Judge of Souls - Chapter 13

Tian Doudou and the girl looked like they were about to go crazy. The girl immediately pushed everyone aside, rushed out of the classroom, and went to wash her hands.

Tian Doudou raised her own two hands, her teeth chattering uncontrollably. Finally, she frantically tried to grab her hair.

Jiang Feng suddenly said, “If you still want to live, I suggest you stand still and don’t move.”

Tian Doudou froze, also knowing that she had to stay calm in this situation. Jiang Feng’s calm voice and demeanor soothed her well.

Everyone focused their attention on him.

Jiang Feng said again, “Everyone around, disperse.”

They didn’t need him to say it; the classmates had already backed away. Now, within a meter radius, only Jiang Feng remained.

Amidst the frightened gazes, Jiang Feng’s calmness and composure made him appear incredibly aloof.

Jiang Feng organized his books and sat down again.

Tian Doudou sobbed and asked, “Then what?”

“Then what?” Jiang Feng said, “Then you can go to the hospital.”

Tian Doudou: “…”

Jiang Feng said, “I suggest you wait at the back of the classroom first. The bell will ring for class in three minutes, and there will be fewer people in the school. It won’t be easy for anyone to bump into you when you go out then. Call your parents and ask them to come pick you up. Oh, and I suggest you also report this to the school.”

Tian Doudou was stunned for a moment, then suddenly let out a cathartic roar.

Jiang Feng raised his hand and covered his ears.

Tian Doudou started to walk out crying, but then heard someone shout “Wait” from behind.

Tian Doudou turned around and yelled, “What!”

Jiang Feng handed her the business card Chu Xuanliang had given him earlier. “If the hospital can’t cure you, you can look for him.”

Tian Doudou took it, hesitantly holding it in her hand. It read:

[Baiyun Temple – Chu Xuanliang

For rituals, please contact one month in advance.

For talismans, please visit the Taoist Temple.

For ghost encounters, please explain in advance. Harassment and questioning are not accepted.

Feng Shui consultations are private and expensive.

Clients are accepted at my discretion; I may refuse service. Speak carefully.

Phone 13XX…]

Tian Doudou stood there in a daze, her fingers rubbing the surface of the card, not understanding what he meant by giving her this.

The lecturer was walking in from the door. Seeing that the bell was about to ring and the classroom was still in such chaos, he was about to start scolding. He took two steps closer and saw the blood all over Tian Doudou’s hands, and his face immediately paled.

He rushed over and stood next to Tian Doudou. “I’ll call an ambulance for you. Don’t move. Go to the doorway!”

****

Tian Doudou was admitted to the hospital, the same one where their vice dean was staying. Due to the special circumstances, the hospital gave her a single room.

A doctor and a nurse came to take her blood sample, their expressions serious. After they finished, they casually gave her a few instructions and left. They didn’t prescribe any medication or explain her condition.

Tian Doudou felt panicked, left alone in the ward.

She carefully called her parents and told them she was in the hospital. However, when they heard it was just a skin disease, they didn’t pay much attention. Since they still had to work, they told her to stay put and they would come see her in the evening.

Tian Doudou didn’t dare say more. She wasn’t sure what was wrong with her, but she had a feeling it wasn’t simple, and telling her parents wouldn’t help. After thinking it over, she dialed the number on the business card.

A mature male voice answered. After she finished speaking, he simply said “Mm” and hung up.

Tian Doudou put down the phone, feeling lost in the ward. Her eyes darted around the four walls, then she closed her eyes, wanting to lie down and rest for a while. At this moment, a shrill scream came from the next room. The voice was very familiar…

It was the vice dean!

Tian Doudou opened her eyes wide, suddenly remembering. Yes! The vice dean also said he was hospitalized for a skin disease!

She quickly put on her slippers, ran out of the ward, and followed the sound.

The vice dean’s ward was the second room next to hers. At this time, several nurses and doctors rushed into his ward. Tian Doudou stood at the door, peering inside through the slightly open door. The scene made her hair stand on end and her scalp numb.

The skin on his arms had completely peeled off, and half of his face was also rotten. It seemed he had just fallen, and now his lower body was bleeding profusely.

The vice dean lay on the floor, crying and convulsing in pain as the salt in his tears irritated his wounds.

Tian Doudou took a step back, barely suppressing a scream. A tremendous fear assaulted her mind.

“Tian Doudou?”

Someone behind her softly called her name, making her jump.

She called again. “Doudou!”

Tian Doudou turned around, startled again. “Liu…Liu Jing?”

Ever since the nightmare she had last night, she felt something was wrong every time she looked at Liu Jing’s face. All she could picture was Liu Jing with her mouth open and eyes bulging, staring at the ceiling.

A nurse, hearing the commotion, came out and said, “Why is the patient out here? Hurry back to your ward! Go back quickly!”

Both of them, preoccupied with their own thoughts, returned to the ward in a daze.

Tian Doudou lifted the covers and numbly lay back down on the bed, her two hands clasped together in front of her chest.

Liu Jing carefully sat down next to her. After pondering for a long time, she decided to get straight to the point. “I… had a dream last night.”

Hearing these words, Tian Doudou abruptly looked up, staring blankly at her.

Liu Jing’s lips were dry as she continued, “I dreamed about the vice dean two days ago. I dreamed he was hanging from a tree. I was terrified, and then I ran. I ran halfway and was caught by a woman who put me in a bucket in the restroom. After that, I woke up, and the next day the vice dean was hospitalized.”

Observing Tian Doudou’s expression, Liu Jing continued, “Then yesterday I dreamed about you. I dreamed you came to the restroom and saw me…”

“It’s a ghost! There’s a ghost!” Tian Doudou cried out in a breakdown, “This must be a ghost!”

Hearing her say this, Liu Jing immediately wanted to cry.

She was also terrified. She had just been lucky that she hadn’t fallen or bumped into anything these past two days. But seeing Tian Doudou like this, who knew if she would be next?

A nurse walked in. Hearing her wailing, she frowned and said, “You university students, stop being so superstitious and scaring yourselves. Don’t universities teach science anymore?”

Tian Doudou pointed at her and cursed, “You know nothing! Shut up!”

The nurse’s face darkened. She picked up the tray beside her and said, “I can shut up, but I suggest you don’t cry or make any large movements. Because now, tears will corrode your face, and friction will scrape your skin. It’s best to stay calm, as excitement will also accelerate blood flow.”

Tian Doudou immediately fell silent, adjusting her breathing and trying to calm herself down.

The scene in class today, where a piece of her skin was ripped off, was too shocking. She didn’t even dare to touch her face.

Tears kept welling up in her eyes, and she could only bend her neck, letting them fall straight down.

The two sat facing each other in the ward for a while. Liu Jing couldn’t take it anymore and decided to ask for leave and go home, leaving the ward first.

Tian Doudou maintained her posture, motionless like a meditating monk.

At two o’clock in the afternoon, a man in a suit walked into the ward.

Tian Doudou looked up at him as he said, “I’ve come to see how you’re doing.”

He said this, but he wasn’t looking at her, instead constantly surveying the ward.

Tian Doudou asked softly, “What’s wrong with me?”

Chu Xuanliang turned around and perfunctorily replied, “Oh, you have…acute exfoliative dermatitis. Your vice dean also has this skin disease.”

Tian Doudou clutched the blanket and asked, “Is it contagious? Was I infected?”

“It’s not contagious,” Chu Xuanliang said. “But the cause hasn’t been found yet. Don’t worry, at least it’s not life-threatening.”

“If it can’t be cured, I might as well be dead!” Tian Doudou cried. “I saw him! I saw our vice dean! Will I become like him? Will I become something inhuman?”

Her skin was now as fragile as paper. She couldn’t even have bandages on her hands and didn’t dare to clean them casually. The wounds had coagulated into dark red bloodstains, but they hadn’t scabbed over yet. The slightest movement would cause them to split open.

Chu Xuanliang reached out his hand, wanting to touch her shoulder. “Don’t get agitated.”

Tian Doudou yelled, “Don’t touch me!”

Chu Xuanliang smiled, his hand, which had paused in mid-air, continued forward and pressed firmly on her shoulder.

Tian Doudou’s whole body stiffened, and she didn’t dare to move.

Chu Xuanliang said, “Calm down.”

Tian Doudou realized she was fine; this man could touch her.

“You’re the Taoist priest I called?” Tian Doudou suddenly understood. “I… I actually encountered a ghost, right?”

Chu Xuanliang didn’t answer, only saying, “You should stay here for now.”

Tian Doudou grabbed his hand. “Aren’t there a lot of ghosts in the hospital? I can’t stay here! Taoist priest, please save me! Save me!”

Chu Xuanliang: “This hospital is safe. You’re not in a condition to be discharged. You need to have your vital signs monitored constantly. But you’d better answer my questions truthfully. Have you done anything unusual recently?”

Tian Doudou frowned in confusion. “I…”

****

Jiang Feng found another part-time food delivery job near the school, with a guaranteed minimum of 800 yuan per month, plus one yuan per delivery. Although it was near the school, they still provided him with an electric scooter.

The wonton shop owner was very kind and would cook him an extra bowl every noon, treating him to a meal. When the neighboring shops were short of staff, they would also let him help out.

This day, because the shop owner had taken the scooter, Jiang Feng had to deliver on foot. When walking back to the shop from the teaching area, he took a shortcut through the school’s Half Moon Lake.

Willows lined the lake, and cicadas chirped. A girl squatted by the lake, muttering to herself. She swayed unsteadily, looking as if she was about to fall in, yet she continued to inch forward.

Worried that she was going to commit suicide, Jiang Feng stopped and called out, “Hey, what are you doing?”

The girl froze and slowly turned around. Her face was pale, and she clutched a stack of papers in her hand. She said nervously, “I… I’m writing… my thesis.”

“Oh.” Jiang Feng pointed to the side. “You can sit on the bench over there and write.”

“Gann,” the girl stood up and said to herself, “William Delbert Gann, the greatest investor of the 20th century. He believed that nature has its own laws, and all seemingly random data fluctuations are actually predictable. He observed the growth patterns of plants to predict the stock market, and his predictions came true one by one. He made 286 trades in 25 days with a success rate of 92.3%. Unfortunately, he didn’t completely pass down his theories, and later generations could only study and analyze them based on their own understanding. Then they began to question him.”

Jiang Feng said, puzzled, “What?”

The girl didn’t dare approach him, but kept talking, “In 2002, a very arrogant genius appeared on the Chinese internet. He was knowledgeable about everything from astronomy to geography. He explained his trading theories online. He predicted the 2008 US financial crisis, which was ultimately mitigated by the appreciation of the Renminbi. He predicted that the Chinese stock market would hit bottom and experience a major rebound, with the peak exceeding 6100 points. In fact, it eventually stopped at 6124 points. Almost all of his predictions about the stock market’s direction came true. Unfortunately, he still died of cancer in 2008.”

Jiang Feng: “…”

“He also said, he said that the US financial crisis wasn’t really over, and around 2019, it would affect the Chinese stock market, causing another big crash and a new bottom. Have you seen the current A-share market? Haha. The unreliable American president has taken office, and he has launched a trade war against the whole world: China, Russia, the European Union, Canada, Mexico… It’s almost 2019 now…”

She finally walked towards Jiang Feng, holding the papers, and said, “I’ve done a comparative analysis using their two theories. Please take a look and tell me if my predictions are correct.”

Jiang Feng declined, “…I don’t study finance.”

“Just take a look, please take a look.” She said, stuffing a folded piece of paper into Jiang Feng’s hand, regardless of whether he wanted it or not, and smiled, “Thank you.”

Jiang Feng suspiciously unfolded the paper and found that it wasn’t some financial theory written inside, but a list of names.

The first three names, “Lu Quan,” “Liu Jing,” and “Tian Doudou,” were circled in red.

Jiang Feng looked up again. The lakeside was empty; where was the girl?

This was a real ghost encounter.