Une relation tragique

Chapitre 18

Lin Feng pointed at Wang Peng and said, "What about him? Isn't this house his?"

Wang Peng said with a sigh, "I made a bad choice in friends. That time he came to my old house, the paint on the walls was almost peeling off, so he had someone fix it for me. I was very grateful at the time, and I gave him the house key when I went on a business trip. When I came back, he had made a mess of it. I was furious. I felt very uncomfortable as soon as I entered the house, there was a strong sense of oppression. In the end, before I even had a chance to find him, this damn guy ruined everything." Wang Peng became angrier and angrier as he spoke, his features contorted, making Zhang Hong tremble all over.

He Feng sighed and said, "If we don't break this 'soul-trapping song,' we'll never be able to get out of here and will suffer its torment forever."

Zhang Hong opened her big eyes and said, "That's easy! We just need to scrape off the plaster from the walls of this house, right? That'll break it!"

He Feng smiled wryly and said, "If only it were as simple as you say! Go touch the wall and see!"

Zhang Hong looked at He Feng with suspicion, then reached out and pressed her hand against the wall. The moment her hand touched the wall, it sank in, feeling like pressing against her skin, and even seemed slightly warm. Zhang Hong was startled; this eerie sensation made her want to vomit.

He Feng said, "Now you know!"

Zhang Hongchao moved closer to Li Mingsheng, trying to stay as far away from the wall as possible.

Lin Feng then asked, "Then why did you choose us to rescue you? Since Wang Peng died, there haven't been as many people in this house as we have!"

He Feng nodded and said, "You know what? You're a very strange person!"

Lin Feng was taken aback and said, "What's strange about me? Compared to you, I'm probably perfectly normal!"

He Feng smiled and said, "When you first came here, I noticed a dark aura surrounding you."

Lin Feng looked at himself, scratched his head, and said, "Black aura? What does that mean?"

He Feng said, "Deathly aura!"

Lin Feng exclaimed, "Ah! Death energy? Does that mean I'm going to die?"

He Feng said, "This is precisely what I can't understand. Someone like you, shrouded in deathly aura, should have died long ago. You should know that the deathly aura gathered on you is more than five times that of an ordinary person. Usually, deathly aura only appears when a person is about to die, but your entire body is almost buried in deathly aura, yet you are still lively and perfectly fine. I think you must have something protecting you, preventing the deathly aura from harming your body despite entanglement with you. Moreover, this house is extremely strange, yet you can witness extraordinary events without panicking, remaining calm and composed, completely unaffected by this house. This is enough to show that you have extraordinary courage!"

Zhang Hong suddenly interjected, "Are you sure it's boldness, and not 'glass'?"

Lin Feng really wanted to jump up and strangle her; how could she still be making jokes at a time like this?

He Feng laughed at Zhang Hong's words and said, "What a cute little sister!"

Lin Feng glared at Zhang Hong and said, "Then how can we save you?"

He Feng said, "First, I need to see what special abilities you have that allow you to remain alive despite being surrounded by death energy. I can't let you rashly go and die!"

Lin Feng thought for a moment, then suddenly remembered the red thread in his hand. He walked up to He Feng, opened his hand, and said, "I wonder if it's because of this red thread!"

Upon seeing the red thread in Lin Feng's hand, He Feng exclaimed in surprise, "This...this is a 'spirit body'!"

Lin Feng asked in bewilderment, "What spirit? I've seen spirits before, but none look like this. Besides, how can a spirit parasitize a hand!"

He Feng shook his head and said, "You are not an ordinary spirit. You are a person with profound Taoist magic who used all his life's magic power to condense spiritual power in your hand. This not only blocked the death aura for you, but also helped you turn danger into safety!"

Lin Feng thought of Zhang the Taoist. Back when Zhang was in the hospital, he had worriedly told him to let things take their natural course. At that time, Zhang knew something was wrong with him, so he used all his magical power to condense his spiritual energy and attach it to Lin Feng's hand to protect him from disaster. Lin Feng's heart surged with emotion. He thought that perhaps it was to help him that Zhang had died so young. Otherwise, given Zhang's physical condition, he wouldn't have died so soon after being discharged from the hospital.

Finally, the mystery of the red thread on his hand was solved. Although he couldn't confirm whether it was Zhang Daoshi's doing or not, he figured it was pretty close.

He Feng said excitedly, "Now we're saved! With this to protect you, you should be fine!"

Zhang Hong, being naturally mischievous, couldn't resist joking, saying, "Hey, hey, hey! Sister, you're already a ghost, why are you still so excited!"

He Feng smiled and said, "Little sister, you're right!" Although He Feng said that, everyone could still see tears of emotion streaming down her face.

He Feng said apologetically, "I'm sorry, even ghosts have some things they are attached to. If these wishes are not fulfilled, they cannot transcend the cycle of reincarnation."

Lin Feng nodded and said, "Yes, I've heard that ghosts who remain in the human world are those with obsessions. If their wishes are not fulfilled, they will wander in the human world forever until their souls are scattered!"

Volume 2, Chapter 11, "The Head-Splitting Strike" (11)

He Feng lowered her head and said, "I just want my skin back, or I'll burn it."

Lin Feng said, "Then you can be promoted?"

He Feng shook his head and said, "That is my wish. Only if I can get my skin back or destroy it, and then break this 'Soul-Binding Melody', can I ascend to the next level!"

Lin Feng, his head throbbing with worry, asked, "How exactly do we break this 'Soul-Trapping Melody'?"

He Feng shook his head and said, "That depends on you. But I can tell you that the spirit in your palm is no ordinary spirit. It has great power when used. I think Zhang Xiang might not be your match, but it all depends on how you understand and utilize it!"

Lin Feng said dejectedly, "You've said nothing at all. If I could use it myself, would I need to ask you?"

He Feng glanced at him and said, "Is there another important question you've overlooked?"

Lin Feng said irritably, "What's the problem?"

He Feng said, "Where exactly is Zhang Xiang now? Do you know where my skin is?"

Lin Feng shook his head and said, "I don't know!"

He Feng said, "Stretch out your hand!"

Lin Feng asked, "What are you doing?" But he still obediently extended his left hand. He Feng gently drew a few lines on Lin Feng's hand and said, "Alright, I left my Yin energy on your hand, which will resonate with the Yin energy on my skin. You can find it by following its guidance. Once you find my skin, you won't need to search for it; Zhang Xiang will appear to stop you. My skin is the best thing to use for casting curses; he will definitely value it highly!"

Lin Feng looked at his left palm without any apparent problem and muttered, "It doesn't seem like anything's wrong."

The words had barely left his mouth when the living room clock suddenly rang out sharply. He Feng and Wang Peng's expressions changed drastically, and they both looked at the clock. Lin Feng and the others followed their gaze and saw that the old-fashioned clock on the wall was pointing to 10:30. Lin Feng and the others were all puzzled, wondering why He Feng and Wang Peng were so tense.

He Feng said anxiously, "You must leave quickly! He has already discovered you here, and the 'Soul-Trapping Song' is about to be activated. If you don't leave now, it will be too late."

After He Feng finished speaking, she waved her hand and the door opened with a "bang," urging repeatedly, "Hurry up, hurry up, it'll be too late if we don't leave now!"

Seeing her flustered expression, Lin Feng felt a little panicked himself and asked, "Then what should we do?"

He Feng said, "You don't need to worry about us, we're already dead." As soon as she finished speaking, a strange and piercing sound suddenly rang out, and a ghastly green gas emanated from the red walls, ceiling, and floor of the entire house. It appeared and disappeared intermittently, and although it seemed not very obvious, it clearly made people feel a sense of panic.

Lin Feng's heart pounded violently. Li Mingsheng and Zhang Hong were already swaying, supporting each other to avoid falling. He Feng and Wang Peng's expressions were even more agonizing, a faint, pale green seeping into their bodies. The two were already writhing on the ground in agony. He Feng gritted her teeth and said in a trembling voice, "You two have to leave! The 'Soul-Trapping Melody' has already been activated. If you don't leave now, you'll miss your chance!"

Lin Feng understood that the "Soul-Trapping Melody" was very effective against ghosts and spirits, but its effect was much smaller on living people like them.

He knew that if they didn't leave, they might all die here if they were trapped. Without hesitation, Lin Feng grabbed Li Mingsheng and Zhang Hong and rushed towards the door. But just as they reached the doorway, green hands suddenly reached out from the floor and grabbed their feet one by one. Caught off guard, Lin Feng and the others nearly fell.

Lin Feng cursed inwardly, trying desperately to break free from the strange hands, but they only tightened their grip, causing excruciating pain in the ankles of the three men. Zhang Hong screamed repeatedly, tears streaming down her face, but the fact that she hadn't fainted by this point was a huge surprise to Lin Feng.

The entire room was a mix of red and green, the colors indistinguishable. An eeriness and despair permeated the air. Lin Feng and the others were still making their last struggle; he knew that leaving this room meant certain death. He was still a promising young man, had just started dating the girl he'd long admired, and his wonderful life was just beginning. How could he let it end here?

Just as Lin Feng was furious, He Feng, lying on the ground, gathered her last strength and waved her hand. A faint wisp of spiritual energy flew over in a crescent shape, dispersing the green hands binding the three's feet into wisps of green energy. Lin Feng couldn't miss this golden opportunity. He grabbed the other two and shouted, "Go!" The three rushed out the door at the same time, collapsing at the entrance.

The three had just rushed out when the door slammed shut. In that instant, he saw He Feng's contorted body in pain and her pleading eyes. The door blocked their view and also cut off the sounds inside from the outside. But Lin Feng seemed to faintly hear He Feng and Wang Peng's painful cries.

Lin Feng stood up, pulled Li Mingsheng and Zhang Hong up, and said, "Let's go!"

The two stood up, and Zhang Hong rubbed her sore arm, saying, "Hurry up, hurry up! I'm so scared, this place is too terrifying. We're not coming back!" With that, ignoring the pain in her arm, she ran downstairs as fast as she could ever go in her life.

Once in the car, Lin Feng remained silent, his heart heavy. He hadn't expected things to be so complicated and thorny, far beyond his imagination. If he couldn't resolve this quickly, given Zhang Xiang's capabilities, he would definitely target him. And with his current skill level, he would likely be no match for Zhang Xiang. The thought of Zhang Xiang skinning a woman alive sent chills down his spine. Regardless of whether he loved He Feng or not, He Feng must have loved him deeply. For him to kill a woman who loved him so deeply for his twisted desire to harm was beyond comprehension. Moreover, Wang Peng, his friend, had been cursed and killed by Zhang Xiang, demonstrating just how ruthless and cruel Zhang Xiang was.

Lin Feng sighed deeply. What should he do? This mysterious Zhang Xiang was an enigma in everyone's minds, and he even possessed some kind of "transformation spell," assimilating those he had been in contact with for a long time. Such bizarre spells were unheard of, and utterly despicable.

Volume 2, Chapter 12, The Head-Splitting Strike (12)

Lin Feng had a good sleep, and when he woke up, it was already bright outside. Xiao Jie had already gone to work, leaving him a note reminding him to eat breakfast, not to overwork himself at work, and to call him if he needed anything. Although the note was rambling, Lin Feng felt a sweet warmth welling up inside him.

After breakfast, Lin Feng arrived at the Special Investigation Department just as Zhang Hong was describing the events of the previous night to several girls, gesturing wildly. The girls listened intently, almost breathless. Zhang Hong's exaggerated expressions and frequent gestures drew gasps of amazement from the girls, followed by exclamations of thrill and regret that they hadn't had the chance to participate in such a thrilling supernatural event.

Lin Feng gave a wry smile, shook his head, and walked past the girls. He hadn't intended to disturb them, but Zhang Hong still noticed him. Zhang Hong grabbed Lin Feng and said to the girls, "This is the protagonist! He's amazing! He can summon ghosts, and he has an incredibly powerful spirit body that even death energy can't harm him!" Zhang Hong exaggeratedly drew out the word "incredibly" to emphasize the power of the spirit body.

The girls' eyes lit up as they asked in unison, "Really? That's amazing!"

Zhang Hong pried open Lin Feng's right hand and pointed to the jade pillar line covered by red thread from the bridge of his nose to the tip of his middle finger, saying, "Look at this red thread. Last night, that beautiful female ghost sister said that this is the super powerful spirit that blocked the death aura for him, and it still has a lot of untapped potential!"

The girls gasped in envy, and Lin Feng said with a wry smile, "Do you know you're talking to someone shrouded in deathly aura? Aren't you afraid of that deathly aura touching you?"

The girls were startled at first, but then they all relaxed and said, "Pshaw, we're not afraid at all. With your super powerful spirit here, we're not afraid at all!"

Lin Feng nearly fainted, thinking to himself that girls these days are incredibly daring, and that he had been completely outmatched. Zhang Hong, who yesterday had been vehemently complaining about how dangerous things were and vowing never to get involved again, had completely forgotten who was so terrified yesterday that she was practically screaming "My God!"

Lin Feng was really not used to dealing with this kind of situation. Faced with the endless questions from the girls, he almost wanted to run away. Although he was usually witty and talkative with Xiao Jie, now he was almost like a dumb goose, only able to stammer "Yes!" "Hmm!" "Okay!"

Lin Feng looked around and saw Li Mingsheng standing behind him, grinning. He knew this guy had been watching his embarrassing moments for quite some time. He was secretly furious; this guy only knew how to laugh at him and didn't even help him. A clever idea struck him. He said, "Your Captain Li is pretty amazing too. He fought three zombies back then, taking down one with a single shot, and the remaining two..." Lin Feng turned around, pretending to just notice Li Mingsheng, and said, "Ah, you're here. You tell them!" Without waiting for a reply, he pulled Li Mingsheng over and said, "Let him tell you himself!" He then ignored Li Mingsheng's surprised face and hurried away. Behind him, several girls chattered excitedly, insisting that Captain Li tell them the story. Lin Feng chuckled inwardly, thinking, "Let him laugh at me."

Upon arriving at the Special Investigation Department, Lin Feng reported to Zhou Liang and recounted the events of the previous night. He then asked for a car, intending to confront Zhang Xiang and He Feng himself. After all, Zhang Xiang was no ordinary person, and he didn't want to involve Li Mingsheng or anyone else, as their lives could be in danger at any moment.

Lin Feng drove aimlessly around the city for nearly two hours without any success. The Yin energy of He Feng in his hand was as quiet as a little lamb, not even uttering a bleat.

Before he knew it, Lin Feng had driven to Sunset Red Street. He wondered how he had ended up here. But since he was already here, he decided to check out Boss Long's "Fengyun" Internet Cafe. Maybe he would find something unexpected. Although the chances weren't high, it was better than wandering around aimlessly.

Lin Feng parked his car at the entrance and went upstairs. He was immediately taken aback when he reached the internet cafe entrance, where two paper figures stood on either side of the entrance. Lin Feng wondered, "Why is this guy putting up two paper figures? Who would dare come to use this place? Does he not want to do business?"

As Lin Feng was wondering, he suddenly felt a jolt in his left palm. His heart skipped a beat. Could it be in the internet cafe? He hadn't noticed anything wrong with Boss Long last time he was here! Had Boss Long been assimilated by Zhang Xiang? Lin Feng didn't dare think any further and went straight into the internet cafe.

Once inside, Lin Feng looked around but didn't find anything wrong. However, he spotted someone who shocked him: he saw Qiqi, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, sitting next to a computer surfing the internet.

Qiqi saw him too and waved. Lin Feng walked over nervously. He didn't know that this devil's daughter was still in this city. He had always thought that she had changed her name and identity and gone far away. He didn't expect to see her here again, which surprised him greatly.

He sat down next to Qiqi and whispered, "What are you doing here?"

Kiki stared at the screen, which was playing a tearjerker soap opera—Jin Yong's *The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber*, directed by Ma Jintao from Taiwan. Ma had turned the perfectly good Zhang Wuji into something resembling a hapless, eccentric character from a poorly written novel. Kiki, surprisingly, was watching with great interest. She whispered, "Why can't I be here!"

Lin Feng almost fainted from anger. If the people in this room knew that there was such a heartless woman sitting here watching a TV series, most of them would probably run away, and the rest would be too scared to move.

Lin Feng thought for a moment and said, "There's something wrong here. Did you see the two paper figures standing at the door?"

Qiqi said in a voice only Lin Feng could hear, "Of course I saw it. I naturally know there's a problem here. Otherwise, do you think I'd be interested in watching Ma Jintao's 'The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber'? I'd watch Li Yapeng's version of 'The Smiling, Proud Wanderer' instead."

Qiqi's words nearly made Lin Feng faint. What on earth was going on? Qiqi continued, "Everyone in this room is suspicious. The ghostly aura in this internet cafe has been concealed! I think you're the only living person sitting here. If you don't mind, you can count me in!"

Lin Feng was startled and said, "What? They're all dead?"

Qiqi nodded. Lin Feng looked at the internet cafe, which only had ten people in total, including him and the manager, and a chill ran down his spine. At that moment, the wisp of yin energy in his hand suddenly jumped, as if trying to break free from his grasp and fly away. Lin Feng looked down at the people surfing the internet; they all looked at him with strange smiles. He cursed inwardly; it seemed Zhang Xiang had come prepared.

Volume 2, Chapter 13: Chopping Head (13)

Qiqi glanced at Lin Feng, then at his left hand, and said, "Well, your senses are alright, but you should probably avoid doing this kind of thing in the future. It doesn't do you any good!"

Lin Feng glanced at Qi Qi, a hint of confusion in his eyes. Qi Qi was supposed to be the daughter of a demon, more dangerous than many ghosts and vengeful spirits. After all, she was a genuine demon, yet apart from being slightly paler, she showed no other abnormalities and was even behaving kindly towards him, a human.

Qiqi saw what Lin Feng was thinking, rolled her eyes at him, and said, "Don't overthink it. This place is full of dangers. You've encountered a master, and your skills might not be enough! Be careful!"

Lin Feng glanced at her gratefully but didn't say anything. He knew that saying "thank you" or similar words to her would be completely unnecessary.

Just then, all the lights in the internet cafe suddenly went out, leaving only the hundreds of computer screens emitting a bluish glow. Lin Feng was startled, then realized it was daytime, so how could it suddenly be pitch black when the lights were off? Looking around, he discovered that all the windows in the internet cafe were completely covered by floor-to-ceiling curtains.

The computer screen reflected the faces of the people browsing the internet in a deep blue light, and those people slowly stood up without expression.

Kiki said from her chair, "Be careful!"

Before Lin Feng could answer, a round of applause broke out, and a man emerged from nowhere, clapping and laughing heartily. In the dim light, Lin Feng recognized him as Boss Long. Boss Long said, "Friend, I admire you for escaping from Wang Peng's dilapidated house. But I admire even more the young lady beside you. To remain so composed in such circumstances—she must be extraordinary. I, Zhang Xiang, am so fortunate to have met two such remarkable people at once! What an honor!"

As expected, Boss Long had been assimilated by Zhang Xiang. Lin Feng looked at Zhang Xiang's smug expression and felt a surge of anger rising in his heart. He stared coldly at Zhang Xiang.

Zhang Xiang waved his hand, and the men standing there slowly walked towards Lin Feng. Zhang Xiang said smugly, "Mr. Lin, you have time to consider. I've always wanted a partner as bold and resourceful as you. How about it? Partner with me, and you can have money and women to your heart's content. Watch me effortlessly acquire this internet cafe with nearly 400 computers—it's a complete shortcut! So, what do you think? Have you considered it?"

The group of people, their expressions blank, moved slowly but steadily, inching closer to Lin Feng. If Lin Feng refused, the consequences were predictable. Lin Feng smiled coldly and said, "Despicable!"