(6) You in my dream

  In the abbot's quarters of Dàmù Temple, the president of the Spirit Association, Bi Guang Fashi, sat motionless. A young monk with a clear face came in to make tea and was about to leave when he was stopped by Zhang Haiyang.

  "Intelligent, where did your uncle Master Mu go?"

  The monk named Intelligent Guest hesitated with a difficult expression, glanced at Bi Guang several times before answering.

  "Master Bi Mu has been in seclusion since last week and is still in the cave at Wang Xing Ya."

  With a slight cough, the hand under her sleeve made a few subtle gestures, and the intelligent being discreetly retreated.

  "My brother, Bi Mu, has gone mad. He's always thinking about becoming a Buddha or an ancestor, but he can't let go of his worldly desires... Alas! The thirteen evil spirits are about to reappear in the mortal world, and Tian Nan City is going to be thrown into chaos."

  Bì Mù is Bì Guāng's junior fellow apprentice, both of whom graduated from the same batch of Abbot training class and were assigned to the same temple out of over 300 people. Bì Guāng became the abbot, while Bì Mù became the first seat. Bì Mù had no opinion on the unreasonable assignment, he was only devoted to cultivating Buddhism and becoming a saint. As soon as he arrived at Dàmù Temple, he rushed to the Scripture Pavilion, turned everything upside down, and actually found an unnamed register. After several months, he really practiced some famous skills. In last year's Thirteen Evil Spirits incident, if the Six Departments had not been assisted by Bì Mù, they would have definitely lost a few personnel.

  Zhang Haiyang looked for Pi Mu because he was extremely sensitive to the thirteen evil spirits, and as long as they appeared in the world, Pi Mu would be the first to know. And the person who released the thirteen evil spirits was Wang Nian. So as long as they found the thirteen evil spirits, they would definitely find Wang Nian.

  The thirteen evil spirits may appear at any time now, but Bì Mù is in seclusion and it's unknown when he will come out.

  Zhang Haiyang's eyes suddenly became somewhat anxious, and a nameless evil fire jumped in his heart. He stood up abruptly, but didn't know what he wanted to do, only using his eyes to glance around the room. Pi Guang remained seated motionlessly, but his eyes never left Zhang Haiyang for a moment.

  "Who... who... who am I?"

  Zhang Haiyang's voice was hoarse, and his eyes kept flickering with an eerie glow, as if two balls of ghost fire were burning in his pupils, both wanting to be the master of this body.

  "You are who you are, names are just fleeting clouds, this sky and earth have never changed."

  The sound of the explosion was like a thunderclap, blasting in Zhang Haiyang's ears. He stood there, stunned and motionless for a long time before his face finally showed some expression, like ice meeting warm sunlight, slowly melting away. It seemed as if he had come to a realization, yet also looked surprised.

  "So that's how it is!"

  When Zhang Haiyang sat down, the door of the abbot's room was kicked open by someone, and a tall, thin monk with a full beard and mustache rushed in. He wore a pair of gold-rimmed ultra-thin glasses, a greasy cassock, and a pair of Nike sneakers on his bare feet, revealing his emaciated ankles. It was unclear how long he hadn't taken a bath, as his entire body emitted a highly suspicious odor, as if he had fallen into a cesspit and then dried off in the sun, possibly even rinsing himself with equally suspicious polluted water.

  The one who burst in was none other than Bie Mu.

  Zhang Haiyang and Pi Guang simultaneously tilted their necks back, but still couldn't avoid the foul smell that surged into the house.

  "Halt! Which evil spirit dares to intrude into Da Mu Temple? Show yourself before this monk!"

  "Junior brother, you'd better go wash up first before meeting guests!"

  Bai Guang pinched his nose and said, Bai Mu didn't respond, instead he stared with his turbid eyes, scanning the room up and down, before finally focusing on Zhang Haiyang's body, gazing at him for a moment.

  "I say, you're acting strange!"

  On a container ship in the harbor, Shi Li suddenly opened his eyes at the same moment Zhang Haiyang fell into chaos.

  "Did you hear that, Brother Chuan?"

  Yi Chuan had already fallen asleep in front of the computer and didn't hear Shi Li's words at all, but Shi Li continued to talk.

  "This sky is the sky, this earth is the earth, these myriad things are just myriad things, and I am myself. Life and death have no distinction, you see, I heard his voice, and he also heard my voice, I am him, he is me, it's truly wondrous. But Brother Chuan, you wouldn't know what makes us hear each other's voices, that's an even more wondrous feeling. Do you know? I think I saw Gao Qian, she came back to life, only changed into a different state. Life is indeed a strange thing, death is not the end, nor is it the beginning, but just any point on a circle. Do you understand? Death and life, every moment is a beginning, an ending, all are instantaneous things."

  History seems to be murmuring to itself, with a gleam of joy flashing in its eyes.

  "I think, perhaps, I can create life!"

  Shi Li closed his eyes again, a smile hanging from the corner of his mouth, looking eerie and inexplicable under the flashing lights of various instruments.

  Yikawa Yusha suddenly shivered and woke up from his sleep, tightening his collar as if he was not adapted to the chilly temperature in the container. The computer was still analyzing a set of data, which had reached 70% and would take another twenty minutes to finish. Yikawa Yusha got up to check on Shiri's situation, everything was normal, but the smile at the corner of his mouth left Yikawa Yusha puzzled for a long time.

  "Without the regenerative fluid, even if he was injected with several times the normal dose of morphine, he should be writhing in agony, how could he possibly be smiling? Is it... that he has a masochistic tendency?"

  After a river of rain fell, he indulged in wild fancies for a while, then once again threw himself into the experiment of configuring new solvents.

  Wang Nian stood up with the help of his older brother Wang, took off the black jade that had been hanging from his neck, made a few strange movements and then closed his eyes.

  The villa fell into silence, with the afternoon sun shining in at an angle, hesitantly stopping in front of Wang Nian's feet, like a shy little girl. On the other side of the wall, the college student couple also quieted down, not knowing whether they had fallen asleep from hunger or extreme fatigue.

  Big Brother Wang didn't dare move or make a sound, he had no idea what Wang Nian was doing, and could only guess in his heart.

  "What's going on here? It looks like some sort of ritual. This movement, it seems familiar... Could it be the remnants of the Wheel Clan?! In that case, I'll have to put an end to this myself!"

  Big Brother Wang Zheng was lost in thought when he suddenly felt the temperature drop inside the villa. He looked out the window to see the sun shining brightly, although it was late autumn and a typhoon had just passed through, the leaves on the trees were still green and the grass didn't show any signs of withering. How could the villa have suddenly turned cold? Just as Big Brother Wang Zheng was about to lean forward to check if there was an air conditioner installed outside, a gust of wind suddenly blew inside the tightly closed room.

  There was an electromagnetic response, and scraps of paper and plastic bags floated up.

  When Big Brother Wang turned around, a faint figure appeared in front of Wang Nian, emitting a pale green glow.

  "Ghost... Oh no!"

  Before Wang's older brother fainted, the last thing he heard was Wang Nianxi's extremely sad and crying voice.

  "You said, will Zhang Haiyang go to Dàmù Temple?"

  In the office of the Foreign Affairs Department, Professor Yu suddenly said to Tang Hongming, Director Li stood by the window, his eyes never leaving a certain unknown direction in the distance.

  "If he were Zhang Haiyang, he would; if he were Shi Li, then this should be in Liu Ke."

  Tang Hong stood up and walked towards the door, but suddenly stopped and continued speaking.

  "No matter where he is, I have planted people there and will get news soon."

  When the door closed, Director Li let out a soft sigh and turned around to see Professor Yu putting his Da Zhonghua into his pocket, his face suddenly changed.

  "How can you be so shameless!"

  The professor pretended he hadn't heard anything and stood up too.

  "Cough cough, no matter what, I'll definitely intervene in Shi Li's affairs. Don't worry, even if I can't return a complete genius to you, at least I can guarantee his life."

  "Am I worried about history? When the thirteen evil spirits come out, the entire Tian Nan City will be unstable... Hey, don't leave, leave the cigarette behind!"

  "Don't worry, I've got your back! No need to see me off, we're so familiar with each other."

  Yu reached the door in three steps. Before Liu Li could cast a curious glance into the room, he had already exited the Foreign Affairs Department.

  Li Ke sat down behind his desk, scratched his head and finally let out a sigh.

  "The people from the Sixth Department are indeed efficient, they found their target so quickly. It's about time for me to get some exercise too, it's been many years since I last held a gun, how nostalgic!"

  Five minutes later, Li Kezhang appeared at the gun store.

  "I am Li Changke, taking rifle No. 9 and special ammunition."

  Li Changke's eyes blazed with fierce flames.

  The villa of Zhang Haiyang in Haitian Huayuan was quiet and deserted.

  Just a moment before, Lily was humming popular songs and watching DVDs, but now she is curled up in the corner of her bed, her charming eyes scanning the room in terror.

  This bedroom faces the sea, with floor-to-ceiling windows that haven't been closed. The light curtains are blown up by the sea breeze and flutter into the room.

  The window is bright and clean, without a speck of dust.

  The image on the plasma TV had frozen, and what was playing was Leslie Cheung's last film "A Chinese Ghost Story", with a female ghost emerging from a door. But these were all fake, so it wasn't these that Lily was afraid of. The ceiling light in the bedroom was swaying gently, as if something had bumped into it.

  Lily cautiously reached out to touch her phone on the bed, but instead touched a cold hand. A charming laugh sounded, and Lily forced herself to sit up. She saw a familiar face, but couldn't remember who it was. The face wasn't delicate, just ordinary, yet it gave people a deep impression, as if something was attracting their eyes. Lily thought for half a day before thinking of a word: aura. But this aura was deadly, making Lily feel endless terror.

  "I am you, and you are me. I live in your dreams, so you see, you also live in mine."

  Lily's face turned whiter and whiter, and she finally understood the source of her deep-seated fear - because the person sitting on the bed was herself. Lily suddenly let out a sharp cry and ran towards the balcony, smashing through the glass before waking up in agony.

  It was just a dream after all.