The warmth of memories and the chill of reality
By the time they left the theater, daybreak had already begun. A morning mist enveloped Jinling City, and the streets were sparsely populated, with only the occasional crowing of roosters. Lu Ye dragged his exhausted body back to the Yurong Costume shop. The old man was already up and chopping wood in the yard.
"How is it?" the old man put down the axe and asked with concern.
Lu Ye nodded and handed over the complete ticket: "Miss Shen has let it go. She has finished the play."
The old man took the ticket, tears welling in his eyes. He carefully put it away, then took out a small wooden box from the house and handed it to Lu Ye: "This is the thing my aunt cherished most when she was alive. She said that if she ever met someone who could help her fulfill her wish, she would give this to you."
Lu Ye opened the wooden box. Inside was an exquisite brush. The penholder was engraved with the words "Yurong" (玉容), and the bristles were as white as snow. Next to it was a small piece of paper, with the following line of elegant handwriting on it: "May you have light in your heart and not fear darkness."
"Thank you," Lu Ye put the brush away, "I will keep it well."
After returning to Shanghai, Lu Ye placed the ticket and brush in the display case in Shen Yuan's secret room. He stood in front of the case, gazing at the ticket for a long time, his ears still ringing with the sound of Shen Yurong's moving singing.
In the dead of night, Lu Ye sat on the floor of the secret room, holding the Soul-Calming Bell on his knees. Qi Chen's figure in the bell was much clearer than before. Although it still had no physical form, its general outline could be seen.
"Qi Chen," Lu Ye called softly, "Can you hear me?"
A warm response came from the bell. Although there were no specific words, Lu Ye could feel Qi Chen's presence and his comfort and encouragement.
"I miss you so much," Lu Ye's voice was choked with sobs. "Sometimes I'm really scared, afraid that I won't be able to find your whole soul, afraid that you will never come back."
The soul-calming bell swung gently, making a crisp sound, as if Qi Chen was comforting him. Lu Ye closed his eyes, letting the tears fall, and he thought of many past events -
It was a cold winter night, and they were investigating a case in Jingyuan. Lu Ye was shivering with cold, so Qi Chen took off his coat and put it on him, saying with a smile, "Xiao Ye, you have to learn to take care of yourself, otherwise what will you do when I'm not around?"
Another time, they were diving in Wangchuan Garden looking for clues. The water was very cold, and Lu Ye shivered as soon as he entered the water. Seeing this, Qi Chen jumped in without hesitation, pulled him out, and scolded him distressedly: "Why are you so careless? What if you get frozen?"
Memories flooded back like a tide, every detail as clear as if it had happened yesterday. Lu Ye wiped away his tears and held the soul-calming bell tightly: "Qi Chen, don't worry, I will become stronger and stronger. I will find your entire soul, no matter what the cost."
At this moment, the lights in the secret room suddenly flickered a few times and then went out. The entire room fell into darkness, with only the faint blue light of the soul-calming bell emitting.
"What's going on?" Lu Ye stood up alertly. He felt a cold breath coming from the depths of the secret room.
In the darkness, a blurry figure slowly emerged. It was a woman in red, with long hair draped over her shoulders, a distorted face, and a strange red light flashing in her eyes.
"You... who are you?" Lu Ye subconsciously took a step back and clenched the soul-calming bell.
The woman in red didn't answer, but only let out a shrill laugh filled with pain and resentment. She slowly walked towards Lu Ye, leaving a wet footprint on the ground with every step she took.
Lu Ye felt a chill rising from the soles of his feet. He knew this was a new wronged soul, and one with a strong grudge. He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down.
"Whoever you are, I think you must have some unfulfilled wish," Lu Ye said calmly. "Tell me, maybe I can help you."
The red-dressed woman's laughter suddenly stopped. She stared at Lu Ye, a hint of hesitation in her eyes. After a long moment, she finally spoke, her voice hoarse and broken: "My...my child...someone killed my child..."
Lu Ye's heart tightened: "Your child? Can you tell me what happened?"
Two lines of blood and tears flowed from the eyes of the woman in red. Her figure began to become distorted, the temperature around her dropped sharply, and a layer of white frost condensed on the wall.
"My name is Su Wan," she said intermittently, "I... I was seven months pregnant... That day, on my way home... I was pushed down the stairs... My baby... is gone..."
Lu Ye clenched his fists and asked angrily: "Who did it?"
Su Wan's eyes flashed with madness: "It's her... She's my best friend... She's jealous of me... She took away everything from me..."
"What do you want me to do for you?" Lu Ye asked.
"I want her to pay with her life!" Su Wan screamed, her voice piercing her eardrums. "I want her to pay with her blood!"
A powerful grudge erupted from Su Wan, and the entire chamber trembled. Lu Ye felt dizzy. He knew that if he didn't find a way to resolve Su Wan's grudge quickly, not only would the chamber be destroyed, but the nearby residents would also be implicated.
"Su Wan," Lu Ye said firmly, "I understand your pain. The pain of losing a child is unbearable for anyone. But I can't let you kill anyone. That will only bring eternal suffering to your soul."
"Relief?" Su Wan sneered. "There's no relief for me anymore! I died in obscure circumstances, and my child didn't even have the chance to come into this world! I want her dead, I absolutely must!"
Su Wan lunged at Lu Ye. At that critical moment, the Soul-Calming Bell suddenly rang loudly, and a powerful blue light emanated from it, knocking Su Wan back. Qi Chen's figure within the bell became clearer than ever. Although still incorporeal, he could be seen reaching out to block Lu Ye.
"Xiao Ye, be careful!" Qi Chen's voice came clearly, with anxiety and worry.
"Qi Chen!" Lu Ye exclaimed in surprise, "You can speak now!"
"It's only temporary," Qi Chen's voice was weak. "This wronged soul's resentment is too heavy. I can't hold on for much longer. Xiaoye, you have to find a way to dispel her obsession, otherwise we will all be in danger!"
Lu Ye nodded and turned to Su Wan: "Su Wan, I know you are in pain, but killing her will not bring your child back to life. If you are willing, I can help you find the truth, let the murderer receive the punishment he deserves, and let your child rest in peace."
Su Wan's eyes flickered with hesitation, and her resentment seemed to subside slightly. Just then, the door to the secret room suddenly opened, and Xiao Wu stumbled in: "Brother Ye, this is bad! A lot of police are outside, saying that someone called the police and reported that our place is haunted!"
Lu Ye was stunned, and before he could react, he heard a noisy sound of footsteps coming from outside. He knew that now was not the time to deal with Su Wan's problem, he had to deal with the situation outside first.
"Su Wan," Lu Ye said solemnly, "I promise you, I will help you find the truth. Please leave here for now and don't hurt anyone."
Su Wan stared at Lu Ye for a long time, then finally nodded. Her figure gradually became transparent and eventually disappeared into thin air. The lights in the secret room came back on, and everything returned to normal, as if everything that had just happened was just a dream.
Lu Ye breathed a sigh of relief. He walked to the door, took a deep breath, and opened it. Several police officers stood outside, led by a middle-aged man in his forties. He looked Lu Ye up and down, then asked, "Are you the boss here?"
Lu Ye nodded: "Yes, what can I do for you?"
"Someone reported you for engaging in feudal superstitious activities here, and suspected illegal operations," the middle-aged police officer said seriously, "We need to check it out."
Lu Ye's heart tightened, knowing this must be a deliberate frame-up. He calmly replied, "We operate a legal escape room game here, with all necessary paperwork in place. As for the feudal superstition allegation, it's pure nonsense."
"We'll know whether it's nonsense or not after we check," the middle-aged policeman said, waving his hand to signal his men to go into the house and search.
Lu Ye had no choice but to let them search. Fortunately, the police did not find anything unusual, but just stayed in front of the display case for a long time, staring at the ticket and the brush.
"Where did these things come from?" asked the middle-aged policeman.
"These are our game props," Lu Ye said calmly, "all imitation antiques."
The middle-aged policeman nodded and didn't ask any more questions. After the search, they found nothing and had to leave.
After sending the police away, Lu Ye breathed a sigh of relief. He leaned against the door, feeling exhausted. At this moment, the soul-calming bell rang gently, and Qi Chen's voice came: "Xiao Ye, are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Lu Ye said with a smile, "Thank you for protecting me just now."
"Why would we even say thank you to each other?" Qi Chen said with a hint of laughter in his voice. "But that woman in red is very resentful. You must be careful."
"I know," Lu Ye nodded, "I will help her find the truth."
He looked up at the tickets in the display case, a glint of determination in his eyes.
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