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墨書 Inktalez
The opportunity soon arrived. On Saturday morning, while I watched Old Bao having breakfast, he changed into casual clothes. I thought to myself that he really couldn't hold back any longer; it seemed he was off to see his girlfriend! I gave He Baisha a knowing glance, and he immediately dashed into the room to change. I approached Old Bao with a warm demeanor, saying, "Old Bao, looking so handsome! Where are you off to?"
"Where else could I go? I'm going to see Li Qi! If I don't hurry, I might lose my girlfriend," Old Bao replied weakly.
"Oh, I see. Don't worry, Old Bao. You always take care of your brothers; I should check on your sister-in-law since she's not feeling well. I'll buy some fruit and have a soldier accompany me to deliver it. With more people around, your sister-in-law will see how popular you are," I said. Honestly, even I felt my words were insincere, but there was no choice; I had to play along.
"Mm," Old Bao seemed not to think much of it; his mind was entirely on Li Qi!
"Hey—" Before I could finish my sentence, He Baisha rushed out in casual clothes. "Are we ready?" he asked with a smile as he saluted Old Bao. "Bao, Wang Pai asked me to help out."
Old Bao remained distracted and turned towards the camp gate. We followed him as he took the bus into the city. Li Qi's home was in a government compound. After getting off the bus, I suddenly asked He Baisha to buy a fruit basket, and we all headed upstairs together.
"Auntie, is Li Qi home? I'm her friend Bao; we're here to see her." After knocking for a short while, the door opened, revealing a middle-aged woman who couldn't hide her anxiety. "Oh, it's Bao! I've heard about you from Qi; you're in the army, right? Come in, come in."
"Auntie, is Uncle not home?" Bao asked as she welcomed us inside. "Oh, he went to the hospital to get some test results for Qi; we just took her there." I noticed Li Qi's mother also wore a worried expression. "Auntie, what happened to Qi? She isn't answering her phone." It seemed Bao genuinely cared about Li Qi as I observed the household around us. The three-bedroom apartment was simply yet elegantly decorated; it was clear it belonged to an intellectual family. To the right upon entering was a study that doubled as a guest room. There was a closed door in the middle that likely led to Li Qi's bedroom, and another room at the front probably belonged to her parents. As I pondered this, I glanced back at He Baisha, who was also examining the space more closely than I was; sometimes it was hard to tell what he was thinking.
"I don't know; she seemed fine before but has recently stopped going out and even took sick leave. She's been cooped up at home and looks terrible when she occasionally comes out. The last time we barely got her to go for a check-up at the hospital. It's strange; Kiki has always been healthy."
"Auntie, can we go in and see Kiki?" Old Bao was trying to get closer to Li Qi's mother again.
"You can go in; I just brought her some water but didn't want to disturb her by leaving the door open." With that, Li Qi's mother knocked on the door and called out, "Kiki, Bao and his friends are here to see you." I saw Bao eagerly push open the door; he must have been quite worried. Following him into Li Qi's room, I gestured for He Baisha to hurry up and not be sneaky in someone else's house.
As soon as we entered Li Qi's room, a faint fragrance wafted towards us. To be honest, this was my first time stepping into a girl's bedroom at this age. It felt elegant and spacious; the walls were adorned with pink wallpaper that gave off a cute vibe—who would have thought Li Qi could be so kawaii? However, after looking around for a moment longer, something felt off. Without time to dwell on it further, I turned my attention back around. It was too dim! Despite it being morning, all the doors and windows were shut tight with heavy curtains drawn closed—dark and oppressive.
I glanced at He Baisha; he looked back at me as if we both sensed something was wrong. But then Old Bao reached out and pulled back the blanket covering Li Qi's head except for her long hair. He and He Baisha tried to stop him but were too late. Ah!!! A scream pierced through my eardrums as Li Qi revealed her pale face upon seeing the light and screamed in shock with her eyes tightly shut.
With a shake of his hand, the blanket fell over Li Qi again, covering her completely. "What is going on?" Old Bao asked anxiously, looking at Li Qi's mom, who seemed equally at a loss. At that moment, He Baisha pointed to a door across from the bed. "Auntie, is that the door to the balcony?" Li Qi's mom nodded. He Baisha quickly walked over and pulled the door open. "Auntie, the air in this room isn't circulating well. Opening it will help ventilate the space; look how fresh it feels! This will also aid Li Qi's recovery." Damn it, I need to smooth things over for He Baisha!
I hurried a few steps forward, ignoring Old Bao and Li Qi's mom. "He Baisha, what are you doing?" By now, He Baisha was fully standing on the balcony. This balcony connected Li Qi's parents' bedroom and her own room, with each having a door leading out to it. Clearly, it was quite spacious. Just as I was about to pull He Baisha back inside, she suddenly gestured for me to look down. I froze and saw a pair of slippers.
They were ordinary pink women's slippers, nothing unusual about them at all. I looked at He Baisha with suspicion, but when I glanced down again, I noticed something odd. The slippers were turned upside down! The toes faced inward while the heels pointed outward, perfectly aligned in the center of the doorway as if someone was ready to change shoes and enter the room at any moment!
I pointed at the slippers, and He Baisha subtly nodded. Could it be that there was something wrong with the shoes? I couldn't help but watch as He Baisha opened the window and rolled up the curtains, allowing fresh air to fill the room. She then tossed the slippers into a garbage bag and handed it to me quietly, saying I should take it away later. Ignoring my surprise, she walked over to the bed. Without regard for Old Bao and Li Qi's mom beside her, He Baisha reached under the blanket and pulled Li Qi's hand out.
My heart sank; I hurriedly stepped in front of her. "Old Bao, I've studied traditional Chinese medicine and can check her pulse. I brought him here for this purpose; let him give it a try. Auntie, please don't worry." Oh no, I was so flustered that I misspoke! Fortunately, both of them were too bewildered to notice.
I kept an eye on He Baisha as she held Li Qi's right hand tightly and began to pinch her ring finger in the middle while muttering incantations. I had no idea where He Baisha learned these things. However, my attention gradually shifted back to Li Qi as her body began to tremble more and more violently until suddenly, the entire blanket was thrown off her. Dressed neatly, Li Qi's body arched upward abruptly with her mouth wide open but no sound coming out! After less than a minute of this intense silence, everything suddenly quieted down! Looking at her face drenched in sweat with her eyelashes fluttering slightly made my heart race.
Good job, He Baisha; you've really put me in a tight spot! I leaned silently against the balcony doorframe and let the glaring light shine on the three people inside.
Silence reigned; I couldn't tell if those two were stunned into silence or just terrified as they stared at He Baisha and Li Qi. He Baisha remained silent too but was watching me intently. What on earth? Aren't you usually cheerful and lively?
What else could I do? Reluctantly forcing a smile, I stepped forward toward the two who were still frozen in place. "This is a form of guasha..."
Before I could finish, Li Qi's mom interrupted me: "Kiki, has she been possessed?" I sighed in relief; who knew that intellectuals could be so stubborn yet still open to new ideas?
The rest was simple: He Baisha explained that we often unintentionally left slippers outside on the balcony to air out; however, we must never place several pairs of slippers so neatly aligned at the doorway facing inward—this invites certain entities into the house. Once they enter, they won't leave on their own accord. They must be sent away; it's generally referred to as Sending Off the Spirit rather than exorcism because "they" don't come willingly but are drawn in by human actions. Otherwise, "they" would become even angrier.
He Baisha later told me that pinching fingers isn't meant for exorcism but rather for those who have been possessed by unclean spirits—people whose original souls can no longer control their bodies. Those with "methods" can use finger pinching to awaken such individuals since causing pain helps strengthen their spirit against the invading entity.
Pinching typically occurs at either the middle or ring finger because these points cause greater pain sensations. Additionally, incantations must be recited during this process—not only to induce pain but also because there are different spells for Sending Off Spirits and exorcisms which vary slightly in nature. When I asked about these differences, he smiled and compared it to using different methods for cutting various fruits.
The main principle relies on utilizing incantation power along with the energy of someone skilled in these methods to transmit that energy from their fingers throughout their body—forcing unclean spirits out.
What exactly is "method"? Does He Baisha possess such abilities? Where did he learn them? Is it Taoist or Buddhist? These questions didn't concern me much; what mattered most was that Li Qi recovered and began visiting our unit regularly to "bring warmth"—a term we used for pretty girls coming by our unit.
Later on, Old Bao insisted on thanking us by treating both me and He Baisha to dinner. During one opportunity when Li Qi quietly spoke to me aside, she revealed that she had always been aware of everything but couldn't control her body; then she smiled sweetly at me and said, "You really are something!"
I was taken aback.
The story of "Sending Off the Spirit" has come to a close! Stay tuned for my special reading feast crafted for Valentine's Day—"Lover's Heist"!
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