Forbidden Land – CH 128

The next day was Friday, May 16th, the twelfth day of the fourth lunar month.

In the morning class, Lin Yi’ang saw Zhang Chao and sat down next to him, asking with concern, “Old Zhang, what’s wrong?”

Zhang Chao looked at him with tired, sleepy eyes and said, “What could be wrong with me?”

Lin Yi’ang laughed and lowered his voice. “I went to your dorm last night, but you weren’t there. Now you look so listless; obviously, you’ve been indulging in too much sex. Haha, looking at you like this, you didn’t go to Xiangji Temple to find your confidante, did you? Ah, haha!”

Zhang Chao shoved him away, saying, “Get lost!”

Lin Yi’ang chuckled and said, “Next time you’re feeling weak, take some ‘medicine.'” Saying this, he quickly moved his seat to avoid being hit by Zhang Chao.

After class at noon, Zhang Chao ate lunch and returned to his dorm. His phone rang, and a male voice came through. “Zhang Chao, this is Chen Zhong from our fellowship. Do you remember me?”

Zhang Chao quickly replied with a smile, “Oh, Brother Zhong, of course I remember.”

Chen Zhong asked, “Do you have class this afternoon?”

Zhang Chao replied, “No, why?”

Chen Zhong said, “Brother Yang is back. He’s free this afternoon. He said he made an appointment with you last time. Would it be convenient for you to come over this afternoon?”

Upon hearing that Brother Yang had returned, Zhang Chao thought that perhaps he could explain why he could see Bai Qiu—the question that had been bothering him the most. He quickly replied, “Yes, yes, I’m free anytime. When do you want me to come?”

Chen Zhong said, “Brother Yang is at home now. Why don’t you come over now?”

Zhang Chao readily agreed and immediately rode his bike to Wangyue Apartment, parked it, and went upstairs.

Chen Zhong opened the door, and a tall male figure came into Zhang Chao’s view. The man looked to be in his thirties or forties, easily over six feet tall, wearing a suit, and his face was truly radiant and full of energy.

The tall man greeted him with a friendly smile, “Xiao Zhang, come in quickly.”

Zhang Chao looked at him and said, “You must be Brother Yang.”

Brother Yang nodded, poured a glass of water, and handed it to Zhang Chao. Zhang Chao accepted it somewhat awkwardly.

Brother Yang said, “Chen Zhong, Brother Zhang and I need to talk about something. You go ahead with your work.”

Chen Zhong nodded and said, “I also need to go out this afternoon, so I’ll be going now. Brother Zhang, you and Brother Yang can talk. Don’t be nervous; Brother Yang is very nice.”

After Chen Zhong left, Brother Yang gestured and said, “Brother Zhang, have a seat.”

Zhang Chao sat down and said, “Brother Yang, Chen Rong said last time that you could answer some of my questions?”

Brother Yang said, “Chen Rong only told me the general situation. I wonder if it would be convenient for you to tell me the whole story? That way, I can understand your questions better.”

Zhang Chao recounted Bai Qiu’s ‘suicide’ by jumping off a building and how, after losing his memory, he saw Bai Qiu again, someone no one else could see. He didn’t mention anything about ghosts or unclean spirits, nor did he mention Li Zheng or Wang Hong.

After listening to him finish speaking, Brother Yang thought for a moment and said bluntly, “Based on what you’ve said, I think you must have seen a ghost.”

Surprised by such a direct opening, Zhang Chao quickly asked, “Brother Yang, you’re Christians. I’ve heard traditional beliefs that only very weak people can see ghosts.”

Brother Yang shook his head and said, “Actually, that’s not always the case. That’s just the majority of cases. There are also some special cases. There are many eyewitness reports from abroad about people who have a very close relationship with the deceased. So, seeing the deceased without knowing they are dead isn’t unheard of. I know a sister in America who is a witness to the existence of ghosts. When she was on a business trip in New York, she met her father, who told her he was going on a trip and talked to her a lot, giving her many instructions. Back then, there were no cell phones, and she didn’t know her father had passed away a few days earlier, before she even met him. I’m a religious person, so there’s no need to hide these things, because the Bible also clearly mentions ghosts. What exactly are ghosts?

“While science can’t provide a definitive answer, I personally do not doubt the existence of ghosts. Ghosts can be light, sound, a magnetic field, or even something that can create a tangible sense of presence. If you ask me why only those very close to the deceased, and only those unaware of their passing, can encounter the soul of the deceased, I can’t answer that question, and perhaps no one can explain it at present. While directly seeing the soul of the deceased may be rare, many people have experienced dreams before or after the death of loved ones; this is a common tale found in many places. It’s unlikely that so many people would conspire to fabricate a superstitious lie.”

Zhang Chao nodded and said, “But back then, I couldn’t only see Bai Qiu but also hear her voice, and even… even when I touched her body, I didn’t notice anything unusual.”

Brother Yang said, “Whether it’s sight, hearing, smell, taste, or even touch, they are all reactions of the human brain to nerves. Ultimately, they are the reflexes of nerve endings. So, in fact, although the stimuli received by the nerve endings are different, sight, hearing, and touch are essentially just reactions of the nerve endings. The existence of ghosts may be through light, sound, electricity, magnetic fields, or other forms we don’t yet know. Fundamentally, there’s no difference; they all produce reactions of the nerve endings. So, your ability to touch ghosts is just an illusion transmitted by your nerve endings. Perhaps what you ‘touched’ was a strange magnetic field.”

Zhang Chao carefully analyzed Brother Yang’s words.

Any sensation was merely a reaction of the nerve endings.

What the nerve endings react to wasn’t necessarily real.

Just like when you hold infrasound waves to your skin, the human ear couldn’t hear them, but you could still feel something “touching” your skin.

Why did certain sounds sometimes make people itchy? It was the same principle.

Hearing and touch could sometimes be interchangeable.

Similarly, sight, hearing, and touch could all be interchanged. It was due to incorrect information transmitted by nerve endings.

The existence of ghosts could be sound waves, light waves, magnetic fields, electric currents, or any other form unknown to humans.

But when it was reflected in human sensory perception, it was a holistic and real manifestation.

Zhang Chao organized his thoughts, nodded, and basically understood what Brother Yang had said.

Brother Yang added, “However, as far as I know, most people who see ghosts only see them; hearing their voices is extremely rare. If they can feel a tactile response, that’s incredibly rare.”

Zhang Chao was startled and asked, “Brother Yang, what do you think could be the reason?”

Brother Yang said, “Perhaps you have something on you that could amplify the ghost’s yin energy.”

Zhang Chao pondered for a long time but couldn’t think of anything he might have. His past experiences of attracting evil spirits still sent chills down his spine.

He couldn’t possibly be carrying anything. Could it be something hidden in his dorm room? But he had searched the dorm room many times over the past few days and had never found anything. Strange, very strange.

Brother Yang asked, “Have you encountered anything strange lately?”

“Lately?” Zhang Chao said, “I haven’t encountered anything lately.”

Brother Yang seemed to be implying something. “Like some other strange person?”

Zhang Chao thought for a moment. Besides Li Zheng and Wang Hong, the only other possibility was the person who sent him the text message. He didn’t know who had sent him the text message, and even if he told Brother Yang, he wasn’t a policeman and couldn’t resolve the issue.

Li Zheng and Wang Hong were members of the Quishi Society, dealing with the school’s illegal activities. He had promised not to reveal their identities, so he didn’t mention it to Brother Yang. He simply said, “I’m at school every day; I really can’t think of anyone strange.”

Brother Yang smiled and nodded, then chatted with him about other things. Later, as Zhang Chao was about to leave, Brother Yang suddenly said, “Brother Zhang, you seem a little listless.”

Zhang Chao gave a surprised “Oh?”

Pastor Yang said, “I know a little about medicine. For Christians, marriage is a gift from God, and premarital sex shouldn’t be involved. You aren’t a Christian, so you might not agree with this view. However, I think that even if it happens, it should be done in moderation. Of course, we live in an open society now, and I’m not advising you from a moral high ground. I just feel that excess isn’t good for a young person’s health. Do you understand what I mean?”

Zhang Chao nodded.

Brother Yang watched him leave, his brow slightly furrowed, a hint of worry in his eyes.