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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 17: A False Alarm
"Time to hit!" It's strange how certain phrases stick with you. At this moment, I recalled that incident—the one that had been gnawing at my mind. I seemed to have forgotten about the Soul Stone. Just thinking about the Soul Stone sent chills down my spine, and I frantically checked every spot on my body where I might have hidden it. The Soul Stone was gone.
The disappearance of the Soul Stone was a devastating blow to me.
Grandpa always said: "As long as the Soul Stone is here, we are safe; if the Soul Stone is lost, we are doomed!"
Seeing me in silence, frantically searching my body and looking panicked, Chi Xinrong seemed to sense something was off and quickly asked, "What are you looking for?"
"I lost the stone."
"If you lost it, then it's gone. What's there to be afraid of? If you want, I can take you to a place full of stones. You can fill a basket with as many as you like."
"No, this stone isn't just any ordinary stone; it's incredibly important. Never mind, you wouldn't understand."
The car entered a tunnel, and everything around us turned pitch black. This was a two-meter-long tunnel, and after passing through it, we wouldn't be far from Ma Wu Funeral Home. It seemed we would pass by the Farmers' Market, which sold all sorts of things.
Furniture, produce, and various clothing shops.
"Not clear? Just tell me a story." Chi Xinrong continued to pry into what happened when Qin Jian and I went to Ten Li Slope. How could that girl know how anxious I was right now? However, my trip with Qin Jian to Ten Li Slope was indeed related to that stone.
I had no idea where I had lost the Soul Stone.
I tried to recall what happened at Ghostly Trap while avoiding unnecessary details to prevent Chi Xinrong from endlessly questioning me.
"Well, the place Qin Jian and I went to wasn't great; the road was bumpy with potholes everywhere, overgrown with weeds, and there were hardly any houses. Then it started raining, and we took shelter under a tree—only to get struck by lightning. You either saw me covered in dirt or getting zapped."
"That really happened?" Chi Xinrong glanced at me sideways; her mouth could probably swallow an egg whole.
"Of course! All of it is true."
"I'm impressed! Did you know that people who get struck by lightning often gain special abilities? Not long ago, I watched a movie about someone who got struck by lightning and ended up in an unimaginable place. What was that movie called?" While Chi Xinrong pondered over the title, I seized the moment to close my eyes and rest.
After a while, the car fell silent. I thought she was deep in thought about the name and felt safe enough to doze off. But unexpectedly, she muttered, "Can't remember," then shouted at the top of her lungs, "Ma Qi! Don't sleep too deeply; there's more to tell!"
I struggled to open my eyes and pleaded weakly, "Rongrong, can you let me sleep for a bit?"
"No, no way. If you sleep, I’ll sleep too. In just a few minutes, we’ll both end up in the Underworld as a pair of ghostly spouses, how about that?" This was a blatant threat, but I knew that Chi Xinrong meant it. I was at a loss for words, feeling utterly defeated.
"I was struck by lightning, and Qin Jian was terrified, trying everything to save me. He buried me underground and then begged the lord to save me. Then I woke up, and we were lost, unable to find our way home, just wandering in that forest."
"Ma Qi, don’t try to fool me. You’d better not play tricks; I’m not Han Mi. I’m not that easy to deal with. The rest of what you said is beyond me; you understand."
I, Ma Qi, really had a hard life. Why did I have to deal with Han Mi too? Couldn’t I just manage with Han Mi alone? Complaining wouldn’t help; she was pressing me for answers. Reluctantly, I recounted everything that had happened from start to finish.
The traffic light turned red, and the car stopped. Chi Xinrong's habit of snacking was unchangeable; even if her teeth fell out and she could barely walk, it wouldn’t stop her. The car paused for just a moment before she grabbed the snacks from the drawer and started munching away, licking her lips afterward.
Wow, her casual gestures made my restless heart wander off into fantasies. From the side, her long neck led down to a delicate cleavage—two peaks rising and falling like a sponge breathing. I was so mesmerized that I completely lost track of my story and stared at her blankly.
Surprisingly, I didn’t continue my tale. Chi Xinrong seemed to notice something; she paused her chewing and our eyes met. I hurriedly looked away but caught a glimpse of her awkward movement as she lowered her head to check herself for crumbs, ensuring no snacks had fallen on her clothes. Or perhaps she noticed something else and asked, "Are you sick or something? Your eyes look glazed over."
Her question jolted me back to reality—had my eyes really gone blank? Embarrassed, I let out a quiet sigh and tried to play it cool: "It’s nothing; just thinking about something really scary."
As for this scary thing, Chi Xinrong began probing into its origins and consequences once she regained her composure.
Oh great, now she was all fired up just from my casual mention. The green light came on, and the car moved forward again; we still had half an hour before reaching home. How could I possibly shut Chi Xinrong up? Thinking this way made me glance at her again—really, from the side, Chi Xinrong was quite beautiful.
"Ma Qi, keep going! How did you end up in a coffin?"
"What I went through isn’t something that can be explained in just a few words; I can’t remember everything clearly either. All I remember is lying in the coffin when this terrifying 'person' appeared—skinny as a skeleton, especially the ribs; I could count them clearly. Those hands weren’t hands—they were bones! Honestly, I'm not lying; he looked like he had only skin wrapped around a skeleton—so terrifyingly thin."
"Wow, that’s chilling," Chi Xinrong said as she rubbed her arm with one hand and grinned mischievously. "Keep going; I want to hear more."
"If you're scared then you're scared! You won’t be able to sleep tonight; those things will come looking for you."
"I'm not afraid! But if your mouth is dry, take a break before continuing."
Chi Xinrong was genuinely frightened; my storytelling had an immersive effect on her. She wished more than anything that she could fall asleep and wake up at Ma Wu Funeral Home instead.
I thought about this when suddenly Chi Xinrong called my name. When I opened my eyes, there stood Pang.
This guy had a silly grin on his face but was filled with greed underneath it all; he would definitely mention money in his first sentence. I remained silent as I got out of the car. Pang looked at me and then at Chi Xinrong before diving straight into the topic: "Brother Qi, how much did you earn this time?"
Look at this greedy guy—money was all he saw! If it weren't for my good fortune escaping from the jaws of a Zombie, who knows if I'd have ended up as nothing more than a pile of dung by now?
I rolled my eyes at him, annoyed. "It's out of my own pocket."
"Got it." At first, hearing that it was self-funded and that he wouldn't earn a dime back, Fatty pouted and gave me a sour look.
Chi Xinrong was closing the car door and glanced at Fatty, casually asking, "What's wrong with him?"
I swiped my finger and made a gesture indicating counting money. "He's settling my accounts."
"Tch, Fatty's eyes are filled with dollar signs," Chi Xinrong said with a disdainful smile.
As Chi Xinrong got into the car and prepared to leave, I reminded him once more, "Keep the rice situation in mind."
Chi Xinrong made a 'K' gesture and drove off, leaving me feeling uneasy.
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