Военный советник и принцесса

Глава 6

Li Hong couldn't remember where she was for a moment.

It was quiet all around. She opened her eyes and saw a white ceiling. She tried to turn her head to look elsewhere, but her head ached so badly that she couldn't help but groan. She stopped moving and just lay there quietly, feeling as if her head and body had separated, and she had no feeling in the rest of her body. She tried hard to remember what had happened, but she only remembered returning to 21 years ago, standing in a kindergarten classroom. She hadn't thought about this for a long time—about being adopted, about changing her name—these long-buried memories seemed to have happened to someone else.

She recalled the scene before she fainted.

She wasn't sure if she had actually seen the thick tail, or if it was just her imagination. It all happened so suddenly, she hadn't had time to think. Zheng Zhihao must have saved her, but where was he now? He must know what had happened.

She felt the bed was very soft and the pillows were low, so she was probably still in bedroom 104. This made her a little nervous; in this room, she always felt incredibly helpless and insignificant. Now she was awake, and her body was gradually regaining sensation. Apart from her still-aching head, she didn't feel anything else wrong.

Li Hong struggled to sit up in bed and found herself still in bedroom 104. The room was bright, with the curtains wide open and a window also open, allowing her to see the small lake outside and an wrought-iron swing by its shore. There was no one around, and the summer sun brought waves of heat, making the room feel very hot. The entire hotel was enveloped in the languid comfort of a summer afternoon, making her feel as if she had just woken from a nap.

Where did Zheng Zhihao go? What happened to what he dug up? Am I still in danger? Although my head hurts, I don't think it will stop me from continuing to work. I must get to the bottom of this.

Li Hong lay on the bed in a daze for a moment, then got out of bed. She needed to find Zheng Zhihao quickly; what if he had run away? She subconsciously touched the collar of her shirt—thankfully, it was all buttoned up properly. She put on her high heels and then stood up, holding onto the edge of the bed.

To her surprise, the room no longer possessed its initial aggressive atmosphere. Now, the entire room seemed so quiet and natural, as if nothing had happened. She walked to the window, looked around, and then headed towards the bathroom.

The bathroom floor tiles had been put back in their original positions, but there were still some black soil particles around them that hadn't been cleaned up. Everything else remained the same. She looked at the sink; there were some fine dust particles in it. It seemed that Zheng Zhihao had washed his hands there before leaving with what he had dug up.

The bathroom was very quiet; even without the lights on, it didn't feel eerie. Everything seemed to have returned to normal. The only signs of the misfortune that had occurred here were the soot on the ceiling and the damaged bathroom door lock.

Li Hong looked around in disbelief, trying to find any clues about what had happened before she fainted, but apart from the black soil particles, there were no traces left. Slightly relieved, she looked at herself in the sink. Her hair was messy, and her face was a little dirty. She bent down, turned on the tap, and splashed cold water on her face. The icy water made her feel much better.

Suddenly, she realized that in the brief moment she bent down in front of the mirror, she seemed to have seen something else, but it was hiding behind her, only a tiny corner visible in the mirror. Her head buzzed, and she immediately stopped what she was doing, listening to the rushing water, using all her senses to feel the movement behind her.

There was no ominous aura, nor the feeling of being watched as before. If it weren't for that casual glance just now, she would never have imagined that she could see something strange like that. Although her nerves were much more resilient than before, and she was no longer surprised by seeing strange things, the image that appeared silently behind her still made her break out in a cold sweat.

She cautiously looked up at the mirror—there was nothing there. She turned around and looked again, but still there was nothing.

Li Hong calmed herself down and continued combing her hair as if she hadn't seen anything. Then she left the bathroom. These strange occurrences no longer bothered her.

What should she do now? Look for Zheng Zhihao? How? She can't do anything without finding him. Even though she really doesn't want to, she still needs to thank him in person. Sigh, these past few days have been truly unforgettable.

She began to organize her thoughts.

First, the various strange occurrences are related to room 104, not to the person involved, as confirmed by Zheng Zhihao. Now that Zheng Zhihao has left with what he dug out of the room, the focus of the investigation should now be on what he unearthed.

Secondly, I am in danger now, and it's mortal danger. That mysterious aura wants to kill me. But I can't be sure if it's because I'm in this room, because of what was dug up, or because of something I did personally. If it's because of the room or me, it could easily kill me now. But currently, apart from the image in the mirror, everything seems relatively normal. In other words, that mysterious aura is closely related to what was dug up.

Third, the strange events that happened last night were also related to the soul field here, and this soul field should also be connected to that mysterious aura, though I'm not sure yet. However, it harbors great hostility towards me; it also wants to kill me. But because Zheng Zhihao put something on the door—the talisman I found this morning—it protected me and couldn't enter my room. I really don't know what it would be like if that slipper-wearing thing got into my room; I dare not think about it anymore. So, Zheng Zhihao's warning to me was well-intentioned.

Fourth, Zheng Zhihao as a person...

Thinking about this, she felt a little embarrassed. His warning was well-intentioned, and he had even saved her, yet she still didn't trust him. Actually, it wasn't entirely Li Hong's fault, because Zheng Zhihao always seemed so mysterious and eccentric, naturally making her suspicious. However, this was also related to the nature of Zheng Zhihao's work; he couldn't just tell everyone he was a ghost hunter, especially not to someone like Li Hong with a police background, whom he had to be extra cautious with.

Li Hong smiled unconsciously. Sigh, religious workers, this guy.

Well, the most urgent thing is to find Zheng Zhihao. Is he in any danger? And what about his job? And what about the ghosts? She has so many things she wants to know…

23. Skeleton (1)

It was already 2 PM when Li Hong went to the front desk to return the key. The receptionist took the key, confirmed she was Officer Li Hong, and handed her a note, saying it was left for her by a guest in room 401. The note was written in sparse, neat handwriting, but it was clearly written in haste: "Officer Li, I am leaving urgently. Please wait for me in the room; I have something important to tell you. —Zheng Zhihao"

Li Hong thanked the waiter and decided to do as instructed on the note, returning to her room to wait for him, though she wasn't sure how long it would take. She was a little hungry and needed to get herself something to eat. Just as Li Hong asked the waiter if they sold instant noodles, Li Li and Ma Guiping's parents came down the stairs. Li Hong then remembered that they were going to the police station that afternoon, and she had originally planned to go with them, but now it was unnecessary—whether his name was Zheng Zhihao or Yang Yunhui made little difference to her, as long as he could solve the mystery.

Li Hong didn't tell Li Li what she was busy with, only asking when they planned to leave. Li Li's parents seemed anxious; they decided to leave tomorrow or the day after. Li Li was surprised that Li Hong wasn't planning to return to Beijing yet, and also felt apologetic for having dragged Li Hong here. After seeing them off, Li Hong returned to her room.

Zheng Zhihao didn't return to the hotel until 4:30 PM. When he knocked on the door, Li Hong was lying on the bed reading a book.

Zheng Zhihao entered, sweating profusely, carrying a black plastic bag in his right hand. He asked for a glass of water and drank it down in large gulps, briefly inquiring about her health. Before Li Hong could ask him anything, Zheng Zhihao handed her the plastic bag: "This is what I dug out of the 104 bathroom, take a look."

Li Hong was very curious and immediately forgot her question and the fact that she wanted to thank him. She took the bag, opened it, and found that it contained an animal skeleton.

Li Hong carefully laid the skeleton on the floor, examining it closely. Zheng Zhihao stood beside her, silent, waiting patiently.

“This is a cat skeleton,” Li Hong said, picking up the skull as she did so. Wearing gloves, she handled it as if it were evidence to be presented in court, touching its teeth. “This cat must be about six or seven years old, but it doesn’t seem to be a common breed; its skull is smaller, and its limbs are longer.”

“Yes, I went out to investigate this skeleton,” Zheng Zhihao said. “It’s the skeleton of a Siamese cat, about 7 years old, and its teeth are already showing signs of aging. Take a look at the neck.”

Li Hong picked up the neck bones. Because the bones were completely broken, it took her a while to pick out the pieces. Holding them in her hands, Li Hong felt that the bones were still warm, unlike the human bones she usually dealt with at work. She carefully examined the bones.

"There are marks from a sharp blade. This cat must have been killed by someone cutting its throat with a sharp blade, right?"

"Pretty much. When I dug out the entire skeleton, I could see that it had been coiled into an incredible shape. I also dug out some keratinized claws, some of which were broken. In other words, when this cat was buried, even though its throat had been cut, it was not dead yet. It was still struggling and trying to climb out, and it struggled for a long time."

“That should be impossible!” Li Hong said. “Even by human lung capacity, from the moment the throat is cut and oxygen is lost until brain death, it can only last for 4 or 5 minutes. I don’t know how much lung capacity a cat has, but I don’t think it would still have that kind of strength, especially after such a huge injury.”

"Don't forget, this isn't an ordinary cat," Zheng Zhihao said in a deep voice.

24. Skeleton (2)

Li Hong shuddered as she examined the skeleton before her again. Relatively speaking, the skeleton was well-preserved, although several ribs were broken, but the fracture surface indicated that this had occurred after death. When the cat's throat was slit, despite being elderly, its physical condition was still quite good; judging from the grooves where the muscles attached, the cat was quite strong. However, it ultimately failed to crawl out of the ground. It was hard to imagine how the guests staying in room 104 would react if they knew that at the feet of their bathhouse lay a cat that had died with its eyes wide open, trying to crawl out of the ground. Just thinking about it made Li Hong feel uneasy, let alone the fact that she had actually walked over it several times that day.

"What else did you find out?" Li Hong stopped thinking about it and continued to ask, "Now I can't see anything from this anymore, I can't even tell the male from the female. I don't know anything about cat bones."

"Hehe, as expected, then my trip wasn't in vain." Zheng Zhihao sat up straight, finished the water in his cup, and then poured himself another. "This is a purebred black Siamese cat. The clues left on the bones have been basically clarified, so I deduced—don't interrupt, wait until I finish speaking before you ask—that its owner is a person with extraordinary abilities. According to the customs of some ethnic groups, black cats are guides for the soul, and its owner's profession should be similar to mine, someone who deals with the soul."

He paused, observing Li Hong's reaction, then continued, "Its owner was a witch, or a sorceress. This witch had raised this cat since it was a child, and indeed, as the legend says, the black cat became its servant. Logically speaking, a witch wouldn't kill her own pet black cat, but she did. As to why she did it, I can only speculate. I speculate that she killed the black cat to hunt, lure, and guide souls, and use them for her own purposes—this is a long-lost form of sympathetic magic in black witchcraft. Therefore, we can conclude that Ma Guiping was taken away by this black cat, and his soul has been obtained by the witch."

Zheng Zhihao took a sip of water and observed Li Hong. Just as he had predicted, her face was expressionless; she was completely dumbfounded. He laughed, "Looks like you didn't understand."

“No.” Li Hong ignored Zheng Zhihao’s laughter and said seriously, “Although I’ve never encountered anything like this before, I still find it too unbelievable. May I ask my question now?”

"Okay, go ahead and ask," Zheng Zhihao said, his expression turning serious as he was also affected by her earnestness.

"Are you sure it's a black cat? What's the evidence? I didn't know you could deduce a cat's fur color from its skeleton. Since your deduction is based on this, this issue can't be ignored," Li Hong said. "Of course, I don't know if other fur colors have the same effect, but I still need to confirm it."

She's amazing. Zheng Zhihao thought, "She's definitely not simple."

He replied seriously, "I found some remaining cat hair in the soil, which I can confirm is from this cat. The fur is completely black."

"That's good. You just said that witches usually don't kill their pet black cats, but she did it to perform a kind of witchcraft, right?"

"Yes."

"Can you be sure this behavior isn't for some other reason?"

“I can’t be 100% sure. Actually, as you can see, this cat was in good health before it died. I really can’t think of any reason why someone would kill a cat they’ve raised for so many years, especially since this cat meant more to its owner than just a pet,” Zheng Zhihao said.

"Has this kind of witchcraft been lost?"

"Yes, because it was too vicious, no one did it anymore, and it was lost to history."

“How did this witch learn it?” Li Hong frowned and said, “The previous speculations are all quite plausible, but I think there’s a problem with this one. Maybe she doesn’t know this kind of witchcraft, or maybe she’s never even heard of this kind of sympathetic witchcraft, just like me. Maybe she did it because she was desperate, or maybe the cat had internal injuries and she didn’t want it to suffer, or something like that—because we don’t know anything about this witch. We can’t jump to conclusions about her motives for burying the cat.”

Zheng Zhihao remained silent, only staring down at the bones on the ground. What she said made sense; indeed, we couldn't explain the witch's motives that way. You see, the black cat soul-snatching spell was an ancient witchcraft practiced by ethnic minorities in Southwest China and in medieval Europe, but in modern times, it's impossible for anyone to possess such a spell. It is precisely because of this terrifying black magic that the ominous legend of the black cat has persisted to the present day; the black cat soul-snatching spell is the root of this legend.

Li Hong was also deep in thought. To be honest, Zheng Zhihao had already analyzed the cat issue quite thoroughly; according to his speculation, the black cat was merely a tool. However, she still felt something was amiss, but she hadn't quite figured it out herself.

"Can you tell me about this kind of witchcraft?" Li Hong asked.

Zheng Zhihao was still in a daze, and it took him a while to say, "I don't know the specifics, but the general process is like this: bury a black cat (I don't know if there are any other requirements for this black cat) in the soil, and then perform some rituals. This black cat can bring you the souls of the dead, so that you can command these souls to serve you in this world and another world."

Hearing this, Li Hong suddenly realized what she had been struggling with: "In the 104 bathroom, I had such a bad feeling, you said it was because of the room, and the room was because of this thing buried there," she pointed to the skeleton, "but now, this thing is right in front of me, why don't I have any bad feelings?"

Zheng Zhihao looked up at her and asked, "Did you sense a cat in room 104 back then?"

"Ah! No, what I sensed was a person with long hair who completely covered their face."

“Yes. That’s right, because this cat was just a tool. When I dug it out, its soul field was completely released and then attacked you without any protection,” Zheng Zhihao said, picking up the cat skull. “That’s the cat’s soul field. And the unstable factor in room 104 is the soul field of the witch who controlled the black cat, which is the soul field I felt back then.”

"Then why did I lose those sensations after waking up in room 104?" Li Hong asked, still puzzled.

"Because the energy of that soul field increased, after we dug out the cat bones and broke her spell, she no longer needed to linger there."

"Where is the witch's soul field now?" Li Hong asked nervously, glancing around instinctively.

“It’s nearby, but I can’t pinpoint the exact location,” Zheng Zhihao said, scratching his head. “I don’t know where the witch’s remains are, but her spirit field is still around here, and now her target has shifted to you.”

"Why me?" A was very surprised.

Zheng Zhihao sighed: "I don't want to scare you, but you really can't escape now. Your body is already entangled by the black cat's soul field, and guided by it, the witch is determined to catch you."

25. Imprint

Li Hong felt her world had completely fallen apart. Although everything seemed normal on the surface, only she knew that something was wrong. Li Hong couldn't quite put her finger on what was wrong, but it certainly added a lot of burden to her mind.

She had already seen Zheng Zhihao off, but his words were still on her mind: "I don't know what the witch will do to you right now, but you must be very careful. I will put a talisman on your door tonight, but I don't know how many more days it will last. Once the witch's power increases, she can appear anywhere in this deserted inn, and you might even run into her during the day, although she can't harm you. But at night, it will be quite dangerous. So you must not leave this room."

"Of course you can leave here and go back to Beijing, but I believe the witch will definitely find you, and then you'll be at her mercy. So I think we'd better get rid of this guy. It might take some time; we need to figure out the witch's background and her relationship with this hotel. Once we do, I can handle the rest on my own."

What troubles Li Hong most right now is that she doesn't know how to approach the problem, especially the issue of ghosts. Despite what has happened, she still doesn't know how to deal with ghosts. Zheng Zhihao told her that due to the special nature of soul studies (unlike other sciences where experiments can be conducted to verify their authenticity), many scientists don't study this, but for someone like Zheng Zhihao, he must understand the soul. He does have a relatively thorough understanding of some aspects of the soul. For example, the essence of the soul can basically be explained as the consciousness of a living organism; for instance, when a person develops self-awareness, their soul arises simultaneously. However, the soul isn't as mysterious as legend suggests; it's merely a form of conscious energy. Therefore, when most ordinary people die, their souls are preserved for a very short time (although a short-term preserved soul field can still have some influence on the surrounding environment). Only those with strong willpower (or those who experience intense emotions at the time of death) can have their souls preserved for a long time and, under certain conditions, influence the surrounding environment, including through physical means.

As for the relationship between ghosts and souls, the former are actually souls that influence their surroundings, making people in this world aware of their existence (what is commonly known as seeing ghosts). Souls are everywhere; even animals and plants have souls. However, ghosts are relatively fewer in number. After all, the energy that influences the surroundings is very large for a soul, and only ghosts possess that kind of energy, becoming an uncertain factor in the environment (Zheng Zhihao refers to the phenomenon of frequent ghost appearances as an uncertain factor in the environment, which is commonly known as haunted houses and other similar places).

Zheng Zhihao also explained the different states of the soul to Li Hong. After death, consciousness, detached from the support of the body (the body provides energy to consciousness and sustains its existence; after death, consciousness can separate from the body and become the soul), enters a wandering state. In this state, it seeks the nearest and fastest "bioenergy body" to attach itself to. If that bioenergy body lacks consciousness, the wandering soul can successfully occupy it. Zheng Zhihao calls this soul transformation, commonly known as reincarnation. However, in most cases, supported by its own meager energy, the soul cannot find a bioenergy body lacking consciousness. Therefore, it is ultimately destroyed and decomposed by external energy (such as sunlight), transforming into other forms of energy (such as heat energy).

However, ghosts are not so easily destroyed. Their energy is orders of magnitude higher than that of a soul, and they can persist for a long time by attaching themselves to certain special environments (such as enclosed, damp, and dark places). Because they are conscious energy, they will take certain actions when conditions are right, such as seeking out living beings to transform into (reincarnation); forcibly possessing other living beings (possession); or continuing unfinished tasks from their previous life (such as seeking revenge). In short, the behavior of ghosts is difficult to predict.

Li Hong then asked Zheng Zhihao why his talisman could ward off ghost attacks. Zheng Zhihao explained that this was mainly because he infused the talisman with a large amount of energy during its creation, somewhat similar to the energy field of qigong, essentially a form of conscious energy, thus providing some protection against ghosts. However, if the ghost's energy was strong enough, it could still disrupt this energy field. That's why he said he didn't know how long it could last.

After instilling so many ideas in Li Hong that she had never heard of before, Zheng Zhihao left after giving her repeated instructions, leaving her with a strangely shaped amulet. Li Hong was now in a state of brainwashing, completely disconnected from her previous education. However, she didn't fully grasp the danger she faced; she only realized the seriousness of the situation after seeing Zheng Zhihao's earnest warning. But this still didn't shake her feeling of being in a mental hospital. In the end, Zheng Zhihao didn't teach her what to do if she saw a ghost; perhaps he had forgotten.

It was quite late, but Li Hong didn't feel hungry at all. She decided not to go downstairs to eat that night. She didn't eat much to begin with, and she'd eaten late in the afternoon, so skipping a meal wouldn't bother her. This wasn't, of course, about her figure, although she was quite satisfied with her physique.

"I'll take a shower. It looks like I won't be going anywhere tonight. I should go to bed early. Maybe something unusual will happen tonight, and I might not sleep well," Li Hong told herself. She could at least think about what had happened these past few days and how to investigate further. But she was out of clean clothes; she'd have to wash them after her shower.

Li Hong carried the last set of clean clothes into the bathroom. As soon as she took them off, she was startled by what she saw on her body. On her fair skin, there was something that looked like black ink, a dark patch. Upon closer inspection, the black substance resembled the marks left by thick hemp rope. Li Hong didn't know when she had gotten this substance on herself. She kept rinsing it with water, but even after scrubbing until it was red and painful, she couldn't wash it off. She then sniffed it carefully; there was no pungent smell like asphalt or tar. The mark looked exactly like a birthmark or mole, embedded in her skin.

Li Hong was very puzzled. Where did this thing come from? If that's the case, does that mean she won't be able to wear short-sleeved clothes anymore? She looked in the mirror again, but the black mark didn't show up at all in the mirror. There were only red spots left on her arms from when she was washing and scrubbing.

In that instant, she suddenly remembered that the location of the mark was one of the places where the mysterious aura had lingered that afternoon. She quickly checked her calf and the other arm, and as expected, there were similar black marks there, which also could not be seen in the mirror.

Li Hong felt her mind go blank. Was this the black cat's guidance? Was she really doomed?

26. Yin-Yang Eyes

After leaving the bathroom, Li Hong frantically searched for her phone. She had already memorized Zheng Zhihao's number, and now that she had discovered the ominous mark on her body, he was the first person she thought of—perhaps he could offer some solution. If this mark really could attract the witch, it would be best to deal with it before nightfall; otherwise, it would be too late when that long-haired, chilling witch ghost appeared before her.

It was simply unbelievable. While waiting for Zheng Zhihao to answer the phone, Li Hong thought to herself, "How could a ghost possess such power? And what's even stranger is that only I can see this mark now (I don't know if Zheng Zhihao can see it, but at least it's not reflected in the mirror)." If it were an ordinary mark, it could be that the black cat's energy field generated invisible rays similar to ultraviolet light, causing the basement membrane of the epidermis to produce melanin to protect the skin, thus creating the black mark. But this wasn't an ordinary mark. How could this be explained?

Zheng Zhihao was eating when he answered the phone. After listening to Li Hong's description, he pondered for a long time. "Hmm, I understand," Zheng Zhihao said. "I'll come to your place later to take a look. Is it convenient for others to see? I mean, on your body..."

"Ah, it's my arm and calf, it's nothing." Li Hong blushed slightly.

"That's good. Do you want to eat? I'll bring you some."

"Oh, thank you, but it's alright, I'm not very hungry."

After hanging up the phone, Li Hong felt a little more at ease. She changed into her pajamas and looked at her arm carefully again. The mark was now clearer and very noticeable on her white skin, but she couldn't see it in the mirror.

Zheng Zhihao arrived and brought her some steamed buns: "The waiter said we can't take the food home because it's free and the supply is limited, so we can't take it away—the food tonight was really good."

"Thank you, a steamed bun will do." Li Hong forced a smile at him.

"Alright, stop looking so gloomy." Zheng Zhihao noticed her unease. "Maybe it's not that serious. Let me take a look."

Li Hong stood there without moving, only raising her arm: "I don't know if you can see this."