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墨書 Inktalez
The voice of the person was hoarse, almost like a man's. We all stopped our chatter and laughter. I gestured to Juan Juan that they were waiting outside the cave while I followed this "Witch" deeper into the cave. As we walked, I couldn't help but scrutinize her. She hunched over, leaning on a cane, her steps shaky as if she might fall at any moment. She wore a filthy long coat that looked like it hadn't been washed in ages, and beneath it were pants whose original color was unrecognizable, topped off with a pair of rain boots that made her look quite comical.
Her hair was long and tangled, obscuring most of her face; I could barely see her eyes and wondered if she could even see me. Her face was lined with wrinkles, making it impossible to guess her age. Torches flickered along the cave walls, occasionally attracting flying insects that buzzed into the flames with a crackling sound.
No one spoke as we quietly ventured deeper into the cave. After traversing a lengthy passageway, we entered a spacious area. I looked around and saw a stone bed made of blocks propped against one side of the cave, covered with bedding that was carelessly rolled aside. The walls were riddled with hollows containing numerous vessels that gave me goosebumps; these were likely the so-called curses.
The Witch slowly set her cane aside. I noticed her hands seemed somewhat deformed; her arms had an unnatural curve, resembling something other than human limbs. With the help of some grass, she carefully sat on a stone stool. Then she spoke to the grass in a dialect I couldn't understand. The grass frowned, seemingly displeased, but the Witch patted its hand reassuringly. The grass nodded and walked out.
As it passed me, the grass whispered, "The old woman wants to talk to you alone. Just stand here and don't say anything." It gave me a serious look before shaking its head and leaving. I had no idea what they had discussed earlier.
Though I couldn't see the Witch's eyes, I felt her scrutinizing me as I stood there. I nodded slightly and said to her, "I assume the grass has informed you of our purpose here? You must know about the curse on Baili Village? I'm here to ask how that young girl managed to kill all fifty-five villagers in such a bizarre manner—through suicide no less. The grass mentioned they fell victim to a curse; do you have any way to lift it?"
I threw out all my questions at once. From what we currently understood, investigating this case required us to start from twenty years ago, especially since Lin Minyou's death intertwined both cases completely. We hadn't received any updates from the Ma Family Father and Son's side yet, leaving us with scant clues. Although I wasn't particularly inclined to believe in supernatural tales, anyone with knowledge should be investigated.
The Witch leaned back against the stone stool and laughed at my words—her laughter was sometimes coarse and sometimes delicate, reminiscent of an old woman from a ghost story. It seemed her vocal cords were damaged. She replied, "What a joke! The people of Baili Village deserve their fate; they are cursed to die out until not one remains. There’s no way to break such a curse."
I frowned and said coldly, "I don't know what that girl was thinking back then, but those who died now have no idea what happened twenty years ago. If her definition included villagers who stood by or even made things worse back then, those people are long gone—either dead or escaped from Baili Village."
After hearing my words, the Witch fell silent for a moment before continuing, "Actually, there is a way to lift the curse."
"Oh?" I asked skeptically. "What is it?"
The Witch chuckled and said, "It involves using one person's soul as bait; through reincarnation as a curse-bearer, they can lift this curse so that Baili Village will never suffer from it again. I think you're the most suitable candidate for this curse since you're close to death anyway."
This was the second time I'd heard such words; the first time was when we were outside the cave. I couldn't understand why she kept insisting that I was close to death. I thought she was just trying to be mysterious and replied with a smile, "A fortune teller once told me my life is strong and that I'll live to be a hundred."
Before I could finish my words, something flew towards me. I quickly sidestepped and reached out to grab it. Only then did I see that it was a venomous snake with a sharp head. Without thinking, I knew that if it bit me, I might not survive the next minute. Almost instinctively, I swung my hand and slammed the snake against the stone wall. The impact shattered its body, and countless insects crawled out from within, disappearing into the cracks of the cave.
Still shaken, I forced a smile and said, "I told you, I'm tough."
The Witch fell silent for a moment before replying, "You won't live much longer."
I was at a loss for words. It seemed that what the Witch believed was unchangeable. She continued, "I heard you've been cursed by Little Grass?"
"That's right," I nodded.
"Then you can only love Little Grass from now on. Otherwise, you'll suffer from countless insects gnawing at your heart until you die," the Witch warned.
Since that day at the funeral home, I hadn't felt any pain in my heart again. But I couldn't tell if there were any aftereffects; my head felt a bit heavy. As this thought crossed my mind, I rubbed my temples and said to the Witch, "This is between Little Grass and me; you don't need to worry about it. I'm here to ask about the case from twenty years ago."
The Witch let out a few cold laughs and said, "Those people from twenty years ago won't be able to escape even if they run to the ends of the earth. I'll be straightforward: this curse cannot be lifted by anyone. However, since nothing has happened for twenty years and now the curse has resurfaced, it means someone has revived it. As for who that person is, I cannot say."
The Witch looked at me and continued, "But since they can revive the curse, they must have heard the incantation recited by the girl back then. In other words, those who buried the body at that time might lead us to uncovering this curse." As she spoke, she pulled something out of her clothing—a book with yellowed pages, many of which were damaged—and seemed about to hand it to me.
I hurried forward to take the book and realized it was a Village Chronicle. Flipping through a few pages revealed clear records of the population in Baili Village twenty years ago—names and addresses were written clearly. Although some pages were damaged, they were still readable. What needed to be done now was to find someone who knew about that incident twenty years ago and compare details about those who buried the body back then. At that point, Mary would surely be able to find these people online. The ones most likely capable of doing this would undoubtedly be the Ma Family father and son!
"Thank you so much!" I exclaimed in surprise at this unexpected bounty.
The Witch sneered and replied, "I don't care about Baili Village's fate or whether you can lift the curse. I'm only doing this for Little Grass; she's a good girl. If you dare betray her, I'll make sure to cast the most vicious curse on you so that you'll never find peace!"
With that, the Witch shakily stood up and said, "I've done all I can for you; now go call Little Grass in."
I nodded and put away the Village Chronicle. Xiaocao was outside talking to the members of the Special Investigation Team. I called Xiaocao in and then addressed my team members, saying, "This trip wasn't in vain. The Witch gave me a Village Chronicle from twenty years ago. What we need to do now is find the Ma Family Father and Son and compare who buried the body back then. It's very likely that we'll discover who swapped the corpse of the young girl from twenty years ago!"
Juan Juan said, "I just received a message from the Police Department. The substance found in the stomach of the corpse has been tested, and there’s nothing hallucinogenic in it. Similarly, no such substances were found in the blood. The suicides of these individuals remain a mystery."
"Could it really be witchcraft?" Mary asked.
"This case is far too complicated," Yan Junde said. "So far, we still can't figure out what kind of force led these people to commit such bizarre suicides, nor do we know how many more will follow if it continues at fifty-five people..."
I sighed; this case might be the most challenging one since our special team was established. Whether twenty years ago or now, the entire case exuded an eerie and mysterious aura. Was it a curse, a Vengeful Spirit, or human involvement?
My phone rang. I picked it up to check; it was a message from Director Wang. It read: "We have brought Ma Weishan back to Nangyun City, but his son, Ma Hengdong, died two years ago. You should come back to the Police Department."
Ma Hengdong is dead? This news hit me like a bombshell. The case from twenty years ago was committed by this idle young man; he was directly involved in this case. How could he have died two years ago? Was it also suicide?
I frowned and said, "Ma Weishan has been brought back by the Police Department. Let's go compare who buried the body back then."
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