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墨書 Inktalez
I couldn't help but feel a flutter in my heart at Chu Fan's words, tempted to agree, especially since the exchange was for information about Jun Chong. However, that was only if he hadn't said what he did that day.
I clearly remembered the hatred in his words toward Jun Chong and the hostility directed at me.
"I do want to know Jun Chong's whereabouts, but I won't make a deal with you. You and Li Li are in cahoots; she's the one who brought you back to life. What's so bad about following her? Besides, I don't have the ability to help you, so I'm sorry, but I need to go back and rest."
After I finished speaking, I turned to leave. Chu Fan didn't chase after me. Just as I was about to open the door to go upstairs with my bag in hand, he spoke again, his voice casual and almost reflective.
"Ah, it's a pity you didn't notice that he left something in the freezer when he departed, just in case it was needed later. I think he's suffering now; after all, there's still a part of his consciousness lingering in this body, so he can still feel things faintly."
His words made me hesitate on my path, recalling that dream and the faint chill that seemed to linger around me, filled with his cries of anguish.
"Don't you love him? How can you be so heartless now? If it were me, my heart would be shattered! Being abandoned by the woman I love is something I couldn't bear!"
"Stop talking!" I shouted, dropping my things and turning to face him. "What do you really want?"
"I told you before; help me get rid of Li Li."
"Why? Doesn't she love you? And you love her too. Even if you're a Corpse Charm, what's the harm in being together? As long as she doesn't mind, just like me and Jun Chong."
Though I felt cornered by his threats, I remembered what Molin had said about Corpse Charms wanting to turn against their hosts. Without knowing who Li Li truly was, I couldn't act recklessly. My anxiety turned into a hidden probe.
"A Corpse Charm formed naturally is limitless; one created by human hands is merely a puppet." Chu Fan lowered his head slightly, hiding the flickering red light in his eyes. Yet his clenched fists betrayed his emotions, tinged with anger and sorrow.
"She loves me, but I don't love her. She threatened me with my parents' lives to keep me with her. What could I do? I thought escaping that ghost and returning to my own body would be good, but she deliberately caused the formation to fail, turning me into a Corpse Charm—controlling me and threatening me. It's worse than being trapped in a soul. So Anxin, I didn't genuinely want to treat you that way before; I had no choice. You saw it yourself—I drink blood and absorb people's essence like a monster. I don't want to live like this anymore. All I seek is liberation; if you help me break free from Li Li's entanglement, I'm willing to reincarnate."
"I—"
Chu Fan's words indeed stirred sympathy within people and made them want to help him. However, Molin had texted both Lin You and me today about how cunning Corpse Charms could be and warned us to be cautious. Therefore, while I couldn't fully trust his words, I also couldn't dismiss them entirely.
Just as I was caught in a dilemma, a voice suddenly intruded into my mind—it was Molin.
"Anxin, I am Molin. This is a spell for communication; he can't hear us. You should agree to his request first."
The abruptness of the voice didn't startle me into revealing any weakness, thanks to the cover of night. I steadied my breathing and looked at Chu Fan in front of me. "I agree, but you must first tell me about Jun Chong's fate. Once I verify it, I'll help you."
I thought this was fair; on one hand, I would find clues about Jun Chong, and on the other, I could confirm whether his words were true.
Chu Fan pursed his lips as he studied me, then finally smiled. "I originally thought you were just foolishly naive, but it seems you can be clever at times."
"…"
"I'll give you two clues. The first is a box he left under the freezer, and the second is that little girl who was with him. The last thing I remember is him pushing the girl away before he fell into a black vortex. Those are the only two pieces of information I have, but I hope you can verify them quickly; I can't wait too long. Li Li is controlling my emotions with something, and I can only stay somewhat clear-headed after drinking the blood of a woman with heavy yin energy."
After saying this, Chu Fan turned to leave. As soon as his figure disappeared, I grabbed my things and ran down the hallway. I rushed to my front door and saw Molin leaning against the wall with his eyes closed, a toothpick in his mouth and a bag in his hand.
When he saw me approach, he opened his eyes. "Open the door."
"Okay." I hurriedly unlocked the door and collapsed onto the sofa inside. Molin followed me in. "Why did you want me to agree? Chu Fan said—"
"I heard everything." Molin frowned as he sat down next to me and pointed at the fridge. "Get me something to eat; I'm starving."
"You don't have hands; get it yourself."
When Molin lived with me before, he acted like a lord who needed to be served and constantly took advantage of me. Now he was still like that, casually glancing at me as he said, "Do you still want to know if Chu Fan is good or bad?"
"…"
I grabbed a can of Sprite, shook it vigorously on purpose before handing it to him, then went to the kitchen to pour myself a glass of water. Before long, I heard Molin scream like a pig being slaughtered. "Anxin! You—bastard!"
"Hahaha…"
I held the cup of water and looked at him, laughing so hard that tears streamed down my face. Molin shot me a frustrated glare before heading to the bathroom to clean his clothes and take a shower. I was nearly asleep by the time he returned.
“Bang!”
“Ah—”
“Ha ha…” Molin popped a plastic bag right next to my ear, startling me so much that my face turned pale and my heart raced. He felt triumphant, crossing his legs as he began to share his thoughts with me.
“I asked my senior brother about the Corpse Charm today. He told me that a Corpse Charm cannot be refined in just a day or two. Naturally formed Corpse Charms absorb the essence of the sun and moon over a thousand years to gradually evolve. Although artificially refined Corpse Charms take less time, their power is significantly reduced, and many failures occur. I also looked into Li Lizhu's predecessors and found that aside from her grandmother being a shaman, no one in her family could cast curses. It’s not surprising that she learned these things from her grandmother.”
“So?”
I gazed at him, and after rolling his eyes at me, he continued, “So generally, most failures will either self-destruct or be killed by their host; they will never obey the host's commands. Someone like Chu Fan, who appears to be a complete Corpse Charm, is actually a half-finished product. The likely reason is that there are remnants of Jun Chong's aura within his body, but since he listens to Li Li so obediently, there must be other reasons.”
“What could those reasons be?”
“I don’t know; maybe it’s related to Forbidden Spells.” Molin propped his chin on one hand, frowning. “Forbidden Spells can be directly cast on a person, but there’s also a folk method of mixing them into food. If Chu Fan really is a Corpse Charm, he wouldn’t need food.”
“What if he ate something? Does that mean it contains Forbidden Spells?”
Molin scratched his head, splattering water everywhere. “Maybe; I’m not sure. Tomorrow you should keep an eye on Li Li at school first. My senior brother said someone like Li Li would definitely have left some formation behind to control Chu Fan, so I’ll continue searching tomorrow. Keep in touch if anything comes up.”
“Okay.”
“By the way, here’s something for you.”
Molin suddenly pulled out a small box from his pocket and handed it to me. “I found this at the bottom of the freezer; it has Jun Chong's aura on it.”
At first glance, the box looked just like what Chu Fan described. I thought about calling Shizui later to ask if he had found Tao Wu; as long as we found Tao Wu, we could figure out what happened with Jun Chong.
“I’m going to sleep now; you should rest early too.”
Molin yawned and curled up on the sofa, while I held the box as if it were a bomb, my heart racing as I returned to my room.
Opening the box, I found two small white beads inside, along with a note. As I unfolded it, I saw that it was signed by Jun Chong.
This was the first time I had seen Jun Chong's handwriting—beautiful yet exuding a hint of dominance, just like him. My nose tinged with a bit of sadness because this letter was addressed to me.
"Anxin, by the time you read this letter, I believe Chu Fan's soul has awakened. And I will certainly not be by your side; if that were the case, this letter would have vanished on its own. Before I left for Tianshan, I consulted an oracle, and the omen was dire. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want you to worry. You would definitely stop me from going if you knew, but I must go to save you. Anxin, I know you will cry when you read this letter, but I hope you can be strong and believe that I will return. Your city has been unstable lately, with ghosts running rampant, all related to that Miasma; it may even be connected to the demon realm. Please be careful. Although that Taoist lacks some ability, he is reliable enough; if there’s danger, ask him to take you back to Sect and give him these two beads along with this letter for his master, and he will help you. Anxin, don’t cry; live well and remember this: wait for me to come back."
The letter ended there. Jun Chong's words were filled with concern for me, but instead of feeling comforted, I felt more guilty and uneasy. If it weren't for my carelessness in being marked by Lin Shan with the Red Spider Lily, Jun Chong wouldn’t have to face danger for my sake.
The more I thought about it, the more painful my heart felt, but I held back my tears; I believed he would be safe and sound, so there was no reason to cry.
After some contemplation, I took out my phone and tried to call Shizui, but the call didn’t go through. All I could do was send him a text message, hoping he would reply soon.
Lying in bed, surprisingly restless, I didn’t place these two beads together with what Shizui had given me—just in case. The two beads were hidden well; I thought about finding another place tomorrow to keep them safe.
These were clues for Jun Chong to regain his body; I had to protect them well. My mind was filled with thoughts of Jun Chong as sleepiness began to creep in. Just as I was about to drift off, a sudden ringing echoed in my mind.
I jolted awake and opened my eyes wide, straining to listen for any sound, but there was nothing. Even though it was just that one ring, it left me feeling dizzy.
"It can't be mistaken; that was the Soul Bell."
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