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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 209: Conclusion (2)
In a person's life, whether rich or poor, whether grand or plain, when it comes to the end, it ultimately becomes just a pile of yellow earth.
Since no matter how one lives, it is still living, why make oneself so tired?
The dead should not bring sadness to the living; instead, they should allow the living to enjoy better happiness.
For two whole days, I transformed my paper crafting shop into something splendid, filling it with numerous Paper Figurines, paper sedan chairs, and paper houses, almost overflowing the entire shop. By evening, I opened the doors of the shop and hung two lanterns at the entrance.
The paper crafting shop had been closed for a long time, leaving the spirits with nowhere to shop. Today was a lucky day for opening, and many ghosts came. There were so many ghosts that I couldn't manage alone, so I had Chicken Woman and Murong Duoduo help out.
For all customers today, I adopted a buy-one-get-one-free approach, clearing out stock throughout the store. While Murong Duoduo and Chicken Woman were busy with business, I even started burning some yellow paper to create ghost money. Ghost money is a privilege granted by the Underworld to Yin-Yang Masters; as long as there is an official seal, it can be recognized. My Ghost Seal is similar to the gold thread of Renminbi.
After a whole night of work and painting countless ghost money, by dawn, I burned all the ghost money. Unmarked ghost money will be directly delivered to the King of Hell's hall by Ghost Messengers after being burned for currency circulation.
After burning the paper money, I looked at the now somewhat empty paper crafting shop and at Murong Duoduo sleeping soundly on the floor. I smiled slightly, returned to my room, changed into my Paper Craftsman's Daoist Robe, took my Cloth Bag and other tools, and slowly left the paper crafting shop. After stepping outside, I posted a sign that said "Temporarily Closed" on the door.
In late autumn, the air was crisp and refreshing.
I strolled along the path filled with autumn scenery and soon arrived outside the cemetery.
Surrounding the cemetery were clusters of maple trees; yellow maple leaves fluttered down with the wind. I slightly raised my head and took a deep breath of fresh air before involuntarily saying, "Living is truly wonderful!"
After adjusting my mood, I walked into the cemetery.
This cemetery had not been peaceful lately; incidents occurred frequently. Some capable individuals had already moved their ancestors' tombstones to another location in the city. As a result, this cemetery no longer had its previous dense appearance but was instead filled with pits and hollows everywhere. Soon, I arrived at the center of the cemetery.
In the center of the cemetery originally stood a corpse pit; however, later on, police filled it in and built a large tomb. In front of the tomb stood a large stone tablet inscribed with 'Grave of the Thirty-Eight Heroes.'
In front of the tombstone was a person continuously burning paper. He wore a black suit and squatted there, constantly placing paper money into the fire.
As I approached, I said lightly, "What are you doing here?"
"Why can't I be here?" he slowly turned his head and asked.
I thought it should be Guo Yongjia, but it was Gu Zixu, which surprised me.
While burning paper, Gu Zixu said, "I heard that you and Guo Yongjia are going to duel here today?"
"Who told you?" I asked.
Gu Zixu continued to burn paper, "Guo Yongjia! He spread the word that he wants to clean up the place today."
Cleaning up the place, that should be something I say, right?
"Cao Qilong, I need to remind you of something: Murmur Duo Duo is my fiancée." Gu Zixu suddenly turned to me and said, "Don't have any ideas about her; otherwise, even if you defeat Guo Yongjia, you won't live long."
I smiled calmly and said, "To be honest, if she were interested in me, your words wouldn't threaten me at all. Unfortunately! In her eyes, I will always just be a poor loser."
"Is that so?" Gu Zixu slowly stood up and walked in front of me, saying, "That's for the best. I don't want to get involved in your Paper Effigy Maker matters. I'm just here to be a witness today. I need to remind you that your Paper Effigy Maker tricks are just child's play in front of us Luban descendants; they won't hold any weight."
"You seem to have a problem with me?" I asked.
Gu Zixu didn't shy away at all and directly said, "It's not that I have a problem with you; I'm just afraid you'll steal Murmur Duo Duo from me. She spends time with you every day; don't think I can't see that you like her!"
"Oh? I really didn't know that," I replied with a laugh.
Gu Zixu seemed to have no intention of continuing the argument; he suddenly changed the subject and said, "By the way, do you know who killed the thirty-eight police officers here?"
Hearing Gu Zixu ask this question caught me off guard, and I hurriedly asked, "You know?"
The Thirty-Eight Police Officers were brutally mutilated—eyes gouged out, ears cut off, bodies dismembered. But I didn't think Guo Yongjia did it. From what I've gathered so far, Guo Yongjia was just a husband desperate for a child. Perhaps his methods weren't very honorable, but why would he kill the Thirty-Eight Police Officers? Was it to release his Father for some grand scheme? That made sense; however, Gu Zixu suddenly asking this made me instinctively start to suspect him.
"Don't insult my noble character with your suspicious gaze," Gu Zixu patted my shoulder and smiled. "After your duel is over and if you're lucky enough to survive, I'll tell you who the real murderer is."
I looked at Gu Zixu in surprise. Although I didn't understand whether what he said was true or not, I was shocked by how he knew. The deaths of those innocent police officers were crimes committed by humans and beasts alike; investigating it wouldn't be easy at all.
"You all came very early!"
At that moment, another group of people arrived at the Cemetery.
This group was all dressed in ancient-style robes and had crew cuts, totaling about seven or eight people.
"Uncle Murong, why are you here too?" Gu Zixu hurriedly approached the leader of the group.
The leader was a middle-aged man who walked with a powerful and vigorous stride, clearly someone trained in martial arts.
"Could I not come? My Daughter has become the Great Deity of Life; this is a big deal." The middle-aged man said solemnly, "Where is your Old Man? Isn't he coming?"
Gu Zixu smiled and replied, "I don't know. He might come! If he doesn't, I can manage!"
The middle-aged man did not continue speaking but looked at me and stepped forward, "You are Cao Qilong?"
I nodded. For some reason, this middle-aged man had an imposing presence that made my heart race and left me feeling somewhat inferior.
"Old Man Ma had some dealings with me. He and Old Man Pan collaborated with us several times. I didn't expect that Liu Lao Er also has a disciple." The middle-aged man said gloomily.
Indeed!
Regardless of whether they are good or bad people, everyone has their own Relatives.
"How did your Paper Effigy Maker lineage end up turning against each other in your generation? In Old Man Ma's time, despite heavy grudges, there were no conflicts. How did it come to this in your generation?" the middle-aged man asked.
I sighed and helplessly said, "Some things, we young people have our own ways of doing things. Guo Yongjia and I are like fire and water!"
"My Daughter has cultivated Yin-Yang Tears; is it true?" the middle-aged man asked again.
It was obvious that Gu Zixu had sensed something and informed the middle-aged man about it. However, as an outsider, I felt it was inappropriate for me to comment on such matters, so I could only say, "You should ask Murong Duoduo; I'm not very clear on that."
"Uncle Murong, my Grandfather has arrived." At that moment, Gu Zixu suddenly shouted.
I hurriedly glanced over, and an elderly man holding a cane slowly walked into the cemetery while sitting on a wooden horse.
The middle-aged man clearly respected the elder and quickly approached him. The elder appeared amiable; after dismounting, he casually chatted with Murong Duoduo's father about some matters. After a while, many people began to arrive at the cemetery, most of whom I did not recognize.
In today's world, there are still many families involved in the supernatural, but most of them confine themselves to their own territories, maintaining a certain order in Ghostly Affairs without often crossing boundaries. This is especially true for the older generation. In contrast, young people frequently overstep their bounds to manage affairs. However, in this realm of yin and yang, we coexist peacefully most of the time.
I did not understand Guo Yongjia's intention in gathering so many people, but within our circle, harming fellow practitioners is a serious taboo! It is looked down upon by those in the same path. Even if someone betrays their sect, it is usually the older generation that resolves such issues; it is rare for peers to harm one another.
Around ten o'clock in the morning, Guo Yongjia finally arrived. Along with him were Yan Shanshan and Yan Ruolan. A few days ago, I had seen Yan Shanshan, but today, seeing her again made me widen my eyes in surprise.
The once lively and adorable Yan Shanshan had completely changed; she sat in a wheelchair wearing a hat and appeared somewhat frail.
"Shanshan!" I didn't know why, but seeing her haggard appearance made my heart ache. I hurried over.
Yan Shanshan struggled to stand up, attempting several times but ultimately gave up, only managing to force a smile as she said, "Qilong Gege, why are you here too?"
I looked closely at Yan Shanshan; her complexion was extremely pale, resembling white paper. She had a towel resting on her forehead, and through her trembling hands and the occasional dark energy emanating from above her head, I couldn't help but feel furious.
"Guo Yongjia, you bastard!" I strode forward and grabbed Guo Yongjia by the collar, shouting, "What have you done to Shanshan?"
"You should be asking yourself that!" Guo Yongjia replied coldly. "Cao Qilong, today either you die or I do!"
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