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墨書 Inktalez
**Chapter 0: A Glimpse of Light**
In the countryside, there’s a saying: "When the wife dies, the wife is still there; nearby, there’s another wife waiting."
Someone's wife has died, and finding another wife has nothing to do with me, Ma Qi. The key point is that Ji Xiaoying's corpse hasn't even grown cold, yet Chi Zhi Ping is already flirting with another woman, brazenly engaging in an affair under the sun.
Ji Xiaoying's intermediate body has formed; the time for transformation hasn’t arrived yet. A whirlwind of resentment and malice appears, carrying ghostly joss paper to strike Chi Zhi Ping and a woman named Zuna.
Now, at this moment, Zuna's brother is harassing Ji Xiaoying's daughter, Chi Xinrong. Truly, one who seeks trouble will find it.
Hearing Uncle Zhang talk about this, I felt a surge of anger. I saw Zhu Gang get into the car and walk towards Chi Xinrong’s seat. I hurriedly called out, “Zhu Gang, right?”
Zhu Gang stopped, a faint smile playing on his lips. A flicker of ruthlessness passed through his eyes as he casually leaned against my chair and asked with a sidelong glance, “Did you call me?”
“Yeah.”
Just a glance was enough; I, Ma Qi, may not have walked as many roads as my grandfather, but I've seen countless people. Coupled with the skills I learned from him—divination and reading faces—I had some understanding of such matters. Looking at Zhu Gang, his eyes were large but unfocused, darting around unpredictably; he was certainly not a good person.
“Master Ma~ I really can’t tell you’re so young yet involved in this kind of business. Dead people's money is easy to earn, huh?” Zhu Gang teased. Seeing Chi Xinrong’s displeased expression, he rubbed his nose and changed his tone: “Do you need something from me?”
I smiled slightly. “You’ve recently encountered some misfortune; either you’ll be in trouble or someone close to you will be. It’s all about being cautious.”
“Thanks.” Zhu Gang pulled out a red bill from his pocket and waved it in front of me. “No need to look for me; I have money. You’ll still need me in the future.”
I initially intended to scare him a bit but ended up being dismissed instead.
I wanted to explode in anger but found Uncle Zhang gripping my wrist tightly and refusing to let go.
Zhu Gang swaggered over, casually brushing against Chi Xinrong's hand, pretending to be affectionate as he tried to strike up a conversation with her.
Chi Xinrong suddenly stood up and walked toward the car door.
"Stupid woman, clueless about what's good for her..."
Zhu Gang cursed but didn't follow her. He watched as Chi Xinrong got out of the car and then entered through the front door, surprisingly sitting next to me and Uncle Zhang. It was best not to cause any trouble; no matter how displeased I was, I had to let it go.
Once settled, Chi Xinrong held Ji Xiaoying's Spirit Tablet tightly in her arms. She glanced at me, then at Uncle Zhang, mustering the courage to ask, "Master Ma, will my mom come back on the seventh day?"
Ji Xiaoying had met with an accident and was sent to the station for examination, where the truth of her death was determined. It took quite some time, and after I cleaned her body and sent it to the funeral home for makeup, it was already the seventh day for her return. Otherwise, she wouldn't have attached herself to the fat guy, whom I had used the Soul Absorbing Talisman on.
Now that Chi Xinrong was asking about her mother's return on the seventh day, I found it difficult to explain. The more I explained, the more complicated it would become. So I casually replied, "Yes, starting from the day of burial, the seventh day is when she returns."
"Oh."
Chi Xinrong's expression told me she was seriously noting down what I had just said.
Then she glanced at the Spirit Tablet; her eyes were moist as she deliberately turned her head to look out the car window.
The driver arrived to take us back.
I got out of the car early with the Honor Guard's drummer.
Upon returning to the Funeral Home, I was dumbfounded. Guess what happened next?
"Damn," my grandfather has come back to life, and even Uncle Zhang, who is right behind me, can't believe it.
But in reality, Grandpa is indeed awake. He is playing chess with Fatty, his voice booming as he shouts, "Capture your pawn to protect my general..."
I feign anger and slam the tool bag down on the counter. "Grandpa, you really are something. You know it's not easy dealing with Ji Xiaoying, yet you pretended to be dead. Now that I've sorted this out, you just wake up."
"You little rascal, Fatty is going to get you some water. He's been working hard."
Water again?
This time, Fatty isn't as obedient. He repeats the question, "Grandpa, did you call me to get water?"
Grandpa shoots him a glare. "If not water, do you want him to drink urine?"
"Haha, well, that's not the case." Fatty scurries off to get the water.
Uncle Zhang wants to ask Grandpa what's going on.
Grandpa waves his hand dismissively. "Old Zhang, we're buddies here; let's be straightforward. My time is short. I came back this time to indulge in my chess obsession and have a few things to instruct Qi about. Consider it a visit to the Underworld; I'm just letting you know that I'll be heading there soon. Once I'm gone, help them sort out my affairs."
Is Grandpa joking or is this really a moment of clarity?
I'm a bit puzzled. Logically speaking, a moment of clarity shouldn't be like this, but his words are coherent and don't seem like nonsense. Half-believing and half-doubting, Uncle Zhang nods gravely and turns to me. "Qi, you should listen to your grandfather. I have some matters to attend to first."
Is Uncle Zhang really taking Grandpa's words seriously?
I saw off Uncle Zhang, and Fat brought over some tea. I took a sip and finished it in one go. Grandpa then instructed Fat to go buy groceries, preferably some good ingredients that we usually wouldn't splurge on, as he wanted to drink tonight.
While Fat went out to shop, I continued playing chess with Grandpa.
"You've made a big mistake," he said.
"Huh?" I was puzzled.
"You! With so much on your mind, you're getting confused. Do you still remember that matter of foreseeing death?"
Damn, I had completely forgotten about that.
Besides, how could that girl possibly be dead?
Maybe I was mistaken; perhaps it was just a nightmare from my afternoon nap that had thrown me off.
"Grandpa, that thing isn't really going to happen. You shouldn't dwell on it..."
Grandpa slammed a chess piece down heavily on the board, his tone fierce: "The ominous sign has appeared, and you're still not alert? Focus on your king."
"What the hell, Grandpa, that's cheating." He pushed all my pieces aside and directly attacked with his cannon. How could you play chess like this? It's not like a horse moves in an L shape or an elephant flies across the board! He completely disregarded the rules, shoving my pieces aside and launching a direct assault on my king.
What was wrong with Grandpa?
His beard trembled as he paused his movements, his face suddenly turning pale. He began to cough violently.
I didn't have time to ask questions and quickly got up to serve him tea.
He trembled as he took the cup, bringing it to his lips for a sip. But when he spat it out, it turned blood-red.
I gasped, "Blood..."
Grandpa stood up shakily and waved his hand, "It's nothing... Just help me inside to rest."
As I supported him, I suddenly felt how light he was, as if he had no weight at all. A very real sense of foreboding began to grow within me. I cautiously half-supported, half-carried him into the bedroom.
Then I picked up a tissue to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth.
"Grandpa..." The last time he died, it felt like a dream; I thought he would wake up again. This time was different. It felt like he was about to leave us, and this time it would be forever. My nose tingled, my voice caught in my throat, and I felt utterly miserable.
"Brother Qi, I'm back! I bought..." Fatty shouted loudly at the door. When he stepped inside and saw Grandpa like this, his voice abruptly stopped. He froze at the doorway for a moment before dropping what he was holding and scrambling over to hug Grandpa's legs, crying out, "Grandpa, don't scare me! You scared me to death last time; are you going to scare me again?"
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