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墨書 Inktalez
Living Funeral
As I entered the Yin-Yang Ghost Path, darkness enveloped me. However, after taking a few steps, I noticed faint starlight flickering in the shadows. Originally, Xiao Tongwen was holding my hand and leading me forward, but after just a few steps, another version of myself emerged from within.
The other me was being pulled forward by Xiao Tongwen, while I remained rooted in place, as if separated by a barrier.
I found myself unable to move, but the person being led by Xiao Tongwen suddenly turned around. He looked at me and smiled brightly. This time, I could clearly see his face; he was exactly like me... with the same features. He said to me, "You should go back."
After he spoke, I heard Xiao Tongwen say, "Fei, are you okay? Why do I feel something's off with you today?"
"Fatty Zhang!"
"Oh, you're back!"
The voices quickly faded away, and the four people in front of me gradually moved further away until they disappeared from my sight. I was left standing in this Yin-Yang Ghost Path, unable to advance.
I sighed heavily and suddenly realized who the person smiling at me from among the dead was. He must be me—just that I had lost my original intentions over the years. Not long after, the Yin-Yang Ghost Path shattered, and I vanished from its ruins. Then I opened my eyes and saw spirits standing beside me.
As my gaze shifted, I spotted Gao Ling and Zhang Xun. Also present was Hu Qingming.
I got up from the ground and glanced at Hu Qingming. He asked, "Do you remember now?"
I nodded and said, "So later on, did you all come back?"
"Jiang Changsheng came back with you, but Xiao Tongwen and I are incomplete. That's why I ended up trapped here, entangled again by Wandering Ghosts."
Gao Ling remarked, "Is there really Wandering Ghosts here?"
Hu Qingming replied, "Look behind me." After he spoke, he muttered, "Come out." Suddenly, a dark mass appeared behind him—an entire group of Black Souls. These souls were different from the normal Youlan-colored ones.
Gao Ling exclaimed in shock, "Damn it! There really are Wandering Ghosts."
Zhang Xun's expression changed. Hu Qingming said, "If this entanglement with the Wandering Ghosts doesn't end, I'll never be able to leave here. Chen Fei, you promised me you'd help sever my connection with these Wandering Ghosts."
After finishing his sentence, Zhang Xun suddenly recalled something and said, "Could it be that after you left Zuo Zongtang, the person you helped was Chen Fei?"
Hu Qingming replied, "Yes, the person I helped was indeed Chen Fei. We met on the vast Gobi Desert, and we hit it off. When we talked about our ideals, we found that they were similar. It was just right that we could help each other; why not? However, when we got involved with the Yin-Yang Dao, we both failed. Although you and Jiang Changsheng are complete, you lost more than I did. You lost your memories, and the memories you have now were merely reinserted by someone else. Someone wanted you to forget everything and live a mundane life."
Hu Qingming continued, "Did you almost forget your grand aspirations in this life?"
Someone re-implanted my memories? How eerie! I was confused by this revelation.
Zhang Xun looked at me and said, "Deep hypnosis can make you forget yourself and become another person."
"Yes," Hu Qingming said. "Is it really that sinister? But then who has been manipulating me?" At that moment, Zhang Xun and Hu Qingming seemed to share an unspoken understanding and fell silent.
After a pause, Hu Qingming said, "We don't know either."
I responded with a sound of acknowledgment but didn’t press further.
However, I thought that if I hadn’t been drawn back into this situation, living a simple life would have been quite good. Yet ultimately, things don’t always go as one wishes; what is meant to come will come. I should face everything with sincerity.
I remained silent for a moment before asking Hu Qingming, "Do you want me to help you sever the ties with these Wandering Ghosts?"
Hu Qingming nodded. I inquired further, "What should I do to help you?"
He replied, "Directly cut off the connection with the Wandering Ghosts. There’s a ghost vein behind me; as long as that vein is severed, it will be fine." I wasn’t foolish; if severing the ghost vein were that easy, Hu Qingming would have done it himself instead of seeking my help.
I asked Hu Qingming how to accomplish this.
He said, "With your blood."
"Is it that simple?"
Hu Qingming responded, "It's neither too difficult nor too easy; it all depends on how you do it. If the ghost vein isn’t severed properly, I will undoubtedly die."
I fell silent for a moment before asking, "How did Zuo Zongtang handle it back then?"
Hu Qingming replied, "You can't compare this. He was a general with military power, charging into battle with a heavy aura of death. Back then, the Wandering Ghosts were directly driven away by him; he has killed far more than ten thousand."
I thought about it and realized Hu Qingming was right. A renowned general like Zuo Zongtang had certainly killed more than ten thousand people. Therefore, the methods he used were not applicable to me. Should I just cut the problem off directly?
I felt uncertain. If I followed Hu Qingming's suggestion and failed, it would mean certain death. The pressure weighed heavily on my mind.
I said to Hu Qingming, "How about we come up with a foolproof plan before taking action?"
However, Hu Qingming countered, "If you hesitate when you should act, it will only lead to chaos. Chen Fei, we don't have much time left. You need my help, so you must sever this ghostly thread." At this point, he had laid everything bare.
Hu Qingming continued, "Chen Fei, there's really no need to hesitate. Just do it. If I die, I won't blame you."
The reason I could speak clearly with him now was that the Wandering Ghosts had not yet awakened. Once they did, no one would be able to escape; everyone might die. If we missed this opportunity, then Chen Fei, you could leave right now.
I remained silent, unsure of what to say.
Behind Hu Qingming was a mass of Black Souls. At that moment, his aide spoke up: "Chen Fei, just respect Qingming's choice."
I glanced at Hu Qingming and asked, "Are you really not regretting this?"
Hu Qingming replied firmly, "No regrets." After hearing those three words, I felt no hesitation left in me and prepared to take action. Since Hu Qingming had no regrets, what was there to fear? At worst, I would feel guilty for the rest of my life.
I asked Hu Qingming, "Where is the ghostly thread?"
He said, "Do you see a red line?"
At first, I didn't notice it until I looked several times before finally spotting it. Hu Qingming instructed me, "You need to cut this red line."
I asked again for clarification. "Is it just cutting this red line?"
Hu Qingming shook his head and said, "No. You need to sever the person holding onto this red line."
I followed the red thread and indeed saw a ghost grasping it. However, this ghost looked exactly like Hu Qingming himself. After taking a glance, I finally understood what Hu Qingming meant.
The part of the ghost holding onto the red thread was essentially a fragment of Hu Qingming's soul. If I were to sever it without proper handling, it would not be an exaggeration to say that Hu Qingming himself could die. I looked at the ghost behind me holding the red thread. At that moment, he had his eyes closed, as if he had yet to open them. He swayed among the Wandering Ghosts.
I said to Hu Qingming, "Then I'll make my move."
Hu Qingming responded with a good word. I began to walk toward the Wandering Ghosts, holding a dagger in my hand, which was dipped in my blood. At that moment, all the ghosts remained Awakened. I understood why Hu Qingming was entangled with the Wandering Ghosts; it was because a part of his soul was essentially the backbone of the Wandering Ghosts.
Zhang Xun called out to me, urging me to focus.
Gao Ling also encouraged me to concentrate. By the time I got closer, it would have been a lie to say I wasn't nervous.
My heart raced, and my hand gripping the dagger was slick with cold sweat. As I approached, I didn't hesitate; however, just as I raised the dagger, he suddenly opened his eyes wide and asked, "Are you going to kill me, Chen Fei?"
His tone was calm, and there was something familiar in his gaze that left me somewhat bewildered.
I replied, "Yes!"
"Chen Fei, you’ve killed the wrong person. The one you should kill is him."
At that moment, the soul resembling Hu Qingming spoke up while the other souls seemed to be in slumber.
I asked, "Why?"
Hu Qingming said, "For no reason other than that I am Hu Qingming."
"And what about him?"
"He is an Evil Spirit," the ghost replied. Yet no matter how I looked or listened, it felt like he was the Evil Spirit rather than the corporeal Hu Qingming. However, this Hu Qingming before me still bore a hint of sorrow, as if he had endured many hardships.
What left me in a state of indecision was the familiar feeling he gave me.
At that moment, I was engulfed in Black Souls, and I felt a sense of hesitation; I didn't know whether I should act.
At that time, the corporeal Hu Qingming said to me, "Chen Fei, don't hesitate any longer. Don't listen to his sweet words; everything he says is a lie."
I stared at the ghost before me, my heart racing. But just then, the ghost suddenly grabbed my hand and plunged a dagger into its own chest. It spoke, "Since you don't believe me, even if we meet again, it will be of no use. Our paths are different from others; we cannot afford any suspicion. Otherwise, we will ultimately fail."
"Chen Fei, I hope you succeed."
As the ghost before me slowly transformed into a wisp of black smoke, ready to vanish, I watched helplessly as the dagger in my hand, stained with my blood, began to consume the ghost bit by bit.
The black smoke rose slowly; soon, the ghost would turn into nothingness.
The corporeal Hu Qingming laughed and said, "Chen Fei, thank you for helping me. Hahaha..."
A wild laughter echoed around: "Chen Fei, you've been fooled."
The laughter grew increasingly maniacal. At that moment, I had not yet turned around. Taking a deep breath, I replied, "Is that so?"
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