Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Time passed minute by minute, and the midday sun grew stronger, bathing the hall they were in in a warm and comfortable light. Of course, this comfort was built on a precarious foundation, as the two figures looming behind them were ever-watchful.
Zhang Long had been waiting for Xiao Mei, who stood behind him, to make a move. After all, he was the one most familiar with this place and likely the only one who could handle the situation. However, since that ominous declaration about offering sacrifices to the heavens, Xiao Mei had fallen silent, standing still as if asleep in the light. The two spirits flanking them had also ceased their movements, one in front and one behind, with the hungry ghost across from Xiao Mei occasionally hissing, while the water ghost squatted in front of Zhang Long, water dripping from its body onto the floor and pooling increasingly, filling the air with a foul stench.
This situation left Zhang Long feeling trapped. He hesitated to speak for fear of provoking the two spirits but remained anxious about what might happen to his companion behind him. Just then, he noticed the water ghost stand up, its eyeballs swinging grotesquely on its face with every movement. This sudden action made Zhang Long's skin crawl; he instinctively assumed a defensive posture when he heard a phone ringing behind him.
Turning around, he saw Xiao Mei holding a phone with the name "Song Bunan" displayed on the screen. The beeping sound while waiting for the call to connect felt unbearably loud, each beep seeming to agitate the two spirits further. However, when Song Bunan's voice came through the line, both spirits abruptly halted their movements, tilting their heads slightly as they stared at the phone with their grayish eyes.
"Hello? Xiao Mei? What's going on?" Song Bunan's voice was slightly distorted due to the connection issues, but Zhang Long noticed that as soon as Song Bunan spoke, the hungry ghost began to slowly retreat toward the shadows where sunlight could not reach. He turned to see that the water ghost was doing the same. Xiao Mei seemed to notice this phenomenon as well and switched to speaker mode, telling Song Bunan not to come over and that he would return to find him.
Meanwhile, they realized that the path leading to the front door was now clear. Zhang Long heard movement behind him; clearly, Xiao Mei intended to do what he was doing. They exchanged no words but communicated through Xiao Mei's continuous conversation with Song Bunan while keeping an eye on their surroundings. As soon as it seemed that the water ghost had retreated into darkness and was nearly out of sight, Zhang Long shouted, "Let's go!"
The distance to the front door was roughly five meters—an unusually long stretch for Zhang Long at that moment. Running alongside him was Xiao Mei, who did not hang up the phone. Just as they reached the door and it swung open, the water ghost lunged at them like a mad beast.
Xiao Mei shoved his phone into Zhang Long's hands and pushed him out of the house. Zhang Long steadied himself at the entrance to catch Xiao Mei when he noticed that Xiao Mei faced off against the water ghost directly; blood glistened on his dagger under the sunlight.
Zhang Long had only a superficial understanding of Xiao Mei's abilities. According to their leader, although he practiced legitimate techniques rather than dark arts, his temperament led him to wield them like sinister sorcery—using blood as a medium for actions others could achieve with tools but in a far more ruthless manner.
"This is also his weakness; impatience and anger can easily cloud his judgment. If you notice him becoming rash or crossing lines while handling matters, stop him regardless of whether it leads to victory or defeat."
But now there was no one to stop him. The water ghost dissipated into black smoke beneath his blade while simultaneously, the hungry ghost darted deeper into the mansion as if everything that had just transpired was merely a dream. Zhang Long pulled him out without time for reprimands as he watched Xiao Mei lower his head and follow him unsteadily into a small room where he collapsed onto a sofa and wrapped himself in a coat. His muffled voice came from within: "I'll wake up before I leave."
Song Bunan considered himself quite adaptable; aside from certain issues where he couldn't control his temper or tears, he generally managed to face most situations calmly—including encounters with ghosts in Dragon Garden and other peculiarities that required specific timing to confront. He even found himself inexplicably fond of Xin Yi despite having met her only a few times. According to his analysis, this older brother treated him so well solely because he was trying to win over Song Buxian.
Initially intending to take a taxi to Jiang Family Courtyard, Song Bunan stood outside his apartment complex and asked three passing cars only to receive refusals each time. With less than an hour remaining until their agreed-upon meeting time of three o'clock, he steeled himself and opened his navigation app before hopping on his electric scooter. Donning a helmet and mask for safety, he wobbled out of the complex gate and scoffed at passing taxis: "If you're not going to take me there, fine! My little scooter won't get stuck in traffic—ha!"
Of course, riding along didn't prevent him from thinking about recent events. He mentally reviewed everything that had happened over these past few days—though nothing particularly stood out in his mind—he felt satisfied with how he'd handled things overall. He pushed aside any unpleasantness regarding his brother and even forgot about needing to change dressings on his back injury.
Compared to Dragon Garden, getting from his home to Jiang Family Courtyard was much shorter; following navigation led him straight there without detours. Along the way, he passed by an office building where he'd soon start working and also saw his brother Song Buxian's new apartment after moving out.
He recalled how heartbroken he'd felt when his brother announced he would be moving out; Song Bunan had secretly cried himself to sleep that night despite feeling happy during dinner when Song Buxian shared his plans—finally free from constant oversight over trivial matters! Yet lying in bed later that night while preparing for class—and not having participated in packing—he heard their parents fussing over details outside: reminders about locking doors when living alone or not forgetting to close windows before business trips while their father chimed in about coming home for meals regularly. In that darkened room without lights on, tears began streaming down his face unexpectedly.
He disliked his brother but never imagined they would end up separated like this; distance aside, just coming home at night without anyone asking about homework made him feel profoundly sad. Their parents were often away from home; most of the time he acted alongside his brother—now that he lived alone while their parents were away again—he realized he'd be all by himself.
"Sigh..." Lost in these thoughts brought on by nostalgia and inexplicable melancholy nearly caused Song Bunan to run a red light. Stopping just outside of it left him shaken as a motorcycle zipped by mere inches from his front wheel before speeding off into distance. After calming down enough to breathe normally again, he turned around intending to thank whoever had pulled him back from danger only to find someone strikingly familiar: clad in black riding boots and motorcycle pants with an intricately designed leather jacket featuring a dragon motif; wearing a helmet adorned with lightning bolts while standing beside an impressive motorcycle—rubbing what must have been their hand after catching hold of his scooter earlier.
This figure looked incredibly familiar but he couldn't place where he'd seen them before; all he could do was repeatedly express gratitude. The stranger offered no further response beyond casually mounting their motorcycle with long strides before waving goodbye and revving off into right turn.
As Song Bunan marveled at how many good people there were in this world while slowly maneuvering back toward safety at brake line—thankfully traffic wasn't too heavy at this hour; otherwise it would have been utterly embarrassing if something went wrong.
Upon arriving at Jiang Family Courtyard's entrance marked by crimson walls surrounding it like some ancient structure—just seeing those ornate red doors made his heart race with trepidation—not even mentioning those gold-painted nails arranged neatly across them along with stone lions flanking either side.
Having watched numerous dramas depicting wealthy families such as "The Grand Mansion," "The Qiao Family Courtyard," or "Walking Westward," countless characters' personalities flashed through his mind as he imagined how those family heads might behave—not forgetting how little money remained in his bank account barely surpassing three digits which felt laughable compared against such grandeur—leading him momentarily doubt whether even one door nail could be afforded!
Why did Xiao Mei invite him here? This question became paramount for Song Bunan as thoughts raced through his mind without yielding answers quickly enough: How would he get inside?
Riding his small electric scooter, Song Bunan felt a bit embarrassed as it was dwarfed by the steps in front of the house. He parked it at the entrance, unsure if the homeowner felt ashamed, but he certainly did. Silently, he pushed off the ground to reverse back to the road, deciding to find a parking area for his scooter where it wouldn’t look so out of place.
Just as he was about to turn around, a car pulled up beside him. He was momentarily stunned as the window rolled down to reveal Xiao Mei, who was wearing a Sad Frog eye mask and looked like she had just woken up. “You’re here pretty early! Let’s go in together. But since you’re on a scooter, you can follow us in from the back,” she said, her sleepy accent thickening her words. With no way to refuse, Song Bunan reluctantly followed her car to another entrance.
The back door had no steps; instead, there was a gentle slope leading up to the Redwood Gate. It was just as grand as the front door but lacked the decorative stone studs. At that moment, one of the doors was already ajar, revealing a man in a suit and white gloves standing outside. He appeared to be in his sixties, sporting gold-rimmed half-frame glasses. A silver chain protruded from his suit’s pocket, secured next to the first button with a clamp, making him look like he had just stepped out of a perfectly staged photograph.
In front of this door was a spacious area with several cars parked haphazardly. Xiao Mei got out of her car and walked over to him, giving his shoulder a friendly pat. “It’s safer to park in the yard; besides, I don’t feel like walking. You can give me a ride up!” Without waiting for an answer, she confidently hopped onto the back seat of his small electric scooter and playfully nudged him forward. “Come on, let’s go!”
Comment 0 Comment Count