Lin Fan's mind raced as he tightly gripped the short sword. Zhou Jing raised her voice, "You've already killed someone. You can't kill anyone else. Don't you just want to be reincarnated? Why are you killing people?"
"Get out of the way! Move!"
Lin Fan suddenly grabbed Zhou Jing and pushed her aside, thrusting the short sword forward. The woman's claws stopped just short of Lin Fan. With a fierce scream, Lin Fan pushed forward, pinning the woman to the wall. She looked at the face close to hers, "Are you Shen Yi?"
"Lin Fan!" Zhou Jing climbed up from the ground. "Don't hurt her!"
There was a noise from downstairs, and then the lights turned on brightly: "Who's up there?"
Zhou Jing stopped moving.
A familiar deep voice made Lin Fan sigh in relief. He shouted, "Qin Feng!"
Qin Feng rushed upstairs upon hearing his name.
The woman struggled violently, her pale face covered in blood. She glared, "I will kill you."
"You have a grudge against Qin Feng. Go after him! What's the point of bullying a little girl? Face him head-on and settle your score. She's just like you, seventeen, trapped here."
The woman seemed to be in great pain. She clutched her head and screamed in agony, "Ah! I hate him!"
Qin Feng was already in front of Lin Fan. Lin Fan pulled out the short sword and stepped back, watching her warily.
Qin Feng pushed Lin Fan behind him and looked at the woman. He could see her but didn't recognize her face. It had been too long.
"Sorry."
The woman's eyes suddenly turned red, and she screamed as she lunged at Qin Feng, ignoring the wound in her abdomen. Each attack was lethal. Seeing this, Lin Fan wanted to step forward, but Qin Feng pushed her to the stairway, "Go."
As soon as he spoke, the woman attacked again. He drew his gun and fired. The bullet went through her body, but she didn't stop. She roared and grabbed at Qin Feng. He grabbed a wooden stick nearby and swung it at her, sending her crashing into the wall. Zhou Jing crawled up. "Shen Yi, you can't kill anyone!"
Lin Fan pulled Zhou Jing and ran, throwing the short sword to Qin Feng. "I'll wait for you outside."
Qin Feng caught the short sword. She wanted to chase Lin Fan and Zhou Jing, but Qin Feng blocked the exit. "Blame me if you want, but they have nothing to do with this."
The woman's gaze was venomous. Killing people could increase her power, turning her into a demon.
Lin Fan pulled Zhou Jing out the door. Just as she was about to go back for Qin Feng, he had already come out. He tossed the short sword to Lin Fan, pulled her close to check for injuries, and then walked briskly away. Zhou Jing looked back, but Qin Feng said, "She can't leave that building. Teacher Zhou, let's talk about Shen Yi."
Qin Feng adjusted his collar as the wind blew through, chilling him.
"Let's go to my dorm."
Her dorm was small, a single room, but tidy. Qin Feng and Lin Fan sat down while Zhou Jing sat across from them, head down. Her face was dirty, and her hair covered half of it.
"She is Shen Yi, but I really don't know if she's still Shen Yi."
"What happened? Do you know Shen Yi?"
Zhou Jing covered her face with her hand and took a deep breath. "Back then, Shen Yi and I shared a dorm. She was my best friend." She paused and continued, "I suggested waiting for you in the library. I thought you would come."
Qin Feng didn't know what to say.
"I can see ghosts. I have yin-yang eyes," Zhou Jing said. "I saw her ghost the next day. She didn't commit suicide; she was murdered. But the police didn't believe me. Her body was taken away, and I had no way to prove it."
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"Who killed her?"
"A female ghost. Shen Yi is trapped here."
"And the female ghost?"
"She disappeared after killing Shen Yi. She might have been looking for a replacement and found Shen Yi." Zhou Jing felt resentment towards Qin Feng. If he had gone back then, Shen Yi wouldn't have died. But that resentment faded over time. Young Qin Feng was so arrogant; he had his reasons not to go. For him, love was a burden, something unrelated to him. "I came back to the school after graduation to take care of her. She's just a ghost, so pitiful."
"Did you burn the papers on the third floor?"
"Yes."
"So, she wasn't a malicious ghost before? She wouldn't kill anyone?"
Zhou Jing shook her head. "No, I don't know why she suddenly changed." She rubbed her face hard. "She killed Lei Xiaojia. She's become so terrifying, so unrecognizable."
"Why does she want to kill Lin Fan?" Her malice towards Lin Fan was evident, her eyes filled with hatred.
Zhou Jing quickly looked at Qin Feng and Lin Fan, then lowered her head, her gaze flickering.
Qin Feng frowned. "You know, don't you?"
"I told her about your relationship. I thought if she knew, she might give up and leave this world. I tried everything, but she just couldn't go, trapped here."
Qin Feng's gaze darkened. Zhou Jing choked up, "I'm sorry."
"Is that all?"
Zhou Jing: "That's all."
"Did you know Lei Xiaojia was going to the library?"
"No, if I had known, I would have stopped them." Zhou Jing's eyes turned red. "Lei Xiaojia was my student. She was so young, such a pity."
"Is your yin-yang eye natural?"
"Sort of."
Qin Feng pondered for a moment, and Zhou Jing, having regained her composure, stood up. "I'll get you some water."
Qin Feng stood up. "Lin Fan and I are leaving."
Zhou Jing looked at them, her reaction seemingly slow. After about half a minute, she finally responded, "Alright, take care."
Qin Feng led Lin Fan out the door, releasing her hand and walking ahead briskly. Lin Fan caught up and grabbed him, "Qin Feng? Brother Qin?"
Qin Feng got into the car. Lin Fan quickly opened the door on the other side and got in, turning to look at Qin Feng. "Why did you come? Where are we going now? Home?"
Qin Feng glanced at her, his eyes cold, still silent. He started the engine and drove away. Lin Fan fastened her seatbelt. "Home?"
"Home," Qin Feng finally said.
Lin Fan turned to look in the direction of the school. "Teacher Zhou might still be hiding something." She recalled what Zhou Jing said in the library and pondered for a moment. "She probably did something to Shen Yi, which caused her to become like this. Some ghosts turn vengeful out of hatred, but if there were no signs before and she only became a vengeful ghost because you got a girlfriend, that doesn't make sense. Also, Teacher Zhou said Shen Yi was killed as a substitute. So why was Lei Xiaojia killed? Was she looking for a substitute? But why didn't Shen Yi disappear? Or is there no such thing as a substitute? Qin Feng, what is that thing? Why can't it be killed?"
"Yes, it can't be killed." Qin Feng frowned, his expression serious. "Are you tired?"
"No." Lin Fan felt she understood the relationship, but something still seemed off. Half an hour later, they arrived at the office. Qin Feng walked briskly to his office. Lin Fan followed, the surroundings quiet, with only the bright overhead lights casting a white glow.
Inside, Qin Feng took out a key, opened a drawer, and pulled out a file, throwing it on the table. He also turned on the computer. Lin Fan sat down across from him, "Are you going home tonight?"
"Wait."
Qin Feng opened the file and entered a name. Soon, Liu Xue's information appeared. She attended high school at No. 16 High School and university in Jiangcheng, getting married after graduation. Qin Feng opened Su Weilan's file. Coincidentally, she and Liu Xue were in the same year and the same class. Lin Fan's reasoning might be correct; it might not be about substitutes but integration. Those who die there cannot reincarnate.
---
After Qin Feng and Lin Fan left, Zhou Jing's fingers started trembling slightly. Shen Yi had changed so much she didn't recognize herself. If Lin Fan hadn't pulled her away, Shen Yi might have killed her. Didn't Shen Yi recognize her anymore?
Zhou Jing buried her face in her hands, tears rolling down. What had happened to Shen Yi? In the long silence, she hurriedly picked up the phone and dialed a number.
In her haste, she knocked some small items out of her bag onto the floor, but she didn't care.
The call finally connected. Zhou Jing stood up, agitated, and walked to the window, looking out into the boundless darkness. It was so utterly dark she felt she would be swallowed.
"Mr. Chen, didn't you say Shen Yi could reincarnate? Why has she become a vengeful ghost?" She was on the verge of tears. If it weren't for her urging back then, Shen Yi wouldn't have waited for Qin Feng and ended up losing her life. She had a bright future but died in vain. Zhou Jing felt guilty. She had found a Taoist master, Mr. Chen, who gave her talismans and instructed her to perform a ritual at the place where Shen Yi died, so she could reincarnate.
Zhou Jing followed his instructions, but Shen Yi hadn't left.
"There was an accident. Where are you? We'll talk in person."
"At the school."
"I'll send someone to pick you up."
Mr. Chen hung up. Zhou Jing covered her face, taking a deep breath. She was now utterly lost. She had yin-yang eyes from birth, her childhood harsh, almost going astray. In middle school, it was Shen Yi who helped her get back on track, tutored her, and helped her get into No. 16 High School.
She and Shen Yi were like sisters.
Zhou Jing took her phone and went downstairs. She could only trust Mr. Chen now; she had no other options. She had to save Shen Yi. The cold wind howled, the darkness boundless, like a monster looming in the night, filling Zhou Jing with fear.
The sound of a car engine broke the night's silence. Zhou Jing turned to look, seeing a black sedan approaching. Nearsighted, she squinted slightly. The car stopped in front of her. The driver's side window rolled down, revealing a young man's face. "Get in. Mr. Chen is waiting for you."
Zhou Jing got into the car, her anxiety palpable, clutching her hands. "Where is Mr. Chen?"
"You'll see him soon."