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墨書 Inktalez
After a restless sleep, I woke up early the next morning. Jun Chong surprisingly hadn’t left my side, lightly embracing me with a hint of chill. Although the cold had its own unique warmth.
Jun Chong looked charming as he pondered with his brows lowered. His sharp eyebrows, thick and slightly touching at the tips, were like ink strokes meticulously carved, each line perfectly placed. Yet, that deep blackness carried a layer of royal cruelty.
His flat brow furrowed slightly, and his thin lips were pressed tightly together, elongating his features and giving him an air of heaviness.
I reached out to press my hand against his brow and said, “Don’t think too much. I’m fine right now, aren’t I?”
Jun Chong glanced at me and then took my hand in his. “You don’t need to worry about this. I—”
“No, I want to be involved,” I interrupted firmly. “Since I’ve already been drawn into this, if I do nothing and just rely on your protection, it will only make me your weakness. Jun Chong, even though I don’t have much ability and am afraid when things happen, I want to fight alongside you. Even if not, please let me stand on the same level as you.”
A hint of surprise flickered in the coolness of his brow. Jun Chong’s gaze became complex, an unusual light flashing in his eyes like ripples skimming across black obsidian.
“Ah.” He sighed softly, holding me close. “But you must promise not to push yourself when danger arises.”
I smiled widely and assured him, “I’m afraid of dying, so I’ll think about how to stay alive.” But if staying alive meant putting you in a difficult position, then I would make my choice.
I didn’t dare voice that thought; I didn’t want him to worry more.
The atmosphere fell into a moment of silence as the sky outside gradually brightened. Today was already the thirteenth; soon it would be the full moon.
“By the way, Jun Chong, I think I dreamed about the teaching building last night. I remember that besides Lin Shan’s spirit and Yunxia’s, there should have been another person there, but I don’t know if it was the same person I spoke to afterward.”
“Can you be more specific?”
I found it strange; Jun Chong should have been there that night too. If the woman who ran out was indeed the one who later possessed Lin You, he should know. Yet his reaction didn’t suggest that.
So I said, “Before I found the classroom and went in, a woman ran out from it. I didn’t see clearly who she was, but she probably broke the barrier. Lin You and the others noticed her at that time but didn’t see her clearly either. Later Xiaoya told me she thought that person was me. But I only dreamed about it that night; shouldn’t it just be a dream? If I really appeared there, does that mean it was me who released Yunxia to break the barrier?”
“I was there at that time too, but I didn’t notice anything unusual,” Jun Chong said with a furrowed brow. He couldn’t draw any conclusions about this matter either; he simply told me, “The person who appeared later wasn’t a woman.”
“Do we need to investigate?”
Jun Chong glanced at me and smiled, "Where are we going to investigate now? Let's first find that Taoist."
I was puzzled. "The one from last night?"
"Yes."
Jun Chong's lips curled into a light smile, making it hard to tell whether he was happy or angry. Even after he brought me to the hospital, I still couldn't figure out what he intended to do.
"Are you looking for the Taoist or visiting Professor Qi?" I asked as he pulled me toward the Surgical Ward, feeling a bit worried. "Your injury isn't fully healed yet. Is it really okay for you to be out like this?"
Although I knew he had Chu Fan's body as a medium to move around freely, the weather was starting to warm up, and I feared that his recent injury might not withstand the harsh sunlight.
"This little injury won't hinder me." Chu Fan's pace was not fast. The hospital was crowded with people, chattering loudly, making it far from quiet. The conversations were numerous and varied.
As we waited for the elevator, an Aunt nearby opened her mouth to speak.
"Have you heard? Something happened in the Surgical Ward on the Tenth Floor last night."
"Tenth Floor Surgery?" I whispered in surprise to Chu Fan. "That's where Professor Qi is! Could what that Taoist said yesterday actually be true?"
"Let's listen to her," Chu Fan said, pulling me a bit closer as if casually overhearing. "What happened on the Tenth Floor? Our teacher is still staying there!"
"Right! Please tell us! This hospital has been chaotic all day; people are on edge!"
"Exactly! The issue in Obstetrics hasn't even been resolved yet, and now it's Surgery's turn? I'm starting to think about transferring hospitals or just discharging myself."
With someone engaging her, the Aunt became excited and continued.
"My husband is staying there. This morning when he woke up, he heard a commotion outside. It was a young couple causing a ruckus, claiming their child came to them in a dream last night, telling them to come here today. They said if they lit candles and burned paper money in the four corners of the ward by the fifteenth day of the month, their child would return to reunite with them. And look, they're still making a scene!"
"Hmph, I thought it was something serious! Just that? I guess they must be heartbroken over losing their child," I remarked.
"At first, I thought so too," the Aunt waved her hand dismissively. "But later I learned from a nurse that the couple had just been discharged six months ago. Back then, the husband was hospitalized due to a work injury, and the wife couldn't conceive. So where did this child come from? Besides, they haven't been admitted since then; all hospital stays are recorded."
Everyone was intrigued upon hearing this.
One of the older women said, "Could it be that someone is possessed?"
"Yes, that's definitely it. And you know—" At that moment, the elevator reached the first floor, and since everyone was getting off, Aunt paused until they all entered before continuing, "I happen to be quite familiar with the Cleaner Aunt in that ward. She has been working there for several years. Initially, I just wanted to gossip about this matter, but who knew it was more complicated than it seemed."
I must say, Aunt had a way with words; every sentence piqued your curiosity. Even I found myself wanting to hear more. The entire elevator was silent, with only Aunt's voice echoing in the small space.
"It is said that every year around this time, specifically during the first fifteen days after the Awakening of Insects, there are always patients who have previously been hospitalized—either young couples or elderly ones—who come to the hospital to burn incense and paper money, claiming that their children will return on the fifteenth. At first, no one paid much attention and urged them to leave, but who would have thought they would sneak back in? Then on the night of the fifteenth, strange occurrences happen in the ward—unusual noises can be heard—but nurses and doctors look at each other in confusion because everything is eerily quiet. Until the morning of the sixteenth, you can always find the couple's bodies somewhere in the ward, drained of blood and shriveled."
Everyone gasped. If it were merely parents unable to let go of their deceased children coming to burn paper money at the hospital, that would be a common occurrence in many places. However, the true reason behind it was rarely known.
Regardless of whether Aunt was exaggerating or if someone had simply made up these stories, it was better to believe than not believe; at least as a post-meal gossip, it was more than enough.
"This has been happening for several years?"
As everyone fell silent, Chu Fan suddenly spoke up. Aunt's keen eyes caught sight of the young handsome man, and her smile grew even brighter, sending shivers down my spine.
"Six years." She gestured with her hand. "This year marks the seventh. I didn't expect you to believe in this too, young man! I have many more stories if you want to hear them."
Chu Fan politely smiled and said, "We're here." He then pulled me out of the elevator.
As the elevator doors closed, I caught a glimpse of Aunt's disappointed expression and teased him, "What does it feel like to be noticed by someone like a mother figure?"
"The old meat can't compare to tender meat," Chu Fan replied seriously, which made me laugh. As we walked into the ward area, I seemed to catch a whiff of something fragrant in the air.
The design of the ward had the Nurse Station in the center with corridors on both sides forming a rectangle with four corners facing east, south, west, and north. As we entered, I deliberately glanced at the corners to see if there were any leftover incense ash or paper money that hadn't been cleaned up.
"The simplest ritual involves lighting incense and burning paper money; this serves as a small altar and can act as a medium for summoning for those with profound spiritual knowledge."
"Are you suggesting that someone is doing this intentionally?"
"For the underworld, seven represents a Reincarnation, which is why there is the saying of the Seven Days of Resurrection. Often, seven feels more like a curse, possessing a powerful binding force over ghosts and spirits. As long as the seven is broken, one can attain immortality."
"Could it really be a ghost this time?" I suddenly recalled what the Taoist had said here yesterday, "That Taoist mentioned there was a formidable little ghost here. Could it be that child who came in a dream?"
"That's not impossible." Chu Fan had already reached the door of the prayer room, his hand gripping the doorknob as he spoke. "Generally, Ghost Infants possess great power. If a Ghost Infant grows stronger by consuming other ghosts, it becomes even harder to deal with."
Seeing the serious expression on Chu Fan's face, I worriedly asked, "Even you aren't confident?"
Chu Fan paused slightly in his motion to open the door, turned to look at me with an annoyed gaze, and lightly flicked my forehead with his hand. "Is that how little faith you have in your husband?"
"Haha, I'm just concerned about you!" I feigned nonchalance and rushed ahead to open the door, only to find that Qi Zhi was not in bed, and neither was Nurse Aunt. "Huh? Where did he go? Professor Qi? Professor Qi!"
Chu Fan stepped inside as well. The room was small, and we still couldn't find Qi Zhi. We went out to ask the nurses, but they all claimed ignorance and didn’t check further.
"This is puzzling. His phone isn't answering; where could he be? Let me call Nurse Aunt!" I quickly dialed her number and learned that she had been dismissed by Qi Zhi that morning, but she also didn't know where he had gone.
At that moment, my phone suddenly buzzed with a text message. I opened it to find a message from Lin You. It was simple—just four words—but each one conveyed a sense of danger.
"Anxin, help me!"
My heart sank as I immediately tried to call back, but it showed that I was out of service range.
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