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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 10: The Foolish Girl
"Ma Qi, do you... like me?" Peng Yan asked shyly, her cheeks flushed.
"What’s this? Are you trying to offer yourself?" I shot her a wary glance. Was this girl really infatuated? It was hard not to laugh.
Peng Yan bit her lip, gathering her courage to lower her voice. "I... if you don’t mind, could you find someone to be a matchmaker..."
"Are you still half-asleep? Are you talking nonsense?" I coldly asked as I looked at Peng Yan, who had clearly dressed up just for me.
Peng Yan was taken aback, stumbling over her words. "You do like me, don’t you?"
"Like you? Not really. You're not my type."
Disappointment washed over Peng Yan's face. She leaned against the counter, and if it weren't for the counter blocking her, she would have lunged at me. Struggling to contain her emotions, she whispered, "If you don’t like me, why are you so nice to me? You even carried me home."
"Use your brain for once. Anyone with a shred of humanity would help someone in need, especially since you're my client. I need to get paid by you; if you die, who will pay me? So I had to help."
"What are you so proud of? You're just an Onmyoji. You deal with dead people all the time; you reek of death." Peng Yan snapped angrily, trembling as she pointed at me.
"So what if I deal with the dead? They’re simpler than the living. Unlike some people who act immorally and recklessly."
"You jerk," Peng Yan shouted furiously.
"I’m a jerk because I want to be. What’s it to you?"
Peng Yan burst into tears, covering her face with her hands as she ran away sobbing.
After sending off one Peng Yan, I was about to enjoy a moment of peace when the bell on the counter rang. A cold breeze swept in, and I opened my eyes to see a girl standing there. She was fair-skinned and clean-cut, with pigtails, big eyes, double eyelids, and full lips—she looked vibrant and lively, almost like a cartoon doll.
This girl had the potential to be a beauty that could cause chaos in the world.
"Beautiful girl, what brings you here?" Generally, girls like her rarely come to this place, as it is not a candy store or a shop, but a place dedicated to serving the deceased. I looked up; the sky was gray and seemed to be drizzling.
Yet there were no droplets on the girl's hair—how did she arrive here?
The girl stood on her tiptoes to look at me, her big eyes blinking as she said, "Brother, I want some water."
"Alright, I'll get you some water."
I went to pour a glass of water and handed it to the girl. She seemed extremely thirsty, lifting the cup and gulping down the water.
In the blink of an eye, the cup was empty. She looked up and said, "Brother, I want more water."
"What did you eat? Why are you so thirsty?"
"Brother, I want more water."
"Okay, okay, I'll pour you some more."
I turned to refill the cup. As I poured, I inadvertently glanced at the glass. My hand trembled; I almost dropped it. Doubting my eyes, I focused again—the glass contained a maggot and blood—
What is going on?
Just a moment ago, I had poured clean water; where did the blood and maggot come from? As the question arose in my mind, I turned back to look at the girl. The counter was empty; there was no sign of her. I hurriedly set down the cup and took a few steps to chase after her.
It was still early and raining; the wet ground showed no signs of anyone walking. A trail of small footprints led from the counter out onto the street and vanished.
A chill ran down my spine—was that girl not human?
"I'm an expert at catching ghosts and monsters. Come on, whether you're a seductive ghost or a demon, I'll take you all..." This was my custom ringtone. As soon as my phone rang, I immediately thought it might be my grandfather calling back.
I answered the call to find it was from an unfamiliar number.
The unfamiliar number could either be from out of town or from our local area. I frowned, pondering for a moment before deciding to pick up.
“Hello—Ma Wu Funeral Home, do you have someone who has passed away? Please tell me their height and weight…”
Before I could finish, the caller interrupted eagerly, asking, “Is Ma Wu there?”
“He’s not here. Who is this?”
“Station.” This was the code word; if they were from Station, it meant someone there was looking for us.
Were they looking for Grandpa?
I was taken aback and quickly lowered my voice. “Grandpa isn’t here. Can I help?”
“Are you Ma Qi?”
I hated being called Ma Qi. It sounded like a sparrow.
I felt annoyed and coldly replied, “I’m not a sparrow; I’m Ma Qi.”
“Ma Qi, there’s something here that requires your attention. If you’re not sure, don’t come.”
“I’ll come.” I enjoyed challenging work. After hanging up, the matter of the water cup lingered in my mind. I went to check on it; the cup was clean again. Had I been Dizzy? Was that possible? I had clearly seen blood and wriggling maggots. Even after examining it closely with my fingers, I realized I could never drink from that cup again.
I was excited about going to Station. Generally, matters at Station were far more complex than those in the civilian world. When they called us in, it usually involved difficult cases they couldn’t crack themselves. It was particularly challenging since Grandpa wasn’t around, and I had to handle the aftermath of the Hanging Woman case alone while also receiving a call from Station asking me to take a look.
The car wasn’t repaired yet, so I had to walk there through the drizzling rain. The wind tugged at my clothes, lifting them as if I were soaring with the wind, giving me a fleeting sense of grandeur.
The station was quite a distance from my home, and I had to catch a bus, transferring twice before I could arrive.
On the way, someone greeted me, asking, "Ma Qi, has your grandfather returned?"
"Did someone die in your family?"
"Shut up." The person who greeted me shot me a glare and hurried away.
After that, no one else acknowledged me; they pretended not to see me.
I boarded the bus, made my transfers, and finally got off at the station's entrance.
Nervously clutching a piece of paper, I walked towards the door.
Someone glanced at me and reached out—
I handed him the paper. He took a quick look and waved me in. I smoothly entered the courtyard.
Several police cars were parked inside, and a few officers were busy with something.
There were no familiar faces here; everything would start anew from today.
Someone waved at me.
I walked over and saw a tall figure resembling a mountain. He had a square face, thick eyebrows, big eyes, and an imposing expression that radiated authority.
"Ma Qi?"
I was grateful he didn't call me Sparrow. Standing firm yet respectful, I replied, "Yes."
"Hello, I am Forensic Expert Zhang Ke."
Forensic science is one of the professions I admire the most. The idea of getting up close with the deceased, examining specific details on their bodies to piece together the circumstances of their deaths and uncover the truth, resonates with my work as a Mortician.
However, it seems I am not on the same starting line as him.
I belong to the Outsiders, existing specifically for unusual cases.
"Hello, Uncle Zhang."
"Alright, I'll take you inside to have a look."
Zhang Ke led me through a winding path to a quiet white house. He stood at the entrance and said to me, "You go in and take a look; I won't disturb your thoughts." In truth, I wanted to gather some information about the deceased from him. After all, he is a forensic expert, and I felt unqualified to ask.
Upon entering, an odd atmosphere hit me. I paused for a moment and noticed that Zhang Ke had not left; instead, he was silently observing me.
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