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墨書 Inktalez
The crow of a rooster echoed faintly, and I vaguely sensed my bedroom door being pushed open.
"Yan Xi, it's time to get up."
Still groggy from staying up late the night before, I mumbled, "Mom, it's not even light yet. Let me sleep a little longer."
Suddenly, a bone-chilling draft swept through the room as someone pulled the covers off me.
I remembered my promise to Liu Qingfeng to get up at the first crow of the rooster and go to his house.
Rubbing my forehead with one hand to shake off the lingering drowsiness, I resigned myself to getting out of bed.
Seeing my mom's eyes red like a rabbit's, I knew she had definitely stayed up all night waiting for the rooster's call. Feeling guilty, I urged her, "Mom, I'm heading straight to Liu Daozhang's house now. You should get some rest."
Recalling Liu Qingfeng's insistence that I mustn't be late, I didn't dare waste any time. I quickly threw on some clothes, washed up, and hurried out.
Before I left, my mom handed me a flashlight since it was still dark outside.
In the pitch-blackness, I relied on the weak beam of light to guide my way.
Woof!
Woof...
Where was that mournful barking coming from?
I stopped in my tracks and shone the flashlight in the direction of the sound.
In the nearby bushes, a black dog looked at me with tear-filled eyes, barking pitifully.
I couldn't bear to see a dog like that. Bringing the flashlight closer, I discovered that someone had carelessly left a mouse trap out, which had caught the dog's front paw. Blood trickled down its fur.
I reached out to stroke its head gently to comfort it. Then I bit down on the flashlight to hold it in place while using both hands to pry open the trap and free its paw.
I casually tossed aside the mouse trap I had just removed and patted the black dog on the head, saying, "Alright, let's go. I have things to do and can't stay with you."
I got up and ran all the way to Liu Qingfeng's house, knowing that if I didn't hurry, I would be late.
When I arrived at Liu Qingfeng's place, it was just beginning to lighten, but he was already sitting at the door waiting for me.
Today, Liu Qingfeng looked much more serious than usual; his tattered robe seemed cleaner, as if it had been washed.
He seemed to notice my arrival and opened his eyes to look at me. "The dagger is on the table; go get it yourself, and take that bag of Cinnabar Powder next to it."
I followed his instructions and retrieved both items, returning to stand in front of him, waiting for his next command.
"Take these two items and go to the village's Blacksmith Shop. Ask them to find a Master Craftsman to sharpen your dagger. The young ones won't do; you need an older one, understand?"
I nodded. "Got it, Liu Daozhang," and turned to leave.
Just as I took a step out, Liu Qingfeng's voice called out behind me.
"Come back."
Hurrying back, I asked, "Is there anything else, Liu Daozhang?"
"Regardless of who you encounter on the way, you must not give them your dagger, understand?"
His expression was extremely serious when he spoke, which made me tense up as well. I replied earnestly, "I will remember."
In the village, there was only one Blacksmith Shop. Since it was very close to my home, I could find it even with my eyes closed.
Thinking about finishing this task quickly, I ran towards the Blacksmith Shop.
I was running too fast and was so focused on the bag of Cinnabar Powder in my hand that I didn't notice someone ahead of me until it was too late—I collided with them.
Both of us fell to the ground, and the dagger and Cinnabar Powder flew out of my hands.
The dagger flew quite far, and Cinnabar was right next to me. I first picked up Cinnabar, then went to retrieve my dagger, but unexpectedly, the other party was quicker than me and grabbed my dagger first.
Liu Qingfeng's instructions echoed in my ears as I rushed over and snatched the dagger back.
The man seemed taken aback by my sudden move; he was unprepared, and I managed to reclaim my dagger.
The person I collided with was a middle-aged man whose face looked somewhat familiar, though I couldn't immediately recall where I had seen him before.
He smiled at me warmly and said, "Miss, are you hurt?"
Since it was my fault, I couldn't be too harsh on him. I lowered my head and apologized, "I'm sorry, sir. I accidentally bumped into you. I live just ahead; the house with the red roof is mine. If you need compensation, you can come find me. But I have something to attend to now, so I'll be on my way."
With that, I turned to leave.
However, my hand was suddenly grasped by the man.
I turned back, confused, and asked, "Sir, what do you want?"
The middle-aged man focused his gaze on my hand and said, "Miss, that dagger of yours looks nice. May I see it?"
"No."
From the moment I laid eyes on him, I sensed he wasn't a good person. His request to see my dagger only confirmed my suspicions about his danger. I forcefully shook off his hand and stepped back a few paces.
The man then reached into his pocket and pulled out a stack of red bills. He said to me, "Miss, how about selling me your dagger?"
That was quite a stack of cash; my monthly living expenses were only eight hundred. The pile looked like it was at least double that amount.
Money or life—of course, life was more important. I shook my head in refusal.
"I don't want it."
Instantly, the smile on the man's face froze, turning dark and menacing.
The voice that came from his mouth was chilling, sending shivers down my spine. "You have no choice. Hand it over."
His fierce demeanor instantly reminded me of who he was.
He was not human; he was a ghost, a spirit that had died three years ago.
Three years ago, on this very road, a tragic accident occurred. The eldest son of the Blacksmith Shop family was killed by a truck. I remembered his fierce face because he had threatened me in the past.
Fear gripped me, and I instinctively shrank back, repeatedly retreating as my lips trembled. "Stay away from me."
The man loomed with his thick eyebrows furrowed, his eyes blazing with malice as he lunged toward me.
I instinctively dodged to the side, but when he missed, his anger flared even more, as if he wanted to devour me. Terrified, I continued to run backward.
"Ah..."
I let out a desperate scream as he grabbed my hair and yanked me back.
The pain shot through my scalp as I fell to the ground, being dragged along. I reached into my pocket for the Bone Whistle, only to realize it was empty; I had changed clothes before leaving and forgotten it at home.
Panic surged within me. What was I going to do now? The only things in my hands were the dagger and Liu Daozhang's packet of Cinnabar.
I couldn't give up the dagger; that Evil Spirit wanted it, and if I took it out, I would be at its mercy.
I recalled how my grandfather used to consume Cinnabar to ward off evil spirits.
Now that the situation was dire and the Evil Spirit was about to slam me against the wall, I couldn't think any longer. I tore open the packet of Cinnabar and hurled it at the Evil Spirit with all my might.
Sizzle...
The red Cinnabar powder rained down on the Evil Spirit, causing white bubbles to erupt as if it were about to ignite. The Evil Spirit writhed in agony, struggling and rolling in pain.
My body trembled uncontrollably as I forced myself to muster every last ounce of strength to kick at the Evil Spirit. Then I flipped over and scrambled to my feet, running away without looking back.
I ran all the way to the door of the Blacksmith Shop, and as soon as I stepped inside, I leaned against the wall, feeling utterly exhausted, my heart racing wildly.
"Girl, what's wrong?"
Startled by the voice coming from my hand, I jumped up and turned to see the shop's owner, known in the village as Aunt Cao. I let out a sigh of relief.
I raised my hand to pat my chest, trying to calm myself before saying to her, "Aunt, I have a knife that's gotten rusty. Can I get it sharpened?" I didn't dare to reveal the truth; no one would believe me anyway.
Aunt Cao looked at me oddly for a moment. When our eyes met with determination, she nodded and replied, "Wait here; I'll call my husband out to sharpen it for you."
She turned and went into the back room while I waited outside, taking in the Blacksmith Shop.
Though it was a neighborly place, this was the first time in over a decade that I had examined it so closely.
My attention was drawn to a statue of a deity above the main entrance. The Blacksmith Shop was known for its strength; weapons like knives were considered dangerous tools, so they typically worshipped Guang Er Ye. However, this shop had an entirely different deity that I had never seen before.
No, wait—I had seen this deity before.
As I recognized that this statue was the same one worshipped at that dilapidated temple last night, a chill crept up from my feet. What was going on?
What kind of deity was this? Why did the Blacksmith Shop choose to worship it? And why did Liu Qingfeng ask me to bring a dagger here?
While I was lost in thought, a deep male voice came from behind me.
"Kid, where's the knife you want sharpened?"
I quickly turned around to see Cao Yin, the second son of the Blacksmith Shop owner. He looked about ten years older than my father; according to family hierarchy, I should call him Uncle.
Liu Qingfeng had instructed me to find the old blacksmith, but this man seemed more like middle-aged. I shook my head and said to him, "Uncle, is there an older blacksmith around?"
Cao Yin looked at me and shook his head. "Nope. I'm the only blacksmith here; there are just two apprentices. Don't worry; I'll make sure your knife is polished."
In a place where craftsmanship mattered so much, asking for a Master Craftsman right off the bat clearly showed distrust in this new blacksmith. Although that wasn't my intention, anyone could easily interpret it that way. So Cao Yin's attitude toward me was already quite good.
But I couldn't help it. Liu Qingfeng specifically asked for the Master Craftsman. I had just been scared by a ghost, and now, feeling anxious and wronged, I burst into tears.
"Wah..."
Cao Yin was taken aback; he never expected me to cry. He fumbled around, trying to comfort me but not knowing where to start.
I didn't care about anything else and just kept crying.
"Kid, don't cry. Let me go get my dad for you, okay? Although he's retired now, he used to be a blacksmith."
I sniffled, my eyes blurred with tears, and replied, "Okay."
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