Flowers of the Departed Souls - Chapter 12

Sometimes, Chi Ziming would rather believe he had been dreaming, or that he had hallucinated on the Illusion Cliff, and that the woman named Ke’er was also an illusion, non-existent. However, he couldn’t explain the jade in his hand.

He carefully examined the jade, which was off-white with hints of red, carved with strange symbols and beast patterns. These beast patterns should be Taotie motifs, and there was also a monster design resembling both human and beast. It appeared to be a high-quality jade piece, but he couldn’t tell what was special about it. Could it truly be, as Ke’er said, a jade piece from the Liangzhu period?

He simply couldn’t understand the writing carved on it. In Chi Ziming’s heart, he also wanted to know what kind of woman that Ke’er from the Liangzhu Kingdom truly was, and whether what she told him was real. However, these things seemed impossible to verify now, and the only tangible evidence was the jade in his possession.

However, there were no antique shops in this village, so he would have to wait until he returned to the city to have it appraised. He stared at the jade, then looked at his phone on the table. The phone could only serve as a time display now; there was no internet to send emails, and no cell signal to send photos to his classmate who specialized in jade appraisal. He was quite puzzled. The inn only had a coin-operated telephone, so he called his classmate, Zhou Liangting.

Chi Ziming knew nothing about jade artifacts and could only describe it plainly and accurately. Zhou Liangting, however, spoke articulately and expertly, proving himself worthy of his profession. “The most important raw material for Liangzhu jade artifacts is tremolite, a kind of nephrite jade. Its texture is fine, with fewer impurities and variegated colors, appearing opaque white or yellowish-white. This type of jade is mostly used to carve ritual objects like cong, yue, huang, and crown-shaped artifacts. The jade piece you mentioned, round on top and square on the bottom, in terms of shape, should be a jade yue. This jade yue is not simple; ordinary people do not possess it. Stone yue were weapons, but this jade yue was a ceremonial ritual object, symbolizing that its owner possessed military authority. It is the rarest but highest-ranking jade artifact in Liangzhu culture, found only in high-status tombs, and only one jade yue per tomb, showing its status and value at the time. Also, a complete jade yue is usually composed of the yue body, the handle (bi), the ferrule (yue), and the cap (dui). Oh, are there any patterns on it?”

Chi Ziming listened, a bit confused. The owner of a jade yue was of unusual status? Hadn’t Ke’er said she was an ordinary Liangzhu citizen? If she was an ordinary person, how could she possess this yue? Had Ke’er concealed something from him?

Zhou Liangting called out several “hello?”s before snapping him back to attention. “Oh, yes, there are strange ones. There’s a very large eye, and feather-like things on the head. I really can’t make sense of it.”

“Oh, that’s the Deity-Human Beast Face pattern, it’s a divine emblem. The upper part is the divine ancestor wearing a feather-shaped crown, and the lower part depicts the divine ancestor riding a mythical beast that ascends to heaven and descends to earth. This was a religious belief at Liangzhu at the time. If this jade piece of yours is genuine Liangzhu jade, and it’s such a large piece, its value is extremely high. You’d better bring it for me to see; I can issue an appraisal certificate for you.”

Chi Ziming also really wanted to verify the authenticity of this jade yue, but at this time, how could he leave Luoyang Village? “How about this, when I go back, I’ll bring it for you to see.” However, Chi Ziming truly didn’t know if he would live to go back. Never mind, it didn’t mean much to him anyway; he’d just assume it was real for now.

Indeed, he had no extra interest in researching this now, because Ge Jianliang was still missing. Luo Bozi had mobilized the entire village to search, but he still hadn’t been found. They contacted his family, and he hadn’t returned home. No trace of Ge Jianliang’s body was found in the sea either. Now, there was only one possibility: Ge Jianliang had also gone to Illusion Cliff. The probabilities of life and death were both fifty-fifty. Chi Ziming had narrowly escaped death, only falling unconscious.

When everyone finally gathered at the edge of Illusion Cliff, no one dared to enter. Looking inside, they could vaguely see some animal and human bones. The interior looked as gloomy as night, emitting a strange, eerie glow. Although it was daytime now, Illusion Cliff still seemed to be slumbering in black night.

Chi Ziming was still traumatized by Illusion Cliff, and most of the people who had gone to Illusion Cliff and miraculously escaped death were either simple-minded or insane. Only he had basically no lingering effects. So, he looked at the people next to him; it seemed no one was willing to go in and search.

“What should we do? Should we wait for the police to come?” Luo Bozi asked Chi Ziming.

Luo Xiaofeng frowned. “I’ll go.”

Luo Bozi stopped her. “Don’t be impulsive.”

“He’s a guest at my inn. I’m responsible for his personal safety. Even if we can’t find him alive, I need to see his corpse.”

Having said that, she rushed forward. Chi Ziming grabbed her. “Alright, if you go, I’ll go too. I’ve already been there once, I didn’t lose any limbs, and I even brought something back. Maybe I can return perfectly fine too.”

As a few people were arguing, someone stumbled over. “Mr. Ge, Mr. Ge is back!”

Everyone exchanged glances. “Where? Hurry and take us!”

“He’s at the inn.” So everyone ran towards the inn. Chi Ziming looked back at Illusion Cliff, a feeling he couldn’t describe in his heart. This feeling was strangely close to kinship.

Ge Jianliang was seen sitting upright on the bed, covered in dust and mud, as if he had been crawling in some dusty, dirty place for a long time. Although his face looked disheveled, his expression was as solemn as that of a monk in deep meditation, like a centuries-old Buddha statue, unyielding and covered with the dust of the world.

“Mr. Ge, you’re finally back! We were all looking for you. Where did you go?” Ge Jianliang glanced at Luo Xiaofeng but didn’t answer her. After a while, “I need a shower. I need food and rest.”

“Okay, I’ll go prepare food for you right away. Everyone, disperse. He’s back in one piece, thank you all.”

After everyone dispersed, only Ge Jianliang and Chi Ziming remained in the room.

Chi Ziming looked at him. “Did you go to Illusion Cliff? Did you find anything?”

Ge Jianliang still didn’t answer him. It seemed he was too tired, too tired to speak, or perhaps he didn’t want to recount his recent experience, didn’t want people to know where he had gone or how he had returned. Ge Jianliang took off his coat and lay down, as if utterly exhausted. Chi Ziming was also extremely fatigued. From yesterday until now, after a brief, hazy unconsciousness, he hadn’t closed his eyes. At this moment, he couldn’t hold on any longer and collapsed into sleep.

After an unknown period, in a haze, he heard a strange sound and felt a strange sensation: someone was watching him. His mind slowly cleared. He opened his eyes and saw Ge Jianliang sitting on the bed, looking at him with a strange gaze, muttering in a dream-like state. He had never seen Ge Jianliang look at anyone with such a peculiar and malicious gaze. That look contained evil and venom, as if a world of flashing blades and dancing demons was hidden within, carrying a fierce, frightening destructive power that instantly jolted Chi Ziming fully awake.

“Ge Jianliang!” Chi Ziming shouted. At this, Ge Jianliang suddenly shivered all over, seemingly awakening from some kind of somnambulistic state. After a long moment, he looked at himself with a bewildered expression. “I… why am I sitting up? Wasn’t I sleeping?”

Had Ge Jianliang truly been possessed? Only possessed people had such a strange and malicious look in their eyes. Or was it just sleepwalking? Sleepwalking usually occurs due to immense mental suppression and stimulation. Yes, his wife’s death was a huge trauma for him. Or was it related to where he went today? “Ge Jianliang, don’t sleep yet. Answer me honestly. Did you go to Illusion Cliff? What exactly happened? If you don’t explain clearly, you won’t get any peace tonight.”

“Can I take a shower first, and then I’ll answer your questions?” At this moment, Ge Jianliang seemed to have aged ten years in an instant. He looked utterly exhausted and disheartened, as if he had experienced the greatest calamities of his life within these two days, leaving behind only an unbearable shell. Looking at him, Chi Ziming’s heart also felt a pang of sorrow. He nodded.

He thought Ge Jianliang would tell him what happened; he just needed emotional space and time to sort out his thoughts.

Listening to the splashing water, Chi Ziming’s gaze rested on Ge Jianliang’s backpack, which was equally filthy. How strange, where could he have gone? Had he rolled down a cliff, or tumbled through a garbage heap? The backpack looked very bulging. He suddenly remembered that last night, when Ge Jianliang moved into his room, the backpack hadn’t looked so full.

Since he wouldn’t talk, I’ll find out myself, see if I can find an answer. Chi Ziming thought this as he quickly unzipped the backpack. When he pulled open the zipper, he gasped. Heavens, Departed Soul Flowers!

Inside was a whole bag full of Departed Soul Flowers, pressed into the backpack, yet still so vibrant, so blood-red, carrying a thick, bloody scent.

Did he really go to Illusion Cliff and pick these flowers? He remembered those demonic skull faces. No, how could he have picked these flowers?

When the sound of water inside stopped, he zipped the bag shut and put it back in its original place. He expected Ge Jianliang to come out of the bathroom, but after a while, no one emerged. Instead, he heard a groan, feeling something was wrong. He knocked on the bathroom door. “Jianliang, what’s wrong?”

Ge Jianliang didn’t answer. He felt something ominous, forced the door open, and saw Ge Jianliang twisted, curled into a ball, his face a mask of extreme pain, his entire body covered in fine sweat. When Chi Ziming reached out to touch his body, he instinctively recoiled. Heavens, he was incredibly hot.

“Jianliang, what on earth is going on? Are you sick? I’ll go call a doctor immediately.”

But Ge Jianliang pulled him back, gurgling in his throat for a long time before managing to squeeze out two words: “Bird—Slope—” He seemed to have expended the last bit of strength in his life just to utter these two words. Chi Ziming, disregarding everything, forced open his body, which was curled like a perfectly cooked mantis shrimp. His eyes gradually widened. He saw that Ge Jianliang’s chest was smoking, glowing red like a burning branding iron. And this redness slowly transformed into a shape.

The shape of the Departed Soul Flower.

From his chest, it slowly began to split towards his head and lower body.