Witchcraft

  Thirty years ago, what exactly happened to my father in Yunnan? If my conjecture is true, was it the symbol that Ah-shu-na painted on my face that subdued the female ghost and saved my life? Then, what did my father encounter back then?

  I recalled what Liu Zhen said, after the investigation in Yunnan thirty years ago, my father's research direction suddenly shifted to the field of mysticism. The reason for this is likely that my father encountered a series of strange and bizarre events that were enough to subvert his entire worldview.

  Suddenly, a rather bold conjecture emerged in my mind - could it be that I am now experiencing what my father had already experienced thirty years ago? Is all of this just a reenactment of history?

  As I thought, I glanced around the long-faced young man's room. The house was not big, but very clean, even a bit too clean. I subconsciously touched the wall inside and found that there was a thick layer of dust on it, which didn't look like someone lived here at all. A doubt suddenly arose in my heart, and I couldn't help but wonder if the long-faced young man named Liang Zan really lived here, or was this actually Duan Yuwen's room?

  I'm filled with doubts in my heart, thinking that there are still so many things that haven't been explained, but the confusion before me is getting thicker and thicker. What's the relationship between Liang Zan and Duan Yuwen again?

  A young man in his twenties lives in a dilapidated and abandoned old apartment building rumored to be haunted, which is already quite suspicious, plus a melancholic Wen...

  Thinking of this, I shook my head hard and recalled Liu Zhen's advice to me - I always like to complicate things, sometimes using the simplest thinking can get closer to the truth of the puzzle.

  Simple thoughts, simple thoughts, I muttered to myself in my heart.

  As I thought about it, I suddenly burst out: "Damn it, how can it be so simple? I'm completely at a loss! No way, no matter what, I must find Duan Yuwen!"

  I thought of that Lian Zan, his tone and actions seemed to be wanting to help me. Now Liu Zhen has been seriously injured, it seems that at present I can only hope for this long-faced guy.

  If it wasn't for Liang Zan pulling me into the house from the corridor just now, that madwoman's appearance might have stirred up some trouble again.

  I came to the door, put my ear against it, and listened for any movement outside. But after listening for a while, except for a few meows of cats and the rustling sound that had been going on since the beginning, there was no human voice in the entire corridor, nor did I know what was happening in the corridor at this moment.

  I tentatively pushed the door open a crack, and found that the corridor, which had been freezing just now, had returned to its normal temperature. Was everything I experienced in the corridor just an illusion?

  So I plucked up my courage and stuck my head out of the door to see what was happening outside.

  As soon as I poked my head out, the scene in front of me made my heart tighten, and a chill ran down my spine.

  All that could be seen was the dimly lit corridor, which was somehow filled with countless stray cats at some point. Upon closer inspection, the stray cats were either big or small, black or grey, but there were no white cats.

  I've always known that cats are afraid of water, they all use their tongues to clean their fur, but the ones in front of me in this entire corridor are all dripping wet. Their black fur is matted into strands, like a hedgehog's quills, sticking straight up on their bodies.

  What chilled me to the bone was that all these cats had suffered severe injuries to varying degrees. Some of them had their eyeballs dug out, some had incomplete ears, and others were even more miserable, with their bellies seemingly slashed open by a knife, with half of their intestines dangling on the ground and swaying back and forth. Accompanying this was also a strong stench that was hard to bear.

  They say cats are the most particular about independence and self-reliance, but the ones in front of me were like zombies, although there were many of them, they all stood facing this side of the corridor. Those small eyes had a faint green glow, their slender pupils looked eerie in the corridor, they swayed back and forth, walking towards me, just like a roly-poly, although without balance, but didn't fall down.

  As I followed the group of cats to the other side of the corridor, I suddenly gasped in shock. There, standing in the middle of the corridor, was the madwoman holding a candle, its weak flame flickering and casting an eerie glow on her wooden-like old face. Her eyes were dull and lifeless, her lower jaw seemed to be broken, and her chin hung limply on her chest, with saliva dripping from her sparse black teeth onto her chest. And on her back, perched a gigantic black cat with only one eye, which had just spotted me and let out a shrill cry.

  However, I didn't feel scared because not far from my door, Lyang Zan and Bo Jin were standing shoulder to shoulder, seemingly unafraid of the scene in front of them.

  I gazed at Bo Jin's slender back, and couldn't help but feel worried for her. After all, that crazy old woman was far more sinister than the strange ghostly figure in the hotel bathtub.

  I never thought that my worries were completely unnecessary. The old cat on the back of the crazy woman let out a sharp cry, and Bu Jin suddenly realized that there might be movement behind him, so he quickly turned his head around.

  In that instant when she turned around and our eyes met, my first reaction was surprisingly that she wasn't Long Buzhen! Because the face that turned around was one I couldn't make out clearly, but those strange eyes of hers emitted a blood-red glow, as if her entire eyes were bleeding.

  Just as I was standing there, not daring to move, Liang Zan rushed over again. This time, he grabbed my collar and shouted loudly: "You little bear, weren't you told to stay in the house? Get back inside!"

  As he spoke, he kicked me into the house with one foot and slammed the door shut with a bang.

  His kick was very forceful and happened to land right on my stomach, causing a wave of nausea in my belly, almost making me vomit, and my consciousness began to blur.

  I don't know how long it took, but I came to. I thought for sure that by now I would have been moved to a safe place, like in the movies. But this was real life, and when I came around, I found myself still in Liazan's little hut. Apparently, I had only fainted for ten or fifteen minutes.

  However, at this time Liang Zan and Bo Jin were also in the house.

  I sat up and rubbed my belly, only to find that Lyang Zan was sitting right in front of me, grinning at me foolishly.

  "How can you still smile? You little scoundrel, your hands are too black." I complained.

  "It's still my fault?" Liang Zan said: "If it wasn't for that one kick of mine, you wouldn't necessarily have stirred up more trouble again."

  I saw that Liang Zan's face was covered in bruises, as if he had been scratched by a cat. Upon closer inspection, I also noticed Bu Jin standing silently to the side, her face pale and bloodless, although she didn't seem to be injured.

  "Seeing this situation, I asked: 'What? Has that madwoman been dealt with?'"

  Liang Zan nodded and said: "The problem is solved, but what's been solved isn't the madwoman you mentioned, it's that old black cat."

  "A cat?" I asked in puzzlement: "Could it be that you two were just fighting with a cat outside? Besides, there were so many cats in the corridor at that time, which one are you talking about?"

  "Who else could it be? Of course, it's that cat on the back of that crazy old woman."

  "What's going on with this old apartment, anyway?" I couldn't help but ask.

  Liang Zan smiled and pointed at Bo Jin, saying: "That madwoman, after all, is in the same profession as this girl, they are both ghostly matchmakers."

  "What's a Cao Gui Po? What kind of occupation is that?" I asked.

  Liang Zan shook his head and said: "You really are stupid, Cao Guibao is what we call a Gu poisoner, a witch who casts spells, do you understand, kid?"

  "Don't call me a kid, we're not necessarily who's older than whom." I said discontentedly.

  "Can you be bigger than me?" Liang Zan laughed with joy, bending forward and backward.

  "Stop, stop, stop! I'm telling you, you're sick, can't you speak properly? Stop smiling, every time I see your big buck teeth, I feel nauseous!" I said: "You'd better tell me about this old apartment and that crazy woman quickly."

  "This is simple, do I need to say it?" Liang Zan said, but when he saw my expression, he felt that it was still necessary to tell me carefully, so he said: "Do you know what a Gu is?"

  I nodded and said, "You've already asked this question earlier, haven't you?"

  Liang Zan nodded and said, "Gu worms are not necessarily poisonous insects. Cats, dogs, or even humans can become Gu. The person who raises the Gu will first put a group of poisonous insects in a sealed container. After years, the poisonous insects will eat each other, leaving only one last one, which is the Gu. Similarly, cat Gu is also produced in this way."

  I was stunned and suddenly had a feeling of listening to advanced math classes in college, shook my head and said, "I don't understand."

  Liang Zan let out a sigh, as if he was frustrated with my foolishness, and continued: "I'll give you a reminder: think carefully about this old apartment building that's over thirty years old, and the old cat inside."

  I thought for a moment and suddenly reacted, saying: "Could it be that this entire apartment building is the crazy woman's breeding vessel?"

  Liang Zan patted his thigh and said, "Young man, you've finally figured it out, you have a future!"

  I didn't have time to chat with him idly, so I hurriedly said: "No no no, I haven't fully understood, you continue speaking."

  Liang Zan continued, "This is indeed a good idea, but that old hag was already old and weak when she made this Gu, and couldn't even withstand these almost-sentient old cats." Liang Zan clicked his tongue and continued, "In other words, if that old hag were ten or so years younger, she would definitely be able to raise an unbeatable cat Gu."

  "Are you saying that this Gu technique has a weakness?" I asked.

  Liang Zan replied, "It's not just a flaw, this Gu has never been properly cultivated! About thirty years ago, this old hag set her sights on this old apartment building because it was a place where wind and water converged, making it an extremely yin location. Furthermore, there had once been a woman who hung herself here, so the yin energy was even more pronounced. So, that madwoman pretended to be the mother of the woman who hanged herself and snuck into this apartment building, using various methods to attract stray cats from all over town to gather here, starting her Gu cultivation plan, letting these stray cats devour each other. However, cats are different from insects and aren't so easily controlled living creatures. In the end, that madwoman was counter-attacked by the Gu while cultivating it, not only failing to control that old cat but also being controlled by it."

  "What about that crazy woman now?" I asked.

  "He's dead," Liang Zan replied nonchalantly. "My friend and I took care of that old cat, and the other venomous cats turned on their owner, biting that crazy woman to death. Her soul, along with that of the woman who hanged herself, was collected by my friend."

  "Got it?" I was somewhat puzzled, and the scene of her overlapping with the ghost in the hotel flashed into my mind, so I didn't ask any more questions. I sighed and said, "It turns out that Guhuang is really that formidable, even the person who raises the Gu can encounter risks."

  "Of course," said Lyang Zan, "haven't you heard that saying?"

  "What's up?"

  "Entering the market has risks, be cautious."

  I'm going to fall!

  "What the hell are you talking about?!" I cursed, growing up like this, people like him, I really met for the first time.

  Liang Zan didn't tease me about Dashan anymore, but instead said: "Forget it, forget it, I won't tease you.

  I was suddenly startled and thought to myself that I almost forgot about the important matter, so I quickly nodded and said: "Right, this is the most urgent thing."

  But I turned around and looked at Liu Zhen, who was still lying in bed and hadn't woken up yet, and Bu Jin, who was standing beside him with a pale face. After thinking for a moment, I said: "Why don't we go again tomorrow morning? Liu Zhen hasn't woken up yet, and Bu Jin...

  Liang Zan shook his head and said: "Just now, and only you can go. That kid and this girl must stay here."

  Bo Jin seemed to have understood Liang Zan's words and turned his head to look at him.

  Liang Zan didn't bother with her but instead said to me: "Let's get going now, hurry up."

  I nodded, but still had some doubts. Liang Zan probably guessed my thoughts and said: "Don't worry, this girl won't run away, her thinking hasn't reached that level yet. You don't have to worry about your friend either. All the hornets in the entire apartment building have flown away, nothing else will happen."

  After he said that, I nodded in relief and followed him out of the old apartment. It was already 1 o'clock in the morning, there were almost no pedestrians outside, the road was empty, and the gloomy clouds that had been suppressed all day still hadn't dropped a single drop of rain.

  I asked Liang Zan if the road was far away, and Liang Zan said it would take only four or five minutes to get there.

  Sure, here is the translation:

  As expected, we walked for less than five minutes and arrived at a small inn. Lyazan said to me, "It's right here."

  I was surprised and thought to myself that this person had been living in Yunnan for so long, could it be that he had always been staying in hotels? That would be a rather large expense.

  However, these are minor matters and I'm too lazy to think about them. I follow Lyasan into the hotel. When we reach a door, Lyasan knocks on it. After a while, a familiar voice comes from inside: "Lyasan?"

  My heart skipped a beat, this was indeed the voice of Master Duan. Liang Zan responded with a "yes" at the door, and soon after, Master Duan opened the locked room door. As I saw him, I found that all the doubts in my mind couldn't be expressed at this moment. Master Duan, no, now I should call him Duan Yuwen, he seemed to have aged a lot in these few days.

  I walked into the house with Lian Zan, it was a very ordinary standard room, without any extra decorations.

  Duan Yuwen had us two sit on the bed, while he sat in a chair opposite us.

  Duan Yuwen looked like he was in no hurry at all. He locked the door, glanced at his watch, and seemed to be preparing to tell a very long story.

  He pondered for a moment and then said to me, "Pei Xi, if you can come find me tonight, it means your father has decided to let you take on the task that was originally given to your brother."

  I was just about to interrupt, but Duan Yuwen waved his hand and continued: "You don't need to ask, I'll explain the whole story to you myself. It all started thirty years ago."

  I nodded, indicating that I was ready to listen to a long story. But unexpectedly, as soon as he opened his mouth, he said something that shocked me extremely - "Actually, the real planner of the Yunnan investigation thirty years ago was not your father, but Wang Chengbao."