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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 1: The Mystery of the Narrow Alley (Seventeen)
My phone has always been quite the showstopper, even when I'm not at the funeral home.
The ringtone is humorously ridiculous, and Qin Jian chuckled as he said, "You're not even at the funeral home; shouldn't you change that ringtone?"
"No way. I'm feeling nostalgic."
"Why take it so seriously?"
I waved my hand to stop Qin Jian from continuing. "No, don't interrupt me while I take this call." The screen displayed an unfamiliar number, yet it felt somewhat familiar, like it belonged to the chubby guy. I answered, and sure enough, it was him.
He shouted frantically into the receiver, "Brother Qi, help me! Brother Qi, save me!"
"What happened?"
"Peng Yan is trying to kill me."
Hearing this from the chubby guy made my heart skip a beat. I thought back to my earlier unease—could it have been related to him? Realizing this, I shouted, "Hey, Qin Jian, there's something going on over there. What should I do?"
"Do you want me to throw you over there?"
"No need. Just stop at the intersection ahead. I'll take a cab, and you can continue with the investigation of the body in the restroom."
"Not bad. You've got a leader's demeanor; you can tell me what to do," Qin Jian replied, half-jokingly and half-mocking.
"Come on, I don't have time to bicker with you." There was a parking spot up ahead.
As I parked the car, I reminded Qin Jian, "You need to handle that corpse carefully. Don't look at it; the Evil Energy is strong." After that, there was nothing more to say. I had to rush to Ma Wu Funeral Home and split up with Qin Jian to take a taxi. In less than ten minutes, I arrived at Ma Wu Funeral Home.
Getting out of the car, I saw Peng Yan and Fatty playing a game of tag.
Fatty was circling the counter while Peng Yan brandished a sharp weapon, looking fierce as if she wanted to kill him.
I approached and observed coldly for a moment. When Peng Yan ran into the circle I had set up, I swiftly placed a talisman on her forehead. Immediately, a shadow detached itself from her body, something only I could see; Fatty was completely oblivious.
"She has been possessed by Bao Hui."
"What? How could this happen?"
I looked at Fatty and locked eyes with him until he felt uneasy and lowered his head.
"You know what you've done—disrespecting the deceased and spinning wild tales. She's here to scare you. If she truly wanted your life, would you still be able to hide in that jar?"
"I... was just listening to someone."
"Three steps." I shot him an annoyed glare and added, "Go get me a bowl of ice water."
Fatty went off to fetch the ice water.
Peng Hai returned.
"What are you doing here?" he exclaimed in surprise. Then he saw Peng Yan collapsed on the sofa and furiously shouted, "You bullied my sister!"
Just as Fatty brought the water, he explained to Peng Hai, "It's nothing serious. Your sister just fainted after feeling dizzy. Now Brother Qi is going to check on her."
I took the ice water Fatty handed me and flicked a few drops onto Peng Yan's face.
Peng Yan gasped sharply, suddenly opening her eyes. When she saw me and Fatty, she swayed as she tried to get up.
"What did you just do?" I asked, testing her.
"I can't remember. I was just asking Fatty to bring you back for the Mid-Autumn Festival when I started feeling lightheaded, and then everything went blank," Peng Yan said. As she spoke, I quickly prepared a bowl of recovery water for her to drink.
Peng Yan was fine now.
I instructed Fatty to sincerely apologize to Bao Hui; otherwise, things could escalate further.
Fatty agreed, feeling guilty about what he had done earlier. He deliberately walked me a good distance before stopping and quietly handed me the deed to Ma Wu Funeral Home. "Brother Qi, keep this safe. Peng Hai has been gambling heavily lately and has asked me about the deed several times. I'm worried Ma Wu Funeral Home won't last much longer."
I took the deed, and my worries were confirmed.
"Just get a divorce!"
"If we divorce, she'll have to split the Funeral Home."
"This woman is obsessed with money; don't let her intimidate you. The Funeral Home isn't yours; she doesn't have that right."
"She might consult a lawyer about whether the Funeral Home is considered joint property."
"Let her go."
"Isn't she causing too much trouble? Will there really be no consequences?"
"There won't be." I clenched the land deed and took a taxi. As I sat in the car, I noticed the fat man standing still, looking dazed and wooden. If only he had known this would happen, perhaps his fate with Peng Yan was nearing its end.
I contacted Qin Jian while in the car. When the call connected, he impatiently told me that while someone was removing concrete from a corpse, they got cut by a tooth inside the mouth.
Hearing this made my eyelids twitch inexplicably, a vague sense of foreboding creeping in.
I felt anxious; the more anxious I became, the more traffic I encountered. The red lights and heavy flow of cars made me increasingly restless. I urged the driver, "Hurry up."
"If you think walking is faster than driving, then pay your fare and get out to walk," the driver snapped back, lacking any professional decorum.
With no other option, I watched as cars ahead blocked those behind. My heart raced with urgency. Thinking of Chi Xinrong, I considered getting out to walk around the traffic jam and having her pick me up. It seemed like a feasible plan since I had no one else to call. Despite knowing she was still bothered by that incident, I dialed her number for help.
I rarely called Chi Xinrong, so I wasn't sure if she would answer.
To my surprise, she not only picked up but also readily agreed to come immediately.
With her on her way, I hurried to wrap up my business here. I handed cash to the taxi driver, grabbed my change, and rushed out without looking back.
Many people were watching me as I ran, asking if there had been an accident ahead. I had nothing to say; I just wanted to get some exercise. From a distance, I spotted Chi Xinrong waiting for me—she was quick to arrive. Exhausted from running, I jumped into her car and instructed her to head straight to the City Bureau.
After giving my instructions, I realized there was already someone sitting in the car. It seemed that while I was on the phone with Chi Xinrong, she had been with this person; otherwise, what were the odds? As I got in, he was already there too.
“Ma Qi, this is Dengke Qi.”
Dengke Qi, such a peculiar name. I glanced at him; he had a sharp face with a hooked nose, especially his eyes. As I looked at him, he was also looking at me, his gaze slightly lowered, coming from below and shooting upward. His eyes were like arrows, and his eyelashes resembled grass, as if a cold arrow was shot from the grass—a typical sign of treachery!
How does Rongrong know this person?
I frowned and nodded at the man named Dengke Qi as a greeting.
Chi Xinrong joked, “Look, you two are quite fated; you share a character in your names.”
“Indeed,” Dengke Qi replied with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
“Too polite.”
“Ma Qi, he is in the same line of work as you and understands Mystical Arts, right Brother Keqi?”
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