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墨書 Inktalez
"Who, who, who are you?"
The figure before me was not exactly a stone person, but rather a massive creature resembling a giant rock, looking quite terrifying. Its eyes were pitch black, and there wasn't a single spot of white on its body. It had been lying on the ground, and only now that it stood up did I realize that the large black object beside the rock was actually it.
If it weren't for the smell of blood, I thought that even if I were killed, it wouldn't come out.
"I am a ghost. Because I have received the favor of the Lord, I recognize his blood."
As soon as he finished speaking, the female ghost charged at him again. The stone giant swung its arm forcefully, sending her flying far away, where she fell to the ground and lay motionless. I gaped in astonishment and pointed at her, saying, "Isn't that dangerous?"
"The Underworld is a place where the weak are preyed upon by the strong. If the weak cannot escape, they can only die. That is why I would rather quietly be a stone than participate in conflicts. If it weren't for your blood, I would not have appeared."
Quietly being a stone left me speechless; I wanted to laugh, but there was no time for that. Qin Ling had already flown over. I said to the stone giant, "That person is the Grim Reaper—very powerful and emotionless. You should leave quickly! If you get hurt because of me, it would be my fault."
The stone giant paused and looked at me. I noticed its feet were sinking into the ground, its body becoming shorter and shorter. "What you hold is the Qilin Hairpin, right? Take good care of it. In times of danger, use it to cut your skin; the blood that flows out will awaken the Golden Qilin inside you, as long as your blood flows with that of the Lord."
By the time Qin Ling approached us, the stone giant had completely sunk into the ground. I stared blankly at where it had disappeared, feeling puzzled. No one had ever told me about this method; Jun Chong had only mentioned that there was a Golden Qilin within the Qilin Hairpin.
I had always thought that the Golden Qilin would emerge on its own; I never expected that my blood and Jun Chong's could directly awaken it.
Thinking about how Jun Chong lost his memory after returning from Tianshan and no longer remembered our Ghost Marriage from childhood, I naturally assumed he had forgotten—there was nothing puzzling about that.
"Hmph."
A muffled sound reached my ears. When I turned around, I saw Qin Ling covered in blood, looking somewhat disheveled. Several parts of his clothing were torn, exposing wounds from which red blood flowed, making his crimson robe appear even more vibrant.
The most severe injury was the one on his back. When I turned around, I saw that there was almost a fist-sized hole torn into it. I hadn’t noticed it before because his front was covered by clothing, but the damage on his back was very obvious, even the gray strands of hair were stained with blood.
Although he had been cruel to me and bullied me, he was still half of Molin and had saved me several times. I couldn’t just ignore him. I reached out to touch him, but he harshly snapped, “Don’t touch me.”
“But you’re hurt and need immediate treatment.”
Qin Ling sat cross-legged in the circle he had drawn earlier, his face pale and devoid of blood. He placed his sword aside and frowned as he forced himself to say, “I’m fine. Don’t meddle in my affairs. Just sit still; I haven’t opened my eyes, so don’t move.”
I pouted, ready to retort, but then I noticed he had already closed his eyes, his hands resting between his legs with palms facing up. A faint red glow flickered in his palms, pulsating like a jumping orb of light.
Since he could heal himself, I felt much more at ease and sat down beside him. The surroundings fell silent again, dark and somewhat terrifying. I thought that if I were alone here, I would surely go insane; thankfully, Qin Ling was with me.
I turned to look at him and couldn’t help but widen my eyes and hold my breath. What did I see?
I saw a wisp of a black shadow floating up from the red orb in Qin Ling’s palm, then drilling into his brow in wave after wave.
If it were just a shadow, how wonderful that would be.
At that moment, that’s genuinely what I thought.
But it wasn’t.
Though the shadow was indistinct, I could clearly feel that it was Molin.
The features of the black face were blurred, but I could sense Molin enduring immense pain, a heart-wrenching roar that echoed the cries of the spirits in this place.
The cries of the ghosts were merely unbearable noise to me, but Molin's voice filled me with an unprecedented panic. The words of the King of the Underworld flashed vividly in my mind: "Transfer the soul and power from Molin to Qin Ling, and then Qin Ling will become a complete soul."
Even Qin Ling had said, "When my hair turns completely black, he will never return."
But I never imagined that Qin Ling's injuries, including the color of his hair, were all related to Molin's fading.
His gray hair suddenly deepened, almost turning jet black. My heart tightened with every flutter of those strands, and the howls around me became increasingly unbearable. In a haze, I seemed to see Molin crawling in a pitch-black place, his expression one of agony as he reached out, calling, "Save me, save me."
The shadow emerging from the glowing orb in Qin Ling's palm grew larger and denser. I watched as the wounds on his back began to heal at an astonishing speed, while the other injuries on his body had already returned to normal.
Seeing the speed at which Qin Ling's wounds healed and the gradual darkening of his hair color made my fists clench tightly. I took a deep breath; although I knew it was unfair to him, my choice had to be for Molin over Qin Ling.
So, I quietly tightened my grip on the Qilin Hairpin and lunged toward the glowing orb in his palm.
With a loud bang, I was thrown back by an immense force, crashing to the ground as pain surged through my body. A red shadow flashed before my eyes, and in the next moment, I found myself lifted off the ground by my neck.
Qin Ling glared at me with a ferocious expression. His eyes had turned blood-red, his hair flying wildly around him, exuding an overwhelming aura of menace. I could feel every pore on my body open up as an uncontrollable chill flooded in. Yet even in fear, even knowing he might kill me, I had no choice but to act.
"I can't let Molin die." I struggled against him, gripping his arms tightly with my hands, digging my nails into his skin. "Even if you want to kill me, I will save Molin."
"Everyone only knows Molin! What about me? What am I?" Qin Ling glared fiercely at me. The strength in his grip intensified with that sudden madness. "I was once Molin; they forced me!" His eyes narrowed dangerously as murderous intent surged within him. "So I will never let him live."
I felt the air grow thin; breathing became increasingly difficult. The air in my chest dwindled rapidly, and my consciousness began to fade. I knew that if he exerted just a little more force, I would die—but dying like this would leave me unsatisfied.
So I struggled to say, "But that's not his intention. What you're doing to him is unfair; it's just like how they treated you! A man's strength is forged through struggle. If you destroy another half like this, it only shows your weakness because your power comes from Molin himself, not from you. Everything you have now isn't yours!"
"You think I wouldn't dare to kill you? Don't think that just because you have the king backing you, I won't move against you."
"Heh." I smiled faintly, "I know you dare, and I know you truly want to live. But Qin Ling, Molin is not someone else; he is you! If you kill him to survive, it's equivalent to killing yourself. One day, you'll break down. The words of the Underworld King are not trustworthy."
As I relaxed my grip, Qin Ling's deep red eyes shifted rapidly, the murderous intent slightly dissipating yet still intense.
Having said so much, I no longer had the strength to say anything more. I watched as Qin Ling's hair turned a deep gray, floating before me, my eyes feeling a bit sore.
I didn't want Molin to disappear, but I also didn't want this for Qin Ling.
You can't have both fish and bear's paw; moreover, they are originally one entity. Why must they fight like this?
With this thought, my dislike for the Underworld King grew even stronger.
If it weren't for his involvement, perhaps this day would never have come.
The dark wind carried various sounds; for those with weaker hearing, it was nearly impossible to discern new sounds when they mixed in.
Perhaps at that moment, Qin Ling was contemplating my words. So when a force suddenly pulled me away from behind, his loosened grip didn't tighten immediately.
"Who!"
I was yanked into the darkness at an incredible speed by that force. In front of me, Qin Ling's red attire billowed as he rushed toward me through the shadows.
At this moment, it was a test of speed, and clearly, Qin Ling had the upper hand.
The ghosts from all directions seemed to be filled with hatred for the intrusion of the Grim Reaper, surrounding him so that he could not escape for a while.
I saw that Qin Ling was in danger and wanted to shout out, but a hand covered my mouth. A gentle, deep voice accompanied by a familiar chill that made my nose tingle with tears followed.
"Anxin, it's me."
Those simple four words instantly calmed my racing heart.
In my line of sight, Qin Ling's figure became somewhat blurred, but the chest pressed against my back brought an undeniable sense of security.
"Jun Chong? Is it really you!" I turned around, and the familiar face came into view, spreading warmth throughout my being.
"It’s me." Jun Chong held me tightly in his arms, his large hand stroking my hair as he trembled all over. "How could he lay a hand on you?"
So I recounted what had just happened to him, finally tugging at his clothing and murmuring softly, "Molin must not come to harm, Jun Chong. I have to save him."
"I know, but right now you mustn't go against him. Qin Ling is inherently cruel, bloodthirsty, and combative; he is not like that big fool Molin. In Qin Ling's eyes, anyone trying to save Molin is a taboo. It's best if you don't mention this matter in the Underworld."
"I understand. But will the Ghost General near the Emerald Feather Box really leave because of Qin Ling's presence? Even if he carries the scent of the King of Hell, it seems too far-fetched. Moreover, Qin Ling told me there’s a powerful Vengeful Spirit in the Underworld that once killed a Ghost General in an attempt to steal the Emerald Feather Box. And I've already seen the Emerald Feather Box."
Jun Chong slightly loosened his grip on me, his lowered gaze fixed intently on my face—dark yet bright. I could see my reflection in his eyes.
"You saw the Emerald Feather Box? When and where?"
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