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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 44: Down and Out
The fat man refused to let me into the shop. I didn't notice when it started to drizzle, but soon my clothes were soaked. I hugged my head and sheltered under the eaves. On the street, a few sneaky, crawling creatures rummaged through the trash bins for food.
I felt a pang of self-pity. Wasn't I just like those rats? Homeless, or perhaps without a place to call my own.
The cold wind slapped against my face, and the sound of raindrops danced in the breeze as the rain intensified. The furry creatures braved the downpour, squabbling over scraps near the trash bins, making a cacophony of squeaks. A dominant rat chased away the others, claiming a large piece of buttered bread for itself.
For the first time, time felt unbearably long. People like that fat man were utterly incomprehensible scum. My grandfather's corpse was barely cold, and he had ruthlessly chased me away.
I looked up at the rainwater occasionally dripping from the eaves, hugging my elbows tightly as the chill continued to seep in. I sat cross-legged against the wall, hoping to warm myself.
Before I knew it, I had dozed off.
"Help me... help me..."
The cries echoed in my ears. I jolted awake and shouted, "Who?" Looking around, I saw that domineering rat still there; upon hearing my shout, it scurried away in fright.
Everything fell silent.
The rats could return to their burrows, but I could only huddle under the eaves, enduring until dawn. I hoped that when morning came, the fat man would offer me a reasonable solution.
It was far too cold. I needed a place to shield me from the wind and rain. I remembered an abandoned courtyard a few streets away from Ma Wu Funeral Home.
I had heard rumors that place was haunted. But now, I had no choice but to seek refuge in that haunted house for a night.
Resolute in my decision, I stood up and without glancing back at the sign of Ma Wu Funeral Home, headed straight toward that place.
Yes, that haunted spot—I had even played there with the fat man before.
Because we are the children of Ma Wu Funeral Home, the adults refer to Grandpa as Master Ma in public, but behind his back, he carries a strong smell of corpses. We do too, and our family brings misfortune; anyone who gets close to us (except during funerals) will face bad luck.
So, there are basically no kids on the street willing to play with us.
Even if some kids don’t understand and gather to play, if one of them gets a headache or fever, they specifically blame us.
Because of this, my only playmate is Fat.
Kids love to play hide and seek. Fat counts to ten while asking if everyone is hidden well, then he starts looking.
I darted into the Dilapidated House, running blindly and not caring that I bumped into a spider web. I pushed open a broken door and hurried inside to hide.
Fat came looking for me, and my heart raced wildly, my palms sweating. The piece of broken board I held was slick with sweat, clearly marked with five fingerprints.
I was sure I was well hidden; with Fat's timid nature, he would never find me.
He probably hadn’t even entered the house before he got scared and ran away.
But unexpectedly, Fat not only found me but also pulled me out of my hiding spot by force.
At that moment, he was surprisingly strong and looked frightening.
I was a head taller than him, yet he effortlessly yanked me out and threw me to the ground, stomping on me hard.
I cried out in pain.
He laughed and said, “You naughty kid won’t listen; I’ll teach you a lesson.” His words were terrifying enough to make me wet myself. That voice didn’t sound like Fat’s at all.
Just then, my grandfather entered, his voice stern as he asked, "Who is bullying my grandson?"
"I..."
The voice from the chubby body dragged out the last syllable. My grandfather quickly slapped a talisman onto his forehead.
The voice from the chubby body was frightened and kept apologizing, "Old man, I was just playing with the kids today, please don't be angry."
I was quite scared, but when my grandfather arrived, I mustered the courage to look at the chubby figure.
I saw the chubby body sway slightly, and a stream of black mist shot out from his Baihui point. Before it could escape, my grandfather waved the Dao Bottle, and the black mist was captured.
The chubby figure fell to the ground as if losing its balance. It was still my grandfather who carried him back. Along the way, my grandfather scolded me repeatedly, saying that I couldn't compare to the chubby one; he absorbed Yin energy and had many unclean things about him, always wanting to attach himself to others and cause trouble whenever he had the chance.
He warned me not to bring the chubby one to this Dilapidated House to play anymore.
Thinking of this, I believed my grandfather would never accept that the grown-up chubby one would dare to bully me.
My grandfather's words echoed in my ears.
The chubby one was not suitable to inherit Ma Wu Funeral Home; his fate was tied to absorbing Yin energy.
I couldn't understand why, if he absorbed Yin energy, he could stay alone in Ma Wu Funeral Home.
In the blink of an eye, we arrived at the Dilapidated House.
The broken door and dark windows creaked eerily under the wind's influence.
I walked over, pulling a piece of White String from my bag and hanging it on the door latch before striding inside.
Hanging the White String was a warning to the restless Evil Spirits: Ben Shan Ren is here, and you shall not act recklessly.
One foot remained outside while the other stepped in.
From somewhere, I heard the squeaking of mice and the chirping of Crickets, but as soon as I fully entered, all sounds abruptly ceased.
Once inside, I cleared my throat to greet the "people" within. Then I clasped my hands together in a gesture of respect, saying, "I apologize for intruding under special circumstances; I hope for your understanding as I borrow this place for the night." Just because the room was silent didn’t mean there weren’t cold eyes watching my every move from some unseen corner.
I wasn’t just talking nonsense.
The more dilapidated a house, the more likely it is to harbor such entities.
For instance, what happened with Fatty: Grandpa had collected a spirit but bowed in farewell, saying, "I apologize for any offense caused; I won’t disturb your peace again." After returning home, Fatty had a high fever and rambled incoherently.
Grandpa was the owner of the Dilapidated House and was holding Fatty accountable.
I foolishly asked why he hadn’t come to me.
The entity didn’t dare approach me.
After saying that, I found a suitable spot, tucked my arms in, and closed my eyes to rest.
Though this Dilapidated House was a bit run-down, it was still better than staying out in the open; at least I wouldn’t get rained on or suffer too much from the cold.
Just as I closed my eyes.
A sneaky voice came through, chattering as if it had something to say to me.
I didn't open my eyes, instead straining my ears to listen closely.
The cold wind pierced my ears, and the whispers lingered nearby, sometimes fading away, sometimes drawing closer.
At that moment, I absolutely could not open my eyes.
Opening them might scare them away.
One of the spirits was pleading for my help.
"Shut up already," I cursed, burying my head deep between my legs. Suddenly, the whole world fell silent.
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