Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
I was taken aback when I saw a plaque in the mourning hall, with a single character "Wu" inscribed on it. Just seeing that "Wu" was enough to shock me, but beneath it, there were traces of other words that had been wiped away.
"Wu," just a "Wu."
But because my surname is "Wu," my full name is Wu Saning.
Originally, this name was meant to convey: "peaceful heart, peaceful spirit, peaceful soul." However, with my surname attached, my name became Wu Saning, which translates to an unsettled heart, unsettled spirit, and unsettled soul.
Don't ask me why; I don't know either. It was my grandmother who gave me this name.
As a result, no one calls me by my full name. Most people just call me Saning. My mother has called me Saning since I was born and has never added the character Wu.
She also forbade classmates and neighbors from calling me Wu Saning. Whenever she heard it, her protective nature would kick in.
Now, seeing the character Wu made me think of myself.
A chill ran through me as I realized that the Spirit Tablet in the underground parking lot bore my surname. Although I couldn't be sure it was about me, I felt a heightened sensitivity to it.
I turned around again, but behind me was empty—nothing but a few red White Lanterns hanging on the wall.
Aside from the eerie light they emitted, there was nothing else.
The Soul Banner hanging on the wall fluttered without any wind.
Ke'er’s complexion seemed to be a bit off, and that Wu...
Suddenly, Ke'er spoke up, “Is it a living burial or a dead burial?” Ke'er looked at me, and I looked back at her, puzzled by the question.
Then Ke'er suddenly called me "Husband" with an urgent tone. She gazed at me and said, “Husband, we need to leave here.”
I asked why.
Ke'er bit her lip and remained silent.
Wind Tree, hearing that we were leaving, said, “Brother, what about my mother?”
I glanced at Wind Tree.
Ke'er immediately replied, “Wind Tree, let’s leave here first. We will come back to find your mother later.”
I felt an unusual sense of unease; I had never seen Ke'er so flustered. Just then, the noodles also began to cry out. The sound echoed around us.
Wang Wei came over as well.
“Saning, are we leaving now?”
I looked at Ke'er, who said, “Husband, trust Ke'er. Something is not right here.” Her voice was already quite urgent. I nodded in response.
Then I said to Wang Wei, "Let's go." Wang Wei responded immediately.
"Saning Brother," Jianjian called out to me. I urged her to hurry up, and the five of us began to head outside.
However, the further we walked, the more something felt off. In an instant, the entire underground parking lot was adorned with red White Lanterns, and Ke'er's expression grew increasingly grim.
Wang Wei shouted a few times, "Bastard, come out! I want to fight you one-on-one and get my body back!" But it was eerily quiet.
Ke'er led us as we tried to make our way out, but we couldn't seem to escape.
It felt like we had fallen into a trap.
We stood still, and Ke'er looked around anxiously, her face pale. I reassured her not to worry too much because I knew she was just a spirit; as long as she was a spirit, there was no need for concern.
These lanterns and Soul Banners seemed like a maze, trapping us inside.
I glanced around, but Ke'er insisted that I didn't understand; this could lead to death. Of course, she was unaware of the secret behind the eyes.
Wang Wei continued to shout wildly, seemingly determined to confront that Evil Being alone. But how could the Evil Being possibly show itself now? After going through so much effort to set a trap and luring its prey in, it wouldn't easily let its prey escape.
Wang Wei had fallen into the trap, and so had I.
Thinking about it, if Wang Wei had the ability to defeat the Evil Being, he would surely reclaim his body in one go. But if he couldn't...
"Wang Wei, even if we can't say for sure that we'll return, we absolutely cannot bring back that Bronze Mirror. This is a deceptive tactic, and yet we fell for it."
We walked around again, and the scene remained unchanged.
"Don't worry, Husband," Ke'er said. "I will definitely bring you out safely."
I almost revealed the secret in my eyes. I didn't want Ke'er to worry about me. Just as I was about to speak, a red lantern hanging in front of us fell to the ground without warning.
The candle inside burned through the red paper of the lantern, casting a faint red light that illuminated the area for a moment before quickly fading away.
"Wang Wei asked, 'What happened?'"
Jianjian, holding onto some noodles, had fallen silent; it was utterly quiet here, except for a lingering smell of something burnt.
Suddenly, Jianjian shouted, "They're gone."
I quickly looked around and asked what was missing.
"The Paper Men are gone," Jianjian replied.
I scanned the area and indeed found that all the Paper Men had vanished. There should have been about ten of them just moments ago, but now not a single one remained.
I took a deep breath.
Although Ke'er always called me Ningzi, she surely knew my surname because she was the wife my grandmother arranged for me.
When she saw that Wu, she must have known as well.
"Husband, this is a live burial," she said.
I frowned slightly as Ke'er expressed her regret, saying, "I should have realized it the moment I walked in."
I comforted her, assuring her that it wasn't her fault.
Ke'er continued to blame herself, recalling how she had promised my grandmother to take good care of me, and now she had brought me to such a place.
I told her it was my responsibility to protect her.
Wind Tree also called out to her, saying not to worry.
Wang Wei interjected, "Saning, this is my fault, not your wife's." With a sigh, Wang Wei added more frustration. I scolded him, "What a mess! The important thing now is to get out."
Ke'er echoed my sentiment, saying, "Husband is right; the priority is to escape." She seemed to regain some of her spirit.
The Paper Man had vanished.
I wanted to share the secret of my eyes with Ke'er now; perhaps it would ease some of her worries.
"Husband, do you know who is to be buried in this Live Burial?"
I was caught off guard by Ke'er’s words, the sentence I was about to say stuck in my throat. I stared at her, our gazes reflecting each other's shadows.
We both fell silent for a long time, and finally, I spoke up: "It's me who is to be buried."
Wang Wei and Jianjian turned to look at me simultaneously. Wind Tree might not have understood what was happening, so he followed their gaze, his expression filled with surprise.
Ke'er made a sound of acknowledgment but said nothing more.
Someone had plotted to bury me, but why? Who exactly was the Evil Being that Wang Wei mentioned?
Live Burial—preparing the grave and coffin while still alive, digging a pit and filling it with earth to bury oneself. This act would shorten one's lifespan; once buried, that person would not live long.
At this moment, I might be experiencing such a phase. Yet Ke'er insisted it wasn't that simple. This step was meant to forcefully enact a Live Burial; perhaps after the final step was completed, the person would die on the spot.
If death occurred in such a manner, it might mean even the soul would be buried.
Ke'er appeared hesitant to continue speaking, as if she found it difficult to express what was on her mind.
Before long, a White Lantern fell.
After the White Lantern dropped, a Paper Man appeared behind us after our initial shock.
Red represented celebration, while white symbolized mourning.
First, the red lanterns fell, followed by the White Lantern. First, the path of life was severed, and then the path of death was cut off?
Jianjian's complexion changed, beads of sweat forming on her nose. She called out to me, "Saning Brother, those Paper Men have changed."
"What have they changed into?"
Jianjian replied, "They've changed their clothes."
I hadn’t noticed it before, but looking again now, their clothes had indeed changed. Most had turned into white Paper Men, with only one remaining red Paper Man.
But it wasn’t just that; there was something else that had changed. These Paper Men were now attached to something—attached to Souls.
Ke'er glanced at my Wooden Box from time to time.
After entering this place from the outside, I had inexplicably become the protagonist of a Live Burial.
To say I wasn't nervous would be a lie; in fact, I felt a bit scared. The Paper Men stood still after being attached to Souls. However, just moments ago, these Paper Men could appear and disappear at will; it must be the work of these Souls.
Ke'er seemed on the verge of tears as she urged me, "Husband, what should we do? Ke'er can't see a way out!" Just as Ke'er finished speaking, the previous Evil Being spoke up, urgently calling my name: "Wu Saning..."
Comment 0 Comment Count