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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 4: Sister Nine's Wish
The remaining subordinates of Purgatory Palace were slightly surprised to see Black Eyes recognize Ji Zichen. " Ji Zichen? Who is this person? I've never heard of them."
Dong Qin felt a surge of anxiety upon Ji Zichen's sudden appearance. "How did he get out?"
Seeing Ji Zichen stand up for them, someone excitedly exclaimed, "Big brother, beat them to a pulp!"
Upon hearing this, Dong Qin's expression changed dramatically; it was clear they already knew Ji Zichen was here.
Black Eyes, not deaf, caught the remark and coldly smiled. "Oh, so you really are accomplices!"
The village chief had Ji Zichen pulled aside with Water Rope. At that moment, the village chief's mind began to clear slightly. Realizing the gravity of the situation, he turned to Dong Qin and asked, "What is going on here?"
After hesitating for a moment, Dong Qin finally spoke the truth. "Chief, those two subordinates from Purgatory Palace were trying to harm Ji Zichen near the village entrance. He acted in self-defense and killed them. I was afraid Purgatory Palace would blame us, so I had him hide the bodies in a tree hollow."
Upon hearing this, the village chief became anxious. "Qin, how could you be so foolish? You should have told me earlier!"
Ji Zichen fixed a piercing gaze on Black Eyes and said, "We have no grievances with you. Why did you abduct Lin Chuyu?"
Black Eyes replied slowly, "We may not have any past conflicts, but you should know the saying: 'Having a precious gem brings trouble.'"
Ji Zichen responded, "Having a precious gem brings trouble?"
Black Eyes sneered. " Ji Zichen, don't play dumb with me. I don't believe you don't understand this principle. I'm not afraid to tell you that I was at Fire Cloud Residence at that time."
This revelation caught Ji Zichen completely off guard. "You were at Fire Cloud Residence!"
Black Eyes revealed a glint of mischief in his eyes and said, "I was among those diners at the time, and I was not conspicuous. How could you have seen me?"
Ji Zichen recalled the scene at Fire Cloud Residence carefully. He had not noticed anyone wearing a mask. How could a masked person not attract the attention of others? Ji Zichen thought, "Perhaps it was a disguise."
Seeing Ji Zichen lost in thought, Black Eyes remarked, "Stop pondering. You didn't notice me, but I followed you all the way. Now I know that only you are aware of the ruins' whereabouts."
Ji Zichen fixed his gaze on Black Eyes and asked, "What have you done to Lin Chuyu?"
Black Eyes replied slowly, "She is our Valued Guest, so of course, I wouldn't harm her. Come on, if you want to see Lin Chuyu, return with me to Purgatory Palace."
There was no way Ji Zichen would be foolish enough to follow Black Eyes. He said, "You can't seriously think I would be stupid enough to walk into a trap!"
Black Eyes laughed rarely and said, "A trap? Ji Zichen, you're no sheep, but we aren't tigers either. However, I think you might be a bit forgetful."
Ji Zichen suddenly smiled and replied, "Forgetful?"
Black Eyes mocked him, "Yes, I was there at Fire Cloud Residence, so I know how many of you there are!"
As soon as he finished speaking, his gaze shifted toward the house where Xia Zhou was located. Black Eyes said, "Xia Zhou is in that house, isn't she? Are you staying behind to discuss how to cause us trouble?"
Feeling embarrassed, Ji Zichen had initially wanted to keep Xia Zhou as a hidden ally. He hadn't expected that Black Eyes already knew. With a wry smile, Ji Zichen said, "Lin Chuyu is in your hands; do you really fear that we would escape?"
After pondering for a moment, laughter finally emerged from behind the mask of Black Eyes. He chuckled darkly and said, "I'm not afraid of any tricks from you. So I'll be waiting for your esteemed presence at Purgatory Palace."
With a wave of his hand, Black Eyes signaled for his subordinates to leave.
After Black-Eyed Yuren left, the villagers hurried over to the village chief. Dong Qin quickly said, "Help the village chief back to his house and tend to his wounds."
Xia Zhou, seeing people leaving the house, also came to the drying ground. At that moment, Ji Zichen apologized to the villagers, saying, "I'm sorry for causing you trouble."
The village chief did not blame Ji Zichen; instead, he said, "What are you talking about? This isn't your fault."
A villager interjected, "Exactly! Those people are unreasonable. Even if it weren't for this incident, they would find another reason to target us."
Seeing them continue to talk, Dong Qin urged, "What are you all standing around for? Quickly help the village chief back inside. We can talk later."
The villagers quickly responded, "Yes, yes! Let's get the village chief back inside!"
As they helped the village chief return, one villager cheerfully clapped and said, "Big brother, you're amazing! I've never seen anyone from Purgatory Palace be so polite to anyone."
Dong Qin scolded him for his earlier remarks and shot him a glare. "If you keep talking nonsense in front of those people from Purgatory Palace, I won't let you off easily."
The villager's face turned red as he fell silent.
Dong Qin glanced at Ji Zichen and Xia Zhou and asked, "Did your friend get captured by someone from Purgatory Palace?"
This matter was already known publicly, so Ji Zichen had nothing to hide and nodded.
That night, with the bright moon hanging high in the sky and the sound of insects chirping in the mountains, Ji Zichen and Yu Ren were in Dong Qin's house. A flickering lamp cast insufficient light throughout the room, but thankfully the moonlight outside helped keep the interior reasonably bright.
The group sat around the table, and as the night wore on, Ji Zichen said, "Are you staying with him now?"
Dong Qin sighed lightly, "Yes, I can't leave him alone at home."
Xia Zhou chuckled as he recalled the ghostly figure, saying, "It's not just about leaving him alone at home; even if he's right in front of us, I still can't relax."
The three of them laughed together. Dong Qin remarked, "Indeed, this kid is quite worrisome."
After a moment of laughter, Dong Qin asked, "Are you planning to go to Purgatory Palace tomorrow?"
Ji Zichen and Xia Zhou exchanged glances before Xia Zhou replied, "I don't have much experience with this. What do you think?"
Ji Zichen feigned a casual demeanor and said, "Lin Chuyu is in their hands. We have to go, but we should be well-prepared before we do."
Ji Zichen then turned to Dong Qin and asked, "Do you know if there's any way to get into Purgatory Palace?"
Dong Qin thought for a moment and replied, "No. Purgatory Palace is located on Yangquan Cliff. Unless you can climb the cliff, you'll have to enter through the main gate."
Ji Zichen smiled wryly, "That's true. If I were to choose a place to set up a base, it would be somewhere like that. I'm starting to regret not having you bring the Serpent Bat Dragon along. If we had the Serpent Bat Dragon, everything would be much easier."
Thinking of the Serpent Bat Dragon made Xia Zhou feel nostalgic. He said, "What’s there to regret? I'll go find the Serpent Bat Dragon tomorrow."
Ji Zichen laughed and said, "Think about it. Since they already know we're here and we've killed their people, do you really think they'll let you leave easily? Just think about how long it would take for you to go back and forth."
Xia Zhou furrowed his brows and said, "You're right. I’m confident I could return in a day, but going back might take eighteen days. If Lin Chuyu has to stay with those things for eighteen days, she would definitely go insane."
Dong Qin stared blankly at the candlelight, lost in thought. Ji Zichen, noticing her pensive expression, couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong?"
Hearing Kiko's question, Dong Qin blinked and replied, "Ah, it's nothing." After a moment, she suddenly stood up and said, "If you're tired, you can go rest. I have something to take care of outside."
Dong Qin hurried out the door. Xia Zhou watched her leave with curiosity and remarked, "Hey, where could she be rushing off to at this hour?"
Ji Zichen also found Dong Qin's behavior unusual and stood up as well. "Let's follow her quietly," she suggested.
The villagers lived in the back village, while the houses in the front village had long fallen into disrepair—some were leaning, others collapsed, and weeds had overtaken the buildings. When Xia Zhou and Ji Zichen had seen this scene in the morning, they hadn't thought much of it. But now, they felt a slight chill run down their spines as they saw Dong Qin's figure disappear from the village entrance.
Xia Zhou remarked, "This Miss Dong has quite a bit of courage to venture out alone in the middle of the night."
Ji Zichen replied, "This is where she grew up. While we find it frightening, she's familiar with every blade of grass and tree here. So there's really nothing to fear."
Xia Zhou recalled his own experiences with Zhuque Chenjing; sometimes he would go out at night as well. Indeed, once you became familiar with a place, it lost its terror.
The two followed Dong Qin stealthily for a while until she stopped at a high mound. Ji Zichen and Xia Zhou hid behind a tree trunk and saw that there was a solitary grave on the mound. In front of the grave stood a graceful figure. Xia Zhou squinted to get a better look and whispered, "Who is that person?"
Dong Qin stood behind the figure for a moment before slowly stepping forward. Her eyes reflected both confusion and joy; tonight's sky was not only dark but also filled with stars.
Dong Qin's eyes sparkled like the stars above as she focused on the figure before the grave. "Sister Nine, it really is you!" she exclaimed.
Despite Dong Qin's words, Sister Nine remained still, her gaze shamefully fixed on the gravestone. "What are you doing here?" she asked softly.
Dong Qin gritted her teeth and stared fiercely at Sister Nine. "I came to see who was secretly paying respects to Uncle Tang."
"Uncle Tang? Ah, he is Sister Nine's adoptive father. But why didn't she bring any offerings for the memorial?" Xia Zhou remarked.
"Having a sincere heart is enough; there’s no need for offerings," Ji Zichen replied.
Xia Zhou nodded in agreement and looked at Sister Nine. "Just look at her outfit; she resembles a flower cat."
Ji Zichen made a shushing gesture, signaling Xia Zhou to keep quiet so as not to draw attention.
Sister Nine smiled bitterly. "I thought I was being discreet, but you noticed that I didn’t bring any offerings or incense. How did you know someone had come?"
Dong Qin stared intently at Sister Nine. "It's the footprints. Every year on Uncle Tang's death anniversary, I find a pair of footprints at his grave. They are deep and clear. If someone hadn’t stood there motionless for several hours, those footprints wouldn’t have been left behind. It’s my fault for being careless; I only noticed them last year. Tell me, how many times have you come?"
Sister Nine never glanced at Dong Qin, merely responding lightly, "I come every year."
Dong Qin's eyes shimmered with tears. If Sister Nine truly had a heart as cold as a snake's, only thinking of herself, then how could she come to 'visit' Uncle Tang every year in the dead of night?
Dong Qin apologized to Sister Nine for her foolishness. "I'm sorry; I misjudged you."
Sister Nine's voice was like the stars—cold and distant. "Misjudged? What did you misjudge me for? I did betray the village and colluded with the people from Purgatory Palace."
Dong Qin looked serious and said, "No, even though I don’t know what your intentions are in Purgatory Palace, I do know that as long as the snow remains, as long as it hasn’t died, and while the snow is here tonight at Uncle Tang's grave, you need to tell me honestly what you plan to do by infiltrating Purgatory Palace!"
Sister Nine was silent for a moment. A chilling night breeze swept through, and she finally spoke. "Alright, I won’t hide it from you in front of my father. I'm making money; I'm trying to find a way to buy the lives of everyone in Shangyu Village!"
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