Глаза Асуры

Глава 37

"Oh, I found this by chance in my room. I thought it was fun, so I put it around my neck!" he lied.

A strange expression appeared on Aunt Li's lips, and a muffled sound came from her throat. After a long pause, she finally spoke: "Two years ago, a boy and a girl lived here. Soon after, they moved back to school, and before they could even check out, one was poisoned, and the other committed suicide! Since then, this house has never been peaceful. The singing I heard last night was probably her… Maybe this is some kind of omen!"

"Who is this girl?" he asked, feigning curiosity.

"I'm not saying anything more. Be careful! If you run into her, try to stay far away from her, or you'll be in for some bloodshed!"

Song Xiaomo stopped her and pressed, "Why? You said this house isn't peaceful, do you mean it's haunted?"

"I...I don't know!" Aunt Li's face turned pale, clearly struck by those words.

"The elders often say that only those who die unjustly are haunted! Have you done anything to wrong her?"

"Shut up! Do you know what you're saying?" Aunt Li snapped, but then realized she'd lost her temper and changed to a calm tone, "Xiao Mo, I've worked here for years, and I know Madam's character very well. She's friendly to everyone, so how could she do something to wrong her tenants?"

"I'm sorry, I was just saying." Song Xiaomo quickly smiled to ease the tension.

"Actually, ghosts aren't necessarily scary; people are the scariest. People fear ghosts mostly because they themselves have guilty consciences." Aunt Li smiled slightly and then asked, "Do you know about Madam's grandson?"

"Yes, I know. She even bought him fruit today!"

A hint of sadness flashed in Aunt Li's eyes as she said, "Actually... her grandson passed away a long time ago!"

"No way?" Song Xiaomo felt a chill run down her spine.

"About six months ago, that child went to play in your room, the one upstairs, and never came out again!"

"Has the child been taken away by a ghost?"

"The body wasn't taken away, but the soul is gone! After the child came out, he was holding some kind of doll, like a completely different person, and he never spoke again. We consulted several psychologists, but none of them could cure him! I still clearly remember that he had a red rope around his neck that was exactly the same as yours. Later, the child went mad, and a seven or eight-year-old child hanged himself! My wife couldn't bear the shock, and as a result, she also became mentally unstable..." Aunt Li's face twitched, showing that this question had stirred up endless pain in her.

"Can these facts alone prove that she's connected to that ghost? She has no grudge against you, so why would she harm a child?" Song Xiaomo refused to equate the "Meixuan" in her mind with a murderous soul.

"You saw her?"

"No, I just feel there's something fishy about this."

"Yes!" Aunt Li said almost to herself, "No...it's impossible, she's been gone for a long time."

"If things are really as you say, then wouldn't I be doomed too?"

Aunt Li looked guilty and said, "We weren't planning on renting a house, but we figured it wouldn't be good for it to stay vacant. My wife's son and daughter-in-law are abroad, and their business has been declining lately, making it difficult for them to take care of the family. So we had to lock up the inner room and rent out the outer one. I'm so sorry, things have come to this point, I shouldn't have hidden anything from you. I just hope you won't repeat my mistake..."

Song Xiaomo touched the rope around his neck, suddenly feeling as if it were a death rope, pulling him step by step into the abyss of death. The other end of the rope was held in the hand of the female ghost, Meixuan, tightening its grip. Cold sweat broke out all over his body, and he asked in shock, "Why? Why is she haunting this place?"

"I don't know!" Aunt Li turned her face away and left in agitation.

Back on campus, Song Xiaomo went to the classroom and found Park Eun-hee.

"Why didn't you tell me when you moved out?" Park Eun-hee complained.

"I'm so sorry, I left in such a hurry. That's why I came to apologize to you in person."

"Where did you move to? I noticed your cell phone signal is weak. Is it affected by some kind of electromagnetic interference? I've tried calling several times but haven't been able to get through."

Section 100: Chapter Twenty - The Empty Chair (2)

"Really? I didn't notice that problem." Song Xiaomo wondered to herself, "Is there too much yin energy there?"

What have you been up to lately?

"I mostly sleep, and occasionally come to school for classes."

"Could it be that depraved?"

Song Xiaomo smiled, then took the red string out of her pocket and said, "Do you recognize this?"

Park Eun-hee was stunned.

Song Xiaomo observed his expression, hoping to glean something from his words. He continued, "This amulet was given to me by a friend just last night!"

Park Eun-hee's face showed disbelief.

"This girl's name is..." Song Xiaomo paused intentionally.

As expected, Park Eun-hee reacted strongly, staring directly at him and asking, "What's her name?"

"Shen...Meixuan."

"What!" Park Eun-hee jumped to her feet, nearly knocking over the book in front of her. "How is this possible? How can someone who's been dead for two years appear? Don't mess with me, I know you haven't been feeling well lately."

"I'm perfectly normal." Song Xiaomo felt very uncomfortable after hearing his words, and said angrily, "No. 14 Muluan Avenue, if you have the guts, I'll take you there to get evidence. She often appears in that place."

Park Eun-hee didn't say anything, but unbuttoned the top two buttons of her shirt and took something out.

At first glance, Song Xiaomo saw that it was also a red string, with a small copper coin tied to the bottom.

The two items, placed side by side, looked almost identical. Song Xiaomo and Park Eun-hee stared at each other in shock.

"Did she give this to you?" Song Xiaomo asked.

"Yes. She has very few friends. Although we're not very close, we're still friends. Every year before her birthday, she would ask for amulets for her few friends to keep her safe. This is one she gave me." Park Eun-hee stood there trembling for a moment, then slumped back down, unable to hold back the days she spent with Shin Mi-hyun. Overwhelmed with pain, she buried her head. After a moment of silence, she shook her head in disbelief. "How could this be? But you're right, this really is hers."

"I don't know why I met her in that villa by such a twist of fate. I knew she was dead. At first, I didn't believe she truly existed in the real world; everything I saw might have been an illusion, or perhaps just existed in my mind. But I did see her, and I even ate the braised pork ribs she made..."

Park Eun-hee paused again, then said, "I remember now, yesterday was her birthday, wasn't it?"

"That's right." Song Xiaomo nodded, teasingly adding, "You seem to know quite a bit about her. I bet you've been keeping a close eye on her behind the scenes before, haven't you?"

Park Eun-hee avoided eye contact, then asked, "Xiao Mo, can you tell me what's been happening lately?"

"No problem!" Song Xiaomo readily agreed, and then began to talk about moving out of the dormitory. Of course, he did not reveal Park Eun-hee's experience of sleepwalking.

"It's unbelievable!" After listening to Song Xiaomo's vivid and moving account, Park Eun-hee couldn't help but mutter to herself, "How is this possible? How is this possible?"

"Now, do you believe in the existence of these ghosts?"

"Then why did she contact you?" Park Eun-hee's expression still showed her unwillingness to accept these facts.

"I don't know either. Ever since I entered this campus, I've been encountering these strange things... This inevitably makes me connect the campus tragedy two years ago with Meixuan. Of course, we can't rule out the possibility of coincidence, but coincidence alone is hard to explain all of this. So please forgive my overly bold suspicion: Meixuan died with her eyes wide open in anger, and therefore wants to use these supernatural events to make the world feel her injustice."

"The police have already examined them, how could that be?"

"Ugh, my mind is a complete mess right now!"

"Then... could you take me to see it tonight?" Park Eun-hee asked.

Song Xiaomo hesitated for a moment, then said, "Okay, but we have to sneak over there so as not to alert her!"

The continuous rainy weather persisted until late at night.

Song Xiaomo and Park Eun-hee quietly walked over after the last light in the villa was turned off.

The door opened, revealing a pitch-black corridor, devoid of any light. Song Xiaomo whispered, "It's too dark; we'll have to feel our way in!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than the corridor lights suddenly turned on!

However, the corridor, illuminated by the lights, was empty.

Both of them shuddered simultaneously, immediately sensing something unusual in the air.

"Have we been discovered?" A hint of panic crept into Park Eun-hee's eyes.

"It's okay, at worst we won't see her today."

Section 101: Chapter Twenty - The Empty Chair (3)

"But it's so late, two grown men acting so suspiciously, what will the landlord think if he sees them?"

"They probably just think we're gay!" Song Xiaomo said with a mischievous grin.

Suddenly, a piercing, sharp cry came from the corridor, sounding like a child.

"Did you hear any crying?"

"No, what's wrong?" Park Eun-hee asked in surprise.

"That's strange, why did I hear that? Tongtong's voice shouldn't sound like that!" Something flashed through Song Xiaomo's mind, and she said in a chill, "Could it be the landlady's grandson?"

Song Xiaomo looked around for a long time, quite hesitant. Should he go up and take a look? Aunt Li said that the old lady's grandson was dead. Was that really true? She wasn't lying, was she? Anyway, he was already in the haunted house. He wasn't even afraid of a ghost like Meixuan. What else in this world could he be afraid of? Besides, wasn't Park Eun-hee here too? He gritted his teeth and ran up to the second floor.

Park Eun-hee quickly whispered, "Xiao Mo, wait a minute, you've come to the wrong door!"

Song Xiaomo ignored him and slipped into the second-floor corridor in the blink of an eye.

All I could see was darkness, a darkness beyond words.

Song Xiaomo leaned against the wall, counting his steps as he walked. One meter, two meters… eight meters later, his fingers suddenly felt a chill. In that instant, he understood: it was an iron door. Judging from his position downstairs, the crying must have come from inside this door.

He held his breath and tentatively pushed the door open. To his surprise, the door opened with that gentle push. Light, even brighter than at noon, flooded in. His eyes stung, and he instinctively shielded them with his hands. It took him a while to recover, open his blurry eyes, and make out the scene inside.

The room's pale white walls were uncomfortably clean, and only one light shone brightly from the ceiling. The landlady, an elderly woman, was mechanically kneeling before a chair, holding an apple and repeating, "My dear grandson, have a bite! Is it good, my dear grandson?"

The chair creaked and rocked back and forth, as if someone were actually sitting on it.

Suppressing her fear, Song Xiaomo asked, "Grandma Zhang, what's wrong?"

The old lady turned her head slightly, as if she saw Song Xiaomo. Her eyes revealed pleading, despair, and a warning.

"Is my grandson a good boy?"

"What?"

"When I first saw your rental ad online, I really thought you were my grandson! You really do look like him, but you're not as cute as my grandson!"

Song Xiaomo felt a chill run down her spine, the creaking sound of the empty chair still echoing in her ears.

"My good grandson, have a bite! Is it delicious, my good grandson?"

"Good grandson, have a bite! Is it good, my good grandson?" The voice kept repeating.

Gradually, the sound grew closer, and the old woman's withered fingers reached towards his face, the apple in her hand already close to Song Xiaomo's lips. On the apple, a white worm was slowly crawling…

"My good grandson, have a bite! Is it delicious, my good grandson?"

"Ah!" Song Xiaomo turned and ran away.

When Park Eun-hee arrived, Song Xiaomo was running around like a madwoman. He quickly reached out and grabbed Song Xiaomo, saying, "Xiaomo, calm down! Be careful not to disturb the other people upstairs."

"That old woman is mentally ill!"

"Okay, I understand. Relax, relax..." Park Eun-hee said softly.

Park Eun-hee saw all of this. He had just been to that room and saw a chair and a table inside. There was nothing scary about it, and there was no landlady that Song Xiaomo had mentioned.

Could it be that Song Xiaomo has really developed mental problems, and his delusions have worsened? Is the girl he's talking about a figment of his imagination, or does she really exist?

A short while later, the two returned to Song Xiaomo's room. After a brief silence, Song Xiaomo went upstairs to open the door. Strangely, the door seemed to have a different lock, and she couldn't open it no matter what she did.