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墨書 Inktalez
Liu Uncle felt somewhat skeptical. In his heart, he believed this incident was related to his deceased Old Father, as it occurred on the anniversary of his father's death. Therefore, he did not heed Second Master's advice and instead discussed with him the possibility of waiting a night or two to see if the disturbances would continue. If it turned out not to be the cause, he thought those ghostly entities were likely just passing by, and at worst, he could offer some Joss Paper and offerings.
Second Master had seen similar situations many times before, so he did not express any concern. He understood that Liu Uncle was hesitant because hiring someone to exorcise the spirits could be quite costly. For their financially strained family, that would be an unexpected expense, and they preferred to save money. Besides, no one in the household had been harmed; they had merely been startled, and after dawn, everything seemed fine.
The following night, the same occurrences took place again. Having experienced the previous night's events, the elderly couple was not as frightened as before. They ignored the ghosts trying to scare them and endured the disturbances until morning. Although they suffered no harm, Liu Uncle began to feel anxious. Initially thinking it was just a passing Spirit God, he realized that it had not left but continued to cause trouble as usual.
He thought it simple enough to go to the village shop and buy some Joss Paper. Back home, he burned it while saying some kind words like how their family was poor and didn’t have much; he pleaded for them to take this Joss Paper and leave.
At this point, I found it strange because Liu Matriarch mentioned that there were not just one but several spirits causing trouble. With multiple Spirit Gods appearing together, there should have been quite a commotion. Not to mention, the combined Yin Qi from them would have affected Liu Uncle and his wife significantly—at least leaving them feeling weak or disoriented. According to her account, they hadn’t slept well for several nights; why did they seem so energetic now?
I asked Liu Matriarch, “Have you recently encountered any bad luck or disturbed something outside?”
Liu Matriarch and Liu Uncle both looked at me in confusion, asking what I meant specifically.
I explained, “For instance, if you’ve dug up someone’s grave grass or if your cattle wandered into someone’s ancestral tomb area. Or perhaps when you burned Joss Paper at your doorstep, you mistakenly called out the wrong names and attracted wandering souls.”
Liu Matriarch shook her head and glanced at Liu Uncle. He also shook his head and said, “No, we only moved a grave about a month ago. We haven’t gone anywhere else since then. Your master advised us not to go near Tomb Mound after relocating the grave; we’ve been very careful about that. We only let our cattle graze in the surrounding Field Path wasteland and rarely go into the mountains anymore. As for burning Joss Paper, that’s impossible; aside from my father’s anniversary when I burned it at his New Grave, we haven’t done so since.”
I nodded for Liu Matriarch to continue.
She said that on the third night, there was still disturbance; however, this time it was different from the previous two—it wasn’t just noise anymore; they started getting physical.
Upon hearing "getting physical," I moved closer to Uncle Li and rolled up his sleeve. His arm bore faint handprints—so faint they were almost invisible. Given this level of disturbance, those Spirit Gods must be quite weak; at least they posed no threat to me. If a conflict arose, I could ensure my own safety. With this thought in mind, I confidently told Liu Jian, “Don’t worry; I can handle this completely.”
Liu Jian also noticed the mark on his father's hand and asked me if it had any effect on people. I replied, "Yes, but not much. Later, I'll prepare a bowl of Talisman Water for Uncle and Aunt to drink to dispel the Yin Qi. By the way, Uncle, were those Spirit Gods still causing trouble earlier?"
Liu Uncle nodded and said, "Yes, after being disturbed by ghosts last night, I went to find your master today. He said to call you to come take a look. They were still making a fuss in the house just now, but once they heard you return, they quieted down. I didn't know Jianbao was coming back, so I thought it was still those ghosts causing trouble. By the way, what did you say your name was?"
I told him my name was Liu X. Liu Uncle continued, "Ah, Xiao Liu. Then I’ll have to trouble you; at this rate, we won't be able to live our lives."
"Don't worry, Uncle; I'll do my best." After saying that, I took out two talismans from my Cloth Bag and prepared two bowls of Talisman Water for them to drink. Once they had finished, I told them to rest while I went to search the house with my compass.
The supernatural response in the room was very weak—almost nonexistent. This indicated that there were no Spirit Gods left in the house; the faint response was merely due to the residual magnetic disturbance they had left behind. Moreover, there was only a reaction on the first floor; the second floor showed no signs at all. After searching around, I informed them that the wandering souls had already left.
The three of them yawned and asked what we should do next. I said it was too late now; they probably wouldn't come back tonight. If we wanted to catch them, we'd have to wait until tomorrow night. For now, we should rest.
Liu Jian nodded and asked Liu Matriarch to tidy up the room and make the bed. Liu Jian said, "Our house has limited rooms, so you'll have to share a bed with me; do you mind?" I laughed and replied that there was nothing to mind about—we had been bedmates for three years in Junior High School.
Liu Jian chuckled and said, "It wasn't three years; during our third year, you didn't sleep in the classroom anymore but moved into a relative teacher's dormitory."
I was somewhat surprised that Liu Jian remembered this detail. It was true; during our third year, I had fallen ill with a disease that is now quite rare—smallpox. When I first contracted it, I went to a Barefoot Doctor thinking it was just a cold. Later on, things didn’t seem right as my face broke out with many lumps that looked like swollen mosquito bites. My face was covered in them, and I was terrified because people said smallpox had a high mortality rate and was highly contagious. With the High School Entrance Exam approaching, it wasn’t easy to take leave from school either. Luckily, there was an English Teacher at school who was my relative; he let me stay in his room for over a semester. My relative used this as an excuse to move into another dormitory with his girlfriend who was also an English Teacher. So later on when I ran into him sometimes, he would joke that if it weren't for my illness taking over his dormitory, his relationship with his wife wouldn't have developed so quickly.
Looking back now, I realize I truly am talented—even getting sick can help facilitate a romance.
That night, lying in bed with Liu Jian, I tried to recall some beautiful memories from our Junior High School days. I kept sharing stories from my memory while he listened quietly until he eventually fell asleep. It made me sigh inwardly; some beautiful memories don’t even qualify to become memories.
The next morning, I woke up early. Although I had only slept for a little over three hours, it was a habit of mine—planning your day starts in the morning; those early hours are always precious. Liu Jian was still fast asleep as daylight gradually broke through. The distant crowing of roosters sounded clear and familiar—a comforting sound indeed.
During the day, I couldn't get much done, so I decided to go home and spend some time with my parents before coming back in the evening. I didn't say goodbye to Liu Jian; I quietly slipped out and prepared to walk home. Liu Jian and I lived in different villages, and the road was quite long. If I were to walk, I would definitely take a shortcut, but it meant climbing over two mountains.
The morning air was the best, especially in the mountains; it felt like a natural oxygen bar. After a few deep breaths, I felt particularly refreshed, as if I could expel all the polluted air I'd inhaled in the city. There was a light mist in the morning mountain air. The low shrubs and grass were damp, with some even dripping with dew. Listening to the chirping of birds in the forest and stepping on the wet grass made me feel invigorated.
After walking for more than twenty minutes, when I reached the top of the mountain, I turned back to look at the path I'd taken. It had been a long time since I'd climbed the mountains of my hometown, and I felt an inexplicable excitement. Looking out, I noticed a patch of land on the right side of the mountain slope that had been dug into deep pits, about the size of a coffin. I wondered if that was where Grandpa Liu Jian had just been relocated.
Just as I was about to turn back and continue my journey, I suddenly noticed something strange about that spot. From my angle, there were many small mounds around the pit that were slightly raised. They were arranged in a very orderly manner, looking unnatural.
This chapter is an additional update dedicated to "yking" for their support. I'm still writing, and by the time the next chapter comes out, it will probably be past midnight. Gentlemen, get some rest and read again tomorrow.
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