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墨書 Inktalez
They ran frantically, finally bursting into the bell tower. Zhang San Shui was not at his post, and the iron door below stood wide open, as if waiting for them.
Descending the steps, they noticed more and more symbols etched into the stone walls. These symbols emitted a faint blue glow in the darkness, forming eerie patterns. Yang Su then realized that these symbols were painted with a special pigment—those dark red stains were clearly blood!
The passage grew narrower as they ventured deeper, and droplets of water seeping from the walls carried a metallic scent reminiscent of rust. The steps beneath their feet echoed hollowly, as if leading down into an endless abyss. A strange sound of flowing water faintly reached their ears, and an indescribable stench filled the air, as if something had been rotting deep underground for centuries.
“Wait.” Zhou Yue suddenly stopped. “Do you smell that?”
Yang Su sniffed carefully. “It smells like… herbs?”
“No,” Zhou Yue said, her face paling. “It’s the scent of incense. I used to smell it at home when my mother performed rituals; she would always burn this kind of incense.”
As soon as she finished speaking, footsteps echoed from the passage ahead. Someone approached with a torch—it was Teacher Li. His face appeared particularly grim in the flickering light.
“You finally made it,” he said. “Just in time.”
“You knew we would come?”
“Of course,” Teacher Li sneered. “Because that bell is calling you. It has waited too long for new blood to complete the ritual.”
“What ritual?”
Teacher Li did not answer but turned and walked ahead. “Follow me; you will find out soon enough.”
They followed Teacher Li through the maze-like passageway until they arrived at a circular hall. In the center stood a deep pit with a massive stone tablet at its bottom. The tablet was covered in strange inscriptions that did not resemble Chinese characters.
“These are…”
“Ancient Script,” Teacher Li said. “It records the oldest secrets of this village.” He pointed at the tablet. “Do you know what lies beneath it?”
Standing in front of the stone tablet was a familiar figure—Zhang San Shui. He held a tattered booklet and was reciting some incantation. The sound of his chanting was ethereal and eerie, sending chills down their spines.
“Stop chanting,” Teacher Li commanded. “Let them see the truth.”
Zhang San Shui closed the booklet and pulled out a bronze mirror from his pocket. The surface was dark, seemingly absorbing all light. He aimed the mirror at the stone tablet and uttered an incantation.
Suddenly, the mirror illuminated, casting a ghostly blue light. The glow shone on the stone tablet, causing those strange inscriptions to writhe as if coming to life.
“Three hundred years ago,” Teacher Li said, “this place was not a village; it was an ancient tomb. Buried within is an extraordinary figure—she is known in folklore as the White-Clad Witch.”
“The White-Clad Witch?”
“It is said that she possessed incredible abilities; she could foresee fortunes and summon spirits. But what is most remarkable is her blood,” Zhang San Shui said, his voice trembling slightly. “Legend has it that her blood holds an ancient power. On nights of the full moon, her blood emits a ghostly blue light capable of dispelling plagues and even reviving the dead.”
“Is that why she was executed?” Yang Su asked.
Teacher Li shook his head. "Not just that. The Imperial Envoy sent by the court claimed that she was consorting with evil spirits and using living sacrifices. But that was all a false accusation. The real reason is..." He paused, "She discovered something underground."
"What was it?"
"An even older secret." Teacher Li pointed to the stone tablet on the ground. "Look at these runes; she didn't carve them. These runes are over a thousand years older than the era of the White-Clad Witch. She found an ancient altar here, inscribed with a forbidden power."
Zhang San Shui took over the conversation. "That power can be passed down through bloodlines. Every generation, someone awakens and becomes a vessel. The White-Clad Witch was one of them, but she was unwilling to be just a vessel. She wanted to..."
"Control that power?"
"Yes, but she underestimated its dangers," Teacher Li said. "Those evil spirits were not summoned by her; they were attracted by her blood. There is something in her blood that can awaken the beings sleeping underground."
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