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墨書 Inktalez
In the end, Ma Rulong didn't ask for much compensation. The previous words were just to remind me that I owed him a significant favor. Sometimes, human connections are far more important than money.
Not long after, two helicopters landed on the platform at the mountain top. The Ajan we helped out all boarded the helicopters. There were simply too many people to take them all at once, so we had to make another trip. I asked Second Uncle where the helicopters came from, and he said they were rented. He looked indifferent, as if renting a helicopter was nothing remarkable.
While waiting for the helicopters to make their rounds, I asked Ma Rulong if he wanted to leave with us. He shook his head and said he needed to stay a bit longer. The door to the underground space was only sealed with a talisman, which should hold back ordinary Yin Ling, but if he encountered higher-level spirits, it might not be so simple. He wanted to search the temple for some ancient texts left by his master years ago to see if he could find any relevant clues.
Additionally, after dealing with the temple matters, he still needed to capture the few Yin Ling that had escaped earlier.
I asked, "What about that Old Ghost? Are you going to catch it?"
Ma Rulong shot me a glare and said, "Whoever has the ability should go catch it!"
I chuckled lightly, thinking that it might be best to let it drift away... Optimistically speaking, perhaps that Old Ghost had already been burned into oblivion by the talisman!
After a few minutes, one of the helicopters returned. Second Uncle took the remaining two Ajan aboard. I didn't leave with him because Zheng Xuejie’s soul had not yet transitioned and needed to stay a little longer. To prevent any mishaps, I wanted to accompany them. Second Uncle was quite displeased but couldn't persuade me otherwise; in the end, he said angrily, "You can do whatever you want! If something happens again, don't expect me to save you!"
I laughed and said nothing more. After Second Uncle left, Ma Rulong took us into the temple and helped Zheng Xuejie transition her soul. The familiar Zheng Xuejie returned; her soul had been in deep slumber and was completely unaware of what had happened before she woke up. However, since the Old Ghost occupied her body, she sensed something was off and mentioned having a terrifying dream about a woman in palace attire who scared her and threatened to eat her while showing sharp teeth.
This was likely not just a dream but an intersection of souls between the Old Ghost and Zheng Xuejie. However, such things are hard for most people to accept; since she believed it was a dream, we decided not to explain further. For this reason, I specifically reminded Qin Senior Sister about it.
After confirming there were no issues with Zheng Xuejie's soul transition through Ma Rulong's inspection, we planned to leave. Although our time in the underground space seemed short, nearly a week had passed in the real world. Just waiting for Ajan's good master to come down and go back took Second Uncle a full day and a half.
The outcome of this matter wasn't too bad overall. The only regret was that the deceased Ajan's remains were sealed in the underground space. For now, Ma Rulong didn't dare venture in easily for fear of problems arising. I asked him for help; if he ever went back in to place ashes or anything like that, he could bring along Ajan's remains as well.
Although I'm not sure if Thailand has a saying about returning leaves to their roots, I believe that regardless of anything else, this Ajan deserves a proper burial; he shouldn't be left in such a miserable state after death.
Afterward, Qin Senior Sister, Zheng Xuejie, and I descended the mountain together. Before leaving, I waved at Ma Rulong standing on the platform and said, "I'll come visit you when I have time!"
Ma Rulong's face darkened as he replied, "If there's nothing going on, don't come; there's no place to stay."
I laughed heartily; this guy must have some trauma from our visits. The first time we came, we ended up with dual souls merging into one. The second time led to an Old Ghost escaping. If we came again, who knows? They might have to tear down the temple!
On the train back, Qin Senior Sister apologized to me, saying that because of them, many people were affected. I said it was nothing; it was my suggestion for them to come to Wangsheng Mountain, and since something happened, they naturally had to take responsibility. However, what Qin Senior Sister said reminded me to call Second Uncle. When the call connected, Second Uncle asked what I wanted. If I was in trouble, he said to call the police; he didn't have time for me.
I replied, "I'm just on the train back; what trouble could I cause? I just wanted to ask how those Ajan are doing."
"What do you think?" Second Uncle said irritably. "Two are dead, and three are missing limbs; they've all gone back to Thailand to recuperate. The others aren't too seriously injured, but in the short term, my business is probably going to be stalled. Don't bring this up with me; it makes me angry!"
I suggested, "Why not sell that piece of jadeite you received from those Jade Mine masters last time? It might help you recover some losses."
"Recover my ass!" Second Uncle retorted. "Are you trying to set me up? If I sell that jadeite and give you the money, what happens when I die? Who benefits from this roundabout? Get lost; you're always causing confusion without helping. Alright, I'm not going to talk to you anymore; I'm currently researching jadeite with a few Ajan. Don't call me unless it's urgent!"
With that, Second Uncle hung up the phone. I vaguely heard someone speaking Thai next to him, so he must have returned to Thailand. His focus was primarily on Thailand now; the situation for those Ajan who had been to Myanmar Jade Mine was dire. If it wasn't resolved soon, it could lead to serious problems!
There was nothing I could do about this matter; I could only think about helping him find some experts in this field domestically.
After dropping off Qin Senior Sister and Zheng Xuejie at home, I had a meal with both families. They were very warm and welcoming, even though they had no idea how much their daughters had gone through in the past two weeks. Just the fact that the Amulet helped their daughter awaken from a vegetative state and assisted Zheng Xuejie in resolving her dual soul issue was enough for them to be grateful.
Especially Qin Senior Sister's family; they almost treated me like some religious leader, constantly referring to me as "Master," which made both me and Qin Senior Sister quite embarrassed.
Soon enough, 2008 passed and 2009 arrived. That year, the Financial Crisis had reached its ultimate form; those who were supposed to jump off buildings did so, and those who were supposed to lie down pretending to be dead did that too. When I graduated from college in my senior year, Second Uncle called me and said he planned to take people to Myanmar.
Upon hearing this, I instinctively recalled a few months ago when he was researching jadeite with several Ajan. During this time, Second Uncle had been extremely busy. Those Ajan were covered in jadeite and were almost turning into Stone Men. The most serious cases couldn't even walk anymore. Now Second Uncle arranged for specialized medical staff every day to help remove the jadeite from their bodies. Initially, these medical staff were shocked and confused about how jadeite could grow inside a human body. But after getting used to it, they no longer found it strange and instead regarded it as a specific skill of the Ajan Master.
It was like how mermaid tears could turn into pearls or diamonds in ancient legends.
Since Second Uncle wanted to go to Myanmar, I naturally opposed it. But what good would my opposition do? The Ajan had already decided to go; no one could stop them. They didn't want their bodies covered in stones until they couldn't move at all and became pitiful living corpses. This matter originated from Second Uncle, so he had to take responsibility.
I thought for a moment and said, "Why don't you wait for me to go with you? That way we can look out for each other."
Second Uncle laughed and scolded me: "With your mediocre skills, you can't even beat me; who are you going to look out for? Alright, I'm almost at Myanmar now; don't come along and make things worse. Stay home and if you really feel bored, go accompany the old man in Thailand. He keeps shouting about wanting someone to play chess with him; it's quite annoying."
Grandpa's chess skills were indeed quite good. With the internet being so developed, Second Uncle even got him a computer connected through a special network back home. Now Grandpa spends his days playing chess online with people on various platforms and has gained some fame in that virtual circle. Every day there are challengers coming in droves—some are terrible players but there are also many skilled amateurs. Although he wins more than he loses, Grandpa is still not satisfied and always says it's not as enjoyable as playing chess with me.
Of course, this statement is false; anyone with a bit of sense understands that he just wants to play chess to see me, or rather, to have me spend more time with him.
I recalled what Second Uncle said last year: Grandpa only has a few years left to live. The old man must be thinking about this himself, and he probably believes it wholeheartedly.
When a person is nearing death, their words tend to be kind. It is not difficult to understand that in his final years, he hopes for more companionship from family. After thinking about it, I realized that after graduation, I really had nothing much to do.
My parents originally hoped I could find a stable job. They even asked Grandpa to speak to Grandma and got someone to arrange an opportunity for me to take a bank exam. However, my academic performance has always been terrible, and coupled with my lack of effort, it was no surprise that I failed. They were so angry that they pointed at my forehead and scolded me. Fortunately, Grandma arrived just in time; otherwise, I think they might have skinned their own son alive...
To avoid my parents' wrath, I thought going to Thailand would be a good idea. So, without saying a word, I secretly went home, grabbed my passport, and ran away.
By the time my parents found out, I was already on the plane. They were furious over the phone, cursing me for having the audacity to sneak away without saying anything and threatening to break my legs when I returned!
I didn’t take it seriously; after all these years, who hasn’t been threatened with having their legs broken? But how many actually had their legs broken?
Upon arriving in Thailand, Gai came to pick me up. On the way home, he said, "Master seems to be feeling unwell lately. Second Young Master instructed that if you come back, please spend more time at home and don’t run around too much."
I frowned and asked, "What’s wrong with Grandpa?"
Gai couldn’t explain clearly; he only said that Grandpa had been frowning a lot lately and often sat alone on the sofa staring blankly at the table. Sometimes he would suddenly start crying for no reason. Once, he even cried until he fainted, and after being sent to the hospital for examination, it was discovered that he had heart disease.
This really worried Second Uncle. In recent years, he had taken Grandpa for annual health check-ups but had never discovered any heart issues before. How could it suddenly appear out of nowhere?
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