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墨書 Inktalez
I asked in confusion, "If you saved them, then why do they still want to harm you?" Yin Li quickly waved his hand in response, "It wasn't me who saved them; it was the Void Spirit within me. In other words..." Before he could finish, a terrifying howl echoed from outside.
My heart sank. Could that ghost be trying to break in? Seeing my panic, Yin Li wanted to say something, but as soon as he opened his mouth, blood gushed out, causing him to cough violently.
After catching his breath, he continued, "Don't worry; it won't find us right away. I just smeared my blood on that Peach Wood Doll, which should buy us some time." Hearing this eased my anxiety a little.
He went on, "To put it another way, the Void Spirit inside me is named Yin Li, while I am called Yang Wei. As for Wang Bin, that's just a temporary name I took. Three years ago, I came to this village with a Box seeking a way to lift the Hao Yin curse. But by then, it was too late. The Hao Yin had already taken root in my hand. Even though I severed it, I found it useless. Even after cutting off the hand marked by Hao Yin, I could still feel myself being stripped away as if that mark was burned deep into my soul. Just when I was about to be devoured by other Void Spirits, Yin Li appeared..."
He paused for a moment before continuing, "Yin Li drove away the other spirits and told me he could save me, but I had to pay a price: I would only have three years left to live. Driven by the desire to survive, I had no choice but to agree. Eventually, as the Void Spirit merged with me, the stripping of my body gradually stopped. However, I became what I am now—possessing two souls and thoughts at once. This also means I must return to complete what he left unfinished. But this task cannot be done alone; I need you. Knowing my time is short, I deceived you to make you believe all of this."
I was skeptical and asked, "Me? What can I do? Are you saying I'm meant to be a living sacrifice?" He pointed at the ancient scroll at my waist. "That scroll—because of this Box—only one person can open it and only one person can be marked with Hao Yin. As far as I know, it's nearly impossible to erase it for life unless one dies. And this Box can only be opened by someone who corresponds with the Hao Yin; yours is black while mine is red."
Upon hearing this, I recalled that the text on the scroll was only understandable by Void Spirits. I quickly took out the ancient scroll and asked, "Since only Void Spirits can understand this text, you must be able to read it too." With that, I unfolded the scroll and used my phone's light for him to see.
He smiled slightly and said, "I've memorized the characters long ago. This scroll records the function of the Sheepskin Book that came with it. The Sheepskin Book is used to document ghostly events—essentially ghost stories. The vengeful spirits recorded in these events will have their malice eliminated and can no longer harm people. Moreover, each time an event is recorded, it will slow down the onset of Hao Yin." Listening to him left me feeling bewildered; "Isn't this just asking me to write horror stories?"
He sighed and lamented, "If only I had gotten this Box first, perhaps none of us would have been involved in this matter." I scoffed and replied sarcastically, "Oh really? Then where did your key come from?" At my question, he shook his head and sighed again.
Seeing that he had no intention of continuing down that path of conversation, I changed the subject: "So this thing is basically a clear book? Just like that booklet you threw at me earlier?!"
Upon hearing this, he seemed to remember something: "In my rush to explain things to you, I've forgotten something important. Listen carefully: this isn't just any clear book; the reason you weren't attacked by that Vengeful Spirit earlier—only pulled slightly—is because of this ancient scroll or rather what we should call it—the Soul Sealing Talisman. The Azure Stone erected in the village was set up by Yin Li during his lifetime; he used his remaining lifespan as payment to carve the Soul Sealing Mark onto that stone to subdue those spirits but couldn't eliminate them entirely. To exorcise a Wraith requires forty-nine days of rituals; however, sealing souls requires forty-nine years. This year marks exactly forty-nine years since then; it's precisely the right time for sealing souls. Therefore we need your Soul Sealing Talisman; if we miss this year’s opportunity, that Soul Sealing Mark will become ineffective and all Vengeful Spirits here will go out and harm people."
After listening carefully, I recalled what Liu Old Lady had said earlier and asked: "So after Yin Li finished that big stone, he actually died and became a Void Spirit? Is that why you recognized Liu Old Lady as a ghost?"
He nodded, "That's right. Only a few surviving villagers know that Yin Li is dead. But more accurately, that Liu Old Lady is not a ghost but an illusion created by a Vengeful Spirit. Since your spiritual eyes are not open, you cannot see the spirits."
I was about to ask more when he made a shushing gesture and listened intently to the sounds around us. Just then, the door behind me creaked open, and the sound sent chills down my spine. He kept muttering something under his breath, and suddenly shouted, "Run! Get to the stone and place the Soul Sealing Talisman underneath it!"
As soon as I heard the word "run," I sprang into action, clutching the Soul Sealing Talisman and sprinting for my life. Just a few meters out of the house, I felt a fierce wind rush past me, but it didn’t harm me at all; perhaps the Vengeful Spirit feared the ancient scroll and turned to look for Yin Li instead. I didn’t dare to look back, my eyes fixed on the large stone glowing with an eerie blue light as I ran like a madman.
As I was nearing it, I tripped over something and fell hard against the stone. The stone tilted dangerously, and I gritted my teeth against the pain. Timing it just right, as the stone was about to settle back into place, I shoved the ancient scroll inside.
In that moment of daze, I saw the stone slowly change from blue to a blinding white light that illuminated everything around us like daylight. Struggling against the pain, I managed to get up and was astonished to see that the previously dilapidated houses had transformed back into well-kept earthen homes and courtyards. Villagers began to emerge from the houses—old and young, men and women—looking serene as they leaned on each other while walking towards the stone.
For some reason, witnessing this scene filled me with warmth and peace. Just as they reached the large stone, the white light emanating from it intensified, becoming painfully bright.
I quickly shut my eyes. When I rubbed them and managed to open them again moments later, everything around me had reverted to its previous state of ruin. Without thinking further, I rushed back to check on Yin Li.
When I reached the front of the house, I found Yin Li lying at the doorway, covered in blood. My heart tightened as I hurried forward to call out to him, only to realize he was barely breathing. I pulled out my phone to call for an ambulance but discovered that my fall had broken it. Frustrated, I stomped my feet in desperation. With no other options left, I hoisted Yin Li onto my back and took off running.
I had no idea how long I ran; all I could smell was the overwhelming stench of blood. Suddenly, I noticed lights shining behind me. Turning around, I saw a car approaching. It felt like a lifeline as I stood in the middle of the road. Since I was carrying Yin Li, I couldn’t wave my arms; all I could do was stand there desperately.
Just as I worried that the driver might swerve around us and keep going, the car stopped right beside me. The driver leaned out of his window and upon seeing me carrying a bloodied person on my back exclaimed, "Get in!"
Without explaining anything further, I hurriedly opened the car door and placed Yin Li in the back seat before climbing in myself. As soon as I closed the door, I told the driver urgently, "Take us to the nearest hospital!" After that command left my lips, exhaustion overwhelmed me and I collapsed in the car.
I don’t know how much time passed before I woke up again; it was daylight now. Realizing that I was lying in a hospital bed with an IV drip in my arm, I noticed a middle-aged man in his forties standing nearby reading a newspaper. He looked familiar; he must be the Kind-hearted Driver who brought us here. Since I hadn’t paid much attention in my panic last night due to darkness and urgency, I tentatively asked him, "Are you the driver who brought us here?"
He saw that I was awake and put down the newspaper. "Yes, I was worried about the severity of your injuries and the potential costs, so I didn't dare to leave. I wanted to wait until you woke up." I quickly thanked him as I tried to sit up, but felt a sharp pain in my chest that made me grit my teeth. The middle-aged man noticed and hurriedly called for a doctor.
When the doctor arrived and saw that I was awake, he asked, "You're awake! Do you feel any discomfort?" I replied, "Every time I move, my chest hurts badly." The doctor smiled slightly and said, "You have two broken ribs; of course it hurts."
Suddenly, I remembered Yin Li and anxiously asked the doctor about the man who had come with me. The doctor frowned. "He's not as lucky as you. He's currently in the Intensive Care Unit. What on earth did you do to get hurt like this?" Realizing the gravity of the situation, I urgently asked, "Is he in any danger?" The doctor simply shook his head. "It's hard to say. Although he's temporarily out of life-threatening danger, he hasn't regained consciousness yet. We can only pray for him. You need to rest; if you feel any discomfort, just call for me." With that, the doctor turned to leave. For some reason, watching him walk away filled me with a sense of unease.
Afterward, I managed to ask about the medical expenses for both myself and Yin Li. I returned the money that the kind-hearted driver had paid for us without hesitation. Initially, I wanted to keep his number to thank him later after being discharged, but he refused adamantly and wouldn't even share his name, insisting that I focus on recovering. In the end, when he was about to leave, I secretly slipped some money into his hand as a token of gratitude for saving my life.
The following days were mostly spent in bed; even trying to go to the bathroom was excruciatingly painful. One day, my attending physician came by to check on me and had good news.
I quickly asked, "What good news? Is there a half-price promotion on hospital stays?" The doctor chuckled and replied, "Only you would think of discounts! The good news is that your friend has passed the critical period; you'll be able to visit him soon."
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