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墨書 Inktalez
"Let's go. I'll take you there, and then I'll find Grandpa. He will definitely be able to help me lift this curse. I won't die; I absolutely won't die!" Wei Ning rallied his spirits, shaking the Soul Bell in his hand, scattering paper money all around.
The night breeze blew in, unintentionally lifting Lin Lingsu's black hat. Lin Lingsu's previously stiff face twitched slightly, but Wei Ning, who was walking ahead, could not see it.
The night grew darker; the village, the forest, the pits, and the ditches seemed to have all fallen into a mysterious silence. Only Wei Ning's faintly ringing Soul Bell could be heard.
"Yin People borrow the path; Yang Person avoid," Wei Ning chimed with a series of crisp bell sounds, scattering paper money along the way. Because of the terrifying nature of the Corpse Driver, they usually chose remote paths to avoid shocking others. Thus, the mountain roads were rugged and overgrown with thorns. After walking for over an hour, Wei Ning felt a bit thirsty but found his water flask empty when he checked.
"I forgot to refill my water at the Corpse Driver Inn," Wei Ning thought to himself. Looking around, he saw a crescent moon desperately lingering at the dark edge of the forest. A river wound around the mountains, its surface occasionally shimmering with silver light, not a breath of wind stirring.
"Wait here for me; I'll go get some water and be right back," Wei Ning said to Lin Lingsu, fully aware that she couldn't hear him.
Reaching the riverbank, Wei Ning used the moonlight to comb through his messy hair before filling his flask with water. As he turned to leave, he suddenly felt as if something had grabbed his foot. He tugged hard, but whatever it was seemed to grow stronger, pulling him directly toward the water. When he looked back, he saw a head resembling that of a three or four-year-old child emerging from the surface—disheveled hair and a round depression in the center of its forehead. Its eyes sparkled with a strange light, while its mouth resembled that of a crow, revealing four sharp teeth on both top and bottom.
"Water Monkey!" Wei Ning's heart sank as he instinctively shouted out the name of this creature.
In Xiangxi, there was a type of water ghost known as Water Monkey or "Head-Showing Ghost." They often lurked in shallow waters, specifically targeting children playing by the water and women washing clothes, dragging them down to drown. Although Water Monkeys were short in stature, they possessed immense strength and typically preyed on women and children. As a result, adults strictly forbade children from playing near water for fear of encountering such monsters.
The origins of Water Monkeys varied; some were said to be drowned water ghosts transformed into these creatures seeking replacements, while others were still unknown species.
Suddenly, splashes erupted as several hands emerged from the water; more Water Monkeys appeared and began dragging Wei Ning down into the depths. Despite his struggles against them—legend had it that one Water Monkey could pull a cow into the water—Wei Ning was swiftly pulled under.
Several Water Monkeys grasped his hands and feet while others yanked at his hair, forcing him underwater where he found himself unable to move. His body sank directly to the riverbed as water and mud rushed into his mouth and nose.
A Water Monkey began to climb onto Wei Ning's chest, baring its sharp white teeth, ready to bite down. Wei Ning was pinned down by the Water Monkey, unable to move a muscle, let alone fight back. As he faced the imminent threat of becoming a meal for the creature, he felt despair creeping in.
In that critical moment, Wei Ning took a deep breath, his lips pressed tightly together. He bit down hard on his tongue just as the Water Monkey was about to sink its teeth into him.
"Zha!" Wei Ning shouted with all his might.
A stream of True Yang Blood Saliva shot directly into the Water Monkey's left eye.
The Water Monkey recoiled in pain and let out a muffled grunt before fleeing.
Wei Ning cursed under his breath, realizing that if they had been on land without the resistance of water, his True Yang Blood Saliva could have pierced through the Water Monkey's skull and taken its life instantly.
This True Yang Blood Saliva was derived from Wei Ning biting through his own tongue to extract true yang blood, mixed with Primordial Qi. It was immensely powerful and served as his last resort for survival. He would never use it unless absolutely necessary. However, it couldn't be used frequently; after one application, he would be unable to use it again for a while. Moreover, if his Primordial Qi was insufficient, repeatedly biting his tongue could lead to severe injury or even death if he wasn't careful.
With one hand flailing in the water, Wei Ning managed to grab a nearby stone. Since the Water Monkey had only grabbed hold of his arm, he still had strength in his wrist. With a powerful swing, he struck the Water Monkey's head with the stone. Under normal circumstances, a person wouldn't be able to hit anything underwater due to pressure, but Wei Ning infused his strike with Primordial Qi learned from an elder. The stone broke through the water and smashed into the back of the Water Monkey's head. The creature yelped in pain and released Wei Ning's arm before fleeing. With one hand freed, Wei Ning quickly picked up a large rock from the riverbed and smashed it down on several other Water Monkeys. They were caught off guard by Wei Ning's ferocity and scattered in all directions.
Finally surfacing from the water, Wei Ning took a deep breath and thought to himself: That was close; I almost met my end at the hands of those Water Monkeys.
Climbing onto the shore, he cleared the mud from his mouth and nose and tidied up his wet clothes and hair. Remembering that Lin Lingsu was still in the woods, he hurried back. However, upon returning to where Lin Lingsu had been, she was nowhere to be found.
Wei Ning felt a wave of frustration wash over him; he blamed himself for not taking better care of Lin Lingsu. If anything happened to her... he would never forgive himself.
Where could Lin Lingsu have gone? She had been right here just moments ago. As the God of Joy, she couldn't have simply run away on her own.
Could it be that he encountered another corpse thief like Wu Haozi?
Wei Ning took out the compass and hurriedly followed its direction to search for Lin Lingsu.
Following the compass's guidance, Wei Ning rushed forward, but the compass seemed to be malfunctioning. The needle was shaking erratically, and the closer he got to Lin Lingsu, the more it trembled. Finally, with a loud bang, it exploded.
Wei Ning stopped, finding himself at the entrance of a cave. Wisps of faint blue smoke were rising from within. He frowned and took a handful of air to his nose.
"What a heavy Evil Energy!"
Could it be that Lin Lingsu was inside?
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