Going to school in town, what a distant prospect that was. I've grown up without ever having set foot in a town; what could it be like? I was filled with anticipation.
When I asked Old Liu about whether there was a continuation to the story from yesterday, his complexion changed ever so slightly. Although it was a very subtle shift, I still noticed it.
I kept asking him if the story he told yesterday was his own experience, and he looked distant, deliberately changing the subject.
Seeing that he was reluctant to elaborate, I took my leave. Returning to the residence, my master was nowhere to be found, so I had to make do with some thin porridge. Once done, I prepared to rest in the back hall. On my bed, I found a note left by the master; he had written that he had matters to attend to, a week if it went well, a month at most, before he would return.
My master hadn't told me what he was going to do, just that he tasked me with taking care of the home. If something came up in a nearby village, I was to resolve it in his stead, and if I couldn't, to wait for his return before taking any action.
After lying down, I soon fell asleep and had a dream almost identical to the one last night, save for an additional phrase. It said it was now by Old Liu's side, intending to torment him a bit, to collect some "interest."
Upon waking, I couldn't care less about attending classes and rushed straight to Old Liu's dwelling.
Old Liu was somewhat angry at me for skipping class to visit him, scolded me, and told me to go to school.
I couldn't convince him otherwise, so I left, reluctantly taking three steps back with each step forward.
This was a torturous afternoon; I sat on pins and needles in the substitute teacher's class, my mind consumed with worry for Old Liu. It seemed like it really was coming for revenge, as my dream and Old Liu's sickness had somehow intertwined. Could this merely be a coincidence? The answer was no.
The substitute teacher had noticed my distraction early on but didn't bother with it. After all, I wasn't his student. Take it or leave it. As long as I sat there quietly, that was enough for him.
When the substitute teacher announced the end of class, I grabbed my backpack and dashed out, not making way for him. In his eyes, I saw surprise and anger—surprise at the speed of my dash, and anger that a wild child from the hills had rushed past a well-educated man like him, showing no respect or decency.
I made my way back into Old Liu's tent. He was still lying in bed, shivering under his blankets. I poured him a glass of water, helped him take a few sips, then dipped a towel in cold water and laid it on his forehead.
Old Liu smiled at me gratefully.
As we chatted casually, I eventually steered the conversation back to that story. As soon as I brought it up, he grew visibly uncomfortable, frowning deeply.
Seeing his discomfort, I decided to lay all my cards on the table and told him I was the disciple of the Yin Yang Master and knew some spells.
Upon hearing this, Old Liu burst into laughter, asking if I wanted to hear a ghost story again. I nodded, then shook my head. As enthralling as ghost stories could be, making one feel as if they were right there, they wouldn't be any good if he was to be killed by a ghost.
After some inner struggle, I pushed aside my desire to hear another ghost story and told him about the two dreams I had.
After listening, his expression grew somber and rather frightening. He exhaled deeply and murmured, "After more than twenty years, I thought I could escape this calamity, but it has still found me."
My expression darkened as well; my earlier speculations were correct.
Old Liu shook his head, motioned for me to sit, and began to recount their past story to me.
At that time, he had just entered the university, filled with excitement as he found his dormitory and met his roommates Xiao Wang, Xiao Cao, and Xiao Yang.
The four hit it off right away, imitating the ancients, they burned joss paper and became sworn brothers, pledging not to seek the same birthday, but rather the same death day, becoming close brothers who talked about everything under the sun.
One night, the four of them lay in their dorm beds, chatting merrily.
No one knew who started it, but the conversation turned to ghosts and spirits. At that time, ghost stories were wildly spreading throughout the campus, with all sorts of variations. The most famous one was about best friends sleeping back to back, causing some girls to check under their beds before sleeping to see if there was anything there.
If there were stories outside the campus, there were certainly ones inside too. Xiao Yang said that he heard from the seniors that the abandoned teaching building behind their college was haunted at night and was very dangerous, claiming many lives already, with people jumping off buildings and cutting their wrists. The most terrifying death was said to involve someone whose head had been cut off and held tightly in their arms.
Everyone grew interested upon hearing this tale, and Xiao Yang, seizing the moment, suggested they explore the said building the next night, taunting that anyone without the guts to go was a coward.
Old Liu, who was faint-hearted, didn't want to go, but due to face-saving issues, he reluctantly agreed, and the proposal was unanimously approved.
The next night, they prepared their flashlights early and quietly waited for the patrol check to end.
As they heard the sound of a door opening, the four quickly lay in their beds, their breaths rising and falling in a feigned sleep.
The patrolling teacher came in for a look, saw everyone was there, and quietly locked the door and left.
About half an hour later, they heard footsteps slowly moving away. They opened the dorm door and peeked out, just in time to see the patrolling teacher entering the dorm he was checking. Xiao Yang gestured, and the four stealthily left their dorm room, one by one, entering the bathroom.
By then, the main dormitory door was already locked; obviously, there was no exit that way. The only possible exit was through the window of their floor's bathroom.
They opened the bathroom window and slowly slid down the drainpipe.
After everyone had made it down, they gave each other a soft high five to celebrate their successful escape.
In a single file, they dashed to the back of the college like thieves, only turning on their flashlights after they had squeezed through the tight iron gate. Looking around, they saw a mess, dry leaves littered the ground, mixed with some black ashes, resembling the remains of burnt paper.
Of course, they didn't know that these ashes weren't just any paper, but rather colored paper burned for the dead.
Armed with flashlights, they searched around to find the way through to the abandoned teaching building, stepping on the dry leaves and black ashes with each step forward.
In the quiet of the night, the sound of leaves being crushed underfoot was somewhat unsettling, as if someone was following them. Old Liu was sweating profusely and his legs were starting to shake slightly. He proposed to call off the adventure.
Under the contemptuous gaze of the other three, Old Liu had no choice but to give up the idea and continue to follow their steps, inching forward.
A shadow flashed by. Old Liu cried out in fright, but Xiao Wang quickly covered his mouth, laughing that he was too timid and should toughen up. It was then that Old Liu realized it was just a black cat, and he couldn't help but blush with embarrassment…