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墨書 Inktalez
Ye Chenfeng lay in the tent before Sun Hong, hoping for some unusual occurrence to break the monotony. However, as he waited, his patience gradually waned, and eventually, he succumbed to sleep.
In his dreams, an indescribable fear enveloped him—a profound sense of loneliness that came from being separated from family and companions. Within his perception, a dilapidated house appeared, emitting strange and fragmented sounds. Driven by an overwhelming curiosity, he found himself uncontrollably drawn toward the crumbling structure.
Before the decaying house, he encountered something truly terrifying.
In an eerily quiet atmosphere, several black coffins intruded upon his senses without warning. Above the coffins hung small gourds that exuded a sinister aura. The size of these gourds was similar to the Ghost-Collecting Gourd he carried with him.
Ye Chenfeng instinctively reached out to touch the Ghost-Collecting Gourd, but his hand grasped nothing but air.
He realized that he had left the Ghost-Collecting Gourd in the car. As he watched, the gourds began to sway, and it seemed as if something within the black coffins was about to emerge. He was reluctant to continue this unsettling perception and struggled against an inexplicable allure, shouting out loud as he jolted awake.
When he opened his eyes, he found that daylight had broken without him noticing. The sun was up—why hadn’t Qin Keqing and the others called for him?
Ye Chenfeng crawled out of his sleeping bag and discovered that he still clutched a half-torn photograph in his hand. Exiting the tent, he noticed that they hadn’t woken up yet, so he went around calling them one by one.
As he roused them, Uncle Zhang Bi from the nearby farm approached to greet them.
“Young man, did you sleep well last night?” Zhang Bi seemed unusually free of his usual persistent cough today. Noticing Ye Chenfeng looking at him, he felt compelled to explain, “My old cough only acts up at night; I’m fine in the morning.”
In rural areas, there are many beliefs regarding minor ailments.
For instance, they say early morning coughs are due to heat while night coughs are caused by cold.
Zhang Bi mentioned that he had been taking traditional Chinese medicine lately—essentially wild herbs collected from the mountains, dried and brewed into a concoction for consumption.
Ye Chenfeng noticed that Zhang Bi was dressed in fresh clothes and had swapped his footwear for a pair of new cotton shoes. “Uncle, you seem different today compared to yesterday.”
Zhang Bi chuckled cheerfully. “Today is a day of celebration; Dong Bian from the eastern village is getting married.”
There’s someone with the surname Dong? What a peculiar name—Dong Bian.
Ye Chenfeng didn’t find it odd; instead, he pondered over the joyful sounds he had heard last night—it must have been from the wedding celebrations in Dong Bian’s village as Zhang Bi had mentioned.
But there was no wind last night, and the village to the east was quite a distance away. How could he have heard the sounds of joy?
Qin Keqing and the others were naturally happy to hear about the good news. It is known that celebrating a wedding in the countryside is somewhat different from doing so in the city. The old traditions prevail in rural areas, where both the bride and groom must wear brand new wedding attire, and they must bow three times and kneel nine times to become husband and wife.
Moreover, it is particularly popular to create a ruckus during the wedding night. The more lively the celebration, the more it signifies that the family has many close friends, and that the bride and groom's future will be smooth sailing. In short, the idea is that all roads lead to Rome, ensuring a lifetime of happiness and sweetness.
Zhang Bi mentioned that the village chief was not angry yesterday because of this wedding. During such joyous occasions, nothing bad should happen in the village. Therefore, he discussed with Zhang Bi and made an exception to allow Ye Chenfeng and a few others to attend this wedding.
People are drawn to festivities; it's human nature.
However, Ye Chenfeng seemed preoccupied. His thoughts were not on the wedding but rather on the incident involving Sun Hong and Ghost Granny.
Ghost Granny was formerly known as Sister Sun.
Ye Chenfeng quietly took out fifty yuan to consult Zhang Bi about Sister Sun's name and what had happened to her.
Upon hearing Ye Chenfeng mention the Sun Family, Zhang Bi's expression changed as if he feared being overheard. He lowered his voice and said, "You'd better not inquire about this matter. Just go attend the wedding; consider it contributing your share."
Hearing Zhang Bi's words, Ye Chenfeng seemed to understand why they were allowed to attend the wedding as an exception. It turned out that there were not many people left in the village; weddings needed a crowd. The remaining villagers were mostly elderly, weak women and children who couldn't leave, along with people like Zhang Bi who were unwell.
If they went, it would add some liveliness to the occasion.
Zhang Bi was unwilling to discuss matters related to Zhanglin Village or the Sun Family, which only heightened Ye Chenfeng's suspicions.
The coffins he dreamed of last night, along with the gourd hanging in mid-air, stirred within him an urge to understand everything clearly.
Zhang Bi was ready to take them to the wedding.
Ye Chenfeng said he hadn’t slept all night and really didn’t feel like going. He wanted to sleep a bit longer, so he settled for some instant noodles he had brought along and then lay down in his sleeping bag without getting up.
Seeing that he truly did not want to go, Qin Keqing took the other two with Zhang Bi to enjoy the festivities while also bringing along a gift of money.
Once they left, Ye Chenfeng found it impossible to sleep anymore.
Zhanglin Village had too many suspicious aspects, and he still vividly remembered the expressions of the village chief and Zhang Bi that night. Especially when Sun Hong was mentioned, their facial expressions became complex and enigmatic. Sun Hong was dead.
Ye Chenfeng felt there was something to this. Perhaps Sun Hong had a great grievance, waiting by the roadside, seeking their help. Or maybe Sun Hong wasn't dead—if she wasn't, where could she have gone? Moreover, all the brothers had seen her enter the central tent, and the only clue left at the scene was this half-torn photograph.
Ye Chenfeng examined the photograph closely.
The relationships among the four people in the photo were subtle; they didn't seem like mere colleagues but rather like two couples.
Next to Sun Hong was a handsome young man wearing glasses, his eyes bright and spirited, with one hand casually resting on her shoulder. If they didn't share an intimate relationship, how could he be so casual? The other couple's posture was similar to Sun Hong's; they were also very close to each other, with only a significant distance between the two pairs.
This made Ye Chenfeng even more certain that they were indeed two couples.
What had happened among the four of them? How had Sun Hong lost contact with them and ended up alone by the roadside?
As Ye Chenfeng walked while looking at the photograph, he unknowingly reached a small bridge made of two cement poles.
On the other side of the bridge, a winding path extended far away to a dilapidated house. Various wild grasses grew beneath the small bridge; these plants were familiar to Ye Chenfeng. He wasn't boasting; he could easily name these wild grasses.
Among them, there was a resilient leaf plant called Wild Asparagus, along with others that could be used as delicious wild vegetables—he not only recognized them but had also eaten them before.
Ye Chenfeng's feet moved as if wound up like an alarm clock, unwilling to stop for even a moment as he walked straight ahead.
The empty surroundings were filled with trees, and at the edge of the forest, abruptly stood a house by the roadside. If this were near the city, such irresponsible construction regarding feng shui would be rare.
Don't underestimate it.
Right now, in our country’s construction projects like subways and large-scale engineering, it's customary to consider feng shui. Even if they don't consult it directly, for good luck's sake, they still find ways to adjust things for auspicious beginnings and smooth progress.
Ye Chenfeng felt that this house exuded an ominous aura, which was why he had come over from the bridge.
But unexpectedly, upon getting closer, he couldn't help but gasp in shock.
The interior of the house was filled with coffins of various sizes painted black. Hanging above the coffins were gourds just like those he had seen in his dreams; each gourd swayed like wind chimes in the breeze, producing soft clinking sounds.
On the doorframe hung a sign covered in spider webs.
Ten Li Pu Sun's Coffin Shop.
The Sun Family sells coffins? This surprised Ye Chenfeng greatly.
At the entrance, he noticed the walls plastered with various talismans, including Exorcism Talismans and more.
What is going on here?
Ye Chenfeng observed that there was no one in the coffin shop. If there were, the black coffin wouldn't be covered in dust and spider webs. As he stepped forward, ready to enter, he caught a glimpse of a girl standing quietly not far away.
The girl was filthy, her hair disheveled, and her face smeared with mud. Her hollow eyes stared directly at him.
Seeing someone in this place left Ye Chenfeng somewhat shocked and incredulous. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that the girl bore no signs of evil or ghostly presence. He abandoned his intention to enter the coffin shop and walked toward her instead.
When the girl saw Ye Chenfeng approaching, she seemed prepared to run all along; without any surprise, she turned and dashed away.
"Hey, don't run! I just want to talk to you!"
The little girl was a child from the mountains; there was no way Ye Chenfeng could catch up with her. Especially since he was unfamiliar with the terrain, after chasing for a while, he not only failed to catch her but also nearly got lost.
Not nearly—he was truly lost.
All around Ye Chenfeng were tangled woods with no clear path. His arms and ankles were scratched by thorny plants, causing a dull ache.
He found a relatively large rock to sit on and looked around, his eyes fixating on a certain spot in shock.
A vast graveyard suddenly came into view without warning. He wasn't sure if that little girl had run into this forest but never expected she would end up in the Zhanglin Village cemetery.
Where there are living people, there are also places for the dead.
Their distance apart was merely a breath away.
Ye Chenfeng thought to himself that if he didn't have the so-called Ghost-Quaking Scripture or his Medium grandmother, he would just be an ordinary Normal Person. Right now, he should be at home enjoying family time with his parents instead of being here.
His ankle was scratched by something and was bleeding, with blood trickling down his hairy leg in winding streams that began to congeal.
Ye Chenfeng looked around for a plant called Creeping Grass and finally spotted some. He pulled a handful, brushed off the dirt, and confirmed it was relatively clean before putting it in his mouth and chewing slowly.
Creeping Grass stopped bleeding quickly and also helped protect wounds.
As he chewed on the Creeping Grass, he suddenly felt a swift gaze from somewhere behind him, brushing past the back of his head.
Ye Chenfeng turned around quickly but only caught a glimpse of a small figure darting away and disappearing behind a mound.
Was it a little girl?
He stood up and moved lightly towards the mound.
As Ye Chenfeng approached, he hid behind a tree and saw the girl from earlier. She was clutching something and devouring it hungrily.
It looked like an offering meant for the deceased buried in the grave. How could she eat such filthy things? In places like this, there were many insects and birds. Offering food to the dead was merely a ritual; the dead took a breath while the living gasped for air—this was the meaning behind it.
The girl earnestly ate what she had found by the grave, something covered in ants and smelling foul, completely unaware that Ye Chenfeng was inching closer behind her.
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