Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Seeing that there was someone following Xuan, I couldn't help but freeze in place.
You idiot, Xuan! I wanted you to keep an eye out for anyone while patrolling, so that you could notify me if someone was coming up the mountain, allowing me to hide and avoid trouble—not to bring them directly to me!
I wasn't mentally prepared to face anyone yet!
Unaware of my inner turmoil, Xuan bounded over to me, wearing its usual excited grin.
“Gao!” (This guy seems lost, so I brought him here!)
I stared at it in silence.
...Could you not be so careless about guarding against strangers?
“Gao?” Noticing my lack of response, Xuan tilted its head in confusion.
...Forget it!
With a resigned sigh, I gathered my thoughts and calmly turned to face the newcomer.
Before me stood a tall figure clad in a black robe, dual swords strapped to his back and a whisk in his arm. His features were handsome yet pale, and there was a slight stiffness in his movements...
I raised an eyebrow, gazing at his lifeless expression without uttering a word.
He had been thoughtfully observing the Sophora Tree not far behind me but shifted his gaze back to me upon sensing my stare, cautiously sizing up both me and Xuan.
Based on these oddly familiar traits... I felt as though I could guess who this person was...
Could it be that this is what they mean by not triggering a quest but having the quest come find you anyway?
Thinking this, I smiled slightly, trying my best to present the most friendly and harmless expression—after all, it had been too long since I interacted with anyone; I didn't even know how to position my face anymore—and spoke to him:
"May I ask what brings you here, Daoist?"
The other party remained silent, staring at me, while I continued to hold my smile, responding to him with unwavering composure.
Just when I thought my face might cramp from smiling too long, he finally made a move—he casually draped his dust whisk over his arm and slowly drew a sword from behind him. Instantly, I felt a chill run down my spine and focused my gaze on him warily.
In the next moment, he pointed the sword tip to the ground and began to write a few characters.
Seeing this, I quickly raised my hands and shouted for him to stop.
"Uh... wait! Sorry, Daoist, but... I can't read very well..."
I wasn't sure if it was because his cursive script flowed too freely or if there was an inherent cognitive difference in this world, but I suddenly realized that I couldn't recognize the characters at all?!
Oh no! Now that I think about it, since arriving here, I had never interacted with any living person. Not only could I not read, but perhaps I couldn't even understand what they were saying?
Upon hearing me speak, he abruptly halted his actions and shot me a cold glance before silently sheathing his sword.
Ah, it seemed he could understand what I was saying; language didn't appear to be an issue. But...
I rubbed my forehead in frustration. Great, if we can't communicate in writing, how are we supposed to talk? Mime?
I stole a glance at him; he seemed to be pondering what to do next as well.
Meanwhile, Xuan circled around the patterns on the ground with curiosity. Tilting its head and examining them for a while, it then turned to look at me—
"What did you draw?" (I can't understand.)
"…Well, I can't understand either," I replied dismissively, waving my hand in resignation. "Alright, this isn't your business; why don't you go play over there for now?"
“Gao!” With that, it happily ran off without looking back.
...Indeed, it was a child who could never sit still.
I took a deep breath and tried to sort out the situation at hand.
To be honest, I had some thoughts about the current predicament, but whether they would work depended on the other party's willingness to cooperate.
After mentally organizing the response I needed to make, I took a few deep breaths to prepare myself and cautiously spoke up:
“Um... I’m not very familiar with the etiquette for this kind of situation. If I say anything offensive during our conversation, please bear with me. By the way, Daoist, forgive my rudeness, but you are... not a living person, are you?” Noticing his slight pause and his expression remaining stiff and unresponsive, I continued, “I wonder if your inability to speak is due to an illness in life or if you suffered misfortune after death?”
He remained silent for quite a while, hesitantly parting his lips slightly—
Seeing this, I couldn’t help but gasp, forcing myself to suppress the exclamation that nearly escaped my lips.
Although I already knew his tongue had been cut out, witnessing such a gruesome sight firsthand was still... painful!
“Alright, I understand now.” I wiped my face with my hand, forcibly erasing that horrific image from my mind and regaining my composure. “In short, regarding your injury, I can help.”
Upon hearing this, his lifeless expression seemed to show a hint of surprise and skepticism.
“No, rather than saying it’s healing, it would be more accurate to say it’s restoration.” I corrected myself. After all, the deceased were not living beings and did not respond to healing art. “I believe you would agree that being able to speak directly is much more convenient.”
After hesitating for a moment, he gave the slightest nod.
“However, there is a condition for this exchange; please hear me out.”
Seeing that he didn’t seem opposed, I cleared my throat theatrically and began to speak slowly:
"First of all, judging by your appearance, it seems that although you possess self-awareness, it is not due to resentment or obsession. It appears you were forcibly awakened by someone using forbidden techniques. If that is the case, may I ask where the person who awakened you is now?"
His stiff face seemed to reveal a hint of disgust, and then he slowly shook his head.
"Don't know? No longer in this world? In any case, I will assume that their whereabouts are unknown." Since he could not respond, I continued speaking to myself. "Regardless, while that person may have awakened you, it seems they did not form any Contract with you? If so, unless someone in the future takes action to destroy you, you will be doomed to wander this world forever, never finding peace."
He looked at me with a blank expression.
"My master has repeatedly emphasized that the dead must return to dust and should not wander aimlessly in this world; otherwise, it goes against the natural order." I carefully chose my words. "The only exception would be those who have formed a Life Pact with someone, allowing them to adhere to the mechanism of returning to dust."
Seeing his expression of partial understanding, I couldn't help but let out a dry laugh.
Never mind, let's get straight to the point!
"So, forgive my directness, but do you still have anyone important in this world? Someone close? Someone you can trust? Or rather..." I looked him in the eye and said solemnly, "Someone willing to share their fate with you."
It seemed he understood something; his already lifeless gaze grew even dimmer as he silently shook his head.
"I see..." I thought as much. "However, since you are a deceased person, unless you have formed a Life Pact with someone else, it would be difficult for me to go against my master's orders and repair your injuries..." I turned to look at the Sophora Tree behind me. "Alternatively, if you don't mind, as a substitute solution, would you... be willing to form a Contract with this tree?"
He stared wide-eyed for a moment, his expression subtly shifting as he looked at the Sophora Tree.
Comment 0 Comment Count