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墨書 Inktalez
My Tenant is a Female Ghost
"Hey, did you hear that?"
"What’s going on? I have no idea, sounds mysterious."
"Tsk, you haven't heard something so important?"
A tourist named Bai Zhuo was exploring the ethnic customs of Miao Village with three beautiful women, but his ears perked up as he overheard the conversation between two other tourists.
"Another death, another death. This time it’s two children."
"What? Two more children?"
"That's right. The last two drowned, but these two were burned to death. Strangely enough, their bodies were completely intact, yet all their organs were charred!"
"Is that for real? That sounds bizarre. Who did you hear this from?"
"Haha, you know what I do for a living, and I happen to have a friend involved in this matter... I'm just telling you to keep an eye on your kids. It's best if they don't come out to play. I'm packing up to leave with my child tonight. What about you?"
"You're leaving that soon? Aren't you going to enjoy yourself a bit more? This is making everyone anxious; it can't be just a rumor, right?"
"Do as you wish; I'm leaving anyway..."
The two tourists walked further away, their voices fading into the distance. Bai Zhuo unconsciously slowed his pace, intrigued by what he had just heard.
"Children dead? Their insides burned while their surfaces remain intact? Did they drink sulfuric acid?"
Such a bizarre situation made Bai Zhuo ponder, as if he had grasped something crucial yet couldn't quite articulate his thoughts.
"Mister Bai, what are you thinking about? Let's go!" Miao Xiaoqi joked, "Brother Bai, keep up with me, or you might get lost. At night here, wild beasts from the mountains come out to hunt. If Big Wolf can't find food, he might just eat Brother Bai!"
Bai Zhuo smiled faintly and was about to respond when a piercing scream echoed from ahead. The crowd erupted into chaos, followed by waves of crying and shouting, creating a scene of disorder. Bai Zhuo rushed toward the sound, only to find the area ahead packed with onlookers.
He grabbed a man in front of him and asked, "Hey there, what happened?"
The man sighed and shook his head. "Sigh—apparently two children went missing yesterday. Someone just discovered that they were buried alive here. There's no saving them..."
Bai Zhuo's brow furrowed deeply.
"Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth? Is it a coincidence?" Bai Zhuo murmured to himself, feeling as though he had caught onto something important but still sensed that something was missing.
The security response at the scenic area was efficient. After someone reported the incident, within four or five minutes, a police car arrived on the scene to secure the area.
Bai Zhuo finally managed to squeeze to the front of the cordoned-off area and saw that the bodies of the two children had been unearthed. They were covered with clothing, making it difficult to discern their condition. The parents of the two children knelt before their lifeless forms, wailing in grief; it seemed these two children were not from the same family.
Bai Zhuo grabbed a police officer and displayed a sorrowful expression. "Officer, please let me in for a moment. I’m the brother of one of those children; I couldn’t find him earlier... I never expected..."
The officer looked at Bai Zhuo's expression and deemed it genuine. He thought no one would falsely claim to know the deceased in such a situation. He lifted the cordon and said, "Comrade, please accept my condolences. You can come in."
"Thank you, officer," Bai Zhuo replied gratefully as he stepped inside. Meanwhile, Miao Xiaoqi, Yang Liu, and Ge Shui Lian exchanged glances, unsure of what Bai Zhuo intended to do.
Bai Zhuo knelt between the two grieving families, overwhelmed by the sorrow that filled the air. He looked at the lifeless body of a child before him and choked back tears. "Brother, why did you leave without a word?"
Each family believed the child belonged to the other, their grief rendering them irrational as they wept uncontrollably. Meanwhile, the police were taking statements from the surrounding crowd. Bai Zhuo glanced around and quickly lifted the clothing from one child's body, taking a brief look before letting it fall back down.
Aside from the dirt covering the child's face and clothes, there were no visible signs of anything unusual.
The child had certainly not died a natural death; thus, their Vengeful Spirit must be lingering nearby. However, Bai Zhuo could not sense either child's soul.
Seizing the opportunity, he lifted the clothing from another child's body. This one was a girl, suggesting that gender was irrelevant; it seemed likely that both children shared similar birth dates.
Earlier, he had overheard the parents' conversation: one child drowned in water, another perished by fire, and these two had been buried alive—earth. Typically, such Taoist Techniques followed a sequence: Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth. With three of those elements accounted for, it stood to reason that Gold and Wood must also be present, indicating that four more children had already met with tragedy.
"Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth?" Bai Zhuo furrowed his brow in confusion; he lacked sufficient information to discern the killer's intentions.
He asked, "Are your children's lunar birthdays the same?"
One father’s eyes were bloodshot as he glanced at Bai Zhuo and choked out, "My child's birthday is January 1st at 1 AM—six and a half pounds. What a good child... If I catch that beast who did this, I'll chop him up and feed him to the dogs! Damn it!"
The other father held back tears and asked incredulously, "Your child is also born on January 1st?"
Bai Zhuo searched his mind and recalled an obscure entry in the Ge Family Manuscript. Suddenly remembering something important, he hurriedly lifted the clothing from the child's head again and carefully cleared away the dirt. Upon closer inspection, he noticed a tiny hole on the child's forehead—so subtle that it would be easy to overlook!
He quickly checked the other child's body as well. Bai Zhuo's keen eyes confirmed that this child also had a similar tiny hole on their forehead!
"This hole... I feel like I've seen something like this before," Bai Zhuo muttered as he slapped his forehead in realization. Just yesterday in Great-Grandmother's room, Miao Long had a dark spot on her forehead!
“Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth... the unjustly dead do not see their Vengeful Spirit... Soul-Piercing Nail? This is... the Seven Star Life-Extension Technique!” Bai Zhuo suddenly stood up, cursing, “Damn it! Miao Long is in danger!”
Bai Zhuo had grown close to Miao Xiaoqi. Although they had only known each other for a little over two months, he liked this jade-like girl who easily blushed and had already come to see her as a sister. Miao Long was Miao Xiaoqi's younger brother, so naturally, Bai Zhuo was worried about him!
With a dark expression, Bai Zhuo ran off and grabbed Miao Xiaoqi. “Qi! Hurry up, we need to go home; your brother Miao Long is in danger!”
The group ran along, with Miao Xiaoqi and Ge Shui Lian managing to keep up with Bai Zhuo's pace. Yang Liu struggled more often and frequently fell behind, but she still managed to keep up somewhat.
Ge Shui Lian asked curiously, “Hey, Bai, what’s gotten into you? How do you know Qi's brother is in danger? Even Qi's Great-Grandmother can't solve this; what do you know?”
Bai Zhuo replied while running, “I read it in the Ge Family Manuscript. In ancient times, the ancestor Zhuge Kongming used the Seven Star Life-Extending Technique. We have similar techniques in the Yin Yang Realm today. However, the Seven Star Life-Extending Technique only temporarily prolongs life and cannot meet the needs of those seeking to extend their lives. Thus, we now have the Seven Souls Reviving Technique! If I’m not mistaken, before these two children were harmed, eight others had already met their fate!”
Although Miao Xiaoqi was worried about her brother's safety, she couldn't help but ask, “But what does this have to do with my brother? Great-Grandmother still has six hours left for him!”
Bai Zhuo turned back to look at Yang Liu who had fallen behind and stopped to signal everyone to take a break. “The Five Elements—Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth—interact with each other in both conflict and harmony; this is key to the Seven Star Life-Extension Technique. Miao Long is fine for now, but if we don’t come up with a plan soon, his life may be in jeopardy.”
Ge Shui Lian said, “But I was also studying techniques recently and came across some insights on the Seven Star Life-Extension Technique. If it were indeed that technique based on the number of victims, then something doesn’t add up.”
Bai Zhuo shook his head. “At first I thought it wasn’t the Seven Star Life-Extension Technique either. However, there’s another possibility: if someone has already extended their life once before, then for a second extension, double the number of lives would be needed! I suspect Miao Long is one of those ‘lights’ being drawn.”
After hearing this, Miao Xiaoqi finally began to panic and lost her composure. “What should we do? Brother Bai! Brother Bai…”
Bai Zhuo chuckled lightly and patted Miao Xiaoqi on the head. “Don’t worry; Miao Long still has six hours left. That’s enough time for us to figure something out. Let’s head back first.”
“Okay!” Upon hearing Bai Zhuo's response, Miao Xiaoqi felt much calmer inside. She nodded heavily and looked into Bai Zhuo's eyes, thinking: So this is what it looks like when Brother Bai takes off his glasses; his eyes are really beautiful—like they’re filled with stars against a night sky!
Back in the village, Bai Zhuo had no time to rest and hurriedly took Miao Xiaoqi to her Great-Grandmother's residence.
Miao Xiaoqi knocked on the door, "Great-Grandmother, Great-Grandmother, Qiqi is here."
"Oh? Qiqi, come in!"
Miao Xiaoqi pushed the door open and entered, followed closely by Bai Zhuo. Upon seeing Bai Zhuo behind Miao Xiaoqi, Great-Grandmother asked expressionlessly, "Oh, it's you, Bai. Why are you here? Did you have fun with Qiqi?"
Bai Zhuo stepped forward, "I have urgent matters to discuss with Great-Grandmother!"
Hearing Bai Zhuo address her as Great-Grandmother repeatedly made Miao Xiaoqi's face turn bright red. She hurriedly signaled with her eyes for Bai Zhuo to stop calling her that, but how could Bai Zhuo notice Miao Xiaoqi's gaze? He continued, "Great-Grandmother, may I take a closer look at Miao Long's Younger Brother's condition?"
Great-Grandmother was quite displeased. She thought to herself, I’ve lived over a hundred years and can’t even tell what illness this is; what can a young child like you possibly discern? Feeling irritated and already troubled by Miao Xiaoqi's Emotional Cocoon situation, she darkened her expression and said, "Don't think that just because you are close to Qiqi you can do as you please! If I can't figure out A Long's illness, what can a child like you possibly know?"
Miao Xiaoqi was startled; she didn't understand why Great-Grandmother suddenly erupted in anger. Great-Grandmother was the most respected person in the clan; even her own father had to respectfully call her 'Grandma.' When Great-Grandmother got angry, no one could stop her! But the one being scolded was Brother Bai—what should she do? She thought to herself as her hands nervously fidgeted together.
Bai Zhuo felt inexplicably wronged by Great-Grandmother's outburst and his face darkened with anger. Despite his deep concern for Miao Long’s safety, if it weren't for Miao Xiaoqi’s presence, he would have stormed off long ago!
Miao Xiaoqi turned to see Bai Zhuo’s grim expression and felt anxious. "Great-Grandmother, please don’t be like this; Brother Bai is also..."
But before Miao Xiaoqi could finish her sentence, Great-Grandmother suddenly pointed at her and shouted loudly, "You little brat! In the end, you're still turning your elbow outward! How dare you argue with me for an outsider?"
Miao Xiaoqi shrank back at the scolding, stunned. Feeling wronged, she bit her lip and silently let tears fall.
Finally unable to hold back any longer, Bai Zhuo shouted angrily, "You old hag! You're being unreasonable! I'm trying to save your Great-Grandson out of kindness, and you’re acting all high and mighty in front of me! Don’t think I can’t outshine you when it comes to skills! Qiqi is worried sick about your grandson, yet you dare accuse her of turning against you? Qiqi, come back to Ningcheng with me!"
Bai Zhuo pulled Miao Xiaoqi, intending to walk outside.
No one had ever dared to speak to Great-Grandmother like that! After hearing those words, Great-Grandmother was so furious that she could hardly catch her breath, clutching her chest and gasping. Miao Xiaoqi broke free from Bai Zhuo's grip, tears streaming down her face like a broken pearl necklace, kneeling beside Great-Grandmother and trying to help her breathe easier.
Feeling a bit more comfortable, Great-Grandmother shook off Miao Xiaoqi's hand. "Fine, you insolent child. Let me show you something. If you can't figure it out, don't blame my Gu Worm for being merciless!"
Bai Zhuo sneered, "And what if I do figure it out?"
Great-Grandmother asked incredulously, "You dare to disrespect me like this? I have already spared your life as a favor. How can you still bargain with me?"
"Hahaha! What a joke! You want someone's life if they can't see the problem, but if they do see it, you think it's only natural? Do you think I'm that gullible?" Bai Zhuo snorted coldly. "Hmph! Whether you want to look or not is up to you! I don't believe the Miao Family Gu Clan can keep me here!"
Bai Zhuo glanced at Miao Xiaoqi and then gave a disdainful smile at Great-Grandmother before preparing to turn and leave.
"You!" Just as Great-Grandmother was about to summon her Gu Worm, she saw Miao Xiaoqi tugging at her sleeve, tears streaming down her face as she desperately shook her head.
Great-Grandmother recalled something and softened momentarily, appearing even older than before. She sighed and murmured to herself, "Sigh... It’s no use; a girl must not be kept." Then she said, "Child, if you can help me cure A Long's illness, I will reward you with a great gift—a treasure most precious to our entire clan!" (To be continued.)
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