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墨書 Inktalez
The observant would notice that the figure on the Boss was not an ordinary deity like Guanyin or the Tathagata, but rather a Bull-Headed Monster.
The Boss chuckled, "If I remember correctly, you are from the Wei Family of Chen Prefecture, right?"
The old man slightly bowed, "You have a good memory. I am Wei Qiuxi, and this is my grandson Wei Ning—say hello to grandpa."
Wei Ning, being well-mannered, quickly called out, "Grandpa." The Boss seemed quite fond of him, ruffling his hair and saying, "You look good; I really don't know how your grandpa can bear to let you work this job."
Wei Qiuxi smiled slightly and replied, "Things passed down from our ancestors should never be discarded."
The Boss, appearing cheerful, introduced himself: "My surname is Zhang. People who know me in Guan Zhuang call me Zhang Laosi. This Fortune Inn has been in operation for nearly a hundred years since my grandfather's time. It suffered during the Cultural Revolution when the Four Olds were destroyed. Ah," Zhang Laosi's expression turned somber as he sighed, "I never expected that with the reform policies, our ancestors' legacy would return. The party's policies are indeed good."
Wei Qiuxi remarked, "The Zhang family of Guan Zhuang has been known since my grandfather's generation. In the past, any Foot Master passing through Xiangxi would stop here for a rest—my grandfather and I have not been in this line of work for many years now, but we had to take this trip due to someone else's request. Nowadays, young people are so open-minded; who still respects us old folks who deal with the God of Joy all day?"
"Indeed, times have changed," Zhang Laosi sighed deeply before changing the subject. "Has the God of Joy eaten yet? I'll go prepare something."
Being somewhat awkward and reserved, Zhang Laosi rarely spoke to anyone other than the night watchman, Liu Laosan. Over time, it seemed that the townsfolk had forgotten about his existence. Now that a traveling master had finally arrived, he appeared particularly excited and soon prepared a table full of dishes.
There were three dishes: stir-fried potatoes, eggplant, and a bowl of spicy sauce unique to Xiangxi, along with two bowls of white rice. It seemed that the Zhang Laosi family was not wealthy.
Hungry for quite some time, Wei Ning wasted no time and eagerly picked up his bowl to dig in but was stopped by his grandfather: "The God of Joy hasn't eaten yet; why are you in such a hurry?"
Wei Ning quickly halted his actions. Wei Qiuxi used chopsticks to touch each dish while murmuring incantations as if inviting the God of Joy to dine. Then he burned a stack of Ghost Money in the southeast corner. Afterward, Zhang Laosi poured all the food back into the pot and re-cooked it before serving it again, signifying that it was now ready for the God of Joy.
After the meal, Wei Qiuxi called over Wei Ning, instructing him: "Go check if there are any drops or looseness in the seven orifices of the God of Joy. If anything has fallen off or loosened, replace it with new Cinnabar. The seven orifices must not be blocked; otherwise, it will get angry."
From his pocket, Wei Qiuxi produced a stack of Peach Wood Talismans, handing them to his grandson. "Place these talismans on the forehead, chest, arms, and knees. Remember, you can only remove the old talismans after placing the new ones; otherwise, if the Corpse Evil acts up, the consequences will be dire."
Wei Ning nodded in response. Due to the towering stature of the God of Joy, he pulled over a long bench to stand on top. With its eyes tightly closed and its seven orifices sealed with local specialty Cinnabar, he showed no fear as he carefully inspected the body. Meanwhile, Wei Qiuxi kept his gaze fixed on a lamp in the southeast corner; its flame stood steady without a flicker.
Understanding the gravity of the situation, Wei Ning dared not be careless. Following his grandfather's instructions, he placed the Chen State Talisman at designated spots before tearing away the old talisman. Taking it from him, Wei Qiuxi pinched it between his fingers and burned it in mid-air until it scattered like black butterflies.
With a sigh of relief from Wei Qiuxi, he noted that despite his young age, Wei Ning worked efficiently and decisively—no less than an adult. In fact, most adults today would likely hesitate even to be in the same room as a corpse, let alone help change its talismans.
A sudden gust of wind swept through the room, causing the flames in the southeast corner to flicker. Wei Qiuxi's face changed dramatically as he rushed forward, hoping to protect the dancing flames. At that moment, Wei Ning was sitting on a stool with his back turned to the God of Joy.
Wei Ning felt a chill pass over him and turned around, only to be struck with terror. The God of Joy had somehow appeared behind him, its previously closed eyes now wide open, exhaling white mist as it fixed its gaze on Wei Ning.
"Grandfather!" Wei Ning shouted in fright, but Wei Qiuxi had just reached the oil lamp, about four or five meters away from him, unable to reach Wei Ning in time against the looming presence of the God of Joy.
"The God of Joy has come for him!" Zhang Laosi yelled in panic, jumping three feet into the air from the table and running toward the back of the hall.
The God of Joy extended its long arms from beneath its funeral garments. Its pale arms were terrifyingly blue, devoid of any color, with long, sharp black nails. White hair sprouted an inch long along its arms as it grabbed Wei Ning and lifted him off the ground.
"God of Joy, please calm down," Wei Qiuxi said as he pulled out a sword made of copper coins from his robe. With a flick of his left hand, he ignited a string of talismans. However, it seemed that the God of Joy did not hear him at all; it mechanically tilted its head with a crackling sound and lifted Wei Ning higher, as if intending to tear him apart by his legs. Wei Ning struggled desperately, but the corpse's grip was impossibly strong, holding onto his legs regardless of how much he fought.
It looked like Wei Ning was about to be torn apart by this corpse!
"Quickly!" Wei Qiuxi shouted as he strung together the burning talismans on his Copper Coin Sword and dashed forward. He thrust the sword directly at the corpse's forehead, and astonishingly, it pierced straight through!
Even stranger was that no blood flowed from the wound.
With a loud thud, the Copper Coin Sword embedded itself in the wooden board behind the corpse's head. Wei Qiuxi picked up a white bowl that Wei Ning had been holding on the table and took a large gulp of water before spraying it onto the burning Chen State Talisman.
To his surprise, instead of extinguishing it, the Chen State Talisman blazed even brighter upon contact with water.
"By my command, return to your place, God of Joy!" Wei Qiuxi shouted. The God of Joy seemed to freeze in place, its hands suspended in mid-air as Wei Qiuxi hurriedly rescued Wei Ning.
Wei Qiuxi struck various points on the God of Joy's chest, back, hands, and feet with the Copper Coin Sword before pulling out a wooden nail and forcefully embedding it into a specific spot on the God of Joy’s body. He sighed and said, "You were once a person; I never expected you would still attract misfortune even in death. I can only use Sophora Wood to bind your soul. Once you are laid to rest peacefully, I will release your spirit for reincarnation. If I have offended you in any way, please forgive me."
Wei Qiuxi lit several more talismans and placed them into the white bowl after they had burned. He turned to a still-shaken Wei Ning and said, "Drink this to avoid being affected by Corpse Poison."
Wei Ning frowned at the dark substance floating in the water but reluctantly drank it anyway.
At that moment, Zhang Laosi popped up from somewhere and asked, "Did we just encounter a ghost blowing out lights?"
Wei Qiuxi nodded, and Zhang Laosi said, "I've lived this long, and this is the first time I've seen something like this. Could it be that the master encountered a black-hearted merchant? The talismans and Cinnabar you bought are all fake—these days, people dare to swindle even the dead's money. It's nothing like when we were young; we had to be careful of retribution." Zhang Laosi sighed and shook his head.
Wei Qiuxi calmly replied, "These have been passed down from my ancestors; they weren't bought on a whim."
Zhang Laosi patted Wei Ning's head and asked, "Are you hurt? You were really brave just now."
Wei Ning was clearly displeased with Zhang Laosi for fleeing earlier. She turned her head away, refusing to let him touch her, and huffed. Zhang Laosi paid no mind and said, "The master has been up all night. Now that the God of Joy and Corpse Evil have been dispelled, it's best to rest. As usual, I'll keep watch over the lamp for the masters."
Wei Qiuxi frowned and said, "That's not right. I've never encountered a summoning like the God of Joy before. Not just me; even my Wei Family hasn't faced anything like this for generations—there must be something here that summons evil spirits. Zhang Laosi, have you heard of anything unclean nearby?"
Zhang Laosi shook his head and replied, "Our area has always been clean; I haven't heard of anything."
Wei Qiuxi murmured, "This is truly strange; it shouldn't be like this." He glanced at the God of Joy, who was standing upright with the Sophora Wood in his throat particularly prominent. Wei Qiuxi was puzzled and thought he might be overthinking it. He then told Zhang Laosi, "Please keep an eye on this lamp; it must not go out. If there’s even a slight disturbance, you must wake me immediately."
Zhang Laosi replied, "This isn't my first time watching a lamp; I understand the importance of it. You two can rest easy."
Wei Ning was frightened by the God of Joy and kept her distance, lying in Wei Qiuxi's arms. Before long, she fell asleep. Wei Qiuxi was also tired; after giving Zhang Laosi a few instructions, he leaned against the table and fell asleep.
"Not good!" Wei Qiuxi woke up suddenly from his dream, sitting up abruptly. At that moment, Wei Ning was sleeping soundly in his arms. He gently moved her aside and noticed that the oil lamp in the southeast corner had actually gone out!
And Zhang Laosi was sleeping on the ground!
Wei Qiuxi hurriedly woke up the sleeping Zhang Laosi and exclaimed urgently, "You! How could you fall asleep!"
Zhang Laosi groggily responded, but Wei Qiuxi was so angry that he slapped him hard. "How did the Seeking Home Lantern go out!"
"What!" Zhang Laosi shivered in fright as he saw that indeed the oil lamp had extinguished.
Wei Qiuxi trembled with anger: "Wasn't I teaching you to watch it? How could you let it go out! This is serious!"
"I don't know how I fell asleep! I didn't sleep early last night! And now it's broad daylight—how did I fall asleep?"
"I don't want to waste my breath with you. Where is the God of Joy?"
"The God of Joy? What about the God of Joy?"
"The God of Joy is missing!" Wei Qiuxi's face turned pale with anger.
What? The God of Joy is missing? Zhang Laosi finally reacted and looked behind the door, where it was indeed empty.
The God of Joy had walked away on its own.
"Ah," Wei Qiuxi sighed deeply, regaining his composure from his fury. "You know what will happen if the God of Joy goes rogue. You saw it just now; I was barely able to suppress it, and that was with my seven orifices sealed by Cinnabar. If the God of Joy fully opens its orifices and turns into a Corpse Evil, the consequences would be unimaginable."
"Do you remember the Wang family from Xupu a hundred years ago?"
Zhang Laosi shivered at the thought. A hundred years ago, the Xu Pu Wang Family was the largest among the Gravekeepers. After losing a corpse, it turned into a Corpse Evil and killed over two hundred people in a village overnight. To atone for their sins, seventy-four members of the family, including more than thirty Gravekeepers, committed suicide. From that day on, the Xu Pu Wang Family was completely erased from the history of Gravekeepers.
"What do we do now?" Zhang Laosi asked.
"We need to find it. We must locate the God of Joy before nightfall. It's still daytime now, and the Corpse Evil can't manifest. If night falls, the consequences will be dire."
"Right, what are we waiting for? Let's hurry and search," Zhang Laosi exclaimed, slapping his forehead.
"Wait a minute. I've felt something strange about this from the start. Are you sure there’s nothing unclean here?"
Zhang Laosi pondered for a moment and replied, "There really isn't."
"That's odd," Wei Qiuxi said. "What about any wronged souls?"
Zhang Laosi chuckled bitterly. "There are plenty of those. During the Cultural Revolution, so many people died; who wasn’t wronged? If they all turned into Vengeful Spirits, the people of Guan Zhuang Town would have been wiped out long ago."
Wei Qiuxi contemplated for a while before suddenly asking, "Who was the last person to stay at your inn?"
Zhang Laosi thought for a moment and said, "It's been about forty or fifty years, I suppose. That was right during the Cultural Revolution. At that time, a young fellow came here, and he only took in one God of Joy. Later..."
"What happened later?" Wei Qiuxi asked.
Later, the Village Official found out. He denounced it as feudal superstition and locked him in a Pig Cage. They paraded him through the streets, holding meetings to criticize him. That fellow was weak and couldn't last a year before he died.
"And the God of Joy?"
"I think it was buried."
"Where was it buried?"
"It seems it was at Six Deaths and Five Burials. Here, when people die, they are all buried there."
"That's it." Wei Qiuxi nodded and said, "It must be causing trouble now. This makes things much easier—but from what I can see now, that thing should have decayed long ago; it has a soul but no body. However, the God of Joy indeed has a body but no soul. If they were to merge..."
"What would happen? Would it come back to life as a human?"
"If it really came back to life as a human, that would be fine; it could be considered a good deed. But I fear it's not that simple. If they merge, they would become a Walking Corpse, not belonging to any of the six realms, bringing disaster to the world. At that point, even if we died a hundred times, we wouldn't be able to atone for our sins."
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