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墨書 Inktalez
We three entered the room, and Ting spoke up, "Half a month ago, I went to the city with Peng Jian. While crossing the street, a dump truck lost its brakes and came crashing towards me. Peng Jian pushed me out of the way, and then he got crushed in the chest. At that moment, I held Peng Jian's head in pain, and he wanted us to be together forever. Without thinking, I agreed. After that, there were funerals and compensation to deal with, which I managed, but ever since that incident, I've been dreaming about Peng Jian. Our family has also started to have bad luck; I often fall for no reason, and my dad keeps having accidents at work—either twisting his ankle or injuring other workers. So now, neither my dad nor I dare to go out; we can only stay at home."
Listening to Ting's account, I began to understand the situation. I asked, "Did Peng Jian like you before?"
Ting nodded. "We grew up together; we were childhood sweethearts. Peng Jian was a good student and honest, but I didn't really like him that much. Still, we had a decent relationship."
I glanced at Ting; she was indeed quite beautiful. "I can understand why Peng Jian became a ghost—he doesn't want to be reborn and wants to stay with you. But he shouldn't let your family suffer like this."
Ting wiped her tears. "I don't know either. I regret agreeing to be with him forever before he died. Now he's clinging to me, and I feel my health deteriorating. Plus, my dad can't live normally anymore."
I waved my hand dismissively. "Alright, let's go to the county town tomorrow. Once we find the Taoist priest from Wudang Mountain, he should be able to help you solve this problem."
Ting nodded.
It was getting late, and after running all the way here and nearly drowning, I was exhausted. I collapsed onto Ting's bed and fell into a deep sleep almost immediately.
I don't know how long later it was when I felt someone touching my chest.
Startled, I opened my eyes wide and saw Ting in a long cloth skirt tightly hugging me.
I quickly sat up. "Hey, what's wrong?"
Ting was trembling uncontrollably; she didn't say anything but just pointed outside.
I frowned and then got out of bed, standing by the window to look outside. It was dark outside, but at that moment, the yard was filled with a flickering green glow, like countless eyes watching us.
I was startled and took a couple of steps back.
Ting trembled as she approached. She took a few deep breaths and whispered, "I'm sorry, Brother. I... I fell asleep on the sofa, but it was too scary outside, so I ran in. I'm... I'm really scared."
I glanced at the time; it was already past five in the morning, and dawn was approaching. "It's okay, it's okay. Let's wait a moment. What is going on? We need to find Peng Jian's ghost first and ask him what he wants."
Ting nodded, but she was wearing a long nightgown and kept holding onto my arm tightly, not letting go.
We sat in the bedroom for over half an hour until the sun finally rose, and I began to feel more at ease.
As I stepped outside, I saw a yard full of snakes writhing around. No wonder it had looked so green last night; where did all these snakes come from?
In addition to the snakes, there were also some dead wild chickens and dead weasels scattered about.
At that moment, Ting's father burst out of the main room, wielding a kitchen knife. He shouted angrily, "I've had enough! Really enough! Damn you, Peng Jian! If you have the guts, come at me! Come on!"
Ting hurried to calm her father down.
I felt that something was off, but we had to find Peng Jian's ghost first to get some answers. To be honest, I had seen Peng Jian's ghost last night; he was just an ordinary ghost. Even if he wanted to scare Ting, he didn't have that kind of power.
After thinking for a moment, I pulled Ting's arm and said, "Come here; I need to talk to you about something."
"What do you want to talk about, Brother?" Ting asked in confusion as she followed me into her bedroom.
Upon entering Ting's bedroom, I turned around and shut the door behind me, then pushed Ting down onto the bed.
"What are you doing, Brother?!" Ting looked at me in terror.
I reached out my hand toward Ting's chest.
"Ah!" Ting clutched her chest tightly and screamed.
At that moment, a dark mist suddenly shot up from Ting's chest and rushed toward my face.
I grabbed the Peach Wood Sword and pointed it directly at the dark mist.
The mist dispersed, forming a human shape—it was the ghost of Peng Jian.
Ting was still unaware of the situation; she continued to scream in fear.
"Stop screaming! It's okay now! Peng Jian has come out, and I need to talk to him," I said.
I had intentionally touched Ting to provoke Peng Jian's ghost. This was the only way I could think of to find him.
Peng Jian looked at me; he couldn't be exposed to sunlight, but fortunately, it was early morning, and the room was quite dark.
"What do you want?! You bastard!" Peng Jian shouted at me.
"Peng Jian, look at what you've done. I want to ask you what you intend to do! If you truly care for Ting, you shouldn't linger and continue to haunt her. Moreover, you've not only haunted her but also threatened her! You've made it nearly impossible for her and her father to live their lives. Today, I'll scatter your soul!"
"That's not me! How could I harm Ting? I would give up my own life for her!" Peng Jian exclaimed immediately.
"Then what about the snake in the yard and the dead weasel?" I shouted.
Ting, a bit frightened, hid behind me. She couldn't see Peng Jian but could sense the eerie atmosphere.
Peng Jian shook his head, pained. "It really wasn't me. I only appear in Ting's dreams; that's the only way she can see me. I would never harm her; I just want to protect her."
"Then what is going on?" I asked.
"It was... it was a Fox Spirit that did all this," Peng Jian said, covering his ghostly face in anguish.
"A Fox Spirit?!" I was taken aback, looking at Peng Jian. "How does this relate to the Fox Spirit?" To be honest, I had encountered ghosts and zombies before, but the idea of a spirit was terrifying, and I felt quite timid.
Peng Jian remained silent for a moment before continuing, "You see, there’s a Land Temple near our village. My friends and I often went there to play. The Land Temple hadn't been maintained for a long time, and no one went there to burn incense for the Land Deity, so it became a playground for us kids. There was a secluded room where I often did my homework. At that time, my family was relatively well-off, so whenever I went there to study or read extracurricular books, I would bring candies and snacks. Eventually, a fox started coming there to eat my treats. Honestly, it seemed like an ordinary thing; after all, we lived in a rural area with many wild animals. I thought the fox was cute and often fed it. Once, it fell into the water, and I rescued it. I never imagined it was a Fox Spirit!"
"Huh?" I was surprised. Wasn't this something out of Strange Tales, where a scholar encounters a Fox Spirit? How could such a thing happen in reality? Did Peng Jian have the aura of a protagonist?
Peng Jian continued, "I used to be human and didn't know this until after I died and became a ghost. Only then did I realize that the fox had lived behind the Land Temple for many years and had received offerings from many people, which allowed it to become a spirit. However, its power wasn't strong enough to fully transform into human form; it used to be afraid of me. After I became a ghost, it found me... It liked me, but I only liked Ting. I've always liked her, and it's just a fox! Even if I've turned into a ghost, how could I possibly like a fox? So I rejected it."
Upon hearing this, everything clicked into place for me. "So that means the one who disguised as the driver and drove the minibus into the river was that Fox Spirit? And it was also responsible for throwing snakes into Ting's yard and tormenting her and her father?"
Peng Jian nodded, clearly in pain. "I didn't want the fox to do this, but it never listens to me."
I sighed inwardly; it seemed this was purely a love triangle involving debts of affection. The female driver from yesterday must have been transformed from that Fox Spirit! The Fox Spirit didn't want Ting to leave here and turned into the driver to drive the minibus straight into the river! The Fox Spirit liked Peng Jian while he deeply loved Ting, who was terrified—what a tangled web of love between a person, a spirit, and a ghost! This was not just Strange Tales; it was also palace intrigue!
"I know you like Ting, Peng Jian. You sacrificed yourself to save her, which moved us all. But love is a two-way street. If you truly love her, you should leave now and be reborn. Look at Ting; she is already entangled with Ghostly Energy. If this continues, she won't have much time left. And that Fox Spirit keeps tormenting her and her father. Although it hasn't killed them, they live in constant fear. Is this the love you want to give her?"
"I... I don't want it to be this way..." Peng Jian immediately replied. "I don't want it to be like this. I love Ting; I don't want her to be harmed. I just want to stay by her side and watch over her."
I waved my hand. "Whether human or ghost, nothing is perfect, and wishes don't always come true. Peng Jian, go be reborn. I can help you move on. You died saving someone in this life; in your next life, you will surely find your own happiness in love. If you stay here any longer, you will only torment Ting, and she will resent you for the rest of her life."
"Alright..." Peng Jian sighed.
I felt relieved as well. "Then let's proceed with your transition."
"Wait... Before I die, I want to do one last thing for Ting. Can you take me to the Land Temple? I want to deal with the fox properly so it won't disturb Ting anymore or interfere with her life..."
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