Série Histoires de Fantômes 10

Chapitre 4

The entrance before us was over two meters high, a shape without a door; at first glance, it looked like nothing more than a dark, dingy cave entrance, completely unadorned except for some ivy growing wildly at the top. Beneath the ivy, the characters "Na Liu Qin Ju" (纳留寝居) were vaguely scribbled in a grotesque, cursive style. It took me a while to decipher them. "Qin Ju" (寝居) should refer to this complex of buildings, but what was "Na Liu"? I was a bit confused.

Looking inside, I noticed that the inner walls of the cave entrance were constructed from piles and chiseled pieces of unidentified red stone, stretching as far as the eye could see. I guessed this place must have a long history; the passage of time had left unsettling marks on the damp stone walls.

Section 28: The Mysterious Ancient Architectural Complex (12)

The dark red stone walls were covered with green moss. Because of the red stone and the abundant dark green moss, the walls looked damp and unsettling. Water dripped from the stone path, and touching it left damp, sour plant debris on my palm. However, the pebbles on the ground were smooth and untouched by the moss. This wasn't just a problem in one or two places; I noticed the entire pebble path was like this. Strange. Could it be as Lü Fang said, that people frequently come and go here? With these questions in mind, I stood at the entrance, a strange feeling welling up inside me—

perturbed.

Now that we've found the entrance, a problem arises: Lü Fang plans to rest inside and observe the wisdom of our ancient ancestors; Lin Pang and I, not exactly conventional people, are itching to go in and see for ourselves; but Ye Min and Su Yan are against it. Ye Min refuses to go in no matter what, while Su Yan is worried about its historical significance. While we're at an impasse, unexpectedly, the horse-faced leader steps in first without a word.

"Tourism is all about seeing the sights. Everyone says it's an old relic that's already been developed into a tourist destination, so there's no need to worry about it playing any historical role."

Yes, I remember someone once said that architecture is undoubtedly the earliest memory of human civilization and culture. It is a symbol of human social development and progress. When history recedes into the depths of time, only architecture shines with the most dazzling light of human wisdom in that vast space. Given that, it would be a real shame not to go inside and see it. Although this ancient building wasn't on our itinerary, who wouldn't be tempted by an unexpected surprise?

Since their leader had spoken, Ye Min and Su Yan couldn't say anything more, and the group followed him in single file. Passing through the cave-like entrance, an expected passageway unfolded before them. Deep and narrow, the path wound its way through, resembling an empty gate. Dark green moss-covered walls stretched along the inner walls until they disappeared into the darkness. For some reason, I suddenly felt a little scared, but the feeling vanished in an instant. I scratched my head and mentally berated myself for becoming so timid.

I didn't pay much attention to it, but at that moment, this feeling planted a small, easily overlooked seed in my heart.

Section 29: The Mysterious Ancient Architectural Complex (13)

Lü Fang and Ma Lian walked ahead, chatting away; I and two women walked in the middle, looking around; Lin Pang followed at the back, constantly fiddling with his phone. As I walked, I wondered if the first thing I'd see upon entering would be the majestic Boazkoy stone lion gate?

After walking for about twenty minutes, we emerged from the passageway.

3 Ink Splash Murals

Stepping out of the passageway, a vast expanse of extremely irregular houses and broken walls came into view... the layout was indeed quite peculiar.

There were rows upon rows of dilapidated, gray-brown houses with uneven walls, arranged haphazardly, at least a hundred in total, with a network of winding passageways crisscrossing them. It truly was a labyrinth, full of twists and turns. I figured I couldn't possibly make sense of it by looking at it with the naked eye, and muttered to myself that perhaps that's what made it fit the description of a "labyrinth."

After descending the steps, I worried that everyone might get lost if they wandered around aimlessly, so I suggested we just look at the houses around the entrance of the passageway and rest there. Everyone agreed, and then we started dividing up the tasks to prepare for the night—finding clean rooms, setting up sleeping bags, and so on. While unpacking, I noticed some things in a partition between two walls, so I went over to take a closer look. That's when Fatty Lin called me back.

"Mr. Yang, do you have a phone signal?"

I took out my phone and saw that the signal bars were empty. I shook my head at him. At the same time, I noticed that the others were also looking at me blankly. I immediately understood what was going on—this was a dead zone.

"No signal, no signal. It's not like I'm staying here for weeks." Just as I turned to look at everyone, I didn't notice something moving in the cubicle.

With such a large and disorderly layout, the walls, houses, and even the spaces between walls and houses easily form narrow alleyways, with one every few dozen meters. Looking around, the distance between the two walls wasn't very close; it was roughly wide enough for three people to walk side by side. I cautiously approached slowly, peering around tentatively.

Although this place has been developed, it is still a site of ancient warfare where many people have died. It is considered an evil place, and there may still be something there now, so it's best to be careful.

I could vaguely make out what seemed to be something in the narrow alleyway, but the light was too dim to see the end. I thought for a moment, then took out my tools to begin a more thorough investigation. But just as I was about to turn on my flashlight to observe what was inside, a hand silently landed on my shoulder from behind.

Section 30: The Mysterious Ancient Architectural Complex (14)

When I was just a teenager, the adults warned me that children were absolutely not allowed to stay out all night. Not only that, there was even a rule that we weren't allowed to go out to play after 10 pm. If we were still wandering around after that time, our families would definitely be furious. At the time, I didn't understand and asked why. The adults told me that everyone has three white candles on their body, representing "life": one on each shoulder and one on the crown of the head. "Life" represents the vital energy of life. Humans live entirely on a breath of air; any body with life force is a living being, simply put, a living person. Of course, we couldn't usually see these white candles. Back then, there was a saying that it was extremely dangerous for children to walk alone at night because their life force was weak and the white candles would easily go out. Furthermore, even adults walking alone at night should never turn around if they heard someone calling their name or putting their arm around their shoulder. Rumors circulated that unclean spirits would follow travelers at night, swaying them and blowing out the life-giving candle on their shoulders when they turned around, thus killing them. This story was quite eerie at the time, causing widespread panic, as everyone understood the principle that "when a person dies, it's like a lamp going out."

Although I admire great science, I haven't forgotten the terrifying rumors from my childhood about "patting someone on the shoulder, calling their name, and blowing out candles." Now, when something suddenly patted my shoulder from behind for no reason, my heart immediately sank.

"What are you doing?" Ye Min walked around to my side, looked at me suspiciously, and then looked into the depths of the two walls. "Damn, you almost scared me to death! You..." Before I could finish speaking, I heard her exclaim, "Wow, there are so many ink splash paintings here."

Ink wash landscape painting? Traditional Chinese painting? I was quite surprised. Ink wash painting is a type of Chinese painting. In ancient times, Chinese painting was generally called "Danqing," mainly referring to scroll paintings painted on Xuan paper or silk and then mounted. I had seen patterns appearing on the walls in the alley before, but I never expected it to be a national treasure. Could it be that there are also refined and cultured people in the Naniso family? I didn't have time to think about it too much. Seeing that Ye Min had already felt her way in, I hurriedly followed her in.

It's true what they say, you don't know until you see it, and once you do, you're shocked. The fact that this national treasure, which shouldn't be so, is splashed with ink in a maze-like formation meant for defeating enemies is already unusual and baffling enough, but the patterns on the wall are even more perplexing. Ye Min and I stared at it for ages, but couldn't figure it out. After a moment of thought, I said to Ye Min, "No wonder you only called it an ink splash painting, not an ink splash landscape painting. What do you think this painting means?"

Section 31: The Mysterious Ancient Architectural Complex (15)

Aside from the boss, whose educational background was unknown, I was probably the least educated person in the company. Even if I didn't admit it, the facts spoke for themselves: because I dropped out of school halfway through, I naturally couldn't produce a diploma higher than high school, which made me lose face. They might smile and flatter me to my face, but behind my back, it was a completely different story. Based on this, I often used puns and ambiguous statements to sarcastically vent my anger at them. Seeing that my girlfriend didn't know what she was drawing, I asked her in a sarcastic tone, mimicking a Sichuan dialect.

She rolled her eyes at me, tilted her head, and continued staring at the wall, looking completely bewildered. After saying a few things to her that were utterly lacking in humor, I said to her meaningfully, "Look, this ink-splashed dragon painting is certainly lifelike, but the dragons are all just skeletons, without scales, armor, blood, or flesh. This follows the old saying—'It's easy to draw the skin of a tiger, but difficult to draw its bones; you can know a person's face, but not their heart.' Although the bones are difficult to draw, they are drawn so vividly that they can almost be mistaken for the real thing. It's no exaggeration to call it a stroke of genius." Confident in my eloquence, I started to boast, pausing before continuing, "These guys have now sketched out the dragon bones with ink; it's absolutely a blatant declaration of their intentions. They're clearly telling their enemies that anyone who enters their territory is in grave danger."

Those who enter the battle will not be able to save their lives.

Ye Min replied with a load of nonsense and then told me, "The dragon skeleton on the wall is indeed drawn flawlessly, but it's not all bone and no flesh." After saying that, she pointed to the head of one of the dragons and told me to take a closer look.

Although the space inside the wall wasn't narrow, light still struggled to penetrate. I had a flashlight; it was cheap and not very effective, but it would do. Hearing her say that, I used the flashlight's dim light to carefully examine the heads of the dragon bones.

"Huh? It has eyeballs?" I asked in surprise. Ye Min nodded, seemingly equally puzzled.

I frowned and pondered. Both walls were painted with soaring dragons, and they were all in the freehand style of Chinese painting—that is, the splashed ink technique. However, the dragons on the walls were all empty skeletons without scales, armor, or flesh, which was quite strange and peculiar. Now I discovered that there were dragon eyes painted on the dragon bones. Wasn't this the meaning of adding the finishing touch to the painting? Could it be implying that these broken skeletons could fly or something?

It was already late at night, and now, in this place, I saw several lifelike skeletons with eyes painted on the dark wall… The thought sent a shiver down my spine. I quickly pretended to scoff and beckoned Ye Min to leave this eerie alleyway, not caring what the painting on the wall was. But when I turned around, I saw Ye Min standing motionless, like a dead man, her eyes fixed on the depths of the wall.

Section 32: The Zombie Dragon Wall (1)

Chapter Three: The Zombie Dragon Wall

In the height of spring in March, how could it be so cold? I've heard of a chilling wind blowing down the back of the neck, its cold seeping into the heart… Could it be a chilling wind? In legends, a chilling wind is a symbol, its effect equivalent to a gust of wind before rain, or a startling flash of lightning before thunder—a kind of omen. A chilling wind in gusts must be coming; and what is coming is ominous, either a ghost or a demon.

1. Seeing a ghost

2. The Mysterious Mansion

Chapter Three: The Zombie Dragon Wall

1. Seeing a ghost

Out of sheer curiosity, I followed her gaze.

To be honest, in the 21st century, with its rapid advancements in science and technology and soaring levels of education, we should be advocating for the veneration of great science and the upholding of a lofty materialist worldview. Balzac once said that ignorance is the mother of superstition. How I wish I were to firmly believe in his rock-solid theory right now! But if that were said here, even Balzac himself would probably be at a loss. Deep within those walls, a shadowy figure stands—an old woman and a child.

Oh no, I should have known better than to suggest telling ghost stories.

Not seeing them at all would have been one thing, but that fleeting glimpse was enough to send shivers down my spine; I nearly gasped for breath. If it were just an old woman and her grandson, there would be no problem; but we know they are definitely not residents of this area, and even if they were, it would have been over a hundred years ago.

Deep within the wall, a pair of creatures, the larger one entirely white, its face smeared with blood, its eyes wide open, its forehead almost completely obscured by its upper eyelids, its wrinkled face bearing a withered mouth stretched into a large "V" shape, not like a smile... but rather as if it were rapidly muttering something, causing its withered lips to open and close extremely quickly, and a stream of filthy liquid mixed with blood foam was constantly flowing from its mouth...

It's...it's spilled all over the ground!

The thing she was holding was even more outrageous; judging by its build, it resembled a child of eight or nine years old. The child was shirtless, wearing only a strip of colorful underwear, and its entire head was completely wrapped in strips of hair. A very wide, old scar was prominently displayed on its pale, bare upper body, stretching from its upper left chest to almost reaching its appendix. The wound showed no signs of healing or bleeding, and because of its extreme width and depth, it was strikingly obvious at a glance.

Isn't this the legendary thing that only exists in people's minds?! My face turned pale, the hairs on my body stood on end, my eyes widened to almost the size of copper bells, my mind went blank, and I was stunned into silence.

Section 33: The Zombie Dragon Wall (2)

No way?!

Just then, the old man's withered face and his pair of upward-facing eyes rolled back and forth before suddenly staring intently at me! Terrified, I immediately fell to the ground, struggling for a while before finally getting up. Grabbing the dazed Ye Min, I ran frantically outside, using every ounce of strength I had – almost like I could scale walls without using my hands! But as we scrambled and stumbled our way out, we discovered that the entrance to the tunnel we had come from had vanished without a trace!

"I remember the intersection was here, what happened? Huh?" I stammered, frantically digging and scratching at the ground. How could the intersection just vanish like that? Before I could even think about it, Ye Min started frantically slapping my back. I winced and turned around, about to ask "what?", when it dawned on me—

The old man and the young girl, who were standing a hundred meters behind her, floated out of the Tenglong Wall. Their movements were swift and unpredictable, clearly aimed at us! How could we let this go? At that moment, I didn't have time to rationally judge whether what I was seeing was my subjective imagination or our hallucination. I grabbed Ye Min and tried to run away, but I was so stunned that I didn't know where to run. So, for a moment, I was like an ant on a hot pan, pulling her around in circles.

Although Ye Min was also startled and completely flustered, my pulling and tugging at her caused her considerable pain. Seeing that I was completely disoriented, she shouted at me in a panic, "Right side! Right side!" I looked in that direction and saw light coming from a small cluster of houses on the right. Ye Min and I rushed over there in a fluster.

When we first arrived, apart from myself who went to see the murals and Ye Min who had followed us, everyone else was packing their camping gear. Since there was light coming from the abandoned house, they were probably all inside. As the saying goes, "Water can destroy a fence," and "Many hands make light work." At this crucial moment, we should forget about everything else and rejoin the main group first.

Upon closer inspection, we could see that the houses were situated on low ground, with four or five low huts clustered together, roughly forming a messy courtyard. Aside from the layout, which appeared to have been built while the owners were drunk, the most striking feature was the wall standing out among the group of low huts.

The same dragon wall, even up close I could see it all. The wall was crooked and twisted, forming an extremely irregular "S" shape, then running rampantly from north to south, cutting right through the courtyard-like group of houses. I had roughly observed this incongruous architectural style when I first entered, but at that time I felt nothing but novelty. Now, standing beneath it in person, I found it so bizarre and shocking, so appalling. A tremendous sense of oppression suddenly surged over me like a flood bursting its banks.

Section 34: The Zombie Dragon Wall (3)

But now is not the time to ponder the unique architectural style of the ancients. I noticed the courtyard gate of the complex was located at the junction of the dragon wall and a house, with a door and a threshold, though the eaves were rather low. As I pulled Ye Min inside, I frantically searched my mind for any useful information about "ghosts," so I could have a good excuse when I faced my fellow 21st-century folks in a flustered state. Although I didn't want to be seen as a fool, those two things outside definitely looked like "ghosts."

2. The Mysterious Mansion

The night in the courtyard was deep and quiet.

Rushing to the front yard, I saw the door of the large house on the left was ajar, and light flickered inside. I guessed that Horse-faced Lü Fang and the others were all inside, so without thinking, I kicked the door. Although the door wasn't bolted, it had stood the test of time and couldn't withstand my force; it immediately broke off from the house and collapsed with a crash. I didn't care about this state property anymore; as soon as the door fell, I rushed into the house, about to shout, "There's something evil here! We have to get out of here..." but the words caught in my throat, my mind went blank, and I froze in the room. Ye Min followed right in and also saw the grand slam; although she immediately covered her mouth with her hand, she couldn't help but scream in terror.

"Ah—" A sharp scream echoed throughout the entire courtyard, seemingly causing even the air to tremble.

The walls inside were dilapidated, the furniture rudimentary, and every nook and cranny was covered in silt. In the center of the room stood an old-fashioned sandalwood tea table; on either side of it sat two long benches, their surfaces gleaming. The table and benches were piled high with our travel essentials. Meanwhile, Horse Face and Fatty Lin, one on each side, swayed back and forth about three feet off the ground, accompanied by a rough, grating creak from the rafters, sending shivers down our spines.

As soon as I stepped inside, four legs were irresponsibly dangling in front of me.

I snapped out of my daze from Ye Min's heart-wrenching screams, feeling as if I'd been electrocuted. I didn't dare look directly at the two people in front of me, so I jumped onto the coffee table to untie the ropes around their necks, calling for Ye Min, who was still trembling, to help me as I did so.

Usually, the rope used for hanging by the neck has a noose, which is exceptionally strong. After being put around the neck, it is tied in a knot for safety. However, the noose around their necks was very loose, so in just a few moments, Ye Min and I hurriedly lowered Horse Face and Fatty Lin down. After they were on the ground, I quickly checked to see if they were still breathing.

Section 35: The Zombie Dragon Wall (4)

Horse Face and Fatty Lin were ashen-faced, barely breathing, their souls seemingly wandering to the Bridge of Helplessness. Ye Min and I frantically tried everything—fed them water, called out to them, pinched their philtrum, slapped them—but their faces remained lifeless. Ye Min nearly cried out; I figured it was hopeless, and I considered leaving their bodies far away. But then, Horse Face suddenly gasped, regaining his composure, followed by violent coughing and a struggle to sit up. I rushed to support him, about to ask what had happened, but his face was filled with utter terror.

"There's something evil here! We need to get out of here right away..." He pulled me and started talking nonsense. My mind went blank again. Could it be that they saw something too?

By the time we called out to Horse Face, Fatty Lin had also recovered, though he was still slightly dazed. Judging from their condition, they must have suffered similar shocks, and had only recently been hoisted up. Luckily, we arrived in time. Seeing that Horse Face couldn't get any answers, I quickly turned to Fatty Lin and slapped him across the face. The slap worked perfectly; Fatty Lin, clutching his burning square face, looked bewildered and innocent, asking me, "What happened?"

"I haven't even asked you what happened yet. What's wrong with you two? Also, where are Lu Fang and Su Yan? Why aren't they with you?" Lin Pang finally came to his senses, but after he rambled on in a flustered and incoherent manner, I still couldn't make heads or tails of it.

As they spoke, Fatty Lin managed to stand up with difficulty, while Horse Face moved to the bench, panting heavily. Ye Min, fearing he might run out of breath again, quickly handed him a bottle of mineral water from the table. He took it with trembling hands and drank it down in a gulp, finally managing to recount the whole story in a breathless manner after a long while.

Upon entering this "dwelling," Horse Face instructed everyone to find a place to tidy up and clean before settling in. The group hastily surveyed the piles of crumbling walls and broken tiles around the entrance to the passageway, but were ultimately at a loss. This was understandable; according to Lü Fang's deduction, the original construction dates of most of the buildings here were long lost. Exposed to sun and rain for so many years, the former "commercial housing" was now dilapidated, bearing only the relentless marks of time. Although generations of Naniso people had added bricks and tiles and continuously repaired it after its initial construction, very few of the original structures remained in comfortable condition to this day.

As the saying goes, perseverance pays off. After circling around several times, Su Yan finally found the "Floating Dragon Through the Clouds" residential complex where we are now. When we first entered the courtyard, Fatty Lin said that he vaguely saw signs of someone passing by, but after searching around, we couldn't find anyone and assumed he was seeing things, so we didn't pay any attention to it.

Section 36: The Zombie Dragon Wall (5)

"In the first courtyard, we found four houses that weren't too badly damaged and could be used for lodging. We didn't bother to look at the other courtyards. The original plan was to clean out two rooms so the men and women could rest separately. Ye Min went with you but didn't come back. Su Yan was scared to be alone. I saw that Xiao Lü and she came to the company together and they were college classmates, so I had him go with her."

Hearing this, I felt a little uneasy, but I didn't show any expression on my face. The horse-faced man talked for a long time but didn't get to the point I wanted to know. I couldn't interrupt him and get to the point directly, even though he was panting heavily. Just then, I saw him start gulping down the rest of his mineral water, so I quickly took the opportunity to ask him, "What happened to you guys just now?"

Upon hearing my mention, Horse Face was still shaken, shivering uncontrollably. His hands, which were holding water, trembled violently. He staggered to the door, looked around for a long time, and then returned, looking extremely dejected and speechless. I was so anxious that I stamped my feet. Just then, Fatty Lin seemed to remember something and said to us, "We thought this room was more spacious, so we stopped here. We didn't notice anything different; it's just a very ordinary place. We came in, threw our things on the coffee table, and didn't do anything else. We just sat there smoking and chatting..."

"later?"

"Later, as we were talking, we suddenly felt really, really cold, and we both started shivering."

In the height of spring in March, how could it be so cold? I've heard of a chilling wind blowing down the back of the neck, its cold seeping into the heart… Could it be a chilling wind? In legends, a chilling wind is a symbol, its effect equivalent to a gust of wind before rain, or a startling flash of lightning before thunder—a kind of omen. A chilling wind in gusts must be coming; and what is coming is ominous, either a ghost or a demon.

What happened next sounded eerie to me; they had indeed encountered something supernatural. The wind picked up, the temperature changed, and Horse Face and Fatty Lin thought the weather had shifted. They got up to go outside and observe the night sky, only to find something frozen in the large courtyard. Upon closer inspection, it was nothing special—just a cat. But they were astonished to see that the cat's eyes were completely white. For some reason, after a few glances between the cat and the human, they seemed to lose their minds, staggering back to the hut. They found two thick hemp ropes somewhere, tied them together, hung them on the beam, and strangled themselves. If Ye Min and I hadn't arrived in time, they probably would have jumped into the Well of Reincarnation and been reborn.

Section 37: The Zombie Dragon Wall (6)

I was terrified after hearing this; they were completely conscious while doing these things. While there's an age-old tale of demons bewitching people, these are mostly stories of being bewitched by weasels or fox spirits, leading to their deaths or infatuation, with endings that are almost always extreme. But talk is talk, and listening is listening; it's just child's play, and I've never believed it. Even if such supernatural things were truly possible, wouldn't that mean the white-eyed cat would live as long as the sun and moon, becoming a spirit?

They were just sitting at home when disaster struck. "Luckily you're lucky and have a strong constitution, we ran into you, otherwise..." I was about to say a few words of comfort when a chill suddenly ran down my spine. My heart skipped a beat: Oh no! I was so busy finding out what was going on with Horse Face and the others that I completely forgot about the two creatures chasing after us! After all that time, I had no idea where they had gone. The more I didn't know, the more frightened I became. With the cold wind blowing through, who had time to check? I grabbed Ye Min and called to the still dazed Horse Face and Fatty Lin, and we prepared to flee. Seeing my extremely panicked expression, they thought that the white-eyed cat had returned, and they immediately panicked, pulling and tugging at me and Ye Min as we ran out.

My original plan was to rush to the house across the street where Su Yan and Lü Fang lived before the old man and the young man came in, and whatever they were doing, drag them to a safe place before explaining. But I had barely stepped out the door when I turned back. I clearly saw the horrifying scene at the threshold of the courtyard not far away—they really came! I went back inside, intending to close the door, only to remember that I had kicked it against the coffee table. Good heavens, there wasn't even a door! They could just barge in!

I was frantically scratching my head at the door, while Horse Face and Fatty Lin stared at me blankly, completely bewildered by my unusual behavior. Ye Min's eyes were brimming with tears; her emotions, suppressed for so long, were about to burst forth. If I let her howl, wouldn't that extinguish the flame of hope? I turned around, intending to stop her, when suddenly my eyes lit up—there was hope!

Section 38: The Terrifying Mysterious Waterway (1)

Chapter Four: The Terrifying Mysterious Waterway

The sound didn't seem to come from Lin Pang, who was still bleeding profusely; it felt as if my own neck had been snapped, so real and violent. I froze for a few seconds, then frantically grabbed Ye Min and the stunned horse-faced man and rushed towards the end of the corridor. But when we got there, we were dumbfounded—

The hidden doorway I'd glimpsed earlier was indeed sealed off.

1. No way out

2. Water blocking the way

Chapter Four: The Terrifying Mysterious Waterway