Boîte corporelle

Chapitre 20

"Listen to me..."

"You don't need to say anything, I already know." Tears finally streamed down the woman's face. "You're finally going to abandon me and the child..."

"What did you say?" The man stared at the woman in shock.

"Take care..." The woman leaned back, blooming like a flower petal in the wind, but she disappeared so quickly.

"No……"

"No..." Ling'er suddenly woke up, reaching out as if to grab the woman falling off the cliff. The familiar surroundings made her realize that it was just a dream, the same dream! Only this time, it was more elaborate.

What's wrong with me? Ling'er rubbed her head, looked outside. It was just dawn. She wondered how Zhang Fan was doing and was about to go to the hospital when Hu Yi called: "Master! Something bad has happened! She...she's dead..." Ling'er's head buzzed! How could this be? She hung up without saying anything and immediately left the dormitory for the hospital.

Upon arriving at the hospital, Hu Yi and Shi Ba stood dumbfounded at the entrance, their faces ashen. Seeing Ling'er was like seeing a savior. "It's terrifying! How could there be such a cruel murderer..." Hu Yi exclaimed in horror.

"Did you call the police?" Ling'er knew she couldn't panic, so she tried her best to calm herself down.

"No, we smelled blood inside, and when we went in, the result was..." Hu Yi stammered. He glanced at Shi Ba, who remained silent, seemingly deeply shocked.

"I'll go in and take a look. You all stay here and keep watch. Don't call the police yet; they'll only disturb the scene!" Ling'er was about to go in when Shi Ba grabbed her arm. "Blood... hands and feet..." She knew that although Shi Ba was quite skilled in cultivation, he was still inexperienced in the ways of the world, and the scene inside must have frightened him. "Don't worry! I'll be fine! Hu Yi, take good care of him; he's never seen anything so bloody before..." Ling'er said.

"Eighteen, it's alright, I'm here. Master can protect himself too." Hu Yi comforted the dazed Eighteen like an older brother, holding his hand tightly.

Ling'er pushed open the door to the ward, and the pungent stench of blood assaulted her nostrils. She took a deep breath and looked up! Good heavens! Was this a ward? How could this be? How could the once pristine white world be a sea of red? The walls, the floor, the sheets, and the curtains… everything was stained crimson with blood. How could one person have so much blood? Ling'er slowly walked in. Upon seeing Zhang Fan, tears immediately welled up in her eyes! Her right hand and left foot had been severed and tossed aside. Completely naked, there wasn't a single patch of intact skin left. Numerous cuts of varying sizes, some deep enough to expose bone, flesh torn open, others still bleeding droplets, trickled down. No wonder! No wonder! Hu Yishiba was so terrified! Ling'er quickly began chanting a calming mantra. Then she noticed what appeared to be writing on the glass window. Looking closer, she saw it read: "The second person cursed by the Twin Stars!" Tears streaming down her face, she wiped away the blood-stained words.

Ling'er walked out of the ward and said, "Hu Yi, the doctor will be coming to check on you soon, you should leave quickly. I'll handle things here."

"No, we want to stay with you." Hu Yi held Shi Ba's hand, his expression no longer so bad.

"Listen to me! You still have things to do. I'm leaving the investigation into the relationship between Teacher Zhang and Zhang Fan to you. First, make arrangements for Shiba and don't ask him to go."

"Okay!" Hu Yi nodded and turned to Shi Ba, saying, "Shall I take you back to your dorm first?" Seeing how concerned he was about Shi Ba, Ling'er felt a sense of comfort.

Police officers arrived, and two were taking statements from the on-duty doctor and nurse. The questions were nothing more than: "Did you hear anything last night...?" and "When was the last time you saw the deceased?"

Ling'er, who shared a dorm room with the deceased, was also asked a lot of pointless questions. After giving her statement, she had just left the police station when Wolf King approached: "Is everything alright?"

Ling'er said, "No!" She looked up at the gray sky; was it going to rain? "What about him? Still no news?"

“I can’t contact him either, but I can sense that he’s in a difficult situation, and it seems like he’s trapped!” The Wolf King’s face showed a hint of worry.

"Is he in danger now? Didn't you say he should be able to protect himself? Hurry up and go help him!" Having seen so much life and death, he should be used to it, so why is he so nervous knowing that he is in trouble?

"You've misunderstood. He's not in any danger; he's just in a difficult situation. No one has the power to harm him, believe me!" The Wolf King's firm voice reassured Ling'er considerably. He would be alright!

After parting ways with the Wolf King, Ling'er returned to her dormitory. Some of Zhang Fan's personal belongings were still there; it seemed her family hadn't had time to retrieve them. The blankets on the bed weren't folded; they were spread out, as if their owner had just gone to the bathroom and would be back soon. Ling'er went to her bed and placed the Barbie doll she had just bought from the mall on the pink and blue sheets. This was her beloved doll; Ling'er had promised to buy it for her on her birthday, but now, everything had changed! They say there are gods watching over us, so why didn't the gods protect the innocent?

At this moment, the small jade pendant on her chest emitted a strong light. She knew that the sorcerer must be coming again! Ling'er had just hidden the blue tears under her pillow in her sleeve when she saw that the black mist had already surrounded her.

"Hahaha! That woman tasted really good! It would be a real shame to kill her. Don't you guys have a saying, 'A day as husband and wife is worth a hundred days of kindness'? Am I right? Great Spirit Hunter?" The sorcerer's hoarse laughter made Ling'er want to kill her immediately! But reason told her that this wouldn't solve the problem!

"You beast! What kind of man hides in the shadows and launches a sneak attack? If you have the guts, come out with me and we'll settle this once and for all!" Ling'er held Blue Tear in her hand, ready to strike when he was off guard.

"Hmph, you trying to provoke me? Even if I weren't a man, I wouldn't fall for it! How could she die at your hands..." The sorcerer's resentful voice betrayed his thoughts. Ling'er swung her dagger, and the Blue Tear emitted a blinding blue light the moment it touched the black mist! A scream rang out, and the black mist retreated three feet! "You! You actually cheated! And you call yourself a hunter!" He hadn't expected Ling'er to ambush him!

"Hehe, you flatter me! Compared to you, this is nothing! Besides, there's no need to be polite to a lowly person!" Before she finished speaking, Ling'er silently chanted the Clear Water Spell to enhance her magic while unleashing her Blue Tears attack. The sorcerer, injured somewhere, was already showing signs of slowing down as he dodged. He knew he was no match for her now, so he retreated to the window while parrying. By the time Ling'er noticed his intention to escape, it was too late; the black mist outside the window was rapidly fading until it disappeared completely!

Ling'er gently wiped the bloodstains from Lan Lei's face, looked at Zhang Fan's empty bed, and said, "Xiao Fan, don't worry, I will definitely help you avenge yourself!"

Just then, the dormitory phone rang. Ling'er picked up the receiver, and it was Ouyang Xing.

"Ling'er, I heard something happened in your dorm! Are you alright?" Ouyang Xing's anxious voice came through the receiver.

"Ouyang, thank you, I'm fine. Does the drama club have any rehearsals lately?"

"Yes, our play is going to be performed on October 1st. We're rehearsing tonight, but if you're not feeling well, take a few days off. I'll talk to you separately afterwards..."

"Thank you for your kindness, but I'm really fine. Besides, I don't want to stay in the dormitory." Before the Blood Blade sorcerer appeared, seeing that empty bed felt like a hundred claws were tearing at her heart.

"Alright then, let's meet at the drama club at 7 p.m.

Hu Yi came in just as I hung up the phone.

"So? What did you find out?" Ling'er asked.

"If there's anything they have in common, it's that they all share the surname Zhang, and they're all women!" Hu Yi sighed.

"Sigh! This sorcerer is no simple character. Finding out who he is won't be that easy." Ling'er patted his shoulder and asked, "How's Eighteen? Is he alright now?"

"He's fine, just a little shaken. After all, he's no ordinary person," Hu Yidao said.

"You should go back and take care of him. I have two classes this afternoon, and I also have rehearsal tonight."

"It's all because I haven't been focused on my cultivation these past few days, otherwise your classmate might not have died..." Hu Yi pounded his head in self-reproach.

Ling'er grabbed his hand and said, "How can I blame you? Let alone you, even I probably wouldn't be a match for him. If it weren't for the jade pendant and blue tears that Chang Xiao gave me, I wouldn't have been able to hurt him!"

"What? You mean you stabbed him?" Hu Yi asked in surprise.

“Yes, but the black mist is so thick that we can’t tell where he’s injured, but he’s hurt now! Maybe things will be a little calmer these next couple of days,” Ling’er sighed. “Shall we go for a walk and check on Eighteen?” With that, the two left the dormitory.

"Senior sister~" Ling'er turned around and saw that it was Shanshan, who was playing her secretary.

"Shanshan, don't you have classes this afternoon?" Ling'er asked. "Senior, who is this...?" Shanshan's gaze lingered on Hu Yi, her eyes fixed on him.

"Hello, I'm Hu Yi, a freshman. Ling'er is my cousin. It's nice to meet you." Hu Yi struck a cool pose as he looked Shan Shan up and down. She had wheat-colored skin and a pair of charming, watery eyes. He thought to himself: If only my Qingqingcao were this Shan Shan!

"Hello, my name is Wang Shanshan, and I'm in the drama troupe just like you, senior," Shanshan introduced herself.

“This is my phone number, ouch…” Hu Yi glanced at Ling’er with displeasure, “Why did you step on my foot?”

"I didn't mean to. By the way, Hu Yi, didn't you say you were going to buy Olay whitening masks? The ones that advertise, whitening masks are addictive~" Ling'er didn't want Hu Yi to fall in love again. If it weren't for his relationship with Qingqingcao, he would have at least reached the Seven-Tailed Fox stage by now.

"Oh yeah, yeah! I forgot. Ling'er, let's go quickly, see you later, Shanshan~" After saying that, he pulled Ling'er away without looking back.

Ling'er gave Shan Shan an apologetic smile. She would explain to Shan Shan later.

"Why are you being so nice to me today? You even remembered to buy me Olay. I'm so touched," Hu Yi smiled sweetly.

"Go away, you beautiful thing! Who bought it for you? Let's go see Eighteen!"

"You, you, you!! Why did you lie to me?" Hu Yi bit her lower lip, feeling wronged. "Shanshan would be even prettier if she were fairer. She's just like the green grass in my heart."

"Ah! Right! I recently struck it rich, let's go buy Olay face masks!" Ling'er pulled Hu Yi along, thinking: Wasn't Shan Shan's skin very fair before? How come it's dark now? She didn't notice Hu Yi's sly smile at all.

Ling'er glared angrily at Hu Yi, who was strutting around the dorm with a face mask on. Ling'er kept telling herself: I must be patient! Patience is a virtue! Eighteen still looked so haggard; my fighting in front of him would disturb his rest.

"Ling'er, pour me a glass of water. I can't move around while I'm getting a facial!"

"Ling'er, I'm out of straws. You'd better go downstairs and buy some! Drinking water without a straw is not elegant and it's inconvenient!"

"You brat! You bought a straw and used it for so long! Are you trying to kill me with thirst???" Hu Yi didn't even notice Ling'er's expression.

Ling'er looked at Shiba with a questioning gaze. Surprisingly, Shiba understood her meaning and said, "Master! Your health is the most important thing! It's not good to get sick from anger! The Wolf King instructed that I should take good care of you now that Changxiao is gone! You don't need to worry about my feelings!" After saying that, he cast a sympathetic look at Hu Yi, who was elegantly drinking water with a straw.

Ling'er slowly took off the pair of jade bracelets from her hands and softly uttered, "Appear!" The Twin Rings of Dance were now in her hands!

Upon hearing the word "now," Hu Yi immediately stood up and looked around. Usually, if there were no other enemies, the double rings would definitely be aimed at him!

"Ah—Master...I was wrong, I was wrong, okay? Don't hit my face, there's still a face mask..."

"How can I vent my anger if I don't slap you in the face!" With that, he swung his double rings and smashed them down hard!

It was almost seven o'clock when Ling'er came out of their dormitory, so she went straight to the drama club. Before she even entered, she saw Shanshan and Ouyang Xing talking outside. The two immediately stopped talking when they saw Ling'er, and Shanshan turned and left. Ouyang Xing, strangely, was wearing a long-sleeved shirt: "I didn't know you were here so early..."

"Ouyang, what's wrong? If you have something to do, go ahead and do it. I'll go in by myself. Anyway, it's not time yet, is it?" Ling'er smiled and punched Ouyang on the shoulder.

"Ouch!" Ouyang Xing clutched his shoulder, revealing a pained expression.

"What's wrong? Ouyang? Did I hurt you?" Ling'er secretly blamed herself, thinking that she must have hit Hu Yi too hard just now.

"No……"

"You still say you're not? Look at you, you're sweating from the pain." Ling'er took out a tissue and wiped the sweat from his forehead. Just then, Shan Shan returned. Seeing the two of them like this, she froze. Ling'er knew she had misunderstood, but she was afraid that explaining would only make things worse, so she remained silent.

So much has happened in the past two days that Ling'er just can't get into character. This is giving Ouyang Xing and the others a huge headache.

During a break in rehearsal, Ling'er pulled Shan Shan down to sit and said, "Shan Shan, it wasn't what you thought just now, I just..."

"Senior, what are you thinking? Besides, I know you have someone you like right now!" Shanshan's charming eyes sparkled as she silently gazed at Ouyang Xing not far away.

Ling'er felt that Shan Shan was much more cheerful than before, and she was overjoyed.

"Senior, you have a white hair here," Shan Shan stared at Ling'er's head for a long time.

"Huh? No way? I actually have gray hair!" Every girl is afraid of getting old, and Ling'er is no exception! "Quick! Help me pluck it out! Oh my god!"

Ouyang Xing walked over and said, "What are you two doing? You were chatting so happily just now."

"Happy? Not at all! Senior sister is..." Ling'er covered Shanshan's mouth and said, "I'm tired, so tired! Hehe."

"Are you tired? I've told you to rest for a few days, but you just won't listen! Since you're tired today, let's call it a day! Anyway, we have to rehearse every night from now on. There's still time." With that, he actually called off the rehearsal. Ouyang Xing insisted on taking her back to her dorm, and Ling'er thought it was a good idea, since she had something to say to him anyway.

"Ouyang, what do you think of Shanshan?" Ling'er asked.

"Ling'er, do you really not know or are you pretending not to know?" Ouyang Xing asked.

"I know you're a good boy, but I think we're better off as friends..."

"What? Could it be that... didn't you say Hu Yi was your cousin?" Ever since Hu Yi entered the school, his reputation as the school's number one handsome guy has been taken away.

"What does this have to do with Hu Yi?" Ling'er asked, completely bewildered.

"I admit I'm not as handsome as him, that's a fact! But you should know that my feelings for you are incomparable to anyone else's!"

Ling'er felt that Ouyang Xing was like a child who never grew up. At this moment, she thought of Chang Xiao again, whose warm smile was as bright as the sun.

"Ouyang, I'm really tired today. I'm going upstairs now. Shanshan is a good girl, I hope you can cherish her!"

"Her? Hmph!" Ouyang Xing's face showed a disdainful expression. "I won't say more, but I hope you'll consider it. I'll wait for you." After saying that, he turned and disappeared into the night.

After returning to her dormitory, Ling'er put on the Huashui Holy Spirit Robe and Rainbow Phoenix Boots, transforming them into her usual clothes. She also took the Blue Tears with her and left the dormitory.

The moonlight was perfect, but who knew how long this tranquil night would last? Who could guarantee that no innocent person would die in the next moment? She couldn't sleep every night because she didn't want to see anyone die! Fortunately, the sorcerer was injured and might not be able to move for a few days. But why did he kill? And why were his methods so cruel? Did he cut off Zhang Fan's left hand and right foot for some kind of meaning? If Chang Xiao were here, that would be great! But why did she always feel like she couldn't catch him? Ouyang, actually, he's a good person. Today he even wore a long-sleeved shirt, in such hot weather… Suddenly, something occurred to her! The sorcerer was injured by her Blue Tears, could it be… She didn't dare to jump to conclusions. She checked the time; it was already past one in the morning. Hu Yi and the others must be asleep, so she decided to go downstairs at Ouyang Xing's dormitory to see if there was any movement.

Ling'er unleashed all her spiritual power to sense the sorcerer's aura, but to no avail! Was she overthinking it? Hopefully not! But if it wasn't him, then who could it be? Could it be…?

Ling'er felt increasingly terrified as she thought about it. If her guess was right, even more people would have died today! So she hurriedly ran back to her dormitory!

Before even reaching the dormitory building, flames and thick smoke billowed from the windows. Ling'er stamped her foot and exclaimed angrily, "Damn it! He beat us to it!" She hurriedly took out her phone to call the police and used her telepathic abilities to tell Hu Yishiba that there was a fire in the girls' dormitory and to come quickly to rescue everyone. Time was of the essence. Ling'er turned and entered the stairwell. The smoke in the stairwell was thick, and the lighting was already dim. Now, visibility was less than half a meter. She could only rely on her intuition to climb the stairs. There were cries and screams everywhere. Some girls were running around aimlessly, unable to find the exit. Ling'er's abilities were not yet at the level of controlling the wind and rain. She could only chant a gentle breeze spell to disperse the thick smoke so that everyone could escape from this hellish stairwell.

At this moment, Hu Yi and Shiba arrived. Ling'er hurriedly said, "You save him! I'll go find him!" Hu Yi wanted to ask for more details, but seeing the chaotic scene, he could only nod in agreement.

Ling'er released her spiritual power again to sense the presence of the sorcerer. At this moment, the evil spirit that attacked her last time actually reappeared, as if it was guiding her to the third floor.

"It really is you!" Ling'er said bitterly, looking at the familiar figure.

"Not bad, senior! Looks like you're a little better than I thought! Hahaha!" Shan Shan's chilling laughter echoed throughout the hallway. "But I'm curious, how did you guess it was me?"