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墨書 Inktalez
Why the unease?
Ye Chenfeng himself couldn't quite explain it.
The slogans plastered on the walls of the village didn't encourage progress or learning; instead, they reminded parents to protect their children. It seemed that child disappearances were a serious issue here, and Ye Chenfeng felt it necessary to visit the police station to understand the situation better.
He and Ding Li went to the police station that night to inquire about the recent cases of missing persons.
What they learned left them stunned.
Dozens of children had gone missing in this area and beyond, with authorities searching in various ways but finding no leads. The disappearances were sudden; for instance, a child could be seen playing in front of people one day, only to vanish at the same time the next day.
Children are the joy of a family, the hope for the future, and in the eyes of the older generation, they represent the continuation of family lineage.
Their disappearance brought immense sorrow to the elders, leaving them with nowhere to cry.
Young parents could only swallow their grief, some planning for a second child if they had the means, while others could only hope for a miracle, wishing their child would suddenly reappear before them.
The families of missing children were shrouded in despair, and the entire area affected by these disappearances felt as if it were under a cruel curse. Whether boys or girls, the severity of the situation was alarming.
As Ye Chenfeng walked with Ding Li toward their rented apartment, he noticed the half-hidden moon hanging in the sky.
Sparse stars twinkled like grains of rice scattered across the heavens, each shining faintly amidst a light mist, flickering in and out of view. A cool breeze gently brushed against their faces, carrying a hint of chill.
"Are you cold?" He wrapped his arms around Ding Li's slender frame and tenderly squeezed her delicate wrist.
"I'm fine." Ding Li loved children and missed them deeply. Hearing about so many missing kids without any clues weighed heavily on her heart.
Ye Chenfeng was also having a tough time.
He suddenly thought of his grandmother, who had been possessed by the Cat Spirit. During the day, she was neither human nor ghost, and at night, she transformed into a ferocious Cat Spirit.
Cats and mice were natural enemies.
The children born in the Year of the Rat were being slaughtered.
If it weren't for the Ghost-Collecting Gourd, his grandmother would have accumulated countless karmic debts.
Ye Chenfeng's fingers brushed against the gourd hanging at his waist as he gazed up at the sky and sighed, "If the children truly become vengeful spirits and manifest, I will help them if I can."
Ding Li was deep in thought.
Hearing Ye Chenfeng's sigh, he reminded him, "Could it be some kind of fairy causing trouble?"
"A fairy? What kind of fairy could steal so many children without anyone noticing?"
Ye Chenfeng clasped his hands behind his back, furrowing his brows in contemplation. After a moment, he had an idea. Ding Li's suggestion wasn't entirely impossible; after all, he had once been a skeptic of ghosts and deities, yet here he was dealing with them for so many years.
If we were to talk about fairies, the one most commonly mentioned in folklore was the Yellow Weasel.
The Yellow Weasel was carnivorous and held grudges; anyone who offended it would find themselves in trouble. It could possess a person and torment them, especially those who were weak in health—those were the easiest targets.
Ye Chenfeng had never seen a Yellow Weasel; he had only heard about it from his grandmother.
Years ago, the Yellow Weasel possessed a person.
Grandma helped to drive it away by using the ash from the bottom of a pot to rub the person's armpit, causing it to laugh. Then she would ask if it was going to leave; if it didn't, she would threaten to be more forceful, and the Yellow Weasel, frightened, would quietly depart, allowing the possessed person to return to normal immediately.
Ding Li listened carefully as Ye Chenfeng recounted the story, then nervously asked, "Does it eat people?"
"No, it just possesses and plays tricks on people. I've never heard of it eating anyone."
"Then it's not the Yellow Weasel stealing children. Could it be another spirit?"
As they approached their rented place, Ye Chenfeng shook his head and said, "What other spirits could there be?"
"The Serpent Spirit. Remember the White Snake Legend? The white snake opens its mouth wide enough to swallow a living person whole."
Ding Li seemed to have gotten too carried away by movies.
Ye Chenfeng chuckled and replied, "That's just a movie. In reality, only giant pythons can swallow prey heavier than themselves. Spirits like the Serpent Spirit are rarely mentioned in real life."
Upon entering, the Landlady came over with a thermos of hot water and warmly greeted them, "Back already? How did your inquiries go?"
"Ridiculous. Auntie, I was just about to ask you something," Ye Chenfeng said as he ushered her into the room.
Ding Li quickly took the thermos and awkwardly prepared a cup of tea for Ye Chenfeng.
"Make it strong," Ye Chenfeng instructed before inviting the Landlady to sit down.
In the Landlady's eyes, Ye Chenfeng and Ding Li were a perfect couple, resembling a pair of golden boys and jade maidens. They were city dwellers, which gave her the impression that city people were sophisticated, displaying politeness in both their attire and mannerisms.
After some polite exchanges, they got straight to the point.
Ye Chenfeng naturally inquired about the missing children.
The Landlady furrowed her brows, thinking carefully before saying, "As for the missing children, no one can remember when it started. For the first ten years, I never heard of any cases of children going missing. Gradually, it began to happen; at first, it was just one or two a year. Some suspected that they were abducted. The families of the missing children suffered greatly; they borrowed money and went into debt trying to find their kids. When they heard about families buying children, they would go to check, only to find that the child they saw was not their own."
"So there were no cases of missing children in the first ten years, but it started happening in recent years? I would like to ask if anything unusual has happened around here in those years! Also, have there been any suspicious individuals coming and going, like people disguised as locals?"
Upon hearing Ye Chenfeng's question, Ding Li's imagination ran wild again. She thought of UFOs, recalling how they often appeared in foreign movies—secretly infiltrating Earth to either abduct humans or invade. Being so far from big cities and on the edge of wilderness, could it be that UFOs were abducting children?
Ding Li wanted several times to interrupt the conversation between the Landlady and Ye Chenfeng but held back, unable to bring herself to speak.
The Landlady pondered Ye Chenfeng's question for a long time before replying, "Many people do come here; most are looking for fresh air. Some rent rooms from me and leave after a few days. Others come here to buy local goods and stay for ten days or so."
Ye Chenfeng fell into deep thought. After a moment, he looked up and asked, "Do you know where a single woman who adopted a girl has gone?"
The Landlady smiled awkwardly and replied, "You asked about her during the day already. This woman rarely interacts with us; she only appears occasionally and is always in a hurry. The girl has shown up before; she's well-fed and has grown taller. Oh right, that woman likes to wear white clothes. People around here don’t like her much because her attire is quite strange."
"White clothes?"
"Yes."
Ye Chenfeng glanced at Ding Li and recalled what Sister Xiao's spirit had said about the White-Clad Woman. If that were the case, then Xiang'er might be in danger.
The situation was becoming increasingly complicated.
Ye Chenfeng initially thought that the incidents of children going missing in Purple City and here were two separate matters. However, with the appearance of the White-Clad Woman in both places, things were not as simple as he had imagined.
Who exactly was the White-Clad Woman?
“Ahem, could it be aliens doing this?” Ding Li finally found an opportunity to speak up, hurriedly interjecting.
“Huh?” The Landlady was clearly startled by Ding Li's sudden comment.
If it really were aliens, that would be a significant event.
Aliens—creatures that made Earthlings shudder at the thought. If they appeared on Earth and abducted humans at will, it would be a terrifying disaster.
“Don’t interrupt and say nonsense,” Ye Chenfeng shot a glare at Ding Li and turned to the Landlady, apologizing, “She likes daydreaming; don’t take it to heart, ma'am.”
“It’s fine.” The Landlady chuckled and said to Ding Li, “You’re pretty, but a bit too slender. In our mountains, you won’t manage like that; you can’t carry anything on your shoulders.”
Ding Li was initially angry, but upon hearing the Landlady's words, she couldn't help but chuckle. “I may not be able to work, but I can eat! I eat a lot, yet I just can’t gain weight.”
The Landlady was a woman, and she was much older than Ding Li.
Yet she was indeed a woman, which meant there were plenty of topics for women to discuss.
Ignoring Ye Chenfeng’s presence, the two women continued their conversation, exchanging words and brushing aside the earlier topic.
Ye Chenfeng took a sip of tea and said to Ding Li, "You should go rest; I still have things to discuss with the Landlady."
Ding Li left reluctantly, but this was the least Ye Chenfeng could do. Not getting angry at her was already a significant concession.
Once she had gone to rest, Ye Chenfeng gestured to the Landlady. "Auntie, let's continue our earlier conversation."
He continued discussing the White-Clad Woman with the Landlady for several hours until her grandson started crying, demanding his grandmother's attention. She apologized and left.
As night deepened, Ye Chenfeng found himself unable to sleep. He checked on Ding Li before stepping outside.
He felt compelled to visit that place.
Worrying about Xiang'er’s safety, he reflected that he and Ding Li had no children; he regretted giving Xiang'er away.
But then he reconsidered; it wouldn’t have been right for Xiang'er to stay with him. His life was destined to be childless, and if Xiang'er were with him, she wouldn’t have a good life either.
After a while of daydreaming, he absentmindedly pulled out his phone only to realize it was turned off. He had switched it off to avoid the endless entanglements with Li Xin. Turning it back on, he was greeted by a flurry of notifications—the sound of incoming messages echoed like a babbling brook.
Ye Chenfeng looked at his phone, and it was filled with frantic messages from Li Xin.
He didn’t bother to read them and decisively deleted all of them.
Strolling outside, the night in the mountain village was chilling, and he shivered slightly. Tightening his collar, he had no intention of stopping; instead, he headed straight for Xiang'er’s foster mother’s residence.
The landlady's rental house was quite a distance from Xiang'er’s foster mother’s home.
Ye Chenfeng walked for a full half hour before reaching his destination.
This building, compared to many rural structures, could be considered a mansion. In the quiet of the night, it felt completely out of place in its surroundings. He wondered how Li Xin had come to know this woman; perhaps it was necessary to contact her regarding Xiang'er.
But now was not the right time to reach out to her.
As Ye Chenfeng pondered, he suddenly heard a noise coming from inside the house.
A dull thud echoed, as if something heavy had fallen to the ground.
He hurriedly approached and perked up his ears to listen.
Inside, it fell silent again. Was it just an illusion? Or was it coming from somewhere else? In the stillness of the night, even the smallest sounds could carry far.
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