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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 175: Malicious Curse
After thinking it over, it seemed impossible. Since Li Gui was injured by Qin Ye, he hadn't formally confronted me. Following that, he suffered a series of heavy blows; he shouldn't be reckless enough to engage in other schemes.
The problem still lay with Fatty. The Yin Marriage he mentioned was key. I had indeed disrupted their Yin Marriage, and given the significant losses they incurred, they wouldn't just let it go. They must be waiting for the right moment to retaliate against us.
Ghost Month is inherently a special time, filled with heavy Yin Qi and various taboos. Just walking down the street requires caution to avoid stepping on Hell Money or Joss Paper ashes, as it's all about seeking good fortune. Yet at this moment, someone sends us One Billion Underworld Coins. Isn't that a direct act of revenge, trying to undermine us psychologically?
Hahaha! I burst out laughing; the person seeking revenge is utterly foolish. Do they really think they can intimidate us with One Billion Underworld Coins? Not a chance. As a Mortician, I have no need to worry about such things. I waved at Fatty and said, "If someone dares to send it, I'll dare to accept it. You take it, and once we finish our current tasks, we'll repay this kind-hearted person."
Having decided to handle this matter tonight, I felt no unease. I planned to take out the Soul Stone and find a safe place to hide it. This time, I wouldn't carelessly let Fatty keep the Soul Stone. I needed to find a good hiding spot.
I glanced at the bed and then bent down. On the left side against the wall, there was a brick with half of it hollowed out—perfect for placing this so-called Soul Stone.
After securing the Soul Stone, Fatty outside asked when I would go out and if he needed to join me. I replied from the floor, "Not for now; if I need you, I'll call."
Fatty fell silent.
I stood up and brushed off the dirt from my knees and elbows. The floor had been cleaned during Grandpa's time. The dirt scattered on the ground was all brought in by shoes. If Grandpa were here, he would surely scold us for being lazy, unable to even tidy up our own space.
Thinking of Grandpa reminded me that people at the Station were also inquiring about him. They speculated whether he had gone on a trip and might not plan to return. When they asked about Grandpa, I could only play dumb, fearing that saying too much might lead to trouble.
Leaving the bedroom and walking across to the dark room, I gazed at the murky wall and thought, "Grandpa, you’re living comfortably now; we don’t even know how to explain your situation to others. Sigh!" It was silly of me to talk to a dead person—especially during Ghost Month. Startled by my own thoughts, I shivered slightly.
Exiting the dark room, I steeled myself; now I needed to head to the Haunted House to confront that old bastard Li Gui, and check out some historical old clocks there. The time was approaching ten-thirty in the morning.
Generally speaking, there are two periods when Yin Qi is at its peak during the day.
One is noon at twelve o'clock and midnight at twelve o'clock because these times mark the transition between yin and yang—the most unstable period where yang is at its peak but must decline while yin prevails. Therefore, I was convinced that Li Gui would arrive at the Haunted House around noon at twelve o'clock.
What I needed to do was secretly hide in the vacant house across from the Haunted House, preparing to cast spells against Li Gui. Just as I was trying to find a good hiding spot, my phone rang unexpectedly, startling me. I quickly pulled it out to check, and the number was unfamiliar.
As a Mortician, we had no right to refuse any caller. The fear was that the person on the other end might genuinely need help. So, given the unusual circumstances, I answered without hesitation and asked who it was.
To my surprise, the caller claimed to be a cousin of the Monkey Spirit. He informed me that his brother, the Monkey Spirit, had passed away last night and requested my assistance in handling the funeral arrangements.
Damn! The Monkey Spirit had indeed picked an unfortunate time; typically, those who die during Ghost Month are referred to as Cannon Fodder. This meant that from the opening to the closing of Hell Gate, whether they were New Souls or old souls, they had to return to Hell Gate. The Hell Gate required souls as Cannon Fodder, and those who died during this period were labeled as such.
When a person dies, their soul leaves their body, leaving behind an empty shell.
I wasn't surprised by the Monkey Spirit's death at all. I had previously calculated that his birth date did not align with Chiang's; he wouldn't become a target for Evil Arts seeking to manipulate corpses for resurrection. Since he was dead, it only confirmed one thing: his time had come.
Every person's life and death is predetermined. There’s no escaping it.
My plans had to change due to the Monkey Spirit's death. After carefully calculating the timing, I realized there would be a conflict with when I intended to cast spells against Li Gui. Reluctantly, I called Fatty; this guy hadn’t answered his phone in ages.
Just as I was about to curse him out, he finally picked up. His voice was unusually hurried, as if he were sneaking around doing something wrong. He whispered, "Brother Qi, have you thought of a solution?"
"Don't rush me on your matter; I'm currently dealing with something else—the Monkey Spirit from the hospital last time? He’s dead."
"The Monkey Spirit is really dead," Fatty said with a tone of schadenfreude but quickly followed up nervously, "Brother Qi, have you figured out what to do about my situation?"
"Don't worry; I know how to handle your issue. But you need to take care of this matter first."
"What matter? Hurry up!"
"I'm near the Haunted House; come over."
"Now?" Fat was still feeling uneasy about what had happened at the Haunted House.
"Yes! Hurry up."
Fat agreed and hung up the phone. I paced back and forth anxiously. A young mother walked by, holding her child's hand. The child looked at me curiously, and the mother said, "Don't stare, he's crazy. Let's go quickly."
Damn, I wasn't bothering anyone, yet she called me crazy. I crossed my arms and, with a nonchalant attitude, winked at the child and teased, "Auntie, your hat fell off."
The child asked, "Mommy, what's a hat?"
The mother muttered under her breath, "Crazy person," then shot me a fierce glare before quickly pulling her child away.
I watched the mother and child walk away with interest, thinking to myself, "Auntie, you might come to ask me, Ma Qi, this crazy person!" This wasn't a curse; every day people die, and every day people are born. Life continues in a Dead Loop. Who knows what tomorrow will bring? And who can't look at the rising sun? I pondered over the earlier comment about the hat. I couldn't help but chuckle at how that aunt would explain the hat to her child when they got home.
The silent laughter was bittersweet.
I had no mother; I had never felt what maternal love was like. Regardless of her intentions, that earlier action was not something a good person would do. I, Ma Qi, could occasionally be a bit bad too. Familiar footsteps approached from behind, interrupting my thoughts. Without needing to turn around, I knew it was Fat.
This was quickly confirmed as he called out before he even got close: "Brother Qi! What did you want to see me about?"
"Are you calling for your sister? With that loud voice of yours, are you trying to let everyone on this street know we're here to catch ghosts?" Seeing him instinctively cover his mouth made me adopt a serious expression as I mimicked my grandfather's way of educating people and walked up to him with my hands behind my back. "Can we keep it low-key?"
"Sure." Fat had grown up; he knew how to flatter those he needed to flatter and how to please me while also being obedient.
Seeing him so docile lifted my spirits. My expression shifted from gloomy to bright as I said to him, "Good job getting here so quickly. Now listen to me: find a relatively hidden empty house across from the Haunted House. It must be clean. I'm going to check on Monkey Spirit's place."
"Brother Qi, it seems like you've forgotten something."
"What?"
"Money. It's hard to get things done without money."
I laughed, "You, with One Billion Underworld Coins in your hand! And you're asking me for money? How shameless!"
Fatty looked shocked. "Brother Qi, I'm not joking. That's Hell Money. How can I use Hell Money to rent an empty house?"
Damn! I, Ma Qi, must have done something terrible in my past life to encounter such a ridiculous fool in this life. I snapped, "Fatty, think about it. Who would be willing to rent an empty house to you?" I was really anxious; his level of intelligence was just infuriating.
Seeing that I was about to leave, Fatty became flustered and started scratching his head in frustration. Suddenly, he seemed to have an epiphany and burst out laughing.
This pig isn't completely stupid after all.
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