Hyakki Yagyō (Desfile Nocturno de Cien Demonios)

Capítulo 1

Cai Jun's brand new thrilling masterpiece, *Margaret's Secret*, released in 2005.

The first mysterious sheepskin

April 1, 2005, Shanghai.

This story begins on April Fool's Day in 2005.

April 1st. Friday. A chilly, damp spring day in Shanghai. It wasn't until I stepped into the "YunJ" office on the thirteenth floor of a building on Nanjing West Road that I suddenly realized what day it was.

At 3:45 PM, the YunJ chat room officially opened. The beautiful host first introduced me to the netizens, along with my two recently published books, *The Deserted Village Apartment* and *The 19th Level of Hell*. These two books sold quite well, and many netizens and readers were speculating whether I was the protagonist in the story. Was one of the female protagonists in the book still wandering in the subway?

Later, netizens raised many strange questions, which made me extremely anxious. I spent two hours in agony, and just when I was about to escape this misery, a netizen named Delamor appeared.

De La Morne?

The strange name appeared on the screen like a ghost, and I held my breath for several seconds, as if a needle had pierced my brain.

Netizen Delamour: "I've read your novel 'The Head of My Lover,' in which the female protagonist takes away the head of her beheaded lover. Why did you write it this way? Is it because of Stendhal's 'The Red and the Black'?"

As I read this text, the needle pierced my mind even deeper. I almost forgot all my questions, and all that seemed to be before me was a crescent moon.

Strangely, on the afternoon of April Fool's Day in 2005, in a chat room on Y, I found myself engrossed in a novel I had written five years earlier.

I didn't know how to answer. At that moment, the host said that time was up and it was time to end the chat. He added that he would invite me to visit again in the future.

The chat finally ended, but I was still thinking about that netizen named "Dramore," whose strange question kept bothering me.

Stepping out of the office building, the streetlights were already on, and a cold wind blew against my face, giving me a strange feeling.

Suddenly, a voice rang in my ear: "Excuse me, are you Mr. Cai?"

I turned around nervously. It was a young man, probably in his early twenties, tall and thin, dressed entirely in black, which matched the night perfectly. He moved suspiciously, looking around as if someone was following him, and then approached me.

My guard was up: "Yes, it's me. How did you know?"

"I've seen your photo." Under the light, I gradually made out his face. He looked more like a college student; his eyes, though not large, were dark and bright, and his face was pale and thin. At first glance, he resembled Jay Chou somewhat.

How did you know I would be here?

“I’ve been waiting for you for a while. I know you’re chatting on CloudNet, so I’m waiting for you here.”

A strange expression suddenly appeared on his lips: "I had a feeling you would come this way, and I was right."

His tone was like that of a wizard, so I became even more cautious: "Enough, who exactly are you, and why are you looking for me?"

“My name is Lin Hai. I have something important to tell you, and you must listen to me.” He took another step closer to me.

What's all this mystery about? He suddenly leaned close to my ear and said in a chilling tone, "Do you believe in ghosts?"

I was stunned by those words. This ghostly boy had asked me the most terrifying question in the world.

Before I could react, his second whisper came: "I'm being haunted by a ghost, and it's right next to you."

Upon hearing those words, I felt a jolt in my heart, and a chill swept over me, as if that ghost had "passed" through my body.

I immediately froze. This guy named Lin Hai seemed more like a ghost. Could this be an April Fool's joke?

"I'm sorry, maybe I was too direct. Can we find somewhere to talk?" Lin Hai said softly when he saw my hesitation. "This afternoon you were chatting on Y, and I was in the internet cafe across the street. I went into the chat room and asked you a question—why did the female protagonist in 'The Lover's Head' take away the head of her beheaded lover?"

My eyes widened immediately, and a name blurted out: "Delamore. You're that online friend named Delamor."

"Yes, you ended the meeting without answering my question, which is why I'm waiting for you here."

I felt a strange excitement; this "De La Mole" was right in front of me. I agreed to his request, and we walked together to a small café across the street.

On April Fool's Day night, business was slow at the coffee shop. Lin Hai found an inconspicuous corner and sat down opposite me.

Although Lin Hai looked haggard, he was indeed a handsome young man, especially with those Jay Chou-esque eyes, which should be very attractive to girls.

The night was dark outside the window, and we began an unusual conversation in this dimly lit café.

Little did I know, a nightmare was about to invade my life!

(2)

There were only the two of us left in the coffee shop.

"Alright, tell me, what exactly do you want from me? And what's this so-called ghost you're talking about?"

Lin Hai's face was still pale. He pursed his lips, looked around again, and then slowly said, "In your novel 'The Head of My Lover,' the female protagonist takes away the head of the person she loves because she believes she will be with him forever. But why is the ending so perplexing?"

"Oh, perhaps I was indeed influenced by Stendhal's *The Red and the Black*. Real-life love stories aren't what people expect; I just didn't want to repeat myself. But what does any of this have to do with you coming to see me?"

Lin Hai smiled mysteriously, and suddenly said to me, "Do you know the name Margaret?"

I was taken aback. Margaret, what did that mean? I was becoming increasingly confused by what he was saying. Could he be a highly intelligent madman like Zhou Xuan, the character I wrote about in "Ghost Inn"?

I got a little angry: "Could you please explain yourself clearly? What exactly are you trying to say? I don't have that much time to play mind games with you."

Lin Hai's face turned very embarrassed. He hurriedly said, "No, please don't misunderstand. I'm not trying to tease you. I just want to tell you about the strange things that happened to me."

I calmed down and asked him to explain the whole process in detail.

So Lin Hai recounted his terrifying experience to me:

Lin Hai is a recent college graduate who currently works in a technology park, primarily selling computers and software. He's not particularly busy, and in his spare time, he often listens to music. He doesn't like so-called pop songs; he generally appreciates classical masterpieces, such as the works of Beethoven, Mozart, and Bach. These days, there aren't many young people like him who enjoy this kind of music.

That afternoon, the weather was a bit gloomy. Lin Hai was listening to music idly behind the counter when a melodious voice suddenly rang out: "Hello, do you have any antivirus software here?"

Lin Hai was startled by the beautiful voice and quickly turned around.

A young girl stood by the counter, wearing a long purple dress, her beautiful hair cascading over her shoulders. Her eyes were as deep and blue as the sea, and her skin, exposed outside the dress, was as white as snow. She looked like a mixed-race person.

Lin Hai was so captivated by her presence that he forgot how to answer. It wasn't until the girl asked again that he snapped out of his daze and hurriedly said, "Yes, yes, come in and take a look. This is a self-service store. The antivirus software you want is over there." As he spoke, he pointed to it.

The girl thanked him and went over to choose some items.

Lin Hai looked at her graceful figure from behind and couldn't help but feel a little tremble. He had never seen such a beautiful woman before.

The girl quickly picked out her item and asked how much it cost. Lin Hai gave her a 20% discount.

After paying, she suddenly asked Lin Hai, "You also like listening to Beethoven's music?"

The speaker had been playing Beethoven's famous "Symphony No. 5" the whole time. Hearing her soft and beautiful voice, Lin Hai replied shyly, "Oh, it's just something to relax with when I have nothing to do, but I really do love Beethoven's music."

The girl smiled again, blinking her beautiful, deep blue eyes, and said, "I loved ancient music when I was in France. I didn't expect there to be someone in China who loves retro culture like you. I feel that the young people here are very individualistic and keep up with the trends."

"Oh, so you didn't grow up in China, or you're not Chinese?"

"To be precise, I am of mixed race. My mother is Chinese and my father is French, but I always feel that I have more Chinese characteristics."

"Yes, I also think you are more Chinese, and your Mandarin is very good."

“I grew up in Nantes, France. Although my mother’s native language is French, she taught me Chinese from a young age, so I have no problem speaking Mandarin.”

Lin Hai nodded vigorously and said with a smile, "How long have you been back? Did you come back to visit relatives, study, or do something else?"

She answered softly, “I came back with my parents, and we’ve been here for over two months. My father came to China to invest and start a trading company. Shanghai is my mother’s hometown, so we settled here. I don’t have many friends here, so I usually just go online or listen to music. I just happened to come here today to buy some things.”

Just as Lin Hai was about to say something, the girl suddenly raised her wrist to look at her watch: "Excuse me, I have to go. It was nice meeting you today. By the way, could you tell me your name?"

Lin Hai was overjoyed. Girls who grew up abroad are so open and direct; she asked for his name on their very first meeting. Actually, Lin Hai was eager to get to know her.

"Of course, my name is Lin Hai. Lin as in forest, Hai as in sea."

"Lin Hai, that's a good name to remember. So we're acquainted now. I also have a Chinese name, Ni Siqi. You can just call me Siqi."

Lin Hai was thrilled; he remembered the name.

The girl named Ni Siqi said "goodbye" to Lin Hai and left.

As Lin Hai watched the beautiful mixed-race girl's retreating figure, a strange excitement welled up inside him. How he longed to see her again and hear her captivating words.

Will she appear again? Will I ever see her again?

A few days later, she returned as expected. This time, she and Lin Hai seemed quite familiar with each other, and they chatted warmly. Since Siqi didn't have many friends here, she and Lin Hai quickly hit it off, and they also shared the same interests. Even more coincidentally, Lin Hai had majored in French in university, and that was exactly what he was studying.

All these coincidences seemed to have destined them to become friends.

Through their continued conversations, Lin Hai increasingly felt that Siqi was an extraordinary girl.

They talked a lot, from music to history, from Liersanjon in Nantes to the ancient town of the Bund in Shanghai, like two old friends who had been separated for a long time.

Since Lin Hai was the only one watching the counter, and the owner didn't come by often, he was quite bored. Fortunately, the appearance of a lovely girl like Si Qi made him very happy.

They then exchanged phone numbers. Before leaving, Siqi told Lin Hai to call her when he had time, that he could call her in the evening, and Lin Hai happily agreed.

Lin Hai suddenly had a strange feeling; he felt as if he had fallen for her. Yes, in just a few days of contact, he was completely captivated by this girl. What should he do?

(3)

Since meeting the girl named Siqi, Lin Hai found himself deeply in love with her. But Siqi hadn't shown up for the past few days. Lin Hai felt a pang of disappointment, then suddenly remembered the phone number he'd left with. Yes, he'd call her and see what she was doing.

It was afternoon, and a layer of dust swirled in the gloomy sky, filling the air with the smell of sand. There were even fewer people around in this weather.

So, in this state of utter boredom, Lin Hai took out his phone and dialed the number Siqi had given him.

—Beep—Beep.

After ringing several times without being answered, Lin Hai felt a little nervous. After all, it was the first time he had called her, and he didn't know how she would react.

Just as I was thinking, a voice came from the other end of the phone:

"Hello, who are you looking for?" A man's voice came from the other end of the phone.

Lin Hai's heart skipped a beat. What was going on? A man was answering the phone, but wasn't that Siqi's number? Who was this person? Could it be her father? No, definitely not. Siqi had said her father was French, but the man she just heard spoke fluent Shanghainese. Even if her father understood Chinese, he couldn't possibly speak such fluent Shanghainese. So who was he?

Suddenly, Lin Hai had a strange thought: Could he be Siqi's boyfriend? Just then, the voice on the other end of the phone interrupted his thoughts:

"Hello, hello, please speak to me, who are you looking for?"

Lin Hai didn't have time to think any further, and he stammered as he answered:

"Oh, hello, I'm looking for a Miss Ni Siqi. I'm her friend."

"What did you say? You're looking for someone named Ni Siqi?" the man asked suspiciously.

"Yes, yes, is there a problem?" Lin Hai became even more nervous, thinking he had said something wrong.

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, then a deep voice said, "You sound young, you must be a young person."

Lin Hai was even more puzzled. Why was this person asking these questions for no reason? But he still let out a breath and slowly said: