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墨書 Inktalez
The next day, when I got up, my grandfather had already returned from the village chief's house. He probably went there to explain what happened last night. When he saw me coming out for breakfast, he simply said, "You kids stay out of this. Just go play."
"Oh!"
I replied softly, feeling confused by my grandfather's attitude, which was the same as yesterday. I couldn't quite grasp his perspective.
Feeling a headache coming on, I walked over to the table and sat down next to Molin. I tugged at his sleeve and asked, "What should we do about Grandpa's attitude?"
Molin leisurely took a sip of porridge and, after swallowing, said contentedly, "Those who do evil must be dealt with; leaving them be is dangerous."
"But Widow Wang only has two sons. How could she agree to that?"
"If she doesn't agree, there's nothing we can do. We can't risk the lives of the entire village."
"What do you mean by risking lives?" At that moment, my mother came over with some millet cake and curiously asked what we were talking about.
"Ah, we're just playing a game! We're trying to figure out how to deal with a bad guy without risking our lives."
"At your age, you should be doing something serious instead of playing games."
"I know!" I stuck out my tongue. Once my mother left, I continued our earlier conversation. "So how are you going to deal with the Zombie? Are you going to burn them like in the movies?"
Molin nodded. "That's the simplest and most thorough method. I noticed those two were still gnawing on poultry last night, which means they haven't tasted human blood yet. That makes it easier to handle them. If their family agrees, we can lure them into a place and bind them with Ink Binding Line before burning them. That should take care of it."
"Isn't there any way to turn them back into humans?"
"Their nails have turned blue, and dark circles are starting to form around their eyes. Generally, becoming a Zombie is a process; Zombies are classified into six levels, from level one to level six. The strength varies with each level. For instance, Qian Qian is a level one Zombie, known as a Ba, while those above the Ba are referred to as True Ancestors. True Ancestors are not limited to level six, and their abilities remain unknown."
I scratched my head, feeling somewhat confused. "But what I saw in the movies were things like white zombies and jumping corpses, and their eye colors were different. You see, in 'A Date with a Zombie,' the levels and eye colors of the zombies are related."
"There is indeed such a theory. Zombies have existed in this world for a long time. As their powers grow stronger, the followers that evolve alongside them are linked to their abilities. Therefore, sometimes we determine the level of a Zombie by examining their eyes."
Suddenly intrigued, I looked at him with shining eyes. "Master Molin, please tell me more."
"It's Senior Brother," he corrected.
"Alright, Senior Brother, please go on!"
Molin enjoyed being flattered like this; his face showed clear pride as he crossed his arms over his chest and cleared his throat to enlighten me.
"From high to low, the eye colors of Zombies are generally red, green, yellow, gray-blue, gray-white, and black. Red is for those like Qian Qian, but above Qian Qian are the True Ancestors whose eyes are golden. This type of Zombie is extremely rare; I've only seen them mentioned in books. Black is the lowest level; they lack thought and behave just like the two from last night—only following orders from higher-ups. How about this: tonight we’ll go out again and see where they actually went?"
"Okay, I agree."
"I disagree." Grandpa's stern voice came from outside.
"Grandpa, I know it's hard for you to accept right now, but—"
Grandpa raised his hand to silence me and said, "This morning Widow Wang came to explain at the village chief's house. She said they knew we were lying in wait last night to catch people, so they played a prank; capturing Little Scar was unintentional. Moreover, Big Pie and Fool also came out to apologize."
This left both Molin and me stunned. "Grandpa, did you really see Big Pie and Fool come out to apologize today?"
"Is there any doubt?"
I looked at my grandfather; he didn't seem like he was lying. After all, the people from Big Pie and Fool Village wouldn't get it wrong.
"Thank you, Grandpa. We're going out for some fresh air."
Molin pulled me out the door, and as we walked, he rested his chin on his hand, deep in thought. "I find this very strange. Did we make a mistake?"
"No way," Molin dismissed. "The corpse energy they had last night was unmistakable, and that action was definitely from low-level Zombies. They fear sunlight, move slowly, and have black eyes, so it's unlikely they would appear in front of everyone under the blazing sun the next day; otherwise, such strong sunlight would surely burn them."
"Are you saying my grandfather is lying?"
"Not at all." Molin bit his lip and said, "I suspect someone is orchestrating this behind the scenes. If it weren't for Widow Wang's ability to use some tricks to blind everyone's eyes, making them see Big Pie and Fool, then someone must be instructing her to do so. This person is likely the mastermind who turned Big Pie and the others into Zombies, and their level should be quite high, at least above level three."
"Huh?" I was surprised. "Why would Zombies do this?"
Molin scratched his head habitually. "I don't know."
"Not knowing means you guessed wrong. There is indeed someone behind Widow Wang inciting her to go to the village chief's house to explain, and they used tricks to blind people's eyes, but it wasn't done by Zombies."
Suddenly, I felt a weight on my back; two soft lumps pressed tightly against me, releasing a strong smell of alcohol. I turned my head to see last night's Sloppy Beauty lazily draped over me.
Frowning in displeasure, I asked, "What are you doing here again?"
"Little Girl, we meet again!" She shook her empty bottle and hugged me tightly with both arms, her chin resting on my shoulder. "I'm out of money for drinks; treat me."
"I—"
"Chitaki! Shishu!" A scream from Molin suddenly drew the attention of everyone on the street, their eyes turning towards us. His eyes widened as he looked up and down at the beautiful woman beside me, his expression exaggerated. "You, how did you end up here?"
"Oh, it's Little Mozi! Long time no see!" She raised her hand in greeting and then continued to cling to me languidly. "I want to drink."
She didn't look heavy, but I couldn't budge her at all. I could only ask Molin, "Is she your Shishu?"
"Yes, she's the one who wants to take you as her disciple."
"Just her?!"
I felt like a flock of crows flew past me as Chitaki cheerfully messed up my hair and then grabbed my arm, dragging me into the shop. Once inside, she said, "Bring me your best wine."
"..." I glanced at Molin. "Does she think this is an ancient tavern?"
Molin shrugged helplessly. "I can't do anything about it; that's just her nature. She'll die without alcohol."
I lay weakly on the table. It was barely past nine, and she was already drinking without eating anything else. Wasn't she worried about alcohol poisoning?
By the time she had enough to drink, I was already feeling drowsy. Molin appeared quite calm. "Shishu, what did you mean by what you said earlier?"
Chitaki burped and blinked her confused eyes. "Which sentence are you talking about?"
"The one where you said someone used an illusion technique, but it wasn't done by a Zombie." As Molin said this, his eyes suddenly widened as he pointed at Chitaki. "Could it be that you did it?"
"Who else but me could have such exquisite sleight of hand?"
Molin didn't understand. "But why?"
Chitaki cupped her face in her hands, fluttering her long eyelashes and squinting with a smile. "Guess."
Molin furrowed his brow, genuinely pondering the question. I was nearly exasperated, slamming my hand on the table. "Do you really need to think that long? So many people saw it last night; regardless of whether they believe it or not, they're all anxious inside. If this matter spreads, it will surely cause panic, so it needs to be suppressed and dealt with secretly. To put it plainly, it's all about calming people's hearts! How foolish can you be?"
Molin's face flushed red and pale, while Chitaki was delighted and lunged toward me. "You truly are the disciple I chose! We can skip those rituals; just call me Master, and then we can celebrate with some drinks."
I barely had time to step back, leaning my body away instead, but I couldn't evade her attack. Just then, a sharp pain shot through my stomach, and I felt a tremor radiate outward, sending Chitaki flying back. Fortunately, she dodged quickly, but the wine glass on the table wasn't so lucky; it shattered with a loud crack from the shockwave.
"What happened?" Molin finally reacted, standing up and looking around warily.
My heart raced wildly; I could clearly feel that the tremor had come from my stomach. Although I hadn't heard the baby's voice, I knew it was unmistakable.
Chitaki rested her chin on one hand, her eyes fixed intently on my belly. I instinctively covered it with my hands. "W-what are you looking at?"
"You have something good in there," Chitaki said with a squint and a smile, her gaze shifting like flowing water, making it hard to tell if she was pleased or angry.
It suddenly dawned on me that she was also a Taoist priestess. What if she intended harm toward my baby? This child had been so hard-won; I couldn't let them take advantage of the situation. Without thinking further, I turned and ran away.
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