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墨書 Inktalez
"There's movement, everyone stay alert."
Molin pulled me aside and whispered, "What's wrong with you?"
"I'm... fine."
I sighed, not telling him that I had just seen someone in the sky who looked somewhat like Jun Chong, but it could just be my imagination. My stomach ached slightly as two unsteady figures gradually approached.
Everyone held their breath, waiting for the two to come closer, gripping their shovels tightly, ready to charge at them as soon as they got near.
"Aren't those two Big Pie and Fool from Widow Wang's family?"
Someone with sharp eyes recognized the two. I didn't know them well, so I asked my grandfather, "Is it them?"
"That's right."
"Oh, so it was just a false alarm." Someone suggested, "I'll go greet them; don't block the way. What if they hesitate to come in?"
"Wait."
Molin suddenly reached out and grabbed the man, his gaze serious as he looked at the two figures in the distance.
"What's wrong? They're from the village. Although they might not be up to any good, they wouldn't go so far as to harm livestock."
"I find them a bit strange; just wait a moment." I noticed that the way those two walked was somewhat stiff, unlike ordinary people, so I quietly asked Molin, "What did you notice?"
"It's too far to see clearly, but their movements are rigid, and there's a smell of decay in the air. They've likely been affected by Corpse Poison."
Everyone present was stunned by the words, "What... what did you say?"
"I said, you'll know when you see it," Molin replied, pointing a finger.
Big Pie and Fool suddenly spotted some poultry. They opened their hands to grab it, biting into it with blood splattering everywhere. Under the moonlight, the scene looked particularly eerie.
Aside from me and Molin, everyone else was dumbfounded. "Could it be that they are responsible for everything happening in the village?"
"That can't be right. I just heard Widow Wang say last week that her two sons went to the county to work. How could this happen?"
"This is suspicious. You all go back first; I’ll follow and take a look."
"No way," Grandpa firmly objected. "What if something happens to you, a mere child?"
"I'm fine; this won't hurt me."
While Grandpa and Molin were arguing, a young man in his twenties named Little Scar suddenly said, "Let me go! I have a good relationship with them."
Before we could respond, he ran over on his own. At that moment, Big Pie and Fool were still gnawing on the poultry. When they suddenly noticed a living being approaching, they immediately dropped what they were holding and walked toward Little Scar.
"Big Pie, Fool, what are you doing here?"
Big Pie and Fool didn’t answer but instead reached out their hands toward Little Scar.
"This is bad."
Molin shouted and rushed out. Startled, I followed him. I saw that Big Pie had already grabbed Little Scar with great force, twisting his head and gripping tightly.
In an instant, Molin drew the Copper Coin Sword and struck directly at Big Pie's forehead. Big Pie barely had time to scream before releasing Little Scar and turning to glare at Molin along with Fool.
The two figures stood there, expressionless, their skin pale with an unsettling dark aura. Their eyes were shadowed, and their slightly parted mouths revealed sharp, elongated fangs. Their fingers were long and tipped with blue.
"What... what is that?" Little Scar stammered, frozen in fear.
As soon as he spoke, both figures turned their attention to him, their long, claw-like nails stained with the blood of poultry. Molin shouted, "If you don't want to die, hold your breath."
Everyone held their breath. I stood beside Little Scar, covering my mouth and nose, remaining still. Molin also covered his mouth as he approached Little Scar, gently pulling away the hand that was clutching his neck. Upon closer inspection, his brow furrowed.
I looked at him questioningly. "What's going on?"
Molin raised an eyebrow. "See for yourself."
I glanced down and noticed a cut on Little Scar's neck, from which a small trickle of blood was seeping.
"Oh no, what do we do now?" I exclaimed, quickly covering my mouth again and anxiously staring at Molin.
At that moment, I thought I heard a faint sound from the darkness, and then I saw Big Pie and Fool turn to leave.
" Molin, did you hear that? It sounded like someone was calling them."
"What sound?"
"My neck is bleeding; it hurts so much." Little Scar's wail interrupted our conversation. Molin couldn't afford to waste any more time; he turned to the young men and said, "Quickly take him back and get some Glutinous Rice."
"Does that matter?"
"If you don't want him to end up like those two just now, hurry!" I had seen Molin angry before; at that moment, he commanded respect akin to an elder. My grandfather watched from the side and said to them, "You all hurry up and prepare, then go to my warehouse."
"Understood."
Grandpa wouldn't let me touch Little Scar, so I helped Molin lift him and walk him home.
My grandfather was a carpenter in his youth, but he gave up that craft to marry my grandmother. Now that he's old and has some free time, he built a small house where he tinkers around. Many of the toys I played with as a child were made by his own hands.
"Anxin, turn on the light."
"Okay."
I switched on the light, and Molin had Little Scar sit under it. Little Scar closed his eyes and turned his head away, looking pained. I quickly asked, "What's wrong with him?"
"Take a look for yourself."
I leaned in closer and saw that the wound was emanating faint black mist and had swollen significantly. I reached out to touch it but was stopped by Molin. "Don't touch it. Luckily, it's just a scrape. If he was really bitten, we would have to take drastic measures."
"No way," Grandpa interjected. "This is still a life; we have to save him no matter what."
"That's true," Molin replied, "but anyone bitten by a Zombie either dies or turns into another Zombie. If they turn malicious, your village could be wiped out overnight."
"Enough!" I noticed Grandpa's expression darkening and tugged at Molin's sleeve to silence him.
"What kind of person are you?"
"Grandpa Gu, we're here."
The young people were indeed fast. Almost every household in the village grew grains, and they brought back a large bag of Glutinous Rice. "What should we do with this?"
"You all hold him down; don't let him move."
Molin instructed them to restrain Little Scar, then took a handful of Glutinous Rice and placed it on Little Scar's wound. As soon as the rice touched the wound, Little Scar cried out loudly, and I saw a surge of black mist pouring out from the injury.
I was worried that his cries would wake up my mother and the others, so I quickly found a piece of cloth and stuffed it into his mouth.
Molin applied pressure several times, causing Little Scar's face to turn pale, drenched in sweat. Fortunately, being young, he was used to hardship and managed to hold on without fainting; he simply lay exhausted on the ground.
"From now on, you will eat only Glutinous Rice for all three meals. Don't eat anything else. At night, spread Glutinous Rice on your bed, and make sure to get plenty of sunlight during the day, especially at noon. After nightfall, do not go outside. If you feel anything different about yourself compared to before, tell me immediately."
Molin spoke each word clearly, and Little Scar nodded repeatedly in fear before anxiously asking, "What happened to Big Pie and Fool?"
"If I'm not mistaken, they have been affected by Corpse Poison and have likely turned into Zombies."
The mention of Zombies left everyone present in shock. "Isn't that something only found in movies?" one person stammered.
"Many movies and shows draw inspiration from real-life experiences. What I can say is that Zombies did indeed exist."
"You have no proof. They probably just fell under some kind of curse," someone countered weakly. The idea of a curse had been around for ages, but a terrifying creature like a Zombie was entirely different because it was something visible.
"In fact, I've seen them too; what Molin says isn't a lie."
Upon hearing this, Grandpa looked even more astonished. "Anxin, you've seen them as well?"
"Yes." I wasn't sure how to explain it, but Molin came to my rescue. Sitting on a stool with his chin resting on his hand, he continued, "At this point, it doesn't matter whether you believe it or not. These creatures definitely exist in your village. They are the most basic type of Zombie—mindless beings that only follow the commands of those who bite them and only come out at night."
Seeing their pale faces made it clear they were struggling to accept this information. I tugged at Molin's hand and whispered, "Could you be a bit more subtle? They seem unable to handle this."
Molin shot me a glance and replied with a click of his tongue, "It's better to be straightforward about these things; otherwise, if someone dies later on, it'll just be confusing." He paused for a moment before looking at them again and added, "What I'm saying is this: whether you believe it or not is up to you. While not all creatures from other realms are evil, if they harm people, I will certainly eliminate them."
"Hmph! Our village has always been peaceful; nothing like this has ever happened before. Where would there even be Zombies? Stop spouting nonsense. Little Scar, let's go."
The young people simply didn't believe it. Supporting Little Scar, they turned to leave. I wanted to stop them, but Molin held me back. "It's useless. When the time comes for them to believe, they will. There's no point in arguing when they don't."
"But are we just going to let it go like this?"
Grandpa frowned disapprovingly at me before turning to Molin. "Who exactly are you?"
"I am a Taoist," Molin replied as he stood up from his chair. "For Anxin's sake, I can charge a little less to help you deal with the Zombies."
I was speechless and facepalmed. Why did he suddenly think about money?
"Anxin."
Called by Grandpa, I could only smile awkwardly and say, "Grandpa, don’t be fooled by his young age; he really is a Taoist."
"So you’re not just talking nonsense? Big Pie and the others have really become Zombies?"
"Grandpa, I can prove that what Molin says is true. Because... because I've encountered some strange things myself."
I stammered, afraid of being scolded by Grandpa. Although he used to tell me ghost stories when I was young and taught me how to handle bizarre situations, those were just warnings from an elder to a younger one; this situation was different.
Grandpa didn’t say much more, just looked at me with a strange expression. In the end, he didn’t say whether he believed it or not and simply let us go back to rest. Molin also didn’t say anything further.
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