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墨書 Inktalez
Some things, once done, cannot be undone; they cannot be resolved with a moment of impulse, nor can one afford to regret or retreat.
Even though I knew that the Cloud Ghost General was dangerous and that I could lose my life at any moment in his presence, I had no choice but to face him.
So, after receiving the call from home, I hurriedly took a bus back to my hometown.
Fortunately, Zhou Zhen was with me, bringing his gear along. He practiced Maoshan Daoism, so if anything happened, he could provide some support and I wouldn’t be completely defenseless.
I didn’t want to risk losing my life without even knowing what was happening.
My family lived in a rural area, and it took about three hours by bus from the City to reach home. By the time we arrived, it was already noon.
My mother was still lying in a hospital bed at the Town Hospital. The moment I saw her, a wave of sadness washed over me. In reality, her condition was far worse than what my father had described over the phone.
She lay there with an IV drip attached to her arm, her limbs twitching uncontrollably. It took someone to hold her arm steady just to keep the IV flowing smoothly.
Her eyes were glazed over, bulging without any spark of life, and her complexion was dark. I couldn't find the words to describe how she looked, but it broke my heart.
She had lost consciousness and seemed like a shell of herself; when I called her name, she didn’t recognize me as her son. All she did was convulse or smile vacantly.
My aunt was there taking care of her while my father stood nearby. After greeting Zhou Zhen, he noticed my distress and said, “Xiao Hao, don’t be too upset. Your mother is fine; it’s just that we don’t know what this strange illness is. It came on suddenly, and the doctors can’t figure it out yet. They’ll probably transfer her to another hospital tomorrow for further examination.”
I nodded silently, tears streaming down my cheeks as guilt consumed me.
I knew deep down that my mother’s condition was likely due to the Cloud Ghost General rather than an illness, but I didn’t know how to voice that thought.
Zhou Zhen stood beside me; since he entered the room, his gaze had been fixed on my mother with a slight frown.
After a moment, he quietly said to me, “Xiao Lin, come outside with me for a moment. I need to talk to you.”
Upon hearing this, I looked at him with a questioning gaze. He nodded slightly, causing my heart to sink; it was indeed as I feared.
We walked together to a secluded corridor outside the hospital. I then said, "Is my mom possessed by him?"
The "him" I referred to was, of course, the bony figure known as Master Yun, though calling him the Cloud Ghost General seemed more fitting now.
"Yes," Zhou Zhen nodded and replied, "Based on your mother's condition, it does seem like she is possessed. However, whether it is truly him is still hard to say, but the possibility is quite high."
"Uncle Zhou, what should we do now? Is my mom in danger?" Knowing that my mother was indeed possessed was one thing; whether it was the Cloud Ghost General or not was secondary. My primary concern was whether her life was at risk.
Zhou Zhen frowned slightly, thinking for a moment before speaking in a serious tone. "Here’s the plan: you should discuss this with your family. Don’t transfer her to another hospital; your mother’s current condition cannot be treated by a hospital at all. It would only hinder my ability to act. It’s best if you take her home this afternoon."
"Okay."
I nodded and asked, "Uncle Zhou, have you thought of a solution?"
Zhou Zhen replied, "We need to go back and assess the situation before taking any action. However, given your mother's current state, convincing your dad and the others to let her come home will be up to you."
"Understood."
I grasped Zhou Zhen's words clearly. Given my mother's condition, if we suddenly suggested discharging her to go home, my dad and the others would definitely overthink it. Even the hospital might not agree.
But I had no doubts about Zhou Zhen's words; I was certain that my mother was indeed possessed. Could a hospital treat possession?
It would be like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole—transferring my mother to an even larger hospital wouldn’t solve anything and would only waste time, causing her more suffering.
After a brief conversation with Zhou Zhen, the matter was settled.
By noon, since Zhou Zhen was a guest, my father insisted on not neglecting him and found a restaurant near the hospital for us to have lunch together.
I had originally planned to stay and take care of my mother, but my aunt insisted on staying behind to look after her, urging me to accompany our guest.
After some thought, I brought it up during lunch when there were no outsiders around. I said directly, "Dad, how about we take Mom home after we finish eating?"
"What? Take your mom home?"
My father's brow furrowed in confusion, not quite understanding what I meant.
I bit my lip and said, "I think Mom might be possessed."
"Possessed?"
My father was taken aback again.
"Yes."
I nodded.
Although my father seemed skeptical, he still asked, "Xiao Hao, tell me how you know this."
I looked at Zhou Zhen and said, "Dad, actually Uncle Zhou understands Maoshan Daoism. He noticed it when we came back."
"Maoshan Daoism."
My father furrowed his brow slightly, as if he were chewing over the four words in his mouth, before turning to Zhou Zhen and politely asking, "Mr. Zhou, do you really understand Maoshan Daoism?"
Zhou Zhen glanced at me helplessly. He had originally intended for me to persuade my father, but he hadn't expected me to bring it up in front of him. I shrugged and said, "If I don't say it now, my dad won't believe me anyway."
Zhou Zhen didn't mind and replied directly, "I know a little about it."
Upon hearing this, my father asked again, "So Xiao Hao's mother really is possessed?"
"Indeed," Zhou Zhen said again. "That's why we need to take her home as soon as possible to prepare some measures. If we leave her in the hospital, we can only wait for the worst."
"Yeah, Dad, my mom is possessed; it's not like she's sick. Even if we transfer her to a bigger hospital, it won't help. We should hurry and take her home," I quickly added.
"How could this happen?"
My father was not young anymore; having grown up in the countryside, he had heard many strange and unusual stories. Therefore, he wasn't too resistant to the idea of possession and found it relatively easy to accept.
He didn't doubt our words but nodded with a hint of worry and said, "Then Mr. Zhou, I'll leave everything to you."
"Don't worry; I will do my best," Zhou Zhen nodded.
After we finished eating, we went to the hospital. I handed the food I had brought to my aunt, and then my father found an excuse, saying that he had relatives working at a major hospital in the city and planned to take her there directly.
He then went to handle the discharge procedures while I started packing up the things we had brought to the hospital.
I quietly explained the basic situation to my aunt. Her expression changed slightly, but she didn't dare ask any more questions. In the afternoon, we all returned home together.
After I carried my mother to the bed and laid her down, I rushed over to Zhou Zhen and whispered, "What’s my mom's condition? Is that thing here? Did you see it?"
I fired off several questions in quick succession, just as my dad approached with a worried expression on his face.
Zhou Zhen shook his head and said, "Don't worry. Given her current state, it's nothing serious."
He continued, "It's not here; I didn't see it. If it were, your mom would definitely be in worse shape than she is now."
After saying that, he clasped his hands behind his back and walked toward the front door.
My dad and I followed him out, somewhat confused. We found Zhou Zhen standing at the entrance, looking around as if contemplating something.
I asked, "Uncle Zhou, are you thinking of a strategy?"
"Yes," Zhou Zhen nodded. "We need to prepare before You Shi. After You Shi, the chances of it appearing are much higher."
You Shi refers to the time between five o'clock in the afternoon and seven o'clock. During this period, it could show up at any moment.
I asked, "What do we need to do?"
"Before You Shi, sprinkle flour three meters outside the front door. Make sure it covers the ground completely. I'll handle the rest," Zhou Zhen instructed before turning back inside. He pulled out a large stack of yellow paper from his bag and began drawing strange symbols.
As dusk fell and the second hand of the clock in the living room ticked closer to You Shi, I had already spread a thick layer of flour three meters outside the front door as Zhou Zhen had instructed.
Meanwhile, the room where my mother lay was tightly sealed with symbols drawn by Zhou Zhen, even the windows were covered with them.
At that moment, we sat in the living room, pretending to be nonchalant, while our eyes were constantly focused outside, intently watching the changes in the flour spread on the ground.
Because Zhou Zhen had told us that as long as that thing appeared, even if it didn't show itself, the flour scattered on the ground would leave footprints.
We waited anxiously; You Shi had already arrived, but there was no change outside. As dusk approached, a sudden cold wind blew in from outside.
It sent a shiver down my spine. My father, Zhou Zhen, and I exchanged glances, our gazes all directed toward the outside.
At that moment, something extremely strange happened: a pair of footprints suddenly appeared on the flour-covered ground. Under the moonlight, they looked eerie, as if someone had stepped on it.
Yet, there was nothing in sight, sending a chill through my heart.
But what happened next made even Zhou Zhen's face turn pale.
In an instant, he exclaimed in shock, "This is bad! How can there be so many footprints?"
Hearing this, I quickly lowered my head to look closely. One pair, two pairs, three pairs—six, seven, eight—there were so many that it soon became impossible to count them all.
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