Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Living Funeral
She quickly gave me a clear answer: it was me.
I continued, "Are you the Ghost Messenger?"
Ling Yu replied with a soft "yes."
I fell silent for a moment, suddenly unsure of what to say. Ling Yu seemed equally at a loss.
Both of us were quiet. I was thinking about Ling Yu's purpose for coming here. After a while, I took the initiative to ask, "What did you come to find me for?"
Ling Yu said, "I came to see you." Her tone was light, but I felt it wasn't that simple. I told her, "If there's something you need to say, just say it directly."
Ling Yu smiled and said, "You're still the same as before."
"Before?"
Ling Yu nodded and added, "Actually, I'm curious. When you were born, the Ghost Messenger had to come to congratulate you."
"The Ghost Messenger came to congratulate me?"
Ling Yu nodded again, confirming it. However, the information I had received was different. I said, "That doesn't seem right. Isn't the Ghost Messenger supposed to come to collect my soul? When did they start coming to congratulate people?"
Ling Yu replied, "Collecting your soul is actually a way of congratulating you. Otherwise, how could that Taoist priest retrieve your soul from the Ghost Messenger?"
What kind of logic is that? I asked, "Is it really like that?"
"That's how it is," Ling Yu said.
I replied, "You came here just to talk to me? I don't think it's that simple. Just be straightforward."
Ling Yu responded, "Actually, it's quite simple. Someone wants you to put away the Book of Ten Thousand Ghosts."
Someone? I was puzzled. Ling Yu continued, "Yes, someone wants you to retract the Book of Ten Thousand Ghosts you just wrote." I asked, "This person is probably from your Underworld, right?" Ling Yu said, "That's not important. Once your Book of Ten Thousand Ghosts is written and spreads, you'll find yourself in trouble."
I asked, "What if I refuse to put it away?"
Ling Yu replied, "Then no one will be able to save you."
I said to Ling Yu, "I won't put it away. Also, have that person face me directly."
Ling Yu said, "If you choose not to put it away, that's your business with him; it has nothing to do with me." The way Ling Yu said this was so nonchalant. Then Ling Yu asked, "Do you see that brightest star?"
I nodded.
In the glow of the campfire, Ling Yu cast no shadow. "Each star represents a life," Ling Yu explained. "The brightest one we see often represents ourselves. If that star dims, it means that life is about to fade away."
I asked Ling Yu, "Do you have your own star?"
Ling Yu replied, "Of course I do. Have you seen the brightest one? The brightest one is you, and beside it is the dimmest one—that's me."
I inquired, "Why are you next to my star then?"
Ling Yu said, "Stars are scattered everywhere; who can truly understand their hearts? Perhaps you'll understand in the future."
I remarked, "Indeed, who can truly understand their hearts?"
"Actually, you are right about the Book of Ten Thousand Ghosts," Ling Yu said. "Now, the living are suffering, and almost all the souls have no place to return. If that path remains tightly closed, many people will disappear forever."
I hesitated to respond. Ling Yu continued, "Chen Fei, if that path really opens again because of your Book of Ten Thousand Ghosts, what will you do?"
I replied that I didn't know what I would do or could do. I told Ling Yu that I believed there would be plenty of obstacles in the end. "There will definitely be someone to stop you; perhaps I will be one of them."
I asked Ling Yu, "So, if that's the case, we will become enemies, right?"
Ling Yu said, "Maybe. We'll see."
Looking at Ling Yu now, she hardly resembled a Ghost Messenger. She said, "I've already delivered my message; I've done what I should and what I shouldn't have done. My business here is finished; it's time for me to leave. However, the next Ghost Messenger won't have such good news."
I asked, "Where are you going?"
Ling Yu took a few steps, suddenly turned around, and smiled brightly. "Don't worry; I won't go far. Chen Fei, do you see that bright star? There’s another bright star next to it."
After Ling Yu finished speaking, I looked up at the night sky. Sure enough, as she said, beside my brightest star was indeed another bright star. But when I turned back to look in the direction Ling Yu had left, she had already vanished.
I stared at those two stars and then glanced at Ling Yu's dim star. The initial excitement in my heart gradually calmed down.
The evening breeze blew gently as Feng Li stirred slightly on my lap.
I sighed. Whatever is meant to come will come. So let everything arrive in its own time. Perhaps there would still be some tension, but tonight the entire night sky was dim except for a few particularly bright stars. I wondered how Jiang Changsheng and the others were doing now.
Sitting on the ground, I felt a moment of confusion.
My father and Li Guang were still talking. I lowered my head to glance at Feng Li, who was sleeping peacefully—everything was harmonious until dawn.
Around noon on the second day, we arrived at a village. The place was sparsely populated, yet it exuded an unusual sense of tranquility. "Li Guang," I thought, this is the perfect refuge.
"Is it?" I asked.
"Li Guang, you can rest assured, it definitely is," he replied. Once my father settled down, I pulled Li Guang aside and said, "Last night, a Ghost Messenger found me. Did you foresee that?"
"I did foresee it. I also know she won't harm you," Li Guang said confidently. I continued, "And the Ghost Messenger will come again. Did you see that too?"
"I did. She'll come knocking at midnight tomorrow," he confirmed.
"What can I do about it?" I inquired.
"Nothing much. I'm just a fortune teller, not a Taoist priest. You need to save yourself," he replied.
"What about my father and Feng Li?" I asked anxiously.
"There’s a temple nearby. Tonight, I'll take your father there for refuge, but you must stay in this village; otherwise, it won't just be your father's life at stake," Li Guang explained.
"What about Feng Li?" I pressed.
"I will only save your father. He is a good man, and you shouldn't ask for too much. This time, I need your cooperation. Are you willing to cooperate?"
At that moment, my palms were sweating profusely. I hesitated before asking, "Will I die?"
"You're asking me questions you shouldn't be asking," Li Guang said with a hint of concern. "I can't guarantee your life or death; that's up to fate." After that, he added, "Now I need to talk to your father about the benefits of the temple so we can take him there tonight."
I was left speechless...
However, I couldn't ask for too much. After Li Guang left, I still had Feng Li here. If the Ghost Messenger really came knocking tonight, it definitely wouldn't be as gentle as Ling Yu. I glanced at Feng Li, who was standing at a distance, staring at a tree.
Feng Li's gaze was fixed, but it seemed like she wasn't really looking at the tree; she was lost in thought. Feeling a bit anxious, I walked over to her and asked, "What are you looking at?"
"I'm looking at the tree," Feng Li replied.
I continued, "Which room do you want to sleep in tonight?"
We were currently in a farmhouse. Feng Li said, "Since the maid isn't here, how about I sleep in the same room as you?"
I responded, "That's not allowed. You're a girl."
Feng Li countered, "When I was five years old, there was no distinction between boys and girls, so it's fine for me to sleep with you. Chen Fei, are you unwilling?"
I sighed... Communicating with a brat like her was truly not easy. I replied, "No, I can't. I'm not married yet."
Feng Li tilted her head and looked at me, saying, "You're really shameless for saying such things to a child."
I...
Ignoring my response, Feng Li walked ahead and declared, "Alright then, I'll choose this room." She picked a room and I followed her inside. The courtyard had already been cleaned and arranged by Li Guang's people, so the room was neat and tidy.
Feng Li climbed onto the bed and said to me, "Chen Fei, you need to go out now; this is my boudoir."
I...
I stepped out of the room just as my father came out and said, "Fei Er, tonight Mr. Li and I are going to visit the temple. I've heard there's a mysterious mage inside; you should come with me."
Li Guang smiled at me and looked into my eyes, and I quickly understood his meaning.
I said, "Father, I'm not going."
My father replied, "Just go and take a look. It won't hurt you. You've been troubled by the Ghost Messenger for so long; perhaps meeting the master this time will resolve this entanglement."
I said, "Father, I don't believe in Buddhism."
Before my father could say anything else, Li Guang chuckled and said, "If the young man doesn't want to go, then let him be. Parents can't control their children forever." With that, Li Guang took my father's hand and walked outside, saying, "The air in this countryside is really nice."
As I watched my father and Li Guang's figures fade away, I suddenly thought that the only thing I could do was take this step.
Meanwhile, Feng Li was sulking inside the house. I realized that it would be best for me to leave tonight instead of staying in this courtyard.
Taking a deep breath, I sat down in the yard. There was an old tree in the courtyard, its leaves a vibrant green. A breeze blew by, bringing a refreshing coolness. Night soon fell after we had dinner, and Li Guang took my father to the temple. As they left, Li Guang patted my shoulder and said, "Take care of yourself."
Once they were gone, my heart felt heavy.
Feng Li grabbed my hand and said, "Chen Fei, take me to bed."
I nodded and escorted Feng Li to her room. She opened her big eyes and looked at me before saying, "Tell me a story about when you were like me."
I glanced at Feng Li; honestly, I had no memory of such a time. So I made up a story on the spot.
However, my mind was occupied with thoughts of Zhang Xun and the others who had awakened from the coffin with me. But Nian Chen was different; had Nian Chen never died or aged from the beginning? Everything felt surreal. Yet looking at Feng Li in front of me,
After finishing the story, I covered Feng Li with a thin blanket and said to her gently, "Sleep well."
"Feng Li," I said, "you won't go far, will you?"
I nodded in response. I was sleeping in the adjacent room. After speaking, I blew out the kerosene lamp, and the room instantly plunged into darkness. I told Feng Li, "I'm leaving now. You sleep well and don't open your eyes."
I stepped out of the room into the darkness and gently closed the door behind me.
A gust of wind brushed against my cheek, feeling a bit cool. I stood still in the courtyard for a moment before walking outside. The night breeze was chilly, and my hands felt cold as I walked toward an empty place.
If I were to die, I might as well do it quietly.
Above me were stars, sparse yet bright enough to illuminate the path beneath my feet. I walked forward, my heart heavy with concerns, though I didn't know who to share them with. I continued until I reached a deserted area.
I stood there quietly; it wasn't yet the middle of the night—probably still an hour to go.
Time passed quickly, and before long, it was upon me. At that moment, I looked up at the sky and noticed that one of the two bright stars that had been so close together suddenly dimmed.
A sense of foreboding surged within me.
Comment 0 Comment Count