Три призрака города

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Gu Ming raised his head and said in a low voice, "We didn't do anything."

The two female ghosts were taken aback for a moment, then nodded at us with a thoughtful expression and disappeared.

"Gu Ming?"

"kindness."

"What exactly is this?"

"What what what?"

"So, what did we do, and what were you saying just now?"

“There’s nothing to it.” Gu Ming smiled and patted my head. “Everything in this world should follow the cycle of nature. There is cause and effect. But sometimes, retribution comes too slowly. Those evil people will harm more people, and more wronged souls will appear. We just accelerated the appearance of the result and avoided some unnecessary trouble.”

"Gu Ming".

"kindness?"

I still don't understand.

Gu Ming sighed, "If that person didn't possess spiritual energy, he would have died countless times already. He has committed too many evils. If this continues, even more innocent people will be harmed. What we are doing is simply saving those who are about to be harmed by him. The sooner he dies, the less retribution he will suffer. In a way, we have saved him..."

"What kind of twisted logic is this?"

"Nothing is absolute."

"But you didn't tell me in the first place that the person would die, and in such a terrible way. I feel like I'm an accomplice, like I killed someone, and it makes me uncomfortable."

"Xiao Mo, actually I didn't want you to see these things. We could have done it without you even realizing it. But after today, you might see even more. This trip to Hangzhou will definitely not be smooth sailing. Consider this a preview for you to get used to things. You need to know that sometimes it's impossible to clearly distinguish between good and evil, and the same goes for right and wrong. Just do whatever you can be true to yourself."

"Gu Ming, are you hiding something from me?"

"I've answered that question before. The answer remains the same."

"Gu Ming".

"kindness?"

"Actually, what I want to say is that I still don't understand what you just said."

"Xiao Mo."

"kindness?"

"If you don't understand, then don't try to understand. There are too many things in your head that you don't understand, so this won't make a difference."

"oh……"

After getting off the plane, the air was warm; the difference between the north and south was truly striking, and the scent of spring was everywhere. Gu Ming took me directly to the hotel we had booked to rest. In the afternoon, we went to the mall and supermarket to buy some clothes and daily necessities, returning home laden with purchases.

When I went out for dinner that evening, I bought a newspaper and read it carefully, but I didn't find any news about the plane crash that morning. Gu Ming said that some things won't be made public, for the sake of interests, power, or other things. I didn't understand, and he rolled his eyes at me and said, "I didn't expect you to understand anyway."

My first day in Hangzhou passed by like this; I didn't visit West Lake or see any of its beautiful scenery, just spent it quietly. Tomorrow, I should go see Xiao Bi and Deng Fei. I wonder what Gu Ming's plans are; I feel a little apprehensive and uneasy, but the days just pass by...

April 3, 2005, during the Qingming Festival, it rained heavily.

I woke up at 7:05 this morning, quickly got ready, and went with Gu Ming to look for them. Actually, I had no idea where Xiao Bi and Deng Fei were in this city, or maybe they had already left, but since we were here, we should at least try to find them.

Gu Ming first took me to a restaurant for breakfast. I asked him where we were going to look for Deng Fei later, and he said West Lake, because I had seen Deng Fei reflected in the lake. Even if it was just an illusion, it was still our only clue. I then asked him why we didn't ask Xia Canyue to come and help, since she was also in Hangzhou. Gu Ming shook his head and said she had other important matters to attend to and couldn't get away.

When we arrived at West Lake, we found that it was drizzling. There was no need for an umbrella. The damp air mixed with the smell of earth made the whole view blurry. If we didn't have anything on our minds, we would have sat by the lake and enjoyed it all day. But now we just kept looking around among the crowds of tourists, hoping to find a familiar figure.

"It's just like when the White Snake was looking for Xu Xian." I sighed. "Except that the White Snake could use magic to see people's past lives and find the little shepherd boy."

“I can also use magic to see people’s past lives,” Gu Ming smiled. “But all we need to do is find Xiao Bi and Deng Fei in this life.”

Walking along the lake, stopping and starting, Gu Ming didn't stare at the crowd like I did, but instead looked at the lake from time to time. After a while, he suddenly asked me, "Where did you see Deng Fei's shadow?"

"Hmm?" I frowned. "It seems to be in the lake under the bridge."

Gu Ming thought for a moment, then pulled me aside and said, "Come on, let's go take a look over there."

As I walked onto the broken bridge, the scene of their meeting in the Legend of the White Snake came to mind. Perhaps many years ago, the White Snake and Xu Xian stood right where I was now, gazing at each other in silence. Gu Ming glanced at me and gave me a sharp rap on the head. "What are you thinking about now?"

"The Legend of the White Snake." I grimaced and rubbed my head. "Can you please stop hitting me?"

Gu Ming chuckled and, feigning kindness, reached out to ruffle my hair. "You want to have a reunion on the Broken Bridge too?"

"If I could, I'd also like to wear traditional Chinese clothing." I rolled my eyes at him.

Gu Ming's face twitched slightly, and he raised his eyebrows, saying, "I think it would be better to find Xiao Bi and Deng Fei first. Xiao Bi might look more interesting in ancient costume."

"Deng Fei is more handsome than you."

"Your eyes are playing tricks on you." Gu Ming sneered, pulling me along. "Hurry up and think about which location it is. If you can't find Deng Fei, I'll make you wear ancient costumes and serve dishes under the moonlight every day."

I glared at him and looked down at the lake under the bridge. The entire lake was shrouded in a misty haze in the drizzle. If I remembered correctly, the Deng Fei I saw in the moonlight using the Illusion Technique flashed across the lake under this bridge that day. But that was a distant view. Now, even up close, the reflection in the water wasn't very clear. How could I have seen Deng Fei back then?

"Is this the place?" Gu Ming asked from the side.

"It seems so." I sighed.

"Give me your phone," Gu Ming said, gazing at the lake.

I took my phone out of my bag and handed it to him. He pressed a few buttons, put it to his ear, and then stared intently at the lake. After a few seconds, he put the phone down and gave it back to me.

"What's wrong? Who did you call?" I asked.

"Xiao Bi."

"It's connected?"

"No."

"Should we call Deng Fei again?" I asked tentatively, wondering why I should call Xiao Bi at this time, especially since Xiao Bi's phone was definitely off.

"No need, let's go, let's look somewhere else." Gu Ming turned to look at me and said.

After strolling around West Lake and seeing the scenery, I still couldn't find anyone. So, I went straight to lunch. The restaurant Gu Ming took me to looked ridiculously expensive, but the West Lake Vinegar Fish was really delicious. I forgot all about the price of the dish as I ate.

After dinner, Gu Ming suggested we go for a casual stroll, but little did I know that his "casual stroll" turned into a tour of all the tourist attractions. By the time it got dark, I was back in the hotel, collapsed onto the big bed, and didn't want to move at all. Although Hangzhou is indeed very beautiful, living up to the saying "Above is heaven, below are Suzhou and Hangzhou," for someone who lacks exercise, visiting so many places in one afternoon was really exhausting.

When Gu Ming pushed the door open, he saw me lying there like a dead dog, completely exhausted. He laughed as he walked over and tugged at my hair. "Let's go eat."

"No, I'd rather starve than get out of bed."

Gu Ming pinched my cheek and said, "You're really lazy. Just order takeout."

So dinner was quickly finished.

At nine o'clock in the evening, I had already taken a shower and was watching TV with my eyelids drooping when Gu Ming ran in with a bag of snacks and gave it to me. "You should go to sleep early. I'm going out for a bit."

I immediately opened my eyes wide, wide with renewed energy. "What are we going out for?"

"Go find something, I'll be right back."

"Is there some clue? I want to go too."

"You stay here and don't go out, you hear me? I can manage on my own."

"Why?" I asked him.

"What's the date today?" he suddenly asked me.

"Number 3".

“It’s almost Qingming Festival. Do you know the days before and after Qingming? Around that time, ghosts, both big and small, come up from below to visit their relatives. There are also wandering ghosts everywhere, plus some evil monsters. I’m afraid you’ll be scared if you go out.” Gu Ming smiled. “The yin energy is too heavy these nights. It’s really not safe.”

"Then you shouldn't go out either." When I heard him say that, I did feel a little scared.

“Some things can’t be done during the day, so they have to be done at night,” Gu Ming said, then suddenly gave a sly smile. “Are you worried about me?”

"Huh?" I didn't react for a moment.

"I know I'm more handsome than Deng Fei. You'd rather not find Deng Fei than see me in any danger, right? Hehe."

“That…Gu Ming.”

"ah?"

"You're a narcissist."

Gu Ming pursed his lips and looked at me, then smiled. "Alright, you just stay here and go to sleep early. Remember, whatever you do, don't go out."

When will you be back?

"Before 2 o'clock."

"Huh? It's been so long, what are you going to do?" I thought to myself, it's only nine o'clock, what could be going on that takes five hours?

"Go chat with the big and little ghosts, and enjoy the night view of West Lake. Maybe you'll even encounter a white snake and have a human-demon romance..." Gu Ming laughed as he left, but paused by the door and added, "Xiao Mo, listen carefully, no matter what time I come back, you're not allowed to leave, understand?"

I was taken aback, and as I watched his retreating figure, my heart sank. I murmured a reply, "Oh."

After Gu Ming left, my drowsiness was chased away. I watched TV for a while, ate some snacks, and checked the time; it was only 10:30. Bored, I drew back the curtains to let in some fresh air, only to find the streets outside the hotel pitch black, with almost no pedestrians around—it was really strange.

Another hour passed, the wind picked up, and the temperature dropped considerably. I closed the window and leaned against it, wanting to look at the stars. Suddenly, I remembered it was a cloudy day; there were no stars to be seen. But if Gu Ming were here, he could conjure them up. Then I recalled that hazy kiss from that day, quickly tapped my head, and looked out the window.

What I saw startled me. The once deserted street was suddenly filled with figures, bustling like a market. But upon closer inspection, those weren't human figures at all; they were clearly ghosts. I shrank back, realizing it was the first time in my life I'd seen so many ghosts, and goosebumps covered my skin. It seemed Gu Ming was right; thank goodness I hadn't gone outside, or I would have been scared to death or crushed by the ghosts.

But where did Gu Ming go?

Light rain on April 4, 2005

I spent the early hours of this morning with my eyes open. When Gu Ming hadn't returned by 1 a.m., I figured he might not be back for another hour or so. I secretly opened the curtains to look at the street, but I almost burst into tears as soon as I opened a corner of the curtain.

Across the way, separated by a pane of glass, a male ghost dressed in Hanfu was floating around, mouth agape, staring at me. I forced a twitching smile, then quickly pulled down the curtain, thinking how lucky I was. Before my smile could even relax, I heard a knocking sound on the window.

Smack! Smack! Smack!

The knocking was neither fast nor slow, but rather a series of taps, like the stiff, rhythmic thumping of bones from a person who had just crawled out of a grave. I covered my face, thinking, "What did I do to deserve this? I just pulled the curtain closed, why is that ghost in Hanfu outside knocking on my window to scare me?"

Clap clap! Clap clap! Clap clap!

The knocking seemed to quicken, relentlessly continuing. My heart was pounding, and for some reason, a surge of anger welled up inside me. I reached out and yanked open the curtain. The ghost across the way was habitually reaching out and floating in mid-air, banging on the window. When it saw me glaring at it, it suddenly gave a blank look, then its hand froze in mid-air as it stared back at me.

"What are you doing? What did I do to you?"

Are you out of your mind to be frightening people by floating in front of their windows in the middle of the night?