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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 40: Ghost Collecting Money
Soon, the shadow holding a white lantern approached. To my surprise, it was that old lady from last night.
When the old lady arrived in front of me, she was momentarily stunned, then immediately grinned and said in a teasing tone, "Little Yin Yang, what brings you here tonight? Wasn't last night with Zhang the Elder enough for you? Hehe..."
Clearly, she had witnessed me being teased by Zhang the Elder last night. The fact that this old lady saw it and didn't help me made me somewhat angry. Plus, she had been wandering around this graveyard scaring people for no reason these past few days. So I said to her, "Don't you think it's a bit unethical to keep wandering around like this? You might scare someone into having problems; aren't you afraid of being held accountable by the Underworld?"
The old lady's expression darkened as she replied, "This place is deserted at night; what's wrong with me coming out for some fresh air? You're just a little Yin Yang, minding too much of other people's business."
I countered, "I've passed by here these past two nights; how could there be no living people around? You should stay down there and not come up here for no reason. Be careful that the Night Wanderer sees you and mistakes you for a wandering ghost."
The old lady wanted to retort but seemed hesitant after I mentioned the Night Wanderer. She could only say, "Alright, alright, you little Yin Yang think you're so clever. I'll go back then."
I sighed and told her, "You've been dead for several years; if you get caught again, it won't be good. It's better to wait down there for reincarnation. It's good for everyone."
The old lady sighed deeply and then turned to leave. I couldn't tell if she took my words to heart.
However, since she recognized my point, I decided not to continue arguing with her. Besides, she had warned me about Zhang the Elder last night, so she was somewhat of a familiar stranger.
After the old lady left, I headed toward Zhang the Elder's grave. Perhaps he heard me talking because the ghostly flames that were flickering in front of his grave were gone, and that shadow had disappeared as well.
Before long, I arrived at Zhang the Elder's grave and looked around but saw nothing. So I kicked the ground in front of the grave a few times and shouted, "Zhang! Come out!"
Quickly, a dark figure crawled out from behind the grave. With white hair and a gaunt face full of wrinkles, he looked quite frightening despite my preparation.
He appeared furious as soon as he emerged, glaring at me with his eyes wide open and scolding me: "You young man! I heard you're a Yin Yang master; I'm leaving tonight and won't bother you anymore. Yet here you are coming to bully me!"
I replied, "It's not that I'm bullying you; it's because you tried to mess with me first last night."
Zhang the Elder angrily retorted, "I was just playing with you back then! How was I supposed to know you're a Yin Yang master?"
I said, if you know and still come to tease me, you won't be able to crawl out tonight. It's precisely because you like to mess with living people that I came to find you today.
Elder Zhang got angry. "You little Yin-Yang, Old Man is giving you face tonight, and you're still pushing it. Do you really think Old Man is afraid of you?" After cursing, he jumped out from behind the Tomb Mound and lunged at me, reaching out with his two bony hands, trying to choke my neck.
I wasn't afraid of him at all; I came here tonight specifically to deal with him. So I took out a Spirit Talisman and met him head-on. I bent my waist and lowered my body, dodging his hands that were trying to grab my neck, then I struck a Spirit Talisman against his chest.
Elder Zhang let out a terrible scream and staggered back several steps. He was furious but didn't dare to approach again.
I crossed my Copper Coin Sword in front of me and told him that if he dared to act recklessly again, he shouldn't blame my Slayer Sword for being merciless.
Elder Zhang was clearly afraid of the Copper Coin Sword in my hand, so he stood on the Tomb Mound, furious but no longer daring to curse at me.
Seeing that he didn't dare to move recklessly, I asked him, "The Yin Realm has its own ways, and the Underworld has its own ways. Since you are dead, why do you linger in the World of the Living, coming out every night to harm others?"
Upon hearing this, Elder Zhang looked helpless. He said, "Life down there is too hard for me. I have no clothes to wear, no money to use, and no place to stay. It's not that Old Man wants to come up; it's just that I can't stay down there anymore. Moreover, I haven't really harmed anyone; those who pass by are all acquaintances. I just want them to burn some paper money and Incense Candles for me. If they do that, I won't trouble them anymore. Is that too much to ask? What should I do then?"
After listening to Elder Zhang's grievances, I finally understood. It turned out he had no money, no clothes, and no shelter down there, so he had no choice but to come up and ask people for money. This is why anyone passing by would be entangled by him until they burned some paper money.
Thinking about how hard it was for him down there made me feel pity for him, so I couldn't be angry anymore. Indeed, he hadn't killed anyone; even if he troubled people a bit, it couldn't be considered as being an Evil Spirit.
So I asked him, "Don't your sons burn paper for you during the holidays?"
Upon hearing this, Elder Zhang became both angry and sad. He said, "Do they even remember me? During the holidays, who doesn't have descendants offering sacrifices? Yet I can't even enter my own home; the doors and windows are sealed with talismans."
At this point, Elder Zhang sighed repeatedly with a sorrowful expression.
I recalled that Elder Zhang's son had mentioned this before; after Elder Zhang died and his body was faked for burial, his family hastily buried him. Later on, there were disturbances in the Cemetery, so they were even more afraid to burn paper to summon him back home.
Thinking about all this made me sigh. It seemed there had been a misunderstanding in this matter. However, on the other hand, some elderly people indeed suffer after death—no one burns paper for them or sends clothes; during holidays they return home only to find nothing waiting for them. Which elderly person wouldn't feel heartbroken? The kind-hearted ones would cling to living people asking for offerings of incense paper; the more malicious ones might even torment their descendants until they have no peace at home. Such things happen quite often; one cannot dismiss them.
However, having figured out this matter before me relieved my mind; it seemed this issue wouldn't be difficult to resolve. So I said to Elder Zhang, "Then I'll have your sons burn more paper money for you during the holidays. Can you promise not to come up here anymore? Just stay down there peacefully?"
Elder Zhang replied, "My son is very unfilial; can he really do that?"
I said, of course he can. It's not that your son doesn't want to burn paper money for you, but after you passed away, your corpse was possessed by another ghost, which deceived the dead. That's why they are afraid and dare not summon you back.
When Elder Zhang heard this, he immediately shed tears, realizing that he had misunderstood his son. He then said, "Please help me convey a message to them. I will not harm them as long as they still have some filial piety. I will definitely bless them well from below."
I nodded and promised him. Then, I advised him to go down below first and not to come up again unless necessary. He agreed wholeheartedly, and then I headed back to the village.
Upon returning to the home of the fellow villager, the villagers were still waiting for me there. When they saw me return, they all came forward and asked how I had handled the situation.
So I told them the whole story, explaining the sequence of events. After hearing it at home, some were surprised, some enlightened, and some older men shook their heads in pity for Elder Zhang's plight, clearly feeling sorry for him.
Especially Zhang's Son, who began to cry after hearing it, blaming himself for being unfilial and causing his father such misery. Everyone comforted him a bit, and he calmed down somewhat.
I told Zhang's Son that it was all a misunderstanding and not to blame himself too much. From today on, he should burn more paper money for his father. Zhang's Son nodded repeatedly in agreement.
That evening, Zhang's Son bought a large amount of yellow paper incense to burn for his father. Afterwards, he invited me to his home and prepared a big feast to thank me on behalf of his father. Of course, that night those villagers were also invited over, making it quite lively. I assured everyone that there shouldn't be any major issues at that cemetery anymore, so they could walk around with peace of mind.
Thus, we partied until the early hours of the morning before everyone slowly dispersed.
To be honest, although Elder Zhang's matter was quite tumultuous, seeing this outcome made me feel very gratified. After all, from now on, Elder Zhang would no longer suffer, his son would no longer worry in his heart, and the villagers could live their lives peacefully. This ending could be considered a great resolution.
Having delayed a day like this, I wondered where that paper figurine had gone and if I would still be able to find it. Filled with concern, I decided to bid farewell to the Zhang family early the next morning and prepare to continue my pursuit of the troublesome paper figurine. However, just as I was about to leave the village, I was called over by a hut family in the village who said they had encountered a strange incident!
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