Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Chapter of Revenge Successful Apprenticeship
I focused intently on every word and action of Qin Ye, mimicking his movements with my fingers, inhaling and exhaling. With each breath, I successfully opened the Ren and Du meridians, feeling an unparalleled sense of ease. His teachings echoed in my ears as I concentrated on learning the Five Thunder Palm.
"The Five Thunder Palm is forbidden to those with impure intentions—selfish individuals, deceitful people, those with malicious intent, and the wicked. It should only be used to subdue demons and eliminate evil, upholding justice. The five thunders represent the five elements: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. They are interconnected with the five organs of the body. The five organs are where the body's five elements operate. The transformations of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth are intricately linked to the greater five elements. By communicating the internal five elements with the external natural elements, one can harness their combined power to strike heavily against evil entities and monsters, disrupting their abilities to achieve suppression, dispelling energy, driving away spirits, and casting spells."
"I will obey your teachings," I said as I held my breath and exhaled again, feeling energy fill my entire being.
Seeing my progress, Qin Ye smiled faintly and pointed to the multifunctional phone he had given me. "This is a multifunctional phone; you’ll need to explore its features yourself." Without waiting for my response, he faded away, leaving the screen as it was before—just like an ordinary phone. In the ensuing silence, I wondered how things were outside. I quietly got up and opened the door, hearing a few people arguing while playing cards.
I stepped out and shushed them. "Keep it down; if you wake the person in the coffin, it’ll be a disaster."
My words startled them. They exchanged glances until one bravely asked, "Master Ma, it seems you haven't woken up the dead in the coffin but rather disturbed you instead."
Though it was a joke, I didn’t laugh. I noticed Zhu Gang kneeling by the Altar Table burning paper offerings. I subtly gestured for the card players to keep it low-key.
I approached Zhu Gang directly.
"Master Ma, you’re still awake?"
He seemed surprised by my response, not believing that I hadn’t been sleeping. I countered with a question of my own: "Why?"
"When we returned earlier and called for you at the door several times without a response, we thought you were asleep."
"Oh, yes. I dozed off for a bit but woke up feeling clear-headed and decided to take a walk."
"Uh-huh." Zhu Gang replied as he stood up respectfully bowing towards the Ice Coffin. "Master Ma, were you unable to sleep in my father's room?"
His implication was that I was afraid to sleep there; generally in rural areas, few dare to sleep in a deceased person's room before burial. As a Mortician, how could I fear death? However, tales of ghosts have always existed and are deeply rooted in people's minds. Yet very few truly understand Mystical Arts; thus many atheists view us as mere charlatans or frauds. There are indeed many con artists who roam rural areas using tricks to gain profit.
In their eyes, I appeared no different from an ordinary person—without supernatural powers or flight capabilities—so they might think I could be afraid or fearful. In reality, fear is something everyone experiences; I am no exception.
But it was not that I was afraid of the dead, nor was it a room that feared the dead.
Of course, I couldn't say such things out loud. Just like my grandfather used to say, there are mountains beyond mountains, and there are people beyond people. It is wise to act high-profile but keep a low profile in character.
"Don't worry, just make sure the soul-guiding lantern doesn't go out," someone reminded me.
"Got it."
"Master Ma, can't sleep? Want to play a hand?" The card players noticed I was about to head back to sleep and insisted I join them. I could see their intentions were not pure; playing cards was just a pretense, while their real aim was to con me out of money. I refused, but they called for Zhu Gang.
Zhu Gang waved his hand dismissively. "I won't play; don't try to rope me in."
"If you can't play, just learn." As Zhu Gang was forcibly seated at the table, the others dealt cards for a game of Landlord. I glanced at the mourning hall; the portrait of Zhu Gui on the altar table appeared shadowy and grim under the flickering lights.
"Alright, guys, don't force it. You're here to keep Zhu Gang company while he mourns; does playing cards seem appropriate?"
"Not appropriate," they all replied in unison, casting guilty glances at the portrait on the altar table. No one dared to look for more than ten seconds; they quickly turned away as if reminded of his living face. One by one, they fell silent and focused intently on their hands of cards until finally, someone threw down the first card: "Three of Spades."
I returned to my room.
Zhu Gang retreated to the front of the mourning hall, where there was a round chair beside the altar table. He sat there temporarily, allowing himself to doze off if he felt tired.
Once back in my room, I truly fell asleep.
Not only did I fall asleep, but I also began to dream.
In my dream, I saw my grandfather approaching me with a kind smile!
In my subconscious, I knew my grandfather had passed away; he was my closest relative, so it wasn't surprising for him to appear in my dreams from time to time. I had dreamed of him before, but this time felt different. He wore a large black robe, and his face was hidden beneath a dark hood like an unreal mask.
Grandfather stepped closer: "Qi, no matter what happens, it is not my intention. You must believe me; I'm not a bad person." As I pondered why he would say such things, an invisible force suddenly pulled him backward, and at that moment, darkness engulfed his pale face.
A tall, faceless shadow formed before me. As I watched the shadow stretch its long arms toward me, a genuine chill ran down my spine, and I suddenly woke up. The room was dark, with the doors and windows tightly shut. I opened my eyes and reached for the light switch, only to find it icy cold.
I couldn't help but be startled. Raising my hand, I chanted, "Earth Flame Lord, grant me the energy of fire, Urgent Command!" In an instant, a burst of blue flames erupted from my fingertips, illuminating the surroundings. Damn! I stood frozen in shock at the sight before me.
Above my head, the walls were covered in bats. There was only a space as big as a bed for me to stand in. I was surrounded by layers upon layers of bats, like a cocoon formed by them. The oppressive darkness of the bats made me feel nauseous, and goosebumps covered my entire body.
"Earth without limits, borrowing the laws of heaven and earth, Luo Wei, Diyama Rolo; the wise sword unsheathed, slay demons and exorcise spirits, all evil turned to dust, Urgent Command!" I shouted loudly, performing a ritual gesture with my hands and stomping three times on the ground. "Out, Exorcism!"
With a loud whoosh and a flurry of noise, the bats in the room began to swirl and flap chaotically until there was a sudden explosive sound. Startled, I jumped off the bed and realized it had all been a nightmare; there were no bats in the room—only urgent knocking at the door.
I quickly dashed forward and opened it.
The ones knocking were my friends from the card game; they rushed in one after another, panicking about something that had happened.
Comment 0 Comment Count