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墨書 Inktalez
The cold wind blew in, making the place feel even chillier.
At this moment, the Red Moon had vanished, and the moon had returned to its original bright white.
I focused my gaze and could only vaguely see a few figures, but none of them bore familiar faces; the Old Woman and the Princess were nowhere to be found.
The werewolves around us seemed even more ferocious.
I thought they would attack us. However, to my surprise, Chen San stepped forward and said a few words.
Then the werewolves parted to create a path.
This scene left us all astonished. It was as if Chen San had anticipated our confusion, so he explained, "I once saved the life of their Alpha Wolf."
Wang Wei looked as if he had just realized something.
I almost doubted that Chen San was one of the werewolves, but I could easily recognize his soul; it was human.
Chen San continued, "We don't need to worry about those werewolves; they'll handle it."
Then Chen San led us down the mountain, but after reaching the bottom, he had no intention of leaving with us.
He mentioned that he had some matters to attend to here.
I looked at Chen San with suspicion while Wang Wei urged me to leave since we finally had a chance to escape.
Clay Bodhisattva called out to me, suggesting I should go as well.
As I was leaving, I turned to Chen San and said, "I hope you’re not lying to me this time."
Chen San simply nodded.
We followed the mountain path toward the Old Woman's house, which was empty inside. After tidying up a bit, we left Azure Mountain and finally took the train back to where we originally came from.
I had been carefully protecting the Seed of Souls all along.
On the first day back at Wang Wei's house, an unexpected incident occurred. It seemed that the Seed of Souls was truly weakening. Only when I placed the seed in my eye did my vision improve somewhat.
The Wooden Box followed me closely. I had tried several times to open it, but each time I suppressed that urge.
Where could Ke'er be searching for her soul?
I wondered if Jianjian knew anything else. I decided to call Jianjian. When the call connected, Jianjian said she didn’t know anything. After asking a few times, she insisted she wasn’t lying to me.
Then Jianjian suddenly said, “Chen San is not a good person.”
This statement was too abrupt. Yet it wasn’t just Jianjian who had said this; Ke'er, Wang Wei, and Clay Bodhisattva had all mentioned that Chen San was not a good person.
I simply acknowledged her words. At this point, I wasn't particularly interested in whether Chen San was good or bad.
Since there were no clues about Ke'er from Jianjian, and I couldn't open that box, it seemed the only person who might have information left was my grandmother.
I just didn’t know if my grandmother had already been reincarnated.
Regardless, I planned to return home. With Ke'er not by my side, I felt an unusual sense of unease.
Having made up my mind, I didn’t delay. The next day, I went back home.
I returned alone and didn’t inform Wang Wei and the others. Carrying the Wooden Box, I made my way back to my hometown. It was evening when I arrived, and all the lights in the village were on.
Instead of going directly home, I headed toward my grandmother's grave.
Checking the time on my phone, it showed eight o'clock. The path was familiar to me, and about half an hour later, I reached the Mound.
After I found my grandmother's grave, I stood there in a daze for a few seconds.
Then I took out the Yuanbao Candle I had bought and began to light it for her. After lighting it, I started to bow my head in respect.
Once I finished bowing, I remained silent.
The grave felt like a dead tomb; it seemed as if there was nothing inside, and I did not sense any presence of a soul here.
Perhaps my grandmother was long gone, having already reincarnated.
I knelt before her grave and called out, "Grandma," then rambled on about many things—some about myself and some about Ke'er.
Yet, I didn't know if she was listening.
Regardless of whether she could hear me or not, I spoke freely. Sometimes, one just wants to share their thoughts with someone, and at that moment, in front of my grandmother's grave, I had no reservations and let everything out.
I poured out the joys and sorrows of these days. As I spoke, I sighed. Then I glanced at the time; it was nearly ten o'clock at night.
Still, my grandmother did not appear. The wind was a bit chilly, and I couldn't help but shiver.
In May, the weather had not fully warmed up yet. Sighing, I thought about how good my grandmother had been to me when she was alive. Yet she had arranged for me to have a spirit companion and found Ke'er to marry me.
Moreover, Ke'er was a person who had fallen from grace; I wondered how my grandmother had managed to bring her into my life.
Feeling somewhat lost, I sensed my powerlessness over many things. Slowly, I began to rise and prepare to leave since my grandmother had not answered me at all.
My body swayed slightly.
Just as I was about to leave, I heard a voice say, "Silly child."
I quickly recognized it as my grandmother's voice and hurriedly called out, "Is that you, Grandma?"
I called out several times.
But Grandma still hadn't appeared. I could only hear her voice as she said, "Ningzi, you don't need to blame yourself; this is Ke'er's own fate."
Grandma's tone seemed a bit heavy, and I seized the opportunity to ask, "Grandma, do you know where Ke'er has gone?"
Grandma replied, "Ningzi, do you really like Ke'er now?"
In truth, it had only been a few months since I discovered Ke'er, and I knew that my time with her was far from over. I felt grateful towards Ke'er, and by now, it had transformed into what one might call love.
I wasn't sure if it was love, but whenever Ke'er was away from me, I felt anxious and uneasy. I thought to myself that perhaps I had indeed fallen for Ke'er.
I gave Grandma a definite answer.
But then Grandma asked me, "Would you be willing to give up your life for Ke'er?"
At this point, I understood that the disappearance of a soul meant complete death. If you were to ask me whether I would be willing to have my soul shattered for Ke'er, I would give you a definite answer.
I affirmed my answer to Grandma, and suddenly she chuckled a few times, her tone becoming much lighter.
"Ningzi, you have a personality just like your grandfather."
I had never met my grandfather; my mother told me that he passed away before I was born.
Hearing Grandma mention him piqued my curiosity.
But Grandma didn't continue.
She said, "Ningzi, since you like Ke'er, then go find her yourself."
I couldn't help but ask, "Grandma, where has Ke'er gone?"
"Ke'er has already gone to the River of Despair."
Upon hearing this, I hesitated for almost no time at all before splitting my soul, for within my soul lay the entrance to the River of Despair.
However, my grandmother sighed when she saw me do this.
"Ningzi, don't you know the consequences of your actions?" she asked.
I replied that I understood my soul would be harmed, but I wasn't afraid if it meant saving Ke'er.
My grandmother called me a foolish child and then told me, "Ningzi, the true entrance is inside that Wooden Box."
"What?" I asked in surprise.
"It's inside the Wooden Box. Do you still not believe me?" she said, her expression hinting at something unsaid.
I urged her not to hold back and to speak plainly.
Finally breaking her silence, she said, "Ningzi, once you enter the River of Despair, your soul will suffer from decay. Have you thought this through?"
"I have," I replied without hesitation.
"Then open the Wooden Box now."
Previously, Ke'er had forbidden me from opening the Wooden Box. I had always thought that doing so would mean Ke'er would die. In fact, Ke'er had warned me that it could only be opened in dire circumstances.
Would opening the Wooden Box lead me into the River of Despair?
At that moment, my hand rested on the Wooden Box, and I opened it. As it swung open, I saw a radiant path unfold before me.
"Ningzi, just let your soul enter," my grandmother instructed.
I let out a sound, and then my soul left my body and entered the River of Despair. My mood was somewhat uneasy, as I was now in the River of Despair.
But could it be that Yiyan had deceived me?
Yiyan had previously said that the entrance to the River of Despair was within my soul, yet my grandmother insisted otherwise. My soul entered through the Wooden Box, and a radiant path quickly swallowed me whole.
The road was long, and I kept moving forward without pause.
It wasn't until I heard the sound of water that I remembered Lin Li had once said he had witnessed the Reincarnation Tree bloom and wither many times in the River of Despair.
I quickened my pace and soon passed through this passage. The sound of water became clearer, and I finally entered the River of Despair.
What I saw was the so-called River of Despair, but the water was far from clear; it was murky, almost black.
The river was entirely black, and I could even smell a stench of decay—perhaps the scent of souls.
Lin Li had mentioned that the Reincarnation Tree grew in the center of the River of Despair, but at that moment, I couldn't see it. It might have been due to my visibility.
The thick fog enveloped everything like a fairyland, with visibility less than fifty meters, yet the water remained pitch black.
I believed that if someone jumped in and then climbed back out, others would think they were black-skinned. However, this lack of visibility was truly concerning because here, I could hardly see anything.
This made finding Ke'er even more difficult. Ke'er was an Eternal Abyss Dweller, which meant her soul had fragmented. What surprised me was that Ke'er still had a soul lingering in this River of Despair.
I thought that if Ke'er could gather her souls here, she could then pluck the Reincarnation Flower and revive herself. My plan seemed perfect.
If it could really unfold this way, I would surely worship the Buddha every day without fail.
I continued to weave through the thick fog; the pervasive mist made it feel as if my soul were soaked through. This place was different from the Dead Land; in the Dead Land, souls would weaken and gradually fade into nothingness before disappearing entirely.
But here, it felt like direct decay.
Have you ever seen decay? When you accidentally injure yourself and the skin around the wound rots, it produces a nauseating pus. Of course, the decay of the soul is not as repulsive, but it still rots. This kind of rot is like a fire piercing through a plastic bag.
At this moment, I could already feel my soul beginning to decay, and the rate of decay was alarmingly fast.
I quickened my pace, calling out Ke'er's name, but no one answered me. There was no trace of Ke'er here, yet I believed that my grandmother would never lie to me.
Ke'er must be here; perhaps she is currently enduring some form of suffering. I hope Ke'er is safe and sound, but at this moment, as my soul decays, I realize that Ke'er's soul is also in a similar state of decay. I imagine such pain must be a terrifying torment.
The River of Despair is filled with black water, while white mist swirls on both sides.
I remember Xiaoru saying that the Eternal Abyss Dweller exists in eternal darkness and never sees light or shadow, yet there is clearly light here.
As I pondered this, suddenly a thought crossed my mind: perhaps Ke'er is currently within this River of Despair.
The water in the River of Despair is black. According to what was said earlier, only within this River of Despair could one exist eternally without seeing light or shadow.
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