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墨書 Inktalez
Uncle Tiger did not give the shaman a chance to counterattack; he swiftly took out Shroud and wrapped it around her. In just a few seconds, thick black smoke began to rise from her body.
With the shaman's wails coming to an end, only some white bones were left behind.
I took a moment to collect myself before turning to Uncle Tiger in astonishment, asking how the shaman could be a monster.
"She's not a monster," Uncle Tiger explained. "She's a hybrid of human and Monster. This isn't uncommon; many practitioners of dark arts secretly cultivate alongside Monsters. As for the shaman, she can only blame herself for breaking the taboo."
I asked Uncle Tiger what the taboo was.
He patiently explained, "The taboo refers to the prohibition against using Evil Arts to harm others and going against the will of heaven. If you do, you'll face retribution. Wang Niu, you must remember this."
For some reason, I felt as if Uncle Tiger's words hinted at something deeper. I pondered for a moment and replied affirmatively.
But then I thought, did Uncle Tiger know the shaman's true identity from the beginning? Why didn't he expose it earlier? If he had, we wouldn't be in this situation now.
Just as I was lost in thought, Uncle Tiger seemed to read my mind. He tapped my head a few times and sternly said, "Wang Niu, have you forgotten my words? Unless absolutely necessary, do not provoke practitioners of dark arts; otherwise, the consequences could be dire."
I replied with a sense of grievance, and then Uncle Tiger instructed the village chief to handle the aftermath before taking me back to my grandfather's house.
At that moment, I noticed an unusual silence in the house. After thinking for a moment, I realized that my grandfather was not present in the ancestral hall. My heart tightened as I called out for him several times, but there was no response. Even Uncle Tiger sensed something was off; under normal circumstances, if my grandfather were home, he would respond immediately. But today it was eerily quiet, and the front door was wide open.
I rushed into my grandfather's room and found him lying on the bed. Nearby were broken cups and scattered pills.
I was startled and hurried over to support him, but his body felt extremely cold. My hands trembled as an ominous feeling crept into my heart.
I placed my hand on my grandfather's nose and discovered that he was no longer breathing.
Panic surged through me as I stared at my grandfather; my mind went blank. Uncle Tiger reacted first and urged me to quickly call for a doctor—there might still be hope.
I was stunned for a few seconds before I rushed out to call the village doctor. Twenty minutes later, I returned home with the doctor, but after a thorough examination, he informed me that my grandfather had already passed away and could not be saved.
I felt as if lightning had struck me; I couldn't believe it. How could this be possible? My grandfather only had a common cold—how could it lead to death?
However, the doctor picked up the medication my grandfather had been taking and tore off the outer paper. It was then that I realized it was heart medication. Furthermore, the doctor mentioned that my grandfather had been taking these pills for some time, hiding it from me so as not to worry me.
In an instant, I felt as if all my strength had been drained away, and I collapsed to the ground. Uncle Tiger also felt helpless and comforted me, saying that once someone has died, they cannot come back to life; all we could do was arrange a proper farewell for my grandfather.
With the help of Uncle Tiger and the villagers, my grandfather's memorial was set up.
Throughout it all, I still couldn't accept the fact that my grandfather was gone. Yet there he lay in the coffin, which forced me to confront reality.
Uncle Tiger sighed and gave me some instructions before leaving. In the following days, he seemed to have vanished completely, which deepened my sorrow. After my grandfather, Uncle Tiger was the person I was closest to; I never expected this.
For the next few days, I wandered in a daze, keeping vigil over my grandfather's body without eating or drinking anything. I felt as if I were on the verge of death myself.
But on the seventh day, Uncle Tiger suddenly appeared and urged me to pull myself together. He brought me some food, and warmth began to return to my heart.
Uncle Tiger expressed his helplessness towards me and said, “Wang Niu, everyone has their day of birth, aging, illness, and death; this is something you must experience. Moreover, everyone must grow up; some things you have to bear on your own. What I'm about to tell you is very important; you must listen carefully.”
I was taken aback by his serious expression. Uncle Tiger only looked like this when something significant was happening.
I nodded and looked at him earnestly as he continued, “Wang Niu, your family is different from others; you've offended someone powerful. Today marks the seventh day since your grandfather's death—what we often refer to as the return night. Tonight, your grandfather's soul will return. You need to prepare an altar under his coffin to welcome him home. He will linger for a few moments; you must protect that altar well and ensure it doesn't break.”
I nodded heavily and prepared the altar under my grandfather's coffin as Uncle Tiger instructed. Before leaving, he handed me a shroud adorned with a snake pattern.
Given the special circumstances, I didn’t ask questions; I just knew that Uncle Tiger must have his reasons for doing this.
After Uncle Tiger left, I picked up the stick and placed it beside me. This made my heart feel much more at ease. Soon, night fell, and for some reason, my heart began to race. I glanced around, the darkness felt eerie.
I took a deep breath, constantly reassuring myself, but I just couldn't calm down. Fortunately, nothing happened during the first half of the night. However, as the night wore on, my scalp began to tingle.
Suddenly, a cough echoed from somewhere in the distance, jolting me awake. But at this late hour, where could that cough possibly come from?
This made me cautious. I immediately gripped the stick tightly and carefully approached the door. Suddenly, a shadow darted past me.
I was startled; such speed couldn't possibly belong to a human.
I swallowed hard as Uncle Tiger's words echoed in my mind, and I hurried back to guard the altar beside the coffin.
Moments later, silence returned. There were no sounds at all; I could faintly hear my own breathing. Yet it was precisely this silence that made me feel even more uneasy.
That shadow I saw earlier couldn't have been a figment of my imagination. Perhaps something was lurking nearby, watching me and waiting for the right moment to strike.
I tightened my grip on the stick when suddenly, the doors and windows began to shake violently, producing a whistling sound. Instinctively, I glanced back and was startled to see a red-faced mask protruding through the window paper. It vaguely resembled Zhong Kui.
I quickly hugged the altar to my chest. To my shock, the Red-Faced Mask tore through the window paper and flew inside with an aged laugh.
I dared not lift my head, clinging tightly to the altar in my arms.
"Wang Yishan, give me your wife and child's lives!" A voice filled with rage suddenly swirled above me.
I froze; Wang Yishan was my grandfather's name. How could he have killed someone?
Before I could think further, there was a loud crash as the coffin toppled over, and my grandfather's corpse rolled out, landing right at the doorway.
The Red-Faced Mask lunged at my grandfather's corpse, stabbing it repeatedly as if it had gone mad. In no time, my grandfather's body was left in a grotesque state.
I couldn't allow anyone to treat my grandfather like that. I set down the altar, grabbed a stick, and charged at the Red-Faced Mask. It seemed to have grown an eye on its back, suddenly turning toward me, revealing its sinister white teeth as it hissed, "You will die too, hehehe."
Then I saw the Red-Faced Mask transform into a massive fishing net that wrapped around me. The more I struggled, the tighter it became.
Before long, my skin was being cut by the constricting net, and I gritted my teeth in pain.
The Red-Faced Mask reveled in torturing me, intensifying its grip. It directly manipulated my body and threw me into a coffin. I felt a chill wash over me, and then everything went dark as the coffin lid slammed shut.
"Hah! I will bring ruin to your Wang family. Your grandfather deserves to die, and so do you! Hahaha!" The deranged voice of the Red-Faced Mask echoed from outside.
I pounded on the coffin lid with all my might, but it was futile. I thought I would die inside this coffin when suddenly, Uncle Tiger's voice reached me from outside.
I felt a surge of hope; if Uncle Tiger was here, nothing could go wrong.
Moments later, I sensed a powerful force flowing into the coffin from outside. With a loud crash, the coffin lid was thrown open. I rubbed my eyes to see Uncle Tiger reaching in to pull me out, asking if I was okay. I shook my head.
"Whoever you are, if you want to live, get lost!" The Red-Faced Mask glared at us with even greater fury.
Uncle Tiger showed no fear of the Red-Faced Mask and calmly replied, "The feud between you and the Wang family ended with Wang Yishan's death. No matter what happens, you cannot harm anyone from the Wang family."
The Red-Faced Mask dismissed Uncle Tiger's words and violently lifted the coffin before hurling it at us.
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