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墨書 Inktalez
The White Mist lingered here, and the black waters of the River of Despair continued to flow. I listened to the sound of the water, took one last look at the dark river, sighed, and finally decided to turn away.
There was no sign of Ke'er here. I remembered what that person had said earlier: unless Ke'er was willing to reveal herself, I would not be able to find her.
This was the most direct reason for my departure from the River of Despair. I called out to the river, "Ke'er," and then added that I would wait for her return.
Then I split my soul apart. At that moment, I saw the Light Spot of my soul rapidly dissipate. I walked into this Light Spot and left this place. After leaving the River of Despair, my soul reassembled, and I returned to my body. I got up from the ground and stored away the Wooden Box.
"Grandma!" I called out, but there was no response.
After calling several times, the Nursemaid finally spoke up, "Ningzi, you should leave this place. Remember to take care of yourself."
I nodded in acknowledgment.
At that moment, I did not press further about Ke'er's whereabouts.
I felt that Grandma's purpose in sending me to the River of Despair was not merely to find Ke'er but had another intention altogether.
But where could Ke'er be?
I was filled with doubt.
After those souls entered my body, I felt my own soul becoming more complete.
When I was at the River of Despair, after my soul turned into a black one and only the Light Spot remained rotting away, I saw someone digging in the earth to bury me.
That person also said that once outside, whoever's soul bore blackness would be my murderer.
The only thing I could be certain of now was that the one who buried me was a woman; beyond that, it was just a matter of identifying the blackened souls.
But if it was a black soul, does that mean she had been in the River of Despair?
I speculated this in my mind as I walked home along the familiar path. When I finally arrived, my parents were quite surprised to see me.
I told them I just came back to visit.
My mother said, "Saning, did you come back because you couldn't find a job?"
I was about to deny it when she added, "It's okay if you did."
After returning home and eating the egg noodles my mother made, I fell asleep. The next day, I left home, but just as the train started moving, I received a phone call.
It was Wang Wei. I answered, and he said on the other end, "Saning, something happened."
I asked from my seat on the train, "What happened?"
Wang Wei replied, "Saning, I took on a business deal."
I responded, "You took on a business deal? What could possibly go wrong with that?"
Wang Wei said, "Someone died." I felt a wave of exhaustion wash over me and hung up the phone. Wasn't Wang Wei in the business of dealing with the dead?
That was what he did—interact with the deceased.
Just as I hung up, Wang Wei called again.
"Saning," he said urgently, "this time the person who died isn't an ordinary person."
I asked who it was. Wang Wei replied, "It's Zhang Dexin."
Upon hearing this, I suddenly felt a surge of agitation. Logically speaking, if Wang Wei had died, shouldn't Zhang Dexin be relieved? Why was he so anxious instead?
I didn't respond immediately, instead waiting for Wang Wei to continue. He didn't keep me waiting long; at that moment, I heard Wind Tree and Clay Bodhisattva calling out to Saning Brother, saying they missed me.
But Wang Wei was anxious, saying, "Zhang Dexin is dead, so what?"
However, he said something that made me calm down significantly: "With Zhang Dexin dead, I'm not far from death myself."
I fell silent for a moment, unsure how to respond. I thought about the enmity between Wang Wei and Zhang Dexin. Years ago, when a group of us tried to steal the Relic, Wang Wei had been terrified to the point of being traumatized. After that incident, he was trapped in the hospital by Lin Li.
It was only after meeting me that he was rescued.
Even after being saved, although Wang Wei often talked about getting back at Zhang Dexin, he never acted on it. Each time they met, he would avoid Zhang Dexin.
He even seemed fearful of Zhang Dexin while in the hospital.
So based on all this information, it seemed clear that Wang Wei and Zhang Dexin were indeed enemies.
Yet now, hearing the panic in Wang Wei's voice was unsettling.
On the phone, Clay Bodhisattva and Wind Tree were carefree. Suddenly, I wondered if the business Wang Wei had taken on was related to Zhang Dexin.
A storm of thoughts surged within me.
Wang Wei called my name through the phone, and I responded.
At that moment, Clay Bodhisattva shouted into the phone, "Saning Brother, where have you gone?"
I didn't answer Clay Bodhisattva's question; instead, I told Wang Wei that we could talk when I got back. Wang Wei had been trapped in the hospital for twenty years and claimed that twenty years ago, it was Zhang Dexin and his group who had manipulated things.
But now that Zhang Dexin was dead, Wang Wei was in a state of panic.
The secrets hidden here might soon come to light. Wang Wei had been silent about them, and now things were getting serious.
I knew that there were still many secrets that Wang Wei had not revealed.
During the day, when I arrived at the location, Wang Wei drove to pick me up. His face was pale and looked quite unwell.
In the back seat were Clay Bodhisattva and Wind Tree, both grinning at me.
The contrast between them was striking; it was truly a case of some being joyful while others were troubled.
As soon as I got into the car, before Wang Wei could say anything, Clay Bodhisattva jumped in first, complaining, "Saning Brother, where have you been playing? Why didn’t you take me along?"
"Yeah, San Ning Brother, you haven't taken me out in a long time," Wind Tree chimed in.
I could see Wang Wei wiping sweat from his brow, clearly anxious. He put a cigarette to his lips and was about to light it when I said to him, "Don't smoke; there are people in the car."
Wang Wei had no choice but to put the cigarette away.
Seeing his restless demeanor, I said, "Wang Wei, why are you so anxious? Are you afraid of dying? With me here, how could you die?"
Wang Wei suddenly seemed to have an epiphany and said, "Right! How could I forget about you?" It was as if he had found a lifeline.
He turned to me and said, "Saning, you must help me this time."
Actually, I had known Wang Wei for some time now. So when he was in trouble, I naturally wouldn't stand by idly. I was also very interested in the secrets involving Wang Wei and Zhang Dexin.
Not long after that, I received a call from Jianjian. Jianjian told me that Zhang Dexin was dead.
Jianjian probably didn't disturb me because it was too late, so she told me this morning that Zhang Dexin had no son and regarded Zhang the Fat as his own.
Therefore, the funeral arrangements for Zhang Dexin were actually handled by Zhang the Fat.
In the eyes of ordinary people, Zhang Dexin's death might seem final, but to us, it shouldn't be considered a complete death yet.
Although it's not an easy task for a soul to return to its body.
After Jianjian called me, I acknowledged her message.
With Zhang Dexin dead, a funeral was certainly in order. Clay Bodhisattva and Wind Tree were still talking to me.
I responded to them, then asked Wang Wei, "Did he come looking for you?"
Wang Wei replied that just last night, while I was in the office, that damn Zhang Dexin came to find him. He said he wouldn't hold past grudges against him, yet Zhang still sought him out. "Damn it," he said, "when good things happen, he never comes looking for me; now that he's dead, he comes to find me."
"How did he die?"
At this point, Wang Wei was stammering and couldn't explain clearly. I cursed at him and said, "If you don't tell me the truth, don't expect my help."
Wang Wei wore a pained expression and finally said, "Well, when I see that bastard again, I'll let him explain."
I didn't press Wang Wei any further and suggested we go eat instead.
Wind Tree had already wrapped her arms around my neck from behind. After we finished eating, I went to meet Jianjian, which naturally included seeing Zhang the Fat.
Zhang the Fat greeted me.
I responded and then inquired about Zhang Dexin's situation. Jianjian should be able to see Zhang Dexin.
But Jianjian told me that when Zhang Dexin was discovered, his soul had already departed.
"Does the murderer know?"
Jianjian shook his head, and Zhang Pang continued, "Saning, my Uncle seemed to have died a natural death, very peacefully, looking quite at ease."
Zhang Pang's repetition of the words made me feel somewhat uneasy.
After that, I went to see Zhang Dexin's body. His remains had already been placed in a coffin, and I looked at Zhang Dexin inside it.
At that moment, he looked just as Zhang Pang had described—very peaceful.
However, one could not discern anything just by looking at the surface.
I would know more when I saw Zhang Dexin's soul later that night.
From Jianjian's expression, I could tell he certainly did not believe that Zhang Dexin had died a normal death. I had always been curious about the difference between Jianjian's eyes and mine.
But at that moment, I suddenly realized that I seemed unable to see Jianjian's soul. I had never paid attention to Jianjian's soul before, but now I noticed that I couldn't see it at all.
I couldn't see Ke'er's soul, nor could I see Chen San's. Now, with Jianjian, it was the same—I simply couldn't see his soul.
Who exactly was Jianjian?
I had never delved deeply into this question. I took another look at Jianjian. Zhang Pang then informed me that they were preparing for the funeral in the next couple of days.
I asked, "Do you need my help?"
Zhang Pang replied that it was unnecessary; he only invited me to attend the funeral when the time came.
I responded with a sound and then left.
At that moment, Zhang Dexin appeared, reminding me of many things—what Wang Wei had coerced me into doing while I was hospitalized, and what Zhang Dexin wanted me to do.
The tasks both of them assigned me were contradictory. Zhang Dexin wanted me to bury the Wooden Box at the East City Ruined Temple, while Wang Wei insisted that I must not bury it.
Could it be that the East City Ruined Temple hides other secrets besides the Dead Monk and the Sarira?
The more I thought about it, the more convinced I became. That bastard Wang Wei must have been scared out of his wits. He had kept quiet about it before, but now that things had come to light, he was panicking and seeking my help.
If Wang Wei didn’t clarify things this time, I would have to deal with him myself.
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