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墨書 Inktalez
As the train entered the Yunnan region, Ruan Xiaoshuang was dozing off against the window. Fang Zigui sat across from her, flipping through a worn-out book. Lin Mingchang was not in the carriage at the moment; he could never sit still and had probably gone to inquire about news from the train attendants. Shen Tong leaned back in her seat, slightly forward, her right index finger gently brushing over her Right Eye. Ever since embarking on the journey to Lijiang, her Right Eye had been intermittently aching. The closer they got to their destination, the more frequent and intense the pain became. She didn’t want to worry the other three, so she hadn’t mentioned it at all.
When they disembarked from the train, they were already sore and exhausted. However, this leg of their journey was not yet over, as the train could only reach Kunming. To get to Lijiang, they still needed several days of travel. After a brief rest in Kunming, they hired a Donkey Cart and prepared to traverse the mountains toward Lijiang. The journey was arduous, with rugged mountain paths.
Once they entered Lijiang territory, the Donkey Cart moved even slower. Sometimes the mountain roads were so narrow that only one cart could pass through, with sheer cliffs on either side. After several days of jostling along the bumpy roads, the four of them felt as if their souls were about to be shaken loose from their bodies; they often got down to walk for a stretch.
"I’ve heard about Lijiang before; it’s said to be a treasure hidden among the mountains," Shen Tong remarked while gazing at the rolling hills. "Now that I see it for myself, it truly is a place of unique terrain, like something out of another world."
Fang Zigui agreed, "I’m very curious about Yulong Snow Mountain. I’ve heard that its snow never melts; I really want to see it for myself."
After four days of bumpy mountain roads, the Donkey Cart finally arrived at Lijiang Ancient Town. The ancient town was small but exceptionally charming. The cobblestone streets crisscrossed, and wooden Naxi houses were built against the mountains in layers.
As soon as they stepped into the ancient town, Shen Tong suddenly felt a tightness in her Right Eye, followed by sharp pangs of pain. She instinctively covered her eyes and crouched down.
"Shen Tong! What’s wrong?" Lin Mingchang quickly supported her.
"I—I saw something..." Shen Tong gasped, looking up at the sky above Lijiang. "There are large swirling masses of dark red malevolence... hovering over the town..."
However, what Shen Tong didn’t say out loud was—
The ominous aura was not the kind that instilled fear; it was different from the various types of malevolent energies her grandmother had taught her to identify in her youth. Instead, she felt a subtle sense of familiarity.
"We need to find a place to settle down first," Lin Mingchang said as he looked around.
They had been wandering through the ancient city for most of the day and had yet to find an inn. The few locals they encountered were unable to provide any useful information due to the language barrier.
As dusk approached, Xiaoshuang finally found a Naxi woman who spoke Chinese. They learned that there were no inns in Lijiangcheng because very few tourists visited the area.
"Then where do the occasional outsiders stay?" Lin Mingchang asked.
"They stay with local families," the Naxi woman gestured, explaining, "Those with relatives stay with them, and those without find a larger household to borrow a room from."
"Do you know of any nearby homes where we could stay?" Fang Zigui inquired.
The Naxi woman pointed towards the north of the city. "Head that way; Mr. Liang Qingsong has an empty room. He is Han Chinese, and you can ask him. His house is easy to find; it's a courtyard."
With a sense of hope, the four of them followed the woman's directions and soon found Liang Qingsong's courtyard.
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