After Swapping Identities With My Archenemy - Chapter 30

Chapter 30: The Human Skin Scroll

Jiang Huaiyi stood rooted to the spot. It was not her imagination after all. There was a ghost in the room.

As a child, she would always think that a hand would reach out from under her master’s carved wooden bed and grab her.

It never happened when she lived there. Instead, she was grabbed twice as soon as she left.

Jiang Huaiyi was numb with shock.

After a sudden surge in her heartbeat, she no longer had the strength to do anything.

This time, her injuries were quite severe. Just this little bit of commotion made her feel weak.

A wave of sleepiness came over her. In her state of extreme terror, her body swayed, and she almost fell asleep.

The hand under the bed stretched out longer and longer, almost reaching the same level as the bed.

Jiang Huaiyi tremblingly took out the peach wood sword and pointed it weakly at the black hand.

For some reason, the hand’s rapid forward movement suddenly slowed down.

It just stayed there, without making any further movements.

Jiang Huaiyi moved the peach wood sword a little closer, and the hand retreated a few inches.

When she pulled it back, the other hand moved forward a few inches. The person and the ghost were in a stalemate.

The phone in its hand was still ringing. The repeating ringtone played over and over again. Jiang Huaiyi was starting to feel a little impatient.

She hadn’t seen the ghost’s full appearance. In the past, just a hand would have been enough to make her imagination run wild and scare her to death.

But at this moment, she wasn’t feeling overly scared.

She was able to control her emotions after the initial terror, which was a huge improvement.

Jiang Huaiyi carefully reached out to grab her phone.

The ghost hand seemed to be waiting for her to take the bait. The moment she grabbed the phone, another hand reached out from under the bed, wanting to grab her wrist.

Jiang Huaiyi was not to be outdone and poked the other hand fiercely. The ghost hand quickly dodged. Its movements were so agile that it made Jiang Huaiyi look like she was practicing martial arts.

The other hand refused to let go no matter what. Jiang Huaiyi angrily poked it, and the hand that was holding the phone let go in pain.

The two hands started a battle of wits with her. She threw the phone onto the bed, and a nameless anger flared up in her heart.

She grabbed the fruit next to her and started chewing on it fiercely. While chewing, she poked it.

Her movements became faster and faster. She felt her body’s condition getting better and better.

The two hands were soon poked full of holes.

A wail of a ghost’s cry came from under the bed. It made Jiang Huaiyi’s hair stand on end.

It was like the eerie cry of a night owl. She looked at the hand that was gradually getting weaker, and she felt a sense of relief in her heart.

The ghost under the bed seemed to whimper a little, feeling wronged, and silently retreated.

The temperature in the room also rose quite a bit. It seemed that it had calmed down for a while.

Jiang Huaiyi was eating the fruit when she heard footsteps in the corridor. Then, the sensor light outside the door turned on.

Her heart, which had just calmed down, leaped up again with the sound of the approaching footsteps.

She even forgot to chew the big mouthful of apple in her mouth. She held her breath and listened to the movements outside.

The next second, Shen Wensi’s figure appeared at the door. Only then did Jiang Huaiyi let out a sigh of relief and lie down on the bed.

She came in with water. She glanced at the bottom of the bed without changing her expression. After she closed the door.

She saw a pair of ghostly eyes looking at her from under the bed. Shen Wensi frowned. She saw a look of terror in those terrified eyes.

Then she looked at Jiang Huaiyi on the bed. She seemed to be fine and was quietly eating an apple.

When she looked down, she could also see the ghost hands under the bed, which were inexplicably full of holes.

When Jiang Huaiyi saw her looking down, she couldn’t help but ask, “What’s wrong?”

Shen Wensi looked up and smiled: “Nothing. Have some hot water. I just got it.”

She conveniently propped up the table and brought out the food that she had gotten from somewhere.

Then, she stepped on the hand that was trying to reach out from under the bed.

Her cold face looked down at the ghost under the bed. The ghost, whose hand was being stepped on, was about to scream but immediately shut its mouth.

It only felt an overwhelming sense of pressure from the person in front of it. It felt as if one more look would make its soul scatter. It was even more terrifying than the lords of the underworld.

Shen Wensi didn’t want to do anything. She looked at the trembling ghost on the floor and lightly spit out one word: “Scram.”

Then, she took her foot off and didn’t look at it anymore. The temperature in the room completely returned to normal at this moment.

Warm air came out of the air conditioner. It made Jiang Huaiyi’s hand go limp, and the apple fell onto the table.

Seeing that her hand was inconvenient, Shen Wensi took the initiative to open the food box for her. A rich aroma spread throughout the hospital room.

It was from the takeout that Shen Wensi had ordered before. Jiang Huaiyi’s appetite was whetted. She was a little surprised that this restaurant still had this service so late at night.

She scooped a spoonful of curry rice and narrowed her eyes, finding it delicious.

She looked at Shen Wensi in front of her and put down her spoon. Shen Wensi glanced at her. She was still annoyed that the other person had ignored her just now. She was thinking of how to talk back.

She heard her say: “Thank you so much. You worked hard.”

At the same time, her words almost came out at the same time: “Can’t you eat and shut up?”

For a moment, the two of them fell into silence.

Jiang Huaiyi’s originally bright face instantly fell. Her bank card password was circling in her mind.

Although the other person had never said anything about wanting her to pay her back, she had been a little relaxed before. But at this moment, she was more tense than ever before.

Seeing her eyes gradually get moist, Shen Wensi clenched the milk that was about to burst in her hand.

Her jawline was straight from embarrassment and anger. She saw the person in front of her visibly wither. She didn’t know why, but she also felt a lump in her throat.

They both spoke almost at the same time:

“I’m sorry. I won’t do it again.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

Jiang Huaiyi lowered her head even more. She felt that hot tears were about to fall from her eyes again.

But a bag of warm milk suddenly appeared in front of her.

It was somewhat forcefully placed in her hand. She didn’t dare to look up, but she heard Shen Wensi’s voice, which had become gentle again.

“That’s not what I meant. This is all pocket money for me. I don’t need you to pay me back, and I don’t want you to.”

Jiang Huaiyi wiped her face and looked up at her, who seemed to want to say something but didn’t.

The money she had given Shen Wensi before had all been returned. She believed that this was sincere.

But why did she talk like that again? Seeing that she looked a little nervous, Jiang Huaiyi looked at the strawberry milk in her hand and took an awkward sip.

She secretly glanced at the other person’s face, which looked calm and relaxed. Her hand that was gripping the table leg loosened.

The taste of the sweet milk spread. She felt that her mood was not as embarrassed and wronged as it had been just now.

Maybe she had misunderstood what the other person meant. She asked carefully: “Why were you so angry just now?”

The person in front of her didn’t say anything and just turned her face away.

How could she, with that strange emotion in her heart, ask a person who had cried to continue bowing her head?

Accustomed to a cold and tough style of doing things, she didn’t say anything else.

Jiang Huaiyi’s delicate nose was red from crying. She asked a little carefully: “Are you okay? Did you get checked out?”

Shen Wensi turned her face away and put a spoonful of rice into her mouth, not looking at her.

But in her heart, she felt that she wasn’t so angry anymore. She was also thinking back on whether her tone had been too harsh.

After the two of them finished eating, they cleaned up the table. Jiang Huaiyi basically talked about Shen Wensi in every sentence.

Everything in the cave had been resolved. She also knew what was wrong with her body.

But Shen Wensi’s face was still pale. She didn’t know where she was injured or what was wrong.

After a while of showing concern, Shen Wensi coughed twice and changed the subject.

The two of them looked at the scroll that was still in the backpack.

Jiang Huaiyi’s hand had no strength, so Shen Wensi had to take it out and place it on the table.

Jiang Huaiyi felt the excellent texture of the scroll. The delicate texture touched her fingertips, giving her a bad feeling.

“Have you opened it and looked at it?”

Jiang Huaiyi asked.

Her eyebrows furrowed more and more. The texture of the scroll was very strange. It was a little big and occupied the entire table.

Shen Wensi shook her head. Her eyes swept over the surface of the scroll, and she frowned.

Jiang Huaiyi withdrew her hand as if she had received an electric shock. She muttered: “This doesn’t look like a good thing. Should we open it and take a look?”

Shen Wensi thought for a moment and shook her head: “Your body hasn’t fully recovered. It’s best not to look at it now. Wait until you’re a little better.”

The next mission had no clues and no deadline, so the two of them slowed down their pace.

After a few days of rest, Jiang Huaiyi felt that her body was much better.

Jiang Huaiyi became more and more interested in the things inside the scroll. Finally, after they discussed it again, they chose a day to take out the scroll again.

The room became warm because of the air conditioner. The hand that was holding the scroll unconsciously trembled.

It felt as if the paper on the scroll had come alive and had its own temperature.

Shen Wensi leaned next to her and carefully pulled open one side of the painting.

The scroll was very long. Shen Wensi stood up and walked an arm’s length away, but it still hadn’t fully unrolled.

On it were very beautiful “Baimiao” works. The colors were vibrant and stood out everywhere.

In the painting, the immortals were welcoming and sending off each other. They all had different expressions, and their eyes were filled with divine brilliance. The lines were so fluid, and the composition was so exquisite that it made people want to cheer.

The figures in the painting, with their every word and smile, were lifelike and remarkably delicate.

It made people marvel at the artist’s incredible skill. The way they used their brush was divine. The long lines were like a stroke of a genius.

The imperial canopy and sedan chair were covered in gold foil, looking radiant and very noble.

The brushwork was smooth, and the scene was painted with an ethereal feel. The distant mountains and nearby scenery with their green dots made people feel as if they were there, and they were in awe.

Jiang Huaiyi looked at the painting in front of her. The more she looked at it, the more familiar it became. Her hands started trembling with excitement.

The colors on the painting had long faded due to the long years.

Shen Wensi, who was also looking at the painting, also saw some clues. The two of them looked at each other.

They both spoke at the same time:

“The Eighty-Seven Immortals Scroll?”

“The Chart of an Immortal Audience!”

Jiang Huaiyi said with certainty and moved away from the painting.

“This is a replica. The original has been missing for a long time.”

Shen Wensi asked, “How can you be sure?”

Jiang Huaiyi’s pale fingertips signaled for the other person to take the scroll away.

“I couldn’t figure out what the hint on the fine silk cloth was before, but if it’s this painting, I understand.”

“This is a replica because the real painting would never use human skin as its canvas.”

That delicate texture was explained the moment Jiang Huaiyi figured it out.

Historically, such paintings have been lost. The earliest one that can be traced back is the “Eighty-Seven Immortals Scroll,” which is rumored to be the genuine work of the Painting Sage, Wu Daozi.

This exquisite painting was just a replica. In this case, it was a ghost painting on a human skin scroll and was locked in such a terrifying place.

The fine silk cloth said it could communicate with the Yin world and know the Mandate of Heaven. If it was this kind of evil technique, it wasn’t particularly bizarre.

Jiang Huaiyi felt a little disgusted in her heart. The thought of being in contact with human skin for so long made her feel inexplicably terrified.

Just as she was about to trouble Shen Wensi to take the scroll away, a white light flashed from the scroll in front of her.

The room was as bright as day. In just a split second, the two people who were just in front of the painting instantly disappeared.

The scroll that was suspended in mid-air dropped to the floor with a “thud.” A crack appeared on the handle.

The entire painting seemed to be alive and trembled.

For a moment, there was no other sound in the room except for the TV.

“This station is rebroadcasting. Due to recent road construction on Fengxiang Road from Sanguan Temple to Qingyun Temple, citizens are advised to find an alternative route…”

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