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墨書 Inktalez
As soon as Liu Bi left, the room felt cold and empty again. I closed the study door, feeling a bit ridiculous. Liu Bi, originally a spirit, had become a lively companion in my home, and its departure left me with a sense of melancholy.
When I finally woke up, it was nearly eight o'clock. I had slept through my morning run. I got out of bed, grabbed a quick breakfast, and prepared to head into the study for my morning lessons. As soon as I opened the door, I saw Liu Bi sitting dejectedly in the chair at the computer desk.
I wondered why it wasn't inside the Oiled Paper Umbrella. In the past, during the day, it would seize every moment to cultivate its Yin Qi within the Umbrella to enhance its abilities. But today, it was behaving unusually, just sitting at the desk.
I asked what was wrong, and it immediately put on a grin and said, "Hey, nothing's wrong, bro."
This was the first time I had seen Liu Bi so deeply affected. Although it had complained before, there were no grievances now. I knew something significant must have happened, but I didn't press for details. After all, it was an existence that shouldn't even be here.
Liu Bi pointed at the Oiled Paper Umbrella and asked what I planned to do about it. I nodded and set down the book I had just picked up. Taking out my phone, I prepared to call my master to see if he knew anyone like a Ghost Doctor nearby. If he did, I'd take Mr. Huang to see them; if not, we could let Mr. Huang stay in the Oiled Paper Umbrella for a few days until it was time to send him off.
When the call connected, I was surprised to find that it wasn't my master who answered but Master Pan. What was going on? Just last month they had worked together on matters concerning Senior Master; logically speaking, they shouldn't have crossed paths so soon again. It wasn't easy to meet up given the distance between them.
I asked Master Pan where my master was, but instead of answering directly, he asked what I needed with a tone that carried a hint of heaviness—his usual cheerful demeanor was nowhere to be found.
This was the first time Master Pan spoke to me like this, and I sensed something must have happened at home; my master might be in trouble. It seemed Master Pan didn’t want me to know; his response implied my master's wishes. If my master didn’t want me to know, then it must be serious. Even if he told me, there would be nothing I could do about it.
I refrained from pressing Master Pan further about what was wrong and simply asked if he knew anyone in Guangzhou who could treat Spirit God’s injuries. He mentioned there was someone but that they were in Yuanling. I thanked him and hung up.
Putting away my phone, my expression darkened as I thought about how something must have happened to my master.
Noticing my troubled mood, Liu Bi asked, "Is something wrong with Master X?"
"I'm not sure," I replied. "I need to go back home and check. Do you want to come with me?"
Liu Bi shook its head and said, "You go ahead; I'll take care of Mr. Huang for now. We can talk when you get back."
Since Liu Bi wasn’t coming along and Mr. Huang belonged to Liu Bi, I couldn’t take him with me anyway. Mr. Huang's soul was fragile; ordinary attachments wouldn’t help him much anymore. The situation had arisen suddenly, and I couldn’t think too much about it; I quickly gathered my things and prepared to drive back home immediately.
As I was about to leave, Liu Bi followed behind and said, "Brother, if you need any help, just call me. I'll stay at home to watch over things." I nodded, instinctively wanting to leave the keys with him, but he chuckled and didn’t take them. I slapped my forehead and said, "Sorry, I treated you like a person again."
The situation at home arose suddenly, and I couldn’t think too much about it. From Guangzhou to Longhui, it was over eight hundred kilometers. I drove at full speed, stopping only once for gas, not daring to waste a moment.
On the way, I called Master Xiao, and to my surprise, he was also at home, together with the two masters. This made me even more anxious; if Master Xiao knew and had returned, could this matter be related to me? The more I thought about it, the more flustered I became, pressing harder on the accelerator. That time on the Hunan section of the Erguang Expressway, I received four speeding tickets.
I arrived in Longhui by two in the afternoon and rushed to my master's residence as quickly as possible. Master Pan and Master Xiao were outside in the Main Hall weaving something with bamboo strips. There was also an old woman there whom I recognized; she had previously helped a few victims I brought to her. Unlike us who could only deal with Yangjian's Spirit Gods, she could communicate with those who had already descended into the Underworld. She was Aunt Wang.
Seeing me return, Master Pan abruptly stood up and asked, "Why are you back?"
After greeting Aunt Wang, I turned to Master Pan and asked, "Master Pan, how is my master?"
Master Pan glanced at Master Xiao and said, "Why are you so chatty?" Master Xiao looked aggrieved and replied, "It's not my fault; I didn't say anything."
I had no intention of listening further; I quickly bypassed them and hurried into my master's bedroom.
In the bedroom, my master lay flat on the bed with a pale complexion. His eyes were closed tightly, his brows furrowed deeply, and beads of sweat had just formed on his temples. His hands were slightly clenched into fists, his knees trembled slightly, and his lips quivered rhythmically as if he were in great pain.
My heart felt like it was being torn apart; I had no idea what was happening. How could my usually healthy master suddenly be like this? Just as I was about to approach him, Master Pan grabbed me. "You can't disturb him right now," he said.
I slowly nodded and stepped back out of the doorway. I quickly whispered, "Master Pan, what happened to my master? Please tell me what caused this."
Master Pan sighed. "Well, it seems we can't hide it from you any longer; you should know. It's been several days now. However, we are already working on a solution; we should have news soon."
Master Xiao nodded in agreement. "Yes, Brother Liu, don't worry. Aunt Wang has already gone down to inquire and has made arrangements. Master X has good fortune; nothing too serious will happen."
I glanced at Aunt Wang; she nodded reassuringly and said, "Don't worry."
It was clear that this was a matter related to the Underworld, but I couldn't understand what could have escalated to such severity. Surely, it couldn't be that he had encountered some malevolent spirit. I was well aware of my master's abilities; he could handle ordinary malevolent spirits with ease, and he would never engage with the more powerful ones. So why had things turned out this way? Moreover, Master Xiao mentioned that Aunt Wang had already gone down to make inquiries. Given my master's condition, could it be that his spirit had already been taken below?
The thought filled me with dread. If that were true, it would be a matter of probability. No one knew what might happen down there; if something went wrong, it would be disastrous. Although the chances were slim, it was still a possibility.
“Master Pan, did my master’s spirit go down below? Was he taken by Yin Chai? How long has he been gone? Is he in danger?” I blurted out a series of anxious questions.
Master Pan shook his head and replied, “He wasn’t taken by Yin Chai. Your master insisted on going down to give an explanation; with Aunt Wang's help, he went down voluntarily. He went down last night at midnight and hasn’t come back yet.”
I calculated the time; it had already been over ten hours, but it was still within a bearable range.
“What exactly is going on? Who hurt my master?” I pressed.
Master Pan sighed and said, “Well, this matter is somewhat related to you. Do you remember about a month ago when your master killed a Wandering Soul with a Great Seal?”
Upon hearing Master Pan mention this, I immediately understood; it was indeed because of that incident. Over a month ago, while dealing with the Taoist who wanted to revive the Senior Master, we encountered several Wandering Souls. Three of those souls absorbed the Yin Qi from the snake that crawled out of the Senior Master’s Yin Coffin and were preparing to retaliate against me and Master Pan. In a moment of desperation, without proper control, my master misfired the Great Seal and shattered the last Wandering Soul.
Later on, Master Pan tried to gather the souls together with me but failed. To share the burden, he also scattered part of the gathered souls.
Looking back now, Master Pan seemed fine; it must have been my master who bore the responsibility alone without passing it onto him.
So that was it. I had sensed that this matter wouldn’t end well back then but had held onto a glimmer of hope. Since it was that Wandering Soul that attacked me first, my master’s action could be seen as excessive self-defense rather than premeditated murder under current laws. I thought Master Pan and my master would find a way to resolve this issue, so I didn’t follow up further. Now I realized why my luck had been so poor this month; it stemmed from this incident since I was directly responsible for it—after all, my master acted to save me.
I clenched my fists tightly; this punishment came from the Underworld. My master had done countless good deeds throughout his life and accumulated immense merit. It seemed incredibly unjust for him to suffer such torment because of one incident. Moreover, his misfire was in an attempt to save someone—me—yet I initiated this whole affair. If it had been an ordinary person in his place, wouldn’t they have been exempt from responsibility?
Legal principles are devoid of human sentiment; both realms are alike in this regard. The courts in Yangjian wouldn’t acquit someone of murder simply because they had performed many good deeds; the Underworld operates similarly—shattering a Wandering Soul about to report is tantamount to murder. The nature of punishment in the Underworld differs; it may shorten one’s lifespan or increase karmic burdens.
I said to Master Pan, “I remember that incident well, but we all share responsibility for it. Why should only my master face punishment? Wouldn’t it be better if we all shared the blame?”
"Master Pan said, 'I originally thought the same way, which is why I dispersed the recently gathered Yin spirits. However, your master is quite stubborn. When the people below found him, he took it upon himself to bear all the blame. He's also getting old and doesn't know how to beat around the bush. As a result, Yin Chai thought he intentionally killed that Wandering Soul and decided to reduce his Lifespan by seven years.'
'What the hell? Is the punishment really that severe for someone as old as my master?' I said indignantly.
Aunt Wang, who had been silent until now, chimed in, 'Actually, there was a lot of room for negotiation in this matter. It's just that your master despises using those despicable means. If we go by his description of intentionally killing the Wandering Soul, seven years is already considered short. This is also due to your master's considerable Yin De; if it were an ordinary person, they wouldn't survive more than three months. Moreover, I've heard that the Wandering Soul who was dispersed had led a virtuous life and should have had a good Reincarnation. So the punishment is even more severe.'
I asked Aunt Wang, 'Aunt Wang, what is my master doing now?' Hadn't he already been sentenced to a seven-year reduction in Lifespan?
Aunt Wang replied, 'You'll have to ask Master Pan about that.'
I looked at Master Pan in confusion. He spoke up before I could say anything: 'This matter isn't solely Old Xu's responsibility; I share half of it too. Why should only Old Pan be punished? The Yin Chai below came looking for me and waited for a month without any news. I figured Old Xu must have taken the blame for this. A few days ago, I asked Old Xu, and sure enough, that's how it was. I certainly can't agree to this, so...'
Aunt Wang snorted coldly: 'So you went over to the City God Temple to perform rituals and plead your case, disrupting the enforcement of the Yin Chai and attempting to share the responsibility.'
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