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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 0: Corpse (Part One)
The matter of Bian San is not yet resolved. I pity this child, born with a fate of premature death. How easy it is to seek rebirth and reincarnation, yet how many people in this world take their lives lightly, unaware of the preciousness of life’s cycle? They encounter difficulties and refuse to bear responsibility, easily engaging in actions that devalue their own lives.
Whether it be jumping off a building or lying on the tracks to commit suicide, they fail to realize that if they do not cherish life in this lifetime, they will never have another chance to be human. All living beings in this world have their origins. If you do not value your life in this lifetime, who knows what you might become in the next—perhaps a chicken or a dog, or even a maggot, a fly, a butterfly, or maybe a snake slithering on the ground.
The child struck by lightning does not wish to die. I brought him back and occasionally perform rituals for him, hoping he can do some good deeds and accumulate Yin De so that he may find a good place in his next life.
As for the third unsolved case that has come up, we have yet to begin searching for clues when an incident occurred at Ten Li Slope in Donglin Village.
When Qin Jian and I arrived at Ten Li Slope, the village chief was already growing impatient and had prepared a feast of fine food and drink. After our meal, the village chief took us to assess the situation. As we stepped out of his yard, I noticed fresh Joss Paper in the corner and saw what appeared to be a Funeral Wreath posted above the door. Had someone in the village passed away? I hesitated to ask, especially since I had drunk quite a bit and felt slightly dazed; instead, I chose to observe quietly.
In the village, chickens, ducks, pigs, and dogs had been bitten by something; their blood had been drained, leaving only their skins. The skins clung tightly to their bones, lacking any fullness, which was rather unsettling. Qin Jian picked up a dead chicken; its claws were stiff and straightened as if pulled by someone with great strength, unable to return to its original form.
Qin Jian tossed the dead chicken onto the ground with a thud that echoed like a stone hitting hard earth. “Could it be the Yellow Weasel?” he asked.
The Yellow Weasel is notorious for its ability to suck chicken blood and is quite sinister; if offended by humans, it seeks revenge.
I kicked the dead chicken lightly and shook my head. “It’s unlikely; I don’t really believe it’s the Yellow Weasel.” The village chief also shook his head, agreeing that it didn’t seem like the work of a Yellow Weasel. Moreover, cattle had met similar fates—they too had been emptied of their organs. The Yellow Weasel drinks blood but does not consume animal entrails; I know this well.
As we wandered around observing more closely, more villagers gathered to watch us. Their expressions were strange as they pointed and whispered among themselves. Before long, the village chief received a phone call about a meeting and apologized for needing to leave us for a while.
Once he left, Qin Jian and I were discussing when an elderly woman with missing teeth approached us. Despite her lack of teeth, she seemed quite spirited. She had come over after hearing that two people from the big city were investigating this matter. The old lady first commented on our appearances—remarking that we looked like stars—and then recounted what had happened at Ten Li Slope.
She explained that Ten Li Slope has a history; long ago there was a war here. Afterward, foreign visitors with golden hair and blue eyes came for an inspection. Since then, many roads and two-story buildings have been constructed here along with new railways.
Recently there have been talks about developing routes for subway construction.
Upon hearing about the subway construction, the old lady shook her head vigorously. “Ah, building subways is good; we can take cars into town for fun later on! But this subway construction will ruin our Ten Li Slope’s feng shui; see how bad that is?”
I didn’t respond to her comments but held my reservations. It seemed Qin Jian was ignoring her presence entirely as he engaged with others about how beneficial subway construction would be without acknowledging her superstitious concerns about feng shui!
This immediately sparked some disputes among them. Some indeed believed that subway construction would lead to disasters here; just half a month ago, someone had fallen to their death—left trapped for two nights before being discovered when they began to smell.
I asked, “Who was the person who fell to their death?”
"Who else could it be but the Village Leader..."
Seeing the villagers hesitating to speak, I exchanged a glance with Qin Jian. It was better for him to take the lead in this situation.
Qin Jian addressed the villagers, "We are in a socialist country now, so let's leave behind those feudal superstitions. We are here to investigate, not to listen to complaints. If you have something important to share, please do."
As he spoke, the toothless old woman kept giving me signals. Several times she tried to reach out and pull me closer, but hesitated, worried about being seen by others. Noticing her urgency, I approached her and whispered, "Do you have something to say, ma'am?"
"Just trust me and come take a look," she urged.
"Alright then."
I told Qin Jian I'd be back shortly and followed the old woman outside. Ahead was a pond with a dead fish floating on its surface. There were bricks nearby for fishing, and a few spots indicated that people came here to fish and buy fish.
Near the pond was a tea shop where a young woman was wiping down tables. Upon seeing me with the old woman, she quickly ducked inside. About fifty meters from the pond was a subway construction site where workers were busy at work. The pillars were taking shape, with scaffolding being erected around them for bridge connections.
There were indeed houses right next to the pillars, only about a meter away from them. It was easy to imagine how dangerous it would be if heavy machinery were involved.
I couldn't understand why there was construction so close without any safety measures or relocation for the villagers. What would happen if an accident occurred?
The old woman kept repeating, "I'm not afraid of death or trouble; today I'm going all out." Her home cut through the subway construction site along a muddy path. Looking at the uneven road made me wonder.
In our country, there are various poverty alleviation efforts, and even remote mountain villages have access roads. Yet here, not far from the city center, the environment was still like this.
Noticing my frown, the old woman said, "Comrade, look at this; all the money for road repairs has gone into private pockets. We common folks have no one to turn to for our grievances."
I smiled slightly. "Perhaps there are other reasons; maybe they just haven't had time to repair the roads."
The old woman replied, "This road has never been repaired. We've long heard about government policies; road repair subsidies never reach us. We can't see any real work being done by those who get the funds."
"Ma'am, I'm not a cadre; I really shouldn't be here looking at these things with you."
"Comrade, don't blame me for being talkative. You look just like a cadre—handsome! Do you have a wife?"
"Not yet."
"With such good looks, how could you possibly be a daughter-in-law? You're just trying to fool an old woman like me!"
"I really am not. If you're just here to look at these things, I can't be of much help. You see, I have other matters to attend to..."
"Don't rush. I have something important to tell you." The old lady continued walking, taking a straight path to a family's door. I thought it was her home, but unexpectedly, she turned right and squeezed into a narrow path hidden beneath a row of Osmanthus Trees. The path was only half a meter wide, damp and cold, and standing there felt chilling. If it rained, this path would turn into a muddy mess.
"Where is your home, Grandma?"
"Just a bit further; we'll be there soon."
"The Sichuanese 'soon' are the two words I fear the most."
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