Une relation tragique

Chapitre 13

Lin Feng and Xiao Jie entered the house. Lin Feng went to the window and watched Li Mingsheng start the car and drive away. He felt extremely guilty. He felt that he was the one who had dragged Li Mingsheng into this situation. He shouldn't have let Li Mingsheng endure so many bloody and bizarre events. Perhaps if he hadn't met Li Mingsheng, these events would have been treated as ordinary headless cases or perverted murders. But now, because of him, everything was different.

He slumped onto the sofa, while Xiao Jie, like a frightened bird, nestled in Lin Feng's arms. After a long while, she looked up and asked, "Lin Feng, would you stay here for me?"

Lin Feng looked at Xiao Jiejie in surprise. He had just fallen out of one whirlpool only to fall into another, and in some ways, this whirlpool was even more dangerous. Actually, it wasn't that he disliked Xiao Jiejie; otherwise, he wouldn't have gone to the trouble of taking advantage of his long holiday to visit her. But he always felt that everything happening around him was a series of nightmares, that he was an unlucky person, like rotting flesh attracting flies; wherever he went, these strange things would happen. He didn't dare answer Xiao Jiejie; he knew she truly liked him.

Xiao Jie looked at Lin Feng expectantly and said, "Do you like me? Lin Feng, answer me!"

Looking at the pitiful little Jie Jie, Lin Feng's heart stirred, and he blurted out, "I like her."

Xiao Jie rested her head on Lin Feng's shoulder and said, "From today onwards, you're my boyfriend. You're not allowed to have designs on other women, and you have to protect me."

Lin Feng said, "Xiao Jie Jie, listen to me, I like you, but don't you think I'm very unlucky? Wherever I go, strange things happen. I've only been here for a few days, and so many strange things have already happened."

Xiao Jie sighed and said, "Do you still remember things from college?"

Lin Feng laughed and said, "There are so many things going on, how would I know the one you're talking about!" Actually, he knew that Xiao Jie Jie was referring to the first time she met him.

Volume 1, The Way of the Vengeful Spirits, Chapter 30: The Devil's Daughter (4)

In college, Xiaojie and her four roommates would study or play cards together in their dorm every night. One of the girls, Xiaoxi, always sat in the north-facing seat.

One day, four people were playing cards and having a great time when Xiaoxi said, "Hey, every time I sit here, I always feel something touching my neck."

The other girls joked, "Is there a ghost? There's nothing behind you!"

Xiao Jie said, "Wouldn't it be clear whether or not that ghost called for 'Shindoolin' to come and take a look?"

Lin Feng was a well-known figure at school. He spent his days either practicing talisman drawing or engrossed in strange books, earning him the nickname "Divine Lin." However, his fame didn't stem from these hobbies. There was a small room on the rooftop of the boys' dormitory, its door sealed and locked. Students often heard strange noises coming from the room while playing or reading on the rooftop in the evenings, but upon closer inspection, they found nothing. Later, they inquired with older students and learned that someone had supposedly died in a fire there. Why they died in this rarely visited room remained a mystery. Even more frighteningly, some students with weaker constitutions fell ill after spending time on the rooftop, leading everyone to believe that something unclean was inside.

After Lin Feng arrived at the school, some people, seeing his enthusiasm for paranormal events, jokingly asked him to go to the small room on the rooftop to catch ghosts. It was just a joke, but unexpectedly, Lin Feng actually went.

That night, Lin Feng bought cinnabar and used a brush to draw his eyebrows into the angry brows of Zhong Kui (a mythical figure known for his fierce demeanor). He and several classmates went upstairs. Strangely enough, the room, which usually emitted strange noises or wails, was completely silent that day. Lin Feng led the group to open the door. The room was empty, covered in dust, except for two purple human figures in the corner. Lin Feng said that those were the spirits of people who had been burned to death; they had burned yellow paper and offered incense before leaving. Afterward, no one heard any more strange noises from the room. Some curious people secretly went inside and found only ashes; the purple human figures on the wall were gone. From then on, Lin Feng became famous and a prominent figure at school.

Xiao Jie was just joking when she said that. Everyone had heard about Lin Feng's deeds, but since they hadn't seen him with their own eyes, they all thought it was just hearsay and not to be believed, believing it was mostly fiction. Little did they know that Xiao Xi took it seriously, because she felt uneasy. Maybe there really was something sinister involved, so Xiao Xi secretly decided to ask Lin Feng to come and see for herself tomorrow.

The next day, Lin Feng was reading a thick book about how to exorcise and catch ghosts in the woods. Xiao Xi found him and told him about her situation. After listening, Lin Feng immediately agreed to help Xiao Xi that night.

That evening, Xiao Xi brought Lin Feng to the dormitory. When Xiao Jie and the others saw that Xiao Xi had actually called Lin Feng, they found it funny and thought it was making a mountain out of a molehill.

Lin Feng didn't take any immediate action upon arrival. Instead, he sat in Xiao Xi's seat for a while before asking everyone, "Has anyone here sat here before?"

Everyone shook their heads and said, "No, even if someone sits, it's only for a short while. Nobody sits for as long as Xiaoxi."

Lin Feng pointed very seriously to the drainpipe running through the roof and said, "Someone once hanged himself here!"

The girls were immediately frightened and looked at each other. Xiao Jiejie was the braver one and said to Lin Feng, "Stop scaring people." Xiao Jiejie disliked this guy who used ghosts to scare girls.

Lin Feng said nothing, poured a basin of water into it using the bowl Xiao Xi had given him, moved the table aside, and placed the water underneath. Then he burned a talisman next to it and said to the girl, "Those who dare to come and see for themselves."

Several girls, seeing nothing unusual in the water, gathered around. Xiao Jie was about to say, "There's nothing there, what are we supposed to see?" when something gradually appeared in the basin. First, a pair of feet swayed back and forth slightly, then legs, and finally a face. It was a face struggling to breathe, its face flushed red, long hair hanging down on either side, mouth wide open, tongue protruding from its mouth. Everyone immediately understood: the feet that had touched Xiao Xi's neck were those of the hanged woman.

The girls were all startled and screamed in fright. Only Xiao Xi, who had believed in Lin Feng beforehand, was mentally prepared and was the least frightened.

Looking at the girls huddled together to the side, Lin Feng smiled. He took out the prepared cinnabar and yellow paper, lit three incense sticks, and then drew a talisman on the yellow paper with the cinnabar. He moved the table over, added a stool on it, climbed up, and stuck the talisman on the water pipe.

After getting off the plane, Lin Feng told everyone, "It's alright, it's all over now, and this won't happen again!"

Several girls peeked into the basin and, sure enough, there was nothing on the surface; it was just a basin of clear water.

Later, the people in Xiaojie's dormitory sat at the back, and no one really felt anyone touching them.

After this incident, all the girls became good friends with Lin Feng, especially Xiao Jie Jie.

Lin Feng smiled involuntarily as he recalled the past. Xiao Jie, seeing Lin Feng's expression, knew he was asking a question she already knew the answer to, and playfully punched him, saying, "You're asking a question you already know the answer to!"

Lin Feng stretched out his hand, looking at the red thread, unsure whether to agree to Xiao Jie Jie's request. Xiao Jie Jie, her eyes already brimming with tears, said, "You're really something! I'm the one proposing to you, and you're still being so wishy-washy!" She then noticed the red thread on Lin Feng's hand and said, "What happened here? It wasn't there before, was it?"

Lin Feng nodded and said, "It only appeared a few days ago. I don't know what this red line represents, but this incident is bizarre, strange, and dangerous. If I can survive after resolving this, I'll quit my job there and come here to be with you, okay?"

Xiao Jie asked, "Is it that serious?"

Lin Feng smiled wryly and said, "What do you think? You saw how Qiqi turned out, but we still had no idea what happened."

Xiao Jie said, "I don't care, you have to make sure you're okay, and remember what you said!" She knew Lin Feng wouldn't listen to advice, and since he was already involved, there was no point in trying to persuade him. Besides, what she liked most about Lin Feng was his decisiveness and unwavering determination in the face of adversity.

Volume 1, Path of Vengeful Spirits, Chapter 31: The Devil's Daughter (5)

In the rainy night, Qiqi ran against the torrential rain, each step covering several meters. She let the cold rain lash her face, unable to distinguish between tears and raindrops. She knew that from this moment on, she had lost the right to be human, because she had no heart, and she could not control her thirst for blood.

She didn't know where she was going, nor where her destiny lay. The voice in her mind, sometimes present, kept reminding her, "Your daughter of a demon."

Qiqi looked at a nearly abandoned building ahead and, without hesitation, leaped up, easily scaling the top with just one hand and two legs. Once on the roof, Qiqi laid down Xiaofa's body and wept uncontrollably in the rain, letting her tears mingle with the raindrops streaming down her face.

She gently stroked Xiaofa's face, and all the happy times they had shared flashed before her eyes. Qiqi burst into tears, and with a heavy heart, pulled the chopstick still stuck in Xiaofa's eye socket. Blood flowed down Xiaofa's eye socket, and Qiqi murmured, "Xiaofa, I won't let you leave me," before lowering her head and gently kissing Xiaofa's lips.

The heavy rain lashed down on the two of them. Xiao Fa lay quietly, his face still bearing an expression of disbelief. Qi Qi grew increasingly heartbroken as she looked at him. Suddenly, she felt something surging within her, slowly flowing through her lips into Xiao Fa's mouth. A thought struck Qi Qi: she had survived by cutting open her chest. If she truly was the devil's daughter, perhaps she possessed some special power that could resurrect Xiao Fa and bring him back to her side.

Kiki continued to breathe the strange air into Xiaofa's mouth, and Xiaofa suddenly let out a soft groan. Kiki shook Xiaofa's body excitedly, crying out, "Xiaofa, wake up, Xiaofa!"

Xiao Fa opened his eyes, and Qi Qi was so happy she couldn't speak. But Xiao Fa's gaze was blank, and he just kept making "hoarse" sounds. When Xiao Fa's gaze met Qi Qi's, it suddenly softened, but he still couldn't speak. Qi Qi finally understood that Xiao Fa could never go back to what he used to be; he, like her, was no longer human.

Sure enough, Xiao Fa stood up straight without bending his knees or moving his legs. But after standing up, he didn't move again, just staring blankly at Qi Qi. Qi Qi looked at Xiao Fa for a long time, then sighed, knowing that this was all Xiao Fa could do. But at this moment, he was content to be with her like this. It was all the bitter fruit of her own actions, and she had to swallow it herself.

As Qiqi was wallowing in self-pity, she suddenly heard three soft "tap, tap, tap" sounds coming from afar. Although Qiqi was in the midst of immense grief and her mind was in turmoil, her hearing and eyesight were far superior to that of an ordinary person at that moment; otherwise, in such heavy rain, she would have had difficulty noticing even if the person was right behind her.

Although Qiqi is very fond of Xiaofa, she is not so kind to others. Her own heartlessness has drastically changed her personality.

Kiki turned around and shouted angrily, "Who's there?" She saw three figures vaguely standing in the rain. Kiki was startled; she couldn't sense any life in them, yet they seemed strangely familiar. But she dared not relax; if they weren't human, they might be even more dangerous.

Three figures slowly approached and stopped in front of Qiqi, who was startled. All three had vacant stares, crooked mouths and eyes, and reeked of decay. As Qiqi looked at them, a flood of thoughts rushed through her mind—some she remembered, some she didn't. For a moment, she stood frozen in the rain, realizing that these three had also died because of her.

She had just remembered that she had entered their dreams while she was asleep, scaring the three of them to death. At this moment, there was no doubt that she was the devil's daughter; any lingering doubts had been shattered by the memories she had buried deep in her heart. These three were now at her disposal; after hearing Qiqi's cries of anguish in the rainy night, they had come to find her—she was their master.

Looking at the three strange figures standing in the rain, the rain washed away the blood and mud covering their bodies. Some parts of their bodies were rotten to the bone, and their chests revealed colorful internal organs, with their intestines almost spilling out.

Qiqi stood up, let out a sharp cry, and secretly resolved never to shed tears again. Wiping away her tears, Qiqi watched the rain gradually lessen, let out another long cry, grabbed Xiaofa, and leaped towards the bottom of the building, disappearing into the night.

The heavy rain had turned into gentle drizzle, and the city air felt exceptionally fresh afterward. In the countryside outside the city, Qiqi looked back at the city with a sense of loss, and tears welled up in her eyes. She no longer belonged to this city; where would she go to settle down?

Little Jie Jie had fallen asleep in Lin Feng's arms sometime earlier. Lin Feng looked at her childlike face with affection and sighed. Looking at the red thread on his hand, he wondered what it meant—whether it was a blessing or a curse—he couldn't predict. Lost in thought, he too drifted off to sleep, exhausted from running around all night. The brief confrontation with Qi Qi felt like an eternity.

The next morning, Lin Feng and Xiao Jie were woken up by a phone call from Li Mingsheng.

Lin Feng answered the phone and complained, "Are you made of iron? I haven't slept well for several nights in a row, what's up with calling me so early this morning?!"

Li Mingsheng said urgently, "Come quickly! Last night, someone saw Qiqi with Xiaofa and three strange men in the suburbs. I think those three strange men are the three missing corpses."

Lin Feng sat up straight and said, "Wait for me, I'll be right there!" He then hurriedly packed his things.

Xiao Jie asked groggily, "What's wrong? Why are you in such a hurry?"

Lin Feng said, "We found Qiqi and the three missing corpses from the police station. They've probably all turned into zombies now!" Lin Feng suddenly remembered something and said, "Xiao Jie Jie, what happened to the tank top you sold the other day?"

Xiao Jie said, "I gave it to Qi Qi. I noticed you seemed to dislike me wearing tank tops the other day, so I gave it to her. What's wrong? Is there a problem?"

Lin Feng said happily, "No problem, great delivery!" Then he picked up the things he had packed from the box, put them in his pocket, kissed Xiao Jie Jie, and ran out the door.

Xiao Jie was extremely embarrassed and was about to scold Lin Feng when she remembered that he was going to deal with a zombie-like monster. She said loudly, "Be careful, I'll be waiting for you to come back for dinner tonight."

Lin Feng responded and ran outside as fast as he could.

Volume 1, Path of Vengeful Spirits, Chapter 32: The Devil's Daughter (6)

When Lin Feng arrived, Li Mingsheng had already led his team to prepare to depart. Li Mingsheng invited Lin Feng into the car, started the engine, and drove towards the suburbs. As he drove, he said, "This morning, someone saw them on the southern mountain in the suburbs, and two people were killed. The armed police have surrounded the area, so I don't think they can escape."

Lin Feng was a little surprised and said, "Is such a big show really necessary?"

Li Mingsheng gritted his teeth and said, "Since this happened, how many lives have been lost? Since those three zombies were with Qiqi, I think their deaths must be related to Qiqi."

Lin Feng nodded and said, "That's the only way. I hope it won't cause too much trouble." Although he said that, he was really not at ease.

They soon arrived at Nanshan on the outskirts of the city. The armed police guarding the entrance to the mountain checked their identification and let them go up the mountain. The car drove less than five kilometers in before the road ended. Everyone had to get out of the car and walk. Li Mingsheng and his six officers met up with the armed police who were monitoring the situation.

Li Mingsheng asked, "What's the situation inside?"

The armed police officer leading the team was an old friend of Li Mingsheng, named Liu Long. Liu Long said, "It's in that cave, and there hasn't been any movement yet."

After carefully observing the cave for a while, Li Mingsheng said, "Haven't they discovered us yet?"

Liu Long said, "It shouldn't be yet." Just as he finished speaking, a human hand was suddenly thrown out of the cave.

Li Mingsheng said angrily, "I wonder which unlucky guy has fallen victim to their poison again. Why don't we attack now to avoid any unforeseen complications?"

Liu Long thought for a moment, nodded, and waved to the men behind him. Liu Long led ten armed police officers quietly toward the cave entrance. Just as they reached the entrance, three figures suddenly sprang out. Before the officers could react, three of them were struck by the figures and sent flying backward like bundles of straw. With a few thuds, the three men landed motionless on the ground, clearly dead.

Liu Long's eyes widened in fury. These were his comrades-in-arms, with whom he had fought day and night, and three of them had been taken down the moment they met the enemy. Liu Long immediately raised his gun and opened fire on the three zombies. "Rat-a-tat-tat!" A burst of bullets hit one of them. But the zombie was unfazed. It lunged at another teammate and plunged its hand into the teammate's chest. The teammate, enduring the pain, roared, pressed his gun against the zombie's chest, and pulled the trigger. The bullets immediately filled the zombie's rotting chest, riddling it like a honeycomb. The zombie pulled its hand back, tearing out the teammate's heart, blood splattering all over his face. It seemed the bullets were useless against them.

Seeing the dire situation, Li Mingsheng and the others who had been watching immediately drew their pistols and fired at the three zombies. Liu Long's gun was also firing furiously. Suddenly, one of the zombies lunged at Liu Long, who rolled and fell to the ground. The zombie missed its target and kicked Liu Long in the ribs. Liu Long immediately felt a sharp pain in his ribs and could clearly hear the sound of his ribs breaking. His body flew through the air as if he were being lifted into the clouds, and he only had time to curse, "Damn it!" before landing on the ground, feeling dizzy and disoriented.

Just as Li Mingsheng was about to rush forward, Lin Feng grabbed him and said, "Wait!"

Li Mingsheng glared and roared, "What are you doing?" He was so enraged that he could hardly control himself.

Lin Feng hurriedly took out his cinnabar brush from his pocket and said, "Drawing a talisman on the bullet might work."

Li Mingsheng quickly removed the magazine and handed it to Lin Feng. Lin Feng dipped his finger in cinnabar and drew a small Bagua (eight trigrams) on each bullet before handing it to Li Mingsheng, saying, "All done!"

Two more soldiers had fallen, lying on the ground convulsing, clearly dying. Li Mingsheng raised his pistol, aimed at the zombies, and pulled the trigger. After three crisp gunshots, the three zombies stood there motionless. None of the armed police or regular police around dared to step forward, raising their guns at the zombies.

Lin Feng picked up the "Qingyuan Mantra" talisman he had just drawn, strode over to the three zombies, and stuck the talisman on their foreheads. The zombies immediately hissed in pain; the rotting Qiancang Baikong's facial muscles twitched violently, and a stench of burning flesh assaulted Lin Feng's nostrils.

Lin Feng covered his nose and took two steps back. Liu Long, who had already been helped up, groaned and cursed, "Damn, that's fucking outrageous, he's not dead even after being beaten like that?" Then he said to Lin Feng, "If you could handle him, why didn't you make a move sooner? You caused so many of our brothers to die."

Lin Feng said irritably, "How was I supposed to know you guys were so impulsive, that zombies could act so fast? I'm not a god."

Liu Long glared at Lin Feng, saying nothing more, and kicked one of the zombies. As the zombie fell, a gust of wind blew the talisman off its forehead. Freed, it immediately pounced on Lin Feng with lightning speed. Before Lin Feng could react, the zombie pinned him to the ground and gripped his throat tightly. If this zombie hadn't been injured by his "Cleansing Source Curse" and hadn't recovered, its head would probably have been twisted off by now.

Everyone was shocked and rushed forward to grab the zombie and drag it backward, but the zombie held on tightly and wouldn't let go. In desperation, Li Mingsheng picked up a stone at his feet and smashed it several times on the zombie's head. The zombie's brains splattered, but it seemed completely oblivious, refusing to let go no matter what the others did.

At this moment, an armed police officer retrieved the talisman and slapped it onto the zombie's back. The zombie then collapsed. Lin Feng got up, coughing incessantly.

The other two zombies had already been quickly burned to ashes by the spiritual fire ignited by the talisman, and the one lying on the ground also caught fire.

Lin Feng looked at the burning corpse with lingering fear, glared at Liu Long and said, "Damn you, you almost killed me."

Liu Long shrugged and said, "How was I supposed to know you stuck the talisman on so loosely, and that the zombie would attack so quickly? I'm not a god."

Lin Feng cursed "Damn it" and ignored him.

The armed police officers who had gone into the cave to search came out and said to Liu Long, "Reporting to the captain, there's nothing in the cave except for a half-eaten corpse."

Li Mingsheng and Lin Feng exclaimed, "What?"

On the way back to the police station, Lin Feng and Li Mingsheng remained silent, both pondering the same question: where were the heartless Qiqi and the body of Xiao Fa that she had taken with her?

Volume 1, Path of Vengeful Spirits, Chapter 33: The Devil's Daughter (7)

Although Qiqi's personality had drastically changed, she still didn't want to take any more lives. However, Xiaofa would become restless and agitated if he didn't drink human blood and eat human flesh, and would eventually weaken within a day. Qiqi pondered deeply in the countryside. If she wanted to keep Xiaofa by her side, she could only do so back in the city, where it would be easier to act. Apart from lacking a heart, she was no different from an ordinary person. As long as she was careful and didn't reveal anything, she should be able to leave no trace.