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墨書 Inktalez
In the tale of the Six Brothers, San'er was the first to die, having had his throat slit; Old Six was skinned and displayed in the courtyard, making him the second victim; Qian San was ambushed from the shadows; Big Egg and Wei Changfeng killed each other in a fit of rage.
The circumstances surrounding Old Six's death raised suspicions. It remained uncertain whether the skinned corpse truly belonged to him. Meanwhile, Qian Er was missing, leaving us to wonder if he was still alive.
I tugged at my hair, pondering the motives behind all these events.
Five years ago, the Six Brothers murdered Master Chu and violated Mei. Now, five years later, they had been invited by Zhao Mingkun to handle a matter while simultaneously robbing Master Chu's grave. Each time a Ghost Marriage was held during these five years, the organizer met with an untimely death—without exception.
However, it seemed that Old Zheng was still alive when we left. If there truly was a curse from Chu Mei, wouldn’t Old Zheng be next to die tonight? Yet Wei Changfeng claimed that Chu Mei was currently in the grave. Could it be that Chu Mei was indeed a spirit capable of killing in two places at once?
If Chu Mei was Master Chu's woman and an orphan taken in by him, who were her parents that arranged her Ghost Marriage? Where did they come from? Could they possibly be Master Chu's First Wife?
As I followed Zhao Mingkun through the vast tomb searching for Qian Er, I meticulously contemplated all the events that had transpired. In my mind, a thread began to connect everything.
The scene of Chu Mei's death five years ago and the truth of her revenge five years later.
Everything seemed within reach. If only I could disperse this fog before me, the truth would be revealed.
The deceased Chu Mei, six rapacious grave robbers, Old Six with his necrophilia tendencies, and my dear friend Lin Daiyu.
It felt as if a movie played in my head, scenes flashing by. Just a few more clues and everything would fall into place.
Lost in thought, I suddenly collided with Zhao Mingkun as she halted in front of me. I opened my mouth to apologize, but she silenced me with a gesture. Eyes closed, she tilted her ear outward as if listening for something.
Humans are sensitive creatures endowed with five senses that allow us to experience the world from various angles. Yet we can also be quite dull; our sense of smell pales compared to dogs, our vision is inferior to cats', and our hearing cannot match that of bats. However, when we rely solely on one sense—when we close our eyes and hold our breath—our hearing becomes acutely sensitive.
Indeed, there were sounds ahead. It was the sound of a blade slicing through the air—sharp and thin—easily overlooked if one wasn't attentive.
There were people in the passage ahead, and it seemed there was more than one.
"Turn off the flashlight; let's sneak over and take a look," Zhao Mingkun whispered in my ear.
I nodded and followed Zhao Mingkun, stealthily sticking to the wall as we moved forward.
The sound of the knife slicing through the air gradually faded. Someone spoke up: "Old Six, why are you doing this?"
It was Qian Er!
The question was clearly lacking in confidence; I could sense the tremor in Qian Er's voice, as if he had exhausted too much energy and was now gasping for breath.
Qian Er's words were directed at Old Six, which meant that the skinned Old Six was indeed not the real Old Six. So who was that corpse? Was Old Six the one who orchestrated Chu Mei's revenge? If so, why did Old Six kill those involved in the Ghost Marriage? Why did Old Six kill his own brother?
"Why do you ask me why I did this?" Old Six's voice echoed loudly in the silent Tomb, creating a reverberation. "You should all know the consequences of betraying your master. I merely did what I wanted to do!"
Qian Er let out a few cold laughs. "Old Six, you were also involved in killing Master Chu five years ago. Although you didn't end up with Chu Mei, that's your own problem and has nothing to do with us. Don't think of yourself as something special; you were the one who struck the first blow against Master Chu."
"You know what kind of person Master Chu was. When did he ever wrong you? He treated us like his own sons, while you all stayed by Master Chu's side for years—some even over twenty—just because you wanted to be with Master Chu's women. The worst thing in my life is betrayal!"
Suddenly, I recalled something: when Old Six was seven or eight years old, his mother was caught cheating by his father, who then killed her and committed necrophilia. By the time the police arrived, Old Six's mother had already been dead for over ten years. The police believed Old Six was too young to understand and thus didn’t report it. But hearing Old Six's words gave me another answer.
Perhaps seven or eight-year-old Old Six understood everything; he knew what had happened. Yet he chose not to tell anyone else and buried it deep within himself because, in Old Six's heart, betrayal was a capital offense.
"But you still took action!" Qian Er's voice was surprisingly light.
"Yes, I acted." Old Six's voice sounded deep and heavy, like a leopard ready to pounce: "But if I hadn't acted, I would have died. Of course I knew that; Master wasn't foolish either—he knew it too. I hesitated until Master told me to act."
Old Six continued, "I trembled as I approached him; even when Master urged me to strike, I couldn't bring myself to do it. But do you know what Master said?"
"What?" Qian Er asked skeptically. "What did he say that we don't know?"
Old Six sneered softly: "Of course, at that moment I stood beside Master, bending down but unable to strike. But Master communicated something to me through lip reading, which solidified my resolve."
"What did Master say to you?" Qian Er pressed on. "Was it related to his other half’s assets?"
"Money, women!" Old Six gritted his teeth and said, "All you see are these things! My master told me that a gentleman takes revenge; ten years is not too late! For a man, twenty years is not too late."
Qian Er remained silent for a long time before replying, "Is a Grave Robber like Master Chu worth this? You colluded with Chu Mei just to make us panic! Now all the brothers are dead, leaving just the two of us. If we split that bag of Mingqi, wouldn't that be wonderful? You’ve only been with the master for half a year, while I’ve been with him for two years. When it comes to knives, you might not even be my match!"
"Is it worth it?"
Old Six showed no signs of stopping.
To survive, Old Six had done all sorts of jobs. He had worked as a security guard and as a courier, but he could never hold onto any job for long because he was afraid of dealing with others; he was afraid of talking to people. He feared betrayal, worried that the clients he met yesterday would forget him today, and he was terrified that no one would remember his name.
If it never begins, it certainly won’t end.
Some say that as people grow older, they become more nostalgic. But Old Six felt differently. It seemed he had spent his entire life in nostalgia; he dared not look to the future—he belonged to the past. He always wore clothes from the same brand, always bought things from the same convenience store, and always loved the same animated series.
His mother had died, and his father was in prison.
The first time Old Six went out to buy food, he entered a rundown noodle shop. He ordered a plate of Fried Sauce Noodles and quickly ran back home. For the next ten years, he continued to buy that same dish from that same shop. Old Six ate Fried Sauce Noodles for ten years; if the shop happened to close for a day, he wouldn’t eat at all.
In the eleventh year, the Old Noodle Shop closed down.
Old Six stood in front of the Noodle Shop and cried.
When his mother died, Old Six did not cry. When his father was taken to prison, he also did not cry. But when the Noodle Shop closed down, Old Six wept as if mourning his lost parents. Passersby came and went; no one knew why this eighteen or nineteen-year-old young man was crying.
Perhaps he had lost his parents, perhaps he had lost a lover, perhaps he had lost his job—but no one would think that this young man mourned the loss of a Noodle Shop.
Old Six cried deeply, heartbroken.
Someone approached and stopped in front of him.
Old Six ignored the person standing there and continued to cry. It seemed he wanted to pour out all the endless sorrow within him; it felt as if his soul was flowing out through his tears. He cried for an entire hour while that person stood beside him waiting patiently.
Old Six's voice had become hoarse from crying, and his tears had run dry; he could no longer cry.
He turned to look at the man who had stood with him for an hour. This was a Middle-Aged Man, who appeared to be around forty years old. The man looked up at the now-empty Noodle Shop, while Old Six gazed at him. They both remained silent for a long time until the man finally spoke.
"It's a pity; this was a good Noodle Shop. I heard that the old man who sold Fried Sauce Noodles has passed away."
"I'm not crying for him," Old Six said calmly.
The man chuckled. "What I lament is the Fried Sauce Noodles, not that old man. There are countless old men in this world, but only this one Noodle Shop."
Of course, there were countless old men in the world, as well as countless Noodle Shops. The man seemed to have a point, and Old Six understood his words. He felt an inexplicable sensation within him, a sense of resonance that he had never experienced before in this vast world.
It turned out that he was not alone in this world.
The man smiled and then cheerfully asked, "Would you like to come with me?"
Old Six nodded and replied, "From now on, I will follow you for the rest of my life."
The man laughed, and the two figures walked toward the other side of the street.
"They all call me Master Chu," the man said.
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