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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 08: Eyes Wide Open
Upon seeing the scene, the first thought that crossed my mind was that the shop had been visited by a thief.
But upon closer reflection, that didn't make sense. Grandpa used to keep the shop open at night to help people with their rituals and had never encountered a thief. Besides, both Fatty and Grandpa were here; how could they have been robbed? As I pondered this, I rushed straight to Grandpa's room.
Bursting in, I froze for a moment.
Not only was the shop in disarray, but Grandpa's room was also a complete mess.
"Grandpa... please don't let anything happen to you," I whispered, my heart racing as I anxiously scanned the room. There was no sign of Grandpa or Fatty. What could have happened to them? I searched every corner of the room, but they were nowhere to be found. Finally, I thought of the dark chamber.
The dark chamber was an extremely ominous place, and given Grandpa's current health condition, he shouldn't have gone there. Could it be—? I dared not think further and hurried toward the dark chamber.
Before I reached it, I noticed a narrow beam of light seeping through the heavy door of the chamber. Was the door slightly ajar?
I sprinted forward, focused solely on what lay ahead. In my haste, I accidentally stepped on something soft and nearly tripped. Looking down in shock, I realized it was Fatty lying on the ground.
"Fatty!" I called out, trembling as I reached for him. Feeling warmth in his body eased my anxiety; I quickly helped him up and called his name several times.
Fatty weakly opened his eyes. "Brother Qi, you're back?"
"What happened? Where's Grandpa?"
Fatty's vacant gaze drifted to the far end of the room as he slowly raised his hand to point at a coffin. His lips trembled as he said, "Grandpa climbed inside."
I knew that the coffin should have been empty; Wu Shengxiu and Zhou Xiao had long since left. Yet when Fatty pointed at the coffin while I asked about Grandpa, my heart sank. I gently set Fatty down and took cautious steps toward the coffin.
To be honest, even though I knew Grandpa's time was drawing near, I still wasn't prepared for him to leave us forever.
The incident had come so suddenly; it caught me completely off guard.
Gazing at the coffin, an inexplicable sense of fear washed over me.
If Grandpa is in the coffin, then the question arises: did he truly climb into the coffin himself as he had promised, or was there another reason that forced him into it?
Thinking about this, I couldn't help but glance back at Fat Yi.
His face was pale, mirroring my own perspective, and he looked just as tense as he stared at the coffin.
I couldn't discern any issues from Fat Yi's expression; he was already close to the coffin.
This coffin felt familiar to me. It had air holes, and I knew exactly how many runes were affixed to it and what type they were.
I placed my hands on the Coffin Lid and slowly began to move it aside.
Upon seeing the scene inside the coffin, I couldn't help but shiver.
Grandpa lay on his back in the coffin, his hands positioned irregularly at his sides, his eyes bulging with bloodshot veins at the corners. His fingers were curled tightly, with his right hand arched forcefully.
From this condition, it seemed that Grandpa did not climb into the coffin by himself; rather, it looked like he had been harmed and thrown in. What was he trying to grasp?
I turned back to Fat Yi.
He trembled as he asked, "Is Grandpa inside?"
"Yes."
Hearing that Grandpa was in the coffin, Fat Yi suddenly cried out, "Grandpa! What will I do if you're dead?"
"I didn't say Grandpa was dead; he..."
"He's not dead? That's great!"
Fat people cannot enter the dark room; the Yin energy is too heavy. He was born on the fifteenth of July, which makes him inherently Yin in nature, and the dark room is filled with heavy Yin energy. This coffin absorbs Yin; he cannot come to see Grandpa.
I also cannot move Grandpa, who lies in the coffin.
This is his resting place.
With Grandpa gone, this dark room will become his eternal grave, something he had always looked forward to in life.
Although Grandpa had told me about this, I still carefully checked him over due to the circumstances.
I wasn't doubting Fat; after all, he was raised by Grandpa. He is timid and cautious; how could he possibly do something morally wrong? What was I even thinking! I slapped my forehead and gently wiped the corner of Grandpa's eye with a tissue.
When a person dies, blood vessels may appear in the eyes of their closest relatives.
However, Grandpa's fingers moved strangely. Who was he trying to grasp? Did he come to this dark room himself, or did Fat help him here?
I examined Grandpa closely.
I found no obvious signs of strangulation or injury, but there was a large bruise on his back.
I pressed my finger against the bruise; it didn't fade and resembled congealed blood.
Grandpa's body was gradually growing cold and slightly stiff. I hurriedly pried open his curled fingers and softly comforted him: "Grandpa, you caught ghosts for a living. Now that you're gone, there's nothing more to worry about. Since you've entrusted the funeral home to me, I'll handle everything from now on. You can rest easy."
At that moment, Grandpa's fingers seemed to relax slightly, but once I let go, they naturally curled back up again as if ready to grasp something. I smiled bitterly and wiped away the swelling around his eye, shaking my head: "Grandpa, you really are a worrywart. Why can't you just go peacefully instead of like this? How can I bear it..."
Even if it hurts, I must endure.
Grandpa's time has come; his death cannot be announced or handled ostentatiously.
This dark room is his tomb.
From that moment on, he and I, along with Fatty, were separated by a wall, a boundary between life and death.
I sealed the door and removed the bolt.
Looking up at the pitch-black wall, no one could recognize this as the entrance to the dark room. At first glance, it looked just like any other wall; there was no longer any space here—just a cold, unyielding surface.
No one could enter the dark room from the outside anymore. Although it could be opened from within, the person inside was dead. Thus, this dark room would become a historical secret shared between my grandfather, Fatty, and me.
When a person dies, an Intermediate Body appears seven days later.
Perhaps my grandfather would tell me everything that had happened.
I stepped out of the dark room. Fatty was lounging in a rattan chair, his hands resting on the armrests and his feet propped up on a stool.
Seeing him like this made me very angry.
My grandfather had just passed away, and he was acting so nonchalant.
Hearing my footsteps, Fatty quickly lowered his feet and looked at me seriously, asking, "Is that it about Grandpa?"
I sighed and sat down across from him. Looking at his pure white shirt and his face even whiter than the shirt, I asked, "What exactly happened? Can you tell me in detail?"
"Grandpa's time was up; you know that. After you left, he suddenly perked up and started acting crazy, searching for something inside and out. By the time I noticed, he was slumped on the ground, looking lifeless—almost like a corpse. He wanted to go to the dark room. I helped him walk there, but he wouldn’t let me in. He struggled step by step to reach the coffin. He lost his balance and fell into it. I didn’t do anything except try to help him… but then he suddenly grabbed my hand with all his strength. Look..."
Fatty extended his arm toward me.
I saw five clear finger marks on his arm, each raised area turning a deep purple.
"Why didn’t you call me? How did those marks get so severe?"
I was shocked as I reached out to press on them. He quickly withdrew his hand with a look of grievance and complained, "I tried calling you but couldn’t get through. Grandpa favored you and left everything to you. I thought he was going to die and wanted to drag me down with him. I was so scared that I kept backing away until I fainted at the door."
Grandpa collapsed, confirming the bruises on his back. Grandpa's hands were swollen, explaining why they were so bent; the marks on his arms were terrifying. But what exactly was he searching for? Although Fat's narration was a bit mystical, it wasn't entirely impossible. Just like before, when Grandpa died and then came back to life, even playing chess afterward.
That night was truly exhausting. I needed to rest. I got up and said to Fat, "Stop messing around. The funeral home belongs to both of us; it's Grandpa's lifelong work. We need to work together to manage it well." After saying that, seeing him silent, I stood up and reminded him, "Get some medicinal wine to apply on it. Starting tomorrow, just say Grandpa went to meet an old friend. If anyone asks, we don't know when he'll be back."
"So, did Grandpa really die or not?"
Hearing Fat's question, I wasn't sure if I was overthinking it; he seemed a bit impatient.
"Grandpa is just resting in seclusion. Don't disturb him for no reason."
Now it was Fat Yi's turn to look confused, staring blankly at me as I went into the room.
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