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墨書 Inktalez
"Ah?" I looked at Dog Sheng, suddenly being regarded as a savior, feeling a bit bewildered.
Dog Sheng sat down next to me, lowering his voice, which trembled slightly. "Song Fei, you're smart. You have to save me this time. And you must have noticed that Big Pillar... Big Pillar was killed by Lian, right?"
I looked at Dog Sheng in confusion.
Dog Sheng continued, "This morning, you saw Big Pillar's corpse. He was killed by Lian. I heard it all; no one else believes it, but... but I do. I know Lian is here for revenge, to get back at me and Big Pillar."
I listened, feeling uncertain. "Dog Sheng, what exactly is going on? Didn't the village chief say Lian drowned in the water? How could she be coming for you and Big Pillar?"
Dog Sheng shook his head, gripping his own cheeks tightly until they turned swollen. "Song Fei, I won't hide it from you. Actually, Lian was killed by me and Big Pillar."
I was a bit shocked as I stared at Dog Sheng.
Dog Sheng decided to come clean and recounted the whole story: "You know Lian is the prettiest girl in our village. Since we were in school, she was like a swan, and recently she's become even more beautiful. She loves to paint, has fair skin, and a slim waist—more beautiful than any woman on TV. A few afternoons ago, Big Pillar and I went fishing with our rods towards the Mountain when we saw Lian painting by the riverbank.
We both walked over; Big Pillar has always liked Lian. The three of us chatted and somehow started horsing around. During the playfulness, Big Pillar accidentally pushed Lian into the river."
I looked at Dog Sheng and asked, "So she drowned? You and Big Pillar can swim. Besides, that river isn't very deep."
"No!" Dog Sheng lowered his head and said softly, "Big Pillar and I immediately jumped into the river to pull Lian out. At that moment, Lian was laughing and wanted Big Pillar to pay for her new clothes. But when she got wet, her white dress became transparent. We... we couldn't help ourselves and... took advantage of her. Big Pillar was so excited that he covered Lian's mouth to keep her quiet, but accidentally suffocated her until she fainted."
I felt tense listening to this; more than anything, I was angry. How could these two beasts do such a thing to their classmate?
"Dog Sheng" continued, "This matter isn't over. We were both very excited at the time, but after it was done, we regretted it. We dressed Lian's body and threw her into the river. We thought she was dead, but... but as soon as she hit the water, she woke up. Lian struggled in the water; she would go to the police and report us for attempted murder. At that moment, "Big Pillar" was fierce; he jumped into the water and... he held Lian's head down under the water until she drowned. After that, Big Pillar and I ran away. By the time Lian was discovered, she had floated downstream. When the police arrived, they just took a quick look and concluded that Lian had accidentally drowned. Then they left. So Big Pillar and I escaped from this case."
I took a deep breath and said, "Dog Sheng, I can't help you with this. I'm neither a fighter nor a Taoist priest; begging me won't do any good. What you've told me today will stay between us, but don't ask me for help—I truly can't save you. Just go."
With a thud, Dog Sheng knelt on the ground. "Song Fei, you have to save me! I know you can help me!"
"How can I save you?" My feelings for Dog Sheng had turned to disgust rather than pity. "I can't even protect myself; how could I possibly save you?"
Dog Sheng grabbed my sleeve. "Song Fei, you can save me! You're Lian's husband! Talk to her nicely; plead with her to let me go."
"What? I'm her husband?" My mouth fell open in shock.
Kneeling on the ground, Dog Sheng clutched my shirt. "Song Fei, I have no one else to turn to. For our eight years of friendship, please help me."
I stared at Dog Sheng and pulled him up. "Dog Sheng, tell me why I'm Lian's husband! I haven't seen her in years; how could I be her husband?"
Dog Sheng looked at me strangely. "Song Fei, you... you really don't know? You and Lian are bound by Yin Marriage."
"Yin Marriage?" Blood rushed to my head as I sat down heavily on the bed. "Dog Sheng, what is going on? Explain it clearly!"
Seeing that I genuinely didn't understand, Dog Sheng sat down beside me. "Here’s how it works: if an unmarried girl under twenty or an unmarried man dies, they must be paired in a Yin Marriage. But now it's complicated; people usually just go through the motions and pair with a living person instead. However, this kind of thing is considered inauspicious, so not many people are willing to do it. But your parents seemed quite eager about it—they let you marry Lian! Didn't you know? You should have spent last night in Lian's bedroom!"
As I listened, my mind went blank with confusion. Finally, I understood why my father had suddenly called me back from school in such a hurry: it wasn't just because my grandfather's grave had been disturbed; it was because they wanted me to get married!
The reason I got drunk last night was because my dad and the village chief did it on purpose; they wanted me to sleep in Lian's room! So when I woke up, I ended up bumping into Lian's portrait frame!
However, they never expected that Lian had truly become a ghost! When I got up to use the bathroom last night, I saw that the mourning hall had turned into a wedding chamber. It wasn't a dream; it was all real, all orchestrated by Lian...
I wiped the cold sweat from my forehead. I never imagined things could get worse than I thought. Last night, Lian couldn't kill me, but who knows, she might come looking for me tonight!
No, she definitely will come looking for me because, in her eyes, I am her husband!
I really cursed myself!
"Dog Sheng" nudged me and said, "Song Fei, what's wrong? You look terrible."
I looked at "Dog Sheng" and replied, "Dog Sheng, I really can't save you. I'm barely holding on myself; she doesn't listen to me at all."
"Dog Sheng" still didn't believe me. "You must have seen Lian's ghost, right? Otherwise, there's no way you would think that Big Pillar was killed by her just by seeing his body. You definitely have a connection with Lian's ghost!"
I patted "Dog Sheng" on the shoulder and said, "Dog Sheng, I don't want to lie to you anymore. The truth is... I was bitten last night too. Look..." I took off my shirt to show him the bite mark on my shoulder.
After he saw it, his expression changed.
"I don't even know how I survived," I continued. "But last night really scared the hell out of me. Lian came at me suddenly in her wedding dress, and I..."
"Thud..."
Dog Sheng was so frightened that he slid off the bed and onto the floor. "What do I do? What do I do? Lian will definitely not let me go. What do I do..."
I turned to grab my backpack from the bed. "Dog Sheng, I have to leave. I can't stay in this village any longer. Take care of yourself."
Dog Sheng looked at me, murmuring softly, "Song Fei, you can't get out. The area outside our village is flooded. A couple of years ago, we tried to build a Furniture Factory on the mountain, but it fell through and ruined the mountain road. If you go out now, you'll definitely die."
"Then what should we do? Just wait here to die?" I shouted.
Dog Sheng got up. "Let's leave together. I'm familiar with the mountain paths. Song Fei, we can make it if we stick together."
At first, I hesitated. I felt like Dog Sheng was a murderer, and being with him felt like being complicit in a crime. But then I realized that we were both targets of Lian's pursuit, and Dog Sheng had lived in our Shantai Village for a long time; he knew the roads well. With him guiding me, our chances of escaping would be greater.
"Alright," I said.
We headed outside together.
My dad saw me with my backpack and wearing a raincoat, and immediately stopped me. He frowned, "Fei, why won't you listen? I'm coming with you. The mountain paths are slippery; it's impossible to walk. You can't go!"
I shook off my dad's hand, suppressing my anger. "Dad! This is your fault! Lian is after me! She came looking for me yesterday and even killed Big Pillar. If I don't leave tonight, I'll end up dead at her hands!"
"You're talking nonsense!" My dad was a staunch atheist. Honestly, if he hadn't been so adamant about not believing in these things, he wouldn't have let me marry Lian in a Yin Marriage.
I didn't want to argue further. "I'm not talking nonsense, Dad. I'm leaving now. Don't worry; I remember your kindness in raising me. Once I graduate, I'll definitely send you money." With that, I strode out with Dog Sheng.
Dog Sheng was more frightened than I was. He packed a few things at home, and then we both headed out of the village.
The road outside the village was flooded.
At that moment, for some reason, even though it had rained heavily, the dark clouds seemed to thicken even more.
Just like my dad said, this mountain path outside our village was indeed impassable; the water had already risen above our knees. For someone unfamiliar with the road, it was very likely they could slip and roll down the slope at any moment.
Dog Sheng waded through the water in front of me while I followed behind. After taking a few steps, I suddenly stopped. I felt as if something was gripping my ankle.
I swallowed hard and tried to pull my foot free with all my strength, but it wouldn’t budge. I looked at Dog Sheng ahead of me, just as I was about to speak.
Suddenly, Dog Sheng turned around as if he had gone mad. He ran towards me, shouting, "It's Lian! She's in the water! Run!"
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