Asi Enfer

Chapitre 9

He Jianfei stopped after only two steps. Tian Yinzhen lay unconscious under a large tree. Beside the tree, a hunched white figure slowly rose, its long hair obscuring its face. A bloodless, withered white hand swayed left and right within its wide sleeves. Instantly, a chilling wind swept past their ears. The white figure slowly drifted to Tian Yinzhen's side, remaining silent and coldly staring at He Jianfei. He Jianfei gasped. He hadn't expected Dong Lu to take such a risk by leaving the Path of Vengeful Ghosts. He had been too focused on subduing Shi Ting and hadn't paid attention to this situation—a serious oversight! The situation was now extremely unfavorable. If a fight broke out and Dong Lu accidentally touched Tian Yinzhen, the yin energy would likely be impossible to dispel, even with the Purple Gold Bowl. Hadn't he experienced its power on that very path? The consequences of an inability to dispel yin energy were only twofold: either a slow, agonizing death or lifelong disability, even high-level paraplegia. He Jianfei dared not move rashly. He took a deep breath and slowly said, "Senior Donglu, I told you from the beginning that I had no ill intentions. Everything I did was to help you get rid of your resentment and be reincarnated as soon as possible. You should know that there is no benefit in being a lonely ghost forever. Lay down your butcher's knife and become a Buddha on the spot. I will pray for your salvation."

Silence fell in the darkness for a moment. After a while, Dong Lu suddenly burst into laughter. He Jianfei felt a sense of foreboding. He heard Dong Lu say coldly, "He Jianfei, I've told you before, my hatred and grudges can never be resolved. If they could be resolved, I would have resolved them fifty years ago. For me to be reborn, the only way is for everyone in the world to die!"

Old Man Li had also arrived by then. Seeing the critical situation, he quickly shouted, "Donglu, don't do anything rash! Let's talk this out, release that girl first!"

Dong Lu coldly said, "I'm here today to take your lives. Do you think you're the Chairman? Pointing fingers like that? If you're so capable, why didn't you take me fifty years ago?" Old Man Li was speechless with anger, only staring at He Jianfei, waiting for him to make a decision. He Jianfei looked around; it was all dense forest, making it extremely difficult to snatch someone. He was already drenched in sweat. After much deliberation, and considering Tian Yinzhen's life, he gritted his teeth and said, "I truly want to help you. Since you don't believe me, I'll show you something." He then took out a purple-gold bowl from behind his back. Dong Lu tensed up, about to move closer to Tian Yinzhen, when he saw He Jianfei chant a dispelling incantation: "Fierce ghost, come out!"

"Hahahaha, He Jianfei, you're too naive. You can't subdue me, so you actually bring in another ghost to deal with me. Don't you think that's a huge loss of face?"

Before Donglu could finish celebrating, a wisp of green smoke rose from the purple-gold bowl, followed by a voice she would never forget: "Sigh, let it go, Donglu, it's been fifty years, everything should be in the past."

Donglu's body trembled: "You...who are you? You didn't...reincarnate either?"

The voice sighed again and said, "I'm the one who ruined you, but it wasn't my intention to make you like this. Fifty years have passed, and I've completely given up."

Dong Lu stood there dumbfounded, as if struck by lightning: "You...you are...A-Qiang???"

"You could say I am, or you could say I am not. Seeing you like this today, I didn't want to hurt you, but I owe you so much, I can't bear to hide it from you anymore. I can only blame God, blame our fate of being destined to be apart."

Dong Lu suddenly and slowly raised her head, her long hair gently parting to both sides. He Jianfei tensed up, expecting to see some horrific scene of bloodshed, but instead, a remarkably delicate and beautiful face was revealed. No wonder so many people were driven mad by her. Old Man Li was stunned; he even doubted his own eyes. There were clearly two large teardrops in Dong Lu's eyes. Even He Jianfei was frozen in place. In the ghost realm, human emotions were absolutely forbidden, as they would severely weaken one's magical power. "So you always knew I loved you, yet you still personally harmed me! If you hadn't come, perhaps I could have transcended this world one day. Now that you're here, I will forever be a vengeful ghost!" As she spoke, her long hair fluttered, her face became exceptionally terrifying, and her entire body turned bluish. Seeing the situation was dire, Old Man Li quickly threw the diary at her: "This was written by A-Qiang himself back then. You should believe me now, right?"

Dong Lu stared silently at the diary. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew up, carrying sand and stones. After the wind subsided, she and Tian Yinzhen had vanished without a trace. Old Man Li was startled: "Where did they go?" He Jianfei's face had turned quite frightening: "She doesn't trust us. She went back to that path to look at the diary."

As he spoke, he suddenly raised his voice: "Donglu, listen to me, if anything happens to Yinzi, don't blame me for being ruthless. I will make you suffer for thousands of lifetimes and be tormented forever!" After saying that, he immediately ran towards the road of wronged ghosts with all his might. Old Man Li knew that the situation was serious. He looked at Old Man Chen, who was still crying unconscious over there, gritted his teeth, and also ran towards that road.

Just as He Jianfei reached the intersection, he stopped abruptly. A woman's trembling sob drifted through the air, faint and indistinct, like the rustling of leaves in the wind. Dong Lu had completely lost her former spirit, kneeling on the ground, clutching the diary and weeping. Hearing He Jianfei approach, she turned around abruptly. He Jianfei was immediately startled. Gone was the beauty of her former self; her eyes were bloodshot, long rows of fangs protruded, and her face was as white as a dead fish's belly. She stared at him with resentment: "What do you mean by 'everything for my own good'?! What do you mean by 'loving me'?! This world is inherently unfair!! Why? Why? Why did you push everything onto me to bear?! I just wanted a peaceful life... I... I... just... wanted to love someone properly! Is that wrong? Why did it end like this?" He Jianfei didn't dare breathe. He knew Dong Lu was almost insane, on the verge of a mental breakdown.

Dong Lu gasped for breath and shouted angrily, "So, you all wanted to harm me, that's why you showed me this fake book!! There's no such thing as God!! I only believe in myself! Only myself! Hahaha, only myself!! You're going to die!"

Suddenly, a long, withered claw flew out from the white sleeve and flew straight towards He Jianfei.

Because the incident happened suddenly and unexpectedly, He Jianfei heard a "snap" sound and blood gushed out, turning the grassy area red.

"Yinzi—!! No—" Tian Yinzhen woke up just in time and leaped forward to block the claw. He Jianfei frantically tried to rush forward, but was held tightly by Old Man Li, who had just arrived. The withered claw pierced through her chest, and the gushing blood formed a small stream. Tian Yinzhen collapsed to the ground in agony, but still clung tightly to Dong Lu's foot: "Why...why...do you still...don't understand? You say God is...unfair to you, but you are actually the happiest girl in the world! Whether it's...the real A-Qiang...or the fake A-Qiang, they both...love you the same way. One died for you, and the other poisoned you to be with you...God didn't...betray you; it was you who betrayed yourself all along!"

A gentle breeze carries a fragrant scent along the road, making one feel that spring is just around the corner.

These words stirred up memories of how A-Qiang had cared for and protected her during her lifetime, and how he had resolutely chosen to face death with a smile after her passing. Before, she only remembered how A-Qiang had killed her and betrayed her, but had never considered these things… In an instant, she realized that the revenge she had so desperately sought was nothing but a nonexistent dream. In that instant, the already intelligent Dong-Lu broke free from the cycle of reincarnation, turning into a wisp of smoke and dissipating.

"Yinzi—Yinzi—" He Jianfei rushed to her side and picked her up. He saw that there was a large hole in her left chest, and it was clear that she was beyond saving. He Jianfei felt as if his heart was being torn apart, and tears welled up in his eyes: "Yinzi...you...you promise me, don't die, don't leave me. It's all my fault...I shouldn't have dragged you into this."

Tian Yinzhen laboriously reached out and gently stroked He Jianfei's hair: "Isn't it the cycle of karma? Master said that the one who tied the knot must untie it. The path of wronged ghosts began because of outsiders, and it must end with outsiders. Now that I think about it, I am the only outsider among you. It's all my fault for being too dull-witted and not thinking of this. Otherwise, you wouldn't have had to go through so much trouble."

Seeing her face flushed and her voice growing increasingly hurried, He Jianfei knew it was a final burst of energy before death. He couldn't help but hug her and burst into tears: "You...you mustn't go! You promised to marry me...you can't break your promise! Wait for me...I'll come...I'll use magic to save you!" Hearing him recount the past, Tian Yinzhen blushed and said, "Don't be sad! Although we are destined to be apart,...the fact that Heaven allowed me to find you is already the greatest blessing. If I were to ask for more, even Heaven wouldn't forgive me. After I'm gone, I hope you can bury me here, so I can see you every day and also keep an eye on the passing ghosts." At this point, she coughed violently and spat out two mouthfuls of blood. He Jianfei desperately tried to close his eyes, but he couldn't stop the tears from flowing. At this moment, he only wanted to be killed. Tian Yinzhen gasped for breath and said, "It's no use, I have to go. There's something I've always wanted to tell you, but I've never had the courage. But if I don't say it now, I'll never have the chance again. Jianfei, I...love..."

Her fair, slender hand slipped quietly from He Jianfei's grasp and rested on the blood-stained ground.

A breeze swept by, and cherry blossoms drifted down like snowflakes, their delicate fragrance enveloping the entire campus—like a goddess of peace and tranquility waving her scepter.

At the entrance of Shaolin Temple, a little girl with high pigtails is being blocked by a little boy.

"Move aside, I want to become the abbot's apprentice and learn martial arts."

"What are you doing learning martial arts? You're so ugly, people will run away when they see you, they won't have time to bully you."

"I'm going to catch ghosts."

"Get out of here! Shaolin Temple doesn't accept women!"

"Jianfei, you're bullying me again. Little sister, don't pay him any mind. What's your name?"

"My name is Tian Yinzhen."

"Regarding the renaming of Chigangding, after discussion, everyone agreed that the gloom has passed and there is no need to take on this warning meaning anymore. In order to prevent disasters from happening again, it was decided not to return to Chigangding and to rename it Sakura Road."

—Excerpt from the student union's notes in 1999.

What are some famous tourist attractions at your university?

The most famous is a small path called Cherry Blossom Road. This path is filled with cherry blossoms and is a major tourist attraction.

—Isn't it autumn now? Why are the cherry blossoms blooming so early?

—It was named this road because cherry blossoms bloom year-round. Now it's also known as Lover's Road, because many lovers like to go there. And there's a beautiful legend associated with it.

—Oh? What legend?

—Say those three words on that road, and you will obtain eternal true love.

—Hehe, that sounds pretty far-fetched.

—Actually, this road has another name, Yinzhen Road.

—What does that mean?

—I don't know either.