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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter Four
Lin Yuan stumbled down the mountain, his feet slipping in the wet mud, and he fell into the grass several times. The sky was still dark, and the mist clung to his face like cold sweat that wouldn’t run down. His mind was filled with the moment when that claw tore through Wang Wu, blood splattering in the fog like a basin of red water. He gasped for breath, glancing back at the mountain; the mist was thick as a wall, and a low rumble echoed around the peak, as if bidding him farewell.
There was no one at the village entrance; even uncle Zhang's shadow had vanished beneath the Old Huai Tree. Lin Yuan pushed open his wooden door, and the chill inside felt like an ice cellar. He crouched down to start a fire, his hands trembling so much that he dropped the firestarter several times before it finally caught. The flickering light danced on the wall, casting a blurry shadow that resembled A Qing standing there. He suddenly looked up, but there was nothing in the room—only the wind seeping through the cracks of the door, sending a chill down his neck.
Leaning against the wall, he tossed aside his bow, its broken string hanging limply as if mocking him. Last night’s words from her—“You shouldn’t have stayed”—echoed in his ears. He couldn’t understand why she didn’t run away but chose to look back at him instead. Her eyes were filled with tears, yet that claw was as ruthless as a knife. He clenched his fists, his heart pounding like a drum.
As dawn broke, there was a loud knock on the door that sounded like stones being thrown. Lin Yuan opened it to find uncle Zhang standing outside, his face pale as if frozen for three days. “Where is she?” uncle Zhang ’s voice was barely above a whisper. Lin Yuan remained silent; images of that mist flashed through his mind. uncle Zhang squinted and said, “Wang Wu is dead; people in the village say you’re a monster.” Lin Yuan froze for a moment, wanting to argue, but his throat felt too hoarse to produce any words.
Before he could respond, shouts came from afar; torches flared up again like fiery serpents crawling toward the village entrance. Lin Yuan grabbed his bow and dashed out, ignoring uncle Zhang ’s shout of “Don’t go.” When he reached the foot of the mountain, the fog was thicker than last night; he heard her voice calling him softly. Gritting his teeth, he ran upward, his legs feeling as heavy as lead.
The wooden cabin still stood there; A Qing was at the door, her gray clothes tattered like rags. She looked up at him, her eyes devoid of light. “What are you doing back here?” Lin Yuan panted and grabbed her arm. “They’re going to set fire to the mountain; we have to go!” She didn’t move, gently pulling away from him and whispered, “I can’t leave.” He grew anxious. “If you don’t go, then I won’t either!” She smiled faintly, tears glistening at the corners of her eyes. “Fool.”
Flames surged up from below as villagers shouted until their voices cracked. A Qing pulled him toward the mountain peak; wind howled around them as mist enveloped them like it wanted to swallow them whole. When they reached the summit, she stopped and pointed into the distance. “Go down; don’t look back.” Lin Yuan shook his head and tried to pull her along, but with a wave of her hand, the mist swirled around them as if alive and pushed him away.
He fell to the ground and watched helplessly as she stood there; moonlight poured down like a round white plate. She murmured something softly; the wind picked up and scattered the mist around her. Azure Smoke began to rise from her body—first her legs, then her arms—until she transformed entirely into a wisp of smoke that floated away until she vanished completely. Lin Yuan shouted her name; his voice cracked like a broken gong, but that smoke didn’t turn back—only leaving behind a pungent scent that invaded his nostrils.
He got up unsteadily on trembling legs. The villagers’ shouts grew closer; he glanced back one last time at flickering torches that looked like ghostly shadows. Gritting his teeth, he ran down the mountain with her voice ringing in his ears: “Don’t look back.”
Lin Yuan leaned against a pine tree to catch his breath, gripping his bow tightly with knuckles white as bone. The Azure Smoke still danced before him as if it were alive and entwining around him. His mind was chaotic; she was gone yet those tear-filled eyes seemed to plead with him while also urging him away. He couldn’t fathom why she had to turn into smoke or why she wouldn’t run with him. That claw had been sharp as a knife when it tore through Wang Wu but felt soft as water when it pulled him down the slope.
He crouched down and grasped at the cold earth beneath him; it felt like ice against his skin. He feared her—truly feared her—but more than that he dreaded her words: “I can’t leave.” When she transformed into smoke standing there, it felt like his heart stopped—as if someone had hollowed him out. In these past few days when she made him laugh and roasted meat for him lingered in his mind; now that face mixed with that claw left him gasping for air.
The wind blew in, carrying a scent of Azure Smoke. He suddenly looked up, but there was nothing at the mountaintop, only moonlight that felt as cold as ice. He remembered the force with which she had pushed him, as if trying to shove him out of life itself. His throat tightened, and tears mixed with sweat streamed down his face. He wanted to call out to her, but his voice was hoarse and no sound came out. He told himself she was gone, yet that low hum returned, faint and close to his ear. He shivered, his mind filled with the memory of her smile before she turned to smoke.
Lin Yuan returned to the village, and the villagers looked at him as if he were a ghost, no one daring to approach him. Days later, he ran up the mountain in a frenzy, but the wooden cabin was empty; not even her shadow remained. The moon was full, and Azure Smoke rose from the mountaintop. The villagers said it was the spirit of a demon dispersing. But no one knew that a scholar named Zhou Ran had come from the city, carrying a pen and notebook, asking every household about the Azure Smoke. He spent the night in the village, and as a wisp of Azure Smoke drifted past his window, it was both pungent and warm. He shivered again, feeling as if there were eyes hidden within that smoke.
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