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墨書 Inktalez
As we walked out of the village, we unexpectedly saw the villagers who had escaped earlier. They were either sitting or standing on the grass, and when they saw us emerge, they anxiously turned their gazes away, but no one spoke.
I leaned against Jun Chong and caught sight of my mother among the grass. The moment she saw me, she rushed over and hugged me tightly, her tears soaking my neck as she cried without saying anything else.
I embraced her back, and the tears I had been holding back finally poured down like a flood.
One villager could no longer bear the silence and spoke up, "What happened in there?"
"The zombies are gone, but everyone has already—" Chitaki paused at this point, but many understood what he meant without further explanation.
I felt my mother's body stiffen, followed by increasingly violent tremors. My heart ached as I held her tighter. "Mom, Grandpa passed away peacefully."
Jun Chong told me that the talisman had turned all the zombies to ash, and I had fainted at that moment. Thinking of how Grandpa lived his life with such integrity, it was hard to believe he left this world without a complete body.
My mother released me, her eyes filled with sorrow as she took my hand. "Anxin, let's go home. We need to find your father."
After holding back for so long, I finally managed to utter a single word, "Okay."
Since Molin was injured, Chitaki needed to take him back. Qianqian wanted to follow along, but Molin's master didn't like her, so she could only see him off. Meanwhile, I went home with my mother, accompanied by Jun Chong and Tao Wu.
As we left the village heading towards the county town, I took one last look back at the village. Although it lay in ruins under the morning light, with the sun rising again, it would surely welcome new life once more.
On the train ride home, my mother and I hardly spoke. I knew she was hurting inside because Grandpa had loved her like his own daughter. Having lost her father at a young age, she regarded Grandpa as her real father; such a separation was something no one wished to witness.
"Everything will pass," Jun Chong said as he patted my head and let me lean against him. "It's still early; you should get some sleep. I'll wake you when we arrive."
"Jun Chong, it's so sunny outside. Don't you want to find some shade? Mom and I can come up with an excuse; you don't have to force yourself."
"It's fine. When we get off the train, I'll find a reason to leave and then hide in your bag."
"Mm."
I leaned against Jun Chonghuai and slowly fell asleep. By the time we got home, it was already three in the afternoon. Dad came to pick us up at the train station, and as soon as Mom got off the train, she threw herself into his arms and cried. I noticed that Dad's eyes were red too, which told me he had already received the news.
When Mom left, she went to the village to sort through some of Grandpa's belongings. Most of Grandpa's things were there; we had almost nothing at home. Without a physical body, we could only set up a tombstone.
Once someone dies, they cannot come back to life. No matter how they died, they must be sent off properly. So as soon as we returned, Dad notified our uncles and relatives to come back for Grandpa's funeral.
"Liang, how are we going to tell them? Even now, I can't believe that such a thing exists in this world," Mom said, her eyes reddening at the mention of Grandpa. "We can't just say that he died and the body is missing. Even if it was an accidental death, there should be a body. Your older brothers are not easily fooled."
Dad frowned as well. "We need a good reason."
"Dad, Mom, if you trust me, let me handle this! We can't let them know how Grandpa died; we need to be clever about it."
What came to my mind was an illusion technique. Since Chitaki could do it, so could Jun Chong. When I told him about this idea, he didn't object; I don't even know what he said. In any case, our uncles had no objections and agreed to come back tomorrow.
"This is—"
"Anxin's boyfriend. Thanks to him this time; otherwise, I fear we might have lost Anxin too."
"Mom, don't say that! I'm quite lucky!"
"Lucky? Your grandpa said your life is fragile; you shouldn't get involved in such matters anymore."
I pouted but didn't argue. Late at night, I leaned against the window feeling the night breeze while Jun Chong sat beside me watching. When Mom came in and saw us lost in thought, she smiled slightly and handed me something.
"Anxin, this seems to be something your dad left for you. I found it while sorting through his clothes."
I took it and saw that it was a notebook with a lock on it, but unfortunately, there was no key.
"Thanks, Mom. Let me take a look."
Mom glanced at me and softly said, "While I don't oppose you dating, remember to take precautions before marriage. It wouldn't be good if you got pregnant without a job."
My face flushed instantly. Although she spoke lightly, Jun Chong must have heard it. Thinking about the little life inside me, I couldn't possibly say anything out loud. I pushed Mom toward the door and shyly said, "We're sleeping in separate rooms tonight, so don't worry."
As I closed the door, I caught a glimpse of the smile at the corner of my mom's mouth. She had always hoped for me to fall in love and marry early, so someone could protect me. Now that Jun Chong was around, she was overjoyed every time she saw him.
"You want to sleep in a separate room?" My waist tightened as Jun Chong leaned heavily on my shoulder, his chin resting in the crook of my neck. His ambiguous voice slowly penetrated my ears, "Aren't you afraid of insomnia?"
"Who would be?" I tried to struggle free, but it was useless. Finally, I sighed, "I need to look at Grandpa's notes; let me go."
"Let's look together."
Jun Chong held me close as we lay on the bed. With a single motion of his hand, the lock fell away. I opened the diary, and the first page read, "Anxin, Grandpa wants to tell you something; maybe you already know."
My heart tightened. For some reason, I felt that Grandpa's words were eerily similar to those memories from my dream about childhood.
"This notebook is still quite new; it must have been written recently."
"I think so too."
I turned to the second page, but it was blank. Flipping through many pages, I discovered a yellowed photograph tucked inside. It had clearly been there for some time.
In the photo was a younger version of me, probably around five or six years old, with pigtails, holding hands with a man. The back of his hand bore several dark patterns, and he wore all black. The photo only captured my face and the man's lower body.
I studied the photograph closely for a long time but couldn't recall when it had been taken.
"Let me see."
Jun Chong took the photo from me. I wasn't sure what he wanted to see and continued examining the notes. On the next page after where the photo was tucked in, Grandpa's handwriting appeared again.
"Anxin, upon seeing this photo, you must be wondering when it was taken and who that man is. He is not your father; he is your future husband."
“Ah—”
I was startled and pointed at the words above for Jun Chong to see. Jun Chong put down the photo, furrowing his brow slightly, and after a while, he said, “Keep reading.”
“On the afternoon this photo was taken, you insisted on playing with me in the yard. I told you stories, but you showed me a hairpin. I remember that hairpin had an Ice Lotus pattern. You said it was given to you by a Big Brother who promised to come back and marry you when you grew up. At that time, I thought you were joking, but just as you finished speaking, the man you mentioned appeared. His face was covered in black patterns, and he radiated a chilling aura; even in broad daylight, I felt a cold breeze. Yet you weren’t afraid at all and ran towards Big Brother with your arms outstretched. It was then I realized he wasn’t human but a ghost, bound to you for a Ghost Marriage. I had heard of Ghost Marriages before; whether true or not, they always ended in death. I didn’t want you to die so young, but I couldn’t stop it; that ghost was too powerful. I had no choice but to agree temporarily. After he left, I sought help to save you from this calamity and eventually found the Onmyoji from the Su Family. The Su Family told me they could erase this existence’s traces, but on your 25th birthday, you had to go to the Su Family. To save you, I agreed at that time. I sold that hairpin at an antique shop and followed the Su Family’s methods until your 18th birthday; that ghost never appeared again. Just when I thought this matter would never happen again, I saw him once more, and that was when I realized it was all too late. Such is fate!”
“Anxin, Grandpa knows he can’t stop it. But he cares deeply for you; he can see that you love him too. However, this love cannot coexist with the world; sooner or later, you will face retribution. Grandpa has felt disoriented these past few days; perhaps his time is short, so he specifically wrote this for you to know. Anxin, listen to Grandpa: whether or not you truly love that ghost, please leave and go to the Su Family on your 25th birthday. Grandpa has placed the Su Family’s credentials in the bank safe. Your mother will give them to you on your birthday; remember Grandpa’s words; this is for your own good.”
Grandpa’s notes ended here; the rest was blank. As I looked at the handwriting above, my heart remained unsettled for a long time.
I knew very well who the ghost Grandpa spoke of was; I just hadn’t expected that Jun Chong had been bound to me since I was so young.
Turning back to him, I wanted to ask something but suddenly felt confused because Jun Chong looked just as puzzled as I did. After a long pause, he finally said, “How come I don’t remember this?”
“You don’t remember? But Grandpa wouldn’t be mistaken! I recall that day in the hospital; it seemed like he had something to say.” I took the photo and pointed at the man asking, “Isn’t this really you?”
“It is me.” Jun Chong pointed at the back of the man’s hand in the photo and said, “This pattern is a Sealing Spell. I broke free from the Sealing Spell ten years ago; logically speaking, during that time, I should have been in the underworld. How could I appear in the human realm?”
“Do you have no recollection at all?”
“None.” Jun Chong shook his head. “Since your grandfather brought it up, it must have existed at some point. He just didn’t mention who from the Su Family it was. Perhaps we need to check out what he left for you as a gift. But Anxin, remember this: in this lifetime, you can become Chitaki’s apprentice but never step into the Onmyoji Su Family!”
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