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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 28: There Are Deities Three Feet Above
People sometimes are like this; without experiencing hardship, they do not understand how high the sky is and how thick the earth is. An old saying goes, "There are deities three feet above," but not many take it seriously. Sometimes, when dealing with others, it's better to think more carefully; after all, just because you don't know doesn't mean it doesn't exist.
At this point, someone might ask, aren't deities benevolent Bodhisattvas? Families worship them daily, seeking their blessings. How could they possibly punish people? Yes, the compassion of Bodhisattvas is eternal and unchanging, and deities do protect people. However, if you disrespect them, they may teach you a lesson for being ignorant.
Isn't there an old saying that goes, "Inviting a deity is easy, sending them away is hard"? Here, many people think "deity" refers to ghosts, but it also includes some lesser deities or immortals. These lower-ranking deities can be quite troublesome; if you offend them, they can cause you a lot of trouble.
Of course, some Bodhisattvas will not punish sentient beings; even if they lose their own form, they will not harm others. However, for those high-ranking Bodhisattvas, if you disrespect them, even if the Bodhisattva does not punish you, the Yin Soldiers guarding the temple will.
You should know that every temple has Yin Soldiers and Yin Generals watching over it. Even if a temple is destroyed, they still exist. Most elderly people know that when a temple is built, a Mage performs rituals to recruit guardians; in simple terms, they find people to watch over the temple. Those recruited are usually locals; whoever is chosen will die, and it’s always young and strong individuals.
When I was wandering the world, I encountered a town building a temple. During the construction, the Mage said that once the temple was completed, forty-nine people would have to die in the town. At that time, no one believed it. However, once construction began, young people in the town started dying one after another. Only then did everyone remember what the Mage had said. But by then it was too late. I recall some townsfolk asking me for help to ward off disaster; however, this was Heaven's Will. No matter how capable I was, I could not stop the Bodhisattva's guardian from recruiting souls.
I still clearly remember that some young people fled to other provinces out of fear to work. Yet even so, if chosen by the guardian deity, they could not escape their fate and died far from home; their souls were naturally taken back to the local temple. By the time the temple was completed, forty-nine young men had been taken without exception.
Though Bodhisattvas are compassionate due to their pure hearts, the Yin Soldiers and Yin Generals guarding the temple still possess human emotions with desires and feelings. Their job is simply to protect the temple; anyone who disrespects it will face strict enforcement without mercy. For this reason in Feng Shui beliefs, any place where a temple has been built cannot be used for residential purposes; otherwise, it would lead to dire consequences for its inhabitants.
In summary, you may hold doubts about ghosts but should never show disrespect.
Returning to my situation, the Earth God struck me heavily; each lash of the vine on my back felt like a fiery sting. After more than twenty strikes ended, I was drenched in sweat and completely exhausted, lying on the ground unable to move.
Lin Xiaoqi could not see the Earth God and only heard my cries of pain as I trembled on the ground. With each cry of pain came fresh bloody whip marks on my back. She naturally understood that I was being punished for Xia Ling and others' sake and was frightened into tears.
When I stopped crying out in pain, she realized that the Earth God must have left and hurried over to help me up while asking through her tears how I was doing.
Seeing Lin Xiaoqi's frightened expression with tears streaming down her face—like a scared little bird—I forced a smile and told her not to be afraid; the Earth God had already left. Besides, he is a deity and wouldn’t harm anyone without reason; she should rest assured and stop crying.
Lin Xiaoqi wiped her tears and pouted as she said, "You're still smiling! Look at what you've been through! I'm not afraid of the Earth God; I'm worried about you!"
Upon hearing this, I suddenly felt a warm current flow through me. Could this be the feeling of being cared for? But why would she care about me? All the other classmates ran away in fear, yet she stayed behind. Does she like me?
Thinking of this, I couldn't help but smile foolishly, and it was clear that even I found it amusing. She is like a goddess—beautiful, cultured, and from a good family. How could she possibly like someone like me, who has no education and no background? The fact that she didn't run away with the others might mean she recognizes me as a classmate!
Lin Xiaoqi saw me smiling to myself and said angrily, "Look at you, you're hurt so badly and still smiling. You're really an idiot. They got themselves into trouble; why do you have to take the blame for them? You've already done your best."
I replied, "We're all classmates here. Besides, I'm the only one who can save them in this situation. No matter how they see me, I can't just abandon them."
Then I looked at her and asked, "What about you? Why didn't you leave with them earlier? You stayed here just like me because you didn't want to abandon your classmates."
Lin Xiaoqi rolled her eyes and muttered softly, "I'm not like you..." Her voice was barely audible, as if she were speaking to me or perhaps just to herself.
After that, she helped me up and we walked unsteadily out of the woods. By now, it was getting dark.
When we emerged from the woods and reached the Small River, all the other classmates had already left. The only person left by the river was Xia Ling.
Seeing us come out, Xia Ling hurried over with tears in her eyes. Together with Lin Xiaoqi, they helped me sit down on a large rock by the riverbank and asked how I was doing.
I smiled and said it was nothing serious; I just hoped they wouldn't act recklessly again since there are too many unknowns in this world.
Xia Ling said, "I'm sorry, Shenbao. It's all my fault that you're in this state." At this point, she started crying again, looking very sad and guilty.
I replied, "It's not very meaningful to talk about this now. As long as everyone is okay, that's what matters. I just did what I had to do!"
Then I stood up from the rock and said that it was getting dark and we shouldn't linger too long in such a remote area. We should head back to the city soon.
At that moment, Lin Xiaoqi hurried over to support me. Xia Ling said, "Shenbao, you should get in my car and come to my house. I'll help you apply some medicine."
For some reason, upon hearing this, I suddenly felt conflicted and couldn't make a decision about whether to go or not. To be honest, although I felt very lonely inside—having grown up without parents and only having my Grandfather by my side—he had also left me early on. For these years, I had been living alone; not only was there no one to care for me, but there wasn't even anyone to talk to.
Deep down, I really want to find a girlfriend, just someone to accompany me and not let me spend my life in this lonely state. Suddenly changed, Xia Ling sparked a feeling of rekindled affection in me, as if memories of the times we spent together were being stirred up. A voice inside me told me that if I agreed, perhaps we could start anew.
However, just as I was about to speak, I suddenly felt Lin Xiaoqi, who was supporting me, move her hand from my arm to my hand and hold it tightly. I glanced at her, but she was staring at the ground with no reaction.
At that moment, seeing that I remained silent, Xia Ling continued, "Today I realized that I've been wrong all along. Shenbao, do you know? I have so much to say to you. And you got hurt so badly just to save me; I want to treat your wounds. Otherwise, I'll feel sad for the rest of my life."
Seeing Xia Ling looking at me earnestly, to be honest, I really wanted to be with her. But I knew that since the moment we met at the last gathering, it was impossible for us to be together again because we had both changed.
As I was making my decision, Lin Xiaoqi beside me gently tapped my palm with her fingers. I looked at her and heard her softly mumble to herself, "I have medicine at home too." Her voice was so soft that only I could barely hear it.
For some reason, I often found myself imagining things about Lin Xiaoqi's words or actions; perhaps I was just overthinking it.
However, regarding Xia Ling in front of me, I had already made my decision. Sighing inwardly, I said to her, "Xia Ling, you should go back early. The reason I saved you is simply because we were classmates before. Even if it were another classmate in trouble today, I would still do the same. Take care!"
After saying this, I squeezed Lin Xiaoqi's hand and then she helped me turn around and got into her car...
Sitting in Lin Xiaoqi's car and gazing out at the night through the window, I found myself lost in thought. I knew that my relationship with Xia Ling had completely come to an end. What ended was not just the hidden first love in my heart but perhaps even our friendship as classmates. Because I understood that we could no longer interact like classmates or keep in touch; everything was over.
Suddenly, I began to feel fortunate and envious of Qianqian and Duan Yang for their situation. After all, they still held onto a love that could move them at any time—a love worth cherishing.
Perhaps some things—whether people, events, or feelings—once they pass by, can never return; they can only be hidden deep within our hearts. If years later you encounter these people or events again and try to revive what once was, everything may have already changed because time can alter everything. You and I will no longer be the same as we once were...
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