Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Shangguan Mingyue glanced at Bai Qiling and asked, "How do you know this is a treasure of the Shangguan Family?"
He was momentarily at a loss for words, unable to respond.
I looked at Shangguan Mingyue, unsure of what to say, as the powder she had applied began to stem the flow of blood from my hand.
She reached out and wiped the tears from my face, smiling as she said, "Are you touched? I brought out a family heirloom just for you."
"Ha ha, if I weren't already married, I would offer myself to you," I replied with a laugh.
Suddenly, her expression turned serious.
"Yan Xi, don't feel guilty. Objects are lifeless; people are alive. This is something I owe you. By repaying you today, I've also saved myself a bit."
I understood what she meant. Back at President Chen's house, when I was kidnapped by the Cult of Spirits, she hadn't intervened to save me and had even become an accomplice. She felt indebted to me.
Noticing that I was watching her, she averted her gaze, and we shared a silent understanding.
Only Bai Qiling stood behind Shangguan Mingyue with a look of utter frustration, his brows furrowed in anger as he was compelled to assist in treating my injuries due to Shangguan Mingyue and Mu Xuanche's insistence.
For now, they wrapped my hand with cloth strips, managing to stop the bleeding and ensuring that my life was no longer in danger.
Having lost too much blood, my body felt weak and unsteady, so Mu Xuanche carried me.
After the wall representing the Life Gate was broken down, the four of us stepped inside together.
It was another new space. Once we entered, although the Yin Qi was heavy, it seemed there was no immediate danger.
The Life Gate had been broken, and the soul of the guarding female ghost must have scattered along with it.
A massive red coffin lay before everyone, shrouded in a terrifying black Yin Qi that sent chills down their spines.
Shangguan Mingyue attempted to approach it but was stopped by Bai Qiling. In the end, it was Mu Xuanche who carried me over to take a look.
With a single powerful push, he flipped the coffin lid open, and a wave of putrid air rushed out, overwhelming me. I instinctively buried my face against Mu Xuanche's back, holding my breath. After a moment, I turned to look.
To my horror, the coffin did not contain a complete corpse but rather a collection of human organs. Beside them lay half a head, its eyes gouged out, leaving behind a gaping bloody hole.
The sight was grotesque, especially when paired with the image of plump white dumplings; I felt bile rising in my throat and quickly patted Mu Xuanche, urging him to take me away.
"Wait," I said.
As Mu Xuanche turned to carry me back, something caught my eye. I turned around and noticed four large black nails at the edge of the coffin. I pointed them out to Mu Xuanche.
Furrowing his brow, he set me down and then lifted the entire coffin.
When I walked over to take a closer look, just as before, there was another coffin inside. This time, however, lying within it was a decaying pig, but unlike previous encounters, this pig's head was missing half of its face and had been replaced with a human head.
The pig's eyeball was dug out and replaced with a human's. The iron hook pried it open, and the sight was enough to give anyone nightmares.
Mu Xuanche's expression turned grave as he struck the coffin with a palm, destroying everything inside.
First a snake, then a cat, followed by a chicken and a pig—was this Cult of Spirits some sort of zodiac gathering?
I shared my thoughts with Mu Xuanche, but he told me not to ask for now; he would have arrangements.
Reluctantly, I set aside my curiosity. With the coffin broken, the entire formation was ruined.
Without needing to think, I effortlessly walked out of the cellar. Bai Qiling suggested we rest locally for the night; he needed to change his disguise.
"No way, we must stay in town tonight. Look at how dirty my clothes are; I need to change," he insisted.
However, his strong demand was outright rejected by Mu Xuanche. "No, we continue on our way."
Seeing his unusual demeanor made me feel uneasy.
"Is something wrong at home?"
"I'm not sure; we'll have to check first."
Concerned about potential trouble at home, Shangguan Mingyue agreed that we should hurry on. With three votes against one, Bai Qiling naturally lost.
We took a bus back to the village.
Upon entering the village, those familiar villagers who once greeted me now avoided eye contact immediately.
It was truly strange. In the village, neighbors would usually greet each other, but today was different.
Feeling anxious, I quickened my pace significantly, almost running all the way home. I always carried the key with me, so I pushed the door open and rushed inside without even greeting Mingyue and the others.
“Mom, Dad, are you home?” I shouted as I dashed upstairs.
After calling out several times with no response, I rushed upstairs to check. The only thing left in the house was a table full of unfinished dishes, emitting a strong smell of mold. My parents were nowhere to be found.
Could something have happened to them?
I tried to reassure myself that they might have gone to Liu Qingfeng's house. So, I ran over to check there.
The front door of Liu Qingfeng's house was ajar. When I entered, I was shocked by the disarray of the room.
It looked as if it had been through a great battle; everything inside was scattered and broken. There was no sign of anyone—no one at all.
What could have happened that would cause my parents' phones to be off and leave me unable to find them?
My frustration boiled over as I surveyed the chaotic scene before me. The more I looked, the more agitated I became, and I kicked everything in front of me aside.
“Yan Xi, don’t panic. Your parents might just be visiting someone and will be back soon,” Mingyue's voice of comfort barely registered in my mind. All I could think about was where my parents could have gone and who would dare harm them.
My mind was racing, overwhelmed with thoughts that seemed ready to explode, as I crouched helplessly on the ground. What would I do if something happened to my parents?
In the midst of my frustration, a strong arm pulled me up. I didn't need to guess who it was; it was Mu Xuanche.
Looking up at him, tears blurred my vision, and my voice trembled as I said, "Mu Xuanche, what should I do? My parents are missing."
"Let's go," he replied.
"Where to?"
"Let's check your grandfather's grave. When I left, I left a guardian spirit there. Maybe it knows something."
His words filled me with hope; I hadn't expected him to think so thoroughly.
"Okay, let's hurry and take a look."
I grabbed Mu Xuanche's hand and rushed toward my grandfather's grave on the back mountain. A group of people followed me as we dashed around. Although I felt guilty about dragging them along, finding my parents was the priority.
After more than an hour of trekking through the mountain path, Mingyue finally couldn't hold back her curiosity and asked aloud, "Wow, Yan Xi, why is your grandfather's grave in such a secluded place?"
I smiled faintly but didn't answer because I didn't know the reason either.
My grandfather's grave was located deep in the back mountain, not within the Gu Family ancestral burial grounds. This was his own request; he even forbade us from visiting during Qingming Festival. My parents told me that he did this for the good of the Gu Family.
As we approached my grandfather's grave, I couldn't shake off the feeling that something was amiss.
A heavy presence of Yin Qi hung in the air, and I turned to look at Mu Xuanche, noticing his brow furrowed in concern.
"Is something wrong?" I asked anxiously.
Perhaps he didn't want to worry me; he shook his head but didn't respond. Instead, he took my hand and led me forward. Ahead of us were low bushes, sparse in number but tricky to navigate through, each branch adorned with enticing thorns.
Mu Xuanche kindly picked me up and carried me over them.
"Please, let me down," I pleaded. "I beg you."
Just as we neared my grandfather's grave, we heard a series of desperate cries for help. My heart tightened—could it be one of my family members?
I insisted that Mu Xuanche set me down so I could run ahead, but he refused, carrying me swiftly to the front of the grave.
There, a figure clad in bright red stood with its back to us, kneeling before an elderly male ghost, who was the source of the anguished cries.
His head was firmly grasped by the Red-Clad Man, his face contorted in pain as he repeatedly bowed his hands in a plea for mercy.
Noticing someone approaching, the Red-Clad Man turned around.
It was Chuchen.
A shock ran through him; how could he be here?
Seeing us arrive, Chuchen also appeared somewhat surprised.
A flicker of panic flashed in his eyes, quickly replaced by a fierce expression.
"No—"
By the time I realized what was happening and shouted out, it was too late. Chuchen's palm had already struck Old Ghost's head.
In an instant, that soul before my eyes was shattered.
Comment 0 Comment Count