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墨書 Inktalez
All ghosts, monsters, and spirits are divided into good and evil. Among them, some exist without distinction, solely to pursue their own desires, but such beings are rare and belong to a higher order. Ordinary humans cannot discern between gods and ghosts; this is the limitation of mortal vision. However, among the multitude of living beings, there are occasional exceptions—those born with heavenly sight or ghostly sight. The former can see all beings, while the latter can perceive the various aspects of the underworld. Those with heavenly sight are exceedingly rare, appearing once in a millennium, while those with ghostly sight are one in ten thousand.
This text was written during the convergence of yin and yang, and those who see it must possess ghostly sight and have no business in Dragon Garden.
My name is Xuanqin, and I am fortunate to meet you here. I hope you remember the previous words and do not disclose the contents of this text to those two young disciples. Their fates are still uncertain, and if they were to learn of this text's contents, it would surely bring disaster. You are a Special Individual, protected by spirits and gods, serving as a guide for them in their actions.
Having been told he could go home, Song Bunan cheerfully packed his belongings early in the morning. His brother had gone to handle some paperwork and said they would meet in the lobby. As was his habit, he carefully removed his hospital gown to check the bandages on his back when he caught sight of someone standing outside the ward.
Surprised, he turned to look, and the person had already entered. Wearing a white coat with a stethoscope around his neck and holding a blue writing board, he smiled as he stood beside Song Bunan. "Doctor Jiang said that from now on, I will assist you with your bandaging and follow-up checks. Remember to come back every three days for a change of dressings. My name is Jiang Ling." This person was a male nurse; he wasn't particularly tall or old-looking, but his smile was gentle. He spoke slowly and clearly, making him seem easy to communicate with.
Song Bunan nodded and exchanged pleasantries with the nurse, who appeared to be about his size. As he prepared to continue dressing, he noticed that Jiang Ling was wearing clothes that didn’t quite resemble typical medical attire: his pants were tight against his legs with nylon straps resembling supports around his thighs, and he wore black work boots; even the shirt under his coat was fitted like workwear.
Not wanting to pry into someone else's clothing choices, Song Bunan quickly dismissed this thought from his mind and forgot about checking his bandages again as he grabbed his clothes from the bed and put them on. Jiang Ling set down the writing board to help him; when their bodies touched, Song Bunan felt that the nurse's fingers were quite rough-skinned. He also caught a faint scent of paper ash—an odor he was very familiar with since it lingered in the hallway of his home; even the faint fragrance mixed with it was identical.
"Hey there, have you ever been to Yunyang Community?" Song Bunan asked while fastening his buttons without looking up. When Jiang Ling didn’t respond after a long pause, he turned around only to find that there was no one behind him anymore. Looking around the ward confirmed that he was indeed alone. Holding onto his jacket at the bedside, Song Bunan wondered if Jiang Ling had really been there just now; how could someone walk without making any sound?
He slowly stepped toward the door when he saw Aunt Jiang approaching. Noticing that he had packed everything up, she smiled and pulled out a piece of candy from her white coat pocket. "Remember to come back in three days for your dressing change! No new wounds allowed! Here, have some candy." After accepting the candy from Aunt Jiang, Song Bunan asked if there was a nurse named Jiang Ling at the hospital. She nodded with her usual smile and confirmed there was: "He’s a new nurse here; he's quite skilled at bandaging and treating wounds. I asked him to take care of you; it seems you’ve met him."
So that’s how it is. Song Bunan nodded and hugged Aunt Jiang before telling her he was going to meet up with his brother in the lobby. When he arrived at the hospital entrance, he saw his brother talking animatedly with Xin Yi. As soon as they noticed him approaching, they immediately stopped their conversation. Xin Yi smoothly took the bag from Song Bunan's hand and asked if his wound still hurt.
Feeling that they were avoiding something important by not discussing it in front of him, Song Bunan scrutinized both of them carefully before directly asking, "Why did you stop talking when I came over? Are you hiding something big from me? Is it that you’re dating someone but don’t want me to know?"
The first sentence sounded reasonable enough; however, the second one came off as foolishness. Song Buxian rolled his eyes at Song Bunan’s words while pinching his cheek playfully before giving him a light flick on the forehead: "If your brain can be used then use it; if not we’ll just have to replace it! Do you hear yourself?"
After laughing off his brother's teasing and freeing himself from that mischievous hand, Song Bunan straightened up to ease his discomfort and casually asked where they were going next. Just then, a coat was draped over his shoulders without waiting for an answer; turning around revealed Xin Yi quietly standing behind him with a paper cup in hand: "Drink on the way; we’ll go back to your house first."
Before Song Bunan could respond, he heard his brother’s sarcastic voice beside him: "When did my partner start caring so much about someone? We’ve known each other for over ten years!" Turning to look at him revealed an unreadable expression on his face while Xin Yi remained inscrutable as well; feeling sandwiched between them made Song Bunan involuntarily shiver.
Gripping onto the paper cup tightly, he stepped out first while lost in thought about visiting Xiao Mei at the big house later on; distracted by this plan, he didn’t pay attention to what lay ahead.
Outside was bright sunshine; early autumn felt even hotter than summer. The cloudless sky made the concrete outside the hospital reflect light like a giant mirror. Accustomed to indoor lighting, Song Bunan squinted against this sudden brightness as he instinctively tried to avoid it but missed a step on the stairs below him.
As he stumbled forward without being able to steady himself or keep hold of the paper cup filled with milk, he braced for impact with the ground but found himself almost face-to-face with someone who caught him just in time.
The milk spilled entirely onto the ground as soon as they landed together; once Song Bunan regained focus while steadying himself against this person’s support, he saw it was Jiang Ling who had caught him again. However, unlike earlier when Jiang Ling wore a white coat, now he had changed into casual clothes and smiled as he withdrew his hand once Song Bunan stood upright again: "Be careful! Falling on this kind of surface can hurt quite a bit."
Despite looking about the same age as himself based on appearance alone, Jiang Ling’s voice sounded remarkably mature. After thanking him with a smile, Song Bunan watched as Jiang Ling shook his head before turning away briskly; at that moment Song Bunan noticed how Jiang Ling’s body proportions seemed slightly different compared to most boys—his legs appeared longer than average due to fitted pants tucked into long boots which made him look slender from behind.
Yet something about Jiang Ling’s tone and demeanor made Song Bunan feel like he had seen this person somewhere before. Squatting down to deal with what remained of his “mess,” when picking up what was left of his cup he realized that all of the milk had dried up on the concrete floor—sticky residue clung stubbornly where it spilled making cleanup impossible for him alone. Holding onto what remained of his cup in frustration just then a cleaner walked by observing everything unfold: "Don’t worry about it; I’ll take care of this."
After finishing up their conversation outside, Song Buxian spotted Song Bunan standing by what remained of spilled milk apologizing profusely to the cleaner nearby. Understanding immediately why this happened without needing further explanation from anyone else—Song Buxian simply walked away towards their car while Xin Yi approached Song Bunan instead noticing how busy cleaning up after him kept everyone occupied.
Feeling embarrassed about leaving without saying anything more than necessary—Song Bunan kept glancing back repeatedly until finally standing next to their vehicle watching as everything got sorted out before returning under shade nearby finally feeling relieved enough getting inside settling down comfortably onto backseat resting against its cushions while listening intently towards what might come next.
Without turning around or looking back at him directly—his brother casually mentioned how he'd likely be away on business for several days asking whether he'd prefer staying home alone or borrowing Xin Yi's place temporarily instead.
With options suddenly expanded beyond usual routines—Song Bunan took time considering these choices carefully weighing pros & cons involved thoroughly before making decision based upon circumstances presented ahead now facing both men present alongside him today:
"I think I'll stay home! No need bothering Xin Yi anymore than necessary," declared confidently raising four fingers swearing promise aloud while oblivious toward slight disappointment flickering briefly across Xin Yi's expression unnoticed by anyone else present until finally being addressed again afterward by older sibling tossing keys casually over towards partner saying: "Then please do me favor checking up on this fool every couple days after work ensuring he's keeping track changing dressings regularly."
It seemed that he was underestimated. Song Bunan muttered his dissatisfaction in his heart, but knowing that voicing it might lead to trouble, he could only nod in agreement. "Welcome, Brother Xin Yi, to my home! If you want to eat anything, just let me know. I cook really well."
After saying this, he felt Xin Yi's large hand ruffle his hair, and he heard a positive response.
Arriving home just past noon, Song Bunan was about to take a nap when he caught sight of the Black Notebook on the table, a book whose main content he had yet to see. With a mindset of trying once more before sleeping, he opened the notebook. Skipping over the parts anyone could read, he went straight to the key area concerning this Special Individual. Having mentally prepared himself for the possibility of finding nothing again, he was surprised to see dark gray words on the paper.
"Time is quite wonderful, isn't it?"
Before Song Bunan could figure out how to interpret this sentence, he saw the second line:
"From now on, come back at this time to take a look. There are many things here that you will find useful in the future. Keep reading."
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