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墨書 Inktalez
I slept soundly until after midnight. When I turned over, I didn't feel the coolness beside me. Opening my eyes, I found the heavy curtains drawn back and the window open, the curtains hanging quietly without a breeze.
My long, pure black hair fell to my waist, casually tied with a hairband, with a few strands occasionally falling into my face. My thick eyebrows were slightly furrowed, unblinking, and I felt an unsettling stillness.
"Jun Chong?"
I climbed out of bed and rubbed my eyes. He showed no reaction. I called again, "Jun Chong?" but he still didn't turn around. My drowsiness vanished completely, replaced by a sudden alertness.
"Jun Chong."
Three calls brought no response from him, yet the aura emanating from his figure was unmistakably his. Worry crept in as I approached him barefoot, my eyes widening in shock.
"Jun Chong?" I reached out a trembling hand toward his face. The black Sealing Spell crawled slowly across his skin like a bug. Jun Chong's eyes were drooping; one hand rested on his waist while the other was behind his back, completely motionless.
The moonlight illuminated the Sealing Spell, causing it to glow faintly red. The red light intensified, gradually enveloping Jun Chong's entire figure with a burning heat reminiscent of flames.
Jun Chong's sudden state made my heart race with anxiety; there was no warning for this inexplicable change, and it felt deeply unsettling.
I reached out to grab him but was stung by the red light on my fingertips. The pain made me withdraw my hand, but my worry only grew stronger. This was the first time I had seen Jun Chong like this, and he felt utterly unresponsive.
My heart pounded as I contemplated disregarding everything to seize him when Tao Wu appeared and pulled me back. "Miss, the brilliance of the Vermilion Bird will burn you; don't touch it."
"The Vermilion Bird?" I paused in confusion. "Isn't it still at Heavenly Pool Mountain?"
"Yes, but this light is indeed from the Vermilion Bird."
"Then why is Jun Chong like this?"
Her small face bore no expression as she spoke softly. "The Vermilion Bird submits to the Lord; it won't harm him."
“Anxin,” came the gentle voice of Jun Chong as a large hand descended from above. “I’m sorry to have worried you.”
Upon seeing Jun Chong, Tao Wu retreated into the shadows. I nervously grasped Jun Chong's hand and asked anxiously, “What just happened? You scared me to death.”
Jun Chong held my hand firmly, smiling slightly as he turned to face the night outside. “Just now, Zhuque communicated with me telepathically. I couldn’t interrupt, so I didn’t respond to you right away.”
Jun Chong’s expression was not good, which made my heart sink. I asked, “Is it about Jun Jun—”
“No, it’s Lianchi,” Jun Chong said, his brow slightly furrowed as he pulled me closer, his grip tightening.
“What did Lianchi give up?” I knew Lianchi would do anything for Jun Jun, and if Jun Chong said this, the price must be steep.
Jun Chong’s lips were pale and tightly pressed together. His restrained words finally turned into a long sigh, as if he were releasing all his emotions.
“He sacrificed half of his soul and his connection to Jun Jun.”
“What does connection mean?”
I didn’t understand why Jun Chong was being so serious.
“It means all the ties between him and Jun Jun—their past and memories. Jun Jun’s memories of him will gradually fade over time until the day she forgets everything. On that day, Lianchi will perish. During this time, he cannot say anything or appear before her in human form. Zhuque said he has turned into a bird that follows Jun Jun around. And through all this, Jun Jun knows nothing because Lianchi made Hikaki tell her that he returned to the underworld.”
My heart ached inexplicably. Lianchi had given so much for Jun Jun; this way of suffering was harder to bear than directly losing her. But I understood that as long as it meant saving Jun Jun, Lianchi would be willing to sacrifice anything.
Jun Chong shook his head with a sigh and held me tightly in his arms. “I knew you would feel hurt.”
“Then why did you tell me?” I looked up at him. He smiled slightly, his ink-black eyes shimmering like hidden stars. “Anxin, we will face more troubles ahead. Sacrifice and gain are always equal. I told you this because I don’t want you to be as foolish as Lianchi.”
As foolish as Lianchi?
I buried my head in his embrace, biting my lip and swallowing the words that almost escaped my mouth.
You don't know, when love occupies the marrow of your bones, as long as that person can live peacefully, death is not terrifying for us. What is truly frightening is watching that person die right in front of you, helpless to do anything. We are not foolish; we are weak, lacking the courage to endure the pain of living alone.
I know that more things will happen between him and me. To achieve our goals, there will be sacrifices and costs, and I will face even tougher choices. When the greater good cannot protect the smaller good, only sacrifice can fulfill it.
But—"Jun Chong, as long as you are well, please don’t scare me like this anymore, okay?"
Jun Chong was taken aback and then held me even tighter.
After resting for a day, I received a call from an unfamiliar number. Upon hearing the voice, I realized it was our vice class leader, Li Nuan Nuan. She said she wanted to buy some crystals and since I had liked them before, she wanted to ask for my opinion. If it was convenient, she hoped I could accompany her.
Since I had nothing to do at home anyway, and I couldn’t find any information about that short-haired woman from before, I thought about going to the shop to try my luck. Going alone would seem a bit deliberate; having someone with me would make it different.
So I agreed to Li Nuan Nuan's request. We arranged to meet in the afternoon at the Crystal Shop I often visited. The shop owner was quite nice; although he had the shrewdness of a businessman, he still offered discounts to acquaintances, and everything sold there was genuine.
When we arrived, the owner greeted us warmly and introduced each crystal one by one. Li Nuan Nuan listened quietly but decisively ended up buying obsidian.
"You said you wanted to enhance your luck? Why did you buy obsidian?"
"Because it can ward off evil spirits and protect against petty people," Li Nuan Nuan adjusted her thick glasses and explained. "I've encountered some issues lately, so I need protection."
I nodded; sometimes it really is like that. "What else do you want to buy? If you don’t need anything else, let’s go somewhere!"
"Sure."
"Boss, we're leaving!"
"Welcome back next time."
The shop owner enthusiastically saw us to the door. Just as he opened it, a tall and thin man was pushing the door to enter. The owner smiled at him and said, "Welcome! How can I help you today?"
"I’m a photographer from the Photography Studio across the street. Our owner said we should buy some crystals for decoration; do you have any recommendations?"
I was taken aback. Wasn't that the bustling Photography Studio that had been making waves recently? Was he a photographer? There were many photographers in the studio besides the Gold Medal Photographer, so I didn't think much of it at first. After all, if he were the Gold Medal Photographer, why would he personally come to buy these things? That would be too demeaning for his status.
"Nuan Nuan, let's go!"
"Okay."
I headed straight for the Photography Studio with Li Nuan Nuan. I had looked into it yesterday, and the short-haired woman was not a student from our school, so the only lead we had was there. Only by finding information about the woman could we learn more.
As I brushed past the man, I caught a whiff of something in the air that felt a bit murky, but when I tried to sense it again, it was gone, like smoke that dissipated into nothingness.
"What's wrong?" Li Nuan Nuan turned to look at me. I shook my head. "It's nothing, let's go!"
We made our way directly to the Photography Studio. I used the excuse of wanting to take some portraits, but when I asked, I found out that appointments were already booked until next month. Almost all the photographers were fully booked. The staff member told me, "Unless your birth date matches that of one of our lucky winners selected at the end of this month, you can enjoy free services from our Gold Medal Photographer."
"This month-end?"
"Yes, since we opened, two ladies have been very lucky to be chosen. Oh, one of them has even been on television! Her name is Shi Qingqing. It’s said she used to be quite introverted but has become very lively and sociable now. Just two days ago, she came to thank us for taking such beautiful photos of her!"
The staff member chattered away; she looked quite young, probably around my age. She was very articulate and seemed unable to stop once she started talking.
I seized the opportunity to say, "My friend was chosen by you guys that day, so I believe her. She bragged about how great this place is!"
"That's wonderful! You must take your portraits here; you won't be disappointed."
"She told me to come along when she picks her photos and see what makes your Gold Medal Photographer so special. I couldn't help but come take a look first; I'll check out her photos later."
"I'm afraid that's not possible," the staff member said with a troubled expression.
"Why not?"
"Because there are regulations when signing the agreement. The lucky winner's photos are made in two copies: one for our Gold Medal Photographer's collection and one for the winner herself. The agreement clearly states that if they are shown to third parties, we will sue according to the contract. So your friend's photos can only be seen by her; our Gold Medal Photographer handles everything independently from shooting to post-production."
No wonder I haven't seen any photos of Shi Qingqing since I came in. It seems there must be some issue with those photos; otherwise, why wouldn't they be made public? It's a great promotional opportunity that any businessman would typically seize.
However, this Boss chose to handle it this way, which surely indicates something fishy. Li Nuan Nuan adjusted her thick glasses and flipped through the model's portfolio, sitting quietly like a statue.
"Is there? She never mentioned it! Let me call her and ask!"
I pretended to take out my phone. I had turned it off when I entered the store, so now I feigned that it was dead. I turned to Li Nuan Nuan and said, "Nuan Nuan, can I borrow your phone to make a call? Mine's out of battery."
"Sure."
Holding Li Nuan Nuan's phone, I forced a smile at the staff and said, "Sorry, I forgot her number. Could you show me her number?"
Perhaps my demeanor seemed genuine enough that the staff didn't suspect anything. They quickly found the woman's number from a pile of papers. I took Li Nuan Nuan's phone, entered the number, pretended to dial it, and then held it to my ear for a while before saying, "What's going on? Why isn't she answering?"
The staff chuckled politely and said, "Miss, if you don't believe me, just go back and have her check the contract. It's all clearly written there!"
"Oh, okay. Then I'll be leaving now. Let's finalize my portfolio first!"
To make it convincing, I had to spend a little money, but getting the number made today's mission a perfect success.
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