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墨書 Inktalez
Living Funeral
I couldn't help but gasp in shock. Instinctively, I reached for the light switch, and when it flicked on, I realized I was staring at a mirror.
Damn it, that scared the life out of me! I really frightened myself!
In the mirror, I saw my own reflection, panting heavily and looking somewhat disheveled, beads of sweat forming on my forehead.
Just then, I heard some noises, like someone was singing. The sound drifted in from outside the window.
It wasn't very loud, but it was there, and it had an eerie, haunting quality to it. I thought this must be the singing that Gao Ling mentioned; however, I didn't dwell on it for long. I quickly closed my eyes and fell into a dream. In the dream, I heard someone calling me to fly... This time, a hand brushed against my cheek—rough and coarse—sending me into a panic. The key was that I wanted to break free but found myself unable to escape. Gradually, that hand moved from my face to my neck, and I felt a chilling sensation that made my heart feel numb. A suffocating feeling surged from my chest, and in the next moment, I woke up in terror.
When I opened my eyes again, it was nearly dawn. I was drenched in cold sweat. First, I glanced at the urn. Seeing it was fine brought me some relief.
I wondered how Old Wang was handling things over there.
That dream from last night still left me feeling uneasy!
I lost focus for a moment before dialing Old Wang's number, but the call didn’t go through.
After hanging up, I checked the time—it was around eight o'clock. Stepping out of my room, I noticed no one was in the living room; Gao Ling must still be asleep.
After brushing my teeth and washing my face, I prepared to head out for breakfast. Just as I was about to leave, I paused for a moment before turning back to grab the urn as well.
As I went downstairs, I sent Old Wang a text asking how things were going over there.
After sending the message and finishing breakfast, I noticed a crowd gathered around something intriguing. So, I walked over and discovered a funeral parlor set up downstairs with mournful music playing inside.
I thought to myself that someone must have died.
But soon enough, someone mentioned that the body had been here for three days already, and the family had only just arrived to handle things now.
The girl had died a tragic death; when she fell, her head was shattered, and blood was everywhere. What could have driven this young girl to such despair?
I didn't quite understand what was being said, so I asked the old man for clarification. He quickly replied that the body had been here for three days. It belonged to a young girl from the Sixth Unit who had jumped to her death. It was only after three days that her family came to claim her. Before that, the landlord had set up this Spirit Tent.
A girl who had been dead for three days, and from the Sixth Unit?
Wasn't the Sixth Unit the building I lived in? I asked in detail which floor it was on. The answer was the fifth floor, and upon hearing this, I was stunned.
The fifth floor of the Sixth Unit—that was right above me!
Last night, Gao Ling had mentioned hearing someone singing. Could it be that she heard a ghost singing? There was a man and a woman; who was the man?
If Gao Ling had heard singing alone, I might have thought she was imagining things. But the terrifying part was that I had also heard the singing last night!
Could there really be a ghost living above me? The voice from last night had indeed been eerie...
I thought about it and couldn't help but gasp in shock. But would Gao Ling not know that someone had died upstairs? If she knew, she wouldn't have been so calm while making noise upstairs.
However, her lifestyle was quite reversed; perhaps she really didn't know about the death.
As I pondered this, it seemed possible. Gao Ling didn't strike me as someone who would meddle in others' affairs, and besides, the body had only just begun to be dealt with.
It made sense that she wouldn't know, but why did she hear singing from upstairs at night? And it started right on time.
With these questions swirling in my mind, I headed upstairs.
When I opened the door, Gao Ling was awake but looked like she hadn't fully come to her senses yet as she sat on the sofa.
She said to me, "Last night was so noisy! Damn it, they sang until five in the morning."
A chill ran down my spine at her words. I looked at Gao Ling suspiciously and paused for a moment before asking, "Don't you know that your upstairs tenant has died?"
When I asked this question, Gao Ling's expression changed slightly. He then said, "Brother Fei, cursing someone to death is not a good habit."
I couldn't help but smile; it seemed I was right. This guy truly had no idea that the tenant upstairs had jumped to their death.
I had no choice but to explain to Gao Ling that the tenant upstairs was indeed dead, and there was even a mourning hall set up downstairs, visible from where we stood.
However, he appeared rather lethargic, having not even put on slippers. He walked over barefoot, mumbling, "They were singing just last night."
In fact, considering the time, the girl should have been dead for four hours.
I knew what a corpse looked like; although I hadn't spent much time in a funeral home, I was aware that after four hours, a body would definitely start to smell and become rigid.
Gao Ling leaned over to take a look downstairs. He paused for a few seconds before exclaiming, "Damn, there really is a dead person!"
I replied, "Is there any doubt? Someone is dead!" Gao Ling was quite oblivious; how could he not know that someone had died in his own building?
He muttered something under his breath, though I couldn't catch it.
But since Gao Ling's family was involved in this line of work, he didn't seem panicked. Instead, he asked if the voices I heard were those of ghosts.
I responded, "It's very possible." However, after saying that, an unsettling feeling crept into my mind—there were indeed ghosts here!
Gao Ling said, "Then that's strange. Why can I still hear the singing? Did you hear it too?"
I replied, "I think I heard a bit of it last night."
Gao Ling's expression shifted again as he asked, "You really heard it?"
I nodded and tightened my grip on the urn in my hands. Gao Ling suggested, "Let's go down and take a look at the body."
I felt reluctant; the death upstairs had nothing to do with me. Besides, if we got involved in unnecessary trouble, it could be quite troublesome.
Gao Ling said, "Don't be so stubborn. Aren't you in this line of work too? Dealing with some corpses will definitely help your professional skills."
With that, Gao Ling reached out to pull me along, his eyes shining with excitement.
I had no choice but to agree to go see it, fearing he might disturb my urn. Once we got downstairs, Gao Ling approached a middle-aged woman who looked very sad in the Spirit Tent.
If I guessed correctly, she should be the deceased's mother.
The body was not in a coffin; it lay on a wooden board. Gao Ling walked over and introduced himself as someone from the funeral home, claiming to be a professional. After some convincing, he moved closer to the body.
I followed him to take a look. However, upon seeing the corpse, which was surrounded by elderly men and women, I couldn't help but gasp in shock. The deceased had a terrible appearance and had not been prepared for viewing. As I examined the body more closely, I felt a tingling sensation creeping from my scalp down to my feet because it seemed that the deceased was blind.
I forced myself to suppress my fear and remained silent.
After inspecting the body, Gao Ling prepared to leave but was stopped by the girl's mother, who asked if they could arrange for her daughter's burial. I was about to speak up when Gao Ling jumped in and agreed.
He was quite skilled at his job and exchanged a few simple words with the girl's mother before securing the deal.
The girl's mother didn't want anything extravagant; she just wanted a simple cremation for her daughter. She handed Gao Ling a deposit right then and there.
Gao Ling took the money and assured her that he would handle everything properly.
Turning to me, he split the money in half and said we would each get half of this business deal's profit.
I glanced at Gao Ling, feeling heavy-hearted. This job wouldn't be easy. First of all, since Gao Ling could hear the girl singing at night, it was clear that she had some unresolved grievances; otherwise, souls would normally enter the Underworld after death.
Moreover, and most importantly, the girl was blind—she had no pupils. People without pupils are not easily dealt with because they lack Yang Qi. If things went wrong, our own lives could be at stake!
I considered myself somewhat of an expert in this area; I could tell at a glance. So I said to Gao Ling, "I don't want this money. I'm not going to do this job. I'll just stay here for a while."
With that, I handed the money back to Gao Ling and walked ahead.
Gao Ling caught up with me from behind, chuckling, "Why aren't you making money? What's the point of working at a funeral home?"
Of course, I was there to earn money, but some money is worth making, and some isn't.
I chose to ignore him.
Suddenly, I felt that he was like a dangerous element, giving me an extreme sense of unease. His words and actions radiated a sense of danger.
I realized I couldn't stay there any longer.
However, I still hadn't received a reply to the text I sent to Old Wang, so I had no choice but to call him myself.
The call connected quickly this time.
I said hello and then called out for Director Wang.
There was a long silence on the other end before someone finally spoke. But when I heard that voice, I was taken aback. He spoke in a chilling tone, "I am not Director Wang..."
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