K - El siguiente eres tú

Capítulo 4

After saying all that in one breath, Zhu Zhi said, "It's late, I'll go back now, I'll come again another day." He then prepared to leave.

"Hey, Brother Zhu, wasn't the jade sold by Wang Hongbing? How can it still be related to jade? Also, what were you chanting under the tree just now? Is it for protection?" Chunlai grabbed Zhu Zhi and asked a series of questions.

Zhu Zhi smiled and said, "I can't really explain jade. I recite the Great Compassion Mantra, which can remove all disasters. The scripture is in your dormitory. Take a look when you have time, but you must have very devout faith and a pure mind to uphold it."

Four

On Tuesday morning, after getting up, Zhang Li didn't go straight to class. Instead, he went to the vicinity of the laboratory building to take a closer look at the old locust tree and anything else around it.

The old locust tree in the morning light, like a serene old man, quietly watches its surroundings, each leaf unfurling peacefully and radiating vitality; a few birds chirp occasionally from the tree; several girls are reading English beneath it… In the pond beside the tree, lotus flowers dot the green foliage, their pink petals, bathed in the summer sun, varying in shades, delicate and tender; it's a beautiful morning. Zhang Li couldn't help but sigh. How could this have happened last night—? How strange!

After returning home, Zhu Zhi searched through almost all the books in the house and finally found the result he was looking for:

"The Buddha Jade Guanyin Tear, to avoid the taboo of Emperor Taizong's name, is also called the Buddha Jade Guanyin Tear; it is shaped like a water droplet, green in color, and about the size of a pigeon egg. It turns black when it encounters evil, and red when it encounters misfortune. It shines when it is unearthed. It is said that it can retrieve the soul of the dead. Although it is a good thing, it is used for evil and harms living beings. In the first year of Hongdao, the people suffered a great calamity. Buddha was angry and hid it, and its whereabouts are unknown."

Turning the page, however, revealed other content. Based on this single passage, Zhu Zhi couldn't determine whether the jade was the legendary Guanyin's Tear. Nor could he determine if the jade was the key issue. If it was, Wang Hongbing had already sold the jade; why would he still encounter evil spirits? If not, then what was the key issue?

Zhu Zhi fell into deep thought.

On Tuesday morning, during the third and fourth periods, before the professor arrived, Liu Li and Jiang Bing were embellishing their story of the previous night's "adventure" to girls in other classes, eliciting gasps of surprise from several girls and a barrage of questions: "Really?" "Are you telling a story?" Zhang Li, standing nearby, kept explaining, "Don't listen to their nonsense! They've read too many novels. But still, don't go to places without lights at night." He didn't want to create panic in the school, but he also felt he should remind the students to be careful.

Staring at his textbook, Wang Hongbing didn't think about last night's "adventure" or the Hengsheng Jade Shop incident, but instead thought about the mentally unstable woman, and how she kept saying "my lord," and he felt truly sorry for her. The formulas in the textbook seemed to transform into her clear, sorrowful, and watery eyes.

Chunlai sat in his seat, staring at his textbook without moving, silently reciting Buddhist scriptures.

Liyan kept glancing at Zhang Li and the others. She wanted to know where Zhang Li had gone during the first and second periods, but since Zhang Li didn't come over to tell her, she didn't want to ask. But she still wanted to know.

Zeng Hai walked straight to Chen Jie's seat, his tone ambiguous: "Chen Jie, I heard you're planning to help Wang Hongbing apply for a tuition reduction?" Chen Jie glanced at Zeng Hai indifferently: "Who said that? What's wrong?" Wen Xin, sitting next to Chen Jie, secretly pursed her lips.

“It’s nothing, what could I possibly have to do? Can’t I even talk to you, the big shot?” Zeng Hai said sarcastically. “Wang Hongbing cooks every meal! I saw it with my own eyes—braised pork, shredded pork with garlic sauce, and the like. And you even helped him apply for tuition waivers? And gave him a special hardship student spot?” Zeng Hai shook his head and continued, “Have you heard about the murder at Hengsheng Jade Shop? The stolen jade was sold by Wang Hongbing! He must have made money from selling the jade! Besides, on the night of the murder…”

"I understand. Class is about to start. Go back to your seat." Chen Jie interrupted him impatiently. She hated people who gossiped behind people's backs.

Zeng Hai paused for a moment, but then said mysteriously, "Last night, we encountered a ghost. According to professionals, it was summoned by Wang Hongbing. You can ask Zhang Li if you don't believe me!"

"Alright, the professor's here. Go back to your seat." Chen Jie interrupted him again, ignoring his words. Only after the professor actually entered the classroom did Zeng Hai return to his seat.

Wen Xin said to Chen Jie, "Don't listen to his nonsense. This kind of person spreads rumors and causes trouble! Humph!"

Chen Jie nodded: "I know. I didn't even know when I applied for a tuition reduction for Wang Hongbing. The school hasn't even issued a notice about students from impoverished families yet, but he already knows! What a joke."

At lunchtime, Liu Li and Jiang Bing stopped Wang Hongbing at the school gate: "Hongbing, let's go to a Sichuan restaurant for a meal, it's on me."

Wang Hongbing scratched his head sheepishly: "Oh, I, well..."

"What? Don't hesitate, let's go together. We need to eat anyway." Liu Li continued, "We only have elective classes this afternoon. Let's go to the Municipal Public Security Bureau after we eat. They might suspect that the person who sold the jade is the murderer. You should go and tell us about how you sold the jade. We'll testify for you. You were sleeping in the dormitory that night, so the murder case has nothing to do with you."

Jiang Bing echoed Liu Li, "We knew you came back that night, but it was too late for us to talk to you."

Wang Hongbing nodded.

Inside the school cafeteria, Chen Jie ordered scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and Wen Xin ordered eggplant with garlic sauce. They usually like to cook one dish and order two ounces of rice for lunch.

While waiting for their food at the cafeteria window with Wenxin, Chen Jie suddenly wondered, "What's Wang Hongbing eating today? Steamed buns again?" Thinking of the day he choked on a steamed bun, a pang of sadness, tinged with a touch of heartache, welled up inside her. After the food was ready, she told Wenxin, "You eat first, I have something to do." With that, she left Wenxin behind and quickly walked out.

After leaving the cafeteria, she ran towards Yonghe Garden.

The old locust tree was empty; no one was there. In the pond beside it, the lotus flowers were in full bloom. Chen Jie felt a little disappointed. She slowly walked towards the old locust tree. Where had he hidden himself again? Chen Jie circled the old locust tree once.

"Who are you looking for? Him? I know you like him!" a shrill female voice said.

"Who? Do I know you? Where are you?" Chen Jie found it very strange; she had never heard this voice before!

Sure enough, the shrill female voice rang out again: "You don't know me, but I know you. He's my young lady's husband. Stay away from him!"

"Where are you?" Chen Jie was a little scared, because the voice seemed to be coming from inside the old locust tree! She quickly circled the old locust tree again, but there was no one there! Oh my god, could it be coming from the old locust tree?!

"Haha, haha, didn't you already know! You were right!" The shrill laughter sent chills down Chen Jie's spine! She slowly backed away, what the hell! Who was this? She could actually read people's minds.

"Yes, I am the ghost! Hahaha..."

Chen Jie felt a chill run down her spine, turned and ran. It was truly like seeing a ghost. She hoped it was just a prank!

She ran to the cafeteria, panting, but Wenxin had already finished eating.

When Chen Jie returned, Wen Xin asked, "Where did you go? I've finished eating. Hurry up and eat, I'll wait for you."

"I'm not hungry," Chen Jie replied weakly.

Back in her dorm, Chen Jie was preoccupied and somewhat absent-minded. She didn't tell Wen Xin or Li Yan about what happened at noon, but the thought of that sharp female voice made her heart tighten; that female voice said she liked him, and she wondered if "him" referred to Wang Hongbing.

When Wang Hongbing, Liu Li, and Jiang Bing left the Municipal Public Security Bureau, it was already past 4 PM. Wang Hongbing was still considered a suspect, and officials would conduct further investigations at the school. This made Jiang Bing and Liu Li feel guilty, as if they had led Wang Hongbing "walking into a trap." If he hadn't come, perhaps nothing would have happened. However, Wang Hongbing felt relieved, as if a burden had been lifted from his shoulders.

After getting off the bus, it was about a ten-minute walk to the school. The road was beautifully landscaped, with lush groves of trees lining the roadside. Canna lilies gracefully displayed their blossoms, and morning glories surged like waves of flowers all the way to the flowerbeds before abruptly ceasing their bloom. The sun had just set, and the air was filled with the fragrance of flowers—a truly beautiful scene. The three of us walked and chatted along the path through the woods, our topic, of course, still revolving around the old locust tree on campus.

Perhaps they were chatting too enthusiastically, because about thirty minutes later, Liu Li called out, "Why haven't we arrived at school yet?" Hearing this, Wang Hongbing and Jiang Bing realized something was really wrong. They looked around, but there wasn't a soul in sight! Usually, the streets were filled with couples strolling along, but today there wasn't a single person! Not even the birdsong!

The sky still retained the light of daytime, but all around was extremely quiet. Only their own breathing could reach each other's ears. The three of them couldn't help but think of the scene from last night, and a feeling of fear washed over them like water, spreading through every vein and every pore.

They hurriedly left the path and ran through the grove towards the road, but strangely, the narrow grove now seemed endlessly wide! After running for a few minutes, they stopped in horror, for before them lay the very path they had just left! The leaves beside the path rustled wildly, yet made no sound. The surrounding silence was suffocating. Through the gaps between the trees, all they could see were tree trunks!

"Have we encountered a ghost? Is this what superstition calls being trapped in a ghost wall?" Liu Liqiang said calmly.

Wang Hongbing and Jiang Bing felt their hearts pounding in their chests. Jiang Bing broke out in a cold sweat and said hurriedly, "No way! I've heard that ghost walls only happen at night, but it's daytime now!"

There wasn't a breath of wind around, yet the leaves on both sides of the path still swayed wildly, without making a sound. There was no wild, flailing movement of the old locust tree, no eerie terror beneath it, but this frozen stillness flowed through the body like blood from the depths of the heart, absorbing all the strength within.

Liu Li glanced down at the ground, thinking to himself: I hope there aren't so many skeletal hands popping up like last night!

At this moment, Wang Hongbing's gaze kept wandering through the grove. He always felt that there was a pair of eyes watching him from behind the trembling leaves. When he tried to look closely, the leaves continued to sway, but without revealing a trace.

As darkness fell, the three chose a direction and continued running. After yet another predictable failure, they sat back to back on the ground, a chill spreading from their hearts and quickly enveloping their bodies. Fear began to seep into their will...

"Kid, wake up!" Wang Hongbing was awakened by a familiar voice. Opening his eyes, he saw the kind face of the old woman selling steamed buns. All his memories began to resurface, and he suddenly remembered his companions, "Liu Li! Jiang Bing!" Wang Hongbing sat up abruptly and shouted loudly.

The old woman smiled and said, "Stop shouting, they're all here."

Wang Hongbing followed the old man's gaze and saw Liu Li and Jiang Bing lying behind him. He then looked around; they were still on the path beside the main road, but the trees on either side stood still, no longer swaying. Soft streetlights shone through the gaps in the branches, bathing them in their glow.

A short while later, Liu Li and Jiang Bing woke up one after the other. Jiang Bing said with a slight sob in her voice, "Are we still alive?" The old woman laughed and replied, "Silly child, what nonsense are you talking about! I was on my way home after selling the steamed buns, and then I saw you lying here. What's wrong? Why are you shouting about being alive or dead?"

Jiang Bing cried out, "How could you know, Grandma! We've encountered a ghost wall!"

Liu Li recounted the entire incident in detail. The old woman initially showed surprise, but later, her expression softened, and she listened calmly. As she listened, she stared blankly at Wang Hongbing's neck, her eyes glazed over. Wang Hongbing felt a chill run down his spine and softly called out, "Grandma, Grandma?" The old woman then snapped out of her reverie, looked at the three of them, and after a long pause, said softly, "Children, you're all college students, and you still believe in being trapped in a maze of ghosts?" The old woman paused, slowly raised her head, looked up at the sky, and murmured repeatedly, "Heavens, this is a sin! It will bring retribution, it will be divine punishment!"

The three people looked at each other, wondering why the old man had said such a thing.

The old man sighed, as if talking to himself, "You wouldn't understand even if I told you. That's not a ghost wall, it's a ghost's sorcery! Sorcery, what a scourge!" The old man looked at the three of them, sighed again, and continued, "Next time you encounter something like this, don't panic. Just close your eyes and walk backwards towards where you want to go." After saying this, the old man stared at Wang Hongbing's neck, took out a bright red cloth from his pocket, and wiped Wang Hongbing's neck, causing Wang Hongbing a sharp pain. As he wiped, the old man said, "Look at you, kid, you're sweating so much."

Wang Hongbing was a little confused: he hadn't sweated at all.

The old woman slung her basket over her shoulder and waved to the three of them, saying, "Go back, it's getting dark, go back, I'm going home too, going home..." As the old woman's voice faded into the distance with her faltering steps, Liu Li exclaimed, "My goodness, what's going on! Why do we keep running into these strange things? This old woman is acting a bit odd!"

Wang Hongbing didn't say anything, but he had a gut feeling that the old lady must know something!

Jiang Bing jumped up, hurriedly patted the dirt off his clothes, and said, "What's with all the 'understanding' and 'not understanding' stuff? Let's go! Stop arguing! I don't know if there will be any trouble at the school! This afternoon's class is Molecular Biology!" Without looking back, he ran quickly towards the school, with Wang Hongbing and Liu Li following closely behind.

At this moment, the quiet path was deserted, but a man's hateful voice could be clearly heard from within: "You old hag, you ruined my plans!"

Zeng Hai also arrived in the city in the afternoon. Not long after Wang Hongbing and the other two left the Public Security Bureau, he walked into the Municipal Public Security Bureau. However, more than ten minutes later, he came out of the Municipal Public Security Bureau with a smug look on his chubby face.

Zeng Hai had thought he would have to "put righteousness before family" and report Wang Hongbing for selling jade to Hengsheng Jade Shop, but unexpectedly, Wang Hongbing himself had already come to confess. If Wang Hongbing was arrested, he should no longer be implicated in any "entanglement" with that so-called "ghost". Thinking of this, Zeng Hai couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

He went to the market to buy some rat poison (he didn't believe Zhu Zhi's nonsense), spent 30 yuan to buy two pairs of shorts, and then went to the bus stop to wait for the bus back to school.

After getting off the bus, he headed towards the school. But after only a few steps, he saw several people suddenly scramble to their feet from the roadside and run forward frantically. Although it was getting dark, Zeng Hai felt the figures looked familiar; it seemed to be Liu Li, Jiang Bing, and Wang Hongbing. Zeng Hai wanted to call out to them, but stopped before he could utter a sound: Had they done something bad? Ha! Don't let me catch them! Otherwise… Thinking this, he walked towards a side path to investigate. The path was deserted, eerily quiet! Faintly, he could hear a sound, like breathing, or perhaps someone chuckling. It felt like someone was spying on him, but Zeng Hai looked around and saw no one. A chill ran down his spine, and he quickly returned to the road, walking briskly towards the school.

Upon entering the school, Zeng Hai began to feel uneasy. He thought about how the annual "School-level Outstanding Student" evaluation was about to begin the next day. He had not participated in any of the several public welfare activities organized by the school and his class, and Chen Jie had a record of all of them, which would directly affect his quantitative score.

Thinking of Chen Jie, Zeng Hai cursed angrily, "Bitch!"

If the number of spots for postgraduate admission is limited, his strongest competitors are Chen Jie and Wang Hongbing. In his freshman year, his grades weren't as good as Wang Hongbing's, and Wang Hongbing won the top scholarship. Due to too many conflicts with classmates, he also watched helplessly as the "University-Level Outstanding Student" award went to Chen Jie by a margin of 21 votes. For the past year, he's pretended to be generous and friendly with his classmates, all for tomorrow's vote. He can't let quantitative scores affect his evaluation again. This year, he absolutely must get a "University-Level Outstanding Student" certificate; he needs to figure out a way…

Zeng Hai had just returned to his dorm when he divided the rat poison into three portions and placed them under his bed and under his cabinet. After putting away the rat poison, he took out a pair of shorts and said to Liu Li, "Liu Li, these shorts are nice, aren't they? I bought them for 25 yuan each. I bought two for 50 yuan each. Want some?" Liu Li and the others had just arrived at their dorm. He was still shaken by what had happened that afternoon and didn't pay any attention to the shorts. He took out 25 yuan and handed it to Zeng Hai: "Okay, I'll take one. Here, take the money."

Zeng Hai chuckled to himself, "I've made another 10 yuan off that idiot!"

After packing up a few books, Zeng Hai said he was going to study in the study room and left the dormitory.

Liu Li, Wang Hongbing, and Jiang Bing remained slumped over the table, eyes closed, resting.

In the evening, the streetlights along the main road of the campus were all lit up. After finishing dinner, Zhang Li walked alone towards the abandoned laboratory building.

From afar, one could see the massive canopy of the old locust tree, stretching out unrestrainedly in the pale night, just as flamboyant as it had been the night before. The moonlight was weak, and the surroundings were dark; there was no one in sight.

The intense fear from last night returned, and Zhang Li shuddered. He planned to leave quickly, but just as he was about to turn around, he suddenly saw a familiar figure walking towards the old locust tree not far away...

It's Liyan! Her figure, clothes, and hair are clearly Liyan's!

He was startled and blurted out, "Liyan! Stop!"

The figure indeed stopped and slowly turned around—its face, covered with veins like leaves, gradually turned completely... It grinned at Zhang Li, but before Zhang Li could react, it suddenly disappeared again, as if it had never appeared at all.

It all felt like an illusion. Zhang Li was stunned for a moment, then suddenly seemed to remember something and ran like a madman towards the old locust tree. Just as he was about to reach the tree, he was stopped by a figure—Zhu Zhi.

"Let go! Let go of me! Zhu Zhi! Li Yan might have been hurt by it!" Zhang Li shouted at Zhu Zhi.

Zhu Zhi held Zhang Li tightly and said, "Calm down, what you're seeing is an illusion! An illusion! That's not Li Yan!"

Zhang Li stopped struggling and stared wide-eyed at Zhu Zhi: "An illusion? It really isn't Li Yan?!" Zhu Zhi continued, "It's an illusion! I saw it too, it really is an illusion! An illusion..." Before he could finish, Zhang Li hurriedly ran towards the all-night classroom, muttering to himself, "Yes, that's not Li Yan, she must be waiting for me in the classroom, she won't be in trouble, she won't be in trouble..."

Zhu Zhi shook his head as he watched Zhang Li rush away.

After Chen Jie, Wen Xin, and Li Yan entered the East 5 self-study room, Li Yan quickly scanned the room and, not seeing Zhang Li, placed her large floral backpack on a table in the corner to reserve a seat for him, while she sat down in the seat next to it. Chen Jie and Wen Xin sat in seats not far away.

After a while, Liyan raised her wrist and looked at her watch: 8:15. Why hadn't Zhang Li arrived yet! He was supposed to be here at 7:30! Oh my god, had he run into some evil spirit? Thinking this, she began to panic. She hurriedly walked out of the classroom, and just as she stepped out, she bumped into a panting Zhang Li.

"Oh, it's you! Why are you so late? Did you go for a run? It's almost eight o'clock." Upon seeing Zhang Li, Li Yan finally felt relieved.

Zhang Li suddenly pulled Li Yan into a tight embrace, nuzzling her head with his chin as he breathed heavily and said in a hoarse voice, "Li Yan, I knew you would be here waiting for me! I knew you would be here waiting for me!"

Hearing these seemingly irrelevant yet heartbreaking words, Liyan blushed and pulled away from his embrace. "Are you crazy? This is the classroom doorway! Don't you care?" she said, glancing furtively at Chen Jie and Wen Xin. If Wen Xin saw her, she would be embarrassed again. Luckily, they were engrossed in their books.

Zhang Li didn't answer, but simply gazed deeply at her, finding every movement of hers so real and beautiful. Seeing her shy expression, Zhang Li silently vowed in his heart: he would never let his beloved girl suffer any harm! No matter what kind of evil being or monster she might be!

After returning to the classroom and sitting down, Liyan took out Zhang Li's favorite orange juice from her bag.

"Why did you run so fast! Look at you, you can't even breathe," Liyan complained as she fanned Zhang Li. Zhang Li didn't answer, but took out the book "On Jade" that Professor Yang had given him from his pocket and whispered to her, "Tonight, I'm going to study this!"

Liyan glanced at the book title and thought to herself: How did this idiot become interested in these things?

Zeng Hai stayed in the West 1 self-study room until after 11 o'clock, then got up and went to the restroom. Reaching the restroom door, he looked around; seeing no one, he turned back and walked towards his classroom.

The classroom was empty. He exclaimed to himself, "Heaven is on my side!"

He pulled out the phone card he had prepared, inserted it, and the door opened. A surge of smug satisfaction filled him. He switched on the wall lamp in the classroom; the empty classroom was spacious and quiet, the pale yellow light appearing even more thin. He quickly walked to Chen Jie's seat, intending to retrieve the notebook and destroy it!

The hoarse yet clear sound of the door opening added a touch of terror to the darkness. Zeng Hai quickly looked towards the door; it was open, but no one was there.