Chapter Thirty-Six The Perilous Tower (Part One)

When the middle-aged man saw the four characters written on the paper in my hand, his face changed dramatically, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
"You... Master, how did you... know?"
His voice was barely audible as he spoke the last three words, and though there was no one else around, he leaned in carefully and whispered in my ear.
Such is the working of the human mind. I chuckled softly and replied, "If you wish for others not to know, you must first refrain from doing it yourself. Although you think your methods are clever, I can divine the truth with a simple calculation."
In truth, these techniques were gleaned from Chen Chuyi’s notes. This situation is called psychological suggestion, for in such matters—aside from fate, power, or money—what else could be at play? Especially when it comes to vengeful spirits or malignant ghosts, they never haunt someone without reason. These entities only entangle themselves with those connected to them in life, either benefactors or those who harmed them.
My initial observation made it clear that this man had done something wrong to attract these ghosts.
That’s why I feigned confidence, writing those few words on the paper, and in an instant, the man who had initially looked down on me became solemn and respectful.
"There is only one chance. If you do not tell me your situation in detail, I will not intervene to save you. Since you found your way here and know my name, I assume someone pointed you in my direction."
"Yes, it was Master Chen who sent me to find you. Master, please, I beg you to save me!"
His manner of address had changed entirely. I smiled and said, "Then recount everything that has happened to you."
He nodded hastily, now with no hesitation, and admitted to every wrong deed and misfortune he had encountered.
It turned out he was an administrator at a certain vocational college in Chengdu. Previously, driven by greed and lust, he had harmed a female student about to graduate, ultimately leading her to jump from the dormitory building.

I asked him to describe in detail the circumstances of the girl’s suicide.
He explained that one night, while at home asleep—his wife had just returned from a business trip—he received a phone call from the girl. She threatened to expose him, but knowing her family situation and that he’d already given her some money after the fact, he believed the truth would never come to light; after all, no one else was present, and such matters are often murky, especially among adults.
The girl, realizing she couldn’t bring him to justice, became distraught and went to the rooftop of the girls’ dormitory, and leapt to her death. Her corpse was oddly serene, unmarred by the fall.
When he arrived at the scene, she was already dead, and just then, his phone chimed with a text message.
He nearly threw his phone away in terror, for the message was from the deceased girl.
"Even as a vengeful ghost, I will not let you go. I want you dead!"
He said that when he glanced at her face, he saw a wicked, seductive smile suddenly appear on her clean, pretty features. He fled home in terror and was ill for over a month, until his wife sought out a spiritual master to treat him. Gradually, he recovered, and the master drew a protective talisman for him to wear on his chest, warning him to avoid lustful encounters.
At this point, I couldn’t help but smile and said, "It seems you did not heed the master’s advice and became involved with another woman."
I pulled up a chair and sat down quietly.
"Master, I... this..."
"Enough, continue."
I suddenly thought of all the news stories about school principals assaulting female students, and seeing this man before me, I truly couldn’t understand why Chen Chuyi wanted me to save him.

A year later, the man began to dream—every night, as soon as he closed his eyes, he would see the dead girl standing by his bedside. On one occasion, he witnessed the girl reach out and strangle his wife’s neck; he was terrified, and the next morning, his wife’s neck was covered in dark marks.
He quickly sought out the spiritual master again, but unfortunately, his wife was involved in a car accident that day, the windshield decapitating her completely.
After that, his fear grew deeper; he avoided passing by the girls’ dormitory. To his horror, just days later, another girl jumped from the same building—this time, as he walked by. The girl’s neck was completely broken, held together only by her throat, blood pooling everywhere, some even splattering onto him.
He fled in panic, and coincidentally, he knew this girl as well, and had also been involved with her, though it had been a year prior.
Afterwards, he dared not leave the house, took a month off, and shut himself inside, growing gaunt and frail. Around then, he remembered the Longevity Agency on Water Cabinet Street; the school had experienced another incident before, which Chen Chuyi had handled. He still had Chen Chuyi’s number in his phone, but had been preoccupied searching for his wife’s former spiritual master and hadn’t thought of Chen.
He called Chen Chuyi, for he increasingly felt a presence in his house—every night, he couldn’t sleep, sensing the girl standing by his bed, reaching out to strangle him.
Just the night before last, the ghost appeared as he was using the restroom, standing in the doorway. He collapsed onto the toilet in fear. The ghost told him she would claim his life at midnight three days hence, urging him to settle his affairs quickly.
Terrified, he immediately called Chen Chuyi, who was busy and instructed him to seek me out.
"Three days... that means tomorrow night at twelve o’clock?"
He nodded, sweat streaming from his forehead—his wife’s death must have left a deep trauma.