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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 1: Qingfeng and Smoke Soul
"Fatty, you will be fine!"
I thought to myself, but I still felt uncertain. He had his essence drained by the skeletal female ghost from the Underworld, and Qin Ye had given me a pill. I instinctively looked at my palm; it was empty. Did that mean the pill was for Fatty?
I also wiped the pomelo leaves, and the Clear Ming Dew on my eyelids should be clean now. What could I possibly encounter when returning to the real world? As soon as the question arose, I picked up a ghost-repelling talisman and shouted into the air, "Damn it! Fatty is my brother. If you dare to oppose anyone from Ma Wu Funeral Home, don’t even think about reincarnating. Whether it’s Qingfeng or Smoke Soul, get lost!"
As soon as I finished speaking, whoosh—whoosh! A gust of wind swirled the dry leaves on the ground. When the swirling leaves settled, I saw Fatty curled up on the ground, looking lifeless. It was true; this place was heavy with Yin Qi, and combined with Fatty's own heavy Yin Qi, he was naturally affected by Qingfeng and Smoke Soul. They used ghosts to obscure my vision and prevent me from finding him.
The wandering souls couldn’t withstand the fright and revealed Fatty; they dared not cause any more trouble and obediently shrank back into their hole.
"Fatty."
I carefully put away the talisman and rushed to his side, lifting his head. He weakly opened his eyes. "Brother Qi, I saw you call out once, but you didn’t respond. You walked around me; we seemed close yet far apart, unable to connect."
"It's okay; Brother Qi found you after all. How do you feel now?"
"I'm alright, just a bit weak in the legs. But that thing you gave me tasted strange at first—sour and numbing—but then it had a fragrant sweetness, followed by a rush of warmth spreading throughout my body."
"That wasn’t me; it was Qin Ye."
"Qin Ye? It’s been so long since I heard from him." Fatty's strength was gradually returning. Just as we stood up, Qin Ye appeared behind us without us noticing.
"Qin Ye..." Fatty and I exclaimed in unison.
"Shh! Keep it down. I'm here to tell you that the Ghost Gate closes at midnight tomorrow. Meet me here."
"Oh."
"You're looking good," Qin Ye nodded in approval. "Your complexion is recovering quickly. Remember, excessive indulgence is poison. This time you tested the poison, but you can't do that again. You should listen more to your Brother Qi."
"Uncle Qin, I want to learn Mystical Arts, specifically to deal with Seductive Ghosts."
"Sure, you can consult your Brother Qi." Qin Ye seemed somewhat distracted as he spoke, pulling out a thin device that looked like crystal, seemingly a phone used by Underworld humans. He tapped on the screen, causing ripples to appear. After the ripples, a series of cheerful simulated sounds erupted.
"I want to become your disciple."
That statement from Fat stunned both me and Qin Ye. He handed me the device and whispered, "Take a look; this is a game that humans went crazy over in 2017." I took the phone and saw many types of ghosts on the screen, including Black-Faced Zhong Kui. Just as I was about to ask Qin Ye what it was, he expressionlessly told Fat, "I have high standards for my disciples; you're not suitable."
Hearing his words, I exchanged a glance with Fat and found myself at a loss for words. At that moment, everything felt wrong. If I stepped forward now, Qin Ye would have already agreed to take me as his disciple, and Fat would definitely struggle with that acceptance. So I had no choice but to casually ask about the things on the phone: "Uncle Qin, what's this game called?"
"Candy Crush."
"Sounds fun; defeating ghosts brings happiness."
"This is the Underworld. The Candy Crush played in the human world features animals and fluff balls. We in the Underworld developed this template game based on our version to eliminate ghosts. If you have time, I'll take you to see it; even Yama and Ghost Minions are playing this."
"Wow, that sounds fun."
Fat borrowed my phone and casually swiped his chubby finger across the screen, causing three or five ghosts to be devoured by Black-Faced Zhong Kui. "Impressive," I praised.
"This phone is a gift for you; it's an Underworld phone. It can't connect with anyone else; we can only use this one to communicate without distance." I understood Qin Ye's intention immediately—he wanted to teach me spells through the phone. I wanted to laugh but held it back, nodding seriously to show that I understood what he meant.
As night fell and silence enveloped the surroundings because of Qin Ye's presence, those Qingfeng and Smoke Souls had long vanished without a trace.
As Fat and I prepared to leave this forbidden place in reality, it seemed like Qin Ye still had something to say. I had no choice but to stop and let Fat wait aside.
"Qin Ye: 'This phone is a reward from the King of Hell for you. You discovered the Underworld just in time for the closing of the Ghost Gate. I can easily gather many wandering souls and ghosts without any pressure.'
I scratched my head, surprised that my accidental intrusion could bring good fortune to Qin Ye and benefits for myself.
Seeing me smile, Qin Ye continued, 'Don't celebrate too early. The matter of the Vampire Bat is complicated yet not too complicated. It's both a calamity and an opportunity that I cannot reveal. Last time, you were punished to suffer in the mortal realm because you didn't know how to handle it properly, so be careful.'
'Understood, Master.'
'Good, hahaha...' Qin Ye's hearty laughter quickly faded into the air.
Once Qin Ye disappeared, Fatty looked surprised. 'Just like that, he vanished?'
'What did you expect? Did you want him to escort you back?'
'Hey, Brother Qi, it seems your apprenticeship is going to fail.' This kid really needs to learn not to be so selfish. Seeing him in good spirits and looking much better, we prepared to head home. As we walked back to Zhu Gang's house, I pondered Qin Ye's words. The matter of the Vampire Bat was complicated but not overly so; what did he mean by that?
Also, why did I see that figure made up of millions of Vampire Bats using my grandfather's name? Was it a high-quality imitation?
'Brother Qi, when can I start learning skills?'
Fatty was still thinking about learning Mystical Arts. My mind was elsewhere, and without much thought, I replied, 'Anytime you want.'
'Then how about starting tomorrow?'
'Sure! Tonight, take a look at how to arrange the vigil at Zhu Gang's house. We'll decide later whether to go back or not.' Just as I was discussing this with Fatty, flickering torches appeared ahead along with some noisy voices.
I recognized the leader's voice as Zhu Gang's. In the dark night, words traveled far; despite our distance from him, we could clearly hear what he was saying.
'My mom was indeed misdiagnosed; she only has inflammation. The quack thought it was cancer. Poor her, thinking she wouldn't survive and refusing to take medicine because she didn't want to waste money. The psychological pressure combined with what my dad did has turned her into this state. Thankfully Ma Qi noticed the problem; is he some kind of god?'
"Yes..."
"I didn't expect Ma Qi to be so young and capable."
"The question is, if we go looking for him, will he be in the forbidden area?" someone asked Zhu Gang.
Zhu Gang replied confidently, "Someone saw the two of them heading this way; it can't be wrong."
I didn't expect that I, Ma Qi, would unintentionally do a good deed. With this good deed, it wouldn't be difficult for Zhu Gang to unite them, and he even came specifically to find us.
I quickly walked up with Pang Jia and called out, "Zhu Gang."
In the context of the wandering spirits, 'Qingfeng' means Male Ghost, while 'Smoke Soul' refers to a Female Ghost.
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