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墨書 Inktalez
Something strange was happening here. Wei Ning thought to himself as he moved along the cave entrance. The tunnel wasn't long, only about ten meters. Upon exiting the cave, he found himself in a vast valley, dominated by a towering tree that appeared to be around twenty to thirty meters high under the moonlight. However, it was shrouded in mist, making it difficult to see clearly.
The Evil Energy here was so dense that it had already become fog-like. Could this be the legendary Ghost Valley?
Wei Ning pondered as he took out the Cow Tears given to him by Maid Granny and applied it to his eyes. When he opened them again, he was immediately horrified by what lay before him, gasping in shock.
The tree was riddled with corpses nailed to it in various positions, all pierced through the throat with Sophora Wood. Some had already turned into skeletons, their bodies still draped in clothing that had not completely decayed, making it impossible to determine their era. In the center of the tree, a large patch of bark had been stripped away, revealing a line of fresh red characters that were still somewhat legible:
"To give life to all things while no one repays with kindness—kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill."
The Seven Kill Stele? How could such a thing be here?
The "Seven Kill Stele" is a long-standing folk tale about Zhang Xianzhong, a leader of peasant uprisings during the late Ming Dynasty. It is said that Zhang Xianzhong killed people indiscriminately and even erected a stele inscribed with "To give life to all things while no one repays with kindness—kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill." This is the infamous Seven Kill Stele.
Wei Ning estimated that there were at least ten to twenty thousand corpses nailed to the tree alone, and beneath it lay countless dismembered limbs and remains that were impossible to count.
These were likely victims who died at Zhang Xianzhong's hands. It seemed that Zhang Xianzhong's side feared these people would seek revenge after death; thus, they were nailed to the tree with Sophora Wood to bind their souls and a Seven Kill Stele erected above them to suppress the Evil Energy with killing intent, ensuring they would never be reborn.
No wonder the Evil Energy here was so heavy.
Wei Ning opened his Red Umbrella and shielded himself as he slowly made his way into the valley.
Suddenly, a sound echoed from somewhere nearby. Wei Ning's heart raced as he quickly found a tree to hide behind.
"Aooo—" The sound grew louder, then transformed into a series of howls, "Woo—" another cry! "Woo—" yet another! "Woo—" a final wail!!! The noise began to emanate from all directions as a group approached the large tree.
Leading the way were two large-headed children, appearing to be only three or four years old. They wore red clothing and had their hair styled in pigtails, each holding a white paper lantern that emitted a faint blue light. Their cheeks were painted with two bright red patches of rouge. Following behind them was a procession of over ten figures, all dressed in white one-piece outfits. Four of them wore tall, pointed hats and carried a sedan chair made entirely of white paper, adorned with several large floral garlands strung from the top.
Trailing behind was an old-fashioned wedding procession complete with musicians, bearers, and porters carrying gifts.
Wei Ning calculated quietly and said, "Today is indeed the day of the Ghost King’s wedding. I didn’t expect to stumble upon it myself."
As Wei Ning approached the wedding party, he discreetly positioned himself at the back. The procession continued forward, and taking advantage of their distraction, Wei Ning quickly covered the mouth of the last ghost and dragged him behind a pile of boulders.
The ghost looked at Wei Ning with terror in its eyes; clearly, it hadn’t expected to find any "humans" in this valley. It began to screech in panic, but Wei Ning quickly covered its mouth.
With his other hand, he made a gesture for silence and pulled out a Peach Wood Sword from the handle of his Red Umbrella, waving it in front of the ghost. The ghost recognized the weapon and nodded repeatedly in fear; only then did Wei Ning release his grip.
"What day is it today?" Wei Ning's lips trembled as he uttered a series of strange notes—this was the universal "ghost language" used in the Ghost Realm.
Wei Ning had learned this language while practicing Yinwen symbols and had picked up how to communicate with spirits from Wang Tuozi.
The ghost turned its head away, refusing to answer Wei Ning's question and keeping its mouth tightly shut. Wei Ning smiled and took out a lamp from his pocket, lighting it against the wind. Upon seeing the flame, the ghost's face turned pale; it desperately tried to blow it out. However, no matter how hard it blew, the flame remained steady and unextinguished.
This lamp was lit with sunlight fire specifically designed to deal with these filthy beings. As such, ordinary ghosts were terrified of it, mistaking it for sunlight; they would always try to extinguish it, which is where the saying "ghosts blow out lamps" originated.
The ghost seemed to feel increasingly uncomfortable with the heat. It continued to screech incessantly until Wei Ning repeated his question. Clearly defeated, the ghost replied, "Today is the day of the Eight Great Kings' wedding; we are here to escort them."
"The Ghost King is getting married?" Wei Ning's interest piqued as he asked, "Who is the bride?"
The ghost shook its head and said, "Only the Eight Great Kings know about that. We only know about the wedding procession."
Wei Ning understood that asking the ghost further would be pointless. He asked, "Where are the Eight Great Kings?"
The ghost pointed behind a large tree and replied, "Right over there."
Wei Ning smiled slightly and said, "Lead the way."
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