El decimonoveno nivel del infierno

Capítulo 5

I heard that Huakai didn't come back with them, and the others in the class didn't say much, clearly quite confident in that child's boldness. Today happens to be the full moon, a bright, round moon hanging in the sky. I didn't notice it in the melon patch earlier, otherwise it would truly have fulfilled Lu Xun's words:

"A golden full moon hangs in the deep blue sky, below which is the sandy beach, planted with an endless expanse of emerald green watermelons."

Zheng Qinglong put four watermelons in a bucket and lowered it into the well. Three of them immediately floated to the surface. Xiao Li came over and started arguing with Zheng Qinglong about who had chosen the fourth unripe watermelon.

Tao Rujiu went back inside to retrieve the fully charged voice recorder. As she stepped outside, she ran into her boss, Brother Wang, who was carrying a basket full of dried fruit and candies towards the outer room. Tao Rujiu went out with him and helped distribute the pastries. At that moment, Master Lü also came out of his room.

"Everyone's here."

The members of the opera troupe greeted Master Lü and then began to chat.

Tao Rujiu then remembered the question he had asked in the melon patch earlier. As expected, Brother Zheng kept his word and asked him to sit down next to him, and then he began to speak.

"The Netherworld Palace area was originally just a photography base, with only above-ground buildings and no underground palace. The current underground palace was built in 1996 by the previous CEO, Ling Muzhong. He is the father of the current CEO."

As he began to tell the story of the underground palace, several more people sat down. They fanned themselves with palm-leaf fans, and the 80-watt incandescent bulbs overhead attracted a swarm of mosquitoes and moths, making it look quite like a storytelling session.

"Those who have seen the architectural plans said that the underground palace was originally only planned to be two stories. However, after it was almost completed, Ling Muzhong proposed to build a third story below the second story, making it look like a mausoleum, and putting some 'treasures' inside to let tourists experience the feeling of tomb raiding. At the time, everyone in the park thought it was a good idea. However, problems arose during construction."

"Ling Muzhong? Wasn't the park under Ling Li's management back then?"

Upon hearing this, Tao Rujiu asked a question. Someone nearby immediately replied with a laugh:

"Ten years ago, Ling Li's father was still alive. How could he have become so powerful? Besides, Ling Li had only graduated from high school ten years ago. Did you think he was born with an ID card?"

Everyone, including Tao Rujiu, burst into laughter. Zheng Qinglong cleared his throat and continued:

"When the underground palace was originally built, a large pit was dug, and construction proceeded from the bottom up. Now, the third level has to be dug down from the second level. This project is not like building a house, but rather like digging a mine. Although it is very difficult, after consulting with many people, Old Ling still started construction. However, an accident occurred on the seventh day after construction began."

At this point, someone else interrupted.

"This matter caused quite a stir in Xiyao back then, and it was even reported in the newspapers, but in the end, President Ling just paid it off with money."

"The municipal government had already gotten involved in this matter, so it would be strange if it had blown up like this."

"Who said that? They managed to suppress it in those years, but try doing it this year! The central government is absolutely furious about mine disasters. 35,000 yuan per person is really cheap!"

Upon hearing this, Tao Rujiu also noticed something amiss.

"Has it collapsed?"

"No, it's water seepage."

Master Lü walked over, fanning himself with a fan.

"Hailing Island is connected to the mainland underground, and there is an underground river inside. During construction, the river channel was dug through, and the six construction workers were swept away by the water before they even had time to call for help. Their bodies have not been found to this day."

"Tsk tsk..." A chorus of exclamations rippled through the crowd. Tao Rujiu was also taken aback.

Mining accidents have been frequently reported in recent years, but it's still hard to accept when they actually happen to people around us.

The young man immediately recalled the gurgling water he had heard in the underground palace; he realized he had been so close to the underground river where the tragedy had occurred. He had even seen the pale backs of construction workers in that darkness…

A chill ran down his spine again, and only then did he realize how terrifying the underground palace was.

Master Lü continued.

"About half a year after the incident subsided, the underground palace was opened to the public. Because it was decorated as a haunted house, even if strange things happened, tourists wouldn't find it strange. But we veteran employees naturally know what's real and what's fake."

“Some people have seen ‘good brothers’ at the entrance to the third level, and there was more than one. We walked on the second level, and they floated with us on the water on the third level. Many people who saw it were terrified. Later, the park invited Taoist priests and monks to perform rituals and also built a Bagua barrier at the entrance to the third level to block the view. The door was originally planned to be sealed off, but the monks said that this would cause the yin energy to stagnate, so they changed it to a copper door.”

After a moment of sighs, the atmosphere quickly returned to storytelling mode. Tao Rujiu's arm was still trembling, but he listened with great interest.

“What’s the weirdest thing?” Little Li leaned against Zheng Qinglong’s back, a blade of grass dangling from his mouth. “After that old man Ling Muzhong finished dealing with things here, he flew back to Hong Kong, but he crashed into the Pacific Ocean halfway there. That’s when the park started to decline.”

"Xiao Li, don't talk nonsense." Master Lü swatted Xiao Li with his palm-leaf fan as if swatting a moth. "Reporter Tao, don't put this in the newspaper."

Tao Rujiu smiled and shook his head. Let alone the fact that the "China News Award" is not the "China Ghost Story Award," even a more reputable newspaper would not promote this so-called "feudal superstition."

While Xiao Li was still arguing indignantly, saying that "Ling Mu Zhong is a homophone for 'in the tomb,' so he deserves his bad luck," the others, whose appetites had been piqued by the ghost story, started chatting about the haunted city of Hailing.

"Are there really so many strange things and taboos in this Hailing City?"

Unconsciously forgetting his identity and responsibilities as a reporter, Tao Rujiu listened to everyone's ghost stories with a mixture of belief and skepticism. His skepticism wasn't due to concerns about the existence of ghosts and spirits, but rather because he suspected that the people in the opera troupe were deliberately trying to frighten him.

"It's absolutely true!"

Wang Baihu patted his chest loudly, as if encountering a ghost was not scary at all, but rather a great honor.

"If you don't believe me, Brother Wang, I have many more ghost stories to tell you. Here, first help me take this to the stage in front, lift the curtain and put it on the ground."

As he spoke, he grabbed two pieces of peanut brittle and stuffed them into Tao Rujiu's hand. Hearing this, the people around him let out muffled laughter that was hard to decipher.

The stage in the front yard was a stilted building resembling a waterside pavilion, with a large open space beneath its four raised corners. It was covered by red cloth curtains.

Tao Rujiu was somewhat at a loss for words due to Wang Baihu's inexplicable request.

"Put the peanut brittle on the floor under the counter? Why would you do that?...Does someone keep a dog under the counter?"

Everyone initially thought Tao Rujiu had seen through Wang Baihu's trick to scare him and was about to be disappointed, but then they heard such a naive conclusion, and they all struggled to hold back their laughter. Xiao Li came over, clutching his stomach, and patted Tao Rujiu on the shoulder.

"That's right, Brother Wang loves keeping those kinds of things under the platform. Hurry up and come back!"

Tao Rujiu took the peanut brittle with some skepticism.

Chapter 010

After a long while, there was still no movement or sign of anyone returning. Master Lü grew worried and sent Xiao Li to check. A little while later, instead of hearing anything, everyone heard Xiao Li scream in agony.

Zheng Qinglong immediately got up and rushed to the front yard, where he saw Xiao Li squatting on the ground, covering his face. Tao Rujiu beside him looked bewildered. The red cloth hanging under the stage had been partially lifted, and peanut brittle was on the ground.

"What happened?" Zheng Qinglong helped Xiao Li up and saw three scratches on his right cheek.

"My contact lens fell out," Tao Rujiu answered from the side. "A gust of wind blew by just now, and I felt sand get into my eye. I rubbed it with my hand and the lens fell out. I'm very nearsighted, and it was dark, so I could only half-see and half-feel my way to the bottom of the stage. I lost the peanut brittle. It seemed to take a little longer than usual, and then I heard Xiao Li's voice."

Zheng Qinglong looked at Xiao Li.

"When I got here, I saw Tao Rujiu silently touching something under the stage. I thought something had happened to him, so I went over to check, but I never expected..."

He had a long face.

"I stepped on Da Afu's tail."

Tao Rujiu also recalled:

"When I was throwing the peanut brittle, I think I touched something, something furry, like a cat's tail."

Da Afu was an old male cat kept by the opera troupe. He had white fur and golden eyes, and was almost the same size as the stray dog. In the troupe, Master Lü was ranked first, and Da Afu was second. He was very good at catching mice and eliminating pests, which made him quite arrogant and temperamental. He wouldn't let anyone touch him except Master Lü and Hua Kai.

"You deserved it for messing with Da Afu. Come on, let me apply the medicine for you."

Zheng Qinglong chuckled and ruffled Xiao Li's hair, then said to Tao Rujiu, "Tao Tao, what are you going to do? There aren't any opticians here."

"It's okay, I brought a spare."

Tao replied with a smile.

The two men went to apply medicine, and when they came back, Xiao Li's face was almost covered with a flower painted with red mercury. Tao Rujiu changed his glasses and returned to the cooling-off area. Wang Baihu asked him to go and take another look at the things under the stage, so he went.

After a while, everyone heard the surprised shouts they had been hoping for.

One coffin, two coffins, three coffins—large and small—were placed under the stage.

"This is the superstition of Hailing City."

Master Lü waved his palm-leaf fan.

"In the past, Cuiying Pavilion was used as a theater for brothels and ancestral halls during filming. Some ancestral halls also had stages. In ancient times, people always liked to buy coffins in advance, but they didn't necessarily have a place to put them at home, so they often placed them under the stage in the ancestral hall. Sometimes, when someone died, their body would be temporarily placed here. So if you still have the courage to go over and take a closer look, you will find that the black coffin on the left is empty; the brown carved one in the middle has nails in it, so it is 'full'; and the small red coffin on the far right has also been nailed in, and inside lies an unmarried girl."

After finishing this long speech, Master Lü stopped and asked someone to fish the watermelon out of the well. He turned around and saw that Tao Rujiu was still pale.

"Silly child, of course these are all fake, they're props."

Although it was a prop, Tao Rujiu's shivering didn't subside immediately. At that moment, the painted-face Xiao Li clung to him like a piece of chewing gum.

"The scene of stuffing a coffin under the ancestral hall stage wasn't originally in the script. The director hired a feng shui master to arrange it. The master said that the three courtyards of the Cuiyingge Mansion form the shape of the Chinese character '目' (eye) when viewed from above. The stage is built at the bottom of the '目' shape. If we cleverly use the custom of stuffing a coffin under the stage, it would fit the implied meaning of 'getting rich right under your nose.' It is said that the movie became a real hit. Later, Mr. Ling kept this scene, but added a curtain outside to avoid scaring tourists."

Tao Rujiu listened, but felt as if he were dreaming. He had heard before that architecture involved feng shui, but he had never seen any actual examples. At this moment, all he could think about was the area under the stage, the bottom of the underground palace, and the sound of flowing water, until Xiao Li brought him back to his senses with a watermelon iced on his face.

After eating a few slices of watermelon, faint music suddenly came from the backyard. Tao Rujiu recognized it as her cell phone ringing and ran over to answer it.

The call was from Ling Li.

This trip to Hailing City was not originally in Ling Li's plans. The port negotiation project was pressing, and Ling Jinbo was also waiting for his reply. As for why he would set aside almost an entire day for someone he had just met and talked to for less than ten minutes, Ling Li himself was not quite sure.

He was unwilling to waste time on things he didn't understand; as long as he grasped everything he already knew, that would be enough for him to gain an important position on the Ling Group's commercial aircraft carrier.

It's only a matter of time before he becomes a future captain.

The current generation of the Ling family, arranged according to the Five Elements, is headed by Ling Jinbo, who, despite holding supreme command, has no sons. The second son, Ling Muzhong, passed away at the age of forty. The third and fourth daughters, Ling Shuishu and Ling Huoji, are twins; the second sister has a daughter, and the third sister's son has just graduated from university. The youngest, Ling Yijun, is illegitimate and has no right to inherit. Therefore, among the next generation, the only ones likely to hold real power are Ling Li and the third sister's son, Ling Feng.

Ling Feng doesn't hold much of a position in the family business yet, so he's not afraid of him; the only thing that displeases Ling Li is Ling Bojin's attitude towards him.

Hailing City was an asset under Ling Muzhong's control. When construction began, Ling Jinbo was not optimistic about it, even believing that "the mainland has no future." However, the fact that Hailing City recouped its costs and began to make huge profits within three years of completion made him envious. So, after Ling Muzhong's plane crash in 1996, he took over Hailing City under his own control as Ling Li's guardian. Unexpectedly, the following year, the Asian financial crisis hit.

When Ling Li came of age and returned Hailing City to him, it was already a desolate wasteland.

From that moment on, Ling Li knew that he should never simply try to "please" his uncle.

After returning from Hailing City and having dinner, Secretary Han Fei prepared preliminary measurement data and environmental information for Xiyao Bay. The situation seemed much better than expected, which brightened Ling Li's mood.

It was around nine o'clock in the evening, and he had finished his work. Ling Li glanced at the caller ID on the phone on the table and saw an unfamiliar mobile number. He thought of Tao Rujiu, who looked malnourished.

I wonder if the night in the replica ancient city suits his "taste".

Hoping to laugh and relieve his boredom, he dialed the number back.

Tao Rujiu had a pleasant voice, gentle yet with a slight Wu accent. However, upon hearing the sharp tone on the other end of the phone, he immediately switched to standard Mandarin, speaking clearly and distinctly as if welcoming a superior's inspection.

Ling Li chuckled inwardly.

"Is Hailing City not bad?" he asked. "You seemed quite disappointed this morning."

Chapter 011

Tao Rujiu involuntarily shook his head on the other end of the phone.

"I'm not disappointed. I've already come up with a new angle for my report. The lives of the staff in Hailing City are quite inspiring to me. In fact, I should have drawn inspiration from everyday life from the beginning, instead of aiming too high and only trying to interview celebrities."

"Oh," Ling Li frowned. "That's good. I was really worried that you reporters would be unhappy. If you did a negative report, I'd be in big trouble."

Tao Rujiu repeatedly denied his teasing remark. At the same time, she began to suspect that Ling Li's phone call was simply meant to amuse him.

"I'm surprised you could change the direction of your reporting so quickly."

To be honest, Ling Li was somewhat disappointed when he heard that Tao Rujiu had given up on interviewing him. But since Tao Rujiu was still in Hailing City, there was still a good show to watch.

I wonder what happened to the reporter who stayed overnight in the city and was so frightened that he fled overnight.