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墨書 Inktalez
Living Funeral
Gao Ling suddenly exclaimed, "What the hell is going on? This incense won't light!" Complaining, I glanced over at Gao Ling and asked, "Can't you get it to burn?"
Seeing my skepticism, Gao Ling challenged me, "Why don't you try it yourself?"
Feeling defiant, I stepped in front of Gao Ling and attempted to light the incense. After several tries, I began to believe there was something strange going on. Damn it, it really wouldn't catch fire! Gao Ling smirked, "See? I told you I wasn't lying."
I nodded, admitting that Gao Ling was indeed telling the truth. At that moment, Nian Chen also noticed what was happening and suggested, "It might be because the Yin Qi is too heavy." However, I felt that it didn't seem like a case of heavy Yin Qi; if that were true, the incense wouldn't have burned even a little at the start.
I searched for three new incense sticks and tried lighting them again, but the outcome was the same—the incense still went out. It burned for a while before extinguishing. Looking around, I saw nothing unusual. Could there be ghosts lurking nearby? If so, neither Zhang Xun nor Nian Chen seemed to notice anything.
Around eleven o'clock, everything was ready except for the incense that refused to light. Nian Chen then said, "Forget about the incense; let's just burn it along with the Ghost Money."
Following Nian Chen's suggestion, I tossed the incense into the blazing pile of Ghost Money. However, as soon as I did, something unexpected happened. My expression changed dramatically; it turned pale as I watched the once roaring flames extinguish immediately after the Ghost Money was added.
A bad feeling washed over me. Gao Ling noticed too and said, "Fei, something's off!"
I agreed; something definitely felt wrong. Cold sweat began to bead on my forehead. Damn it, this was getting eerie!
I called out, "Zhang Xun, Nian Chen, come over here and take a look."
As the flames from the Ghost Money died down and smoke continued to rise, I quickly explained what had happened. After hearing me out, both of their expressions grew serious as they scanned the surroundings and examined the remnants of the Ghost Money.
Zhang Xun remarked, "I don't see anything unusual."
Nian Chen spoke up, "I didn't see anything."
The area was relatively open, just a dilapidated temple and an Old Huai Tree; aside from that, there was nothing else in sight. Was there something hidden here? For some reason, I suddenly felt tense.
I turned to Zhang Xun and asked, "Should we continue?"
Zhang Xun glanced at Nian Chen, who replied, "Let's not continue for now. We can't afford any mishaps. If something goes wrong midway, the consequences would be unimaginable. We should first figure out what's causing the trouble."
Zhang Xun then reminded us that time was running out; we needed to finish everything by midnight. Everyone understood, and Zhang Xun lit the incense again. This time, he tossed the incense into the fire pit, but the flames extinguished once more.
Having witnessed this firsthand, Zhang Xun's expression grew even more serious. He stood up and looked around. Finally, his gaze landed on the dilapidated temple. "It's most likely that we've offended something in this temple," he said.
Zhang Xun's words were somewhat vague. It was already a little past eleven o'clock when Gao Ling suggested, "Let's go inside and take a look. We'll know everything once we do; there's no need to linger here." With that, Gao Ling walked toward the temple.
Worried about Gao Ling's safety, I followed closely behind him. Nian Chen and Zhang Xun didn't hesitate either. However, once we entered the temple, we were stunned to find that it wasn't a temple at all but rather a grave. There was a tomb inside the temple, which left us utterly confused.
Who on earth had the audacity to bury their grave within a temple? Moreover, it seemed that this place still housed deities—this was definitely eerie.
"How about we find another place?" someone suggested.
"There's no time," Nian Chen replied.
We stood inside the temple, unsure of what to do next. The grave had a stone tablet, but the inscriptions had been worn down to the point of being unreadable. Zhang Xun sighed and said, "Let's burn some incense and paper offerings and see if whatever is here is willing to let us go."
I murmured in agreement, thinking it was better this way to avoid trouble later.
"Let’s do it," Ghost Money was quickly ignited. Zhang Xun held the incense with both hands and respectfully said, "We are newcomers here and unfamiliar with the customs. If we disturb you, please forgive us. We offer this incense as an apology."
Zhang Xun lit the incense and began to bow in worship. After the ritual, he tossed the incense into the fire of the burning Ghost Money, and predictably, the flames extinguished once more. Our expressions turned even grimmer.
"Since that's the case, don’t blame us for being rude," Zhang Xun declared. After saying this, he began to set up a layout, making me bleed before directly drawing a rune on the tombstone.
Nian Chen did not hesitate either; he planted four banners around the grave mound, each inscribed with the character "Decree." Nian Chen then recited a string of incantations and placed a golden talisman on the tombstone. "Don’t hold it against us," he added.
At that moment, there was no movement from the grave. Zhang Xun cautiously said to us, "Nian Chen, you handle the ritual; I’ll keep watch here."
I glanced at Zhang Xun, wondering if this grave was truly that terrifying. I felt somewhat uneasy.
At that moment, I remembered the red compass Nian Chen had given me, which was in my backpack. I asked Zhang Xun, "Is this grave really that eerie?" Zhang Xun replied firmly, "Yes."
Nian Chen remarked that it was my fault for not checking out this dilapidated temple earlier. Zhang Xun continued, "Nian Chen, do you realize this is actually the best location? Perhaps the Ghost Gate opens right here." Nian Chen fell silent at this statement. Zhang Xun added that you wouldn’t do anything without certainty.
Nian Chen’s silence seemed to confirm this. After a while, he pinched his fingers together and said, "Alright, let’s go outside."
The three of us left the broken temple while Zhang Xun stayed behind to guard it. Nian Chen instructed me, "Take off your clothes. When we perform the ritual later, I won’t let you move; you’d better not fidget."
I complied as Nian Chen directed Gao Ling to stand behind her. She set up the red banner properly; under the glow of the crimson moonlight, it appeared even more enchanting. Once the red banner was in place, Nian Chen had me sit cross-legged on the ground and began writing something on my back with rooster blood.
As the time approached midnight, I felt the air around me growing colder.
At that moment, Nian Chen said to me, "Remember my words. Close your eyes."
I complied and closed my eyes as Nian Chen instructed. However, I had developed a bit of a psychological barrier about closing my eyes. The last time we went to Dead Man's Cave, Zhang was killed inside, and I silently prayed that nothing would go wrong this time.
Typically, during a ritual, the participants are asked to avoid looking or to close their eyes. This is to prevent them from seeing anything related to themselves that might disturb their focus and disrupt the ritual's progress.
So no matter what happened next, I tried my best to follow Nian Chen's instructions and keep my eyes shut. Once I closed them, I knew nothing more. A low humming sound began to fill my ears, like the sound of wind. Yet, I felt something tugging at my clothes, as if it were reluctant to leave. Time passed slowly as Nian Chen began chanting spells, finally calling out, "Chen Fei! Chen Fei! Chen Fei!"
I instinctively responded, but Nian Chen did not reply.
It felt as if Nian Chen was calling a spirit. Since he didn’t respond, I fell silent too. As time went on without any sound from him, I felt increasingly restless; even Gao Ling cursed under her breath.
The humming in my ears grew louder and louder. Just then, I felt something penetrate my body, entering through my back. It felt like being stabbed with a knife, and I couldn't help but cry out in pain.
And then it intensified; more sensations flooded in. I continued to scream in agony until I felt almost numb. At that moment, I sensed a warm current reemerging within me—this time two streams appeared on either side of my body. It was comforting and alleviated some of the pain.
But just then, a chilling voice whispered in my ear, "Are you tired of living by performing a ritual on my territory?"
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