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墨書 Inktalez
"I've figured it out. That old man is definitely a restless spirit, which is why he's guarding this place," Big Guy said, sounding rather foolish.
"Shut up. If there really is a restless spirit, then it's not just him; it should be everyone in this Cemetery," I shot him a glare for his useless comments.
"If he isn't a ghost, then how do you explain him? Is he a living person? What era is he from? Surely, a modern person wouldn't just hang around here guarding graves for fun," Big Guy retorted, looking at me coldly.
However, he made a valid point. Where on earth did that damned old man come from? If I could figure him out, I thought I could unravel all these mysteries. I glanced at Jiao Bayi, who gave me a significant look. That look reminded me of something very important.
When we first arrived on this island, Jiao Ba had mentioned something about Thousand-Year Ginseng—the kind of thing that grants immortality when consumed.
If such a miraculous thing truly exists on this island, then we need to investigate this Mysterious Old Man thoroughly. If he turns out to be from the Ming Dynasty, that would be utterly unbelievable and completely shatter my understanding of reality.
And then there was the Doll Fruit. I remembered he had also told me that it might be an undeveloped form of Thousand-Year Ginseng. So where could the fully grown Thousand-Year Ginseng be?
I inadvertently looked up at the mountain peaks and suddenly thought—perhaps... perhaps the answer lies there. That old man has been staying on those peaks; he might live there. Maybe the so-called Thousand-Year Ginseng is hidden among those mountains.
"Regardless of what he is, there's no way he's a ghost. Stop overthinking it," I kept my thoughts to myself. Among us, someone must know the truth behind all this.
Especially those two men in black. I suddenly wondered if everything was orchestrated by them. Was their fight staged to disrupt my thinking?
After all, I had never seen either of their faces. If they teamed up, things could get complicated—very complicated. The more I analyzed this situation, the more it gave me a headache. However, one thing was certain: this little island was likely our next destination.
"Let's not worry about that damned old man for now; we need to find out what era the people buried here are from to confirm if this is indeed our next stop," Jiao Ba stated bluntly.
"It's simple enough—just dig up the grave and see who's inside," Li Xin said, revealing the straightforward solution. Opening the tomb would likely clarify everything.
"Well... digging up graves is one option, but if the remains have decayed too much, we might only find bones or nothing at all. Plus, we don't have any tools for grave digging," Mai Lao expressed his concerns.
"So what else can we do? We have to give it a try," Li Xin reiterated. At this point, there really weren't any other options left.
Changshan glanced at Li Xin and said slowly, "As long as there are items inside, Jiao Ba should be able to identify them. The only problem is that we don't have any tools. I think digging this grave..."
Before Changshan could finish his sentence, I interrupted, "Forget it, let's just dig. If we don't have tools, we'll use our hands. I refuse to believe we can't get it open."
"That's nonsense. How long do you think it'll take to dig with your hands? The coffin is several meters deep. By the time you even get halfway, you'll be exhausted," Mai Lao shot back at me with a glare.
He was right; I had been too hasty. Digging with our hands was impossible; my hands would be ruined before we even made significant progress.
"So what do you suggest we do? If we don't dig it open, how can we find out where these people are from?" I pushed the question back to him.
"I don't know either. Without shovels or picks, we can't dig this grave. The soil is too dense; brute force won't work," Mai Lao said, grabbing a handful of dirt and looking at everyone.
Shunzi patted me on the shoulder and suggested, "Brother Yi, why don't we just skip the digging and head straight to the mountaintop?"
"No way, we have to dig it open. If we want to clarify things, this is what we need to do." Before I could finish speaking, Li Xin coldly dismissed Shunzi's idea.
Jiao Ba squatted down again, scooping up another handful of dirt. After shining his flashlight around, he seemed to talk to himself, saying, "This soil shows signs of having been washed down by rain. Based on this analysis, it seems this small island experiences frequent rainfall."
He looked up at the sky and continued, "It's about to rain again. In a place that often rains, tomb mounds can easily be washed away. If the pit dug underground wasn't too deep back then, we might still have a chance to open it."
"Right! How did I not think of that? Jiao Ba is right; maybe there's a washed-out tomb mound nearby. We should look for it," Changshan said excitedly as if victory was within reach.
But Shunzi suddenly interjected, "This graveyard is so vast; we'll never find our way around in time." Jenny and the others agreed with Shunzi's assessment, and Big Guy also suggested abandoning the digging in favor of heading up the mountain.
I pointed toward the deepest part ahead and said, "Let's go over there. I'm sure we'll find a washed-out tomb mound."
"Loyalty and Righteousness, are you sure about that?" Mai Lao asked sternly.
"I'm not sure; it's just a gut feeling," I admitted honestly. Mai Lao's keen insight was too sharp for me to deceive him.
"If you're not sure, it's better not to take risks. It's pitch black over there; if something goes wrong, we might not be able to get out. In my opinion, we should hurry up the mountain instead; it's about to rain soon, and it'll be harder to climb then," Mai Lao said as he firmly placed his hand on my shoulder, speaking earnestly.
"Yes, Brother Yi, you should listen to Mai Lao. While it’s not raining yet, we should hurry up the mountain; maybe we can uncover the secrets of the island," Shunzi pleaded, his expression full of desperation. I couldn't tell what he was really after.
I glanced at Jiao Bayi, seeking his opinion. His gaze was dim, and he simply shook his head lightly.
I steeled myself and said, "Alright, if you all don't want to go, then I'll go take a look myself. If anything happens, I’ll handle it. Mai Lao, hand me the flashlight."
Mai Lao's expression changed. "Are you really going?"
"Yes, it's right for you to worry about everyone’s safety. I'll lead the way," I extended my hand, signaling him to give me the flashlight.
"Brother Yi, you shouldn't..."
"Shut up; no more nonsense," I interrupted Shunzi sharply as he began to speak.
"Fine, I'll go with you," Mai Lao finally agreed.
I smiled and said, "No need for that, Mai Lao. I can manage on my own. You stay here and take care of the others. Just give me an hour; if I’m not back by then, you all head up without waiting for me."
Jenny suddenly chimed in, "Loyalty and Righteousness, you should listen to Mai Lao; it’s too dangerous out there."
I ignored her words and instead glanced at Li Xin. In the darkness, I couldn't see her expression clearly, but I felt as if she was watching me too. She hadn’t spoken a word; I wondered what was on her mind.
If I truly got into trouble, would Li Xin be sad for me or would she laugh with joy? Here in this graveyard filled with Yin Qi, I was still lost in my thoughts—what a way to amuse myself.
Mai Lao stared at me for a moment before placing the flashlight in my hand. "Alright then, since you're determined to go, I won’t stop you. Just be careful; we’ll wait here for you. If you find anything, let us know as soon as possible."
I nodded and turned to head inside. But just a few steps in, Jiao Ba called out from behind me, "Brother Yi, wait a moment!"
I stopped and turned to see him and Changshan jogging toward me. "Brother Yi, I'm going with you; we’re brothers after all," Jiao Ba grinned at me.
"Count me in too," Changshan said as he patted my arm, his face also lit up with a smile.
I shook my head. "What are you waiting for? Let's go."
The three of us, armed with wooden guns, made our way deeper into the Cemetery. After about ten minutes, when I turned around again, I could no longer see Mai Lao and the others; all that surrounded us were the dark mountains.
"Are we still going, Brother Yi?" Jiao Ba asked me.
"Let's go a bit further." We walked for a while longer before I finally stopped and said, "This is far enough. Let's split up. You two stick together, and if you run into any trouble, shout loudly. Jiao Ba, take care of Brother Changshan." Changshan didn't have a flashlight, so he needed to stay with someone.
"Okay, you be careful too, Brother Yi," Jiao Ba replied before heading off to the right with Changshan.
I then walked alone to the left. It was incredibly dark here; I felt as if the air around me was changing. Aside from the light from my flashlight, I could see nothing else.
I cautiously moved forward, carefully observing each Tomb Mound around me, trying not to miss a single one. The distance between each Tomb Mound was very close, so if there was an open space around one of them, it meant that it had been washed away by rain.
After walking a little further, I still hadn't seen any Tomb Mounds that had been washed away. I had already distanced myself from Mai Lao and the others and had no idea how Jiao Ba and Changshan were doing.
Since entering the depths of this graveyard, I had a constant feeling that someone was following me. Yet every time I turned around, there was nothing there. I feared it might be that damned old man; he appeared and disappeared unpredictably, showing up out of nowhere.
To be honest, no matter how brave I considered myself to be, walking alone in such a vast graveyard made me feel uneasy. The tension never left me; it was only because I had a flashlight in hand that I could bear it at all. In this place filled with death, fear gripped my heart...
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