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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 80: Illusion Lost (Part One)
In the past, when times were tough and the land was barren, people resorted to stealing just to avoid starvation. This isn't a tale I've concocted; it's a story my grandfather told me from the era of Chaos and Turmoil, where desperation drove people to eat one another.
In today's age, with favorable national policies, thieves still exist.
The thieves of the harsh years deserve sympathy, but the thieves of today are like rats in the street, universally reviled.
Thieves come in all ages, presenting themselves with a facade of respectability. They dress neatly and speak with confidence, making it hard to associate them with thievery. Before you know it, you've been robbed without even realizing it.
Just think about it—I was just outsmarted by an old thief. Reflecting on what happened earlier brings a smile to my face. After laughing enough, I began to focus on serious matters. First, I took out the broken Soul Searching Incense, pressed my hand against it, and recited an incantation, hoping that the earlier interruption hadn't nullified its effects.
However, as expected, once the Soul Searching Incense was lit, it only produced a faint glow and showed no signs of working at all.
No matter how I tried to cast my spells, it remained an ordinary incense stick without any response.
Turning back was not an option; I had seen that this building was suspicious earlier in the afternoon. So I decided to investigate further. Strangely enough, I stood there for at least five minutes without any movement from inside or outside the building.
In fact, my standing there was also a test of my opponent's abilities. If they were skilled enough and there was indeed something amiss in this building, something would surely happen.
But standing there felt like I was just a fool talking to myself; no one seemed to care about my presence. It was as if this building truly was vacant and uninhabited. Thus, I had no choice but to use my last resort: I turned on my Mobile Flashlight and used its beam to search for the entrance to the Two-Story Building.
The back of this building faced a Mud Road, surrounded by Mao Bamboo and woods. The ground was covered with a thick layer of fallen leaves that sank underfoot but quickly returned to solid ground. Before long, my shoes were coated with dry leaves from the Mao Bamboo, making them thick and heavy as I walked. As I moved forward while scanning the area, I noticed that the interior of the Two-Story Building was pitch black; there were no visible windows outside, and I could only rely on my phone's light to find the correct position of the doorway.
As I approached the front of the building, I was surprised to find the door wide open.
The open doorway revealed an endless darkness, as if something was lurking within, waiting for me to enter. Before stepping through the grand entrance, I took a moment to observe my surroundings. This building was constructed in the nineties, with tiled walls and stainless steel sliding window frames that remained intact.
Beside the yard stood a massive Sophora tree, its leaves fallen yet remarkably clean. No matter how I looked at it, this place should not feel like an abandoned environment forgotten by time. If it belonged to the Nail Household, there would be a reasonable explanation for its state. The key issue was that before I arrived at this building, there had been not a single sound.
Even if someone had come out to ask me what I was doing, I remained silent, staring into the dark void that seemed to stare back at me. Without hesitation, I stepped inside. The moment I crossed the threshold, a chill swept over me, causing me to instinctively shrink my neck and cautiously glance ahead.
Inside was surprisingly clean; the floor showed no signs of dust from long-term vacancy, and there was no damage anywhere else in the house. The furniture was all present and neatly arranged—coffee tables and sofas in order—but the only difference was that the temperature in this house felt colder than anywhere else.
It felt as though this house stood like a coffin in the Underworld. Within this coffin were mysterious and eerie hands that seemed to clean away dust from the air and wipe off grime from the furniture. A children's toy lying in the corner caught my attention. I walked over but didn’t reach for it; instead, I examined it closely.
It was a somewhat worn plastic duck that quacked when squeezed. I set aside the duck toy and continued deeper into the house. The bedroom and other rooms appeared normal—clean and quiet.
If this place weren't in such an isolated area and lacked any unusual chilliness, it could have been a lovely home. As I moved further inside, a sudden cold wind rushed past my neck from behind. I quickly dodged an unseen attack but accidentally dropped my phone on the ground. The light illuminated the roof above me, revealing nothing behind me.
I had no idea where that gust came from; I hadn’t noticed anything unusual. It seemed my opponent was more skilled than I had anticipated, making me wary.
Just as I bent down to pick up my phone, a shadow darted from my left front side with a piercing scream. Reacting quickly, I pointed my hand forward and unleashed Purgatory Flame. The flames surged toward the target—a fierce ghost with a wicked grin lunged at me with bared teeth. In response, I pointed again, unleashing maximum energy from the flames—“Boom! Boom!”—striking the ghost directly.
I was confident; Purgatory Flame was unstoppable. As long as it touched the ghost, it would surely burn away every trace of it.
“Aah…” A shriller scream echoed through the air, and as that childish voice faded away, silence enveloped the surroundings once more. I scanned my environment warily; everything was eerily quiet except for my own breathing echoing in the stillness.
It seemed that ghosts feared Purgatory Flame and were temporarily hiding in darkness. With a cold smirk, I said aloud: “Ghosts, don’t think your grandpa is a fool. The moment you step into this house, I know there’s something guarding it inside. Come test your grandpa’s Purgatory Flame; let’s see if I don’t turn you into ashes.”
The Purgatory Flame comes from hell, and my master uses evil to combat evil. Any wicked entity that exists in this world and is harmed by the Purgatory Flame will never be able to exist again; they won't even qualify to descend into hell. So the ghost should know about this; it has already been injured by the Purgatory Flame, and there’s no way it can avoid death now.
I continued forward until I reached a door secured with a padlock, preparing to lift my hand to break it. Suddenly, I heard someone's breathing. The person hadn’t entered the room, yet I could hear the breath, indicating that my energy was increasing. I quickly darted into the shadows; after all, the room was dark. If I suppressed my aura, the person outside shouldn’t be able to detect my presence unless they had been secretly watching me or were someone whose cultivation surpassed mine.
Just as I hid, the light in the room suddenly brightened, forcing me to instinctively raise my hand to shield my eyes. At that moment, someone called out, “Brother Qi, you’re here?” How could anyone here recognize me? I was quite surprised and lowered my hand to look at the person who called me. It was startling.
The one calling me was Mi.
At that moment, she was dressed in a noble and elegant pure wedding gown, holding a red rose that exuded a faint fragrance. Under the dazzling cold light, her beauty shone like a goddess descending before me. In disbelief, I froze as she stepped forward and affectionately linked her arm with mine. With bright eyes and a charming smile, she said to me, “Brother Qi, today is our special day! Look, it’s getting late; spring nights are fleeting. Let’s go into the Wedding Chamber!”
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