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墨書 Inktalez
Puff! Puff... A series of coughing up blood echoed through the room.
As Qingyunzi spewed blood violently, his body slumped down, completely collapsing onto the coffin in the center of the room.
By the time I, the old man, Zhou Daming, and Huang Mao arrived, Qingyunzi was already unconscious. After a long while, he slowly regained consciousness. With a cold smile, he said, "What is a blessing is not a curse; what is a curse cannot be avoided!" Then he turned to me and added, "I fear I cannot escape my calamity at thirty-nine! Quickly bring me three lamps and light them in the east, west, and south to lock my soul."
This is what is known as the Three Star Soul Locking Lamps. According to the records in Mausoleum Secrets, there are seven points on a person's body: Baihui, Jianjing, Fengshi, Zusanli, Juegu, and Quchi, corresponding to the seven orifices. None of us four possessed Mayi Divination skills, so we naturally couldn't light the Seven Star Lamps. However, with the Yang Qi within us, we could light the Baihui, Fengshi, and Juegu lamps. The Three Star Lamps could only temporarily lock the soul and extend Qingyunzi's life for a short while.
I followed his instructions and lit one lamp each in the eastern, western, and southern corners of the room. The lamps emitted a dim light that flickered intermittently. After a moment, Qingyunzi sat cross-legged and closed his eyes to rest for a long time. He stared at me for quite some time without speaking, signaling that he wanted to have a private conversation with me.
The old man and the others understood and excused themselves from the room. Qingyunzi then asked me to lock the door before finally speaking.
"When one is about to die, their words are sincere! Cough! Cough..."
"Qingyunzi, can your body handle this?"
"No problem! My calamity at thirty-nine has arrived. The other day I divined for myself and didn't expect this to come true; everything is fate!"
"Fate?"
"I am forty-nine this year; it corresponds with the nine-year calamity. Alas! I originally intended to ruin my reputation to avoid this disaster. Who would have thought that you all would be sent here to encounter such great misfortune!" Upon hearing this, I was baffled and inwardly cursed him: "I almost lost my life at your hands last night; now you're blaming me for your demise?" But outwardly I asked,
"What is this calamity at thirty-nine?"
"The so-called calamity at thirty-nine refers to significant tribulations that occur when a person reaches three years old and nine years old after birth. If one can pass through smoothly, they will be safe. If not, their life will be in grave danger. The three-year calamity still has ways to resolve it. However, encountering the nine-year calamity is like being named by King Yan; those marked have no choice but to report to the Underworld!"
"That man and child from last night—were they human or ghost?"
"Neither human nor ghost; they are Mountain Spirits!"
"Did you refine these two Mountain Spirits to resist this great calamity?"
"Not at all! These two Mountain Spirits were taken from the Yin People. That man has been turned into a Ceramic Corpse, and the child has become an Earth Corpse! Last night, I merely borrowed the souls to inhabit their bodies to fend off that Iron Corpse!"
"I see. There’s one more thing I’m unsure whether I should ask."
"What you want to ask is about Child Exploitation, right? Alas! It is indeed true, but it’s not as you imagine... Those so-called 'beggars' are either scum who traffic people or bullies who prey on the weak. I won’t be polite with these evildoers; they must suffer the greatest pain in this world!" A chill ran down my spine at his words. Even if they were heinous criminals, it was not his place to administer punishment!
"I understand! What exactly is the Corpse-Repelling Token that you took from the Iron Corpse's head?"
"The Corpse-Repelling Token is refined by Evil Path using Demonic Sorcery. They implant the token into the Mountain Spirit's head, and with a spell, they can control the Mountain Spirit. This is a most vicious spell, utterly insane!" Qingyunzi was clearly agitated.
"I see. So there must be someone behind this?"
"Indeed! But your Daoist Practice is still shallow; you’re not qualified to know!" Qingyunzi refused to elaborate further. When I pressed him again, he simply repeated, "This is all for your own good!" This left me quite frustrated and even disheartened. I felt a suffocating sense of being controlled.
"Do you know who ambushed me last night?" I shook my head, thinking, "Isn't that obvious? If I knew, why would I ask you?" But I replied, "I don’t know; please enlighten me, Master!"
"It was my senior brother!"
"The Middle-Aged Taoist Priest from Wuyun Peak?"
"That's right! Do you know him?"
"To be honest, we’ve only met once. However, he’s a straightforward person; why would he engage in refining Iron Corpses, such dirty things?"
"It’s due to orders from above; that organization is too terrifying..."
"Oh!" I pondered for a long time about what kind of organization this could be. It seemed as if every move I made was being monitored by them. Qingyunzi appeared somewhat fatigued but forced himself to ask.
“Xiazi, do you have your copy of Mausoleum Secrets with you?”
I nodded, and Qingyunzi smiled wryly. “Poor Daoist once annotated Mausoleum Secrets.” His words reminded me of the name Qingyunzi, and indeed, the title page read “Annotated by Qingyunzi.”
“Then why do you only have a superficial understanding?”
“Sigh! That was the latter half; this book has no annotations for the second part, does it?” I casually flipped to the back of the book and found it devoid of notes.
“I never finished annotating it before Ancestor Master took it away! You only grasp its surface and not its essence! The methods for drawing talismans and the Qimen Dunjia, along with the hand gestures, all have specialized cultivation techniques. The so-called methods should not be lightly passed to outsiders. As for the Maoshan Heart Method, I once wrote a book on it, and now I pass it on to you. If you diligently cultivate it, you will surely achieve great things!”
With that, he pulled out a thin, bound booklet from his robe. I took it with both hands and tucked it into my clothing.
“Child! I know you came here regarding the marriage contract. Although this matter is strange, your grandfather arranged it this way for your sake. You should agree to this marriage; there is no need to annul it. In time, you will understand Old Man Xia's good intentions!” I stared at him blankly and shook my head; at that moment, I truly did not comprehend his words.
“To untie the bell, one must find the person who tied it! All roots lie in the Nine-Tiered Corpse Tower!”
“Hmm! I understand; I will handle it!”
“Child! My senior brother’s organization is quite formidable… you must not join them. I will recommend a coalition that is sufficient to counter this organization!”
“Which coalition?” Qingyunzi drew a character on the coffin with his hand. Following his lead, I silently wrote down in my mind that it was the character for ‘Ming’! “What exactly is this organization?”
“The time is not yet right!”
“As for the marriage contract, do not act rashly. I have arranged for someone to meet with you later. Everything will be coordinated through Old Man Li.” I had nothing to say but nodded.
“Child! Seeing how you risked your life last night! I want to give you a substantial gift.”
“What kind of gift?”
"Push the coffin open!"
The coffin was coated in black lacquer, shining like a mirror and reflecting my face. The lid was extremely heavy. I pushed with all my might, but it didn't budge. I had no choice but to roll up my sleeves, grip the lid with both hands, lift my heels off the ground, and use all my strength to finally pry it open just enough to create a gap. A cloud of white mist surged forth, chilling me to the bone.
Inside the coffin lay a female corpse, her hair thick and dark like storm clouds, and there was a strange vitality in her pale face. She wore a white gauze dress, and her abdomen was swollen—she was clearly pregnant. Seeing this made my expression change; I looked at Qingyunzi with a hint of disgust. "Damn it, this is just twisted!"
Qingyunzi seemed to sense my thoughts and merely smiled slightly. "Curious, aren't you?" I nodded, thinking, "Isn't that obvious? Who wouldn't be curious?"
"Child! This is called borrowing a womb to give birth. I predict that tonight it will be born!"
"What is it?"
"Bai Ze!"
"Bai Ze" is a legendary beast known for knowing the names, appearances, and exorcism methods of all ghosts and monsters. For this reason, it has been worshipped as a deity of exorcism and auspiciousness since ancient times. Especially during the medieval period, the reverence for Bai Ze reached great heights. At that time, the book "Bai Ze Bestiary" became extremely popular, almost every household had a copy.
The book recorded various names and appearances of supernatural beings along with methods for their exorcism, accompanied by illustrations. When people encountered monsters, they would refer to the illustrations for identification. They would hang pictures of Bai Ze on their walls or paste them on their doors to use Willow Wood Can Exorcise Evil for exorcism.
"Bai Ze is an ancient divine beast that requires a mortal woman to bear it. It can only grow by absorbing the essence of herbs like ginseng and reishi mushrooms! Over the past ten years, I don't know how much money I've spent or how many dangers I've faced from being hunted by organizations. I have hidden my identity just to nurture it."
"Why?"
"When Bai Ze emerges, tyrants will fall, and that organization's end will come!" I couldn't quite understand and shook my head with a bitter smile.
"Sigh! After ten years of effort, it turns out I'm just sewing a wedding dress!" Qingyunzi looked dejected as he shook his head and fell silent. After a long while, he suddenly shouted.
"Xiazi, listen carefully! You have a three-lifetime connection with this Bai Ze; if you do not treat it well, I will die with regret!" His words struck me deeply; I was moved to tears and shook my head repeatedly.
"Qingyunzi, you won't die; Bai Ze still belongs to you!"
“Useless!” Qingyunzi stared at the extinguished lamps on both the east and west sides, shaking his head with a bitter smile.
“In a sense, this is my way of repaying a debt! One good turn deserves another!” With that, the last remaining lamp swayed precariously. Just as I was about to go and light it, he stopped me. Years later, when I look back on this scene, I finally understood Qingyunzi's character, but alas, he was already gone, and it was too late for regrets!
Qingyunzi's breath grew weaker, his complexion increasingly grim, yet a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. Life is fleeting; how could one not feel sorrow? Although he spent his final years under a cloud of disgrace, he had fulfilled his wishes. The last lamp suddenly went out, and a wisp of blue smoke rose up. Qingyunzi felt a sudden tightness in his chest, blood surged forth as he coughed violently. White Malevolence flew out, and Qingyunzi shouted, “I am leaving!” Then he closed his eyes and departed this world.
Life and death are but fleeting moments; they come together and disperse in an instant. Joy and anger arise unexpectedly and vanish just as quickly.
Who is to say what is lowly or humiliating in servitude? What is truly precious is not miraculous. Once breath ceases, decay knows no beauty or ugliness.
“Though we met by chance, you were better than any teacher or friend! The deceased deserve our utmost respect; senior, please accept my bow!” Tears streamed down my face as I knelt and bowed heavily three times.
“Qingyunzi, you did not live in vain!”
Old Master, Zhou Daming, and Huang Mao rushed in upon hearing the cries, all with tears streaming down their faces. Huang Mao cried so hard that he fainted!
We laid Qingyunzi’s remains to rest. I returned alone to that room, surrounded by memories that brought forth an overwhelming sadness. Without realizing it, I leaned over the coffin and fell asleep.
I don’t know when it happened; everything was pitch black. A tremendous clap of thunder erupted, illuminating the room with lightning. I was startled awake by the thunder; had it not been for that storm, I might have missed that once-in-a-lifetime moment.
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