Chapter 37.1 Red Embroidered Shoes 04
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The concept of Yin soldiers passing by came in three forms, one of which referred to as “gathering of wronged spirits who are unable to disperse, and the underworld intervening to capture ghosts.” Chen Yang initially thought it might be such a situation, but after watching for a few minutes, he felt that something was wrong. Just then, he heard screams coming from the campus and quickly turned around, “Let’s go and check.”
Kou Xuanling went back to their room to grab some spiritual symbols and tools before joining him. While passing by Room 405, they noticed the dormitory door was wide open. In a panicked state, Qiu Shengming tried to grab Chen Yang, but Chen Yang skillfully dodged and stood his ground. “What’s the matter?”
Qiu Shengming: “Save my sister, please, I beg you to save my sister.”
Chen Yang glanced at the room behind Qiu Shengming and pushed him aside as he entered. He found Qiu Shengmin lying silently on a single bed, her face pale with a dark handprint on her neck, as if trapped in a terrifying dream. On the bedside table next to her, there was a bowl of rice with three burning incense sticks. Some burnt ashes of paper money lay on the floor.
Qiu Shengming: “When I woke up, I saw my sister lying on the bed. No matter how much I called her, she wouldn’t wake up. I was getting extremely worried.”
Chen Yang asked, “Did you touch her?” Seeing Qiu Shengming’s confused expression, he explained carefully, “When you called your sister, did you push her?”
“No,” Qiu Shengming shook his head. “I pushed her once when she experienced this before. But she got really angry and warned me sternly not to push her if she couldn’t be woken up.”
Kou Xuanling entered and asked, “What’s happening?”
Chen Yang’s face darkened. “She’s passing through Yin,” he said, taking out a summoning talisman and placing it on Qiu Shengmin’s forehead. He raised his hand, recited a chant, and then adjusted both of Qiu Shengmin’s shoes under the bed, turning them right side up. Using his index and middle fingers, he snapped the three burning incense sticks, breaking them, and inserted the broken ends into the rice, extinguishing the flames.
Within a short while, Qiu Shengmin woke up. Qiu Shengming rushed over happily and helped her up. “Sis, what happened to you? You scared me.”
Qiu Shengmin comforted her brother and expressed gratitude to Chen Yang. If he hadn’t called back her soul, she might have been lost outside. Chen Yang said, “We have no idea what’s happening at Jinsui High School, and you know it’s too clean here. How could you casually venture into Yin?”
The moment Chen Yang entered the room and saw the three incense sticks inserted into the rice, the ashes of burnt paper money, and Qiu Shengmin’s overturned shoes, he knew she had passed through Yin. Passing through Yin referred to a situation where individuals with special constitutions have their souls leave their bodies during sleep and interact with spirits. Amid this intangible journey, the positioning of the shoes beneath the bed held significant meaning. If a single shoe lay overturned, it signified that the person’s soul still resided within Yin, and if both shoes were overturned, it meant their soul couldn’t return. By setting the shoes upright, they could be awakened. When someone was passing through Yin, they should not be patted or pushed as it could disturb them.
Qiu Shengmin laughed bitterly. “I just had a strong sense of foreboding and wanted to try it out…” Fear appeared on her face. “I found that once my soul left the dormitory, it started uncontrollably walking towards the vacant lot behind the basketball court. Along the way, I saw many ghosts. They disguised themselves as Yin soldiers, taking advantage of their passage. But they were wandering around the campus, laughing and joking. It didn’t feel right to me. Humans still have awe for ghost officials, not to mention wandering spirits and restless ghosts. Even a wandering spirit or restless ghost would be scared away at the mention of ‘the ghost officials are coming,’ so how could they dare to disguise themselves as Yin soldiers passing through? I sensed something was wrong and wanted to run, but I couldn’t come back. Those wandering spirits seemed to sense my vitality and crowded around me, leading me towards the vacant lot. I had a strong intuition that once I entered that area, I wouldn’t be able to return. I was getting anxious when you summoned my soul back.”
Chen Yang handed her two Soul-Calming Talismans. “Your spiritual state is still unstable. Just stay in the dormitory and don’t go out.” After saying that, he exchanged a glance with Kou Xuanling and left. Both of them headed towards the academic building.
Qiu Shengmin pursed her lips, gripping Qiu Shengming’s hand. “As soon as the school gate opens, let’s leave immediately.”
“Sis.”
“Let’s leave immediately!”
Qiu Shengming nodded in agreement. “I’ll pack our things now. As soon as it’s daylight, we’ll leave right away. But should we inform them?” They were referring to Chen Yang and Kou Xuanling. After all, they had just saved Qiu Shengmin, who was like a lifeline to him. Out of moral obligation, he thought it was necessary to give them a heads-up.
“They know it’s dangerous.” Qiu Shengmin fell silent for a moment, looking at the two Soul-Calming Talismans in her hand. She softened her stance. “When we leave, let’s try to persuade them to come along. If they can’t be persuaded, at least ask if there’s any way to offer assistance.”
Qiu Shengming nodded, helping Qiu Shengmin sit down. He kept his eyes open until dawn.
Chen Yang and Kou Xuanling ran to the entrance of the academic building, from where they could hear the screams. When they reached the entrance, they noticed that the iron gate of the building was slightly ajar and unlocked. They pushed the door open and faced a large mirror right in front of them.
Next to the mirror were three big words engraved: “REFLECT UPON OTHERS.” At this moment, the presence of this large mirror in that place gave an unsettling feeling. There were no lights inside the academic building, and the only dim illumination came from a distant street lamp, several tens of meters away from the entrance. Kou Xuanling turned on the flashlight on his phone and glanced at the mirror before saying to Chen Yang, “I’ll go left, you go right and check it out.”
Chen Yang nodded and took out his phone for illumination. The academic building had a linear layout, with a main hall and staircases on both sides upon entering from the main entrance. So the two of them split up, with Kou Xuanling running towards the left side and quickly disappearing into the corridor. Chen Yang walked towards the right side, and after a few steps, he heard a faint “crackling” sound.
Chen Yang paused and turned back to the mirror, raising his phone to shine light and examining it closely. He looked back and forth and noticed a crack forming right in the center of the mirror. He stood there for about two minutes, inspecting it, and finding nothing unusual, he turned around. Unbeknownst to him, as he turned, the reflection of his own back in the mirror suddenly turned around, revealing an eerie smile.
Chen Yang proceeded straight to the fifth floor. As he stepped onto the last stair, he heard a scream. He immediately ran towards the source, coincidentally running into Kou Xuanling coming up from the opposite direction. Together, they rushed towards the classroom where the screams originated. Just as they reached the entrance of the classroom, the door was forcefully pulled open, and three students ran out.
The three students spotted Chen Yang and the others and let out even louder screams. Chen Yang covered his ears. “Stop screaming!”
Despite his words, they continued screaming in terror. Unable to bear it any longer, Kou Xuanling kicked the door. “Stop screaming!”
Startled, the three students finally ceased screaming and stared blankly at the two. Chen Yang furrowed his brow and asked, “Are you students? What are you doing here in the middle of the night? Why are you in this place?”
The three students hesitated for a moment, exchanged glances, and then pulled Chen Yang and Kou Xuanling into the classroom. “Are you the new teachers who arrived today? Please, we need your help.”
Chen Yang turned around and saw the third person closing and locking the door. The person met Chen Yang’s gaze, sheepishly smiled, but showed no intention of opening the door. Chen Yang withdrew his gaze and calmly inquired, “We are not teachers. I’m afraid we can’t help with whatever you’re busy with.”
“It’s alright if you’re not teachers. As long as you know how to play the game,” one girl among the three quickly spoke, “please help us. Help us pass this game level. If we fail, we will all die.”
Chen Yang declined. One of the boys said, “I know you’re here to investigate the school’s murder case. If you want to know the hidden secrets, play the game with us.”
“We will investigate on our own. Besides, I don’t know if the so-called hidden secrets you mentioned are something I want to know or already know.”
“Do you want to know about the supernatural events in the vacant lot?”
“You know?”
“He knows. Because his roommate was the one who died on the basketball court, and it was he who spread the news about his roommate going to the vacant lot to retrieve the basketball,” another boy said.
Chen Yang still refused, “I already know what has been spread around. There’s no need to hear it again.”
The boy hurriedly stopped him and said, “He has been to the vacant lot!”
Chen Yang turned around. Together with Kou Xuanling, they looked at the boy who had been to the vacant lot. The boy’s complexion wasn’t looking too good, but he still nodded and admitted, “I have been there, but let me make it clear—I will only talk about what happened at the vacant lot. If you expect me to take you there, forget about it.”
Seeing his fearful appearance, it indeed seemed like he had been to the vacant lot.
Chen Yang agreed to their request and asked what game it was.
“Spirit Communication,” said the girl named Li Hui, staring at Chen Yang and Kou Xuanling. The other two boys blocked their way, seemingly worried that they would escape. Li Hui took two steps to the left, with spiritual items behind her. “We need five people, and you two can fill the spots.”
“Communicate with whom?” Chen Yang asked.
“The school council president,” Li Hui smiled. “We just need to ask her a few questions, and once we’re done, we can send her away.”
“Alright.”
After agreeing, Chen Yang and Kou Xuanling were handed two red cards by Li Hui. “To play the game, we need cards, using the numbers on them as substitutes to easily differentiate the players. I’ve heard that during the Spirit Communication, if the other person’s name is heard, they will be captured. So, let’s use numbers instead of each other’s names later.”
Chen Yang and Kou Xuanling each took a card. The cards had the numbers 45 and 67 written on them. As they held them in their palms, they felt an eerie coldness. Looking at the pure dark red color on the cards, it seemed as if blood had been splattered on them.
Li Hui walked to the table. “Come here,” she said. The other two boys also gathered around the table. Chen Yang and Kou Xuanling approached, and on the table, there was a basin of clear water, an alcohol lamp, and a small bowl of butter.
Kou Xuanling suddenly grabbed Chen Yang, his face looking very grim. “Dead people.”
Following his gaze, Chen Yang indeed noticed two students lying behind the three individuals. There was a considerable amount of blood flowing on the ground, only visible upon closer inspection. Chen Yang’s voice turned ice-cold. “Did you kill them?”
Li Hui shook her head in denial. “No.”
Chen Yang was astonished by their indifference. It seemed as though the lifeless bodies on the ground were not the corpses of their fellow students but rather human-shaped molds. “Why did they die?”
“Doesn’t matter,” Li Hui said nonchalantly. “Let’s start playing. There isn’t much time left. Oh, by the way, even if you don’t want to play now, you can’t escape it. Once you have the cards, you must play.”
Chen Yang had no intention of refusing. “Why? After all, we are now part of your group. It wouldn’t hurt to tell me.” After a brief pause, he continued, “If you don’t want to say, it’s fine. But if there are mistakes in the game, you will die too. After all, it’s a game of Spirit Communication.”
Li Hui let out a cold sneer, “What do you want to know?”
“Everything.”
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