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墨書 Inktalez
Gravekeeper
"Did you just remember to love?" he said, providing an exciting reading experience.
Brother Wang looked at me, clearly not intending to scare him. His hands were trembling as he quickly turned off the engine and rolled up all the windows. At that moment, the first BYD car had already collided with our taxi. We heard the taxi emit a series of creaking sounds, and then the temperature inside the cabin dropped by more than ten degrees.
The taxi driver's face turned pale instantly; his body shook uncontrollably, and his right hand gripped my arm tightly.
"Don't be afraid; they probably didn't see us," I whispered, though deep down, I was lying out of fear.
The first BYD car floated past, followed by a second one—the bridal car. The window of the bridal car slowly rolled down, revealing a woman in a Red Wedding Dress. She looked towards us with pale skin and bloodshot eyes, yet otherwise appeared just like an ordinary person.
The bride seemed to have noticed us. She suddenly waved her hand, and the entire Wedding Procession came to a halt around our taxi.
Seeing the procession stop made me even more anxious. Although I wasn't particularly afraid of ghosts, encountering a ghostly driver was a first for me. Just how many ghosts were in that entire procession?
Moreover, I felt that this bride was no ordinary ghost. She looked nothing like a spirit, and I recalled that those who died wearing red were destined to become Evil Spirits. This bride wore a red hat, wrapped in a red scarf, donned a red dress, and sported red shoes—she must have been wearing Red Underwear underneath. How powerful could she be?
I felt pain in my arm and turned to see Brother Wang gripping it tightly, staring in the direction of the bride with eyes wide open, clearly able to see her too.
Outside, the procession had stopped, and many ghosts began to drift down from their vehicles. They appeared dazed and soon started floating toward our taxi.
The temperature dropped even further.
Brother Wang's lips turned blue from fear; he was gasping as if he might faint at any moment. I quickly pulled on Brother Wang, noticing he still had a lit cigarette in his hand. Suddenly remembering Xu Bansian's warning about not lighting cigarettes carelessly, I urged him, "Put out that cigarette! No, throw it out the window—hurry!"
Brother Wang's hands trembled uncontrollably.
I snatched the cigarette from him, rolled down the window, and tossed it outside.
The ghosts drifted toward the cigarette as if drawn to it. Soon enough, those three-dollar-a-pack Hademen cigarettes were completely consumed—there wasn't even a butt left.
After finishing their smoke, the ghosts returned to their respective cars.
However, that bride was slowly approaching our taxi. She smiled at the driver inside, and then her eyes began to bleed, with blood trickling down into her mouth. The female ghost flicked her tongue and licked the blood droplets into her mouth.
The driver's face turned pale, and with a thud, his head slammed against the steering wheel, his body convulsing.
I was anxious as well. I opened my backpack and pulled out the Peach Wood Sword, Black Dog Blood, Glutinous Rice, Cinnabar, and the Ink Rope smeared with Rooster Blood. This set of equipment was something I had bought when I came here, and I never expected to use it so soon.
I picked up the Peach Wood Sword, equipped myself with various items, and brandished them at the bride.
The bride tilted her head in thought, seemingly coming to a compromise. She stepped back, turned around, and got back into the Wedding Car. The wedding procession then slowly set off, gradually disappearing into the darkness.
I let out a sigh of relief. As the procession vanished, Brother Wang was still slumped over the steering wheel, trembling. I gave his head a firm slap, but he remained in a dazed state.
I reached out and pinched Brother Wang's philtrum hard.
"Whoa..." Brother Wang suddenly took a deep breath and came to his senses. He turned to look around and shouted loudly, "What the hell! What the hell! What the hell!... What's going on? Did they leave?"
"They're gone!" I replied. "Hurry up and drive; we'll be fine once we reach the village."
Brother Wang looked at me. "Did you see that? That bride—she was really a ghost!"
"I also saw a procession," I sighed.
Upon hearing this, Brother Wang's eyes rolled back, and he nearly fainted again.
I quickly patted his head. "Drive faster; that procession might come back any minute."
Brother Wang immediately started the engine, shifted gears, and pressed the accelerator. With a roar, five minutes later, the taxi sped into Beisheng Village.
Beisheng Village was shrouded in darkness; not even a streetlight was visible.
Brother Wang parked at the village entrance and trembled as he said, "My brother, I don't want your money anymore, but please take me in. I swear I won't go back to the county tonight, even if it kills me."
I could tell that this driver was genuinely terrified. Thankfully, he was young and strong-willed; if it had been a driver with weaker vitality, he might have been scared senseless on this trip.
I said, "Alright, I'll give you the money, but first, let's find my friend's house. I'll take you in for the night."
"Thank you so much! But, brother, don't you know which house your friend lives in? What kind of village is this? It's already past nine and everything's shut down, like a ghost town... uh, forget I said that," the driver quickly spat.
I got out of the car and walked towards the first house, knocking hard on the door while calling out loudly, "Is anyone home? Hello? I need to ask something!"
After five minutes of knocking, no one answered.
Feeling helpless, I moved on to the second house and knocked vigorously again, shouting, "Hey! Is anyone there? I need to ask about my classmate Wang Shao. Can you tell me where she lives?"
The second house was just as silent. The door was locked tight from the inside, and no one came to answer.
In the taxi, the driver looked terrified. He kept his car close behind me, afraid I might run away. The headlights were on, illuminating the area ahead brightly.
Something felt off. I took out my Peach Wood Sword from the car and approached the third house. I knocked loudly on the door and shouted, "Is anyone there? I'm just asking a question; I'm not a bad person! Why are you locking your doors? I just want to know where Wang Shao lives!"
As I continued banging on the door, a chilling voice suddenly came from the darkness, "What do you want with Wang Shao?"
I jumped back in surprise, stepping away several paces with my Peach Wood Sword pointed toward the source of the voice.
"What do you want with Wang Shao?" the voice repeated ominously.
This time I was prepared. I stepped forward and rubbed my eyes, finally noticing a figure standing in the Hutong. Since it was on the side of the car and not illuminated by light, it had been in my blind spot.
It appeared to be a woman with graying hair.
I patted my chest and said, "Auntie, I'm a classmate of Wang Shao. I've just learned that something happened to her. I was... well, I was one of her very good friends. I'm here to pay my respects at her grave. Do you know where Wang Shao's family lives?"
"You are... her classmate?" the woman asked. Her voice was eerie and unsettling.
I quickly nodded. "I have my student ID and identification."
"Well... come with me," the woman said, turning to walk back.
The alley was narrow, and the car couldn't drive in. The taxi driver parked the car and tightly grabbed my arm, like a couple in a romantic relationship.
"It's fine, just relax," I said, shaking off his grip. I wasn't used to being held by a big man like that.
"Don't! This village has problems! And by the way, did your classmate really die? You should have been more careful. If I end up losing my life here, it would be a huge loss for me," Brother Wang muttered anxiously.
I ignored the driver and followed the woman forward. After about fifty meters, she stopped and opened a door. "Come in!"
Hearing her invitation, I lifted my leg to step inside when the taxi driver suddenly grabbed my arm again, trembling. "Um... we’re not going in there, right?"
I turned back to look at Brother Wang and saw sweat dripping from his forehead, his eyes wide with fear.
"What’s wrong with you?" I asked curiously.
Brother Wang clung to me tightly and whispered, "Don’t go in! That... that woman is a Zombie! Her lips don’t even move when she talks."
I quickly turned back. At that moment, the woman had her back to me as she walked into the house, speaking in a chilling tone: "This is Wang Shao's home. I'm her mother. I heard you calling from outside and came out to greet you. You shouldn't wander around at night."
Her tone was eerie, but I rubbed my eyes vigorously and thought the old lady seemed perfectly normal, and her reasoning was quite sound.
"Stop scaring yourself. Do you want to spend the night outside and scare yourself to death?" I said, stepping inside. I also pulled the taxi driver in with me and shut the door behind us.
The woman walked unsteadily; her hair was already gray. Once inside, she turned off the flashlight and lit a candle instead. The flame flickered in the wind, casting our three shadows in disarray, which was somewhat unsettling.
The woman approached and said, "It's not safe in the village at night, so we turn off the lights and lock the doors. You two should get some rest; if anything happens, we can talk about it tomorrow. Wang Shao doesn’t have many friends; it’s rare for anyone to come visit her. I appreciate your kindness."
It was then that I noticed how she spoke; indeed, her lips didn’t move at all while she talked under the candlelight, making her appear quite eerie.
Thinking about it made me feel scared as well.
The woman poured us two cups of water and left, specifically reminding us not to turn on the lights at night, and to use a flashlight if we needed anything.
I looked around and noticed a photo of Wang Shao on the wall, which calmed me somewhat.
Brother Wang shrank into a ball, looking at me. "Brother, we’ve entered a ghost village, and we’re in a haunted house. Did you see that Old Lady? Her voice is so eerie, and she doesn’t even speak. Nowadays, all the aunties are dancing in the square; where do you find someone like her, floating around like that?"
I was puzzled too, sitting silently on the bed.
Brother Wang pressed close to me and suddenly sang, "You are my Apple of My Eye, no matter how much I love you, it’s never too much..." The sound of his off-key singing echoed loudly in the silent room.
Brother Wang jumped in fright and instinctively tried to burrow into my arms.
I pushed him away. "What the hell! That’s your ringtone, right? What are you so scared of?"
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