L'affaire du messager fantôme - Le récit d'une âme qui quitte son corps

Chapitre 27

Those two words made her feel as if she were back in the haunted building at night, and Qingyou's pale face became even clearer, as if it were filled with the words "tongue-pulling." "Didn't Qingyou commit suicide by chewing her tongue?" "Yes. If we follow this interpretation, then Qingyou entered the Tongue-Pulling Hell."

In the empty hall, the words "tongue-pulling" echoed repeatedly. Chunyu covered her ears and, after a long while, finally spoke: "This is the first level of hell? Since Qingyou was already on the first level—then I'm already on the twelfth level of hell, I—" "Don't think like that. How could such a thing happen? There must be other reasons for Qingyou's death. You'll be alright." "Other reasons?" Chunyu said in a very low voice, almost to herself, "I already know the reason." "You mean the reason Qingyou committed suicide?"

Under the lamplight, Chunyu's face appeared deathly pale. She said softly, "You said those who enter the Tongue-Pulling Hell are all for sowing discord and ruining relationships, right?" "That's just a folk tale, largely reflecting the common people's belief that evil will be punished. In our real lives, many who have truly done bad things don't necessarily receive retribution. So they can only imagine a hellish world to punish worldly sins, seeking psychological balance for the weak." "No, Qingyou went to the Tongue-Pulling Hell because she did indeed sow discord." Chunyu immediately recalled the hidden story Yang Yafei had told her. Although Qingyou was her best friend, the facts were undeniable. "You're saying—the real reason Qingyou bit her tongue and committed suicide in the Ghost Tower was because she did sow discord, and that's why she was punished on the first level of hell?" "Or perhaps it was her self-punishment."

Gao Xuan kept shaking his head, the desk lamp casting his shadow on the high ceiling, as if the entire hall was filled with flickering, dark shadows. He then opened an old book and said, "Alright, we'll talk about Qingyou another time. Let's look at the next few levels of hell first."

Chunyu felt utterly exhausted and could only listen blankly as Gao Xuan continued—"The second level of hell: the Scissors Hell. Legend has it that in *Water Margin*, Wang Po, who instigated Ximen Qing and Pan Jinlian to commit evil, was sent to the Scissors Hell." "The third level of hell: the Iron Tree Hell. Those who enter this level are all people who instigate discord within families." "The fourth level of hell: the Mirror of Retribution Hell. Those who commit crimes and then try to escape punishment will ultimately be revealed in this level."

Hearing this, Chunyu couldn't bear it any longer. She almost cried out, "Stop! Please don't say any more..." "I'm sorry, but let me be more general. There are 18 levels of hell here, each with a different name, basically names of punishments like 'Mountain of Knives,' 'Ice Mountain,' and 'Oil Cauldron.' Different people enter different hells according to their different evil deeds. Only those who have committed that evil deed can enter each level." "It's like matching a crime to another's crime?" "Yes. For example, murdering one's husband will send one to the 8th level, the Ice Mountain Hell, where, according to folklore, Pan Jinlian lived for a long time; abandoning an infant will send one to the 11th level, the Stone Press Hell..." "Stop!" Chunyu could almost see these terrifying scenes before her eyes. "Is there a hell for those who torture animals?"

Gao Xuan flipped through the book: "Yes, the 10th level of hell: the Ox Pit Hell. Those who torture and kill animals will be thrown into the pit, where several wild oxen will attack, goring them with their horns and trampling them with their hooves."

It turns out that Chunyu remembered the story of the monkey that Xu Wenya had told her. That must be why Xu Wenya went crazy. She must have gone to the 10th level of hell.

Gao Xuan continued, "The Ox Pit Hell is also the first of the nine lower levels." "The nine lower levels?" "In the folk legend of the eighteen levels of hell, it can be divided into the nine upper levels and the nine lower levels."

Chunyu felt a chill run down her spine. Just a few days ago, she had passed through the "upper nine levels of hell," and now she was passing through the "lower nine levels of hell." Which level would be left for her? "The eighteen levels of hell imagined by the Chinese are arranged according to the length of suffering and the severity of the crime. Even in the shortest level of hell, one day is equivalent to 3,750 years on earth. After 10,000 years, which is equivalent to 13.5 billion years on earth, one can be released. Then, each level of hell increases the suffering by twenty times and doubles the time compared to the previous one. By the time you reach the 18th level of hell, the suffering is indescribable, and the date of release is impossible to calculate."

After saying these words, the two remained silent for a long time. The empty reading room hall returned to its deathly silence, with only a faint light shining from the dark ceiling onto their terrified eyes.

Gao Xuan spoke first again: "Chunyu, you don't need to take these things seriously. The professor did in-depth research in this book. These legends about hell were formed more than a thousand years ago. People lived in extremely hardship back then, and when social unrest occurred, evil often ran rampant. Many kind and poor people hoped that the wicked would be punished, but often the good people didn't get good rewards, while the wicked got away with it. So, people imagined a hellish world, hoping that those wicked people who escaped punishment in reality could be severely punished in hell."

Chunyu understood a bit: "At the same time, these legends of hell also serve as a warning to everyone not to do bad things in this world. If you do something shameful, you will definitely be punished in hell, right?" "Yes, from the perspective of punishing evil and promoting good, these legends of the eighteen levels of hell do have some positive significance. At least they have made many ignorant people understand the principle that those who do many evil deeds will surely perish. As for those who have committed many evils, there are examples of them being warned by going to the eighteen levels of hell and thus reforming. There is an old saying—'If you don't want others to know, don't do it in the first place.'" "I understand the reasoning you're talking about, but what about Qingyou? Didn't she really go to the Hell of Tongue-Pulling?"

How can we explain what's happening now?

Gao Xuan shook his head helplessly: "I don't know either."

Chunyu lowered her head and thought for a while, then suddenly said, "Perhaps the real root of the problem lies with Mazzolini. His paintings of hell and his bizarre experiences in China have far exceeded the scope of folk tales." "I will try my best to investigate Mazzolini's affairs. I have faith in myself as a painter."

Under the desk lamp, Gao Xuan's face was pale, but his gaze was so deep and captivating that any girl would be mesmerized. "I think the key lies in the 19th level of hell," Chunyu slowly stood up. She looked back at the dark depths of the reading room and said softly, "What exactly is the 19th level?"

After thinking for a long time without finding an answer, she looked down at the time and saw it was already past 11 p.m. Chunyu hadn't expected it to be so late, and she immediately became nervous: "I'm sorry, it's too late now, I think I should go back." "Yes, it's not good for a pretty girl like you to be with me so late at night, it's really not a good thing if people see you like that."

Gao Xuan's lips curled slightly, revealing adorable dimples. He tidied up the old books on the table and put them in a small room inside the reading room.

He then turned off the lamp on the table, plunging the entire reading room into darkness, leaving only the sound of their footsteps and breathing. Chunyu's heart raced again, and she whispered, "Can you find your way out?" "I can find it with my eyes closed. When I was a student, I would come here to read every night at midnight." Gao Xuan's breath brushed against her face in the darkness, forcing her to lower her head as he held her hand tightly and led her out of the library.

After turning several corners in the completely dark passage, Chunyu felt her palms sweating. Gao Xuan's hand was clenched so tightly that this intimate skin-to-skin contact filled her with an indescribable excitement.

Finally out of the library's back door, Gao Xuan locked it again. In the dim moonlight outside, Chunyu could vaguely make out some things.

Only then did she feel the biting cold wind, and she shivered all over. Gao Xuan immediately noticed, took off his leather coat, and draped it over Chunyu.

Before Chunyu could refuse, she felt a warm sensation on her back. Gao Xuan whispered in her ear, "It's too late. I'm worried something might happen to you on the way. Let me take you back to your dorm."

She continued walking forward without comment, while Gao Xuan followed closely beside her. In the howling winter wind, their shadows moved like ghosts through the silent campus.

Chunyu didn't say a word on the way, just huddled in Gao Xuan's coat, feeling no cold at all. When they arrived at the girls' dormitory, Chunyu didn't let Gao Xuan go up. She returned his coat to him, softly said "goodbye," and quietly ran up the stairs.

Back in the cold dormitory, Chunyu felt the chill again, and she was no longer wearing her coat. Exhausted, she climbed onto her upper bunk, lying on her back without even taking off her clothes. She was so tired today, her whole body felt like it was falling apart, as if she had been to hell, her body crushed in two by a giant millstone.

She lay there with her eyes closed for a moment, when she was suddenly woken up by a text message notification. Chunyu picked up her phone and saw the number again: "741111".

It was already midnight when the hellish text message arrived right on time: "You have entered the 12th level of hell. You will choose 1: the person you most want to see; 2: the person you hate most; 3: your worst nightmare."

At this point, Chunyu was already somewhat delirious. She casually pressed "1: The person you most want to see".

A reply came a few seconds later: "Who do you most want to see right now? Tell me, and you'll see that person."

Chunyu was still not fully conscious. She rubbed the back of her head vigorously, but her mind was still a jumbled mess.

Suddenly, many things seemed to flash before my eyes, and gradually the figure of a man appeared.

Spring Rain's heart trembled as if touched by someone.

Yes, that's the person she most wants to see.

He slowly pressed his thumb a few times, typing out the two words—"Dad".

This is the person Chunyu most wants to see.

Without hesitation, she replied "Dad".

Then she closed her eyes, and some warm liquid uncontrollably seeped from her eyelids...

Three o'clock in the morning.

Ye Xiao stared at his phone, his eyes already bloodshot. With great difficulty, he finally managed to focus his gaze on the dark window, where he could only see a few lights that never went out in the building across the street.

He has entered the ninth level of hell.

Date added: 2005-02-18 12:41:04

The phone screen was still displaying that number: "741111".

However, he couldn't shake off the number he had deciphered as "Hell." Ye Xiao himself couldn't explain why, knowing it was hell, he kept walking deeper and deeper. Ever since entering the first level of hell, he had felt an inexplicable urge compelling him to continue.

On the "first level of hell," Ye Xiao chose the "Lanruo Temple" because the story of Nie Xiaoqian from "Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio" had left a deep impression on him. While wandering through Lanruo Temple, he felt as if he had truly met Nie Xiaoqian, gazing into her captivating eyes, breathing the air of hundreds of years ago, and even being able to speak to her face to face and touch her body and soul through some special means.

Ye Xiao was certain that this immersive experience was unprecedented for everyone, something even the world's most advanced computer games couldn't achieve. Although his police officer instincts constantly warned him, the suspense and curiosity surrounding this "hell" pierced his heart like needles, forcing him to continuously traverse the next level of hell. Thus, from "Lanruo Temple" to "The Desolate Village of the Scholars," then to "The Ghost Inn" and "Dracula's Castle," and even to London in 1888.

He has now broken through the upper nine levels of hell, and new hells and experiences await him—"You have entered the tenth level of hell. From tonight onwards, you will enter the lower nine levels of hell and have a brand new wandering experience. You will choose 1: Make a wish; 2: The mystery you most want to solve; 3: The person you most want to see."

He lowered his head and thought for a long time before finally choosing "3: The person you most want to see".