Chapter 55: Tree Gao Girls’ Middle School 15
Over 400 people died in the past ten years, and no one in the girls' high school had ever heard of this. Zhu Ling stood there in a daze, as if she had not yet recovered from the shock of this sentence.
[On May 17, nine years ago, at 10 o'clock in the evening, Xue Mouhuan climbed up to the quartermaster's building and jumped down. The next day, the body was found and stayed at the Moon Altar for half a day before being transported to the crematorium...]
[On May 21, nine years ago, Xue Huanhuan’s classmate Zheng broke into the dormitory with a knife during lunch break, hacked several people and then committed suicide. Zheng was once called a hacking demon, and no one lived in the dormitory anymore…]
【Nine years ago...】
Maybe it was because it talked too much, but the strange tree's speech became more fluent. But the only thing that remained unchanged was its tightly clenched throat, which slowly turned out the truth of the murder case buried by history like a taut gear.
Zhu Ling couldn't believe what she heard.
Even though she came here, even though she had prepared herself mentally, even though she knew that the teachers and priests of the girls' high school must have hidden something from them, she never thought that these things would be so heavy, so heavy that she couldn't breathe.
The quartermaster building... the quartermaster building where she and Lihua played in the corridor every day. Has anyone ever jumped down from that high place?
Has the walls of the attic building where she and Lihua skipped past every day ever been splashed with the blood of her senior schoolmates?
Did the entire girls’ high school record the screams at that time?
"But we... know nothing."
Zhu Ling sat on the ground in despair, Lihua accompanied her silently, she was also deeply shocked, but it was difficult for her to express it. Looking at these two students who grew up in the girls' high school, Jiang Yuelu could understand their feelings, but he could not empathize with them more, after all, he had only been here for two days.
He turned around to look at Xia Yi and Leng Wenhan. The ghost and the man were indifferent and quiet, and even more apathetic.
He who was touched seemed to be the most abnormal person.
He turned back and asked Zhu Ling, "After these students lost control and died, they were taken to the crematorium... Where is the crematorium?"
Zhu Ling pulled herself together. Thinking made her headache less painful. "It's right behind the Girls' High School, behind the Moon Altar. But it hasn't been used for a long time... Everyone's life has been very peaceful."
When she said the last sentence, the strange tree just finished reading a record of a girl who lost control of her moon power and died tragically. The calmness of today and the tragedy of the past collided with each other, and the rebound force seemed to tear her heart apart. This contrast was particularly ironic. Zhu Ling opened her mouth, not knowing what to say.
Fortunately, Jiang Yuelu continued to ask questions to attract her attention, "Why do you want to cremate the body?"
She explained: "The leakage of moon power will continue after death, and the period after death will be more dangerous. Fire must be used to prevent the abnormality from occurring."
She shook her head. "But I haven't seen it with my own eyes. These are all taught by our teachers. After wearing the Sunstone Circle, almost none of us have lost control."
"Understood."
Jiang Yuelu ordered the strange tree, "Search again, key words: Sunstone Circle."
[The entry containing the word "sunstone circle" has appeared 89 times in total. The first time it appeared was in a paper nine years ago titled "On the Influence of the Strange Stones in Xuecun on Students' Moon Power". The author is Zhu Xinghua. He proposed that the strange stones found in the southwest of Yuehe River can effectively curb the crazy release of students' moon power. For this purpose, he conducted a three-month observation experiment. He raised the issue of naming at the end of the article]
[Since it can control the power of the moon, we might as well name it the Sun Stone Circle. The sun and the moon are both indispensable in the universe. I hope that the students of the girls’ high school can grow up healthily, no longer be cursed to not live past the age of eighteen, and can continue to compete with the sun, moon and stars in the future.]
That doesn't match what the Fat Lady said.
She told herself that the Sunstone Circle was also known as the Frost Maiden Circle in memory of the original priestess. The name Zhu Xinghua also had nothing to do with the word "frost".
Jiang Yuelu asked: "It sounds like he is a man of great ambition. Does he have any other articles?"
The strange tree answered no.
Jiang Yuelu looked at Zhu Ling, "Nine years ago, not too far from now. He was able to publish papers, maybe he was a teacher. Have you heard of him?"
Zhu Ling thought about it and shook her head, "No."
Jiang Yuelu glanced at the white stone collars on their necks, which were shining silvery-white under the moonlight.
"The girls' high school was able to prepare the sunstone circles for the students so quickly. They should still be collecting materials from the southwest of Yuehe River. Now that things here are over, I still have to go take a look."
Xia Yi immediately said: "I can go over now."
Jiang Yuelu smiled slightly, "Don't you want to listen to it?"
Xia Yi said lazily, "Instead of listening to some dead people's stories here, I might as well take the little wolf dog to pick up stones."
He caressed the heads of several snow wolves in a friendly manner. Jiang Yuelu saw their tearful and humiliated expressions and was silent for a moment. "...Well, be careful along the way."
Xia Yi laughed, "Well, I'll be careful!"
The sled pulled by the snow wolf quickly dug a path on the ground. Zhu Ling looked at the backs of the man and the wolf leaving from afar, feeling somewhat relieved.
Their interaction made me feel much better.
When people encounter unexpected changes, they will rely on everything stable. Teacher Lu Yue's interactions with Xia Yi will bring her a sense of stability...
The two of them talked naturally, as if they had known each other for many years. It was rare for two people who had gone through so many changes to be able to quickly become close, familiar with each other, and have a common understanding.
There are still some things that cannot be changed or shaken.
Thinking of this, her frantic heart calmed down. She had just suspected almost everyone in Xue Village. There was nothing she could do about it. First she concealed it, and then she discovered the horrifying truth. The continuous blows almost made her spiritual pillar collapse.
Jiang Yuelu noticed her and sighed for no reason, "The girls' high school has protected you too well."
Innocence and romance only exist in the world of picture books, where just one lie can destroy everything. These children have pure hearts, but because they are too pure, they can easily become dirty if they come into contact with the slightest color.
Zhu Ling didn't quite understand what he said and thought he was saying that he was distracted.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't be distracted..."
Jiang Yuelu smiled and said, "What's the point of being distracted? If being distracted can make you look better, you should have done it a long time ago. You look much better now than before."
Zhu Ling said silently, that’s all thanks to you and Xia Yi.
Jiang Yuelu said seriously: "Go on."
He turned to the strange silent tree.
Zhu Ling then turned her gaze towards the short tree, which was almost kneeling on the ground.
Just now, they were discussing something, and the strange tree was watching them. The light, shadow and breeze changed the shape and direction of the branches and leaves, making the two "eyeballs" that were originally sunken spin around. From this angle, it seemed as if it was secretly glancing at them with obscene eyes.
Oh my god...it's a tree, what on earth was I thinking.
She calmed down, but was surprised, "..."
The strange tree had been staring at him for some time. Its branches and leaves, piled with berries and dark colors, were wrinkled on one side, making it look like it was smiling slowly.
It's laughing!
As I was terrified, the strange tree continued to speak in a hoarse voice.
[The words "日石圈" appear again, not just in one article]
[In less than half a year, this word was mentioned more than 200 times. The old-school voices believed that we should not rashly approach the southwest of Yuehe River, which was too far away from the safe Zhalama, but this voice was quickly suppressed.]
Zhu Ling was puzzled and asked: "Why?"
She was instilled with the idea that "only within the range of Zalama" since she was young, so this was the first issue she considered.
This is the case for all girls' high schools nowadays, not to mention the period nine years ago when the Moon Power was out of control and rampant. People should be more cautious about disturbing the divine power.
Jiang Yuelu recalled another incident, "The cases of death due to loss of control of the moon power mentioned earlier seemed to have occurred nine years ago."
Leng Wenhan reminded softly, "In May nine years ago, more than forty people died."
I asked the strange tree to confirm it again, and it was indeed consistent.
Jiang Yuelu sorted out the situation, "That is to say, if we consider these ten years as a period, the first one or two years were when students frequently died. Although there were still deaths in the next one or two years, the number decreased significantly. And in the last few years, we have not seen any students die due to loss of control of their moon power."
"This is what you said, 'Life is always peaceful now'." Jiang Yuelu said to Zhu Ling.
Zhu Ling murmured, "Is it because... everyone has started using the Sunstone Circle?"
Jiang Yuelu nodded, "Since there is something that can prevent death from happening, why not use it? Compared to disturbing the gods, your own life is more important, right?"
"The people of Snow Village have deep expectations for students with Moon Power. They select these precious seedlings and send them to school for careful cultivation. They do this in order to help them survive long-term and stably in Snow Village, a place where both ghosts of the dead wreak havoc and evil spirits attack secretly. If it weren't for these students' protection, the nearby villages might have been deserted long ago..."
Having said this, Jiang Yuelu's voice gradually became lower.
Leng Wenhan looked at him, "What's wrong?"
"……nothing."
He continued with the previous topic, but doubts arose in his heart - he has been in Xue Village for so long, but it seems that he has never seen anyone other than the girls' high school?
"So... so these old-school ideas were quickly suppressed, and the Sunstone Circle proposed by Zhu Xinghua began to be widely tried and popularized in the girls' high school... Logically speaking, he should have become the person with the most say at the time... but he disappeared without a trace?"
Not only is he a man of great ambition, but he is also a recluse...
[Here are some more records that may be useful to you]
While everyone was thinking deeply, the strange tree put forward its own suggestion.
The pale light reflected from the snow and the shadows cast by the trees above colored the treetops, making its face more vivid, and it was now looking at him actively and flatteringly.
It has no eye sockets or facial features, but its expressions are no different from those of other humans, which is really uncomfortable.
Jiang Yuelu looked away, "Then why don't you tell me about it."
The strange tree cleared its throat.
[There has always been a strict cremation process for students who died of loss of control]
[After being kept at the Moon Altar for a period of time, it will be transported to the crematorium at the rear for cremation. Except for the priest himself and the funeral elders at the crematorium, no one else can see the body, not even the student’s clansmen.]
[Under such private prevention and control, many rumors still emerged, such as the body had no head, and the person was still twitching after being dead for a long time... Although there were many rumors, they were all just hearsay. However, the last deceased person who appeared five years ago had evidence of what he had seen.]
Zhu Ling couldn't help but ask: "Has anyone seen the body?"
The strange tree smiled grimly.
[Miss, please don't be anxious and listen to me slowly.]
Zhu Ling looked at it, feeling a subtle sense of strangeness in her heart, but she couldn't grasp it.
"Nine years ago, everything was fine, but five years ago, they relaxed. I guess it was because the stability brought by the Sunstone Circle made the women's high school careless and neglected to take precautions, so they were seen, right?"
The strange tree looked at Jiang Yuelu with admiration, even though its tone sounded sarcastic.
[You guessed it right]
[The girl who died that year was placed at the Moon Altar and was safely sent to the crematorium afterwards, but something unexpected happened on the night before the cremation.]
[It is said that several close friends of the deceased had agreed to see her for the last time, so they sneaked into the crematorium at night. If they were not so deeply in love, they might not have gone crazy that night and died within a few days, all of them going to the underworld to accompany their friends]
The strange tree chuckled.
【The friendship of life and death is touching, isn’t it? 】
Jiang Yuelu frowned and looked at Leng Wenhan.
He asked calmly, "What did they see?"
The sharp laughter stopped abruptly, and something seemed to be brewing for a long time. When it spoke again, its voice became hoarse. The faint wind brought everyone's thoughts back to that night.
The crematorium is a place of life and death, with flames leaping everywhere, but without a trace of life.
Several children lay in the gap of the high wall, staring at the central venue without blinking. An iron box was supported on the iron frame, with only a square hole on the top showing. They watched the undertaker fishing their friend's body with an iron hook, and soon tears welled up in their eyes.
Soon, towering flames rose up, making the iron box creak. Even at such a distance, they could still feel the rolling heat waves, and their vision was burned to pieces.
The human bones inside should have been burned to ashes long ago...
She had just hugged and said goodbye to her in the dormitory yesterday. Thinking of this, one of the girls wiped away her tears.
She heard her partner hum, "How strange..."
She thought she was discovered and looked over anxiously. The old man who was under the funeral procession didn't notice that someone was peeping at him not far away. He lifted the iron plate on the top and lowered it into the small lake not far away, making a sizzling sound.
As if to check whether the body was burned, the old man lowered his head to look inside. They couldn't help but stretch their necks. When they looked inside the iron box, their faces changed. "...How could it be?"
It was empty inside, there was nothing.
Shouldn't ashes and bone residue be left behind?
To make an incorrect analogy, after an animal's body is burned, there will be residual tissue left behind, so why did she leave nothing behind?
But after seeing it, the old man at the funeral showed a satisfied smile, as if this was the right result.
The doubts in their hearts deepened, and the previous sadness of farewell was slowly washed away by the cold wind. They hurried back to the dormitory in a panic. Fortunately, they did not meet the teacher and the high priest along the way... When they finally lay in bed, they couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Just as they were about to fall asleep, they suddenly heard the girl who first saw that there was no body in the iron box say, "There is something."
Her tone was extremely flat, without any ups and downs in her intonation, yet it made one's hair stand on end.
She suddenly sat up, stared straight at the window, and continued in a dreamy tone: "I saw it, there were no ashes inside, but there was something else."
"A thin circle of skull, pulling off the skull of bones..."
She laughed and pointed to the window. "Look, she's coming to see us."
Several people looked out the window in fear. In the center of the window, which originally reflected the bright moon, a round head appeared. And it was exactly the same as she said, hollowed out in the middle, leaving only a layer of white bones on the outside.
"She's coming, she's coming to find us..."
The girl climbed onto the table and opened the window. A cold wind blew in. She reached out to touch the floating head outside without any hesitation. She stepped on empty air and fell down the stairs.
The others were stunned for a few seconds and then all screamed.
[After this incident, in order to prevent the tragedy from happening again, the crematorium was covered by magic by the priest, and the dormitory of the girls' high school was changed from multi-person to single-person.]
Before anyone could say anything, the strange tree shouted excitedly, "There are other legends. Do you want to hear them? I have many, many! I can tell you all!"
Jiang Yuelu asked: "Anything else?"
At the same time, he signaled Leng Wenhan to take Zhu Ling and Lihua back.
[Have you ever heard the strange school song of the Girls' High School? ]
[The priest of the Moon Altar has two faces that are uncertain! ]
The strange tree laughed, and it expressed doubts and surprises vividly, and also made corresponding expressions. Zhu Ling stared at it blankly, and finally understood where the strange feeling she had just had came from.
So human-like.
At first, he even spoke haltingly, but later he became fluent, and gradually he developed the expressions that only humans have: sometimes cunning, sometimes flattering, and sometimes enthusiastic.
This tree is becoming more and more like a human.
【Do you want to listen again? Do you want to listen again! 】
It shook its hands excitedly - but it had no hands, so it could only shake its huge treetop head, which looked like a person buried in the ground with only his neck exposed, giving a passionate speech. This clumsy and primitive picture made people feel as if they were in a dream.
"Wait a moment." Jiang Yuelu said.
"You seem to know everything here."
"That should answer a little question I have?"
The strange tree agreed with a smile on its face. When it shook, the juice that flew out fell on the back of Zhu Ling's hand. She moved her mouth but no words came out.
"Why is the library here in the shape of a tree? Is there any special reason?"
The strange tree stopped shaking.
It looked at these people for a long time. These healthy people who were jumping around, walking freely, and free.
The leaves and branches slowly rotated, revealing two deeply sunken holes, like a wrinkled old man looking at them with a withered look. Below the holes, the shape of a mouth was vividly outlined, with one side slightly tilted up, like a smile mixed with viciousness and anger.
“I am not a tree.”
"I am a human..."
Its cry was mournful and piercing, "I am a human!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
