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墨書 Inktalez
Sun Er Pangzi had traveled far and worked hard, crossing two mountain peaks and passing through a town to reach the county seat where there was a train station.
I was used to climbing mountain paths; even if there were a few more peaks, it would be no challenge for me.
Fo Zhang loved to wander through the woods, but he never strayed too far from me. Buddha Sound, on the other hand, was nowhere to be seen.
At one point, I thought he might have found a female mouse outside.
After a long rest, I felt much more energized, and the Buddhist energy in my Dan Tian had increased.
Looking at the vast mountains and rivers, lush and green, I truly felt a sense of freedom, as if I could soar with the birds and leap with the fish in the open sea.
Standing on the hillside, I cupped my hands into a trumpet shape and shouted loudly, “Grant me a girlfriend…”
“Grant me a girlfriend…”
“Grant me a girlfriend…”
The echoes rolled through the valley, startling the birds resting in the trees, causing them to flutter away in all directions.
“What a shameless person…” A clear female voice came from behind me. Though it sounded somewhat youthful and disdainful, it was as crisp as the larks in the mountains.
I felt a surge of joy and quickly thanked the heavens and Buddha. It was incredible how my wish had been granted so swiftly.
With what I thought was a friendly smile on my face, I turned around to see a girl with braided hair, around twelve or thirteen years old, puffing out her cheeks as she stared at me.
My smile instantly froze on my face as I softly asked, "Do you know that a Daoist can be so frightening that it could scare someone to death, quietly standing behind others..."
The girl replied, "Who told you to shout so passionately, not noticing this young lady..."
I stammered, pointing at myself, "You... what did you call me? Do I look like a bad person?"
The girl pouted and said, "Do bad people have words written on their foreheads? My grandfather would call someone like you a 'dressed-up beast.'"
I was somewhat speechless; being called a 'dressed-up beast' by a little girl was truly absurd. "Alright, I won't argue with you. Quickly go find your grandfather. Don't let this bad person abduct you!"
I made a funny face at her, hoping to scare her.
To my surprise, instead of being frightened, she burst into giggles and placed her hands on her hips, saying, "You’re actually quite amusing..."
Her laughter was like flowers blooming in spring, her eyes filled with joy. I couldn't help but express my concern, "It's not safe for a girl like you to be alone in these deep mountains. You should really go find your grandfather. It’s not safe here at night."
She glanced at me sideways and said, "You're not much older than me, monk. You're really quite outdated; who dresses like that anymore? If you go down the mountain like this, you might make someone lose their teeth from laughing..."
I looked down at my gray monk robe; perhaps after wearing it for so many years, I didn’t find it unattractive. "What do you know? This is the attire for earning a living."
With that, I raised one hand to my chest and closed my eyes to chant, "Amitabha."
The girl blinked her big watery eyes at me and asked, "My name is Liu Er. What about you?"
“Brother, I won’t change my name or my surname, Ling Feng. My nickname is also Ling Feng. You can call me Ling Feng,” I said proudly, as if I were a prominent figure in the Jianghu.
Liu Er glanced at the fiery clouds and said to me, “It’s getting late; please take me home. Your reward will be a place to stay for the night…”
“Is your home in the mountains?” I asked curiously.
Liu Er didn’t answer and turned away, walking ahead. I whistled into the forest and followed her.
Liu Er seemed quite familiar with the woods, winding her way along a path until we finally spotted a wooden cabin as dusk fell, dim light spilling from its windows.
Fo Zhang seemed tired from playing and hopped onto my shoulder, chattering incessantly.
Upon seeing Fo Zhang, Liu Er's eyes sparkled with excitement as she playfully teased him. Fo Zhang, however, didn’t seem very enthusiastic—perhaps he was just tired.
“Is this monkey yours? Would you sell him to me?” Liu Er asked.
Fo Zhang had grown up with me; to outsiders, he might just look like a monkey, but to me, he was family—priceless. I felt a twinge of displeasure. “You’ve arrived at your home. I’ll take my leave now.”
With that, I turned to walk away. Liu Er realized she had overstepped and sweetly shook my arm. “ Ling Feng, don’t be upset! I was just joking…”
I couldn’t handle such playful teasing from a girl. “Fo Zhang is my family. You can’t make jokes like that in the future. Otherwise, don’t blame me for getting angry.”
Liu Er stuck out her tongue and playfully winked at me before calling out to the cabin, “Grandpa, Grandpa… I’m back! We have a guest!”
Hearing no movement inside the house, I blocked Liu Er's attempt to push the door open and used the shoulder pole resting against the door to pry it ajar.
Inside, a single oil lamp flickered, illuminating a small room adorned with animal pelts hanging on the walls.
Liu Er looked at me as if I were insane. "It's not like we're robbing the place. What are you doing?"
Just as Liu Er was about to step inside, I pulled him back behind me. I sniffed the air; there was a faint metallic scent of blood lingering in the room.
I patted Fo Zhang and pointed toward the room separated by a bedsheet. Fo Zhang protested with a series of squeaks, clearly reluctant. I promised to buy it a banana once we got down the mountain, and it darted inside in an instant.
Moments later, frantic squeaks echoed from within, followed by Fo Zhang rushing back out, one paw covering its eyes while the other pointed into the room.
A chill ran down my spine; Fo Zhang only reacted this way when it encountered something terrifying. It wasn't afraid of ordinary corpses or Yuan Hun.
"Liu Er, let me go in first. You can come in once I confirm it's safe," I said gravely.
Seeing my serious demeanor, Liu Er nodded despite his evident skepticism.
I patted Fo Zhang again and gestured toward Liu Er. Fo Zhang jumped from my shoulder into Liu Er's arms, finding a comfortable position to lie down.
As I lifted the bedsheet hanging over the door, a wave of nausea surged in my chest, bile rising up.
On the wall of the room hung a corpse, nailed up like Jesus during his crucifixion, wooden wedges driven deep into its flesh.
The entire body was covered in countless tiny holes, resembling a beehive. The old man's face was filled with anguish, his bloodshot eyes nearly bulging from their sockets.
Within the holes, wriggling creatures that resembled maggots occasionally squirmed.
I didn’t know when Liu Er had stood behind me, her eyes glistening with tears, her lips bitten by her pearly white teeth.
After a long while, she let out an agonizing wail, “Grandpa… Grandpa…”
I quickly wrapped my arms around Liu Er, covering her mouth and saying, “Your grandpa’s death is suspicious. We don’t know if the perpetrator has gone far; we need to be careful…”
Liu Er’s tears fell onto my hands, each drop like scalding hot oil, burning my heart.
What deep-seated hatred could lead someone to harm such an elderly man?
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