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墨書 Inktalez
When a person is nervous, they tend to forget many theoretical things and react instinctively.
Since I was walking with my eyes closed, I had no idea how long I had been walking or how many steps I had taken. Generally, people skilled in wilderness survival would calculate the time or steps taken on unfamiliar paths.
The reason I stopped and opened my eyes at that moment was entirely due to my body's instinctive response.
However, this reaction left me startled.
The absence of Lin You was indeed concerning, but being in an unfamiliar place was even more terrifying.
The dilapidated Old House District looked completely different now; although the houses were old, they still seemed inhabited.
A typical Siheyuan stood before me, with two large red lanterns hanging at the entrance, each inscribed with the character "Miao."
I glanced around and thought it would be safer to call Lin You. However, when I quickly took out my phone, I realized there was no signal.
The old house was located on the eastern side of the city, so there should have been coverage. I moved to a farther spot, but no matter where I went, there wasn't a hint of signal.
Now I was anxious.
Surrounded by darkness, the only source of light came from that Siheyuan. In a hurry, I dashed back toward it.
"Doctor, please be careful."
A man in his sixties escorted another man of the same age to the door, the latter carrying a medical bag that suggested he was a doctor. Instinctively, I took a step back, not wanting to block their way.
Once the doctor left, the old man let out a heavy sigh, and then a woman emerged from inside. "Dad, is there still hope for Grandma?"
"Ah, it's time to prepare for her passing," he replied with a sigh, reaching for the door to close it. Not knowing where I was, I felt compelled to ask someone for help. I quickly stepped forward and said to the man, "Sir, hello! I’d like to know where this place is."
But the old man seemed not to hear me at all as he shut the door firmly.
"Hello! Could you please open the door? I'm lost and need to ask where I am, or could you make a call for me?"
I knocked forcefully on the door, but no one answered.
Suddenly, the door swung open from the inside again. Hope surged within me as I called out, "Sir, it's me! I'm sorry, I—"
"Huh? I clearly heard someone knocking. Why is there no one here?"
The old man looked around and when he turned toward me, I noticed that his pupils reflected nothing of my shadow. He couldn’t see me?
"Sir! I'm right here! Over here!"
I waved my arms frantically in an attempt to catch his attention, but in the end, he still didn’t notice me and closed the door once more.
I sank helplessly to the ground, a wave of loneliness and fear washing over me. The red lantern cast my shadow against the wall, flickering in rhythm with the dancing candlelight.
"Jun Chong, I'm scared. Where are you?"
I didn't know when I had started to rely on Jun Chong's presence. It seemed that as long as he was by my side, I wouldn't feel afraid. Having someone to lean on was always more comforting than being alone.
"Meow~"
The sudden sound of a cat made me look up. "Is that the Black Cat?"
Seeing the same Black Cat three times in a row was definitely unusual. Unlike dogs, which are known to ward off evil, cats can serve as conduits for malevolent spirits.
That's why there is such a thing as a Cat Demon.
It circled around me, then jumped onto the steps in front of the door, meowing once more. I watched as the tightly shut door opened silently.
This cat was certainly not ordinary.
The thought flashed through my mind as a chill wind swept through the night, sending shivers down my spine. I tucked my head in, feeling the cold intensify.
"Since it's here, there must be something going on." I looked at the light shining from inside and encouraged myself despite my trembling. "Should I go in and take a look?"
There wasn't a better option at the moment. Perhaps following the Black Cat could lead me to an escape, and I couldn't help but wonder if Lin You was in danger right now.
Lost in thought, I realized I was already standing inside the Siheyuan. The night breeze rustled through the leaves, creating a whispering sound as shadows danced and flickered around me.
The moon overhead was shrouded behind clouds, casting a faint glow. In this pitch-black night, not even a single star could be found.
Occasionally, the sound of a cat's meow reached my ears; aside from that, there was an eerie silence, broken only by my slightly heavy breathing.
I had clearly seen lights on in this place before, but now it was completely dark around me. The only illumination came from the two red lanterns at the entrance; I couldn't see any other light.
"Something's not right. I distinctly heard that an elderly person in the house was unwell. Why is there not a single light?"
I muttered to myself, wanting to move forward, but everything looked the same in every direction, and I had no idea which way to go. Just then, the cat's meow faded away.
"Tap, tap, tap."
Suddenly, I heard something knocking beneath the wind sound, growing closer. When I realized it was coming from behind me, I instinctively turned around.
And then I saw a face.
Half of it was human, and the other half was that of a cat—an old woman.
"Meow~"
The old woman grinned widely and let out a cat-like sound, a strong and pungent smell of blood emanating from her mouth.
"Ah—"
I screamed and stumbled backward, running recklessly into a room. I slammed the door shut and pressed my back against it, gasping for breath.
"Are you here to keep us company?"
A strange sound echoed in my ears, sending chills down my spine as I screamed. My eyes, now accustomed to the darkness, clearly saw the old man and the woman from earlier.
They were covered in blood, standing before me with smiles on their faces, extending their hands as they slowly approached.
"No—"
I turned and bolted for the door. As I fled, I heard them say behind me, "Her blood smells sweet; she is the next one."
At that moment, I didn’t care what those words meant; I just ran toward the front door. I couldn’t stay in this place for another second. I had no idea how I ended up here, but a voice deep inside me urged that as long as I could get out of this courtyard, I would be safe.
The old woman was no longer in the yard, so I charged straight for the front door, pulling it open with both hands and rushing into the darkness without looking back.
Once outside, I ran forward, but soon felt something was off. I realized that somehow, I had returned to that courtyard again.
This time, however, it was not dark; lights illuminated the space, but white cloth hung everywhere. A large character for "Offering" was displayed prominently in the main hall, indicating that someone had died here.
Who could it be?
Just then, I heard crying coming from a side room. As I looked closer, I saw a crowd gathered there, with several people standing outside—including the old man and his daughter.
“Dad, why hasn’t Grandma taken her last breath yet?” the woman gritted her teeth and said. “I’ve heard that when someone lingers like this, it means they don’t want to die or are waiting for some opportunity. You don’t think Grandma wants to take someone with her to the grave, do you?”
“Nonsense!” The old man scolded his daughter. She protested stubbornly, “What nonsense? Who in this family isn’t waiting for Old Woman to pass away so we can divide her inheritance? Otherwise, who would waste so much time keeping her company? If she doesn’t go soon, we might have to take matters into our own hands; otherwise, who knows how long this will drag on?”
This time, the old man said nothing. He lit a cigarette; the red ember glowed unexpectedly bright in the darkness. As I stared at that glowing tip, my vision began to blur and everything around me started to spin.
"Don't look."
A hand accompanied by a deep voice whispered in my ear, and the next moment I was enveloped in a warm embrace. Turning my head, I saw Chu Fan standing in front of me, and the night had transformed into day.
"Chu Fan?"
"Anxin, you scared me to death." Lin You hugged me tightly, crying out, "You just disappeared while we were walking, and I was terrified. I had no choice but to call Chu Fan. Where on earth did you go?"
"Xiao You?" I touched Lin You, feeling the warmth radiating from her, and smiled. "I thought something happened to you. I'm glad you're okay."
"It's you who should be glad to be okay." Lin You released me, wiping her tears from the corners of her eyes as she asked, "Where did you get swept away this time? I couldn't find you anywhere."
I glanced around at the surroundings; we were still in the Old House District, standing at the entrance of the same Siheyuan as before.
I hadn't looked closely before, but now it seemed that this Siheyuan was identical to the one in the darkness. I even vaguely saw the character "Miao" on a broken lantern.
"I think I accidentally wandered into this house. I saw someone dead and encountered an old woman with half a human face and half a cat face."
"An old woman with a half-cat, half-human face?" Lin You looked at me in shock. "You didn't run into Cat-Faced Granny, did you?"
My expression changed. "I've heard about Cat-Faced Granny, but isn't that just a legend?"
"Whether it's true or not, you shouldn't come here again." Chu Fan lowered his gaze at me, his dark pupils subtly radiating displeasure and carrying a hint of warning. "Your constitution leans towards the yin side now, and places like this that have been abandoned for so long are most likely to attract wandering souls and restless spirits. If you don't want to be scared to death, stay away. And you," he added, turning to Lin You, "don't bring Anxin to places like this anymore."
"Aren't you a ghost too? I don't see you keeping your distance from me," I muttered quietly.
"Say that again?" Chu Fan squinted, his long eyelashes casting shadows that deepened the intensity of his gaze, exuding an air of danger. "My ears are quite sharp."
"Alright, don't get angry. I won't come anymore," I replied, knowing he meant well, and I could only pout. "And also, don't mention Xiao You, or I'll get angry too."
Chu Fan shot me a glance and took my hand. "Let's go home."
"No way." I pulled away forcefully. "I'm going to the hospital with Xiao You to see the teacher!"
"That's right," Lin You chimed in. "Professor Qi got injured while helping Anxin; we need to thank him."
"Qi Zhi?" Chu Fan murmured, his lips pressing together as he pondered the name. I couldn't tell what he was thinking, and just as I was about to speak, his voice came down resolutely. "I'm going too."
"Fine!"
I didn't argue because I knew it would be pointless; ever since the day of the Ghost Marriage, my objections had never succeeded, so I had given up.
This time, with Lin You leading the way, everything went smoothly. None of us noticed an old woman leaning on a cane, watching us from a distance.
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