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墨書 Inktalez
"How do you know my name?" Wei Ning was taken aback when Wang Tuozi called out his name.
Could this person also be... Wei Ning felt a bead of sweat form in his palm.
Wang Tuozi shot him an annoyed glance and said, "You're really stupid. In this world, besides your Wei Family, who else has seven bones?"
Wei Ning had heard from his grandfather that their Wei Family had a unique trait throughout generations: while normal people had only six bones, the descendants of the Wei Family had an extra one. But how did he know?
Wang Tuozi glared at Wei Ning and added, "When you helped me up just now, I casually felt around you."
Wei Ning had only touched him for a few seconds; he couldn't believe that Wang Tuozi could tell how many bones he had. This was unbelievable. Was he even human? Wei Ning hesitantly used "human" to refer to this strange old man.
Grasshopper Witch, Corpse Ghost, and now this enigmatic old man—Wei Ning encountered one bizarre thing after another today, making his scalp tingle.
"Right, I should hurry home and tell Grandpa about what happened today when he returns. He will definitely know," Wei Ning resolved. Without saying goodbye to Wang Tuozi, he quickly prepared to head down the mountain.
Wang Tuozi tapped the ground with his bamboo stick as he stumbled forward, sighing, "People these days don’t know how to be grateful after saving their lives. They just leave an old man like me in this desolate place. Really, sigh..."
So he was blind. Wei Ning couldn't help but feel a surge of sympathy. He remembered how someone had saved him earlier, yet he had left that person behind without a second thought. Looking at the surroundings, he thought, "It's still early; I might as well take him back first before heading home."
With that in mind, Wei Ning walked over to Wang Tuozi and said, "Grandpa, where do you live? If it's not far, I can take you back."
Wang Tuozi's face lit up with a smile. "It's very close, very close. Not far at all."
Wei Ning squatted down and lifted Wang Tuozi onto his back. Oddly enough, when he helped him up earlier, he felt incredibly heavy; now that he was carrying him, it felt as light as carrying a piece of paper.
"Carry me well, good disciple."
Wei Ning shook his head vigorously like a rattle and pouted, "I'm not your disciple! My grandpa is much more powerful than you."
"Hey, do you know how many people want me to give them some pointers? You, hey, but that old man really has some skills. It's been a long time since I last saw him; I wonder how he is doing now," Wang Tuozi said with a sigh.
"Do you know my grandfather?" Wei Ning asked.
"I suppose I do. Your Wei Family is quite peculiar; it's better if I know fewer of you."
Wei Ning thought to himself, "You're the peculiar one. My grandfather has always treated me well."
Suddenly, Wang Tuozi laughed and said, "Disciple, you must have just been cursing me in your heart."
"No," Wei Ning replied, feeling a tightness in his chest. How did he know I was thinking that?
"Really not?" Wang Tuozi said with a teasing smile. "That's good. In our line of work, respecting teachers and valuing the way is very important."
"Child, what do you plan to do when you grow up?" Wang Tuozi asked as he chatted with Wei Ning.
"I want to be a Corpse Driver, just like my grandfather. Holding a string of Soul Banners, shaking the Soul Bell to summon the Yin People while the living can avoid them," Wei Ning exclaimed excitedly, mimicking his grandfather's tone and gestures.
"Your Wei Family really is full of oddballs. Other kids want to go to college and become scientists, and here you are, heh heh. You've got ambition."
"I don't want to study! When I grow up, I want to be the most famous Corpse Handler. Those Gods of Joy who die far from home must feel so sad if they can't return; I don't want to see them unhappy even in death."
"Oh." Wang Tuozi hadn't expected such compassion from someone as young as Wei Ning. He couldn't help but regard him with newfound respect. After a long pause, he sighed and said, "I hope you can live to see that day."
"What do you mean?"
Wang Tuozi seemed to have let something slip and quickly added, "It's nothing, nothing." But then he appeared somewhat reluctant and asked, "Hasn't your grandfather ever mentioned anything to you?"
"Have you ever mentioned anything?"
Wang Tuozi tentatively asked, "For example, your father or maybe your uncle?"
Wei Ning thought for a moment. "I heard my mother mention that my father died when I was one year old. I think I also have an uncle and an aunt, but my uncle seems to have died when I was very young."
Wang Tuozi interjected, "Did they both die at the age of twenty-seven?"
"I don't know about that. Why do you ask?"
"Oh, it's nothing," Wang Tuozi said, his eyes flickering as he gently patted Wei Ning's head. He thought to himself, "Poor child, you have no idea if you can fight against fate. Sigh..."
Unknowingly, the two had walked over a hill, and it had gradually grown dark. Ahead, they could see the smoke rising from a farmhouse.
They were approaching Yuanjia'ao.
"That ticket lady must have crossed the mountain already, so why has it taken so long? It's been quite a while," Wei Ning began to complain about the ticket lady in his heart. In truth, he was unfairly blaming the kind lady; she had done nothing wrong but had simply used some Dao Techniques to delay Wei Ning's return home.
As he watched the sun setting in the west, Wang Tuozi squinted and said, "Disciple, I'm afraid you won't be going back tonight. We might as well spend the night here and return tomorrow."
"No way! My mom will be worried. Good children shouldn't spend the night outside. If I don't go back tonight, my mom will surely be frantic."
"Look at the sun; what time is it? Do you really think it's safe for you to walk alone on this road tonight? What if you encounter something unclean? You won't even have a place to cry."
"Well..." Wei Ning was still just a child. The thought of being alone in these desolate mountains, especially after leaving his grandfather behind, made him feel uneasy.
"Trust me, let's go to that house; I know them." Wang Tuozi pointed ahead with his stick.
"You... are not blind, are you?"
Wang Tuozi rolled his eyes, which were mostly white with a hint of black. "Which eye of yours saw that I am blind?"
"Then why are you holding a stick? And why are you pretending to be blind, poking it around on the ground? Trying to trick me into carrying you."
"Whether I want to hold a stick or not is none of your business."
Wei Ning realized he had been fooled by Wang Tuozi, having carried him on his back for an entire afternoon. His face flushed with anger as he loosened his grip and shouted, "Get down! Get down!"
But who would have thought that Wang Tuozi seemed to have rooted himself on Wei Ning's back, refusing to budge.
"You... liar, bad person! Turtle bastard!"
Seeing Wei Ning getting angry, Wang Tuozi just laughed and looked at him, even humming a tune.
Unable to shake him off or put him down, and with no one listening to his curses, Wei Ning had never encountered someone like this before. Frustrated and anxious, he simply plopped down on the ground.
He wasn't going anywhere.
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