Ropa manchada de sangre en el Festival de los Fantasmas

Capítulo 3

Before I could even process what was happening, news broke the next day that two boys had committed suicide by cutting their wrists in the detention room. The third day, fifteen students from A-Qiang's class collectively drowned themselves. The fourth day, the remaining seven hanged themselves. Thus, not a single student from A-Qiang's class survived.

As Mr. Li finished his account, He Jianfei collapsed to the ground, speechless for a long time. The incident was far more serious than he had imagined. The suicide of one girl had led to the suicides of twenty-three students in an entire class—it was unheard of. There must be a significant and hidden story behind this!

According to Old Man Li, A-Qiang possesses considerable magical power and can predict good and bad fortune. The three small stones he holds are actually part of the Three Flowers Protection Technique. Even He Jianfei himself didn't know this advanced self-defense technique, yet he still perished. How much worse... This is bad, this is bad. It would be better to go up the mountain and ask his senior brother for help.

"So, 'protecting the stone and seat' means protecting the bronze statue of Sun Yat-sen?" Old Li nodded. "Sun Yat-sen was a great man; his righteous spirit can surely repel evil spirits." He Jianfei said, "What does that have to do with burying ashes? There's no such rule in magic." Old Li was taken aback. "I don't know about that. I've told you everything I know." He Jianfei sighed. "So, the record you're referring to must have a lot of 'his's' on it, right?" Old Li nodded. "Because I was afraid that the hints I left would be too vague and future generations wouldn't understand, I left this record as an important file in the student council." He Jianfei asked again, "What did you say that girl's name was?" "Dong Lu." He Jianfei seemed to remember something and murmured to himself, "Dong Lu, Dong Lu, Dong Lu..." Suddenly, he trembled and said, "So that's it! I finally understand what that strange poem meant." Old Li was clearly surprised and delighted, and asked repeatedly, "Tell me quickly, what does it mean?!"

He Jianfei said, “Senior Qiang really put a lot of thought into this poem. He used four different methods of solving riddles to create it. Cherry blossoms are dancing, and cherry blossoms bloom in winter, which is the character ‘冬’ (winter); roadside grass is a barrier, and the character ‘路’ (road) plus the character ‘草’ (grass) is the character ‘蕗’ (lu); love is tied to Christ, and ten plus the character ‘系’ (system) is the character ‘索’ (suo); pity my life, life is fate, which is the character ‘命’ (fate); the last line is more difficult to understand. Xiang Wang refers to Cao Zhi, who once wrote ‘Ode to the Goddess of the Luo River.’ The last line implies that their love has reached its end, and Cao Zhi will also end his life. This reminds me of his famous Seven Steps Poem. What do you think is the last character of it?” Old Man Li blurted out, “急” (urgent). He Jianfei sighed, “Therefore, the answer to the whole poem is only six characters: Winter Lu Yuan, Suo Ming Ji!”

Upon hearing this, Old Man Li was so shocked that he took two steps back: "So that's how it is! It's a pity I didn't figure it out back then." He Jianfei slowly said, "The key to everything lies in the word 'wrongful conviction.' What Senior A-Qiang left behind was not only a serious warning to everyone, but also the master key to uncovering the inside story of the whole matter. Just based on this word, we can confirm that Dong Lu did not hang herself because of a misdiagnosis of cancer. Therefore, the fact that there are hidden reasons for Dong Lu's death has finally been confirmed." At this point, He Jianfei's mood was quite heavy. He originally intended to get involved and move on, but who knew that he would encounter a case of a wronged ghost seeking revenge with far-reaching implications, and in the end, he became more and more deeply involved, and now he can't extricate himself.

Chapter Five

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Old Man Li stared at He Jianfei and smiled, "Who exactly are you? Why do you know magic? How did you get involved in this matter?" Old Man Li had already told him so much; how could He Jianfei not be honest? He immediately recounted the whole story. After listening, Old Man Li remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "This can't go on like this. If things continue like this, the resentment will accumulate, even to the point where we can't control it." He Jianfei thought to himself, "I'm afraid the situation is already out of control."

He Jianfei is the beloved disciple of Master Zhiming of Mount Wutai. He is by no means a mere amateur in the world of magic. It took him a great deal of effort to suppress him just now. Even if his master were to come back to life, he would not be able to guarantee victory.

“Uncle Li, as the saying goes, the one who tied the knot must untie it. This injustice is not unsolvable. The only way to resolve it is to find out the whole story. I hope you can help me.” Uncle Li nodded and said, “I will do my best, because I am also responsible for the situation today. But so many years have passed, it is difficult to find any clues.”

He Jianfei smiled and said, "Although those who knew the inside story are all dead, I believe Senior Qiang would never have been willing to let this important matter remain unresolved and disappear without a trace. At the time, he must have been forced by some special reason to record the truth in a rather obscure and circuitous way, but no one could find it then, which gradually led to the situation we see today." Old Man Li said, "I understand. You want me to investigate Qiang's words and deeds?" He Jianfei smiled and said, "Truly worthy of the title 'Campus Duo'." Old Man Li sighed and said, "There's no need to mention that nickname anymore. With Qiang dead, the 'Campus Duo' has disappeared from this world forever." He Jianfei said, "Sometimes glory can turn into pain. Old Man, the school anniversary ceremony is about to begin, let's go."

Old Li nodded, and he and He Jianfei walked side by side toward the bronze statue of Sun Yat-sen. The warm sunlight shone on them, as if the goddess of light were comforting the earth. Bathed in gold, the statue gleamed with a soft halo, appearing extremely magnificent and splendid. Old Li couldn't help but gaze at it deeply. In his heart, the statue was no longer just a statue, but a monument to his close friend from his youth, a monument without an inscription. "Ah Qiang, you've died with your eyes open for over fifty years. This time, I will surely let you rest in peace."

As the wind rustled through the grass and the two figures gradually disappeared, a faint, trembling sound of a woman crying drifted from the depths of the bamboo forest beside the path to Chigangding.

He Jianfei heard it, but he would rather not have heard it.

After Mr. Li left, He Jianfei felt much more at ease. He had finally found a lead. Next, he focused on the period of change in the deaths of "Jun" and "Ting" in 1951. Based on the available information, it seemed to be another major miscarriage of justice that shocked the entire school. But why was it such a coincidence that these two major miscarriages of justice occurred in the same place?

The school is preparing for winter break, and He Jianfei has a lot of plans this year. He wants to interview the student council president from 1951, ask his senior to come out of retirement, investigate the matter of Donglu with Uncle Li, and study... In short, he won't be able to celebrate the New Year.

It's the night before winter break, and I'll be taking the train home tomorrow. My luggage is all packed. Bored, He Jianfei is lying on the bed using cards to calculate what time Yinzi will call.

"The Azure Dragon is on the left, the White Tiger on the right, and the Vermilion Bird in the center..." Suddenly, He Jianfei scattered his cards on the ground, his body stiffening. It turned out that he had calculated a card with an extremely ominous sign that he had never seen before, only heard of! He Jianfei hurriedly scrambled the cards, but his body trembled uncontrollably from fright. He remembered his master telling him, "This card has a very ominous sign. When this sign appears, it foretells the arrival of death, and the road to the underworld will be unstoppable."

"Death is coming, death is coming, is it me or Yinzi?" He Jianfei muttered to himself in disbelief. Suddenly, a bloodcurdling scream came from outside: "Help! Ah..." He Jianfei froze as if he had turned into a statue. That scream—came from the Path of Wrongful Ghosts! Chaos erupted in both dormitories. People rushed out of their rooms, asking questions incessantly. It was a scene of panic and chaos.

He Jianfei steadied himself, opened the drawer, grabbed all the powerful magical artifacts, and dashed out of the room, running towards the Road of Vengeful Ghosts. A short while later, he reached the intersection. Without thinking, He Jianfei ran across, shouting, "I'm here! Don't kill anyone else!"

The words had barely left his mouth when He Jianfei stood frozen in place. In the dim moonlight, he could make out a corpse lying on the ground, blood still flowing, eyes bulging, mouth wide open, and a face contorted with terror. Had he arrived too late?

"No!" He Jianfei roared in shock and rage, "You only wanted to lure me out, why did you have to kill another person? Come out here, Dong Lu! Even if you have the deepest hatred, are twenty-three lives in a class not enough to make up for it?!"

All around was quiet, without a sound, except for the whistling sound of the wind blowing through the bamboo forest. He Jianfei saw something shiny in the distance—a silver-plated lighter. He Jianfei walked over to pick it up.

Suddenly, a bloodless white hand emerged from the nearby bushes, grabbing the lighter before He Jianfei could react. He Jianfei was startled and quickly withdrew his hand. Just then, a gust of wind blew, parting the bushes. He Jianfei gasped, staggering back two steps in an instant. Because behind that white hand, the white hand that had touched the lighter, was no body, just a solitary, severed arm, slowly groping along the path in the eerie moonlight… until it reached He Jianfei's feet.

Startled awake and almost completely unconscious, He Jianfei suddenly awoke the moment the white hand touched his foot. He leaped back, but still felt a chilling, bone-deep coldness unlike anything he had ever experienced. It turned out to be ghostly energy emanating directly from the underworld.

He Jianfei managed to calm himself down, but his legs still trembled uncontrollably. He had followed his master for so many years and had seen thousands of ghosts, but he had never experienced such a shock that left him completely numb for a period of time and almost had his life taken away.

Having just escaped from that white hand, He Jianfei felt a chill run down his spine, and his whole body involuntarily trembled. He Jianfei slowly turned around and saw a white figure slowly rising from the dense grass. Long hair covered its face, and the figure was hunched over, standing about 2 meters away from He Jianfei. However, the voice was as clear as if it were right next to his ear: "My—life—can be paid for with twenty-three people, but my—hatred—can never be repaid!"

"Hatred runs deeper than the sea, resentment rises higher than the sky." For some reason, He Jianfei suddenly remembered this saying. Because he was currently wearing the relic necklace, the ghost could not harm him. However, no matter how powerful the relic necklace was, it could only last for 15 minutes at most in this place filled with resentment. Looking at the flashing lights in the distance, the pursuers were almost there. He Jianfei, with the white figure behind him, slowly said: "I don't know how deep your hatred is, but I believe that all hatred can be resolved, it's just a matter of degree. I advise Senior Donglu with one piece of advice: turn back while you still can, don't harm people anymore and increase your sins. Goodbye!" After saying this, He Jianfei strode away without looking back, a faint laugh echoing behind him.

Because of this incident, He Jianfei was in a very bad mood and remained silent for a long time on the train. Tian Yinzhen, after learning what had happened, also frowned deeply. Therefore, she remained quite silent throughout the journey.

An elderly man leaning on a cane approached, looking around for a seat. He Jianfei, seeing this, stood up to offer him his seat. Tian Yinzhen also smiled and helped him. The old man chuckled and sat down, saying, "You two youngsters are so hospitable. I can't just shamelessly stay here. Tell me, is there anything I can help you with?" He Jianfei smiled and said, "Respecting elders is only right. Why are you being so polite? Just sit down." The old man looked He Jianfei up and down, then laughed, "That's true. You two were chased by a vengeful ghost; in a way, I'm losing money sitting here." He Jianfei and Tian Yinzhen's expressions changed drastically upon hearing this: "Why would you..."

The old man interrupted him, saying, "Isn't it easy to tell? Why are you wearing a necklace of relics for no reason?"

The relic necklace is a Buddhist treasure, and only those in the know can recognize its value. He Jianfei composed himself and asked, "May I ask your Dharma name or Taoist name, sir?" The old man replied, "There's no need for that! I don't exorcise ghosts for people, why would I tell them for no reason? I just noticed that you two were shrouded in very bad luck, so I came over to offer a word of advice." He Jianfei quickly asked, "In your opinion, sir, is there any possibility of resolving this?" The old man smiled and said, "Everything has its counter, that's the natural order. There are no invincible kings in the world, the key is whether you have the will." Just then, the train stopped at the station. The old man stood up and said, "It's time to get off. We'll definitely meet again if fate allows. Remember, young man, you must have the will!"

Tian Yinzhen stared blankly at the old man's retreating figure and said, "What kind of strange person is he? He said a lot of things I couldn't understand." He Jianfei said thoughtfully, "Maybe he's some kind of master who was passing by and gave us directions. It's just a pity we can't find out his name." The two pointed and talked, and the train had already arrived at the station.

As soon as winter vacation began, He Jianfei stayed at home for only a few days before heading north to Mount Wutai with Tian Yinzhen. The mountain was covered in snow and ice, the pine trees adorned with a layer of shimmering silver crystals, and frost blanketed the entire mountain, shrouded in a layer of freezing mist. He Jianfei had no interest in appreciating this rare sight; he and Tian Yinzhen rushed towards the temple gate.

Upon seeing that the visitor was the junior brother of the current abbot, Master Chanyue, the monks dared not neglect him. They offered him tea while quickly announcing his arrival. At that moment, Master Chanyue had just finished presiding over a ritual in the main hall. Hearing that the two had arrived, he knew he was in trouble and turned to run. Unfortunately, He Jianfei noticed in time and immediately gave chase. Seeing Master Chanyue fleeing recklessly, Tian Yinzhen was both angry and amused, calling out, "Senior Brother, you're supposed to be the abbot of a temple! Can't you at least have some decorum?" Master Chanyue ignored her, continuing to run, thinking to himself: I'd rather lose my composure than risk my life if I get caught. He Jianfei, panting heavily, wondered: His running skills have improved so much in just a few months! Is Senior Brother a marathon prodigy? No, I have to test my newly mastered encirclement strategy.

Ultimately, He Jianfei's strategy proved quite effective. Master Chanyue was cornered in the Sutra Repository, with nowhere to escape, and was caught red-handed by He Jianfei. He Jianfei shouted, "Senior Brother, I'm your junior brother, not a man-eating tiger! Why are you running so fast when you see me?" Master Chanyue, exhausted, collapsed to the ground: "You may not be a tiger, but you're far more terrifying. When have you ever come to me with good news?" He Jianfei gritted his teeth and said, "You can belittle people all you want, but do you have to go to such lengths? Fellow disciples should help each other in times of trouble. It's only natural and reasonable for me to come to you." "And it's also only natural and reasonable for me to risk my life for you?"

Tian Yinzhen rushed in and interrupted, "Alright, enough arguing? You've completely disgraced Wutai Mountain!" The two grown men immediately united in their indignation and turned against each other. Master Chanyue retorted, "Are you the abbot or am I? These matters are my responsibility." He Jianfei chimed in, "You'd be better off worrying about whether you can get married." Ultimately, the two were no match for Tian Yinzhen's "smash everything together" technique and suffered a crushing defeat.

Inside the abbot's quarters, Master Chanyue sipped his fragrant tea and said, "Let me state two points first: first, I will not lend anything less than a first-class treasure; second, I will not descend the mountain. Alright, begin your story." He Jianfei finished his tea in one gulp and said, "Before I begin, let me also state two points: first, I will not lend anything less than a first-class treasure; second, I will absolutely not descend the mountain unless you do." Tian Yinzhen sneered, "Then what's the point of talking? You two just keep fighting." Master Chanyue sighed, "Junior brother, I'm already quite old. There are so many monks in the temple, why did you arrest me alone?" He Jianfei also sighed, "Senior brother, I am your junior brother in terms of seniority, and even I can't suppress you. Who else in this temple is qualified to stand up?" Master Chanyue paused slightly, "What kind of evil spirit is it? So powerful?" He Jianfei then recounted the events of the Path of Wrongful Ghosts in detail.

Master Chanyue nodded and sighed after listening, "The Three Flowers Protection Technique is a very high-level self-defense technique. The person who can use it must possess high magical power. Given Ah Qiang's situation at the time, no matter how much resentment the ghost harbored, it was absolutely impossible for him to use it."

The rationale behind the suppression. Judging from what you've said, Ah-Qiang and his group must owe some very heavy debt to the vengeful spirit, which is why Ah-Qiang has been hesitant to use magic to suppress them, instead deciding to commit mass suicide in the hope of avenging their grievances. While Buddhism certainly values compassion, I privately believe he has taken a wrong step.”

He Jianfei hadn't considered this point. He paused for a moment before speaking, "Senior brother is right, but the mistake has already been made. Is there any way to undo it? People are dying one after another on campus, and everyone is in a state of panic. If we don't stop it in time, I'm afraid..." Master Chanyue thought for a moment and said, "Mount Wutai has many magical artifacts that can suppress ghosts and send them to the eighteen levels of hell to suffer, or bind them to the Ghost-Melting Pillar to be struck by lightning and burned. However, these are only temporary solutions and are too vicious." He Jianfei said, "It might backfire. My original intention was to help them pass on to the afterlife." Tian Yinzhen said, "Helping them pass on to the afterlife requires their own willingness. The only way right now is to find out the truth." He Jianfei smiled bitterly, "The truth, the truth... it's been buried in obscurity for fifty years, and even the truth has become an illusion." Master Chanyue said, "It seems that this case of wronged ghosts is unusual. I should go down the mountain."

He Jianfei returned home feeling dejected after his trip to Wutai Mountain was fruitless. Fortunately, he received a call from Uncle Li, who said that there was some progress on A-Qiang's end and asked him to come and take a look. This made him feel a little better.

Chapter Six

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A-Qiang's home was in Xi'an. Seeing that Tian Yinzhen had caught a cold after returning from Wutai Mountain, He Jianfei insisted she stay and went alone. Their first stop was A-Qiang's cousin's house. An elderly woman with a full head of white hair warmly welcomed them. Mentioning A-Qiang, she spoke with a touch of sadness, recounting many stories about her promising young cousin. He Jianfei listened, wanting nothing more than to fall asleep, until the old woman mentioned that three days before A-Qiang died, he had made a strange phone call home, so bizarre that she still remembered it.

Dad, I won't be going back this summer vacation.

What? Something to do again? Is it for the student council?

No, it's from our class. There's something that urgently needs to be settled.