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The Dark Affairs
墨書 Inktalez
The Night Owl, also known as the owl, is not considered a good omen in folk tales.
It is said that wherever the Night Owl appears, bad things are likely to follow. If it calls out for an extended time outside someone's door, mimicking the sound of human laughter, it is a strong indication that there may be a funeral in that household.
Regardless of whether these tales hold any truth, people tend to avoid the Night Owl. However, Liu Ping'an is not afraid; in fact, he often hunts down owls.
Growing up in a mining community surrounded by mountains, Liu Ping'an found joy in the wildlife that frequented the area. To protect his home from intruders, he crafted a rather unprofessional slingshot from rubber bands and took great pleasure in shooting at the birds, relishing their frantic escape.
At that moment, a strange call suddenly echoed in his ears, coming from the large tree above him.
At an unknown time, a peculiar-looking Fat Bird flew onto the tree. Its strange appearance was overshadowed only by its uniquely eerie call, which sent chills down one's spine.
Liu Ping'an found this particularly annoying. Frowning, he raised his slingshot and took aim. His action startled Wang Da Pang, who jumped in surprise; however, it was too late for him to intervene—the stone had already been launched.
Yet the stone seemed to lack sufficient power. After being hit, the Fat Bird calmly flew to another tree.
This tree was nestled among others, appearing especially dark and shadowy. In the gloom, one could vaguely see the Fat Bird's eyes filled with an indescribable sorrow, as if it were determined to confront Liu Ping'an to the bitter end.
Instead of scaring it away, the slingshot seemed to provoke it further, and it let out a laugh that echoed like a devil's cackle.
"Don't shoot again! That bird is probably the rumored Mourning Bird or an Owl," Wang Da Pang warned.
Liu Ping'an didn't care what kind of bird it was; he was solely focused on regaining his lost pride. Just as he prepared to take another shot, a sigh came from behind him. Turning around, he saw a plump old woman with silver hair emerging from the family courtyard. She was Wu Fugui's grandmother.
Before she fell ill, Wu Fugui's Grandmother often went outside to bask in the sun. However, that day her face was pale and her expression dazed—something was clearly off. "Stop that racket, wild cat! I'm leaving soon!" she exclaimed.
After saying this, she staggered toward the wilderness. Before departing, she turned back to Liu Ping'an and Wang Da Pang, advising them not to harm innocent creatures in their aimless bird shooting, especially the Night Owl.
In the moment they were taken aback by her words, the old woman vanished from sight.
As soon as she left, the Night Owl also took flight.
At that moment, a voice called out from the staff building—it was Liu Ping'an's father. He never expected his father would suddenly return home while at work.
To avoid a beating, Liu Ping'an could only recount the strange incident he had just encountered outside the door in full detail.
However, before he could finish, his father scolded him harshly, "You little brat, how can you lie with your eyes wide open?"
"Wu Fugui's Grandmother clearly passed away this morning. How could you have seen her outside?"
It turned out that Liu Ping'an's father had taken a leave of absence to help with the arrangements for the elderly woman's funeral.
In fact, ever since the old lady had fallen seriously ill, she had been bedridden, requiring assistance even to turn over. Standing and walking alone was out of the question.
This meant that the person Liu Ping'an had seen just outside was most likely not alive.
To prove this point, Liu Ping'an deliberately sought out Wu Fugui to inquire further. Wu Fugui confirmed that his grandmother had indeed passed away in the morning.
Since this incident occurred during Liu Ping'an's childhood, his memory might have been hazy; however, the old lady's parting advice often echoed in his ears.
Thus, the Night Owl Incident became an indelible shadow from his childhood, lingering until the present day when science finally shed light on its mystery.
It turned out that owls have a unique sense of smell and are particularly sensitive to the scent of decay emanating from those who are about to die.
As for Liu Ping'an's daytime encounter with a ghost, it was likely just a hallucination caused by a malfunction in both his mind and eyes.
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