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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 08: Tomb
Countless pale faces of the Drowned Ghost Children emerged, bubbling up around me, but I never saw that familiar face. Instead, I caught sight of a headless body, just a torso, bobbing in Wangsi Spring.
Could that be Yin Yin?
The thought sprang to my mind, and my heart raced wildly, my palms sweating with tension.
If I wanted the Dark Demon to help me, I had to offer her a second tooth.
I decisively pulled out the second tooth and handed it to her.
She took it and placed it in her mouth. I pointed at the half-submerged torso.
In a flash, she darted toward the half-body hidden in the mud, as if throwing a wooden stake at me.
I caught it in my arms.
Ugh, gross!
It was slippery and covered in mud, and it smelled terrible.
This was nothing compared to the first time I saw that adorable Cartoon Doll.
I held onto it but couldn’t throw it away.
The Dark Demon was triumphant, reaching forward—she wanted the tooth.
I reluctantly handed her the teeth, and she flashed a grin at me. Her teeth were gleaming white, and that smile was wickedly charming, seemingly perfect to the extreme, yet it sent chills down my spine. I could almost hear the sound of her teeth tearing through flesh, blood-red foam trickling from the corners of her lips—
Without thinking, I grabbed a chunk of foul-smelling mud-covered body and took off running.
I ran, and the Dark Demon ran too. Damn, she was faster than me, quickly closing the distance.
Should I use the Invisibility Talisman? It didn’t seem like the right moment yet, as that head had yet to fall.
I remembered when I crawled out of the dog hole; that head rolled away and disappeared. At that moment, I saw a trail of footprints and then spotted the Dark Demon.
Lao Luo hadn’t mentioned that the Dark Demon had swallowed that head. I involuntarily turned my head to look—Damn! A large Evil Spirit lunged at the Dark Demon, its sharp claws gripping her throat. With a slurp, the Dark Demon opened her mouth and spat out a blackened human head.
What the hell!
Wasn’t that the Ghost Head lying in the coffin with me?
Without hesitation, racing against time, I turned back. Knowing full well I might be caught by the Evil Spirit, I dashed forward recklessly. Just as the Evil Spirit reached out its ghostly claws toward me, I wrapped my arms around the Ghost Head and that half-buried body and ran for my life.
With the Ghost Head gone, the Dark Demon deflated like a punctured balloon; her beauty vanished, leaving behind nothing but an empty, stinking shell sprawled on the ground.
The Evil Spirit lost interest in her and lunged at me instead, missing its target and kicking up a cloud of dust.
I continued to run with the Ghost Head and that half-body, pulling out the Invisibility Talisman as I ran, chanting incantations and forming hand seals—
The Evil Spirit lost its target, its grotesque face sniffing around for something.
I kept running.
At that moment, not just one Evil Spirit appeared; amidst the swirling dust, I saw many Evil Spirits emerging.
Oh no, the Ghost Head and the severed torso had a smell. Wait, no, it was my own body odor. I had a slight case of body odor, and my grandfather used to crush some herbs to apply under my armpits, which would keep it at bay for about ten days or so.
Now that my grandfather was gone, I was too busy to bother with such things.
The odor must be quite strong; let me see if I can make you choke on it.
I lifted my arm to feint at the approaching Evil Spirit. The Evil Spirit bared its teeth, drool dripping from its gaping mouth. Did it not fear the stench? Seeing that the Evil Spirit showed no signs of retreating made my scalp tingle with fear. I dared not linger and, under the protection of the Invisibility Talisman, ran for my life.
Dust swirled around me like a storm of flying cotton.
Upon closer inspection, it didn’t seem like dust but rather smoke.
The smoke billowed as the Evil Spirits roared; their lairs were all emitting smoke.
What was happening?
I was utterly confused.
Suddenly, a whirlpool of mud and sand appeared ahead. I lost my balance and fell into the vortex. A pair of hands reached out from within, as hard as iron, grabbing me firmly. A voice boomed, “Have you forgotten how to use the Rooting Solution?”
Oh right.
The Rooting Solution that Lao Luo gave me was meant to attach that head to the severed torso.
In my moment of panic, I had completely forgotten about it.
The shouting voice didn’t sound like Lao Luo; it resembled my grandfather instead.
I fell into a whirlpool of mud, plummeting endlessly, completely unable to control my speed.
Unable to see the surroundings clearly, I couldn’t help but activate Demon Eyes.
With Demon Eyes opened, I saw a figure formed from the mud.
A beard, eyes, a nose, and a face.
It was Grandfather—
“Grandfather…”
As the words escaped my lips, the mud figure collapsed and disintegrated into a cloud of sand. I was stunned, my feet hitting the ground as I focused my gaze, only to draw in a sharp breath.
If the Dark Realm was hell, this place felt even more like hell within hell. An endless darkness enveloped the entire space, and the air was thick with a foul stench and the scent of death.
A fleeting thought crossed my mind: had I returned to reality? There were no Evil Spirits here, no Dark Demons; the entire world felt empty, leaving only me behind.
A strong sense of isolation and loneliness washed over me.
Exhausted, I lay down, feeling the damp chill rising from beneath me, unwilling to move again. A thousand voices echoed in my head—yes, just lying here without a care for life or death.
“Ma Qi, you coward! There’s still so much to do; what good does lying here do?”
The voice in my head suddenly rang out, prompting me to lean forward and blindly scan my surroundings.
The surroundings were eerily silent, devoid of any sound.
It felt as if this place was specifically crafted for me—a tomb.
No, I wasn't dead; I still had thoughts, consciousness, and sensations in my body. My arms could still move.
What I needed to do now wasn't to lie still but to find a way to connect this head with the body, to make the dead speak.
I groped around until I found the bag that Lao Luo had given me.
I rummaged through it and pulled out a bottle of transparent liquid. Was this the Rooting Solution? It looked just like glue!
Well, glue is glue!
I positioned the head and body properly, cast the spell, recited the incantation, and prepared the Soul Gathering Talisman.
Next came the quiet wait. During this time, I murmured the Soul Requiem.
With a flick of my finger, the calming wind rose, and the talisman spontaneously ignited.
I recited the Soul Requiem three times. Whoosh~ Whoosh~ Whoosh~ A few glowing points appeared, swirling around like fireflies as they attached themselves to the Ghost Head.
These were souls.
The Three Souls and Seven Spirits returned to their rightful places.
I watched as new muscles formed on the bald head—eyebrows, eyes, nose, mouth—the body gradually healed, and life returned to the face.
She is Yin Yin.
In the next moment, when she opens her eyes, she will be as beautiful as the Cartoon Doll. Unfortunately, her life was cut short, and she can no longer return to the Underworld; she can only remain a pitiful Azure-Headed Ghost in the realm of shadows.
If only she could find a good family for Yin Marriage, she might be able to reincarnate and live again in the next life.
Yin Yin opened her eyes, large yet vacant, filled with confusion and longing. She called out to me, "Big Brother, I want to go home."
"I remember you; your name is Yin Yin."
"Yes, Big Brother, I miss Mom and Dad."
"Alright, let's go back!"
As I held her hand, an icy chill crept up my arm. I gritted my teeth and vowed not to let go until I had taken her out of this desolate place of death.
Lao Luo gave me a thread of Ink. At a critical moment, he had thrown it out; following the Ink Thread would lead us to the exit.
"I met a brother on my way home from school. He had delicious food for me and asked me to follow him."
Yin Yin looked at me with admiration; it was clear that at that moment, she had no idea she was going to die.
"The brother's food was really tasty. There were lots of candies on the road—colorful candies! A big tree was covered in sweets, shining with beautiful light. I ate so many, and then I forgot everything."
"What was that brother's name?" I asked as I picked up Yin Yin; she felt so light, like a piece of clothing.
"I don't remember his name. He wasn't as good-looking as you, Big Brother."
I took out the Ink Thread; as long as I brought Yin Yin back to the Underworld and found her corpse, I would have accomplished my goal.
However, before I could even swing the Ink Thread, the ground suddenly began to tremble.
It felt as if a gigantic creature was trudging towards us, stepping heavily on the burdened earth with great difficulty.
It couldn't be a dinosaur; what else could cause such vibrations?
As the question arose, I quickly shielded Yin Yin and looked warily into the distance.
A massive shadow loomed closer, resembling a dark mountain pressing down upon us.
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