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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 187: Full Disclosure
This time, I didn't encounter any unexpected situations; perhaps the ghosts guarding the road to the underworld remembered me.
I arrived outside the King of Hell's hall and asked a ghost messenger to report my arrival. Soon, I saw my master, Master Ma. He was dressed in Ghost Messenger attire, looking radiant. Upon seeing my furious expression, he couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong?"
"You old bastard!" I cursed as soon as I opened my mouth. "Ever since I followed you, I've never had a good day. I can't find a girlfriend, and I'm constantly dealing with ghosts. Now, anyone can bully me. It's bad enough that you lack skill yourself, but why do you have to drag me down with you?"
Master Ma was taken aback for a moment and didn't respond; instead, he stared at me in shock.
I had never disrespected Master Ma before; to me, he was like a father, caring for me in every way. Although I had never repaid his kindness, I had never forgotten his grace.
However, today, for some reason, I cursed at him and couldn't stop.
"Look at your other disciples; what can't they do? Now look at me! What have you taught me?" I continued to rant. "I can't even be bothered with your paper-making business anymore. From now on, I'm going to live a normal person's life!"
After saying that, I angrily squatted down on the ground.
For some reason, I felt suffocated! Being toyed with by Guo Yongjia made me feel trapped; seeing Guo Jia's appearance but being unable to seek justice for her left me feeling helpless; Guo Yang's tragic death while serving his murderer made me feel frustrated; Liu Yiyi's disappearance after her death made me feel lost; and my junior brother is still suffering—this all made me feel suffocated.
"Child," Master Ma sighed after a long pause and slowly squatted down beside me, patting my shoulder. "Have you been wronged in the human world?"
I turned my head away from Master Ma and recalled everything I had experienced, causing my eyes to well up with tears.
"Hey!" Master Ma sighed again and continued, "If you want to live a normal person's life, no one will stop you. But are you truly willing?"
I didn't know how to respond, so out of spite, I chose not to look at Master Ma.
Master Ma patted my shoulder and said, "Come inside with me!"
After saying that, he took me to a Yin Zhai, and for some reason, I really followed him inside.
He poured me a cup of 'water' and then we sat together on a long bench. He patiently asked, "What happened? Can you tell me about it?"
At that moment, I couldn't help but shout, "Master, you don't know! That Guo Jia, she's so young; she's just a little girl! Only six years old, six years old! That bastard Guo Yongjia actually skinned her alive; and that Liu Yiyi and Guo Yang, they loved each other so much, yet Guo Yongjia ruined their family; my poor Shidi, what did he do to offend him? Why? Why does he have to suffer like this?"
I don't know why, but after saying all this, tears welled up in my eyes. Thinking of the tragic fate of Guo Yang's family and the misfortune that befell my Shidi made me cry uncontrollably.
Master Ma raised his hand and wrapped it around my shoulder, calmly saying, "Qi Long, there are many things in this world that are unfair. The Paper Effigy Maker is not omnipotent! Can you tell me more in detail?"
Next, I recounted everything about how I encountered Liu Yiyi, Guo Yang, Murong Duoduo, Guo Jia, Guo Yongjia, Captain Wang, and all the events that transpired. Especially when I talked about receiving Guo Jia's skin; by then, my face was already covered in tears.
I knew that Guo Yongjia must have deliberately used Guo Jia's skin to make a scarecrow to provoke me. But what could I do? In terms of intelligence, he became a millionaire at twenty while I only had two to three hundred thousand in savings. In terms of means? He could turn an ordinary ghost into a paper zombie in the morning; as for manpower? Guo Yongjia could crush me with money.
For some reason, I suddenly leaned on Master Ma's shoulder and cried without caring about my image!
"Alas!" Master Ma sighed but didn't say anything. Instead, he gently patted my back and fell silent.
"Master, I'm not willing! I'm not willing!" I cried out. "Why do good people have no good days while bad people can do whatever they want? Why? Why do I have to witness so much suffering? Sometimes I even wonder if you chose the wrong person. I'm just not suited to be a Paper Effigy Maker; I'm only fit to be an ordinary person!"
Master Ma didn't answer me but waited until I cried myself out before taking me into his room and then leaving.
When I saw Master Ma again, there were a few more people around him: the Black and White Impermanence, the Ox-Head and Horse-Face, as well as Yin-Yang Judge and Old Man Pan.
I recognized all these 'people,' but I didn't understand the purpose of my master's invitation to them.
"Qilong, the craft of paper-making is far from as simple as you think. As Paper Craftsmen, we must not only learn the techniques of paper-making to improve the lives of the spirits but also learn some techniques to subdue their resentment and send them to the underworld for a better life," Master Ma said. "You have almost mastered the Control Paper Technique, but you still lack knowledge in talismanic arts. In fact, talismanic arts rely on utilizing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth along with one's own righteous energy, combining it with one's masculine energy to maximize resources through the form of talismans."
Next, Master Ma taught me many ways to draw talismans.
I listened carefully to every word he said. I didn't know why, but at that moment, I suddenly felt an urgent desire to learn more, so I had no distractions whatsoever.
"Qilong, I actually don't have much to teach you!" Old Man Pan sighed and said. "My grandson is facing a great calamity; it's not your fault. However, I can teach you some arithmetic. You see, when we Paper Craftsmen travel the world, we are not as good at feng shui as feng shui masters, not as skilled in ghost collection as Maoshan practitioners, not as proficient in talismans as talisman masters, and not as capable in control techniques as horse-jumping immortals. But we learn a lot; even if we master each skill only moderately well, we can complement each other’s strengths! Arithmetic, which people often refer to as divination techniques, can predict some events from the past or future. If you learn it well, even if your paper-making business doesn't go smoothly, you can set up a fortune-telling stall on the street."
Then Old Man Pan shared some precautions and specific methods regarding arithmetic.
The Black and White Impermanence and Ox-Head and Horse-Face stood quietly by the side. After Old Man Pan and Master Ma finished speaking, one of them—White Impermanence—approached me. With a long tongue slightly moving, he said: "Ghost Messengers collect spirits not only because of their accumulated combat skills but also because they each possess a suitable weapon. Ghosts cannot directly touch objects unless they are their roots! Ghosts harm others mainly through six aspects: malevolent energy, yin energy, resentment, yin poison, Ghost Fire, and divine consciousness. As long as you master certain combat techniques and find a weapon that suits you while skillfully controlling your masculine energy and righteous energy, ghosts won't be so fearful."
Then White Impermanence had Black Impermanence teach me some fighting techniques while also instructing me on special methods to restrain evil spirits. Their ability to collect spirits is not only due to their weapons but also because they have spent a long time in the underworld and have seen much more of the world; thus both evil and benevolent spirits tend to retreat when they see them.
In addition to that, White Impermanence pointed out that the function of Ghost Seal is quite broad; it is akin to ancient treasures like the Yin-Yang Imperial Seal or Heaven and Earth Seal or Opening Mountain Axe—having similar effects. If used properly, even against powerful entities like the King of Ghosts or Zombie King or Demon King, one would not fall behind.
They left, leaving me alone in an empty room. I had absorbed quite a bit of information and did not immediately return to life.
During this time, Master Ma rarely disturbed me. I don't know how long it had been until Master Ma came back; his first words were: "Qilong, it's time for you to return."
After bidding farewell to my master Master Ma, I finally returned to life.
After waking up, the sun was shining brightly in the sky, and the warm sunlight spread across the land, adding a touch of warmth to the earth.
I stretched lazily and, after getting out of bed, did a few simple movements in place. Suddenly, I felt a bit dizzy.
At that moment, Murong Duoduo walked into the room holding a basin of water. Seeing me standing on the ground, she said, "You're awake; wash your face first."
After saying that, she placed the basin on the ground and went out.
After washing my face, I walked into the hall of the paper-making shop. Murong Duoduo pointed to a table on one side and said, "Have something to eat!"
As soon as she mentioned it, my stomach growled with hunger. Like a hungry dog pouncing on food, I quickly devoured all ten meat buns on the table along with a bowl of soy milk and a bowl of century egg and lean meat porridge. After finishing, I contentedly patted my belly and let out a satisfied burp.
"Aren't you cold?" Murong Duoduo suddenly asked.
It was only then that I realized I was only wearing a pair of shorts, and it was already deep autumn; it was no wonder I felt cold.
I hurried back into the room to change into some clothes before returning to the hall to ask, "How long did I sleep?"
"Not long, just seven days," Murong Duoduo replied lightly.
Seven days!
My goodness!
How did I feel like I had only been in the Underworld for one day?
No wonder I lost my sense of hunger, and even my nerve responses have slowed down; it turns out I have been in bed for seven days in a vegetative state.
However, after eating and drinking enough, I have mostly recovered, and I recalled some details. For instance, that night, I entered Hell wearing a suit, but why was I only wearing a pair of shorts when I woke up?
Did Murong Duoduo take advantage of me while I was asleep?
Why is it that even though I lay there for seven days, I don't smell of sweat at all?
What did Murong Duoduo want when she brought water into my room?
Why are there so many food items on the table? Wouldn't one bowl of porridge be enough for her?
Thinking about this, I looked at Murong Duoduo with ill intentions. I didn't know why, but while I used to find her quite unpleasant to look at, now she seemed more and more attractive.
She was wearing a white round-neck shirt paired with a light blue jacket, classic jeans on the bottom, and her hair tied in a ponytail. Her fresh and elegant face looked rosy.
"Loser!" Murong Duoduo said after noticing me looking at her. Then she continued, "You need to go to the police station because they have called no less than a hundred times in the past few days. Even the Director has personally visited three times; you really have quite the influence."
"Oh no!" It suddenly dawned on me that a lot must have happened in these seven days, so I hurriedly ran toward the front door.
"Hey! Change your shoes!" Murong Duoduo shouted from behind.
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