Fantômes à la faculté de médecine Dossiers d'horreur

Chapitre 12

"You are the reincarnation of the person he hates most in this life."

Chu Fan staggered slightly and held his chin.

"Eighty-one memorial tablets, all those who betrayed him died that night. And for each of their reincarnations, he personally attended their funerals, except for one person, whom he could not witness. That person's soul was sent to another world when he died, while he was trapped here by his birth, unable to avenge his hatred for that person in every life. Until a year ago, the Underworld, due to the chaos caused by the demons' struggle for the Ghost's purpose in the other world, neglected the commotion here, and he took the opportunity to cross the two worlds and bring you back. You should understand the significance of what he did for you now."

Chu Fan fell silent for a moment. His already not-so-bright mind raced, and he came to his final conclusion: "So, all the trouble he went through to bring me here, and the whole thing about those coffins and my family, was all to get revenge on me? And the final result is that I die by his hand?"

"Those who sell coffins to him are the reincarnations of the 81 people who betrayed him, so whether they buy his coffins or not, they are all doomed to die. And you are his final target."

"So, if he has amnesia, were all those expressions and actions faked?"

"Nonsense!" Fujihime couldn't understand why this person didn't seem nervous at all. It was a matter of life and death; as humans, shouldn't we be most concerned about our own lives? If it weren't for wanting to avenge Mu Yan's torture of her, Fujihime would never have come to remind Chu Fan while fleeing.

"So, do you know about these things?"

"Yes." The sudden sadness in Chu Fan's eyes completely bewildered Fujihime.

"Tell me, please? What's the name of the person who betrayed him?"

Well, humans are such complex creatures; she, a ghost evolved from a withered vine, simply couldn't comprehend its mysteries.

Fujihime took a deep breath and softly uttered a name.

"Jiyu—the ruler of the once-famous Hui Dynasty, whom the divine visionaries called King Lingxiu."

Meanwhile, an uninvited guest arrived at Mu Yan's villa.

Yi Xuan, dressed in a kingly outfit, followed by Yuan Cuiwei, the two of them slowly floated down onto the branches of the old tree that had long since withered.

At this time, the Hades Emperor had already been banished to the eighteenth level of hell for violating his pact with the gods. Yi Xuan, who had recently taken over the Underworld, immediately discovered Mu Yan's violation of the rules.

Given that Cang Que, one of the leaders of the demon race in that world, was dead, and the situation at Ghost's Target was stable, and that Ding Mo and the others were responsible and well-behaved, Yi Xuan had rushed over to deal with the matter, but it was too late; the place was already deserted.

Having identified a direction, Yi Xuan gave a short, sharp order: "Chase!"

Innocence at that time (Part 1)

At the age of fifteen, Mu Yan left Duomingzi's Taoism with Ji Yu because of a single sentence, and came to the Ji family, a famous family in Jiangnan.

Faced with such a large family, Mu Yan couldn't help but feel a little timid.

When Butler Fu handed him a thick book of family rules, Mu Yan appeared calm on the surface, but inwardly he swallowed hard.

The Ji family members ranged from high-ranking officials and nobles in the imperial court to businessmen; they had a place in every industry.

However, that was the glory of the previous generation. In Ji Yu's generation, the family was still prosperous, but the number of male descendants was not optimistic.

Perhaps because the Ji family had committed many sins in their official and business careers, only Ji Yu and his elder brother Ji Li were able to grow up peacefully and healthily.

Because of this, the eldest master of the Ji family—Ji Yu's father—married another concubine.

The concubine was only sixteen years old, just one year older than Mu Yan at that time.

Ji Yu called the woman, who was twelve years younger than him, "Seventh Sister," and he felt both amused and exasperated.

The authorities' political blunders, rampant anti-witnessing campaigns, widespread suffering, economic and trade collapse, and diplomatic failures have led to widespread poverty and hardship.

The saying goes, "He who wins the hearts of the people wins the world."

Now that the current regime has lost the support of the people, the political situation is turbulent, and it is beset by internal and external troubles, how can such a great opportunity be allowed to be wasted by ambitious people?

The charity trip that Ji Yu brought back to Mu Yan was originally for the sake of the wordless book collected by Duomingzi.

The Ji family's ambition began the moment they learned of the wordless book, and Ji Yu's successful return with the book was the icing on the cake.

However, Master Ji stared at the celestial book that left no trace, feeling somewhat displeased.

Ji Li, as the eldest son, was called forward to see the scene, but to no avail.

When it was Ji Yu's turn, he seemed to have foreseen this situation. He frowned slightly and shook his head at the other two who were full of expectations.

Since it is a wordless book, only those with the right destiny can understand it.

That's alright. Since none of the three members of the Ji family are the destined ones, Master Ji won't give the destined one a chance to obtain it.

Having made up his mind, Master Ji dismissed his two sons, and no one noticed the fleeting slyness on Ji Yu's lips.

Like father, like son.

With such great ambitions from Master Ji, how could his two sons not have similar aspirations?

Ji Yu had already explored this celestial book on her way back.

—The one who brought order to the world was He Zi.

Silent and alone, I am gone.

On this huge book, there are only these two short lines of text.

The grain is called "season"; I have no words, so I cannot form a sentence.

The deeper meaning is obvious.

No one in the Ji family is idle. How could Ji Yu, who has been talented and insightful since childhood, bring back a good-for-nothing?

Poor Mu Yan had no idea that behind that vow of "I believe you," which was as solemn as a mountain and as deep as the sea, lay such a filthy and despicable truth.

Since its inception, the Ji family has had its own mercenaries, each of whom is agile, possesses unique skills, and is well-trained. They serve to defend against thieves and to fuel the expansion of ambition within the family.

A bloody raid on the Prime Minister's residence heralded the beginning of a new dynasty.

The Ji family had a total of 81 mercenary squads, and Master Ji even risked the extinction of his family line by including his two sons in them.

Of course, on the battlefield, the Ji family, which has always been known for its benevolence and virtue throughout the country, would inevitably have many people willing to organize an uprising to overthrow the current tyrant.

Mu Yan was not unaware of the disasters brought by war. When he followed Ji Yu to the battlefield, all he did was quietly find a corner where no one would notice him and observe.

He hated the sight of red blood staining his clothes and disdained associating with those barbarians who brandished swords and spears and roared wildly.

At this moment, Ji Yu always seemed to be able to see through his thoughts at a glance, and would smile as she called him over to protect him behind her.

Ji Yu observed Mu Yan every moment, trying to find out the profound meaning of the heavenly book from him.

But aside from discovering that Mu Yan was taciturn, a bit of a germaphobe, sometimes sharp-tongued, and occasionally temperamental, he gained nothing else.

Until that pivotal battle.

Master Ji has a very bad flaw: he is too arrogant.

He will have to pay a heavy price for this.

Outside the imperial city, in the battle of Luliang Mountain, to boost morale, Master Ji personally donned his armor and took to the battlefield.

Although the army consisted of only eighty-one men, each one was an elite, employing flanking maneuvers and relying on surprise attacks to achieve victory.

Unexpectedly, the plan was leaked, and the other side outmaneuvered them, blocking their retreat. They were forced to retreat to Luliang Mountain and were trapped there for several days.

Master Ji suspected there was a traitor in the army, and it just so happened that he heard that Mu Yan had come down the mountain in the middle of the night before the battle, which was indeed suspicious.

At a single command, the first punishment is military law to deter those who disobey orders and leave the camp without permission; the second punishment is torture.

"When the two armies were facing off, you left the camp without permission and your whereabouts are unknown. Why is that?" Master Ji's question was still relatively polite.

But Ji Li was different. He glared at Mu Yan and gave his men a signal to put the cangue on him. "Tell me, did you inform the people in the capital, causing the plan to be leaked and trapping us here?"

The ten fingers are connected to the heart, and Mu Yan groaned in pain, biting her lower lip tightly and remaining silent.

"Let's see how long you can keep up your stubbornness."

As soon as she finished speaking, a sharp, electric pain shot through her entire body, and her finger bones cracked. If this continued, she might ruin her hands.

Mu Yan looked up, glanced at everyone in the room, and his eyes were full of unreserved contempt.

"I knew the newcomer was unreliable." Ji Li spat, his words turning to Ji Yu, who had brought Mu Yan back. "I wonder who instructed this kid to have such audacity."

The rivalry between the two young masters of the Ji family is nothing new. Before, it was for the Ji family's coveted wealth and status; now, it's for the identity of the future heir.

Ji Yu, who is usually overly cautious, actually made such a foolish mistake. How could Ji Li miss such a good opportunity to defeat his competitor? He should take full advantage of it.

And Mu Yan, through this scene, also confirmed the tragedy that Ji Yu had described: "the older brother intends to eliminate the younger brother who is highly favored by the father for the sake of the family's interests."

Now, he was even less likely to reveal the truth that Ji Yu had asked him to send a message to a friend in the city to urge him to leave that night because he was eager to save his friend.

He would never do that, even if you killed him.

Although at first glance, Mu Yan might be easily mistaken for a frail and weak man, he is actually a tough guy.

No matter how much torture is used, they simply won't talk.

Enraged, Ji Li grabbed Mu Yan's long, gray-black hair, lifted his head, and roared, "Are you going to talk or not? If you don't reveal the mastermind, you'll be beaten to death right here!!!"

Mu Yan gave Ji Li a disdainful look and spat a mouthful of blood-mixed saliva onto Ji Li's face.

Ji Li had never suffered such humiliation before, and he raised his hand to slap her.

Ji Yu, the only one who hadn't spoken from beginning to end, stopped the slap. "If he dies, the trail will be lost."

"Hmph!" Ji Li shook off his hand. "Isn't his death just what the mastermind wanted? What, you can't bear to see him go?"

"Brother, that damned emperor's troops are at the foot of the mountain outside, and they could charge up at any moment. Inside the capital, my second uncle and third uncle are also waiting for us to give the signal so they can provide support from both inside and outside. Now is not the time to start fighting amongst ourselves."

"you!!!"

"Besides, you don't want to upset Dad at this time, do you?"

Ji Li was furious. He cautiously glanced at the sullen-faced Master Ji sitting on the seat, then obediently withdrew his hand and retreated.

"Take the person down first and find a doctor to check their injuries," Ji Yu instructed the person next to her.

Exhausted, Mu Yan let them drag her away. The last thing she saw in her blurred vision was Ji Yu's imposing figure.

He relaxed his brow, which had been furrowed in pain, with relief; he hadn't chosen the wrong person.

A few days later.

Ji Yu volunteered and led twenty elite riders to bravely storm the enemy's camp that had been entrenched at the foot of the mountain for several days.

They destroyed it in one fell swoop.

The enemy soldiers surrendered, and everyone cheered in unison.

Ji Li was so angry that Ji Yu stole all the credit, his face turned pale and he trembled all over.

At this time, Ji Yu found a simple and honest scholar and recounted the whole story of how Mu Yan delivered the letter to his friend on his behalf. He then apologized profusely, and Master Ji, considering the great merit Ji Yu had made, made an exception for him, thus successfully exonerating Mu Yan.

This time, Ji Li was so angry that he almost couldn't breathe properly.

Amidst the lively scene, no one noticed the knowing glance exchanged between Ji Yu and the enemy general who had just surrendered.