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墨書 Inktalez
After a lot of effort, we finally managed to lure the Brown Spotted Civet away from the Ancient Guge Silver Eye, hoping to use its precious blood to temporarily suppress the toxicity of the corpse, giving us enough time to find a way out. However, during its escape, the Brown Spotted Civet fell from behind the Ancient Guge Silver Eye and ended up in a terrible state. It died without contributing anything to the people, leaving us to deal with its remains!
Damn it, it was like hatching a duck from a chicken egg—completely in vain!
Old Qiao had the weakest constitution among us. After all this commotion, his face and neck were covered in beads of sweat, and dark circles appeared under his eyes. He was panting heavily. My junior brother looked furious, cursing and still doubting my sister’s identity. As the one primarily responsible for capturing the Brown Spotted Civet, my sister felt personally accountable for its unexpected death, even though it wasn’t directly her fault, which left her quite unhappy.
I took a deep breath and recalled how the Revolutionary Army suffered unprecedented losses under the poor command of Bo Gu and Li De during several failed counter-encirclements. They lost their direction and morale. In those times, our great leaders Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai would always inspire everyone with emotional appeals and rational arguments, achieving remarkable results. Although I could never compare myself to them, the spirit of revolution is a continuous thread. At this moment, someone had to step up to boost everyone’s morale.
Thinking this way, I straightened my back and said, “Is it tough? Think about the Red Army’s twenty-five thousand! Is it exhausting? Think about our revolutionary predecessors! At this point, we cannot lose heart! As the saying goes, as long as our spirit doesn’t wane, there are always more solutions than difficulties. We must seize the time and find an exit before the Corpse Poison spreads further. In my opinion, this Brown Spotted Civet met its end because of its own misdeeds; it got what it deserved. We shouldn’t dwell on it too much—it brought this upon itself. Let’s treat it as if it never happened and focus on using our limited time to seek unlimited possibilities. The road ahead may be tough as iron, but now we must take our first steps anew!”
I don’t know if my encouragement truly had an effect or if everyone was just fueled by our Errand Runner spirit of “never giving up,” but we began to move in coordination.
The Wanfo Cave seemed like “all roads lead to Rome,” but through our exploration, we discovered that none of them led anywhere. The Buddha Cave was solid all around; there was truly no way out above ground or below! Moreover, this vast underground space didn’t even have a single ventilation hole, which is why these Gan Shi remained so well-preserved. We had survived solely on the little air that seeped through when offerings were dropped into the Black Cloud Abyss—it was truly remarkable.
To avoid individual oversight, we split into teams and searched the Buddha Cave five times from front to back but found nothing. Exhausted, we collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath; each breath was more labored than the last. My junior brother's earlier careless remark echoed in my mind: “Are we all going to die here in the end?”
Although I didn’t want to admit this fact deep down, at such a critical moment, avoiding it would be self-deception—a waste of our last chance for final words. Some things needed to be said now; otherwise, I might never have another opportunity.
Thinking of this made me feel bitter; it was like a lump in my throat. My nose tinged with sadness as my vision blurred: “Sister, it seems Master will be disappointed this time; I’m afraid he won’t get to see me one last time… Honestly, although Master has been strict with me and punished me countless times, a strict teacher produces excellent students. I believe I haven’t let down his efforts over the years. It’s been so long since we last met; I truly miss him. If there’s a next life and I get another chance to be his disciple, I will treat him well. Because of what happened at Emerald Villa, I’ve held some grudges against A Li and acted out for a while. Now that Senior Brother has wronged you, please don’t take it to heart; in Senior Brother ’s eyes, you will always be A Li who grew up following us around on Old Street… As for Old Qiao, there’s nothing to worry about; when we swore brotherhood back then, we promised that although we couldn’t be born on the same day in the same month or year, we wished to die on the same day in the same month and year. If we three brothers can die together, at least we won’t be lonely on our journey to the underworld! Old Qiao, you shouldn’t have been dragged into this mess just because you knew me and Senior Brother; I’m truly sorry for that. When we reach Yama King’s Hall, I’ll definitely speak well of you so you can be reborn into a wealthy family in your next life!”
Listening to me, Old Qiao suddenly burst into tears: “Brother Qian Yi, what are you saying? Am I Old Qiao really that kind of person who fears death and lacks loyalty? To live or die alongside you and Senior Brother doesn’t bother me at all! When we reach Yama King’s Hall, I’ll bow three times in gratitude for Yama’s arrangement! Actually, you’re the one who shouldn’t die here… You’re the heir of Poison King; these Corpse Poisons are nothing unusual for you! After we die, just cut off our flesh and eat it; you can hold out for another four or five days… Just remember every year at this time to burn some incense for us and offer some wine…”
My junior brother chimed in with a sob: “Am I Senior Brother really that kind of person? Right? Senior Brother! But if you’re really hungry and can’t resist eating my flesh—I haven’t bathed in three months! I’ve got lice all over me; eating me might give you diarrhea! Maybe… maybe eat A Li first! She’s tender and easy to digest!”
A Li cried out, "Yes, Brother Qian Yi, eat me first! I just took a shower last week. Although I've sweated a bit, I'm definitely cleaner than the alternative! By the way, Brother Qian Yi, I have an old candied hawthorn box under my bed. Inside is the dowry my master saved for me. You can spend it for me; it was meant for you anyway... What a pity to let it sit there..."
" Brother Qian Yi..." I listened, tears streaming down my face. "Although I've always regarded money as worthless in my heart, this box of 'worthless dirt' under your bed holds great significance. I shouldn't touch it, but the thought of it being stolen by some villain and tarnishing your reputation... After thinking it over, the only thing I can do is spend it all recklessly. Only then can I face you and Master Sun in the afterlife!"
"A Li..." A Li couldn't help but take my hand, her palm warm and sweaty.
At that moment, our senior sister suddenly sat up from the ground and said sternly, "What are you all crying about? You're not dead yet, and you're already giving your last words! How pathetic! You've embarrassed Shimen!"
I realized she had a point; in our farewells, none of us had mentioned her. So I sat up, feeling bold in my feverish state, and grasped her hand tightly. With teary eyes, I said, "Senior sister, I have something to say to you too. Besides my two masters, you're the closest person to me in this world. We've known each other since we were little kids—practicing together, eating together, sleeping together, bathing together—" At this point, my junior brother couldn't help but interject, "Wait, you even bathed together?!"
Ignoring him, I continued my confession: "Every time I got beaten by my master, you were always there to speak up for me. That's how I've managed to survive until now... I originally wanted to save these words for later, but now there's no time left. I'm afraid there might not be another chance. Although... although I'm a bit embarrassed about it, as the saying goes, 'When a bird is about to die, its song is mournful; when a person is about to die, their words are kind.' Just consider this my last words... Senior sister, I—"
Just then, Old Qiao suddenly pointed at the sky and shouted, "Look! The Black Cloud Abyss is about to crack open again!" (To be continued.)
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