Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Chapter Two
The fog had lifted somewhat, revealing a grayish-white hue on the horizon. Lin Yuan rubbed his sore shoulders and pushed open the door of the wooden cabin. The events of last night felt like a dream; the room was empty, save for a pile of firewood still radiating a bit of warmth. He frowned, recalling how that woman—A Qing—had left without a sound, not even a footprint left behind. He looked down at his bow; the broken string dangled, mocking him for his clumsiness the previous night. Spitting on the ground, he decided to head back to the village, but as soon as he stepped outside, a heaviness settled in his heart. The low hum was still there, intermittent, like a shadow clinging to him.
The mountain path was easier to navigate than it had been last night. Lin Yuan had walked half a mile when he suddenly heard laughter behind him. He turned sharply to see A Qing standing on the slope, her gray clothes billowing in the wind as if weightless. She held a skinned rabbit in her hands, blood still dripping from it, bright red and glaring. "Are you hungry?" she smiled at him, her eyes curving like crescent moons. Lin Yuan's throat tightened; he didn’t respond but nodded slightly. She approached him and handed over the rabbit; her fingertips were still cold, just like when she had touched him last night. As he took it from her, his hand involuntarily trembled.
"Where did you run off to last night?" After holding back for a long time, he finally asked, his voice hoarse like sandpaper. A Qing looked down at the rabbit and chuckled softly, "It gets chilly in the mountains at night; I was afraid of getting cold." She didn’t look up; her eyelashes cast shadows across her face. Lin Yuan stared at her, wanting to ask more questions, but that low hum returned again, as if responding to her words.
For the next two days, Lin Yuan found himself unable to leave. A Qing always had reasons to keep him there—the mountain path was slippery, the fog had returned, and they hadn’t caught enough prey yet. He didn’t rush to argue; instead, he followed her as they hunted rabbits and gathered firewood, their days flowing by like water slipping through fingers. A Qing didn’t talk much, but every word she spoke was soft and comforting. She taught him how to listen for deer in the wind while he showed her how to skin animals without hurting herself. At night she roasted meat while he tended the fire; its glow danced on her face like a delicate veil.
But at night she always seemed off. On the first night, Lin Yuan was half-asleep when he heard her push open the door and step outside with footsteps as light as a cat’s. He didn’t follow her for fear of startling her. On the second night, he couldn’t hold back any longer. The moon had just climbed over the mountain’s peak, round like a white plate when she got up again and slipped on a coat before heading out. Lin Yuan held his breath, grabbed his bow quietly, and followed her.
The wind was cool on the hillside as A Qing stood beside a large rock with her back to the moonlight; her coat fluttered like smoke. She hummed softly to herself—not the playful tune from earlier—but something that sounded like she was speaking to someone. Lin Yuan hid behind a pine tree and squinted to see better. The moonlight spilled down around her; her shadow stretched long but wavered as if alive, its edges blurred like dispersing mist. He swallowed hard; his palms were sweaty.
"The mountain is yours now; what else do you want?" A Qing suddenly spoke up in a voice barely above a whisper. Lin Yuan froze; he saw no one else around, but she paused before adding, "Don’t push me." The wind picked up again, whipping her hair wildly about while that low hum returned in his ears as if echoing her words. Gritting his teeth, he leaned forward to see who she was talking to when his foot slipped on a dry twig beneath him. With a crackling sound, A Qing spun around abruptly; their eyes locked.
"You shouldn’t have come out here," she said coldly as she approached him with swift steps that seemed almost ethereal. Lin Yuan stood up straight; his throat felt dry as he asked, "Who were you talking to?" She didn’t answer but stared at him for a moment before smiling again: "The wind is too strong; you must have misheard." She took his hand and led him back inside; her grip was icy as if made of ice itself. Lin Yuan didn’t pull away but felt an even stronger sense of unease rising within him.
Once back inside, she didn’t go out again that night while Lin Yuan lay awake unable to sleep. He watched her peaceful profile as she slept and felt that shadow still swaying in his mind like smoke that hadn’t dissipated completely.
Leaning against the wall with his bow clutched tightly in hand, Lin Yuan couldn’t take his eyes off A Qing. She slept soundly with slow rises and falls of her chest as if she weren’t breathing at all. His thoughts were chaotic like tangled threads; this woman had saved him yet her smile and cold hands along with last night’s murmurs made him feel something was off-kilter. Hunters relied on their instincts for survival yet these past few days felt like he was blind following her in this dilapidated cabin. He wanted to leave but every time he thought of how she smiled at him by the fire pit, his heart softened like stepping into mud.
He dared not bring up what he saw in the shadows again but that scene under the moonlight kept flashing before his eyes. Who was she talking to? There were no other living beings in these mountains besides them two. What was that low hum? It sounded like a fox yet also like someone trying to shout with their voice held back. He recalled what the village elders said about certain things in the mountains that could lure souls away. Shaking his head dismissively at himself for overthinking it all did little good against that creeping chill—like there were eyes watching him from somewhere in the darkness.
He glanced at A Qing, and her eyes fluttered slightly, as if she were smiling in a dream. Suddenly, he felt that her face was too pristine, like it had been painted, untouched by the hardships of life. His throat tightened as he recalled how she had pulled him last night with a grip that was surprisingly strong for someone so thin, like a twig. How could she possess such strength? He gritted his teeth, his heart pounding like a drum, reminding himself that he would leave at dawn. But then the low hum returned, resonating close to his ear. He abruptly looked up to find A Qing staring at him, her eyes wide open.
"Can't sleep?" Her voice was soft as water. Lin Yuan paused for a moment before managing to respond with a simple "Mm." She smiled and turned over, falling silent again. Yet the tangled thoughts in his mind only grew more chaotic, as if a thread was pulling him deeper into confusion.
As dawn approached, Lin Yuan finally returned to the village. Under the Old Huai Tree at the entrance, uncle Zhang was squatting there smoking a pipe. Upon seeing him, he frowned and asked, "Where have you been these past few days?" Lin Yuan didn't elaborate much and only mentioned some matters regarding the mountains. uncle Zhang exhaled a puff of smoke and scrutinized him for a long while before saying, "That woman from the mountains? Be careful. I saw Azure Smoke when I was young; it rises during the full moon and brings trouble." Lin Yuan was taken aback and wanted to ask more, but uncle Zhang waved his hand dismissively. "Don't say too much; someone is looking for you."
He turned around to see several villagers approaching, whispering among themselves. He couldn't catch everything they said but heard the phrase "exorcise demons." His heart sank as he looked up at the mountains; in the distance, the sky appeared hazy, as if Azure Smoke were rising from beyond.
Comment 0 Comment Count