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墨書 Inktalez
Jun Chong remained silent, but my heart raced with urgency. Even a feeble rebuttal would have sufficed, yet he said nothing. I recalled how tenderly he had been with me not long ago; why had that warmth turned to coldness with just a turn of his back?
In the end, it seemed I simply did not hold enough weight in his heart.
Perhaps from the very beginning, it was all just my one-sided affection.
"Since that's the case, I won't let go."
The Wind Sound around me sharpened, biting against my skin as it howled—a rush of footsteps approaching.
I didn't want to follow him. I struggled against his grip until finally, I opened my eyes. The sight before me left me astonished. "Qi Zhi? Is that really you?"
I had always thought Qi Zhi was just an ordinary university professor, but to my surprise, he was the master of the Refine Ghost. Reflecting on his previously gentle demeanor and the man before me now, filled with Malice, I felt a profound sense of unfamiliarity.
Qi Zhi paused and looked down at me. "Did I disappoint you?" I bit my lip in silence, only hearing his laughter, tinged with a hint of sorrow. "Anxin, you can think whatever you like about me. It was my fault that you nearly died this time."
"Are you really the master of Lin Shan? Did you create her current state?"
"Yes." The smile at the corner of Qi Zhi's mouth seemed tinged with loneliness, as if he didn’t want to smile but felt compelled to do so. "Am I terrifying?"
I didn’t answer; I merely lowered my head and finally said to him, "Let me go. I want to go back."
"Back to him?" Qi Zhi's voice suddenly rose in pitch. "Do you know that he—"
"I heard everything you said." I looked up at him, the darkness looming behind me. "Although I don't understand why he acted that way earlier, I believe he has his reasons. If two people in love can't even manage this, then that love is meaningless. I don't want to lose it, so I choose to believe. Qi Zhi, I know you care for me, but I can't accept this care."
The wind blew gently, and Qi Zhi remained silent, his dark pupils fixed on me. He wasn't angry or resentful; eventually, he bent down and set me on the ground, brushing away the stray hair from my forehead. "Anxin, go back. One day you will regret this. I told you the Qilin Hairpin would break someday, and when that time comes—"
"Even if that day truly comes, I still want to stay by his side until then. Call me stubborn if you like; I just want to protect that piece of affection in my heart. It's what keeps me going."
Qi Zhi fell silent for a long while before speaking again. "Anxin, I'll give you one last chance to come with me; otherwise, I will ensure everyone here dies."
I looked at him in shock, finding it hard to believe. "Why?"
"Because I'm angry."
"So you're going to harm others?" I shook my head in disappointment. "Qi Zhi, I've always thought of you as a gentleman. I never expected you would resort to such indiscriminate killing for this reason."
"I am not a gentleman." His dark bangs formed a shadow over his eyes, making his already deep-set pupils appear even more unfathomable. "I have a deep-seated grudge against Jun Chong; I will never let him live well in this life."
With a sharp slap, I struck him across the face and stepped back in further disappointment. "Then I'll make sure to kill you first."
Qi Zhi stared at me in shock before suddenly bursting into laughter. A tear slipped from his eye, revealing a hidden pain beneath his arrogance. "Anxin, you will regret this."
"The one who will regret it is you." Jun Chong's cold voice cut through the air, accompanied by the chill of his sword.
As Qi Zhi reached out to grab me, I took the opportunity to step back. Jun Chong charged forward and positioned himself between us, shielding me behind him.
Qi Zhi stood with his hands clasped behind his back, the night wind tousling his black hair. He didn't fight; instead, he gave me one last deep look. "Anxin, good luck."
I was feeling inexplicably uneasy when Qi Zhi suddenly leaped and vanished into the darkness. I felt my hair loosen, and when I reached up to wipe my forehead, I realized the Soul-Calling Bell was missing. "Jun Chong, he took the Soul-Calling Bell."
"Let's not worry about that for now. Without the Soul Bell, he can't accomplish much. We need to leave," Jun Chong said, his expression grim as he furrowed his brows. He grabbed my hand and turned to leave, but then abruptly stopped.
"What’s wrong?"
I leaned out from beside him and saw a few figures approaching down the street. Their movements were unsteady, and they walked slowly, with low growls echoing in the quiet night.
"Zombies!" I exclaimed in surprise. "Why are there so many all of a sudden?"
"While we were dealing with Lin Shan, that Zombie used a diversion to lure Molin away, then bit everyone in the village chief's family. Molin is now gravely injured and unconscious, and Chitaki is trying to hold them off, which is why I arrived late."
"Everyone in the village chief's family?"
I spoke each word slowly, feeling a tingling sensation on my scalp and heat rising in my ears. It felt as if all my strength had been drained away, yet the most crucial words stuck in my throat, refusing to come out.
Jun Chong looked at me with a complex expression before finally nodding. "Anxin, I don’t want to lie to you, but your grandfather is involved too; he just clashed directly with Chitaki."
"What about now?"
I took deep breaths, trying to calm myself, but tears began to flow uncontrollably. I quickly wiped them away with the back of my hand, only for more to spill out.
Seeing my distress, Jun Chong pulled me into his embrace. "I know it's hard for you to accept this, but it’s the truth. Your grandfather was hurt by Chitaki and is now missing. If you want to cry, just let it out! You don’t have to hold it in."
I forced myself to keep my eyes wide open as the group of Zombies drew closer. Holding my breath, I said, "But I don’t want to cry because once I do, it means I've truly accepted it."
Jun Chong lowered his head and lightly kissed my forehead, then wrapped my arms around his waist. "Hold on to me, I'll take you out."
I muffled a response and looked up from his embrace, seeing that the Zombies had gradually surrounded us. Jun Chong held a sword in one hand and wrapped the other around my waist, moving swiftly as he fought off the Zombies.
I didn't want to listen to the sounds around me. The thought of my grandfather becoming one of them made my heart ache deeply; the pain of losing a loved one was still as piercing as ever.
I tried not to think, not to dwell, not to listen, wishing this was just a nightmare, but the harsh reality kept intruding.
The scent of blood filled my nostrils, and I heard Jun Chong grunt. When I opened my eyes, I saw a kitchen knife lodged in his shoulder, with a hand gripping the handle. The hand pulled hard, causing Jun Chong to stumble backward. But because I was in his arms, he bore the brunt of the blow, blood gushing forth and splattering into my eyes.
My vision turned crimson; I blinked, but the drop of blood only spread further, turning everything red.
But I dared not make a sound. Jun Chong was injured for me; if I reacted, it would surely distract him. "Let me go; it will be easier this way."
"I can't let you go anymore."
My heart skipped a beat as a tear fell from my eye, washing away some of the red haze. If anyone were to see me now, that tear would appear crimson.
"All soldiers prepare for battle; vanquish evil!"
An explosion echoed in my ears, followed by the growls of Zombies. Then came Chitaki's shout, "Jun Chong, take her and go!"
"Be careful yourself."
Jun Chong tightened his hold on me, then pushed off with his toes and leaped onto the rooftop, quickly retreating toward the back of the village. I noticed the wound on his shoulder; the skin around it was healing rapidly.
"Can you heal automatically?"
"I am Spirit."
"Then why does Spirit have blood? Last time you healed by drinking my blood, why don't you need it this time?"
"The wounds caused by human objects are different from those caused by spiritual power." Jun Chong jumped into a courtyard, set me down, and frowned at me, his dark eyes filled with displeasure. " Anxin, don't hold back, cry it out."
"Cry?" I smiled lightly and got off him. "I cried earlier, so why should I cry now?"
"I know you're hurting from losing your grandfather. It doesn't matter how you express it, but please don't hurt yourself like this." Jun Chong tugged at my cheek, pinching and squeezing to make me feel pain and cry.
But I just stared at him wide-eyed. "I don't want to cry, and I'm not hurting myself."
"Anxin, listen to me!"
"Jun Chong, I'm fine. I know that once someone dies, they cannot come back. My grandfather wouldn't want to see me too sad for him, so the tears I shed earlier are enough."
Jun Chong stared at me in silence before finally letting out a deep sigh and leading me into a room. "You can sleep here for a while. Tao Wu will guard the door. Molin is in the next room, and I'll go help Chitaki."
"I'll be good and wait for you to come back."
I obediently climbed onto the bed, lay down, covered myself with the blanket, and closed my eyes. Jun Chong stood beside me watching, slowly clenching his fists before leaning down to kiss my brow. "Anxin, thank you for trusting me so much."
My tightly shut eyes moved slightly, and the hand hidden under the blanket clenched tightly as I forced a smile through my tears. "You should go! I'm going to sleep now!"
A soft sigh brushed against my ear, and the tension that had gripped me began to ease, my consciousness growing hazy.
I felt as if I were dreaming, recalling a time when I sat on my grandfather's lap, playfully engaging with him. Back then, someone walked into the yard. I couldn't see the person's face clearly, but they spoke with my grandfather. He turned to look at me, and for a long time afterward, every time he saw me, his eyes were filled with tears.
At that moment, I didn't understand. I vaguely remembered my grandfather saying something like "this is fate," but the specifics eluded me.
As I grew older, I completely forgot about it. Now, reflecting on that Dream, I realize it indeed existed once; yet now, no one is left to tell me the answer.
When I opened my eyes, tears blurred my vision, and my eyes were swollen. Lying on the bed and staring at the ceiling, my heart ached intensely.
"Grandpa, I'm sorry."
"Who are you?"
Outside the door was Tao Wu's voice. Following the sound, I heard my grandfather's voice reply, "I am Anxin's grandfather; I'm here to find her."
"Grandpa?"
Upon hearing his voice, I jumped out of bed and rushed to the door, flinging it open. Then I heard Tao Wu say, "You are not human; you are a Zombie."
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