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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 0: The Fat One Gets Caught
The fake Ma Wu was taken aback, instinctively stepping back and glancing at his blistering arm, looking quite pained. His smile instantly froze, and his face turned extremely pale. Then, in a flash, I didn’t expect him to run away. I hurriedly lunged forward but ended up crashing into a wall.
Behind the wall lay a person, limbs stretched out. If one didn’t look closely, they might think it was a corpse.
This place had no dead bodies, only ghosts.
Here was an Underworld formed by the spirits themselves.
“Fatty.”
The Fat One weakly opened his eyes, his face ashen and lifeless. He managed a grim smile and said, “Brother Qi, why did it take you so long to get here?”
“Get up, Fatty.” I dragged him up; he was too heavy for me to lift properly, so I could only grab his legs and drag him along. His bulky body made a squeaking sound against the ground as I maneuvered through the twisting paths, guided by the Spirit Stone, ensuring I didn’t get lost in this maze of winding corridors.
Fatty was completely exhausted, resembling a corpse.
He had brought this upon himself; in his own words, if he were really dead, it would be worth it—at least he would have died in pleasure.
You should know that Fatty stood at 1.68 meters and weighed 200 pounds, while I was 1.78 meters tall and weighed 110 pounds. The weight difference made it challenging to safely carry him out of this place. Nevertheless, I had to give it a try; a dead horse could still be treated like a live one!
I didn’t look back; I just held onto his ankles and dragged him along, warning him as we approached the stairs: “Going down the stairs.”
Thud thud! Despite my dragging him like this, he didn’t cry out in pain. It felt as if I were truly dragging a corpse down the stairs.
Finally dragging the fat man down the stairs, I was puzzled by how easily I had managed to take him away when Shinang appeared at the entrance. She was posing flirtatiously, getting cozy with the Monster who claimed to be my grandfather, exchanging sweet nothings.
If it were just me against Shinang and that self-proclaimed Monster, although the chances of winning were slim, it would still be better than cowering in fear. But looking at the fat man, whose life was hanging by a thread, I knew I had to return to the Underworld quickly; otherwise, Zhu Gui would be his next concern.
As I reached for the pomelo leaves to wipe the fat man's eyes, that self-proclaimed Monster let out a strange laugh, saying “Xiao Xiao…” before leaving Shinang, spreading his arms wide in a drunken manner. Just as I was trying to guess his next move, a bizarre sound echoed, and suddenly Monster and Ma Wu vanished. A swarm of dark figures spiraled down from above.
Vampire Bat!
I knew that if this wave of Vampire Bat succeeded, both the fat man and I would be doomed. Once surrounded by them, it wouldn’t take long before we turned into a pile of bones.
Seeing this situation unfold, I grabbed the fat man without even wiping his eyes and dragged him away desperately.
Damn, Fatty, wake up!
The Vampire Bat swooped toward us in a swirling formation, occasionally shifting shapes—sometimes resembling a human figure and other times leaping at us like a ferocious wolf.
Damn—you Ma Qiye, I stood firm and began to chant incantations while drawing symbols in the air: “Heaven and Earth are boundless, wind and thunder obey my command, dragons battle in the wild, all directions shall perish! Supreme One, Urgent Command!”
As soon as the spell was cast, there was a series of explosive sounds, and a brilliant light struck the swarm of Bats. They let out eerie cries as they scattered like countless stars.
I seized this fleeting opportunity and once again dragged the fat man away with all my might.
"Brother Qi, Brother Qi, I can't go on anymore. You need to run..."
With his plump body being dragged along, he felt like he was asleep. Now, suddenly speaking, I wanted to curse but couldn't find the words, and I couldn't bring myself to feel angry. My teeth itched with frustration, so I could only suppress my rage and comfort him, "We're buddies. I can't take you back this time, and I'm not going back either."
"Brother Qi..." The fat one cried.
Whether it was out of gratitude or genuine reluctance to part with me was unclear. Just as I prepared to wipe his eyes with pomelo leaves, the dissipating bat swarm surged back in for another attack.
As the bats swooped down, the Copper Coin Sword flew out of my bag with a whoosh, gleaming unexpectedly as it landed in the hands of a man.
This man stood tall and exuded an impressive aura. What captivated me most were his broad eyebrows and the two mesmerizing, complex eyes beneath them that radiated a terrifying brilliance.
"Qin Jian?" I called out his name but then cursed under my breath, "Damn it, he must be Qin Ye."
Qin Ye wielded the Copper Coin Sword like a streak of moving light. With a swift motion, blood sprayed everywhere, creating a mess around us. Both the fat one and I were splattered with blood, turning us into grotesque figures. Qin Ye's presence was formidable; with just a few strikes, he inflicted heavy casualties on the Vampire Bats. Seeing the situation turn dire, Shinang, who had been lurking at Shadow Studio, hurriedly retreated. The remaining Vampire Bats sensed danger and fled into the dark clouds above.
Qin Ye crouched down beside me. Overwhelmed with excitement, I stammered out, "Uncle Qin, no—Master." Normally eloquent, I found myself at a loss for words. He merely smiled, seemingly accepting my call of 'Master,' which filled me with exhilaration.
"You brought him here to find the murderer; it's too dangerous. He might not survive this ordeal. I have a pill here that you can feed him to preserve his soul," Qin Ye said while glancing toward Shadow Studio before turning back to me. "I will take you as my disciple, but you must return to the Underworld immediately and burn down Shadow Studio."
I could hardly believe what Qin Ye had just said; it felt like a dream. I had never wished so fervently for something to be real while simultaneously fearing it might be just a dream. Qin Ye was finally willing to accept me as his disciple, yet at this moment, I risked losing the fat one due to my carelessness.
My heart sank as I followed Qin Ye's instructions and wiped the fat one's eyes with pomelo leaves.
Without Clear Ming Dew, Fat returned to the real world, which was that forbidden place.
I also promptly blocked Demon Eyes. When I opened my eyes again, Fat was nowhere to be seen. I stood up and looked around, feeling a chill all over, as if the entire world was covered in snow, just like I hadn't yet returned to the Underworld.
The surroundings were eerily quiet. In the gentle autumn breeze, I caught sight of a mound of earth not far away.
Next to the mound was a paper house, intricately crafted with painted beams and carved eaves, mimicking ancient architecture. Wait, I seemed to remember that there hadn’t been a paper house when we entered the forbidden area.
I scratched my head and thought for a moment, suddenly realizing that wherever Fat and I wandered, it was actually the same in the real world. I couldn't help but look around; everywhere were our footprints, which led right up to the paper house and then stopped.
Could this be the Shadow Studio that Qin Ye mentioned? But where was Fat? Just then, I heard a weak voice calling out: “Brother Qi.” I perked up my ears to listen, but it seemed to fade away. Looking around, all I could see were waist-high weeds and Mugwort Trees, blocking out the sun.
Not seeing Fat made me anxious. I couldn’t help but cup my hands around my mouth and shout into the depths of the forest: “Fat…” My voice echoed for a long time in the silent woods. The light was fading; time was not on our side. Fat and I had been trapped here for nearly four or five hours.
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