's shrill laughter made my chest tighten. Caught between the pain and the suffocation, my consciousness grew increasingly blurred. I felt as if my entire body was exploding, my soul being pulled away from my body.
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I opened my eyes, my heart pounding. I jumped up, cold sweat soaking my back, a chill spreading from my back throughout my body. Looking around, I found myself lying in a dark room, on a large European-style bed. Where was I? Where was Fang Lei? I jumped off the bed. The room was simply furnished, with only a bed and a dressing table. My eyes couldn't adjust immediately to the darkness, and I groped my way forward a few steps. The room was large, and the two pieces of furniture made it feel even more empty, making me feel incredibly small. The high ceiling hung overhead, and a nameless fear began to swirl in my mind. Although there were no corpses or bandaged ghosts here, being alone in such an empty room only made me more uncomfortable. When you face a corpse or a ghost, the fear is real. But when you can't predict the object of your fear yet feel it undeniably, this insidious fear is like a needle pricking your body; you never know when it will pierce your heart. Have you ever felt this way? At least I have it now; it's like a mouse, gnawing away at my composure bit by bit.
I couldn't go on like this. I strode to the window and opened it. The lake in my heart was still there, beautiful as ever. So, was I now at No. 77, Ancient Locust Street? I closed the window and walked out of the room without hesitation. I had to find Fang Lei, even though I was terrified.
I held a lighter in my hand, and perhaps because of my breathing, the flame flickered, and the light swayed and dimmed. I was the only one in the long corridor, and my shadow stretched long on the floor.
This wasn't my first time here, but last time the doors on both sides of the corridor were closed. This time, however, they were all ajar, but I had no intention of going in. Standing in the corridor, all around was silent, and my lighter was slightly hot to the touch from prolonged use.
Suddenly, I felt the flame being extinguished, and in that instant when the light returned to darkness, I thought I saw a familiar yet unfamiliar face that always appeared at crucial moments, but I couldn't remember where it was.
"Fang Lei?" I called out to bolster my courage, frantically trying to light the lighter again. The sparks from the flint gliding against the stone shone brightly in the darkness. I felt a hot breath on my back, brushing against my neck. I whirled around, but there was nothing there. Goosebumps rose on my neck. The lighter was somehow broken. I held the still-hot lighter; though useless, the heat at least made me feel alive.
My heart pounded harder and harder. I had a strong feeling of being watched, as if countless eyes were staring at me, making my skin crawl. Through the half-open doors, through the dark cracks, I saw round, green eyes, like the wide-open eyeballs of the dead, unwilling to die. I suddenly started running, rushing forward down the corridor. The doors on either side seemed to recede, the corridor seemed endless. My running was so rapid in the darkness, everything seemed to be distorted and overlapping. That narrow, endless path, the path leading to Yin Xue's house—it felt like I was back on the night Yin Xue committed suicide, the same loneliness, the same running, the same long road. I couldn't stop; my legs wouldn't obey me, I kept running. Suddenly, a large door appeared before me, at the end of the corridor. The door was so familiar; it was clearly Yin Xue's door.
With a bang, I practically slammed the door open, revealing a leg dangling in the air, moving on its own even without wind. I dared not look up; the sweat from my run froze instantly, as if I were trapped in an icebox, my hands and feet numb. Slowly, I raised my head. Yin Xue's face was ashen, her blood-red tongue lolling out, and her bulging eyes made me dizzy.
"Giggle—!" A disturbing laugh, like fingernails scraping against glass, escaped Yin Xue's throat, echoing in the room. I wanted to rush out, but my legs felt as heavy as lead. Suddenly, her bulging eyes turned, staring at me. Those weren't Yin Xue's eyes; they were the eyes of a demon. My breath caught in my throat. The air around me seemed to have been sucked away, and I was gradually drenched in sweat, as if I'd been suddenly thrown into water. But I was in a house—how could this be? My body began to suffocate. Time was running out; the feeling of suffocation was growing stronger. A cruel smile crept onto Yin Xue's lips. Her laughter faded, and I felt a ringing in my ears and chest pain.
"Lin Xiao!" A familiar voice came from behind me, and then my whole body went limp as I collapsed to the ground, my nose breathing in air again.
"How are you?" Fang Lei rushed to my side. I was panting heavily. When I looked up again, Yin Xue's body had disappeared, and I was sitting in the middle of a room.
"Yin Xue, I just saw Yin Xue." I grabbed Fang Lei's hand, only to find that her body temperature was even colder than mine.
“That’s an illusion. Get up, we need to leave here.” Fang Lei helped me up. I leaned against her side, my neck covered in a large, almost snow-white patch that was frightening. My heart was pounding, and my eyelids started to twitch. I didn’t say anything. Fang Lei very skillfully led me through the corridor, down the stairs, out of the house, and towards the iron gate.
"Who are you?" When I reached the iron gate, I stared at the "Fang Lei" in front of me. She was not Fang Lei. Even though she looked exactly the same, I could still tell the difference. She didn't have Fang Lei's faint fragrance; instead, she reeked of death.
"Did you know from the beginning?" she asked.
"Yes." I nodded.
"Then you'll let me take you with me?"
“Because it’s better than staying in that house.” As I finished speaking, her vision began to distort, and gradually, it was replaced by a figure dressed in green—Lin Yuyan. I felt no fear at all; curiosity emboldened me, and I stepped forward, pressing her aggressively, “What exactly is going on?”
Lin Yuyan kept looking back at the building. A face seemed to be vaguely appearing in the window, staring blankly at us. She looked terrified and reached out to me, instantly sending me flying towards the iron gate behind me. I held my breath, bracing myself for the impact on my back, but instead, I found myself passing right through the iron gate, which seemed to be invisible. I was thrown solidly outside.
"Wait!" I quickly scrambled to my feet and rushed forward, but this time the iron gate solidified again, separating me from Lin Yuyan. I gripped the gate tightly and shouted, "Why? Where's Fang Lei?"
Lin Yuyan didn't speak. Her eyes slowly turned red, and a line of bloody tears flowed down her face, contrasting against her snow-white skin.
"Tell me, Lin Yuyan!" I pounded on the iron gate, feeling utterly powerless once again. Lin Yuyan's mouth opened, but no sound came out. However, I clearly heard two words from her lip movements: "Save me!"
Chapter 45 The Past of St. Mary's Hospital
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I opened my eyes. The walls were white, and I was lying in the stairwell on the basement floor of Sacred Heart Hospital. Fang Lei was leaning against one side, her rising and falling chest a testament to her life. I rushed over to support her, gently patting her face: "Fang Lei, Fang Lei!"
With a soft moan, Fang Lei's long eyelashes fluttered, and her body shifted restlessly in my arms before she finally opened her eyes.
"Lin Xiao!" Fang Lei hugged me tightly, as if afraid of losing me again, and asked, "Are we still alive?"
“Of course, silly girl.” I affectionately stroked her neck and asked, “Were you conscious afterward? Did you see anything?”
"It seems like I saw Lin Yuyan, but it also seems like I didn't," Fang Lei said, touching the hairpin in her hair.
"Really?" I said, disappointed. It seemed Lin Yuyan had helped Fang Lei, but why? Since she killed so many girls, why did she come to help us? And what about Lin Junxian? Why couldn't he come along? If he really was the mastermind behind this, his abilities must be very strong; he should also be able to traverse the Netherworld. But he didn't reappear. Was there another conspiracy, or some other reason? And who was that face that appeared at the window, the one that terrified Lin Yuyan so much?
"Did you see anything?" Fang Lei asked worriedly. I nodded and told her everything that had happened at No. 77 Guhuai Street.
"What are you doing here?" Suddenly the door was pushed open, and Dr. Yang's familiar gray hair reappeared in front of us. He was looking at us with a look of horror. Did he hear what I just said?
"We...we were just taking a walk." Fang Lei's clumsy lie was truly unconvincing.
"Just taking a stroll? To the morgue?" Dr. Yang's voice carried a hint of authority, and we both immediately lowered our heads, not daring to speak again, like two children who had done something wrong. Dr. Yang looked us up and down for a while, finally sighed, and said, "Do you have time?"
"Huh?" I didn't expect his next sentence to be like that, and my mind went blank for a moment.
"Yes, yes!" Fang Lei nodded vigorously, knowing full well what was going on.
"Then wait for me at a restaurant called Shuguoji near the hospital. I'll come find you right after I get off work," Dr. Yang said meaningfully before turning and leaving, leaving us still confused.
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Shu Guo Ji is a Sichuan restaurant. Although small, it's decorated quite warmly, with large strings of red chilies and handfuls of yellow corn, clearly evoking a rustic charm. I casually ordered a few dishes. Although Dr. Yang was across from me, after experiencing so much that day, my stomach was growling, so I didn't care and wolfed down my food. While Fang Lei initially ate elegantly, she practically grabbed everything in her mouth later. Heh, it seems even beauties can't resist the temptation of delicious food! After devouring everything, I awkwardly wiped my mouth and smiled at Dr. Yang, saying, "Sorry, we...we were really hungry!"
"Hehe, it's a good thing that young people have such good appetites!" Dr. Yang smiled and said, "But aren't you afraid that what you just did will mean you'll never be able to enjoy these delicious foods again?"
There was a hidden meaning in his words! Fang Lei and I exchanged a glance, knowing that some things were better left unsaid to shrewd old people. Besides, this old man seemed to have some secrets, so we decided to have an open and honest exchange. With that in mind, I told him roughly what had happened recently. However, to my surprise, Dr. Yang didn't show any disbelief. I had thought that a doctor who believed in science wouldn't believe in ghosts and spirits.
"My name is Yang Tianxing," Dr. Yang said, not rushing to comment on the matter after hearing the news, but introducing himself, "My father's name is Yang Yi, and he is the head of surgery at St. Mary's Hospital."
What? My heart skipped a beat. If that's the case, maybe I can learn some secrets from him!
“My father and Lin Junxian were classmates at the same medical school, close friends, and later worked at the same hospital.” Yang Tianxing took a sip of tea and continued, “Lin Junxian was an outstanding internist with excellent medical skills. He was also a very good person, with outstanding looks; you could say he was a perfect person. He had a beautiful wife and a lively and lovely daughter. But fate doesn't allow everything to be perfect. His daughter, Lin Yiyi, contracted a strange illness for some unknown reason, an illness that the medical community has been unable to cure until now. Lin Junxian has worried endlessly about this and has been dedicated to treating his daughter.”