Forbidden Land – CH 018

The next day was Saturday. Early in the morning, someone knocked on the door of Room 123. Zhang Chao checked his phone; it was only 8:30. He cursed under his breath, wondering which bastard was so annoying, and casually called out, “Who is it?”

“It’s me.” The voice was Chen Rong’s.

Zhang Chao muttered angrily, “She really is persistent.” He thought to himself that the dorm management was so unfair. Boys entering the girls’ dorm had to register, were subject to time restrictions, and were required to hold their IDs—a whole host of problems. Girls entering the boys’ dorm could just swagger around as long as they didn’t take their clothes off.

“Justice! Conscience! Dorm manager!”

Zhang Chao replied helplessly, “Wait here.” He then slowly got up, dressed, and without even washing up, opened the door. Seeing Chen Rong’s smiling face, he went to brush his teeth and wash his face with a resigned expression.

After finishing all this, Zhang Chao asked irritably, “God, what do you want with this monster?”

Chen Rong jokingly replied, “Of course, I’ll take you in. Hurry up and get ready, then come out with me.”

Zhang Chao cried out, “Sister, where are we going again? It’s broad daylight, the ghosts haven’t even shown up yet, and I don’t want to go exorcising demons.”

Chen Rong said, “You really want to exorcise demons?”

Zhang Chao said, “Of course! Didn’t I say yesterday, first Bai Qiu, then Li Weihao? I absolutely have to find out the secrets of this School of Medicine. What campus girl in an ancient costume? This time they’ve really pushed me too far; I’ll go and beat her up when I see her!”

Chen Rong said, “Don’t be crazy; you might end up being the third one.”

In broad daylight, such words naturally did not affect his fear. Zhang Chao laughed. “You promised yesterday to investigate the School of Medicine together. Don’t go back on your word.”

Chen Rong replied, “Don’t worry, I’m not afraid of such things. I came to find you so you can go out for a stroll.”

Zhang Chao looked bewildered: “Where are we going? What’s there to see in broad daylight?”

Chen Rong laughed: “I think you’re determined to go to the West District in the middle of the night. Of course, you’d go sightseeing during the day; who goes out at night? You’ve been through so much lately, I’m asking you out to relax and broaden your horizons.”

Zhang Chao nodded: “Okay, where to?”

Chen Rong said, “West Lake, how about it? The weather’s nice today; there are so many people there.”

Zhang Chao looked reluctant: “West Lake? That’s too far!”

Chen Rong said, “Don’t you have a car? We’ll definitely be there in half an hour.”

Zhang Chao said, “I have to drive? I’m not a good driver; I won’t be responsible if I kill someone.”

Chen Rong laughed: “It’s okay, I studied psychology; my mental resilience is definitely stronger than yours.”

“Alright,” Zhang Chao nodded helplessly, then added, “Do you think we should invite Bai Qiu along? Given her current condition, a wider view might be beneficial for her treatment?”

Chen Rong shook her head. “It’s better for Bai Qiu to have less contact with people right now. It’s too ‘chaotic’ outside; she could easily run into problems. Besides, my advisor and senior often talk to her during the day, pretending to be senior students chatting with her; Bai Qiu doesn’t know that.”

A hint of jealousy flashed across Zhang Chao’s face: “Talking to her? What if she gets better, but then she ends up becoming someone else’s girlfriend?”

Chen Rong laughed heartily: “How could that be? We psychologists meet so many people, handsome men and beautiful women alike. We wouldn’t fall for anyone. We just treat them as patients.”

Zhang Chao nodded: “That’s true.”

Afterwards, Zhang Chao led Chen Rong to the makeshift shed behind Baisha. Looking at a dusty Hyundai inside, Chen Rong frowned: “Is this your car?”

Zhang Chao smiled sheepishly: “It’s been a while since I’ve driven it. Let’s take it outside to wash it first.”

After washing the car outside, Zhang Chao drove for another 20 minutes to the Huanglong transfer station, where he parked and walked with Chen Rong towards West Lake.

West Lake was right next to Huanglong, and the two arrived quickly. March was the height of spring, and locals and tourists alike flocked to West Lake. It was a sea of ​​people.

Looking at the clear blue sky and the shimmering lake, Zhang Chao felt an instant sense of openness. All the gloomy things he had encountered this week seemed to vanish under the sunlight.

Sunlight truly was the most beautiful thing in the world.

So many dark scenes disappear without a trace when illuminated by the sun.

But how many corners of the world were forever untouched by sunlight?

Light was humanity’s pursuit. But behind the light was darkness. Where there was light, there would always be darkness. This was a fact that humanity couldn’t change.

After wandering around for a while, they ate something at a small restaurant near Nanshan Road and then strolled along the Su Causeway.

Zhang Chao pondered for a long time, then suddenly asked, “You studied psychology; do you believe in ghosts?”

Chen Rong smiled sweetly, gazing at the lake, and slowly said, “I don’t know if I should say this. Normally, people in our line of work shouldn’t believe in ghosts, because according to psychology, these are all figments of the mind; all fear and emotion originate in the brain. We psychologists have seen many strange people and strange ideas, but those are just patients’ stubborn thoughts. Some cases are called paranoia, some are called obsessive-compulsive disorder, but there isn’t much difference between the two. However, perhaps because of my different interactions with other psychologists, I do have a slight belief in it.”

Zhang Chao’s curiosity was piqued: “How so?”

Chen Rong said, “My family was originally from the mountainous area of ​​Lishui. My grandfather was a village sorcerer. A sorcerer, you know?”

Zhang Chao said, “You mean a charlatan?”

“Hehe,” Chen Rong laughed, “You could say that. Anyway, most educated people call rural sorcerers charlatans. I saw my grandfather perform sorcery many times when I was little. For example, if someone’s pig or cow got lost, my grandfather would go into the house, calculate, and he could tell its location. As long as you followed the directions, you’d definitely find it. I never saw how my grandfather actually calculated it. Anyway, it was that amazing. And one time I remember very clearly, there was a seven- or eight-year-old child in the village who was walking at night and was frightened out of his wits by a mountain ghost—”

Zhang Chao interrupted, “A mountain ghost? Frightened out of his wits? What do you mean?”

Chen Rong smiled: “I’ve never seen a mountain spirit either. I’ve heard from older generations that mountain spirits are similar to humans, except they are covered in ‘hair’ and look like monkeys. Most mountain spirits are afraid of people, but they possess magic. For example, if someone encounters a ‘ghost wall’ in the mountains, even in a small area of ​​only a few dozen square meters, they’ll go back and forth, circling around and around, unable to find their way out. I’ve heard that’s caused by mountain spirits. Some mountain spirits aren’t afraid of people and can even harm them, but the sorcerers in the countryside all have ways to deal with them. They either find a way to kill them or drive them away. As for the situation where the soul is frightened away, it means that a person has three souls and seven spirits, all residing in the body. Only when encountering something extremely frightening will the souls and spirits be frightened out of the body.”

Zhang Chao asked: “What happens when the soul and spirit are frightened away?”

Chen Rong said, “It’s like a perfectly healthy person, can eat, drink, and relieve themselves, but just keeps their eyes open and doesn’t speak. They won’t know anything when you ask them anything. Of course, this is a more serious case; it’s when several of their three souls and seven spirits have been frightened away. If only one soul has been frightened away, the person can still speak and react, but their reactions are slow, and they are very timid, often talking nonsense. However, this is an old-fashioned explanation. According to modern psychology, it could be hysteria, or it could be some other mental illness.”

Zhang Chao suddenly remembered something and said, “I remember something that happened when I was little. Once, I was playing at my aunt’s house, alone in my room, while they were cooking outside. I stuck a nail into a socket and suddenly got an electric shock. I don’t know how much time passed before I heard people calling me. That’s when I came to my senses and realized my body was still in that position, with my hand outstretched, completely still. Later, my family told me that I was lying there with my eyes open, my hand outstretched, motionless for over half an hour. They called me, but I didn’t respond, which terrified them. But I absolutely have no memory of that long period. What do you think happened?”

Chen Rong asked, “Has anything similar happened since then?”

Zhang Chao thought for a moment and said, “No. If it had, how would I know if I had no memory of it?”

Chen Rong thought about it and smiled, “That must be because of the electricity.”

Zhang Chao said, “Do you think my soul might have left my body at that time?”

Chen Rong laughed. “That’s electric shock paralysis. The electricity put your brain cells into a temporary sleep state. Psychological studies have shown similar effects in prisoners who have been electrocuted. If your soul really left, would you still have gotten into Zhejiang University?”

Zhang Chao nodded with a smile, then asked, “You said that child was frightened out of his soul by the mountain spirit. What happened after that?”

Chen Rong’s face showed a look of recollection. She said, “His parents brought the child to my grandfather. My grandfather put the child on a chair, placed a glass of water in front of him, and stuck a chopstick in it. Then my grandfather said he would go up the mountain to summon the soul. If he saw the chopstick standing upright, his parents should quickly go around the house and shout his name loudly.”

“A chopstick can stand upright in water?” Zhang Chao’s eyes widened in surprise.

Chen Rong nodded. “After my grandfather went up the mountain, some time later, the chopsticks actually started moving. I saw it clearly; in the end, the chopsticks even stood upright in the bowl. His parents rushed around the house, calling the child’s name loudly. After a while, the child, who had been listless, suddenly woke up and was jumping around energetically. Later, when asked what had happened, he didn’t know anything.”

Zhang Chao said incredulously, “That doesn’t make sense.”

Chen Rong said, “It doesn’t make sense. I still can’t figure it out.”

Zhang Chao asked, “Did you ask your grandfather how it happened?”

Chen Rong said, “I was young then, and when I asked my grandfather, he said he’d tell me when I grew up. Later, my father passed away, and my mother remarried. I only visited my grandfather once every few years. I’d gone a few times, but I always forgot to ask. Telling you about it today reminded me that next time I go back to my hometown, I’ll definitely ask my grandfather properly.”

Zhang Chao nodded. “If only your grandfather were here. Maybe he would know about the School of Medicine incident.”

Chen Rong said, “I thought you’d forgotten about this while you were strolling around West Lake, but I didn’t expect you to still be thinking about it.”

Zhang Chao took a deep breath and said, “There’s no way around it. This matter concerns Bai Qiu’s illness and Li Weihao’s death, so I must investigate it thoroughly. Let’s stroll around a little longer and then head back. We can study at the School of Medicine library tonight.”