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墨書 Inktalez
After getting out of the car, Ziya was momentarily dazzled, feeling as if the place where she stood was a revolving lantern, completely different from what she had seen before. The scene before her was vibrant with life, emanating a rare sense of human presence from the villa. In the courtyard, neatly trimmed shrubs glistened with droplets of rainwater that had just fallen, while rows of lush green Mao Bamboo naturally formed a unique landscape. The entrance to the villa was spotless, and the sound of innocent laughter from children playfully echoed in her ears.
A slightly sickly-looking young woman, supported by a girl with long braids, watched a little boy catching butterflies in the flower bushes at the entrance. Ziya followed the woman's gaze toward the boy.
Ziya stared in astonishment at this boy who seemed to have emerged from the silt. Suddenly, she remembered that she needed to tell Severe Cold about everything she was seeing. But when she turned around, there was no sign of Severe Cold; even the car they had just gotten out of was nowhere to be seen.
What was happening? Ziya kept turning around, trying to make sense of it all, but everything felt so real, creating a confusion that made it hard for her to discern reality from illusion.
While watching the child, the young woman also kept glancing down the path leading into the Moso Bamboo Forest, as if waiting for someone. "A-Zhen, why hasn't Mr. Li returned yet?" she asked the girl beside her.
"He's coming soon, Wanru," replied the girl with braids. She was beautiful, with fair skin and charming almond-shaped eyes, though there seemed to be a hint of worry hidden within those eyes.
Ziya felt like an observer; the people before her seemed oblivious to her presence, as if she didn't exist at all. Suddenly, the roar of an engine and honking broke through her thoughts as a gray Tifokas drove down the shaded path.
A man stepped out of the car. Ziya recognized him as Li Darwen, the dashing and extraordinary gentleman from her photo album. The scene left her feeling as if she were lost in a fog. How could this be? How could these scenes unfold right before her eyes?
“Darwen, my sister…” Tears welled up in the young woman's eyes and slid down her smooth face.
“Let’s go inside and talk,” said the man as he closed the car door and retrieved a black bag from inside. It was bulging with something inside. Ziya mechanically followed them into the villa through the front door.
The little boy outside continued to catch butterflies alone. At that moment, Ziya understood that among the three people she saw were a nanny and Li Darwen; that woman named Wanru was Li Darwen's wife.
Ziya watched as Li Darwen took out an exquisite box and a stack of leather-bound items resembling letters from his bag. His expression was dark and heavy as he placed them on the tea table.
"She committed suicide, cutting her wrists..." Li Darwen's chiseled face was etched with regret.
"Sister..." The young woman Wanru cried out, large tears rolling down her haggard face.
"Zhen, go pour a glass of water for Sister Lin and bring her medication," Li Darwen instructed the girl with the thick braids who stood frozen nearby.
"Oh..." The girl murmured in response and hurried upstairs. Ziya sensed a flicker of cold, murderous intent in her eyes and felt puzzled, trailing behind her to see what was happening.
The villa was filled with sorrow, while outside it was a different scene. A child chased after a beautiful butterfly, disappearing into the increasingly dense Mist Veil. Inside the villa, Li Darwen looked at the diary of his former lover and sister-in-law Wan Yu, which lay in the Box. The shifting emotions on his face made Wanru beside him too afraid to speak; whose fault was this...
Ziya saw Zhen take out some pills from a medicine cabinet, then retrieve a small bottle that resembled a snuff bottle from a hidden place. She shook the bottle over a glass of water and raised it, revealing a sinister expression on her face.
There was no doubt that something was wrong with that glass of water. Ziya momentarily forgot she came from another world; in her urgency, she rushed downstairs to warn Wanru not to take the medication or drink the water.
When Ziya reached the bottom of the stairs, she brushed past Li Darwen. "Mr. Li..." Ziya shouted, wanting to tell him that the nanny named Zhen intended to harm Wanru, but he seemed not to hear her as he continued upstairs with his black bag.
Ziya hurried down to inform Wanru, who sat dazed on the sofa. In the grand living room, Wanru's haggard face appeared even more gaunt and aged as she stared blankly at the door.
"Bao'er..." Wanru suddenly remembered the child outside and shouted as she ran out the door. Ziya followed closely behind into the white Mist Veil. She called out to Wanru that the child was in the Silt and needed to be rescued, but Wanru treated her like glass, showing no reaction.
The white Mist Veil swirled around them, its chilling presence sending a shiver through Ziya. Soon after, she saw Li Darwen and the braided nanny named Zhen also rushing out of the door in search of the child. Ziya gestured towards Li Darwen, pointing at the Riverbank... Ultimately, she despaired and gave up her futile attempts, silently watching their faces filled with grief.
The child was missing; they shouted frantically. Li Darwen roared angrily as he roughly grabbed Wanru by her hair and scolded her harshly: "It's all your fault! This is Wan Yu's child; you jealous woman! The child is gone because of you—Wan Yu committed suicide because of you!"
Wanru struggled in despair, the lingering guilt and self-blame finally overwhelming her. Her pupils dilated, and in an instant, the thread of clarity in her eyes snapped. She heard a thunderous roar, and everything in the villa began to spin and explode around her.
"Ah... ah..." Wanru let out a piercing, terrified scream that echoed with madness.
"Wanru, what's wrong?" Li Darwen was stunned by his wife's frantic state. He hurriedly embraced Wanru, whose face was streaked with tears and fear, calling her name loudly.
Ziya stood nearby, frantic like an ant on a hot pan. She waved her hands and shouted, "Call the police! The child is in the Silt!" No matter how hard she yelled, her voice seemed to be swallowed by the cold air, leaving no trace behind.
Ziya looked in shock at the nanny named Zhen, who showed no signs of panic despite Wanru's breakdown. Instead, Zhen's lips curled into a smirk, and a chilling malice flickered in her eyes.
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