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墨書 Inktalez
From the moment the snow began to fall from the sky, I decided to stay curled up in the Demon Suppression Cave without moving.
I wrapped myself in a blanket I had scavenged from the ruins, draping a quilt that Song Lan had brought back over me, while cradling Xuan in my arms. I nestled into the stone bed, which was covered in dry hay, curling up tightly.
The white mist that escaped my lips floated hazily in front of me as I blankly watched the occasional snowflakes drifting down through the hole above into the cave.
Well, if I were to say it was cold, it truly was cold, but not the bone-chilling kind I had imagined. It was still within a bearable range.
“...Xuan, you’re not warm at all. What a waste of your fluffy appearance,” I complained as I rubbed Xuan, who was obediently staying in my embrace.
When Xuan had come in to find me earlier, I whimsically grabbed him and pulled him close as a makeshift warm pack. Unlike snow, Xuan didn’t reject human contact and didn’t resist. Unfortunately, being merely a fragment of a stone beast’s soul, he radiated no warmth at all—just an empty embrace.
As for the snow, it didn’t like this Demon Suppression Cave that symbolized the Yiling Ancestor, so it would never come inside. Usually, it either lingered outside or stayed near its own stone statue.
Well, anyway, they weren’t afraid of the cold, so there was nothing to worry about.
“Gao?” Xuan looked up at me with a dazed expression.
“Wow! It looks so warm! I want to squeeze in too!” A-Qing exclaimed as she playfully burrowed into my layers of protection and hugged me.
“Ah! Stop messing around! You’re freezing! Go outside!” I quickly lifted Xuan to shield myself from her.
The chill emanating from A-Qing’s soul was quite comfortable against the hot climate; unfortunately, I really couldn’t handle it right now!
“Gao... (Don’t use me as a shield...)” Xuan Yi protested with an exasperated expression.
“Alright, A-Qing, stop teasing her,” Song Lan said as he set up a charcoal stove beside the bed to add some warmth. “Mian Fei, how are you feeling? Are you alright?”
“Um, thank you, Daoist,” I replied somewhat shyly. “You don’t need to fuss over me; I’m not that delicate.”
“No, no! Right now you’re the most delicate little flower~~” A-Qing teased as she lay on my back.
“Ahh~~ The delicate little flower is being pressed down by a ghost...” I calmly retorted.
Watching us play and laugh together, the two Daoists exchanged glances, shaking their heads with a helpless smile.
Fortunately, the snowfall did not last long. Most of the time, we only heard the cold wind howling at the cave entrance, creating a noisy surround sound. So on days without snow, I still forced myself to go outside and patrol.
After all, doing nothing would be too boring.
Stepping out onto the soft snow, a cold breeze swept by, and I couldn't help but shrink my neck and shiver.
"Brrr—it's so cold."
"Are you alright?" Song Lan asked with concern.
"Yeah, I'm fine." I tightened my coat. "I have to learn to adapt."
"Be careful; watch your step; it might be slippery."
"Got it." I treaded carefully and suddenly looked up at the Sophora Tree standing next to the Demon Suppression Cave. Most of its leaves had fallen, leaving only a few remnants behind.
"Is that tree… okay? It won't freeze to death, will it? If so, Song Lan would be quite upset."
"Don't worry; it's fine. It will sprout new buds in the spring," Song Lan replied with a casual smile. "After all, it has weathered many storms to grow this strong; it won't fall so easily."
"Oh, that's good." I stepped forward and gently patted the trunk in encouragement, not noticing Song Lan's slightly awkward expression for a moment.
"Meow." (You finally decided to come out.)
"Oh, it's snow." I turned toward the sound and smiled at the Shimmering White Spirit Beast that blended almost seamlessly with the snowy scenery. "Is there something you need?"
The snow creature glanced meaningfully at Song Lan behind me before looking back at me. "Meow." (Nothing much; I was just wondering how long you were going to stay cooped up.)
"It's cold, isn't it? Let me be lazy for a bit without any consequences," I couldn't help but complain.
I was chatting casually with Snow, strolling along the familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar mountain path. Looking out, the once pitch-black forest was now sprinkled with patches of silvery white, dazzling and a bit surreal.
"Meow?" (Why is there a different person today? Where's that Vengeful Spirit?)
"Oh, it's too cold. A-Qing said she wanted to stay in the cave and play with Xuan Yi, so she didn't want to come out."
Ha, how could her soul be afraid of the cold? I thought she just wanted an excuse to be alone with Xiao Xingchen, and I was fine with that.
However... I stole a glance at Song Lan beside me. Usually, it was the playful A-Qing who accompanied me, but now having someone quiet in her place was indeed a bit unsettling.
That said, ever since A-Qing and Xiao Xingchen had their reanimation, it seemed rare for me to have time alone with Song Lan. There was an indescribable subtlety in the air...
I wondered if it was just my imagination, but Potter's Field seemed unusually calm since winter began. Even the lonely spirits that were usually everywhere seemed to have vanished without a trace.
"It's so quiet... Do evil spirits fear the cold too?" Now that I thought about it, Song Lan and Xiao Xingchen had noticeably reduced their night hunting outings lately, which left them with more free time to stay in Potter's Field with us.
"After all, avoiding the cold is a natural instinct for all species. Only a few with deep attachments, heavy grievances, or peculiar habits ignore this natural mechanism and cause disturbances. So while there are fewer evil spirits appearing in the cold, those that do show up are usually more troublesome," Song Lan explained.
"I see..."
Song Lan remained reserved but answered every question I posed. I casually threw out some trivial inquiries back and forth to ease the inexplicable awkwardness between us.
Eventually running out of topics to discuss, we walked quietly side by side through the snow.
We arrived at the statue located halfway up the mountain path. I stood by, gazing down at the still-collapsed Curse Wall, unable to help but sigh at the inefficiency of the various Esotericism families.
They probably thought that since the Yiling Ancestor had returned to the world, it didn't matter whether they repaired the Curse Wall or not.
A gust of cold wind howled by, and I couldn't help but step behind Song Lan for shelter.
"I'm sorry, Daoist, but could you block the wind for me?"
"You..." Song Lan couldn't help but show a look of helplessness, yet he resigned himself to act as a barrier. "If you're afraid of the cold, then don't force yourself."
"Um..." It wasn't until the wind began to die down that I cautiously poked my head out. "Alright, anyway, there shouldn't be any restless grievances around here today."
Song Lan looked up at the sky. "Let's head back. At this rate, it might snow again later."
"Okay."
Throughout the long winter, on snowy days, I would stay cooped up in the Demon Suppression Cave and not venture outside.
While avoiding the snow, I initially could only roll around on the stone bed with A-Qing. Later, Song Lan felt that we shouldn't neglect our studies. However, the rocky surface inside the cave was too uneven for writing. So he brought in the table that was originally placed under the Sophora Tree and used a twig dipped in charcoal to continue teaching me calligraphy on its surface.
I wrote and erased, erased and wrote again. When the tabletop became stained black with charcoal, I would use purification to clean it and start over.
"You've been careless again. Also, your characters need to be more orderly," Song Lan continued to scrutinize my messy writing.
"Yes..." I resigned myself to correcting my mistakes and practiced each character neatly ten times to the best of my ability.
The pressure of one-on-one teaching is so overwhelming! I don't even get a chance to slack off... I'm crying!
Whenever the Jailor allowed us some time to rest, A-Qing would cling to me out of boredom and ask me to sing or tell stories. On a whim, I would casually hum a few tunes and adapt some simplified anime plots to share with her.
The two Daoists showed little interest in the songs I sang but were unexpectedly curious about the stories I told.
"Are these experiences from when Master traveled? The customs and cultures in the stories feel quite different from what I know... Did they happen in a foreign land or another realm?" Xiao Xingchen listened with as much enthusiasm as A-Qing.
"Um... I'm not sure about that. Perhaps it's a bit of both? After all, my understanding of other realms is limited to the illusions created by my master; I really know very little about everything else." I smiled awkwardly. "Of course, it's also possible that these contents have been adapted by my master."
For some reason, the word "Fiction" was difficult to say out loud. To put it bluntly, how could I admit that characters from other stories were merely fiction when they stood right in front of me, alive and real? It felt as if I were denying their existence, and that logic just didn’t make sense!
"Although it's an adaptation, the content should still have some basis... But why does the Master, who clearly dislikes interacting with others, choose to wander around?" Song Lan asked, puzzled.
"Interacting with people and traveling to broaden one's horizons are two different realms, and thus the approaches to each are naturally different; they do not conflict," I replied casually.
After all, this was just a story! I was simply telling a tale to A-Qing; did the two of you really need to analyze the content so seriously?
It seemed wise not to speak carelessly around such earnest characters; otherwise, it would be all too easy to dig a hole for myself!
Moreover, regarding my fabrication that Anyeah had once been a Bard, I had specifically checked whether the description in the identity section would change because of it. But perhaps since this matter had nothing to do with the original owner of this body, there were no noticeable alterations.
It appeared that only aspects concerning Wei Hua would trigger any overwriting changes in the system.
Therefore, to avoid leaking too much unnecessary information, I occasionally engaged A-Qing in storytelling about the two Daoists. After all, it would be rather dull if I were the only one speaking.
Xiao Xingchen reluctantly shared some of his experiences from his past night hunts, while Song Lan unexpectedly recounted how he and Xiao Xingchen had met.
Though his description was quite straightforward and lacked dramatic peaks, I listened intently, afraid of missing any crucial details.
After all, this part contained secrets that had never been mentioned in the original text!
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