Wei Guanyi stood in the doorway of the ward with furrowed brow. “Mr Xia, she is not in a stable condition; she’s just fallen asleep. You can go in to see her, though.”
Xia Lei nodded, and entered the ward.
It was quiet in the ward. Ning Jing lay on the bed in deep sleep, and did not wake up at Xia Lei’s arrival.
Xia Lei’s gaze went to the window area. There was an easel there, and an incomplete painting on it. He walked over.
The painting was of an European village with a church at its centre. It had a tall, majestic domed roof, and around it were Romanesque and Gothic-style buildings, ancient, elegant, and sombre, deeply etched with the influence of the Church. There was not one modern building in the village, and no electric poles, nor large advertisement posters or the like. There were some people in the painting but they were not in modern garb either, but in the garb of the Middle Ages.
The incomplete portion of the painting featured a house to the side of the village. Behind the house was a stretch of hills, and a river meandered past the foot of these hills. There was a tombstone on the banks of the river, but no writing on it.
‘What is this place she’s painted?’ Xia Lei was confused. ‘If it was a place she visited as a tourist, it’s not possible that there would be no modern conveniences, right? Even if it was an ancient village which has been perfectly preserved, there should be some electric cables or wiring… But the painting has none of that. Plus, she’s an archaeologist, not an artist. I’ve never heard her saying that she enjoyed paintings, and haven’t ever seen her paint anything well, but she’s displayed an astonishing ability to paint after she went mad. What’s going on here?’
This painting seemed to be part of the three paintings he’d just seen.
‘She drew the Mona Lisa, a white, cloud-like being, six people with no faces, and a village from the Middle Ages. Just what is she trying to express?’ Xia Lei pondered.
On the bed, Ning Jing’s eyes suddenly flew open.
“It’s me, Ning Jing.” Xia Lei went to her bedside and asked in concern, “Are you all right?”
Ning Jing didn’t seem to have heard him. She did not even look at him – she just stared blankly at the light on the ceiling.
“Ning Jing?” Xia Lei called her name once more.
Ning Jing made no response. She climbed out of bed, put her slippers on, and walked slowly to the easel. She sat on the chair, took up the brush, and added colour to the painting. She said nothing throughout this entire process, and didn’t even glance at Xia Lei. He was right here in the room and standing before her eyes, but he was like air to her.
What was going on?
Xia Lei stood next to Ning Jing and watched her every move. He quickly discovered that Ning Jing’s gaze remained vacant as she painted; she was without life. It looked like her body was moving, but her soul had departed. However, the shell of a human that was she had an uncanny litheness in her painting. She painted quickly, and made no mistakes.
“You…” A question popped up in Xia Lei’s head, and he blurted, “Are you Ning Jing?”
Ning Jing did not turn around. She continued painting.
A few minutes later, she was done. The incomplete house was complete, and a black-haired man now stood in front of the house.
Xia Lei’s gaze went to the black-haired man in the painting and he was gobsmacked. Every person in the painting had been in ancient European clothing, but this last black-haired man was an Asian, and he was wearing jeans and sports shoes. He was a modern man!
Xia Lei looked at the black-haired man’s face. It was quite small, and the lines of his face were not clear. In that instant, his left eye twitched and activated his zoom-in ability. The blurry face was instantly brought into focus, and Xia Lei’s jaw dropped.
The man in the painting was none other than himself – Xia Lei!
“Just who in the world are you?” Xia Lei could not control his emotions anymore. He grabbed Ning Jing by the shoulders and said anxiously, “Tell me! Tell me what you’re trying to say!”
“Nn…” A sound suddenly came from Ning Jing’s throat, like she was just awakening. Her eyes, too, moved to Xia Lei’s face but her gaze was dull, absent.
“Ning Jing? You…” Xia Lei was filled with anxiety and worry.
Just then, Ning Jing suddenly said, “Italy. Bobbio. You must go there, and awaken me…”
Xia Lei was rooted to the spot in shock. His mind was reeling. She was here, in the sanatorium, more or less conscious, but she was telling him to go to Italy to wake her up!
Ning Jing abruptly fell to the floor with a whimper after the words left her lips. It was as if all the strength had been sapped from her body in an instant, and she couldn’t hold herself upright any longer.
Xia Lei hurriedly stretched his hands out to hold her. “Ning Jing! Ning Jing, wake up! Wake up!”
Ning Jing did not react.
Xia Lei felt her pulse. It was normal; she was in no danger. He then carried her to the bed and tucked her in.
“Do you need me to help, Mr Xia?” Wei Guanyi’s voice came from beyond the doorway of the ward.
“It’s fine. Give me a little more time,” said Xia Lei.
“Sure. Call me if you need me. I’ll be outside.”
Money made the world go round. This Wei Guanyi had taken Xia Lei’s money, so he provided a service in return. Ning Jing would not have been allowed visitors in the current state otherwise, much less be allowed to have a room to herself.
Xia Lei took the painting off the easel and put it into his briefcase. He returned to her bedside and sat on it while holding Ning Jing’s hand. Her hand was cold, without warmth.
“You say to go to Italy, Bobbio. Is this the place in the painting? I will go there,” mumbled Xia Lei to himself. “But you said to awaken you. What do you mean? Tell me, are you being controlled by something? Open your eyes if you are.”
Ning Jing suddenly opened her eyes.
Xia Lei was shocked. “You…”
“Heehee.” Ning Jing giggled abruptly. “Why did you come, Daddy?”
Xia Lei was confused.
Ning Jing shook Xia Lei’s arm. “Daddy, I want a bedtime story.”
Xia Lei then discovered that she had not responded to what he’d said, but had entered another state – the state of madness. Her gaze was bright and full of naivety, like that of a little girl. In contrast, she had been a moving corpse earlier. She was two completely different people in these two states!
‘Has she really been possessed, like in legends? What has possessed her?’ thought Xia Lei. He didn’t quite dare to believe this thought.
There were no ghosts on this Earth. Princess Yongmei was an existence like that of a ‘soul’ but he knew that she was not one at all, but a form of energy. Her existence was inextricably entwined with that of the ancient alloy, and AE.
“Daddy, I want a bedtime story. Tell me one.” Ning Jing pleaded with Xia Lei again. She pouted and put on a displeased expression.
Xia Lei had never had bedtime stories told to him in his life, and never told any to anyone. Ning Jing’s request put him in a spot. He wanted to leave, but her disappointed expression pulled at his heartstrings and he could not bear to just leave her.
“You’re a baddie, Daddy! You don’t love me.” Ning Jing shook Xia Lei’s hand away and hid under the covers. Sobs soon came from under the covers.
Xia Lei sighed, and forced himself to say, “Come out. Daddy will tell you a bedtime story if you come out.”
“Really?” Ning Jing crawled out. There were tears in her eyes still, but a smile filled her face with joy.
Xia Lei’s heart thumped. He started on his story. “Once upon a time, long, long ago, there was a princess named Zhu Xuanyue. She was Princess Yongmei of the Ming dynasty.”
Ning Jing stared at Xia Lei, wide-eyed, waiting for him to continue the story.
Xia Lei had been observing Ning Jing’s reaction all the while. He continued, “She was very beautiful, and brave. One day, the emperor gave her a task. She was to lead troops to a place she had never been to before. A Hun tribe lived in the place she went to, and she built a city there. The city was named the City of the White Horse of Tomorrow.” He stopped, and stared at Ning Jing.
“Go on, Daddy. What happened next?”
This sort of reaction was not one of a person who had been ‘possessed’. He had used Princess Yongmei’s story to test her for a reaction, but this had obviously been ineffective.
“Then this princess went to Jerusalem. It was a sacred land. She obtained exquisite jewels there, and many, many tasty things. Oh, and an alloy piece.”
Ning Jing’s eyes were full of anticipation. She seemed very interested in this story.
“And then, the princess…” Xia Lei had been planning to end the story quickly, but he suddenly changed his mind. He said, “Then this princess went to Italy, to a town called Bobbio. She built a house there. There was a river behind that house, and the river had many fish in it. There was also a tomb by the river. In the tomb…”
The expression in Ning Jing’s eyes changed abruptly, and the naivety disappeared. It was replaced by the earlier dull, vacant stare.
Excitement sprung in Xia Lei’s heart. He kept going. “In the tomb was a woman. She was very beautiful. She was da Vinci’s friend. She was very, very pretty… Ning Jing?”
Ning Jing suddenly said, “They’re coming, they’re coming…”
“Who’s coming? Tell me, quick!”
“Awaken me, awaken me… We must escape, we must escape…” Ning Jing’s voice was low, and cold, like she was another person.
She had said such words to Wei Guanyi before too. Xia Lei had heard the recording, and the voice in the recording was the same as how she was speaking now!
“Where are you? How do I awaken you?” Xia Lei pushed.
“Mona Lisa, Mona Lisa…”
“Are you talking about that da Vinci painting?”
“There’s no time… Ugh!” A sound suddenly came from Ning Jing’s throat, like she had been cut off mid-sentence. She lost consciousness after making that sound, and fell bonelessly to the bed.
“Ning Jing? Ning Jing? Hello?” Xia Lei shook her by the shoulder, but she did not respond.
What happened? The events replayed themselves in Xia Lei’s head, showing him every single one of Ning Jing’s reactions. He then knew what had triggered her and made her enter a ‘possessed’ state. It was not the story of Princess Yongmei, but the description of what she had painted.
‘What is it that terrifies her so?’ pondered Xia Lei.
He left a ward minutes later.
“Is Doctor Ning all right, Mr Xia?” asked Wei Guanyi.
“She’s fallen asleep. You did well. I will reward you for your work,” said Xia Lei.
Wei Guanyi smiled. “Thank you, Mr Xia.”
“Our previous arrangement still stands. Take good care of Ning Jing. Contact me if anything unusual happens,” said Xia Lei.
“Of course, Mr Xia.”
“I’ll be leaving now. Goodbye.” Xia Lei left.
Bobbio, Italy. What sort of place was it?
No matter what place it was, he had to go take a look!