Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
The gentle breeze brushed against the willows, creating delicate ripples on the water's surface. Wen Sheng's expression remained unchanged, yet he kept casting glances at Lin Lin, which made her feel increasingly uneasy. When Lin Lin looked up, she was startled to see that the sun was positioned directly in the south, indicating it was around noon—approximately one o'clock. There were stories in the village about how many people encountered ghosts at this hour; one o'clock was said to be a time when spirits roamed. Many elders had repeatedly recounted various myths associated with this ominous time.
Lin Lin had heard from villagers that when she and Wen Sheng were still young, a woman from the village had gone missing while working in the fields during noon. The situation back then was similar to now, with thriving corn crops in the fields. When her husband went to look for her, he found that she had gone mad. Many villagers believed she had been frightened into insanity. The elders warned children not to stay alone in the fields at one o'clock, especially near rivers or graveyards.
There had also been instances of people being possessed by spirits in the village, though Wen Sheng and his companions had never experienced it firsthand. However, many others had seen or even encountered such phenomena. Lin Lin once accompanied her mother to witness an incident: one summer night last year, a man from the village returned home drunk around one o'clock in the morning—another time said to be favored by spirits. He arrived home crying and causing a commotion. When his family asked what was wrong, he appeared dazed and replied, "I have no money over there! Someone is always bullying me!"
His family questioned him further, "Where do you have no money?"
He cried out, "Haven't you ever burned paper money for me? Have you forgotten about me? Did I ever wrong you? After all my hard work raising you, you've just forgotten me!"
At this point, his family realized he was possessed by a spirit.
The man's father then asked, "Who are you? We will burn money for you; don't worry! We were wrong before! From now on, we will make sure to burn money for you on the first and fifteenth of every month."
"I am your father! When I was sick, you didn’t take care of me properly. After I died, you didn’t even ask about me; now your child will never find peace!" he exclaimed angrily.
"Father! Please go back; after all, he is your grandson! How can you be so heartless? We will burn more paper money for you tomorrow! Just go back for now!" The father pleaded desperately.
"Going back is not that simple! First, give me some hot water to drink! I'm dying of thirst!" The man opened his eyes wide.
"Alright! Please drink some water to calm down; it’s our fault for not understanding!" They quickly poured a bowl of hot water from a thermos.
He took it and drank it down without feeling its heat. Many people were present because the commotion had awakened quite a few villagers. As it grew late into the summer night, they found themselves at a loss for what to do. Finally, an elder from the village who understood such matters arrived and pressed on certain pressure points on him. After a while, the man cried out, "That hurts! Uncle, can I leave now? You must tell them to send me paper money; otherwise, I will come back!"
The elder replied sternly, "I understand; why do you treat your descendants like this? Hurry up and leave!"
Eventually, the man fell unconscious and woke up half an hour later. "How did I end up here? I remember walking to the bridge when I heard someone calling my name from behind. I turned around but saw nothing—just a white mist where I couldn't see anything clearly. It felt like I was lost. How did I end up here?"
"It's alright! You were drunk; we brought you back!" his family reassured him.
"Why are there so many people here? What happened? Why does my throat hurt so much?" he asked in confusion.
Later that night, Lin Lin returned home feeling terrified and unable to sleep well. Seeing Wen Sheng like this during midday only added to her fear; she instinctively took two steps back and exclaimed in panic, "Wen Sheng, don’t come any closer! Don’t hurt me!"
“Haha! Why would I hurt you? What are you afraid of, my dear?” Wen Sheng chuckled.
When Lin Lin heard that Wen Sheng wouldn’t harm her, she felt a bit more at ease. However, when she heard him call her “my dear,” she was completely stunned, her eyes wide open and her mouth agape, unable to speak.
“What’s wrong with you? Your face is pale again. I haven’t done anything!” Wen Sheng laughed heartily.
“Who are you? Tell me who you are!” Lin Lin asked, a hint of wariness in her voice.
“Don’t you recognize me? I’m your…” Wen Sheng paused here, his eyes darting around as he looked at Lin Lin.
“Don’t scare me! Who are you?” Lin Lin trembled, her voice tinged with a hint of tears.
“I’m your Brother Wen Sheng! Now you can relax! What were you thinking to be so frightened?” Wen Sheng straightened his expression and smiled.
“You’re not possessed, are you?” Lin Lin asked cautiously as she looked at Wen Sheng.
“Possessed my foot! It’s broad daylight; even ghosts wouldn’t believe that!” Wen Sheng laughed.
“You scared me to death! What happened just now?” Lin Lin asked gently.
“I was going to ask you what happened! You keep asking questions as if you don’t know me anymore!” Wen Sheng chuckled.
“Why do you keep staring at me?” Lin Lin smirked slightly.
“It’s because you keep moving! If you didn’t fidget, how would I be looking at you? Aren’t you putting on a show for me?” Wen Sheng teased playfully.
“How did I move?” Lin Lin shot him an incredulous glance.
“You first tugged at your clothes, as if to show off how pretty they are. I thought your outfit looked quite nice. Then you touched your hair; I noticed it was quite soft and flowing. After that, you crossed your legs,” Wen Sheng paused again.
“What’s wrong with crossing my legs?” Lin Lin asked, her face turning red as she smiled.
“Let me see if your legs are as white as they say!” At this, Wen Sheng couldn't help but double over with laughter.
“I'll show you who's bad!” Lin Lin exclaimed, rushing forward to punch Wen Sheng playfully.
“I was wrong!” Wen Sheng chuckled.
“I know you were wrong. What were you thinking? You still blame me for it!” Lin Lin retorted, not backing down.
“Blame me? Who told you to be so beautiful! How could I not steal a few glances?” Wen Sheng said, cradling his head and laughing.
“Am I really beautiful?” Lin Lin asked, a delighted smile spreading across her face, her cheeks flushing with color.
Lin Lin secretly glanced at the short skirt she was wearing and the sandals on her feet. Then she tugged at her shirt, checking to see if anyone was around. Her gaze drifted to the reeds swaying in the wind by the shore, and she couldn't help but recall the story of the Azure Silk Tent, causing her face to flush even deeper.
Looking back at Wen Sheng, feeling a bit shy and embarrassed, she said, “Wen Sheng, how about we…”
Comment 0 Comment Count