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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 115: Dead Loop (Part Twenty-Three)
Ten-Mile Temple.
With a heart untrue, the door won’t open.
Circling thrice, looping around.
A bewildering path, the soul won’t turn.
At midnight’s eerie hour, riding the wind.
The wind knocks on the door, and it opens by itself.
Qin Jian was hearing this song from Ten-Mile Temple for the first time. I knew it by heart, having heard it in my childhood, though I couldn't recall where exactly. Now that he asked, I couldn't remember either.
"What’s the name of that place?"
"Shouling Village, later renamed Shoulin Village and Ten-Mile Temple."
"Since it's such a famous place, how could it possibly be hard to find?" Qin Jian truly didn’t believe the meaning expressed in the song. He focused intently on driving, afraid of missing the route into Shoulin Village and Ten-Mile Temple.
The car was the best one at the station, though it was a bit worn out. On slightly bumpy roads, it shook violently, making it quite unsuitable for Qin Jian to drive.
In my opinion, riding a motorcycle would have been much better.
As the car jolted along, seeing Qin Jian gripping the steering wheel tightly made me want to laugh. The old vehicle bounced around; no matter how firmly he held onto the wheel, it would still jolt.
The ride was so bumpy it felt like an old woman dancing in a square. With that sensation in mind, I found some time to recall the set of pictures Fat Hand had taken while I was getting into the coffin. When I asked him about the incense stick beneath the coffin, he surprisingly didn’t know when it had appeared.
This answer was reasonable enough; there wasn’t a hint of flaw in it. With his hands resting behind his head to cushion against the jolts, he relaxed completely in a reclining position. This posture was comfortable and good for resting.
I closed my eyes contentedly, planning to open them only after we reached Ten-Mile Temple. I was confident that Qin Jian would find Ten-Mile Temple because this road was the only route leading there. At the end of this road, hidden among lush trees, lay Ten-Mile Temple—our destination for this trip.
The vehicle continued to jolt along the road, the buzzing sound of the electric motor clearly audible. Qin Jian suddenly broke the silence and asked, "Ma Qi, what did you do last night?"
"Nothing much," I replied casually, unable to resist joking, "Unfortunately, I just dreamt of a pair of long, jade-like legs, and you went and ruined it."
"Pfft, so you have a girlfriend now?"
Mentioning a girlfriend brought Han Mi's image flashing into my mind. I smiled and thought, 'I guess so!'
"Not bad."
"How old is your child?" Qin Jian gave off a steady and handsome vibe. With such good career prospects, I figured he must be married by now; even if he wasn't, there should be plenty of women who liked him.
Hearing my question, Qin Jian looked surprised. "Huh? Do I look like someone who's married?"
"Aren't you?"
A man as handsome as him couldn't possibly be single. Could it be that he had some sort of issue? I secretly speculated about his situation. It seemed Qin Jian could read my thoughts; he chuckled self-deprecatingly and scratched his nose. "After several self-assessments, my emotional intelligence was rated at zero. A man with zero emotional intelligence probably wouldn't get married so early."
"I didn't notice you had low emotional intelligence."
"Alright, enough joking. My career is just starting out; I don't want to be tied down by marriage right now, so I'm not considering it for the time being. Is that answer satisfactory?"
This guy really didn't know how to joke. Just from what he said earlier, he was so serious that I almost believed him. "Hey, Buddy, don't be like that. I have someone perfect for you; you'll absolutely love her." Inside, I was thrilled at the thought—if I could set him up with Chi Xinrong, how much trouble would that save me? No need to calculate; I felt this idea was something only a smart guy like me could come up with.
Moreover, Chi Zhi Ping had asked me to take care of Chi Xinrong. Taking care of her didn't mean being together; as long as she found a good match, I would have fulfilled Chi Zhi Ping's wishes. The more I thought about it, the more determined I became to set Chi Xinrong up with Qin Jian.
When Qin Jian heard this, he smiled lightly and said, "Don't even go there; I'm not interested in old-fashioned tricks like matchmaking or introductions. What I like is chemistry—just a glance is enough for me. Besides, I'm not looking for anything right now; even if you introduced me to the daughter of the Jade Emperor, I wouldn't care."
"Sigh! You're wasting my good intentions."
"Stop talking nonsense. Where's Ten-Mile Temple?" Qin Jian asked about Ten-Mile Temple and suddenly realized that we had been driving for nearly two hours without seeing even a shadow of Ten-Mile Temple or Shouling Village.
"Could it be that we took a wrong turn?"
"No way. Just pull over, and I'll take a look." I had traveled this road back and forth several times, so I remembered it clearly. How could I have gone wrong? The tall grass by the roadside was flourishing, with grayish-white flower fluff dancing in the wind. Wild roses had already wilted, leaving behind shriveled petals in shades of Ye Zi Yan that fluttered down to the ground with every gust.
The last time we came here, the roses had just begun to bloom, and now they were all gone.
The problem must be with Qin Jian. I turned to look at him; he was unscrewing a bottle of water and gulping it down.
After wiping his mouth, he leaned against the car door and asked, "So? Did we go wrong?"
"No, maybe we just came at the wrong time."
"Should we head back?"
I nodded in response. If we stubbornly continued searching, it would likely be in vain. We might end up going around in circles until dark, and Ten-Mile Temple wouldn't appear. As I walked toward Qin Jian, my phone rang unexpectedly. It was a call from Fatty.
He was frantic on the other end of the line—Lin Tai was in trouble.
I knew Lin Tai would be the next one in danger. Unfortunately, his father wouldn’t let us go to their house. Now Lin Tai was in a precarious situation, standing alone on a high building contemplating suicide. Seeing my expression change, Qin Jian, true to his low emotional intelligence, joked, "Is it your girlfriend calling?"
"No, we need to hurry back and save him." Coming from the Station, Qin Jian immediately understood that it was a matter of life and death. Without hesitation, he jumped into the car as I got in, starting the engine and turning the wheel. The car emitted an unpleasant noise as it jolted heavily again.
Lin Tai, you have to hold on until we get there! I prayed silently while urging Qin Jian.
Qin Jian cursed in frustration, "Stop rushing me; you're going to make us lose a wheel! We'll have to walk back at this rate."
"Why can't we have a luxury car at the Station? With this junk, how are we supposed to handle anything?"
"Come on! Even the director doesn't have a car assigned to him. This car is a huge support for us two; can you stop being picky?"
"Fine, just drive faster." Wait, wasn't that still urging him?
I was practically on edge, thinking I should have just waited at the Funeral Home for Lin Tai to climb up the high building—what a ridiculous idea that was!
The car bounced around, nearly throwing me out. I had to grip the safety handle just to feel a bit better. What used to be my favorite sensation now only added to my frustration.
Finally, the car struggled onto the smooth Main Road amidst my and Qin Jian's curses, then sped up, crawling down the road like a Beetle. Fatty kept calling me, updating me on Lin Tai's situation.
Qin Jian was so pent up that he managed to relieve himself during our trip back, and we hurried back to A City, parking in the central plaza beneath the tallest building.
Once we stopped, he waved at me, saying, "You go ahead; I can't hold it anymore. I need to hit the restroom." He awkwardly waddled off in the direction of the restroom sign.
Lin Tai stood atop the tallest building in the city, like an anxious Black Dot. Below him, people were taking photos and bustling about, while a thick rescue air cushion was laid out below.
I spotted Fatty, Chi Xinrong, and the emergency police arriving.
Fatty saw me and ran over, his excess weight jiggling with each step. From a distance, he shouted, "Brother Qi, look..."
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