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墨書 Inktalez
The rain fell heavily, as if it intended to drown the entire village. Yang Su and Zhou Yue took refuge in an abandoned shrine. The shrine, long neglected, had a leaky roof and corners covered in moss. But at least it provided temporary shelter from the storm and a way to escape the wandering white-clad spirits in the night.
"What do we do now?" Zhou Yue curled up in a corner, trembling all over. She was terrified, having been in a daze since escaping from the Art Room.
Yang Su pulled out Wang Lanzhi's notes and studied the map carefully under the faint light of a flashlight. "Your mother mentioned in her notes that beneath the bell tower, there is not only an altar but also a secret passage leading to an ancient tomb."
"Ancient tomb..." Zhou Yue murmured, "Is that the one Teacher Li talked about?"
"It should be," Yang Su pointed to a marked spot on the map. "Look here, it says 'Tomb Gate.' Your mother wrote a note next to it: 'The truth lies here.'"
Suddenly, amidst the sound of rain, there was a strange noise that resembled both crying and laughing. Zhou Yue grabbed Yang Su's hand tightly. "They're coming!"
In the flash of lightning, several white figures could be seen drifting through the rain. Their garments soaked but eerily devoid of any dripping water. Leading them was the spirit of Wang Lanzhi, floating toward the shrine.
"Run!" Yang Su shouted, pulling Zhou Yue through the back door.
The rain stung their faces as they struggled along the muddy path, shrill laughter echoing behind them. The white spirits chased them through the downpour like swirling wisps of smoke.
Turning a corner, they found themselves in a graveyard. The gravestones loomed in the rain, obscured by thick weeds. The most prominent was a stone tablet in the center inscribed with "Qing Dynasty Ancient Tomb."
"There!" Yang Su pointed behind the stone tablet. "The map says the Tomb Gate is right..."
Before he could finish his sentence, a figure blocked their path—it was Old Woman Zhong. She held an umbrella adorned with talismans, which hissed as raindrops hit its surface.
"You can't escape," Old Woman Zhong said. "Tonight at midnight, the formation on the altar will activate."
As soon as Old Woman Zhong's words fell, the white spirits surrounded them. They danced gracefully in the rain, their movements synchronized and seemingly weightless.
"Why are you doing this?" Yang Su asked.
"There is no reason," Old Woman Zhong replied. "This is our fate. Every thirty years, when the bell tolls, we must sacrifice someone with a spiritual bloodline. Otherwise, that bell will lose its power and what lies beneath will escape."
"What lies beneath?"
"Cannot be spoken of," Old Woman Zhong shook her head repeatedly. "It is something even our ancestors dared not mention. All we know is that we must use someone with a spiritual bloodline to contain it."
Zhou Yue suddenly spoke up: "But my father..."
"Shut up!" Old Woman Zhong interrupted sharply. "Some things cannot be revealed. Do you think your father disappeared for no reason? It’s because he knew too much..."
Suddenly, thunder cracked loudly overhead. Lightning illuminated the entire graveyard, revealing a tall dark figure standing behind one of the farthest gravestones; its features were obscured except for its glowing blue eyes.
Old Woman Zhong's expression changed drastically as she frantically pulled out a yellow talisman from her pocket. "You came so quickly..."
She scattered the talismans into the air, and the paper burned in the rain, transforming into specks of golden light. The white-clad souls suddenly let out piercing cries, as if something had burned them.
"Run!" Old Woman Zhong shouted at them. "Quickly, to the altar! It's the only safe place!"
Yang Su grabbed Zhou Yue and turned to flee. A loud crash echoed behind them, and when they looked back, Old Woman Zhong had vanished, leaving only the black umbrella covered in talismans lying on the ground, its surface tattered and torn.
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