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墨書 Inktalez
All ghosts, monsters, and spirits are categorized as good or bad, though some exist without distinction, simply pursuing their own desires. However, such beings are high-level entities and extremely rare. Ordinary humans cannot discern between gods and ghosts; this is what we call the mortal eye. Among the myriad of living beings, there occasionally exist exceptions—those with heavenly eyes or ghostly eyes. The heavenly eye allows one to see all beings, while the ghostly eye reveals the various aspects of the underworld. The former is a thousand-year rarity, while the latter is one in ten thousand.
This text was written during the convergence of yin and yang, and those who can perceive it must possess ghostly eyes and have no business within Dragon Garden.
My name is Xuanqin. I am fortunate to meet you here. I hope you will remember my words and refrain from sharing the contents of this text with those two young disciples of yours. Their fates are still uncertain, and should they learn of this text's contents, it would surely lead to disaster. You are a Special Individual, protected by gods and spirits, and serve as their guide; thus, you may act accordingly.
Having been told he could go home, Song Bunan cheerfully began packing his belongings early in the morning. His brother had gone to handle the paperwork and agreed to meet in the lobby. As was his habit, he carefully removed his hospital gown to check the bandage on his back when he caught sight of someone standing outside the room.
Surprised, he turned to look, and the person walked in. Dressed in a white coat with a stethoscope around his neck, holding a blue writing board, he smiled as he approached: "Doctor Jiang said that I will assist you with your bandaging and follow-up checks from now on. Remember to come back every three days for a change of dressings. My name is Jiang Ling." This person was a male nurse—his height unremarkable and his age seemingly young—but his gentle smile and slow, clear speech made him seem very approachable.
Song Bunan nodded politely to the nurse, who appeared to be about his size. As he prepared to continue getting dressed, he noticed that Jiang Ling's attire was not typical for a nurse: his pants were tight against his legs, with nylon straps resembling support bands around his thighs, and he wore black work boots. Even his coat was fitted like workwear.
Not wanting to pry into someone else's clothing choices, Song Bunan quickly dismissed this thought from his mind and forgot about checking his bandage again as he grabbed his clothes from the bed to put them on. Jiang Ling set down the writing board to help him dress; when their bodies brushed against each other, Song Bunan noticed that Jiang Ling's fingers felt quite rough against his skin. He also caught a faint scent of paper dust—a smell he recognized well from the hallway of his home; even the subtle fragrance mixed with it was identical.
"Hey, Nurse, have you ever been to Yunyang Community?" Song Bunan asked while fastening his buttons without looking up. When Jiang Ling didn’t respond right away, Song Bunan turned back only to find that he had vanished. Looking around the room confirmed that no one else was there; holding onto his jacket in front of the bed, Song Bunan wondered if Jiang Ling had really been there at all—how could someone walk so quietly?
He slowly stepped toward the door and saw Aunt Jiang approaching. Noticing he had packed up his things, she smiled and pulled a piece of candy from her coat pocket: "Come back in three days for your dressing change—no new wounds allowed! Here, have some candy." After accepting the candy, Song Bunan asked Aunt Jiang if there was a nurse named Jiang Ling at the hospital. She nodded with her usual smile: "He's a new nurse here; he's quite skilled at bandaging and treating wounds. I asked him to take care of you; it seems you've met him."
So that’s how it is. Song Bunan nodded and hugged Aunt Jiang before telling her he was going to meet up with his brother in the lobby. Upon reaching the hospital entrance, he saw his brother talking animatedly with Xin Yi; as soon as they noticed him approaching, they immediately fell silent.
Xin Yi smoothly took the bag from Song Bunan's hands and asked if his wound still hurt.
Sensing that they were avoiding something important by not discussing it in front of him, Song Bunan scrutinized both of them before directly asking: "Why did you stop talking when I came over? Are you hiding something big? Is it that you're dating someone without telling me?"
The first question was reasonable; however, the second quickly turned into nonsense. Song Buxian rolled his eyes at Song Bunan's words while pinching his face lightly: "Use your brain if you can; if not, let’s replace it! Do you hear yourself?"
Laughing as he freed himself from that playful grip, Song Bunan straightened up to ease his discomfort and casually asked where they were headed next. Just then, a coat draped over his shoulders; turning around revealed Xin Yi standing quietly behind him with a paper cup in hand: "Drink on the way; we’re going back to your house to change clothes."
Before Song Bunan could respond, he heard his brother sarcastically remark: "Since when does my partner care so much about someone? We've known each other for over ten years!" Turning to look at him revealed an unreadable expression on his brother's face along with Xin Yi's demeanor—sandwiched between them made Song Bunan involuntarily shiver.
Gripping the paper cup tightly, he stepped ahead out of concern for what lay ahead while distracted by thoughts of meeting Xiao Mei at the mansion later; lost in thought, he failed to notice what was happening in front of him.
Outside was bright sunshine; early autumn felt even hotter than summer under an endless blue sky that made the hospital's concrete ground reflect like a giant mirror. Accustomed to indoor lighting, Song Bunan squinted against this sudden brightness just as he instinctively tried to avoid it by stepping back but misstepped on the stairs below him.
As he stumbled forward towards what seemed like an imminent collision with the ground—his grip on the paper cup faltering—he suddenly found himself caught almost face-to-face by someone.
The milk spilled completely onto the ground before quickly spreading outwards as Song Bunan regained focus while steadying himself against this person—Jiang Ling had caught him again! However, unlike before when he'd worn a white coat, Jiang Ling now donned casual clothes and smiled as he withdrew his hand once Song Bunan regained balance: "Be careful! Falling on this surface can hurt quite a bit."
Though Jiang Ling appeared roughly around Song Bunan's age based on looks alone, his voice carried an air of maturity. Grinning back in thanks at him made Song Bunan watch as Jiang Ling shook his head before turning away briskly; at that moment, he noticed how Jiang Ling’s body proportions seemed longer than average due to fitted pants and tall boots giving him an overall slender appearance from behind.
Something about Jiang Ling’s tone and demeanor struck Song Bunan as familiar—he felt like he'd seen him somewhere before. As he crouched down to deal with what he'd caused—the spilled milk—he picked up what remained of the cup only to find that all milk had dried into sticky patches on the concrete floor beyond repair. Holding onto it helplessly while pondering how best to clean up this mess just then caught sight of a janitor who had witnessed everything come over to take it from him: "Don't worry about it; I'll clean it up."
After finishing their conversation outside with Xin Yi before leaving together for their car without saying anything further about what had just happened—Song Buxian walked straight towards their vehicle while Xin Yi approached Song Bunan beside him watching as the janitor assured him it was no trouble while mopping up.
Feeling embarrassed about causing such trouble yet unable to walk away easily without glancing back multiple times until finally reaching their car whereupon seeing everything tidied up allowed him some relief as he settled into the backseat.
Without turning around while starting up their vehicle—Buxian informed him casually that he'd likely be away on business for several days asking whether he'd prefer staying home alone or borrowing Xin Yi's place instead.
With only ever having considered staying home alone whenever needing assistance previously now presented with this second option left Song Bunan deep in thought weighing both choices carefully before finally sitting upright leaning over through an opening between seats glancing between both men awaiting an answer: licking lips decisively declared aloud: "I'll stay home! No need bothering Xin Yi Brother—I promise I'll be punctual for work on Monday!"
Raising four fingers in an oath did not go unnoticed by Xin Yi whose eyes momentarily flickered with disappointment—a fact not missed by Song Buxian who promptly pulled out keys tossing them towards Xin Yi saying: "Then do me this favor these next couple days after work swing by check on him—and keep tabs on this fool every three days for dressing changes."
It seemed that he was underestimated. Song Bunan muttered his dissatisfaction in his heart, but knowing that voicing it might lead to trouble, he could only nod in agreement. "Welcome, brother Xinyi, to my home! If you want to eat anything, just let me know. I cook really well."
After saying this, he felt a large hand ruffle his hair, and he heard Xinyi say it was good.
By the time they returned home, it was just past twelve noon. Song Bunan, who was planning to take a nap, caught sight of the Black Notebook on the table, which he couldn't see the main content of. With a mindset of trying once more before sleeping, he opened the notebook. Skipping over the parts anyone could read, he went straight to the key area concerning this Special Individual. He had prepared himself for the possibility of finding nothing again, but instead, he saw dark gray words on the paper.
"Time is quite marvelous, isn't it?"
Before Song Bunan could figure out how to interpret this sentence, he glanced at the second line:
"From now on, come back at this time to take a look. There are many things here that you will find useful in the future. Keep reading."
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