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墨書 Inktalez
Gravekeeper
At that moment, there was a sound at the door, and then Dog Sheng limped in, carrying a thermos.
"Xu Bansian, everything is here. I slaughtered our Big Black dog; it's full of blood. Here’s the chicken comb blood, and this is the peach wood stick." Dog Sheng placed the items on the table.
The three of us divided the items and then sat quietly in the room, waiting for Lian to arrive.
I knew Lian would definitely come, and she certainly didn't want to get close to me; she wanted to kill me. I just didn't understand why, after she bit me and clawed my foot, I was still fine.
Leaning against the worn-out sofa, I listened to the rain pattering outside and suddenly found life to be absurdly funny. Just yesterday, I was a staunch atheist university student, and today I was about to communicate face-to-face with a Zombie.
Lost in thought, I leaned against the edge of the sofa and fell asleep.
I don't know when it happened, but suddenly a sharp scream pierced my ears.
I opened my eyes to see Dog Sheng trembling all over, frozen in place as he stared at the door. He could barely speak, his teeth chattering. "She... she... she’s here..."
"Lian! Since you’re already dead, why can’t you rest in peace?" Xu Bansian shouted as he held up a Yellow Talisman and walked toward the door.
"Bang!"
The door flew open violently, slamming against the light fixture with a crash that extinguished it.
However, we had prepared plenty of other lights, candles, and desk lamps beforehand.
At the entrance stood a woman dressed in a bright red bridal gown.
I widened my eyes as I looked at that figure at the door; it was indeed Lian. Her gait was somewhat strange, her knees appeared stiff, yet her speed was anything but slow. She didn’t move like they do in movies with awkward hops.
"Get get get get..."
Dog Sheng's teeth were chattering.
Xu Bansian also took a step back, gesturing towards me and Dog Sheng.
I knew this was a signal to take action. It seemed Xu Bansian realized that Lian couldn't be persuaded, so he decided to let us handle it.
Xu Bansian picked up the Peach Wood Stick and swung it towards Lian's head. Despite being over seventy years old, he still had quite a bit of strength in him.
Taking advantage of this moment, I grabbed half a basin of Black Dog Blood and poured it over Lian's head.
With a sizzling sound...
Black smoke suddenly began to rise from Lian's body. She let out a painful roar from her throat, then reached out and grabbed Xu Bansian's arm, tearing his leather jacket apart in one swift motion.
Seeing this, Dog Sheng turned tail and ran, moving faster than a rabbit.
I couldn't even call out to Dog Sheng anymore. I took a cup of cockscomb blood and splashed it onto Lian's head.
Half of Lian's face rotted away instantly, skin and flesh falling off to reveal white bone underneath. She seemed enraged, shaking off Xu Bansian and lunging towards me.
I swallowed hard; fear was no longer an option. I picked up the Peach Wood Stick nearby and swung it at Lian's head.
Lian opened her mouth wide and bit down on my arm.
Fueled by desperation, I ignored the pain in my arm. With my other hand, I poured the remaining half basin of Black Dog Blood down her neck.
With a sizzling sound...
Half of Lian's body began to decay. She screamed in agony, then suddenly turned and bolted away, moving at an incredible speed.
I gasped for breath, and for some reason, at that moment, I felt no fear at all—only exhilaration! And a sense of relief!
I never expected to have dealt with the Zombies tonight!
"Cough, cough, cough..."
In the corner, Xu Bansian was coughing heavily.
I hurriedly helped Xu Bansian onto the sofa. His arm was blackened, and I recalled that he had been poisoned by Corpse Poison; it needed urgent treatment.
"Grandpa Xu, just wait. I'm going to draw some blood from you." Without hesitation, I grabbed a kitchen knife, disregarding any need for sterilization, and swiftly cut open Xu Bansian's arm.
Thick, foul-smelling black blood flowed from the wound.
I squeezed it a bit and then rushed to the kitchen to find Glutinous Rice. In our hometown, we rarely ate rice, let alone Glutinous Rice. Xu Bansian's house definitely didn't have any. I grabbed a handful of regular rice and dashed back to the sofa.
After sprinkling the rice on Xu Bansian's arm, I quickly wrapped it up. I had studied Traditional Chinese Medicine; although I hadn't taken any surgical courses, I understood the basics of bandaging and physiology.
Xu Bansian leaned against the sofa, his face pale. "It's fine, Fei. I'm okay; it's not a serious injury. You... you should hurry and check your own arm... what a disaster!"
It was only then that I remembered my own injury. I quickly rolled up my sleeve; my right arm had been bitten by Lian, leaving a neat row of teeth marks that were still bleeding.
I picked up some cotton and wiped it off. "It really hurts... but that was exhilarating earlier, Grandpa Xu! I realized Zombies aren't that scary after all. With just one swing and a bucket of dog blood poured down, did you see? It scared Lian away!"
Xu Bansian sighed as he struggled to sit up. "You were bitten by Lian and infected with Corpse Poison. At your young age... huh? What’s going on?" Xu Bansian stared at my arm, likely thinking I was about to die so young, but upon seeing my injury, he abruptly stopped speaking.
I wiped away the fresh blood. "What’s wrong?"
"You haven't been infected with Corpse Poison!" Xu Bansian stared at the wound on my arm. "Fei, how could you possibly not be infected with Corpse Poison? You were bitten by Lian!"
I have gotten used to it by now. I said, "Grandpa Xu, it was the same yesterday. I was bitten by Lian. It's just that today the bite is a bit more severe."
Xu Bansian rubbed my arm, muttering, "Strange, strange, really strange. Your arm seems perfectly fine."
I didn't think much of it. I casually bandaged my arm and yawned, feeling a wave of fatigue wash over me.
I said, "Grandpa Xu, it seems Lian won't be coming back. Let's go to sleep."
Xu Bansian nodded, "Alright, you go sleep in bed. I'll lie on the sofa for half the night. Don't worry, if there's any danger, I'll call you."
I didn't hesitate and yawned as I walked to the bed, lying down and falling asleep immediately.
While I was sleeping, I heard barking from dogs in the distance and some shouting from people; it was all quite chaotic. However, I was too tired to get up and drifted back into a deep slumber.
When I woke up again, I rubbed my eyes. After that sleep, I felt significantly better. I got out of bed and heard voices coming from the living room.
Listening closely, I recognized the voice of the village chief, Hao Dafu. Clearly, he had learned about Lian's situation.
Hao Dafu was pleading with Xu Bansian for help to capture Lian, but Xu Bansian didn't have the ability to do so. Taking advantage of the clear weather today, he suggested that Hao Dafu go out and find an expert in ghost-catching.
Hao Dafu mumbled as he left.
I yawned again and walked out to find Xu Bansian still half-reclining on the sofa, looking quite fatigued.
"Grandpa Xu, are you alright? You look a bit unwell," I approached him.
Xu Bansian waved his hand and sighed, "I'm getting old; it's normal for someone who is about to die to look unwell. But you, kid, are indeed a bit different. No wonder your grandfather brought you here to raise you."
Hearing my grandfather's name made me think of my grandfather Grave. I asked, "Grandpa Xu, I wanted to ask you something. Why was my grandfather's Grave disturbed? And after it was disturbed, why did someone build a pavilion on top of it?"
Xu Bansian was momentarily stunned after hearing this, then squinted his eyes and thought for a moment. "Fei, I don't want to hide this from you anymore. Your grandfather is very likely a Grave Robber."
"Ah?" My first reaction was disbelief. In my impression, my grandfather had always been cheerful and kind to everyone, and he was quite timid, polite to all. How could he possibly be a Grave Robber?
I chuckled lightly. "If he really were a Grave Robber, then he must be the worst one ever. Otherwise, how could our family be so poor? Look at my Adoptive Father and Adoptive Mother; they don't even want me anymore, fearing I might ask them for money."
Xu Bansian waved his hand and sighed. "Fei Wa Zi, it's not that simple. I may not know much about the Tomb Raiding industry, but I can tell your grandfather was someone of significance. No one in the Tomb Raiding business is poor. In China, with five thousand years of history, there are countless secrets and treasures buried! If someone is poor, it must mean they have touched something they shouldn't have or wanted to quietly withdraw from the scene. Your grandfather probably wanted to take you away from this life and live peacefully."
I was speechless. I had never considered that my grandfather might have engaged in such illegal activities.
Xu Bansian continued, "As for your grandfather's grave situation, I think it was done by his companions."
"Ah?" I looked at Xu Bansian in surprise. "My grandfather's companions?!"
"Yes. I'm just guessing here, but in the Tomb Raiding profession, some people are very superstitious. They believe that if they disturb others' graves during their lifetime, cutting off their descendants' incense and feng shui, they will face retribution after death and have their own graves robbed. So, there’s an unwritten rule among some Tomb Raiders: ten years after a member dies, their brothers or juniors will go and rob the deceased's grave and relocate it elsewhere. As for the original grave, to commemorate the deceased, they might erect a large stone tablet or build a pavilion for shade or even construct a fish pond, among other things." Xu Bansian shared his speculation.
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