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墨書 Inktalez
I thought she was going to take me somewhere, but instead, it was just for drinking. Since I had no money, she held onto me tightly. As I lay bored on the table, feeling drowsy, I suddenly heard the restaurant boss shout, "Widow Wang, what brings you here? Buying more alcohol again?"
At the mention of Widow Wang, I perked up and sat up straight, looking towards the entrance. Widow Wang was a woman in her fifties, wearing a headscarf and a plain dress. She was thin and gaunt, with a poor complexion, and there seemed to be a dark aura lingering above her head.
She entered the shop holding a large black umbrella, closed it, and said to the boss, "Yes."
"Widow Wang, you've been buying alcohol every day lately. Are those two kids drinking again?" The boss shook his head and sighed. "I tell you, those two sons of yours are grown now; it's time to let them go out and do something. They can't keep relying on you forever. What if something happens to you? Drinking is fine, but not excessively. Has he forgotten about the last time he got into trouble after drinking and ended up in jail? Maybe it's best to skip it this time?"
"No, it's not that he wants to drink; I want to drink! Just give it to me!" Widow Wang grabbed a bottle of alcohol from the counter, threw down some money, and ran off. The boss looked at the money and shouted, "Hey! You gave too much! Next time you come in, I won't charge you!"
"Let's follow her."
"Huh?"
Before I could react, Chitaki pulled me outside. The sun was setting lower now; the light wasn't as harsh as before. A gentle breeze blew around us, making it quite comfortable.
But ahead of us, Widow Wang was walking briskly with her black umbrella towards the market to buy a few chickens and ducks before heading back home.
"What’s she doing buying both alcohol and poultry? Is she expecting guests?"
"Let’s follow her and find out," Chitaki said with raised eyebrows as she carefully led me behind her.
Widow Wang hurriedly returned home and locked the door tightly, even closing the windows so that no light could seep through. I turned to Chitaki and asked, "What do we do now?"
Chitaki looked around at our surroundings, her eyes darting about before pointing at the roof. I immediately felt a cold sweat break out. "I can’t climb."
"Climb? How could I do something so undignified? Just watch me." She took a small black hairpin from her hair, straightened it out, and fiddled with the door lock for a moment. With a twist of her wrist, the door clicked open. "All set! Let’s go in!"
"……"
Is this considered elegant?
This woman was undoubtedly the most unconventional woman I had ever encountered.
"Wait, to avoid being discovered, let's use an invisibility spell." Chitaki picked up a yellow talisman and said to me, "Little Mozi taught you this, right?"
I nodded, pressed the talisman onto myself, and recited the incantation. Her actions were just like Molin's back then; she was completely at ease with it. I couldn't help but feel embarrassed—was some of Molin's behavior influenced by her?
Widow Wang's house was dark, with only a few thin beams of light filtering through the gaps in the windows. She set everything down and lit a candle. The dim yellow glow of the candle did little to illuminate the room, merely providing basic local lighting.
I watched as Widow Wang opened a bottle of liquor and downed it in one go. I remembered that the liquor was the same as what Chitaki had drunk, and it was quite strong. She probably drank too quickly and started coughing, spitting out water from her mouth. Clearly, she wasn't accustomed to drinking, yet she forced herself to consume half the bottle.
Then she cleared off the table, placing the candle aside while setting two bowls and a kitchen knife in the center. She grabbed a chicken, trembling as she raised the knife and swiftly cut its neck, letting the blood flow into one of the bowls.
The smell of blood filled the room, and soon I heard two heavy breaths that did not belong to any of us three.
"What is that sound?" I whispered to Chitaki, instinctively leaning closer to her.
"Is there a sound?" Chitaki blinked at me. When I nodded, she scanned the room again before pointing at a closed door and whispering, "That’s where it’s coming from; those two Zombies are in that room."
"Ah—" I quickly covered my mouth with my hand to stifle any noise. "How could that be?"
"There's no mistake." Chitaki clicked her tongue and suddenly looked at me with curiosity. "How could you hear it from so far away?"
"I don’t know?" I genuinely didn’t know; I just heard it clearly.
Chitaki pondered for a moment before changing the subject. "Widow Wang must have known since early on that the poultry in the village were taken care of by her two sons. She also knew what they had become, yet she still brought them home with blood. It's clear she's terrified but loves her sons deeply; who else would be so bold?"
"This is maternal love."
I lowered my head and touched my belly. Regardless of whether Jun Chong was trying to protect me by not wanting this child, I was still the child's mother, not someone who could casually give it up. Moreover, it had saved me.
"Are you thinking about your child?"
I was startled and looked at her in disbelief, shock written all over my face. Chitaki, however, remained calm. "The reason you ran away earlier was that you were afraid we would discover you were pregnant with a Demon Fetus. You were worried that as Taoists, we would stop you from giving birth to this child, right?"
My hand on my belly tightened slightly as I nodded. Chitaki continued, "Actually, it's quite difficult for humans to conceive a Demon Fetus. Once it awakens, it can protect the Mother, but after reaching full term, it can cause certain harm to the Mother. Are you sure you want to carry it to term?"
"What kind of harm?"
"I don't know for sure. I've heard stories of someone who was pregnant with a Demon Fetus and ended up being devoured by the child, her organs torn apart."
I gasped in shock. "Are you talking about Su Yi?"
"Su Yi?" Chitaki shook her head. "I'm not sure. By the way, can you tell me who the father of the child is?"
"It's a ghost named Jun Chong."
Chitaki whistled upon hearing this. "So it's him! No wonder I always felt there was a trace of his aura on you."
"You know Jun Chong?"
"Not just know him; we've had quite a fight before. I was lucky to survive. I wasn't satisfied and often sought him out for sparring. If I couldn't beat him, I'd drag him out for drinks. But it's been a while since I've seen him!"
"You two are that close?"
Chitaki suddenly looked at me, pinched my cheek, and grinned mischievously. "We're very close! Anyway, he wouldn't hurt me even if I threw a tantrum or ambushed him."
"Oh."
"Is that so? I'm actually on very good terms with your man! Aren't you jealous?"
"What good would jealousy do?"
I lowered my head, watching his resolute back as he walked away. The silence from earlier left me completely in the dark about what he was really thinking, whether I truly held any place in his heart.
The saddest part isn't being unable to obtain that love, but rather being so close yet still unable to possess it.
"I thought he was going to kill our child, so I said some harsh words to him, and then the Twinborn Vine suddenly snapped. Right after that, he told me to leave him alone and just walked away."
"Ah, with his temperament, he's the type who has a sharp tongue but a soft heart. He might have been watching you all this time without you noticing!" Chitaki leaned closer, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Why don't we set up a little danger and see if he shows up?"
"…"
"Don't space out; she's filled it with blood."
Chitaki patted me, and I looked up to see Widow Wang placing two bowls of blood on a tray, then setting a candle in the middle before walking toward us. Chitaki and I stepped back to let her pass.
Widow Wang pushed open the door to the inner room, and a foul smell wafted out. In the center of the room were two coffins. As Widow Wang stepped inside, I noticed she lifted her legs high over the threshold. Upon closer inspection, I saw several thin black lines stretched along both sides of the door.
"What is this?"
"The Ink Binding Line." Chitaki rested her chin on her hand as she peered inside. The area around the coffins was also wrapped in these lines. "Looks like you know a bit about this."
"Is this the Ink Binding Line used for making Zombies?" I had only seen it used in tomb raiding to bind Zongzi.
"Yes, that's exactly it."
Chitaki pulled me inside, where Widow Wang set the tray aside and moved one of the coffin lids. The stench intensified, and heavy huffing sounds accompanied by white smoke began to emerge.
As I approached, I realized it was Big Pie, bound tightly in a coffin by the Ink Binding Line, struggling violently as the scent of blood reached him.
His mouth was wide open, revealing sharp fangs, and his dark eyes held black pupils. This was what Molin referred to as the lowest form of Zombie.
"Why is she doing this?"
I couldn't understand. Over there, Widow Wang was feeding a bowl of blood into Big Pie's mouth. Upon tasting the blood, Big Pie became insatiably greedy, seemingly wanting more. I feared that the Ink Binding Line might snap under his forceful struggles.
Widow Wang closed the coffin lid and then walked toward another coffin.
Chitaki tilted his head as if deep in thought, muttering, "The Ink Binding Line is indeed used to bind Zombies, restricting their movement and agility. But then she feeds the Zombie blood to replenish its energy; it's contradictory."
"Don't you understand?"
"I find Zombies disgusting; they drink blood! There are so many diseases in humans and animals these days, all concentrated in their blood. Just think about it—what kind of blood would a Zombie drink? They have no self-discipline or morals?"
Chitaki looked utterly disdainful. I felt embarrassed and speechless; isn't drinking blood just part of a Zombie's nature? Does that even require morals?
"I can't help it; that's why I rarely get involved. I don't know much more than Molin." Chitaki clapped his hands together, feigning ignorance before suddenly patting my shoulder with enthusiasm. "But if Molin has a Drought Demon girlfriend who can be called for help, this will be resolved quickly."
"Are you talking about Qianqian?"
Chitaki raised an eyebrow, looking at me as if to say I truly understood him.
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