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墨書 Inktalez
I didn't know who sent me the package. I hadn't bought anything online recently, so I was a bit confused. As I made my way downstairs, I realized it was a gloomy day; the entire sky was shrouded in haze.
Holding Tian Yuan in my arms, I walked toward the security guard's station. When I reached the bottom of Building 44, I paused and looked up. There were several strands of black mist swirling above, appearing thicker than they had last night. The top of Building 44 was enveloped in a darkness so dense that it was hard to see anything, and the sky above seemed to swirl in a way that looked like something out of a supernatural show.
"Hey, what's going on with the men around here lately? They all seem weak and listless. This morning, that woman's husband was taken to the hospital; he's the tenth one since the night before last."
Before I could reach the guard station, I overheard some gossiping aunties discussing the neighborhood, piquing my curiosity.
"Yeah, my husband is the same. I don't know what he did outside, but when he came back, his eyes were dark and he looked drained, as if someone had sucked his energy away."
"Really? No way!" one of them exclaimed before lowering her voice. "Do you think it could be Rong Xiaoxiao and Xia Yu coming back for revenge? I heard ghosts can strengthen themselves by absorbing men's yang energy; otherwise, why would all this happen in Building 44?"
"Definitely! We need to find a master to perform a ritual; otherwise, every household will be doomed."
"Let's hurry!"
"Is something happening in the neighborhood?"
As I rushed toward the guard station with Tian Yuan, I saw a middle-aged man carrying a woman out. The woman looked unwell, her hair gray; if it weren't for her youthful clothes, I would have thought she was elderly.
Just as her father placed her into a car named Midnight, I noticed her head droop to one side, revealing a face full of wrinkles. Her bulging eyes seemed like they might fall out at any moment. She extended a trembling hand toward me, struggling to mouth two words: "Help me."
"Help me?" I immediately wanted to chase after them for clarification but was stopped by a delivery guy blocking my path. "Are you Gu Anxin? Your package is ready for signature; I've got another delivery to make."
"Sorry."
He handed me a box about the size of an ordinary shoebox for me to sign. It had "Fragile: Handle with Care" written on it, but I had no idea what was inside. After signing, I picked up the box and felt its weight.
"What could it be?" Seeing Tian Yuan sniffing around, I placed the box in front of him. "Use your fox nose to find out."
Tian Yuan looked up at me, his little eyes rolling as if he found it beneath him, yet he continued to scratch at the edge of the box with his paw. I ignored him.
With that interruption, the car had already driven far away, and the busybody aunties were nowhere to be seen. The security guard inside was an elderly man reading a newspaper, so I had no one to ask. Reluctantly, I picked up the box and set Tian Yuan on top of it as I headed home.
From a distance, I caught a whiff of a very fragrant scent. My nose twitched, and I started sneezing; Tian Yuan began to fidget restlessly on the box.
"Hey, Gu Anxin, what a coincidence!"
When I realized that the lovely scent was coming from someone nearby, I tried to walk around, but was blocked by a new beauty from Building 44 who was sashaying toward me.
It was only our second meeting, but she looked even more radiant and fresh than before. Her light dress clung to her body perfectly, revealing all the right curves. Every man and woman passing by couldn't help but steal a glance at her, their eyes captivated.
"I was just thinking if I might run into you today, and here you are," she smiled at me and reached out to touch Tian Yuan, but I stepped back to avoid her. "The little thing seems to be trembling; what's wrong with it?"
"How do you know my name?"
She smiled slightly. "Auntie mentioned it. Hello, I'm Bai Su. The first time I saw you, I felt an instant connection. Let's be friends?"
I looked at her outstretched hand. Bai Su was indeed beautiful; she seemed friendly and focused on wellness. Having a friend like her wouldn't be a bad thing.
But for some reason, I didn't like her—it was an instinctive feeling. Even Tian Yuan seemed uneasy around her. Plus, her perfume was overwhelmingly strong; I held back sneezes for quite some time.
After an awkward silence without any movement from me, Bai Su remained unfazed and continued to smile warmly at me. "Are you unwilling?"
"It's not that; it's just that I'm holding something and it's inconvenient to shake hands with you."
I couldn't just say that I didn't like her and didn't want to be friends, could I? We all lived in the same neighborhood, and sometimes we would run into each other. Even if I didn't like her, I had to smile and greet her.
"It's okay, let me help you carry the dog!"
She smiled brightly and took a few steps closer, reaching out her hand toward me.
"I think it's fine, I can manage on my own."
"Don't be shy! I have nothing to do anyway! I'll walk with you and we can chat."
"Really, it's not necessary."
I struggled to step back, but she kept closing in. My hands were full, and Tian Yuan was restless in the box. Just as she grabbed Tian Yuan's feet, she suddenly let out a terrified scream and stepped back, looking at me in panic. Tian Yuan darted down and crouched by my feet.
"What—what did you put on its feet?"
"I don’t know?"
I was startled by her reaction, my hand shook but thankfully I didn’t drop the box.
"Um, Anxin, I just remembered I have something to take care of. I'll head out first and come back to play with you next time."
Before I could process what was happening, Bai Su had already left. I stared blankly at her somewhat flustered figure as she walked away, then looked down at Tian Yuan. "What happened to her?"
Tian Yuan shook its fur and disdainfully lifted its paw to rub against my pant leg. That’s when I noticed that the fur on its front legs was tinged with orange; I had no idea where it had gotten that from.
I squatted down, set the box aside, and grabbed its paw to brush off the orange powder. "You were fine when we left home; where did you get this from?"
I moved my head closer to the box and noticed that the top was also covered in some orange-yellow powder, along with a pungent smell that I couldn't identify.
"Never mind, let's get you a bath first."
After returning home, I gave Tian Yuan a bath. Since it was my first time bathing a pet, I ended up drenched by the end of it. Once I finished washing and drying its fur, I took a shower myself. When I came out, Jun Chong and Shizui still hadn't returned.
Tao Wu was quietly holding Tian Yuan in the living room. I went to the drawer, grabbed a pair of scissors, and sat on the sofa to open the package. As I tore through the box's wrapping, I discovered a palm-sized orange-yellow stone inside. "Who would send me a rock?"
I took it out and sniffed it; it had a somewhat pungent odor, identical to the powder that had gotten on Tian Yuan's paws earlier.
There was nothing else in the box, and the delivery slip didn't have any sender's phone number or name. I had no idea how the courier company managed their deliveries, but my name, address, and phone number were all clearly written on it, so there shouldn't have been any mix-up.
"Tao Wu, do you know what this is?"
Tao Wu leaned in for a closer look and pointed at the stone. "This is Realgar."
"Realgar?" I blinked. "The kind used to deal with snakes?"
"Yes, and it seems like there's something else on this Realgar," Tao Wu said, pointing outside at a patch of Black Oily Thing. "You can scrape it off; it looks like powder."
I recalled that Bai Su only started screaming after she caught Tian Yuan's paw, and Tian Yuan's front paws were covered in orange-yellow powder. "Tao Wu, I have a theory."
"What theory?"
"Do you think Bai Su could be a snake demon? Would an ordinary person react so strongly to Realgar? Plus, she specializes in beauty products; selling weight loss pills wouldn't be difficult for her. I've heard that many men have been sent to the hospital recently due to lethargy. Could it really be true what the older ladies say about them being drained of their essence? And in just one day of not seeing her, she looks significantly more beautiful."
"That's possible."
"These things only started happening after she came in. I don't think it's a coincidence." I held Tian Yuan in my lap, stroking its fur. "Maybe it was her doing. Jun Chong said the neighborhood is so clean because someone has been consuming souls, and the aura lingering around Building 44 is also demonic. Most of the incidents involve the men from that building. Demons can consume souls too, so I believe there's a good chance I'm right. It's just—"
Tao Wu tilted her head at me. "Just what?"
I chuckled lightly. "It's just that Jun Chong doesn't want me to get involved anymore. I don't want him to worry, so I'll wait until he comes back to discuss it!"
Without Jun Chong around, I still had Tao Wu and Tian Yuan with me. Occasionally, I chatted with Lin You, and the day passed quickly. However, the two of them were still not back, and I felt a bit anxious. But I knew that the only way to let them fully focus on their tasks was to protect myself, so despite my worries, I chose to wait.
The dark night had enveloped the earth, and as I looked at the scattered stars around me, the moon was nearing its full phase; the fifteenth was approaching, and I couldn't help but feel a bit excited.
I didn't turn on the lights and leaned on the balcony, feeling drowsy in the night breeze when suddenly, I noticed a light flickering in the opposite building's corridor. As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, any light would instinctively draw my gaze.
I merely glanced over without thinking much of it, but that one glance jolted me awake completely.
In the corridor across from my flat, I saw a woman tightly embracing a man as they engaged in an intimate act. Normally, this wouldn't be anything unusual; however, when I looked up at that moment, I inadvertently caught sight of something alarming: as they separated, a wisp of white substance escaped from the man's mouth and was devoured by the woman. The man collapsed instantly.
The woman turned slightly, licking her lips with an insatiable look in her eyes. Her tongue was surprisingly long and thin, with a forked tip that was quite distinct.
As she turned away in that instant when the light in the corridor went out, I was shocked to see a dazzling face—it was Bai Su.
She truly is a demon!
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