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墨書 Inktalez
Living Funeral
Seeing the corpse was still somewhat surprising to me, as it was a face I was very familiar with—Li Qiang's face.
Wasn't Li Qiang executed? How could his body be here?
Gao Ling had never seen Li Qiang, so she didn’t know whose body it was, but Nian Chen did. Nian Chen wanted something, but I stopped him. He looked at me, his eyes filled with curiosity. After a moment, I asked Gao Ling's Dad where the body came from.
Gao Ling's Dad replied that the corpse belonged to a criminal who had been executed and was sent here for cremation. He had seen it and decided to stay.
That made sense; Li Yang had been sentenced to death for a rape and murder case, and it was normal for the body to be sent to the funeral home for cremation.
At this moment, Li Qiang's body appeared to be in remarkably good condition. However, I felt a bit uneasy about Gao Ling switching bodies with Li Qiang. Nevertheless, it was certain that Li Qiang's body was quite special; if Gao Ling took over, the chances of survival would be high.
I glanced at Nian Chen, whose look of shock had faded by now.
Gao Qing said to me that while this corpse wasn’t as good as the one from Snake Skin Gully, it could still allow my brother to switch.
I looked at Gao Ling, who remained silent. For the sake of survival, there wasn’t much else to say. As preparations were nearing completion, I asked Gao Qing what I needed to do.
Gao Qing replied that we needed my blood; my blood could suppress Evil Energy and help contain the dead spirit within Gao Ling during the switch.
I agreed without hesitation, knowing that if things went awry, I would intervene anyway.
Around midnight, Gao Yao began the ritual. He first applied cinnabar on Gao Ling's forehead and then had her lie down on a table covered with various items meant to ward off evil spirits.
Gao Yao told Gao Ling, "Ling'er, no matter what happens next, just endure."
Gao Ling nodded. I offered half a bowl of blood; Gao Yao took my blood and used a cloth to soak it up before washing Li Qiang’s face with it. Instantly, Li Qiang’s face was stained red with fresh blood.
The once frozen, stiff, and pale face was now stained with my fresh blood, giving it an eerie appearance.
"Nian Chen" asked, "Will this work?"
I took a deep breath and replied, "It will."
"Nian Chen" looked at me in surprise, not saying much. After finishing his tasks, "Gao Yao" placed a piece of red cloth on Li Qiang's body. This cloth was now red, but it had "Gao Ling's Birth Chart" written on it.
A chilling atmosphere began to permeate the area.
"Gao Yao" took out a knife and made a cut on "Gao Ling's" forehead. Blood flowed out instantly, and I found it somewhat unsettling. However, when I had given the corpse to the Taoist priest back then, I had directly punctured a blood hole in its forehead to allow the priest to take over that body.
Now, "Gao Yao's" method was quite similar to what I had done back then, except he made the cut on "Gao Ling's" forehead.
"Nian Chen" and I watched closely, waiting for the four to revive so we could act. "Gao Yao" was a legendary figure; as he made the cut on "Gao Ling's" forehead, "Gao Ling" cried out in pain. "Gao Yao" said, "Didn’t I tell you not to scream?"
"Gao Ling" replied, "It hurts." At that moment, "Gao Yao's" brow furrowed. Then he pressed down on some part of "Gao Ling," and suddenly, "Gao Ling" fainted.
Once "Gao Ling" passed out, "Gao Yao" began muttering incantations while holding a Peach Wood Sword, circling around "Gao Ling." I didn’t quite understand what he was doing. After about three circles, suddenly the wind picked up; by the fifth circle, the wind grew even stronger.
Then I saw "Gao Ling's" body twitch slightly.
By the time he completed the seventh circle, "Gao Ling" sat up abruptly but still hadn’t opened his eyes. It seemed like an instinctive action; it felt strange to me.
After seven circles, "Gao Yao" stopped his movements and extended two fingers again, beginning to chant once more.
"Gao Qing" and her mother watched nervously from the side, filled with concern. Seeing them like this made me wonder why they had left "Gao Ling" at home in the first place. Looking back now, it might have been to spare him worry because if he knew his entire family was working hard to save him, living alone would surely feel less comfortable.
It truly was a labor of love!
As Gao Yao kept murmuring, I suddenly saw a soul emerging from Gao Ling's body. It was Gao Ling's soul, and I watched nervously, fearing that the dead might also emerge at this moment. I couldn't relax at all; my palms were slick with cold sweat.
As Gao Ling's spirit was being drawn out, Gao Qing produced a red stone-like object.
Just one glance told me what it was—it was the Blood Shard. I was quite surprised; they had actually found the Blood Shard. They must have invested a lot to ensure Gao Ling could survive. At that moment, Gao Ling's soul appeared somewhat weak.
Just as Gao Ling's soul was about to be fully drawn out, an unexpected change occurred. A black hand suddenly reached out and grasped Gao Ling's soul, pulling it back. It was the hand of the dead—this hand must belong to the deceased within Gao Ling's body.
The wind picked up even more fiercely, and the spirit-recalling flag that had been standing tall was blown away.
I couldn't help but take a step forward, but I was pulled back by Nian Chen. "Nian Chen said, "Wait."
I halted and asked Nian Chen, "Wait for what?" Nian Chen replied, "If we go now, it might harm Gao Ling. They must have already made preparations."
Listening to Nian Chen, I felt that Gao Ling's soul seemed to be bound. If we rushed in recklessly, who knows what kind of trouble might arise? The atmosphere grew tense as I kept my gaze fixed, not daring to look away for even a moment.
At that moment, Gao Yao stepped forward, stained the tip of his sword with my blood, and then struck down. Instantly, the black hand began to dissipate until it finally vanished.
Then Gao Yao reached for Gao Ling's soul, calling out, “Ling'er, come out with your father.”
“Ling'er…”
The people dressed in black began shouting Gao Ling's name. Their voices were fragmented and sounded like they were calling for a spirit. As their voices echoed intermittently, part of Gao Ling's soul had already emerged from the body. Nian Chen also became somewhat anxious and suddenly grabbed my hand.
I reassured Nian Chen, saying there was no need to be nervous.
The voice calling the soul continued, and soon Gao Ling's spirit was about to emerge. I prepared to act the moment Gao Ling's soul appeared.
Everyone held their breath; all that could be heard was the sound of the wind. Gao Ling's spirit kept its eyes tightly shut, as if it had not yet Awakened. I felt a surge of anxiety because Gao Ling's soul was so close to breaking free.
Cold sweat beaded on Gao Yao's forehead. Nian Chen turned to me and said, “Chen Fei, are you nervous too?” I nodded and replied, “Yes, I am very nervous.”
Just then, an unexpected event occurred. The previously vanished hand suddenly seized Gao Ling's soul, instantly pulling it back into the body. Without hesitation, I stepped forward and pressed my hand against Gao Ling's forehead.
“What are you doing, Chen Fei?” Gao Qing asked.
I guided the energy within me into Gao Ling's body and began to chant from the Book of Ten Thousand Ghosts, hoping to summon Gao Ling's spirit back out.
It seemed that the dead spirit within Gao Ling did not want him to leave, but there was no stopping this now.
At that moment, a faint yellow light emanated from my hand as I reached into Gao Ling's body. Soon, I grasped hold of Gao Ling's soul. Gao Yao looked at me in shock, and at that moment, I couldn't explain anything.
Everything was set up here; it was very useful for guiding Gao Ling's spirit. I was merely catching a ride on the winds of fate.
As soon as Gao Ling's soul emerged partially, I took out the Yin Yang Flag to suppress his body.
I called out to Gao Ling: “Gao Ling, I am Chen Fei. You need to listen to me now; just walk forward, keep moving straight ahead.”
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