Chapter 29: The Bleeding Banyan Tree

  This ancient ginkgo tree is over a thousand years old, with a trunk so thick that five people can barely encircle it. The tree stands at over 100 meters tall, its dense foliage a vibrant green, casting shade over an area of one square kilometer. Its roots stretch deep into the earth, covering the entire campus, and it is protected as a cultural relic. It's even considered a symbol of Jiangnan City, with few buildings in the city center taller than this tree. Conveniently located at the very heart of the school, it provides a cool retreat for students during the summer months, earning it the nickname "Mother Tree" of the Medical College, nurturing generations of students.

  Today is the day of soul return for students.

  "How can a woman commit suicide from such a tall tree?" I didn't believe it was a suicide at all.

  "Dummy, she hanged herself with a rope, her feet were less than thirty centimeters off the ground, it's easy, you go try." Mao Shi Jiu fiddled with a rope that had fallen from the tree.

  "He couldn't hold back his nature anymore. The medical school had just been on vacation for a week, and as soon as they came back, something like this happened, probably for him it was just a matter of time, waiting for the right moment to strike." Mao Shi Jiu took out a knife and slashed at the bark of the fig tree.

  The knife made a small incision on the tree, and the bark cracked open, revealing bright red blood that flowed out. A pungent smell wafted up, and after the blood stopped flowing, the area around the wound quickly healed, forming a withered scar.

  "Do you know why?"

  I shook my head in incredulity.

  "This is all real human blood. This tree has a strange aura and bleeds human blood. From what I've seen over the years, this tree should be a placenta."

  "What is placenta?"

  "Each of us before birth stays in the amniotic fluid of our mother, this shell is just like the amniotic fluid, it's a protective shell for the fetus, and these blood are the nutrient supply for the fetus."

  I roughly understood Mao 19's explanation, but I still don't get what that ghost thing is supposed to do.

  "At first, I didn't know what this ghost thing was going to do either, but since it snatched the Dragon Soul Pearl, I've had some epiphanies. Plus, with what Chang Aiyu said, I basically figured out the ghost's purpose." Mao Shi Jiu said with a furrowed brow.

  "What does he want to do after all?" I asked in puzzlement.

  "Mortals shouldn't ask about ghostly matters. Knowing too much will bring you bad luck, and I still can't tell you now, unless..." Mao Shi Jiu hesitated to speak further.

  "What if?" I asked immediately.

  "Unless you become my apprentice and follow me in learning Mao Shan Taoist magic." said Mao Shi Jiu very seriously.

  I remain silent.

  "Listen up, kid. Don't be ungrateful. From ancient times to the present day, the Mao Shan Dao Fa has been passed down internally and not externally, passed down to men but not women. If it weren't for this era where the Dao Fa is gradually declining, plus your eyes and physique, otherwise I would never have made an exception for you until my death. Mao Shi Jiu saw that I didn't respond, and finally couldn't help but speak up, his tone urgent and anxious."

  "You know I'm a medical student, destined to become a doctor. What's in it for me if I follow you and become a Taoist?"

  "What's good about it?" Mao Shi Jiu glared with wide eyes, "You ungrateful fellow who doesn't know the blessings you have, I let you learn Taoist skills with me, and didn't ask you to give up studying medicine, are you a pig?" Mao Shi Jiu cursed in frustration.

  It seems that I'm not at a loss after all. I smiled slyly, "I agree to it. But you have to provide me with food and accommodation every month, and preferably an internship salary as well." I sneered.

  "Damn it, you're my grandpa! How come I feel like the grandson and you're the grandfather. Room and board are fine, but don't even mention internship salary." Mao Shi Jiu said firmly.

  "If I raise a pet, you'll have to provide for its food and lodging too." At this time, Ah Mei, who had transformed into a field mouse, poked her head out of my sleeve, her small eyes looking at Mao Shi Jiu.

  "What about it? How much can it eat? Sold." Mao Nineteen saw Tian Shu hehe smiled.

  I was overjoyed, and with this, I not only had a solution for my own living expenses but also didn't have to worry about Ah Mei's meals anymore. Mao Shi Jiu might have been taken advantage of by me this time.

  "You'd better keep your word, otherwise I'll regret it too."

  Mao nodded in agreement.

  "Hey, what are you guys talking about? Any discoveries?" Li Jian Tian asked as he walked over from a distance.

  "Right, get your forensic doctor over here, I've got a few questions for him." Mao Shi Jiu said to Li Jian Tian.

  Before long, a stout man in white clothes and glasses walked over. Ma Shi Jiu whispered something to the forensic doctor, who then walked away.

  "What did you ask the forensic doctor?" I asked curiously.

  "Blood," I asked him, "did every single corpse in all the blood cases that have happened over the years bleed?" Cao Jingyu said with a mysterious tone.

  I looked at him with eager anticipation, wanting to know the answer.

  "Just as I guessed, the corpses from before and now haven't shed a single drop of blood, so where did their blood go?" Mao Shi Jiu paused for a second, then said, "Here." He knocked on the trunk.

  I stared in shock at this big banyan tree, the banyan tree we called Mother Tree was actually filled with the blood of students.

  "Why?"

  "All things have spirits, and this tree is no exception. It has been here for thousands of years, with deep roots, and the tree spirit has been nourishing this land for thousands of years. Logically speaking, the feng shui here should be very good, but there must be something that doesn't belong here that has disrupted the feng shui, forming the current gloomy atmosphere. The tree spirit has already been killed by evil spirits, and this tree is just an empty shell. On the surface, it still looks lush and green, but all its branches and leaves are being nourished by blood."

  "How detestable! This accursed thing is utterly mad!" I clenched my fists.

  "I haven't told you something even more outrageous yet, come on, it's useless staying here now, quickly follow me to pay respects to the master." said Mao Shi Jiu.

  "We can destroy this tree and stop the ghost thing, right?" I suddenly thought.

  "You're thinking too simply, let's not mention whether the country will investigate this cultural relic or not. Even if you dig up the tree, you can't destroy its roots, which have already spread out for who knows how many kilometers. There are roots everywhere, it's impossible to uproot the entire school. The only way to stop it now is to find the hidden one as soon as possible."

  "Alright, let's go. The ghost won't make a move for now. First, follow me to pay respects to my master, and I'll tell you the true purpose of the ghost." Mao Shi Jiu tempted me.

  Wait, I think I forgot something else.

  "What about Li Jian Tian?" I hastily shouted, and Mao Shi Jiu pointed him out to me, he was investigating in the front.

  "There's news about Lin Yu, it's an emergency now." I rushed over and said to Li Jian Tian.

  "What? Where is he now?" Li Jian Tian asked in surprise.

  "He was locked up by the son of the big boss of the Bull Fighting Group, and now the situation is critical."

  "How did you know?" Li Jian Tian asked.

  "I was buying flowers today when I accidentally ran into a man in black who claimed to be doing business for the Bull Fighting Group, so I followed him and eventually eavesdropped on their conversation at a villa. I quickly told you about the whole process."

  "Don't rush, let's think this through carefully. We'll head back to the police station first, make a plan, and then carry out the rescue." Li Jian Tian remained as calm as ever.

  "No way, he has to follow me back now and pay his respects to our master." Suddenly, Mao Shi Jiu appeared out of nowhere.

  "This......" Li Jian Tian's face was filled with difficulty.

  Li Jian Tian glanced at me and I thought that saving lives was more important than acknowledging him as my master, especially since he might become my brother-in-law in the future. I decided to return to the police station.

  "I'm going back to the police station." he said firmly.

  I was so angry that my hair almost stood on end.

  "Alright, alright, let's get started with the ceremony now. Heaven and earth are our witnesses." Mao Shi Jiu gritted his teeth and took out three incense sticks.

  "Come with me for now. It won't take up much of your time." Mao Shi Jiu dragged me along as we walked towards the riverbank.

  "Kneel down." Mao Shi Jiu suddenly said to me when we arrived at the riverbank.

  Although I was a bit reluctant, thinking that Bai Xue would still provide me with food and lodging made me happily kneel down.

  "Follow me and recite, heaven and earth as witness. I, Yang Guo, today pay respects to Master Ma Yu and acknowledge him as my teacher, from this day on, he is my father for life. The Supreme Old Lord above, tempering my body, giving me divine orders, transmitting the Taoist teachings to me, grateful and virtuous. A hundred ghosts below, from now on I have a pact with you all, benevolent spirits will be saved, malevolent spirits will be killed."

  I followed suit and recited it once more, and then saw Mao Zedong also kneel down.

  "My ancestor was the Lord of Cao Mountain, and it has been passed down to me for nineteen generations. I have no children under my knee, but now I see a rare talent who can revive the teachings of Cao Mountain. So I broke the rules and took him as my disciple. I hope our ancestors will forgive me." Cao Nineteen thought about this and bowed three times in the direction of the south.

  "Alright, get up. From now on, you're my disciple, the 20th generation successor of Mao Shan." Mao Nineteenth said to me as he stood up.

  "Will I be called Mao Twenty from now on?" I asked nervously.

  "It won't." Rarely seen Mao Shi Jiu so serious.

  "Hey, can I ask you something?"

  "Call me Master from now on, and you will no longer have any courtesy, serving me with etiquette."

  Damn it, when did this rule come out? Was it just now? I'm so frustrated.

  "Alright, Master, I'd like to ask you, what is zongzi?"

  "Zongzi? I'm afraid you're not referring to the zongzi eaten during Dragon Boat Festival?"

  I nodded.

  "Zombie, we Taoists of Maoshan call it Zongzi because it fears glutinous rice, so we use glutinous rice to wrap it up and that's how it got the name Zongzi."

  "It's bad, something big has happened." I suddenly realized that this phrase is often mentioned in Hong Kong ghost movies, and for a moment, I had forgotten.

  "What's wrong?" asked Mao Shi Jiu.

  "Let's go, we'll quickly return to the police station." I thought at the time and told them together.

  I quickly returned to the police station and told them everything.

  "You're saying you personally heard that the Taurus Group is going to transport a batch of zongzi from Xiangxi?" Mao Shi Jiu asked, smacking his lips.

  "Are you saying that you personally heard that the son of the Dou Niu Group caught Lin Yu?" Li Jian Tian also asked.

  Their concerns are fundamentally different, I nodded gloomily.

  "This zombie's power is quite formidable. If we don't stop this batch of zombies in time, the consequences will be unthinkable." Mao Shi Jiu said again.

  "If we still can't find Lin Yu, our superiors will hold us responsible." Li Jian Tian also looked worried.

  "Should we save people first or block the zombies first?" I asked speechlessly.

  "Save people." "Block zombies." They said in unison.

  Mao Shi Jiu and Li Jian Tian had a fight.

  "If they don't rescue him soon, his life will be in danger at any time."

  "If this batch of zombies isn't stopped, it won't be just one person dead later on."

  Ten minutes have passed and they are still arguing.

  "That's enough, you two. There is no lead on the zombie route now, how can we intercept? I think it's better to rescue people first."

  Li Jian Tian nodded quickly.

  Cao Caixia's face revealed a hint of worry.