Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
After flipping through the pages for more than ten minutes, he pulled out a photograph. It was a group picture with six people in the photo area. He pointed to a young man dressed entirely in black and said, "That's him. I remember clearly; he was dressed all in black and wore a black hat. I even joked with him about it."
"If that soul was brought here by him, then wearing all black is quite normal," she replied. "You should call and see if you can get in touch with him." Seeing his outfit made her even more certain that the soul in the secret room was brought in by this person. Even if the soul was harmless, this kind of behavior clearly violated the Dao Heart.
Brother Liu made the call and spoke for a few moments before hanging up. After watching the screen for a while, he turned to me and said, "I only have the captain's number, not his personal one. The captain said he would send me his number shortly."
"Okay, let's wait a bit longer," I replied. Less than a minute later, the number came through, but when we called it, it turned out to be switched off. There was nothing we could do about that. Brother Liu looked at me and asked, "What should we do? Is it impossible without him?"
"It's not impossible," I explained. "To untie the bell, one must find the bell ringer. However, if that soul has an obsession with this person, it's better for him to come in person to resolve it. Also, if we can find someone familiar to burn some paper during the Send Soul ritual, it would benefit the soul."
Brother Liu pondered for a moment and said, "Oh, I see. But if he still had any feelings for this soul, he wouldn't have trapped it here in the first place. If we call him over, he might not even come. Besides, I've occasionally heard it speak and it hasn't mentioned anything about this."
"That's true; I haven't heard anything either. It seems this soul doesn't care much about who trapped it here. Let's give up on finding this person for now. Come on, let's go inside and have a chat with it." After saying this, I returned to the reception room, picked up the Cloth Bag, and headed towards the third room in that secret area. Brother Liu closed the outer door and followed me inside.
This time I didn't use a compass; instead, I relied on Brother Liu's camera setup since it could display real-time footage. We didn't turn on any lights; the camera had night vision capabilities which allowed us to see better in the dark—turning on the lights would have made it harder to see.
Initially, there was nothing unusual, but after about two minutes, a shadow suddenly appeared behind Brother Liu. I signaled him to turn around in circles; the Spirit God kept pace with him at a distance that was neither too close nor too far. Once I got a good look at it, I tugged at Brother Liu's sleeve to signal him to stop.
I took out a Confinement Talisman and placed it on the doors between the second and third rooms. Then I pulled out a pair of red candles, struck a lighter with a snap to ignite them, and inserted them into makeshift candle holders which I positioned on either side of the object we were focusing on. After arranging everything skillfully, I began preparing for the Call of Souls.
When I announced that I was about to start the Call of Souls ritual, Brother Liu appeared quite nervous and asked hesitantly, "Is there going to be any violent incident?"
"If there were going to be any violent incidents, they would have happened already," I reassured him without pausing as I began forming Hand Seals while reciting the Call of Souls incantation. This kind of non-hostile spirit is usually easy to summon; there was no resistance at all as I successfully called it forth.
When this spirit clearly materialized before us, both Brother Liu and I were taken aback—it turned out to be a Female Spirit God who appeared quite delicate in her demeanor; her complexion wasn't as pale as most Spirit Gods. She stood next to that skeletal Zombie; if we hadn't witnessed her slowly coalescing into form ourselves, we would never have believed she was a ghost.
Once she appeared, she lacked the stiff expression typical of other Spirit Gods and did not possess that vacant gaze either. From her eyes, it was clear she was aware of her surroundings—a rare occurrence indeed. In my view, she didn't resemble what a Spirit God should look like at all until she spoke her first words.
She said with a light laugh, "Ahh, finally meeting you! I hope I didn't scare you." This statement wasn't directed at me but rather addressed to Brother Liu as if they were old friends meeting casually without any restraint.
"N-no... hello! It's great to finally see you!" Brother Liu stammered in surprise, clearly flustered and struggling for words.
It appeared in this form thanks to my Soul Calling Ritual, and it also expended a significant amount of its own psychic energy to achieve this effect. In a way, this might be the last time it looked so beautiful.
Just as I was about to speak, it opened its mouth again and said, "Boss, one day you will succeed. When that day comes, remember to tell me. My name is Tingting. I look forward to your good news." After saying this, it forced a smile, and although its face was already quite stiff, that smile seemed genuinely sincere.
Brother Liu's emotions seemed to be stirred by Tingting's words. His expression grew serious as he said, "Thank you. I'm sorry you had to hear so many sad things. I will do my best, but... why was that person in black the one who trapped you here in my secret room?"
Brother Liu asked the question I wanted to know, and I chose not to interrupt, silently stepping back.
After he asked that question, the Spirit God’s expression suddenly darkened. It then said, "That was my boyfriend. He once swore eternal love to me. But a year ago, I passed away from a serious illness. My soul remained behind, following him without disturbing him. Six months ago, he started dating another girl who treats him poorly and doesn’t know how to care for him. During one of their arguments, she wronged him, and I lost control of my emotions and revealed myself. It scared them."
At this point, it paused, seemingly reluctant to recall that past.
"What happened next?" I couldn't help but ask. I had no words for her infatuation and generosity; I just wanted to understand why her boyfriend would use such means to trap her here.
Tingting turned to look at me and said, "Later on, he realized my soul was following him, but his heart only belonged to that girl. He began searching online and in reality for someone who could help him get rid of me. Eventually, he found a Taoist online who suggested he create a dark and eerie environment to bring me into and then use a Confinement Talisman to seal me away. So he brought me here. I understood his intentions, so I didn’t resist."
Another Taoist found online—this method was essentially ineffective. If it were a room that never opened, it might work; however, this was an entertainment room where guests came and went daily. If this spirit were malevolent, such a method would only harm him without any benefit. I couldn’t understand why those in the same profession would give such advice; shifting trouble onto someone else hardly qualified as a solution.
"Then why didn’t you tell him?" Brother Liu asked a difficult question.
I replied, "What could she say? It wouldn’t change anything."
Tingting nodded and said, "Yes, what could I say? I respect his choice. Now that humans and spirits are on different paths, following him isn’t good for either of us. I don’t know where I should go; rather than wandering aimlessly as a lonely spirit, it's better to stay here where at least I like the environment. By the way, thank you, Boss, for giving me such a place to reside."
Brother Liu scratched his head awkwardly and said, "No need for thanks; it's fate and also my honor. Do you hate him?"
"I have never hated him; only felt guilt for leaving him. If anyone is at fault here, it’s me." After saying this, Tingting showed no further expression.
I knew she was about to give in; I quickly said, "In matters like this, there’s no right or wrong. Let go of your grievances and relax; I'll help you move on." With that, I crouched down and quickly set up a Soul Sending Array.
"Boss, you must keep going; success is in your hands; you can do it," Tingting said before turning back to me and adding, "Thank you; I knew I didn’t choose the wrong person." As she finished speaking, her face began to pale slowly while her figure started to fade.
I tightened my grip on the array's formation while quickly chanting the Send Soul incantation. Just as her figure was about to vanish—just as my Send Soul was nearing completion—I faintly heard one last phrase from Tingting: "Why make such oaths? They are merely passing through this world."
Ten short words contained too many emotions. I thought that no matter what, it was a happiness for his boyfriend to have it for a while.
After a long silence, Brother Liu and I each pondered our thoughts, reflecting on the kindness and tolerance that Tingting had brought us. There seemed to be light ahead, clarifying our beliefs and illuminating the darkness hidden deep within our hearts.
Coming back to my senses, I quietly packed my things. Seeing Brother Liu still staring blankly at the wall, I patted him on the shoulder and said, "Hang in there, don't let a Ghost Friend down." He nodded, revealing a smile, and asked how much Reward he should give. I replied that he had already given enough Reward back at the tea restaurant. He didn't put on airs; he simply said two words: "Thank you."
Just as I finished packing and was about to head back with Brother Liu, Marlon's call came through: "Liu the Boss, that Ghost Grasp Seal just suddenly disappeared. What happened?"
I said, "It's all good now. How are you and Xiao He doing?"
He replied, "We've become good friends, that's all." "Okay," I hung up the phone.
Only Deep Love and Falling Dreams lingered in memory, sorrowful in the rain, while Beauty sighed softly; no song could express the tenderness of so many partings.
Good night, everyone.
Comment 0 Comment Count