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墨書 Inktalez
Living Funeral
I was still waiting for the child to respond, but at that moment, he seemed to have returned to a state of "truth," repeatedly saying thank you. His words were unclear, making him appear quite adorable. The whole family was overjoyed.
They thanked me profusely. It seemed that the child wouldn’t be able to answer me, so I turned to the adults and said not to discard that talisman. At this point, the family had complete faith in me. I continued, "Don't worry, I won't let my child lose the talisman."
"Thank you so much!"
I replied, "No need to thank me." After saying that, I prepared to head outside, but just as I stepped into the yard, the old man called out to me, "Master, please wait."
I turned around and asked, "Is there anything else?"
The old man said, "Master, I was mistaken before; I apologize. Since you saved my grandson, could you give him a name? It would bring some joy."
I was taken aback for a few seconds after hearing this. "Do you really want me to name him?"
The old man replied, "You are my grandson's benefactor; it is only fitting for you to name him."
I thought for a moment and glanced inside through the window before saying, "This child has survived great adversity and must have future blessings. Therefore, he should have an auspicious name. Let's call him 'Golden Horn.'" As soon as I finished speaking, the child inside let out a cry that echoed in my ears; I could sense a hint of reluctance in his wail.
Hearing the name I chose contained the character for gold, the old man felt it was auspicious. "Gold is indeed a noble quality! What a wonderful name! Look, my grandson is so happy he’s crying."
I: …
In truth, this name was inspired by Wei Zheng's dream of slaying the Golden Horn Dragon King. The child’s crying at this moment surely indicated he understood my intention and was displeased with the name I had given him. However, since he was trying to play tricks on me, I certainly wouldn’t give him any leeway.
Of course, I didn’t treat him like an ordinary child anymore. I had already come to believe he was the reincarnation of the Dragon King.
The night had fallen, making the path difficult to navigate. My mind was heavy as I arrived at the Bai Family residence. At that moment, Bai was still sobbing intermittently. I felt a deep sense of pity for him; he looked at me with tear-filled eyes, holding back his cries.
He stared at me, and I didn’t know what to say. The death of his father was not something to take lightly.
Bai appeared somewhat stubborn at that moment. I said to White Path, "If you want to cry, just cry." I felt a pang of guilt inside; I had known beforehand that someone would die, yet I still hadn’t been able to prevent Father Bai's death.
I sighed. Bai said to me, "I won’t cry. I've already cried enough. My father is gone, and from now on, I have to rely on myself."
Zhang Xun and Nian Chen had already returned.
Bai's tone was resolute. Father Bai's body lay on the bed, covered with a white cloth. I glanced at the body and then at Bai, feeling sorry for him as he would be left all alone in the future. After a moment of silence, I said to White Path, "Yang Bai, you should come with me from now on."
Bai fell silent for a moment before replying, "No, my father's surname is Yang; I can't change my surname."
I was taken aback.
I told White Path, "Whatever your name is now will remain the same when you come with me. Yang Bai, Yang Bai—you will always be called Yang Bai in this lifetime. No one will force you into anything; just remember your original intentions."
Bai looked at me suspiciously and asked, "Really?"
I took his wrist and led him to Father Bai's body. I said, "Yang, Bai will live with me from now on. Whatever he wants to do in the future, I won’t force him. If I go against this vow, may nothing good come my way—provided that Bai walks the right path."
I spoke earnestly, and Gao Ling remarked, "Fei, are you serious about this?"
I glanced at Gao Ling and replied, "I never joke about such matters." Turning back to White Path, I asked, "Yang Bai, do you believe me now?"
Bai wiped away a tear and said softly, "I believe you." Then he added, "Father, you need to help me bury him."
I said, "No problem." At that moment, tears began to shimmer in Bai's eyes, and finally, after calling out "Dad," she couldn't hold back her cries any longer. I held Bai in my arms and murmured, "This time, I owe you all an apology."
Zhang Xun and Nian Chen stared at me intently. Looking at the two of them, Zhang Xun suddenly said, "It seems like the old you is coming back."
Nian Chen added, "Maybe Fei has never changed."
I sighed. Yes, perhaps I had never changed. Suddenly, I felt a heaviness in my heart; too many people had died. Thinking about it, that damned fortune teller still wanted to send me dreams. I muttered, "Everyone should go to sleep now."
Bai looked at me and asked, "Can I stay here with my dad?"
I replied, "Sure, just consider it as wearing mourning clothes."
I turned to Zhang Xun and said, "Keep an eye on things for me." Zhang Xun nodded. I felt a bit weary—not physically tired, but mentally exhausted. I found a random spot and fell asleep. At that moment, Nian Chen walked in and covered me with a thin blanket.
I murmured a thank you, to which Nian Chen replied, "No need to thank me." Looking at me, Nian Chen's eyes seemed to hold a gentle lake of warmth. After standing still for a few seconds, Nian Chen left the room while I lay on a simple bed.
The fortune teller had told me that as long as I completed three tasks for him, he would send me dreams.
At this moment, I held onto that thought; I wanted to see what he would show me tonight since I had fulfilled my promises. It wasn't long before I drifted off to sleep. Of course, one cannot actively control their dreams.
Once asleep, it was as if I had become a "dead person."
I don't know how much time passed before my dream opened up. Soon enough, the fortune teller appeared again, dressed as he had been before. Upon seeing him, I said, "You finally showed up."
But what surprised me was that the first thing the fortune teller said was, "Chen Fei, you're really bad for naming him Golden Horn." He said this with a smile, but I wasn't in the mood for jokes.
I replied to the fortune teller, "You were threatening me when you sent someone to tell me this story before."
The fortune teller said, "What is it that you want to know?"
I replied, "Let's be straightforward. Even if you threaten me, I won't be afraid of you."
I stared at the fortune teller, but a mist seemed to obscure my vision.
The fortune teller awkwardly chuckled a few times and said, "How could I dare to threaten you? You are Chen Fei." I responded, "Even if I help you save the Dragon King, he probably won't live much longer. Right now, he's nothing more than an infant; killing him would be as easy as pie."
"You figured it out?"
"Of course. I'm not an idiot. Otherwise, why do you think he was named Golden Horn?" After saying this, the fortune teller couldn't help but laugh again, likely imagining how furious the Dragon King would be.
I chose not to respond to his comment. Suddenly, the fortune teller looked at me with suspicion and asked, "Wait, Chen Fei, have you returned?"
I told him, "Someone wants to kill the Dragon King. You should go save him yourself."
The fortune teller replied, "You know I came to find you for a reason; of course, I want you to save the Dragon King once more."
I asked, "Why should I?"
I still felt a lingering resentment for not being able to save Father Bai. If the fortune teller had told me who was going to die back then, I would have definitely stopped Father Bai. But now that Father Bai was dead, why should I go save some Dragon King? It all sounded rather ridiculous to me.
"Chen Fei, what are you thinking about?"
I retorted, "Can't you figure it out yourself?"
The fortune teller said, "I know you're upset with me for not saving lives when I could have. But some people are destined to die; who can save them? Can you? Can I? None of us can."
"Then it seems the Dragon King has reached his fate." As soon as I said this, I left the fortune teller speechless.
The fortune teller said, "Chen Fei, you will definitely return. Are you hiding something that others shouldn't know?"
I spat in disdain.
The fortune teller continued, "You can't possibly be unaware of your return, can you?"
I was left speechless.
After a moment of silence, I replied to the fortune teller, "Actually, I've never really left. You know it, and I know it. Also, if you want me to save the Dragon King, you need to show some sincerity. I'm tired of your tricks."
His expression soured at my words. The fortune teller retorted, "Chen Fei, your tongue is as sharp as ever. Fine, I'll speak plainly with you. If you help me save the Dragon King, I'll tell you a secret. How does that sound?"
I looked at him and asked, "A Dragon King's life for a secret?"
He replied, "This isn't just any secret; it could be the biggest variable in your life. Do you remember why you died all those years ago?"
At this point, I froze. This was something I had always wanted to know. Deep down, I had a significant confusion: did I actually die? Did Jiang Changsheng bring me back to life? But why did I leave a body behind in Dead Man's Cave?
Had I planned it all out myself? I suppressed my excitement, fearing he would notice my urgency and refuse to discuss these matters later. So I deliberately chose not to answer the fortune teller.
He then said to me, "It seems you're unwilling to revisit those events from back then! Well then, if you're not willing to talk about it, I won't press further!"
I was left speechless again.
Was this fortune teller trying to set a trap for me? Was he testing whether I would recall the events of that time? It seemed that he couldn't predict everything after all; he was merely guessing. Yet he had indeed guessed correctly because I truly had no recollection of what happened back then.
My breathing became somewhat heavy, and after a moment, I said, "My survival is not entirely a matter of chance, and of course, my death is not coincidental either."
I was unaware of what had happened back then, so I could only speak ambiguously, hoping to extract some useful information from this fortune teller.
After I finished speaking, the fortune teller remarked, "Could it be that everything that happened back then was all part of your own calculations? If that's the case, you truly are quite terrifying."
I was too lazy to engage in small talk with this guy. I directly asked, "Haven't you figured it out?"
The fortune teller replied, "There are a few lives in this world that I cannot predict. However, there are two lives that I can foresee, but I dare not attempt to read them." I didn't interrupt him and waited for him to continue. The few lives I cannot predict include Jiang Changsheng, Hu Qingming, Xiao Tongwen, and Xiong Ao. Of course, I also cannot foresee Yin Chai's fate.
Upon hearing this, I felt a bit shocked. This was the second time I had heard the names Xiao Wentong and Hu Qingming, yet I had never encountered either of them. The other name was completely unfamiliar to me.
I asked, "And who are the ones you dare not predict?"
The fortune teller replied, "The two people whose fates I dare not read are quite interesting. The first is you; I do not dare to predict your fate. The other is the secret I was about to exchange with you just now."
His words piqued my curiosity even further. So I asked, "Why can't you predict the fates of the earlier mentioned individuals, and why do you not dare to predict mine?"
After my question, the fortune teller said, "Do you really need to ask? The fates of those earlier individuals lie beyond the Five Elements and outside of Bagua; they essentially have no fate at all. As for why I do not dare to predict yours..."
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