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墨書 Inktalez
In the early morning hours, Li Hong stepped out of the courtyard. He had deliberately chosen this time to leave. Behind him, Wanyi and Aunt were still fast asleep. He listened for a moment to the familiar sound of their even breathing, then steeled himself to take a step forward.
The crescent moon hung in the deep blue sky. A layer of frost covered the roof tiles, reflecting a faint silver light. Everything was quiet. Li Hong tightened the straps of his bundle, his fingers gliding over the neatly folded new clothes inside. They were all handmade by his sister-in-law over the past two years, including small garments, inner shirts, handkerchiefs, and socks, all sewn with fine and delicate stitches.
After taking one last look back, Li Hong nimbly glided over the frosted stone path, soaring over the wall like a large bird and arriving at the wheat fields in the open wilderness.
The cold wind howled past, and he noticed the familiar Scarecrow swaying alone on the ridge. Li Hong discovered that there seemed to be something on the Scarecrow.
He walked toward it.
A small Red Velvet Flower was pinned to the Scarecrow's gray clothing, bright and vivid, as if a little flame were burning at its heart.
Li Hong silently gazed at it for a while before finally reaching out to pluck the small Red Velvet Flower and tuck it into his pocket.
Li Hong drifted away.
A slender figure quietly turned around the wall, with a few drops of dew sliding down from her dark hair tips like tears, quietly falling onto the gray-white stone ground.
********
Li Hong stood at the entrance of Azure Oil Temple. The agreed time with his master was between the hours of Mao and Wu; it was still early now. But he had already thought of something he needed to do these past few days.
He lightly glided up the path leading directly to the mountain top, heading toward Li Family Hollow.
The trees continuously retreated as familiar sights appeared one after another in his view. This place held many memories—some good and joyful, others bittersweet and painful...
So much time had passed that there were hardly any traces left from Golden Dog's fire on the mountain; everywhere was filled with newly grown trees. Though they were lowly, they looked vibrant and full of life. In this cold winter season, many pines and cypresses remained lush and green, aging gracefully despite the frost.
At Mao hour, as dawn broke, a familiar square stone appeared at the top of the slope ahead. The surface of the stone still bore charred cracks. Li Hong stopped in his tracks, feeling a rush of heat and sorrow in his heart. Beyond this rise lay Li Family Hollow. Beneath this large stone was a gorge where Zhang Ershu from East Village was buried.
Facing the direction of the cave, he spread out his robe and knelt down, bowing three times. Rising again, he continued forward until he stood atop the hill.
His familiar home lay beneath him but had long since changed beyond recognition.
The entire gorge showed no signs of human presence; only withered grass and decayed willows remained amidst blackened ruins and broken tiles. The sky grew increasingly overcast; snow was about to fall. The cold wind howled through the lowlands of Li Family Hollow, carrying only a deathly silence. There were no voices or sounds of chickens or dogs—nothing but desolation.
In the gorge, something stood out strikingly. At the original site of the ancestral hall, a large grave occupied nearly half an acre of land. It was clearly newly built, constructed with high-quality blue bricks transported from outside the mountain. He swiftly descended the mountain path to stand before the large grave.
A brand new wall surrounded two impressive tombs made of blue bricks. Li Hong immediately recognized the gravestones, and his fists clenched tighter.
His elder brother had returned! He was the one who did this!
Two tall, exquisite white marble gravestones stood side by side. One was inscribed with "In Memory of the Benevolent Mother, Li Family Zhang Ancestral Tomb," while the other read "In Memory of the Honorable Father, Lord Li Gongyang's Tomb." Both gravestones were signed by "Unfilial Son, Li Wu, and Li Hong."
Blood rushed to his head. His mother was killed by Golden Dog; how could this Golden Dog have the audacity to erect a tombstone for her and shamelessly put his name on it?! The money used for the tomb must have been stolen from the people of the Song Dynasty! To use such ill-gotten gains to honor his parents! How could he have the face to do this!
Li Hong was so furious that his teeth ground together. He shouted, "What right do you have! What right!"
His angry roar echoed like a wolf's howl in the gorge. Li Hong punched his mother's gravestone, but just as he was about to make contact, he suddenly felt guilty towards her. He forcefully bent his elbow, changing his fist into an open palm and struck heavily against his own chest. Suddenly, everything went black before his eyes, and a sweet taste filled his throat as he spat out a mouthful of blood. The blood splattered, staining the upper half of his mother's gravestone with countless crimson spots.
The world spun around him as Li Hong leaned against his mother's gravestone, bowing his head. His chest felt like it was churning with anger and pain. At that moment, he noticed a small offering table in front of the gravestone.
It was also made of exquisite white marble, adorned with many short red candle stubs. The small stone incense burner was filled with tightly packed incense sticks. Red wax dripped down from the candles, resembling blood stains.
Li Hong felt a surge of rage and frantically tore off the short candle stubs from the offering table, pulling out the incense sticks from the burner one by one while shouting, "You don't deserve it! You don't deserve it!"
Incense ash scattered everywhere—on his clothes, on his face, even under his fingernails—candle wax deeply embedded in his flesh. Snowflakes began to fall from the sky, landing on his face, cold and chilling. Amidst Li Hong's madness and fury, he gradually regained clarity. The ground was littered with incense ash and candle stubs; the stone incense burner had been knocked over and lay alone by the wall.
He walked over to pick up the incense burner and placed it back on the offering table. After thinking for a moment, he stepped outside and scooped up a handful of yellow earth to pour into the burner. He opened his bundle and took out prepared incense and paper money.
As gray smoke rose up, black ash fluttered like butterflies toward the sky. He bowed deeply nine times before his parents' graves and solemnly said, "Son is unfilial; I did not manage to build a tomb for you before that beast did. I do not wish to disturb you any further. Father, Mother, if you are aware in your afterlife, please ensure that beast meets a terrible end! He has betrayed our family and forgotten my mother's murder; in this life, I will no longer recognize him as my elder brother—not even wanting to see Wanyi again!"
At the mention of Wanyi, pain shot through his heart once more.
Then he remembered something and stood up to look outside the wall. He searched all around but did not see Li Shu or Aunt Wang's graves. Their graves should be here.
During those difficult years after Mother passed away, it was thanks to Li Shu's earnest guidance that Li Hong regarded him almost as a father figure. Now it seemed that Li Wu had flattened his grave!
With a roar, he punched the ground. Sand and stones flew up as a deep pit appeared in the earth; the wall trembled dangerously.
Without looking back, Li Hong ran up the mountain.
The snow fell even heavier, swirling and drifting in the air. From the wind and snow came a faint song:
"Entangled in love and hatred, how can one bear to linger?
In the Storm Pavilion, the waters are hard to contain.
Though there are heroic sentiments, one must not grow old alone.
Through the wind and snow across the sandbar, as evening falls, sorrow lingers.
A song from the mountains, Wishing Fairy Tower.
Often lamenting the many grievances of the world, it is better to take a rest."
(From Rolling Waves Snow Song)
The second volume concludes here, with even more exciting developments to come. Readers who enjoy this story are encouraged to add it to their favorites for easier access. Thank you!
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