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墨書 Inktalez
Living Funeral
The Taoist priest was outside the thatched hut, but Zhang Xun had yet to appear.
I stood up, preparing to step outside, when Gao Ling called out to me. "Gao Ling said, 'The fish soup will be ready soon. Where are you going?'"
I glanced at Gao Ling and replied that I was just going out to make a phone call and get some fresh air.
Zhao Fan chimed in, "Brother Fei, don’t take too long. The fish soup will be delicious soon; it’s best not to miss the perfect timing."
I nodded and then stepped out of the hut.
The Taoist priest's expression was calm and unruffled, showing no signs of injury. If he wasn’t hurt, then what about Zhang Xun?
I called out to the Taoist. He looked at me, but it felt as if he could see right through my thoughts. He quickly reassured me, "Don’t worry, he’s fine."
I responded with a simple "mm" and didn’t say anything further. At that moment, the Taoist asked me, "What are you thinking about?"
Honestly, it was hard to pinpoint my thoughts; various pieces of information were swirling in my mind. After a moment of silence, I finally said, "Nothing in particular."
The Taoist acknowledged with an "oh," then turned to leave with the river breeze at his back. I didn’t stop him. Once he disappeared from view, I tried calling Zhang Xun, but the call didn’t go through. I glanced up and down the river but saw no sign of anyone.
However, given Zhang Xun's abilities, he should be fine.
At that moment, Gao Ling called out to me again, "Fei, it’s ready! Come have some fish soup."
I replied with an "mm," turned around, and went back inside. The aroma of fish wafted through the air as we sat down with the villagers to eat fish and drink soup. As we enjoyed our meal, one villager turned to Zhao Fan and said, "Boss, we don’t want to do this anymore."
Zhao Fan paused for a few seconds in surprise and didn’t respond. Another villager continued, "Boss Zhao, we know you’ve treated us well in the past, but now that Lao Liu has gotten into trouble, we have families to support. If something happens to us, our households will fall apart."
Zhao Fan blew lightly on the fish soup in the bowl, his expression somewhat serious. I thought he might explode in anger. After he set the bowl down, he said, "I understand the difficulties you all face in Hometown. Once you finish your meal, you can head back home. Also, I sincerely apologize for what happened to Lao Liu; I will compensate him some money."
The villagers responded, "Thank you, Boss Zhao. We don't blame you for Lao Liu's situation."
Zhao Fan continued, "I still bear some responsibility. Afterward, please settle your bills with my staff. Once that's done, you won't need to come back."
The villagers expressed their gratitude to Zhao Fan profusely.
Gao Ling showed a hint of surprise in her eyes as Zhao Fan added, "Everyone has it tough. Hurry up and eat so you can return home early."
Around two in the morning, after everyone finished eating, they dispersed.
Gao Ling and I returned to the car to sleep. Even now, Zhang Xun hasn't come back. Although I have confidence in Zhang Xun, I still felt a bit anxious.
Gao Ling asked me, "Did your brother leave?"
I replied, "He probably did." Gao Ling then asked, "What about Yin Cat?" I told her, "Let's not worry about Yin Cat right now; we should get some sleep."
Gao Ling agreed with a sound, and we got into the car and tried to sleep. However, I couldn't get comfortable and tossed and turned all night.
The next thing I heard was a "knock knock knock" on the window that woke me up. I looked outside and saw Zhang Xun standing next to the car.
I got out of the car and rubbed my eyes. I then asked him, "Where did you go last night?"
Zhang Xun replied, "Nowhere special; just took care of some matters."
Seeing Zhang Xun reminded me of what Fat Zhang had said. He had left in a hurry last night, but I had noted everything he mentioned.
His was Zhang Family Village, which meant that everyone in Zhang Family Village was dead. Did this include Zhang Xun?
No, I suddenly remembered that the fat man also had the surname Zhang.
Hmm! But there are so many people with the surname Zhang; what are the odds that the fat man is from the same village as Zhang Xun?
I had previously suspected that Zhang Xun was not alive because I had never seen him in person. However, it seemed like I was seeing him now, and I looked at Zhang Xun with suspicion.
Zhang Xun asked me what I was looking at. I didn't answer immediately but made a judgment in my mind: Zhang Xun should be alive.
Otherwise, a ghost wouldn't be able to appear in broad daylight.
Zhang Xun took a few steps forward and suddenly said to me, "Now you should know whether I was burned to death or not, right?"
Zhang Xun's sudden statement indeed stunned me for a few seconds. Could it be that the information from Fu Yan was false, a smokescreen created by someone?
However, until now, Zhang Xun had not denied that there was a fire in 198; he only stated that he had not been burned to death.
So what exactly was going on with Zhang Family Village? My mind was filled with questions, but for now, I decided not to mention having seen the fat man.
In fact, I felt conflicted inside, unsure of whom to trust.
Zhang Xun or the fat man? I could trust the fat man but not completely; Zhang Xun had some hidden agenda back then.
The fat man seemed more willing to share information with me. Based on these clues, he appeared to be more trustworthy since he had provided me with many leads.
Meanwhile, Zhang Xun had yet to offer any valuable clues and had previously tried to conceal things from me.
I had a brainstorming session by myself, though I wasn't quite sure how it happened. I glanced at Zhang Xun and nodded my head, acknowledging his words.
Zhang Xun then said, "Let's go deal with the Yin Cat now!"
At that moment, Gao Ling was still dozing off. I woke him up and checked the time; it was just past six in the morning, but it was already bright outside. A thick layer of mist floated over the river's surface. I was wearing a short-sleeved shirt and felt a slight chill.
After getting out of the car, Gao Ling stretched and said, "Why is it already bright? I haven't even slept well."
I replied to Gao Ling, "You can sleep after we finish this task. Then you can go home and have a good rest."
Gao Ling agreed, saying, "You're right." He then noticed Zhang Xun and added, "Hey man, you finally came back! I waited for you all night."
Zhang Xun glanced at Gao Ling and replied coolly, "What were you waiting for me to do?"
Gao Ling said, "I wanted to learn something from you." Zhang Xun immediately rejected him, saying, "There's nothing worth learning here." Gao Ling tried to say more, but I interrupted him.
We headed to the grass hut where Zhao Fan was already awake. Zhao Fan suggested, "Let's have breakfast first."
Zhao Fan was preparing breakfast. After we all finished eating, we set off. Zhao Fan had prepared diving equipment since they often retrieved bodies from the river; such gear was essential.
As we departed, Zhang Xun stated, "We must leave the river by six o'clock this afternoon." Once he said that, I understood what he meant: Zhang Xun had figured out the Yin Cat's characteristics.
This time our group consisted of six people, and we brought along many items for warding off evil spirits.
We quickly arrived at the section of the river where the incident occurred last night. The boat from last night was gone, and the river had returned to calmness; there wasn't a single cat in sight.
Zhang Xun remarked, "The cat's lair should be beneath the river." Hearing this surprised me somewhat because anyone who has owned a cat knows that they dislike water. Yet here we were, discovering that the lair of a cat that supposedly hates water was underwater.
After waterproofing our belongings, we changed into our diving suits and went down.
This section of the river, according to Zhao Fan, might be over ten meters deep, so we all needed to be cautious. Everyone had entered the water, but due to what happened last night, there was still a sense of unease about this stretch of the river.
Once we were in the water, our communication relied mostly on gestures. However, after diving deeper, we still hadn’t spotted a single Yin Cat.
We began searching for the Yin Cats' lair. About fifteen minutes later, Gao Ling made a discovery. He waved his arms excitedly, his movements exaggerated, quickly drawing my attention.
When I reached Zhang Xun's side, I saw an opening in the riverbank. The hole was large enough for an adult to swim through alone, with arms spread wide for frog kicks.
This opening was about seven meters underwater. Gao Ling gestured to me, and I understood his meaning; I suspected this might be one of the Yin Cats' nests.
We called everyone over. After a quick glance, we reached a consensus that Zhang Xun would go in first, and I followed closely behind. However, once inside, I realized this hole led to a different world; it expanded as we went deeper, yet we still hadn’t seen a single Yin Cat.
After swimming for several dozen meters, we turned a corner. The water level kept decreasing until it barely reached our knees.
"This is truly a strange place," Gao Ling remarked.
We removed our oxygen mouths and began communicating verbally. Zhao Fan said, "I've been here for several years, but I've never heard of such a place."
I surveyed the surroundings and when I looked up, I froze for a few seconds because above my head hung a coffin.
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