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墨書 Inktalez
My heart was pulled to my throat with the sound of the door opening.
I struggled to sit up on the hospital bed, but since my foot was injured, getting out of bed was still a bit difficult.
I fixed my gaze on the door, my hand already gripping the thermos tightly. I thought to myself that if it came down to it, I would fight back fiercely.
However, after staring for about a minute without anyone entering, just as my tense nerves were about to relax, I suddenly heard a voice say, "Are you waiting for me?"
The voice came from behind me, and I couldn't help but gasp in surprise.
Slowly, I turned to look, and instantly felt a chill run down my spine because Wang Wei was sitting on the bed next to mine, smoking a cigarette.
His face looked pale, as if it had been washed with starch multiple times.
"Wang Wei..." My voice trembled as I called his name.
"It's me."
I unconsciously leaned toward the direction of the door.
But what I didn't expect was for Wang Wei to say, "You don't need to be afraid. I won't harm you. If you die, I'll be stuck in this hospital forever."
"What do you mean?" I didn't understand what Wang Wei meant by that, so I asked.
Wang Wei replied, "Only if you are alive can you bring me out of this hospital." Seeing that I was about to ask more questions, he continued, "Don't ask anything now. If you do, I won't answer. Only when I leave the hospital will I tell you everything."
Although Wang Wei said that, I still kept my guard up around him. This guy was definitely not to be trusted; who knew if what he said was true or not?
Wang Wei took a drag from his cigarette and said to me, "Has your Wooden Box been stolen?"
I nodded in response.
"You’re in trouble! If that Wooden Box hasn’t been opened and is buried in the East City Ruins, you definitely won’t live long."
I looked at Wang Wei, and he looked back at me. After a moment of silence, I asked, "Why does that Wooden Box have to be buried next to the broken temple?"
Wang Wei was about to say something when suddenly the voices of Zhang Fatty and his Uncle could be heard outside. Upon hearing them, Wang Wei's expression changed immediately.
He didn’t answer my question but instead said directly, "Zhang Dexin is not a good person; you must not believe what he says."
"Who is Zhang Dexin?"
Just as I finished speaking, Zhang Fatty and his Uncle walked in. The two hefty figures made the space feel even smaller.
I only glanced back for a moment, and when I turned around again, Wang Wei had already vanished.
At this point, I was almost certain that Wang Wei wasn’t human; otherwise, it would have been impossible for him to disappear so quickly.
"Saning, why are you up? Were you here to welcome me?"
I was momentarily lost in thought, still reeling from the shock of what had just happened.
"Are you okay?"
"Nothing's wrong."
"My Uncle is here and wants to talk to you."
I glanced at Zhang's Uncle and recalled what Wang Wei had just said about Zhang Dexin. I connected the two and thought, could Zhang Dexin be Zhang's Uncle?
However, I didn't ask directly.
I stared blankly at the two of them and then nodded.
Once Zhang's Uncle sat down, under the light, he looked like a statue of Maitreya Buddha.
"Young man, I waited for you in that dilapidated temple for half the night last night, but you never showed up. Something happened because of that. You should consider burying that wooden box of yours; burying it will bring you peace."
Zhang's Uncle continued, "You were born in July, your fate is Yin, and that wooden box also belongs to Yin. Having it with you will only increase your Yin Qi, turning you into something neither human nor ghost."
His tone grew ominous.
I asked, "How do you know my Four Pillars of Destiny?"
"Borlun told me."
I nodded without probing further. Finally, I told Zhang's Uncle that my wooden box was lost. His expression changed slightly, and after a few moments of contemplation, he said, "I need to leave for a bit. I will help you find your box."
With that, Zhang's Uncle hurriedly stood up to leave.
However, as he reached the door, he turned to me and said something meaningful: "You must go to the dilapidated temple tomorrow night. I'll explain the details then."
Zhang the Fatty disappeared after speaking.
He had been peeling an orange beside me, and since he hadn’t chimed in earlier, it was only after Uncle left that he finally spoke up. “Saning, don’t be too surprised. My Uncle has some superstitious beliefs.”
I didn’t take the bait on Zhang the Fatty’s comment and instead directly asked, “Is your Uncle’s name Zhang Dexin?”
“Eh! How did you know?”
Indeed, it seemed my guess was correct. Wang Wei hadn’t lied to me, but how did he know that Zhang Dexin was in contact with me?
“Hey, Saning, I haven’t used that name in ten years. Now everyone calls him Zhang the Fortune Teller. By the way, how did you find out my Uncle’s name?”
Ten years? I was a bit taken aback. Naturally, I wouldn’t tell Zhang the Fatty that Wang Wei had informed me; I simply said it was him who had told me.
Zhang the Fatty looked at me in confusion, but given his personality, it wasn’t surprising for him to ramble on about his Uncle occasionally.
He sat by my hospital bed and peeled another orange for me.
I took a piece of the orange and ate it.
Zhang the Fatty then asked, “Saning, are you going to the dilapidated temple tomorrow night?”
I felt uncertain and didn’t respond to him. After chatting for a while, he eventually left.
I was left alone in the hospital room, deep in thought. The day after tomorrow would be the seventh day since my grandmother's passing; I definitely needed to take back her belongings then.
About ten minutes after Zhang the Fatty left, I called out Wang Wei’s name in the room, but that guy remained hidden and didn’t show up.
I fell into a deep sleep until the early hours of the morning.
When I woke up, I was surprised to find the Wooden Box beside my bed. I picked it up and noticed a note pressed underneath it.
The note read: "Do not trust anyone."
I stared at the words, lost in thought, wondering who had left this note. The handwriting was elegant and beautiful.
I tucked the note away.
Although I had no idea how the Wooden Box had returned, I knew that I couldn't tell Wang Wei or Zhang Dexin about it.
I needed to find a place to hide this Wooden Box.
I was also curious about what my grandmother had left me. I called for a nurse and paid for a caregiver at the hospital to help me buy a cane.
As soon as I got the cane, I used it to leave the hospital.
I didn't know what Wang Wei and Zhang Dexin's scheme was, nor did I know who had left the note, but I understood that this was my grandmother's legacy, and I had to keep it safe.
On the way, I hailed a taxi. Instead of returning to my rented room, I went to a relatively nice hotel and booked a room.
I placed my Wooden Box in the hotel.
Tomorrow, I would be going back; the day after tomorrow, I would return. I hoped nothing unusual would happen in these two days.
I bought a ticket and turned off my phone. Lying on the hotel bed, I wanted nothing more than to disconnect from everything outside, ignoring any calls that might come in.
Zhang Dexin called me to go to the dilapidated temple, and even Wang Wei didn't believe him, so naturally, I didn't either.
However, I was indeed quite curious about that broken temple.
Lying in bed, my mind wandered as I thought about it, and I even called for food.
All day long, I stared at the Wooden Box, wondering what could be hidden inside. My curiosity was piqued, and I kept wanting to open it.
But there was a woman who wouldn't let me.
Thinking of this, I suddenly recalled the Font that was so delicate; could it have been left by that woman? It was very possible. I convinced myself of this because, from any angle, it seemed plausible.
I really had no idea who that mysterious woman was.
Taking a deep breath, the night gradually darkened. I turned on the hotel television to watch the news; it had been a long time since I felt this at ease.
I had already bought my ticket and was just waiting to set off tomorrow morning.
I comfortably leaned back against the bed when suddenly, my phone rang...
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