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墨書 Inktalez
Ye Chenfeng walked silently behind Ding Li, his eyes filled with unspoken affection as he gazed at her.
"You've come?"
"Yeah."
"Let's go home!"
"Okay."
Ye Chenfeng left the cemetery with Ding Li and arrived at the entrance of the Mountain Lodge.
"Ye Chenfeng, do you think my parents in the dream that night wanted to take me to that place?"
"You're silly, stop daydreaming."
Ye Chenfeng pinched Ding Li's cheek, and as they stepped out of the Mountain Lodge, he glanced back at the neatly arranged tombstones.
They hadn't walked far when someone rushed over, saying there was trouble; Ba Old Man had returned home and was now bedridden, unable to speak.
Only Ye Chenfeng knew what was happening.
Just as Ba Old Man himself had said, the reason he had lived this long was because of an unresolved concern.
For decades, he had harbored guilt over Fugui, feeling he owed him something and wanting to make amends. Now that Fugui had been properly taken care of, Ba Old Man's wish was fulfilled, and he could finally leave his loved ones in peace.
Ba Old Man had to go.
His son had passed away years ago, and his daughter-in-law was elderly; only his great-grandson stayed by his side every day.
His granddaughter-in-law and grandson worked in the big city, leaving Ba Old Man's daughter-in-law and great-grandson as caretakers.
Ye Chenfeng followed the guide towards Ba Old Man's house.
Ding Li naturally accompanied him.
Ba Old Man was still the same, lying in bed with his murky gray-brown eyes fixed on the door.
"Call everyone back," he instructed. The people from Evil Village regarded Ye Chenfeng with utmost respect after the incident with Fugui. They listened attentively to his words, following his instructions without question.
Someone hurried to make the calls.
Ba Old Man was barely breathing; his thin hand had grown cool, losing its warmth. A casual touch sent chills down one's spine due to its icy nature.
"Don't worry, old man. I'll take care of everything after you're gone."
A glimmer of light flashed in Ba Old Man's eyes, and his dry, lifeless face twitched slightly, a semblance of a smile forming as he opened his mouth but made no sound.
"Great-grandfather... I'm scared... sob..."
"Take the child away," Ye Chenfeng instructed someone to dress Ba Old Man in his old clothes.
In rural homes, it is customary to prepare a set of clothes for the elderly who have reached their seventies or beyond, along with a well-painted coffin.
In the past, before he became acquainted with The Ghost-Quaking Scripture, Ye Chenfeng had no idea that within 8 to 16 hours after death, a person's consciousness gradually leaves the body. The sensation for the deceased is akin to being skinned alive—excruciatingly painful, where even the slightest touch could provoke immense anger.
Thus, he urged Ba Old Man's family to dress him quickly and avoid touching him.
They could either wait until he was completely gone—after eight hours when his consciousness would have fully departed—to proceed with dressing and preparing him for burial. Some individuals might take up to sixteen hours; it depended on their fate and timing.
With the help of his relatives, Ba Old Man was dressed in his old clothes, and his complexion gradually improved. This was a fleeting moment of clarity before the end—
"Old man, you can rest assured and go. Your grandchildren understand you. You have worked hard all your life, and it’s only when you leave that they can find peace," Ye Chenfeng whispered softly in the old man's ear. The old man's lips moved slightly, as if to say he heard him.
As night fell, the old man's family gathered outside his door, hesitating to enter, quietly watching Ye Chenfeng comfort him.
The old man smiled faintly and passed away at nine o'clock.
Ye Chenfeng did not leave; he remained by his side. Once the warmth had left the old man's body, he reached out to touch his chest.
Then, smiling, he stood up and walked out of the old man's room, instructing someone to wrap the old man in a shroud for burial.
Seeing Ye Chenfeng's joyful expression, Ding Li whispered, "How can you be happy when someone has just died?"
"You don’t understand. The old man has gone to the human realm this time."
"What do you mean?"
"When a person dies, there are several places they can go: the animal realm, the human realm, Ghost Path, hell, rebirth in paradise, and the heavenly realm."
"Wow, you really know your stuff. How did you learn all this?" Ding Li was surprised.
Ye Chenfeng replied, "When a person passes away, their consciousness leaves and their spirit dissipates; their body becomes cold. But there is one place that remains warm. If it’s the soles of their feet that are warm, then they have gone to hell. If it’s their knees that are warm, then they will inevitably be reborn as an animal."
"Is that true? That’s amazing! I want to know more."
Ye Chenfeng held Ding Li's hand and strolled outside. The village night was not as noisy and bustling as a big city; instead, it was peaceful. Occasionally, a dog barked or a cat meowed in the stillness, while restless night insects chirped away. The scent of earth filled the air as mist slowly enveloped Evil Village.
"I love nights like this," Ding Li said softly as he leaned against Ye Chenfeng's chest.
"I love them too."
"Please, keep telling me. I want to hear more."
"This is a heavenly secret. If you leak it, you'll face divine retribution." Ye Chenfeng's concern was justified. Ding Li was just an ordinary girl; if she couldn't keep her mouth shut and spread this information around, it would be a huge mistake.
"I promise I won't tell anyone. Please, just tell me!"
No matter how much Ye Chenfeng wanted to resist, he couldn't refuse Ding Li's pleading demeanor. He smiled wryly and said, "I really can't do anything about you!" Then he continued, "If the deceased feels warmth all over their body, especially in the abdomen, then they must have gone to the Ghost Path. It's quite common; almost everyone who dies experiences abdominal warmth. If the warmth is in the chest, then it's like Old Man Ba—he went directly to reincarnation in the human realm."
"Wow, what else? What about one, two, three, four, five, six? What are the other two?"
"Silly girl, there are two more. One is warmth in the center of the forehead; that means they've gone to the Heavenly Path—what we call Ascend to Immortality! The other is warmth on the forehead itself; if that's the case, congratulations to that person—they've gone to the Pure Land of the Buddha."
"If I die, I want to go to the Heavenly Path and Ascend to Immortality," Ding Li said dreamily.
"Don't be foolish. Unless you accumulate good karma in this life, do good deeds, and have no stains on your record."
"Do I have any?" Ding Li looked up at Ye Chenfeng with her bright eyes fixed on him.
Ye Chenfeng chuckled and pulled her close, whispering softly, "That kind of thing is for monks and nuns who practice diligently. You and I have no chance now; we've broken Lust Caution."
"Ah... is that so?" Ding Li pouted playfully at Ye Chenfeng for making her break Lust Caution.
"Don't blame me. If you hadn't wanted it, could I have fulfilled your wish?" Ye Chenfeng said before running away.
Ding Li chased after him from behind, raising her small fists in an attempt to catch him.
After all, they were both too young.
With Old Man Ba having passed away, their playful antics on his territory naturally drew some discontent from others.
Someone lifted a basin of water and splashed it out.
"Ah, who?" Ding Li cried out, drenched in filthy water, and fell to the ground.
Ye Chenfeng helped Ding Li up and hurried to see who was causing trouble.
But he was too late. The person who splashed the water had already run away. He noticed Ba Old Man's Old Daughter-in-law looking for him.
"Little Master, you sleep in the west room tonight, and that young girl sleeps in the east room." The old woman glanced at Ding Li, waved at her, and then reminded Ye Chenfeng, "In a time of mourning, you two are young people. Remember our village customs; you cannot share a room—"
Ye Chenfeng understood what Ba Old Man's Old Daughter-in-law meant.
But Ding Li was unwilling.
"Why should they separate us? I'm not going to the east room. Ye Chenfeng, I want to stay with you."
"Hush! Miss, keep your voice down and don't make a scene! This isn't our home or Evil Village; it's a rural village." Ye Chenfeng lowered his voice and pulled her toward the east room.
The dark east room had no lights on, and Ding Li was now afraid of the dark. She shrank back, reluctant to go, but Ye Chenfeng dragged her along.
In the middle of the east wing was the main hall, which served as Ba Old Man's mourning hall.
The host had deliberately separated Ye Chenfeng and Ding Li. If either of them were restless and tried to come together, the filial descendants waiting in the main hall would notice immediately.
Ye Chenfeng was exhausted as well; as soon as he lay down on the bed, he fell into a deep sleep. He paid no attention to the noise created by the Grave Keeper playing the suona, gambling, and munching on seeds.
Meanwhile, Ding Li in the west room couldn't fall asleep at all.
She cursed those people in her heart for separating them and longed for the comfortable sense of safety she felt lying in Ye Chenfeng's arms. Quietly, she got up and peeked outside through the crack in the door.
The bright white light bulb outside, at least a hundred watts, illuminated the surroundings like daylight, glaringly bright.
Getting from the west room to the east room was not an easy task. She stomped her feet on the ground, her clothes slipping off her shoulders, feeling cold, and hurriedly curled back under the covers, only to get up again after a while.
After several rounds of this restless tossing and turning, she became quite irritated. Country bumpkins, lacking in romance and bound by all sorts of taboos—what nonsense!
Just as Ding Li was muttering complaints under her breath, a knock came from the door; it was crisp and clear, not like a hand knocking but rather like an elderly person tapping a smoking pipe against the wooden door.
Ba Old Man had an absurdly long old smoking pipe; could it be—
Ding Li dared not think further and quickly curled up under the blankets, remaining completely still.
She whispered to herself: "Amitabha, I'm sorry, it's all my fault. I won't dare to think or curse wildly again."
As she recited this mantra, the knocking ceased.
The Grave Keeper was on shift change; the surroundings quieted down. There were no sounds of card games or the playing of suona instruments. In the profound silence, she could hear a cat meowing softly—Ding Li gradually drifted into slumber.
A hand quietly appeared beneath the window, skillfully reaching in to unfasten the window latch. Then a shadow swiftly climbed through the window. He crept silently toward the bed and heard the soft breathing of the person lying there. Leaning closer to take a look, he saw a beautiful face hidden beneath the covers—truly stunning.
Ding Li suddenly awoke from her dreams, sensing someone had entered. She shouted, "Who’s there?"
The room was silent; no one responded. Had she misheard? Or perhaps Ye Chenfeng didn’t want to be alone in an empty house and had come to join her! The thought filled Ding Li with excitement as she sat up to see when suddenly a hand covered her mouth and nose.
She caught a strong whiff of leaf smoke from that hand and was so frightened that she struggled fiercely. Breaking free, she yelled, "Help!"
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