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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 45: Grudge (Part Five)
The hit-and-run vehicle bore a significant part of the responsibility. Fortunately, he wasn't smoking, and since I witnessed Zhao Di being chased by those people and crossing the road out of desperation, which led to the fatal accident, he should be grateful to me.
However, according to a caregiver from the mental hospital, it seemed that Zhao Di had no relatives, so her body was sent back to the funeral home for moral beautification. It would remain there until the results of the incident were finalized before the cremation process could officially begin.
As the crowd dispersed, I found myself alone at the scene, staring blankly at the pool of congealed dark blood. My phone rang, snapping me back to reality. I hurriedly checked; it was Zhang Xian calling. She was quite thoughtful to check if someone had been taken away. I replied, "As you wished, she has been taken away, but the ones who took her are not from the mental hospital..."
"What’s wrong with you? Your tone is so cold. Who upset you? By the way, who took Li Mingliang away?"
Am I cold? It seems Zhang Xian hadn’t completely numbed herself to feelings yet; she could still sense my overly indifferent tone. I maintained my usual demeanor and replied, "It was the Evil Spirit Collector."
Zhang Xian laughed on the other end of the line. "Don’t joke around. She really needs to be taken away for me to work in peace. You know how she scares everyone with her antics."
"Don't doubt my words; they are one hundred percent true." With that, I hung up and strode purposefully toward another street. My destination was a grocery store that sold everything—items for the living and for the dead.
For instance, Hell Money and candles.
I bought a dozen Hell Money notes, a stick of incense, and two candles before heading to the roadside where Zhao Di had met with her accident and burned them all.
"Auntie, I'm sorry. I don't know who to believe. Perhaps this will make you feel better. Rest in peace." As half of the incense burned away, car headlights suddenly swept over me, forcing me to shield my face with my hand just to see who was getting out of the vehicle.
It had to be Zhang Xian; she was quick on her feet and must have sensed something was off in my tone and rushed over to check.
"Master Ma, is that you?"
The person asking was indeed Zhang Xian. She wore a trench coat and walked briskly; the hem swayed side to side like a giant fish tail.
I acknowledged her presence with a nod as she approached, glancing at the flickering flames of the candles and the still-smoking Hell Money on the ground. Her brow furrowed as she asked, "Did something really happen to her?"
"Do you still not believe the facts right in front of you?" I thought to myself, this woman is truly ruthless. I bowed slightly and planned to leave.
Zhang Xian called out for me to wait. After she checked the room and locked the clinic door, we left together.
"I don't need it anymore; I have other things to do."
"Alright then, come visit me when you have time."
Come visit you? As if I had nothing better to do. I kept that thought to myself and turned away, pulling away from her. I thought that after Zhao Di's incident, I would never have to see Zhang Xian again.
On the third day after Zhao Di's incident, I went to Ten-Mile Temple. Qin Jian was with me; he hadn't seen the abbot during his last visit and wanted to try his luck this time.
We drove in two cars.
I was in one car with Gousi, while Qin Jian was in another with Chi Xinrong.
After experiencing life and death, Qin Jian seemed to have matured. He understood the preciousness of what he had lost, showing Chi Xinrong meticulous care. He no longer spoke as loudly as before; instead, he was reserved, elegant, and gentle.
Chi Xinrong wasn't a perfect woman, but after such a transformation, she had become truly wonderful. She found a good place in life with Qin Jian, and I could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Ten-Mile Temple was both mysterious and terrifying.
On the way there, Gousi and I didn't talk much. I didn't want to bring up anything unrelated to him. So the grievances between Zhao Di and Zhang Xian were something only we knew—me, her, and the earth itself.
The road was still the same old path, lined with wildflowers and weeds. The roar of our vehicles echoed far away, startling the green-feathered Neck birds resting among the weeds.
"Seven," I asked, "after finishing something, do you need to help those 'people' move on?"
"Absolutely necessary."
"So, what about Gong Elder? Do you also perform the rites for him?"
"He's an exception."
"Why is that?"
"I have principles as a Mortician. I don't perform rites for the utterly wicked, nor for those who betray their parents."
"Pfft! You really stick to your principles on this?"
"Of course. Principles are the bottom line; without them, there's no meaning."
"I understand." Gousi fell silent as the vehicle continued to jolt along.
I crossed my arms and lowered my head, feeling as if I had never slept enough in my life, and soon began to doze off again.
As soon as I closed my eyes, I saw Zhao Di covered in blood, his accusatory gaze piercing my heart like a sharp blade. I jolted awake, looking around at the misty surroundings. Beneath the haze were some disordered plants, including a golden ginkgo tree whose leaves fluttered gently in the wind, occasionally dropping a yellow leaf that twirled down with the breeze's assistance.
The withered reeds caught fire easily, and large patches lay flat on the ground, with clusters of tender green unknown plants sprouting through the dry gaps.
" Gousi, those are wild bamboo shoots. Years ago, when they were out there and had finished their supplies, they were almost reduced to cannibalism. Luckily, they found plenty of wild bamboo shoots, which saved them and prevented internal strife due to starvation."
I asked Gousi if anything terrifying had happened during their tomb raiding adventures, like the Corpse Toad or Zongzi incidents.
The Zongzi I mentioned wasn't the kind served on a dining table; it was a term from Tomb Raider referring to corpses. It described bodies that hadn't truly died yet and could also be called Zombies. Gousi chuckled and explained that there are several types of Zongzi. The Big Corpse refers to powerful Zombies that are generally formidable. The ones that undergo Corpse Transformation due to special circumstances are called Old Corpses, which are the hardest to deal with. If only bones remain with hardly any flesh left, they are referred to as Dried Corpses.
" Gousi," he said, "if you're lucky enough to encounter a lot of burial goods, it's called meat Zongzi."
"You all have to pay respects when you go to those places, right?"
"Pay respects? People like us who have been in this line of work for a long time scare even the Evil Spirits. We carry plenty of killing intent. We just pay our respects to our ancestors when we head out. As for the rest, there's no need to fuss over it. Personally, I believe as long as you don't do anything harmful, there's nothing to fear."
Gousi's words do hold some truth; there's a saying that goes, 'Evil Spirits fear Evil People.' However, his assertion that he doesn't do anything harmful seems somewhat incomplete. After all, tomb raiding does harm the Yin De, and that's something he surely hasn't grasped.
I asked Gousi why he didn't bring his partner to Ten-Mile Temple this time. He chuckled and said that women talk too much and shouldn't be overly indulged. I joked that with him going out alone like this, wasn't he worried about finding someone else?
Gousi replied, "Wine is a heart-destroying poison, and lust is a bone-cutting knife. One Wife is enough; as long as wine can nourish the body, one shouldn't be too greedy." It was clear he was a sensible person, which is why the abbot of Ten-Mile Temple appreciated him even more.
I gave Gousi a thumbs up to show my agreement with his words.
He smiled and casually asked me how many beautiful confidantes I had in my life.
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