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墨書 Inktalez
It was already mid-autumn, and the deep mountains of Lüliang had long seen the grass and trees wither, frost gradually descending. At night, the cold was particularly biting. The mountain wind howled, chilling one to the bone. Somewhere nearby, the strange calls of a Night Owl echoed.
In front of a dilapidated small temple, four figures supported each other, appearing to be piled together in the darkness. One person looked up at the worn plaque above the temple entrance and said with certainty, "That's right! This is it; we've finally found the Azure Oil Temple!"
The voice belonged to a young boy.
Someone rushed up the steps and knocked loudly on the door. In the quiet of the ancient temple deep in the mountains, the sound echoed particularly loudly.
Inside, slow and dragging footsteps could be heard, and the flickering light of a candle shone through the crack in the door.
With a creak, the door opened. A short candle in the person's hand nearly poked into everyone's faces as he impatiently cursed, "Which fool is disturbing my sleep at this hour!"
It was an old Taoist priest. Dressed in a tattered hemp robe with a grass rope tied around his waist, he was thin and wiry, with a sharp face and sunken cheeks. Even in the cold weather, he left his robe open, revealing a row of dark ribs on his chest. His appearance was quite unflattering.
The boy, however, was overjoyed and rushed in front of the old priest, exclaiming, "Don't you recognize me? I'm Li Hong!"
The old priest held up the candle and examined the boy from top to bottom before gradually recognizing him: "Ah, it's you—the herbalist I met on the hillside that day."
"Exactly! I’m from Li Family Hollow, two hundred miles away—Li Hong! That day you promised that if I came to Azure Oil Temple to find you, you would take me as your disciple." The boy's face was full of hope. He appeared to be around fourteen or fifteen years old—dark and thin—not particularly handsome, but his bright eyes sparkled like stars in the candlelight.
The candlelight flickered across the old priest's face as he scrutinized the boy in silence, lost in thought.
The boy stared intently at him, clearly anxious.
After a long pause, the old priest finally said, "Alright then, I will accept you. And him too." His finger traced from Li Hong's delighted face to another boy accompanying them.
This boy was stocky with broad shoulders and large ears; at first glance, he seemed about ten years old. However, upon closer inspection, one could see his youthful features—he was likely no older than Li Hong. Hearing that he would be accepted made him grin widely.
The old priest glanced at the other two companions and suddenly turned cold. He said icily, "The temple is small; we do not accommodate women. You two may leave."
The two women—one older and one younger—stood there; the older one was so exhausted she could barely stand and leaned against the shoulder of the younger woman beside her.
The old priest's words made the relaxed expressions of the two women tense up again. The older one immediately exclaimed, "I will leave right now! I only ask you to take in Wanyi; she can do any kind of work. Please give her a chance to live!"
The old woman fell to her knees with a thud, repeatedly bowing her head to the old priest.
The young woman stood frozen in place. Two streams of clear tears gradually slid down her pale cheeks and pointed chin, dripping onto the tattered front of her clothing.
In the night wind, the old woman's cries echoed, "Master, please give my child a chance to live. We have lost everything—our land, our home, our food, our family. The Golden Dog has burned and robbed us of everything. For the sake of being Han people, please give my child a chance to live. I beg you!"
The old priest was finally moved and sighed, "Alright, there is a property belonging to our Azure Oil Temple thirty miles down this road where you two can stay. However..." He paused for a moment before continuing, "You must sign a death contract for your children; from now on, whether they live or die will have nothing to do with you."
Upon hearing this, the old woman was stunned. The young woman trembled like a leaf in the wind.
Li Hong felt a turmoil in his heart; the scene of his mother on her deathbed became increasingly vivid. He rushed toward the Golden Dog's sharp blade, shouting, "Li Hong, run..." His elder brother had left with his hands bound, his face filled with sorrow and helplessness. The long line of strong men moved slowly along the mountain path, turning back with every step like ants. His sister-in-law Wanyi was dressed in rags doing heavy farm work, her delicate hands that once embroidered were now rough and calloused. Zhang Ershu cried out loudly while holding onto the only surviving family member, his granddaughter Jiao'er; his voice was as piercing as a wolf's howl. When the Golden Dog set fire to the mountains, it was like hell with flames shooting into the sky; villagers were tightly embraced together and suffocated or burned to death, their faces and bodies covered in soot. Li Shu sighed before he died: "In this world, it's better to be dead than alive..."
—Better to be a peaceful dog than a chaotic person!
Li Hong unknowingly had tears streaming down his face. He shouted loudly, "As long as you are willing to take us in, I will sign the death contract!"
He pressed his blood handprint on two Contracts of Indenture which were taken by the old priest. He immediately called for someone to escort the two women down the mountain.
At the dark entrance of the temple, Li Hong watched as his sister-in-law and Aunt staggered away until they disappeared from view; his eyes brimmed with tears that flowed down like hot streams. He quickly wiped away these useless salty droplets with his palm.
Now was not the time to cry; surviving was more important than anything else.
Since the Golden Dog invaded Song territory, everything in his life had collapsed. So many familiar relatives had vanished beneath the yellow earth. Only three family members remained by his side; being taken in by Azure Oil Temple was a stroke of luck amidst misfortune.
Li Hong turned around and saw Bear Kid still wiping away tears. He spoke firmly and loudly, "Don't cry! We must learn our skills well. One day we will see sister-in-law and your mother again!"
The old priest stood high on the threshold holding a short candle; his deep gaze remained fixed on Li Hong and Bear Kid. His eyes surprisingly emitted an eerie crystal light. However, when Li Hong and Bear Kid turned around, the priest's shining eyes immediately dimmed and looked just like those of an ordinary person.
He calmly said, "Follow me."
The yellow candlelight enveloped the figures of the three as they slowly disappeared into the depths of the ancient temple in the deep mountains.
********
The Azure Oil Temple consists of only three courtyards, covering a small area.
The first courtyard is the Main Hall, which enshrines the Three Pure Ones. The second courtyard is where the Taoists reside. There are three main rooms occupied by three old Taoists, one of whom is the disheveled old man known as Spirit Stone Daoist. The other two spend their days meditating in their rooms and rarely show themselves. There are six side rooms, one of which is currently occupied by Li Hong and Bear Kid, while two others are inhabited by two servant disciples. The rest are empty. The third courtyard contains the kitchen and several locked rooms whose purposes are unknown.
In total, the temple accommodates only seven people, including Li Hong and Bear Kid.
Every day begins with rising early to fill four large vats in the kitchen. After breakfast, they start cleaning. The old Taoist has mandated that they must wipe down the statue of the Three Pure Ones every day and then kneel on the ground to scrub the bluestone floor of the Main Hall until it shines. After that, they clean up the second and third courtyards.
Once these tasks are completed, it's nearly lunchtime. After lunch, they head to the vegetable garden behind to plant vegetables and chop firewood. The garden is only a few acres, so there isn't much work to do. However, Spirit Stone Daoist has many additional strict rules, such as not allowing even a single weed to be seen, ensuring that no insect is on any vegetable leaf, and all pumpkin and green vegetable leaves must be wiped clean. The firewood must be chopped to a uniform thickness—not too thick or too thin—just right for two fingers wide, and so on. Although there isn't much work, it can be quite exhausting.
These tasks pose no challenge for them; they are used to hard labor, and compared to what they have done before, this is nothing. Li Hong and Bear Kid are most satisfied that despite his stern demeanor, the old Taoist never skimped on their meals; every meal is hearty.
They either have fine white steamed buns or fragrant glutinous rice from Jiangnan that they had never eaten before, paired with stir-fried vegetables in pork lard; each meal nearly makes them swallow their tongues whole. Sometimes the old Taoist even adds extra dishes, tossing in a fish or half a pound of pork; during those times, they can't help but pat their bellies in contentment.
However, there is one odd thing: it seems that only the two of them eat in this temple.
This fact is quite strange. As for Spirit Stone Daoist, it’s understandable; he often returns with grease on his lips from unknown sources. But since that day when Li Hong saw the two old Taoists and two servant disciples together in passing, he hasn’t seen them come out of their rooms again. According to Spirit Stone Daoist, they are meditating and practicing in their rooms.
Li Hong is puzzled—do they not need to eat while meditating? He can't help but recall an incident from half a year ago.
The Jin Army set fire to the mountains; the blaze raged for several days until it was finally extinguished by a heavy rain sent down by heaven's mercy. With war came disaster; many villagers who survived fell ill one after another. To gather herbs, Li Hong trekked over two hundred miles to Guandi Mountain near its main peak, where he encountered Spirit Stone Daoist.
At that time, there was clearly no one on the hillside, but when Li Hong turned his head, he was startled to find someone suddenly appear before him out of thin air, nearly scaring him out of his wits.
The old Taoist looked him over for a moment and casually told him that if he was willing, he could come to the Azure Oil Temple within a year, and he would take him as a disciple. Then, in the astonished gaze of Li Hong, he leaped away like a large bird, disappearing swiftly behind the mountain.
At that moment, Li Hong was left dumbfounded. Afterward, he couldn't shake off the thought. When he encountered a hail disaster and suffered a poor harvest, he decided to bring his sister-in-law Wanyi, cousin Li Xiong, and Aunt to seek refuge.
Deep down, there was a hint of hope; he really wanted to learn the elusive skills of the Spirit Stone Taoist.
Thinking of this, Li Hong sighed. Nowadays, becoming a disciple seemed out of reach; he had already sold himself into servitude and was far from being able to apprentice. He only hoped the old Taoist would provide enough food and teach him a few skills when in a good mood—skills that would benefit him for life.
After carefully polishing the statue of the Three Pure Ones, he fetched Clear Water and knelt on the ground to scrub the bluestone floor until each slab gleamed before standing up. He poured out the dirty water and took a fine bamboo broom to start cleaning the courtyard. When he reached the third courtyard entrance, Li Hong stopped in surprise. He clearly heard someone speaking inside the left wing room.
Was there really someone talking inside a locked room? Unable to suppress his curiosity, Li Hong gestured to Bear Kid and cautiously made his way toward that room.
Before he reached the door, he heard Bear Kid behind him cough repeatedly. Li Hong quickly halted his steps, pretending to sweep in front of the door with his broom.
The Spirit Stone Taoist appeared at the entrance of the third corridor with an air of authority, beckoning to Li Hong.
Li Hong dropped the broom and walked over, already accustomed to acting submissively. However, the old Taoist remained silent for a long time. With his head lowered, Li Hong noticed several dark toes wiggling at the torn edge of the old man's shoes.
After a while, the Spirit Stone Taoist said, “Lift your head! Hmph, do you think you’re good at pretending? Tell me, what were you sneaking around at that door for?”
Li Hong feigned an expression of confusion and raised his head, looking at the old man with a “blank” stare: “Didn’t you ask us to sweep? I’m sweeping!”
“You little rascal aren’t telling the truth.” The old man scratched his head: “Why did you go to that door? Just tell me honestly and I’ll consider taking you as my disciple.”
Li Hong's eyes lit up as he blurted out: “I heard someone talking inside.”
“Oh?” The old man was slightly taken aback and curiously squinted his eyes as he circled around Li Hong, examining him from top to bottom.
“Haha,” after a moment, the old man chuckled dryly twice, “You must have misheard; there’s no one talking inside. You can go in and see for yourself.”
He pulled out a large bunch of keys from somewhere, selected one, and walked to the front of the house to unlock the door. With a grin, he pushed the door open and gestured for him to enter.
Li Hong felt something was off but couldn't pinpoint it. He steeled himself and stepped through the door.
As soon as he entered, he suddenly felt a darkness before his eyes. Looking closely, he saw that outside was bright with autumn sunlight, which slanted into the doorway, casting a long shadow on the ground. The room was simply furnished—each room here was the same. There was a wooden table with four long benches, and behind it was an ordinary earthen bed. The bed was empty, lacking even a mat, except for a solitary bundle of rushes placed in the center.
The room was clear; there wasn't a single person in sight!
Just as Li Hong was about to turn back and leave, he suddenly sensed something was wrong.
In that brief glance, he noticed a slight indentation in the rush mat where someone had been sitting. On the table sat a beautiful set of celadon tea ware, with half a cup of steaming fragrant tea still inside. Most importantly, he distinctly felt that there was someone in this room. This person seemed very close to him, standing near the front of the bed. Li Hong was quite certain of it. But the problem was that he couldn't see anyone.
His scalp tingled, and cold sweat trickled down like worms to his eyelids. Li Hong stiffly turned his head and saw an old Taoist looking at him with an amused expression. Li Hong steadied himself and forced a smile, saying, "There really is no one here; I must have misheard."
The Spirit Stone Taoist replied with a smile that didn't reach his eyes, "That's what you said! You must not come to this room again to spy; do you understand?"
Li Hong felt a chill on his forehead as various strange thoughts surged into his mind. He mumbled, "Got it," and hurriedly ran toward the front yard.
There are ghosts!
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