C22 Soul Extraction

I'll never forget that night. Despite never seeing that woman again, I'm convinced it wasn't a dream—it was real. Her warmth, her beauty, her kiss—I believe it all truly happened.

I spent the next few days in the hospital. I reached out to Ms. Liu, who insisted I focus on resting, assuring me not to worry about work. When I inquired about the spiritual staircase, she confidently said she had it under control and urged me to heal, promising to find me once things settled down.

Yu Bing seemed off-kilter after that night. Following the funeral, her parents arrived, laden with grief. They questioned me about what had traumatized Yu Bing to such an extent. I refrained from elaborating and instead, gently relayed the police report, suggesting they seek further details from the Public Security Bureau.

I withheld the truth from Yu Bing for two reasons: fear her parents couldn't handle it and because I had awakened in the hospital, clueless about the events. As I began recounting the encounter with the 'Toad,' a detective informed me the suspect was in custody but couldn't face severe punishment due to a history of mental illness. They questioned our late-night excursion into the wilderness.

The conversation with the detectives was lengthy and fruitless, ending with a resigned suggestion for me to rest and a promise to return when I was in better spirits.

Their disbelief in my story, even suspecting my own mental stability, was disheartening. I realized these matters were best kept to myself, especially considering the criminal implications and the police's involvement. Speaking out could lead to unwanted attention or worse.

A week later, I enlisted Wu Yi to revisit the old temple with me. The police records didn't sit right with me. Ma Qiang had visited a few times since Yu Bing's hospitalization, likely due to police summons. Before I had the chance to approach him, he vanished.

Upon returning to school, I was shocked to learn that Ma Qiang had actually dropped out!

Wu Yi inquired if I had witnessed the toad being dismembered by the five horses. I confirmed that I had indeed seen it with my own eyes and that if it hadn't been for the woman in red, I might not have made it out alive. Wu Yi theorized that the man arrested by the police could have been a stand-in for the 'Toad Spirit.' The toad might have ousted his soul and taken over his body.

Wu Yi then posed the question: if the events of that night were indeed real, was there anything he couldn't let go of? Since starting work at the Ghost Building, he'd encountered numerous inexplicable incidents. If he were to analyze each one, it could drive a person mad.

I expressed my frustration, saying, "Everyone thinks I'm lying. I just want to prove the truth."

Wu Yi gave my shoulder a reassuring pat and urged, "Look down at your feet."

Glancing down, I spotted a withered toad carcass nestled in the grass, its eyes bulging and its body decayed to nothing but dry, stiff skin and flesh. I mentioned that Yu Bing had accidentally crushed the toad upon her arrival. Wu Yi remarked philosophically, "Fate, that's what it is. By the time you arrived, its life had already ended..."

"So, are you suggesting this toad is the physical form of that spirit?" I asked.

Wu Yi replied, "Based on your account, doesn't the manner of this toad's death bear a striking resemblance?"

I nodded, recalling how Yu Bing's foot had crushed its insides out.

Wu Yi inhaled sharply and suggested, "Stop searching. Let's head back. Ms. Liu has a slew of matters to discuss with you."

Despite my reluctance, I ventured alone into the old temple, my gaze fixed on the two wax figures, feeling a deep sense of unease. Wu Yi approached and proposed, "How about we find a way to summon Huang Xian? You could ask him directly." I asked how we could possibly do that. Wu Yi admitted that it would require someone with special abilities, as he was not up to the task. Furthermore, once summoned, Huang Xian would be difficult to send back, being a malevolent entity unlike any ordinary deity – he was one of the crooked kind.

"Why not ask your cousin for help?" I suggested.

Wu Yi burst into laughter, leaving me baffled. His laughter persisted, his face taking on a peculiar hue.

"What on earth are you laughing at?" I demanded.

Still smiling, Wu Yi said, "I get it now. You're not searching for evidence; you're searching for her!"

A sense of urgency gripped me, and I hastily retorted, "Cut the crap, I am seriously looking for evidence. That night was so muddled and unclear, I still question whether I actually encountered a 'toad spirit.' Do such things even exist in this world?"

"Does it matter?" Wu Yi inquired.

Caught off guard, I paused. He shook his head and advised, "It doesn't matter. What's important is that you're alive. That's enough. Let's head back. These matters are tied to destiny. What's meant for you will find its way back; what's not can't be forced."

As I made my way back, weighed down by heavy thoughts, I recalled Ninth Faang reclining on the bed in that cramped, gloomy room, squinting as he spoke to me. He had shed light on many aspects of the Ghost Building, but I sensed that his implications weren't about the building itself but rather about something else, like the hell wedding.

Ninth Faang had concluded, "Rather than resist, better to comply. Instead of evading, better to go with the flow. No one knows what decision you'll make next."

An epiphany struck me. I asked Wu Yi, "Do you know about the female ghost serving in his cousin's room?" Wu Yi hummed in acknowledgment.

"And your cousin refers to her as his 'inner person'?" I probed.

Wu Yi nodded, confirming he was aware.

"Doesn't that creep you out?" I pressed.

Curiously, Wu Yi looked at me and said, "If that's considered scary, then your lingering thoughts about a female ghost are equally terrifying."

I swore at him, then insisted, "I'm trying to discuss something serious here. Why would your cousin..."

"Why is he with a female ghost?" Wu Yi cut me off, "Because they were bound by marriage in a past life, an unbreakable bond. Have you noticed my cousin is missing a finger?"

I shook my head and replied, "I hadn't really noticed that."

Wu Yi recounted, "When I was fourteen, my uncle arranged a marriage for my cousin. The day before the wedding, the bride-to-be was killed by the villagers, who accused her of infidelity before marriage... The invitations had been sent, the guests invited, but it all came to nothing. A few days later, my cousin fell seriously ill and didn't respond to treatment. My uncle was convinced it was the vengeful spirit that was causing the illness, so he hired people to perform a ritual. Afterward, my cousin got much better, but he was still weak. One afternoon, he suddenly ran into the kitchen and chopped off his own ring finger with a knife. He nearly didn't make it to the hospital in time. When my uncle asked why he did it, he said it was to free himself from the female ghost. He had learned from a wise man that cutting off the finger would break the marital tie. That's when my cousin started engaging in these practices... But much later, he came to regret it, just as you saw."

I asked, "Why did your cousin regret it?"

Wu Yi explained, "My cousin believed he fell ill because someone had cursed him. The same people who cursed him were connected to those who later conducted the ritual. They had a grudge against my uncle's business and wanted to harm him. If it hadn't been for the ghost girl protecting him, he would've died. Over time, he developed feelings for her, but then they faded."

I paused, perplexed. Wu Yi really wasn't great at storytelling. What did he mean by "then they faded"?

Upon reaching the office, Ms. Liu had been waiting for us for quite some time.

Without a word, she led us straight to the monitoring room to review the footage. The records started from the night Yu Bing, Ma Qiang, and I visited the old temple. Oddly enough, the monitoring room's door was ajar, and it seemed to be under constant watch. I glanced at Wu Yi, who remained silent.

As we continued to watch, the footage shifted to the area near the elevator, freezing at 11:59 PM. My heart raced; it was the time to close the spiritual staircase. I figured that if Ms. Liu was showing us this, there had to be something amiss. If the next person to appear wasn't Wu Yi, then who could it be?

With a "click," the screen froze.

I asked what was going on, and Ms. Liu explained that someone had deleted the footage.

When I inquired if there was more, she confirmed there was.

It was from last night. I questioned Wu Yi about any recent abnormalities at the office. Since the incident the other night, Wu Yi hadn't been to the office. Plus, his cousin had run into some trouble, keeping him busy.

Ms. Liu pulled up the surveillance footage from 11:59 PM the previous night. This time, the deletion seemed delayed, only stopping when a blurry figure came into view.

A chill ran down my spine. "Who is that?" I asked.

Ms. Liu enlarged the image on the screen, pointing directly at the shoes beneath the shadowy figure. "Can you make that out?"

Wu Yi, with a furrowed brow, tweaked the color settings with his mouse. Slowly, the fuzzy image of the shoe sharpened. I felt a nagging sense of unease, as if something didn't quite add up. Wu Yi abruptly fixed his gaze on me and asked coolly, "Lee Fan, do your canvas shoes have a patched-up hole?"

I nodded, a sudden realization hitting me. I hastily glanced at my own shoes and suddenly felt weak in the knees.

"It can't be," I protested. "How could it be me? I was still in the hospital!"