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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 11: End of the Demon Realm (Part Eight)
There is a saying that when thunder strikes in autumn, it brings forth thieves everywhere. It implies that many disasters and idle people in the coming year will lead to an increase in bandits.
But now, the thunder is not just a sign of what the next year holds; it is aiding me in destroying the lair of the Willow Spirit. With a loud bang, a bolt of fire shot down from the clouds, igniting the fallen Gui Liu in an instant. The flames roared to life, casting an eerie glow around us. Qin Jian glanced at the scene and couldn't help but gasp in shock. The village that once stood here was no more; all that remained were mounds of earth, resembling the common burial mounds found in rural areas.
These were unmarked graves without tombstones, and as a Mortician, I was familiar with this environment. The atmosphere was chilling and eerie. Qin Jian hugged his arms tightly, anxiously wanting to find our vehicle as soon as possible.
I looked at Bone Jade; her face was pale, nearly transparent—a clear sign of weakness. If I wasn't mistaken, she was on the verge of disappearing completely. Right now, we needed to find her Corpse. Once we located it and performed the necessary rites, she could be reincarnated as a human again.
I stared at the burning Gui Liu, listening to the rumbling thunder gradually fade away. Frustrated and at a loss for what to do, I stomped my foot and cursed, "Damn it! That old man actually came to steal my glory." Just then, another loud crack of thunder struck, and I fainted. In that moment before losing consciousness, my mind was clear—I had said something I shouldn't have and was struck by lightning.
When I slowly regained consciousness, both Yu and Qin Jian were looking at me with concern.
"I'm fine; just got struck by lightning," I replied groggily. My head still felt a bit fuzzy, but I knew I needed to gather my strength quickly to find out what had happened between Qin Jian and me.
Unbeknownst to me, both Qin Jian and I had something to say; we instinctively shouted each other's names in unison.
"Ma Qi."
"Qin Jian."
"You scared me! You go first." I waved my hand dismissively. Seeing that Yu had already vanished, I hurried over to the thick smoke billowing from Gui Liu, crouching down and digging into the ground with all my might.
"Are you looking for Bone Jade?" Qin Jian asked.
I nodded; at this moment, there was no time for anything else—I needed to find her immediately.
Seeing my urgency, Qin Jian joined me in digging. However, the ground was still scorching from the fire. We ignored our bleeding nails as we knelt on the ground, exerting ourselves to break through the thick layers of earth. Finally, we uncovered a set of white bones entangled at the root of Gui Liu.
Finding Bone Jade relieved a heavy weight from my chest. Next, we needed to locate Qin Jian's vehicle. First, we had to start a bonfire; Qin Jian confidently assured me that our car shouldn't be too far from here.
Qin Jian was shivering; I noticed his lips turning purple. How could it not be cold in a place like this? I urged him to move closer to the bonfire. He shook his head in refusal; he wanted to find the car first before feeling at ease.
As we searched for the vehicle, he began recounting the strange events that had transpired between us.
"Pull out that snake," I said, using my backpack to carry it without him knowing.
The vehicle continued to move forward, the road was difficult to navigate, full of pits and uneven surfaces. Qin Jian realized we might have taken a wrong turn and attempted to reverse halfway, but I couldn't recall that part.
"Do you know why you don't remember?" he asked.
I shook my head.
"Damn it, you were dozing off. No matter how I called you, you wouldn't wake up." As he spoke, he picked up a wooden stick and struck the uneven ground with it. Dust flew up with each hit, and he cursed again when the vehicle jolted. I found it strange; with such a large vehicle, where could Liu Niang and Lao Guang hide it?
Still caught up in the previous topic, I scratched my head in confusion and asked the agitated Qin Jian, "Was I really dozing off?"
"It wasn't just dozing off; you were completely out of it!"
Eventually, Qin Jian couldn't stand the cold any longer. He moved closer to the campfire to warm his hands and stomped his feet on the ground, but it was no use; his shoes were caked with mud and dry grass.
"Ah?" I suddenly remembered crawling into that green wall and then losing consciousness before waking up inside a wooden box.
"What 'ah'? When I was reversing, I accidentally hit a tree. This place is isolated—no village nearby or shops around. You had a bump on your head, no breath, and your face looked like a corpse. Then an old man appeared; he lived nearby. I let him get in the car, and we went to his house. There was a woman there, and I even saw a girl."
I leaned back against Qin Jian as we shared the warmth of the fire. He pulled out a cigarette pack, smiled wryly, and offered me one. I took it but didn't light it. Continuing from what he had just said, "The woman was Liu Niang transformed from Gui Liu, and the girl was Bone Jade."
Qin Jian nodded absentmindedly while glancing at the wrapped bones. He sighed heavily, "If only she were human."
Hearing this made me alert. "Are you kidding? You wouldn't have fallen for a female ghost!"
"That's not true." Qin Jian took a puff of his cigarette and instinctively shook off the ash. Perhaps noticing there was no ashtray around made him self-deprecatingly smile awkwardly. "So about what I was saying earlier?"
"Yeah, I'm listening."
Qin Jian furrowed his brows before looking up at the dark sky as if talking to himself or perhaps addressing me directly: "You scared me to death like that. Lao Guang and Liu Niang couldn't save you, but they had a way to bring you back to life."
"As long as they don't kill me, there's still a way to revive me?" I didn't believe that the venom from the snake was harmless. With Liu Niang and Lao Guang—one was a crow flying high because it had long been nesting on Gui Liu's head—colluding with Bone Jade to create a false family of three. Who knows how many missing people fell victim to them? Such creatures couldn't possibly save anyone; I'd never believe it.
But Qin Jian thought otherwise. "It's true! I saw Lao Guang apply something on your eyelids, then Liu Niang brought over a wooden box—not completely sealed—and put you inside before burying you in the woods. They knew you'd wake up afterward, and then I..."
"Are you really thinking about becoming the groom with Yu Qing?" I teased, causing Qin Jian's face to turn red and his neck to thicken. He struggled to find a retort, unable to muster a single word in response. "What’s wrong? Did I hit the nail on the head?"
Qin Jian smiled gently, reaching for his cigarette case, only to find it empty. We had each smoked one earlier. He crumpled the empty case and tossed it on the ground. "It's true, I like her. I don't know why, but whatever they say, I just agree. I don't feel even a hint of rejection or disgust in my heart."
"You! It's not that you truly like her; it's that you and Liu Niang and Lao Guang have been played. Have you seen Mini Flower?"
"No," Qin Jian shook his head, raising an eyebrow.
"Buddy, what good things can happen in this place? You want to become the groom? If I hadn't dealt with that zombie trying to take my place, you'd be done for. Even if Yu wanted to protect you, it would be in vain. She's also been manipulated by Lao Guang and the others, getting a Mini Flower attached to her. No matter how composed you are or how clear-headed you think you are, it won't matter. Once you come into contact with Mini Flower, you'll be a complete fool with no sense at all."
My words clearly shocked Qin Jian; he sat there stunned, unable to respond for a long while.
After a moment of silence, I poked at the burning firewood with a thick stick. The sound of Qin Jian swallowing hard startled me, and I turned to see his Adam's apple bobbing up and down as he struggled to speak. Finally, he asked the very practical question: "So, what do we do next?"
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