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墨書 Inktalez
Human Sacrifice
With the sound of mechanisms clicking, the needle on the compass turned, pointing to a certain mark inside. In that moment, I suddenly felt the air around me grow thin and hazy.
When I lifted my head again, I saw a boy, about three or five years old, standing in front of me, his eyes wide with terror as he looked at me.
I was taken aback. When did Guo the Blind have a child at home?
However, the boy's gaze was not on me; it seemed he was looking behind me.
I vaguely heard some commotion behind me and turned to see a naked woman lying on the bed, which had been empty just moments before. Beside the bed stood a man with his back to me, holding a bowl of medicinal soup as if he intended to feed it to the woman.
The woman appeared to be in a frenzy. Her hair was disheveled, and her expression was one of deep anguish. She cried out, "I didn't have any illicit relationships! I didn't have any illicit relationships! Let me go!"
"Drink the medicine, for God's sake! Once you drink it, you can sleep peacefully," the man said wearily.
"I won't drink it! You beasts, why are you doing this to me?" The woman knocked the bowl from the man's hands and burst into manic laughter. Suddenly, she slammed her head against the corner of the wall, blood gushing down from it.
"Don't do this! What will happen to the child?" the man shouted as he held her.
The woman struggled violently in his arms. She glanced at the spoon he was using to feed her medicine and suddenly snatched it from him, stabbing it into his left eye.
The man let out a scream of agony, covering his eye with his hand as blood mixed with a black and white liquid flowed out between his fingers. The boy beside them began to cry loudly in fear.
When the man turned to face me, I recognized his face; he looked just like Guo the Blind.
The woman laughed maniacally. Suddenly, she pulled a pair of scissors from beside her and lunged at the man. He dodged backward, his face contorting in pain. The woman's eyes were bloodshot as she crazily turned her gaze toward the boy.
Terrified, the boy stepped back. The woman lunged at him with the scissors, but the man moved quickly to shield him, his expression filled with anguish as he exclaimed, "You've truly lost your mind! Are you going to kill your own son?"
The scissors were tightly gripped in the man's hand, blood flowing freely. He suddenly snatched the scissors away and, with a fierce look in his eyes, grabbed the woman's neck and slammed her against the wall.
The woman struggled for a moment in his grasp before going limp. She stared helplessly at the boy behind the man, who was watching his father choke his mother to death, trembling like a leaf.
The man released his grip, letting the woman fall to the ground. He turned to the boy and said, "Stay inside the house. Remember, your mother drowned."
He then wrapped the woman in a blanket and carried her out of the house.
I watched as tears streamed down the boy's face, wanting to comfort him, but my fingers passed right through his body.
Just then, footsteps suddenly echoed from outside, different from those I had heard before—more real. I glanced at the compass on the ground and hurriedly picked it up, placing it back in the Wooden Box.
Light Shadow vanished, and a cold voice came from behind me: "What are you doing here?"
I pretended to tie my shoelaces and stood up. "Old Guo, where have you been? I've been waiting for you for quite a while."
Guo the Blind replied, "Huang the Lame and Wang Hai are dead. I went to help them choose a Feng Shui Treasure Land. Many people from the Huang Family came from the county and are mourning."
Feigning ignorance, I asked, "How did Huang the Lame die?"
Guo the Blind shook his head. "I don't know. They say he was shot. Huang the Lame's son is guarding the body to keep people away. But there's a strong Yin Qi in their yard; if I'm guessing correctly, his death might be related to Ghost Killing. It's a pity for Brother Huang; he had a lifetime of fame but fell because of this."
I clenched my fists, feeling sick of Guo the Blind's lies. "It's too late now; I'm going back."
Guo the Blind watched me leave without turning around and suddenly called out, "You were there last night too, weren't you?"
"I wasn't; I don't know what you're talking about," I replied.
Guo the Blind chuckled softly, "Then you must have been present; otherwise, you wouldn't be so calm upon hearing about Huang the Lame's death, nor would you refrain from asking me about Huang San'er. Indeed, I deceived you, but it was for your own good."
"Is it that saying again? The more you know the truth, the more you fear it?" I replied sarcastically.
"No," Guo the Blind said. "The reason I lied to you is that I don't want to hurt you. The one who will die tonight is you."
I furrowed my brow and looked at Guo the Blind, asking, "Why?"
Guo the Blind continued, "You already know who the female ghost is in your heart. Earlier, you were just uncertain; now, you are unwilling to believe it. In the Back Mountain Bus Crash Incident seven days ago, everyone on board died except for one person. When you were hanging from that cliff by a rope, you should have realized that even a nimble man would struggle to descend such a steep cliff without injury, let alone a frail girl."
"I know who wants to harm me; there's no need for your concern," I said impatiently, wanting to leave.
"Yang Hao," Guo the Blind called out to me again. "Today marks the first seven days since her death; you should know that this is the night when the souls of the deceased return. However, for Zhou Manman, it is different. Among the seven people responsible for her death, I killed Li Tong, Wang Hai was killed by Li Fugui, and Huang San'er was saved by Huang the Lame using a secret technique just before his death. So far, she has only killed four people. To maintain her physical form and prevent decay, she must kill someone every seven days. Since she has only killed four and was injured by Li Fugui with Soul Piercer last night, she is currently weakened and has not avenged herself. Her only hope of survival lies in absorbing your Yang Qi."
"How can you be so sure that absorbing my Yang Qi will allow her to survive?" I retorted.
Guo the Blind replied, "She has shared your bed for so long yet you're still a virgin; your Yang energy remains intact. It's not that she doesn't want to kill you; it's that she can't because your body carries your father's blood. To kill you, she must allow Evil Energy to enter your body. From the moment you returned, I've seen a black veil above your head—this is an undeniable fact. Only those targeted by ghosts will have such a veil appear above them. Moreover, her determination to kill you grows stronger; this is her only chance at survival."
I no longer wanted to hear Guo the Blind's words; my mind was in turmoil as I headed straight home.
"Yang Hao," Guo the Blind called after me again. "I know you've developed feelings for that female ghost, but humans and ghosts are on different paths; it's impossible for you two to be together. Besides, she only desires your Pure Yang Energy. Last night Li Fugui injured her soul; her physical body must have begun to rot by now. So today, Li Fugui has sent many black dogs to search for her corpse; it won't be long before they find her. Li Fugui is ruthless and leaves no room for mercy; even Huang the Lame wouldn't last long against him. If he blames you for Zhou Manman's death while killing her, your life will also be at risk."
"At least I won't extend my hatred for decades or blame innocent people like a coward," I said coldly.
Upon returning home, I stood in the yard looking toward the main room where my mother appeared lost in thought as she watched local news through the window.
A faint stench lingered in the air as I glanced toward my own room, knowing that Zhou Manman must be inside at this moment.
"Mom." I called out to my mother, but she didn't respond. After a while, she finally turned to look at me.
I sat beside her and asked what was wrong. She replied, "Just thinking about some things from the past."
I knew she must have been reminiscing about my father, so I stayed by her side. As darkness fell, the foul smell grew stronger. I stood up and said, "I'm going to find Manman."
My mother grabbed my arm as if she wanted to say something, but I gently released her hand and walked toward my room.
At that moment, Zhou Manman was sitting in my room with her back to me. She had somehow found a red outfit that looked like a Qipao. In front of her was a mirror, and it seemed she was getting ready, exuding the charm of a refined young lady.
I crouched down to peek through the crack in the door. In the dim light, she kept glancing at her delicate eyebrows in the mirror, her red lips shimmering with gloss. Her expression and movements were quite captivating.
But when I looked closely at the reflection in the mirror, I was nearly startled into a scream.
Because in the mirror, Zhou Manman only had half a face.
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