Chapter 28

Shen Juan hesitated for quite a while before softening her tone and asking carefully, “Xiao Ge, do you have a split personality now?”

Gu Shuge froze for a moment, then remembered the definition of split personality.

A person possessing two relatively distinct and mutually separate personalities, with the original personality—the patient before any other personalities split off—as the main personality, and the split or derived personality as the secondary personality. A kind of pathological mental phenomenon.

When she compared it this way, aside from the fact that she was now a ghost rather than a person, everything else fit rather well. The evil thought could indeed be considered another personality of hers.

Without realizing it, she had developed a mental illness and not known it. She had even been rather pleased with herself, wanting to order around her secondary personality.

Gu Shuge wrote an “Mm” in Shen Juan’s palm and had nothing else to say.

Shen Juan looked at the empty passenger seat and could almost imagine her disappointment and unease after having cold water poured over her.

In truth, she was also a little troubled. Did she have to go take another course in psychology? But a ghost’s condition might be different from a human’s, and could not be treated according to human methods. In that case, things would become very troublesome.

Keeping a little ghost was truly not that easy. Every now and then, a tricky problem would arise.

But although Shen Juan felt troubled, she did not find [bailiantales.com]it troublesome at all. She was troubled only because she worried there were things she did not understand and that she would fail to raise Xiao Ge properly.

“Don’t panic. The evil thought has been inside you for more than just a day or two, hasn’t it? And nothing has gone wrong, right?” Shen Juan said gently.

Although Gu Shuge was panicking, her reason was still there. Once she thought about it, that did make sense. She was already a ghost, so why was she still afraid of some mental illness? What was more, as another personality, the evil thought was very afraid of Shen Juan. When Shen Juan was present, it did not dare come out and cause trouble at all.

“I’m not afraid. I have you,” Gu Shuge wrote in Shen Juan’s palm, pulling herself together.

Shen Juan looked at the last three words, smiled, and said, “That’s right. You have me.” Then she said, “Tell me in detail about the evil thought.”

So Gu Shuge told her. She wrote in Shen Juan’s palm about when the evil thought had first appeared, what symptoms she had experienced, and what had happened the second time afterward. Of course, she left out the part where the evil thought had urged her to forcefully possess Shen Juan.

Only now did she belatedly realize that this evil thought was very unreliable. She did not even have a body anymore. She could not even hold hands with Shen Juan, so what was she supposed to use to forcefully possess her?

Yet the words “forcefully possess” still made Gu Shuge’s heart heat. She secretly looked at Shen Juan. Shen Juan was concentrating completely on sensing what she was writing in her palm.

They were very close.

It had been many years since they had been this close.

Gu Shuge remembered the past. During her senior year of high school, Shen Juan was afraid she would be nervous, so every night after evening self-study ended, [stolen content]she personally came to pick her up. During that period, whether it was business trips or social engagements, Shen Juan pushed them all aside, leaving her evenings completely for Gu Shuge.

That day, Gu Shuge had been stumped by a problem and sat in the classroom thinking hard. The problem exceeded the syllabus. She could sense that it was not something a high school student was capable of solving, but she had also vaguely found a thread of reasoning, so she was unwilling to give up. She racked her brain, wanting to solve it.

Once she started solving it, she forgot the time. By the time she reacted, Shen Juan was already sitting beside her.

It was late spring. Even at night, the wind was warm and gentle. The classroom lights were on, while outside, the sky was very dark. All the students had left, and only the occasional senior carrying a schoolbag passed through the corridor.

In the senior-year classroom, the desks were packed tightly together, all kinds of reference books piled high, papers scattered everywhere. On the blackboard were words written in chalk: “31 days until the college entrance exam!” The number 31 had even been marked in red chalk and was especially eye-catching.

Gu Shuge was wearing her loose school uniform, holding a pen.

When she turned and saw Shen Juan, even though she saw her every day, she still could not help staring blankly. Shen Juan’s long hair was slightly curled, her makeup delicate, her beauty intellectual and refined. She was entirely out of place in this student-filled classroom. In Gu Shuge’s eyes, it was as if even her heartbeat no longer belonged to her.

“What’s wrong? Did the problem stump you?” Shen Juan said as she lowered her head and helped her look at the question.

Back then, Gu Shuge could still speak to Shen Juan without restraint. She pushed the exam paper toward her and said, “Look, it’s this one. Isn’t it beyond the syllabus?”

Shen Juan naturally took the pen, read the question, and began calculating on scratch paper.

Before Shen Juan arrived, Gu Shuge’s eyes had only held the problem. After Shen Juan arrived, what problem, what college entrance exam—none stolen content of it could compare to a single strand of Shen Juan’s hair. Her gaze locked tightly onto Shen Juan. Quietly, her heart filled with joy and pride as she thought, She’s so wonderful. Such a wonderful person is mine.

While she was staring foolishly at Shen Juan, Shen Juan finished solving the problem. As she said, “This part uses a formula that isn’t taught until university…” she turned her head to look over.

With that turn, her cheek brushed against Gu Shuge’s lips.

Gu Shuge widened her eyes. Shen Juan’s entire face turned red. Both of them froze completely, not daring to move.

Her lips were still pressed against Shen Juan’s cheek. They were so close they could feel each other’s breathing. The night wind blew into the classroom, lifting someone’s test paper. The rustling of paper sounded clearly, and the sound of a door closing came from far away, from some unknown classroom. The school was quiet, and the lights in many classrooms had gone out.

Gu Shuge held her breath and stared blankly at Shen Juan’s eyelashes. The softness beneath her lips felt as though a hand had tightened around her heart and gently scratched it twice.

After who knew how long, Shen Juan moved back a little and lowered her head to look at the paper. Calmly, she continued, “I’ll explain it to you once. Try to understand.”

How could Gu Shuge still have any mind left for solving problems? She stammered and nodded randomly, but her gaze kept darting toward Shen Juan’s face.

Thinking of this memory, Gu Shuge could not help smiling. Not counting childhood closeness, that had been the time she had been closest to Shen Juan after her feelings had begun. When she had been in a foreign country, she often took this memory out and savored it over and over. Sometimes, what she tasted from it was sweetness. Sometimes, bitterness. Sometimes, tears.

Back then, she had been certain that she and Shen Juan had feelings for each other. What was missing was only saying it aloud. But she had thought that a confession happened only once in a lifetime, so she had to be solemn and serious. She could not do it in a flustered, messy way. Fortunately, she had been young then, hazy and vague about love, striving for perfection in everything and tolerating no flaws in anything. She had not had time to say it.

“And then?” Shen Juan asked.

Gu Shuge came back to herself. Only then did she realize that she had been lost in thought and had actually stopped. She looked at Shen Juan. Shen Juan’s appearance seemed to overlap with the Shen Juan from that senior-year classroom.

She quickly lowered her head and continued writing in Shen Juan’s palm. “The evil thought is afraid of you. When you’re here, it disappears.”

“Afraid of me?” Shen Juan asked in return.

Gu Shuge thought about the two times the evil thought had appeared.

The first time had been outside Guangping Temple, and the second time had been inside the police station. Both times, when she reached Shen Juan’s side, the evil thought had automatically disappeared. But it might not necessarily be Shen Juan, because Shen Juan carried the amulet pouch close to her body.

So what the evil thought feared might be Shen Juan, or it might be the amulet pouch. If it was the latter, that was understandable. The amulet pouch had many miraculous aspects to begin with. But if it was the former, that was rather strange.

So Gu Shuge wrote, “It’s probably afraid of the amulet pouch on you.”

Yet another thick layer of fog. Thinking alone would not reveal the truth.

Shen Juan made a prompt decision. “We’re going to Guangping Temple.”

Yanjing had many historically long-standing temples, each with many Buddhist legends. Shen Juan had gone [stolen content]to several of them, but had returned disappointed every time. Up to now, the only ones who had shown real ability were Master Jingyun and the monk from Guangping Temple.

Master Jingyun’s whereabouts were unknown, so Shen Juan decided to ask the monk.

They drove out of the city. Two hours later, they arrived at the foot of the mountain, and Shen Juan went up on foot.

Half an hour later, they reached the mountain gate. It was already two in the afternoon. Gu Shuge tapped the back of Shen Juan’s hand, and Shen Juan opened her palm. Gu Shuge wrote on it, “I can’t enter.” After pausing for a moment, she wrote more clearly, “There’s a barrier.”

Shen Juan understood. It should be a Buddhist restriction preventing ghosts and spirits from approaching.

After writing, Gu Shuge looked at the temple gate and instinctively felt fear. Demons and ghosts feared Buddhist light; being afraid was only natural.

Shen Juan was somewhat displeased. How could even a Buddhist place be prejudiced, not distinguishing between good and evil ghosts, instead blocking them all outside?

She did not show her displeasure. She said to a young monk sweeping the entrance, “May I trouble little master to inform the abbot that I’ve come to see him?”

The young monk dropped his broom and turned to run into the courtyard, shouting for the abbot as he went.

They had been here once before. Since Shen Juan had brought her all this way a second time, it meant there was definitely an expert inside the temple whom Shen Juan trusted.

Then… would that expert capture her?

In old legends and stories, eminent monks all hated evil like enemies. Whenever they saw a monster, they had to subdue it. She was lingering in the mortal world and had not gone to reincarnate. Would the eminent monk deal with her?

She definitely could not beat him. In those legends, ghosts were all very powerful and knew all kinds of spells, but she did not know anything.

Gu Shuge was afraid and hid behind Shen Juan. But she was still afraid, so she reached out and gripped Shen Juan’s index finger tightly.

Her index finger and thumb were stained with blood, so she could touch people. Because she was nervous, she used a lot of force, gripping Shen Juan tightly.

This was the first time Xiao Ge had taken the initiative to touch her for a reason other than writing. Shen Juan was naturally happy. Thinking that Xiao Ge must be afraid, her heart softened, and she gently comforted her. “Don’t be afraid. Monks are also people of the secular world. They won’t act recklessly.”

Although Guangping Temple was deep in the mountains, it was still part of the secular world. As long as one was in the secular world, there would always be things to consider. What was more, she had some connection with Master Jingyun.

This was also why she dared bring Gu Shuge here.

Gu Shuge nodded but still did not feel entirely at ease. Her grip tightened even more.

A yin ghost’s strength was even weaker than that of a newborn baby. Although she used great effort, Shen Juan did not feel pain. Footsteps came from within the temple gate, and an old monk wearing a kasaya appeared before them.

When he saw Shen Juan, he brought his palms together and recited a Buddhist invocation in greeting.

Gu Shuge sucked in a cold breath. This abbot looked a little like Fahai from TV dramas. Fahai was the most hated monk throughout all time. He was capable, and he was also ruthless.

Gu Shuge did not dare move at all. Her body went straight and tense as she stood behind Shen Juan, afraid of being discovered.

After seeing Shen Juan, the old monk did not look behind her. He smiled and said, “Benefactor, you have come at just the right time. As for the jade Buddha in your amulet pouch, I kept feeling that I had seen it somewhere before. After you left, I thought about it for several days and looked through many ancient texts before finding its origin. This jade Buddha is called a Soul-Nourishing Buddha.”

Shen Juan had originally come to ask him about the evil thought, but unexpectedly, he informed her of this first.

She immediately grew concerned and asked with care in her expression, “What is a Soul-Nourishing Buddha?”

“The Soul-Nourishing Buddha was used by cultivators in ancient times to nurture ghosts. It has the effect of nourishing the soul-body. The most powerful Soul-Nourishing Buddhas could even nourish a yin ghost into forming a physical body.” As the monk spoke, he glanced behind Shen Juan and said, “But that can no longer be done today. Forming a physical body requires more than just one Soul-Nourishing Buddha. It also requires a cultivator to irrigate it with spiritual power, and it takes a thousand years of effort. A yin ghost nurtured in that way would become a ghost immortal. It can no longer be achieved now.”