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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 44: Footsteps in the Attic
The Paper Figurine was finally resolved, and I felt much lighter inside, no longer worried about it being taken by the two Paper Kings from the Duan Family. Of course, there surely couldn't be just one spiritual Paper Figurine in this world; I just hoped that those two Paper Kings wouldn't have the fortune to obtain it!
However, now that the Paper Figurine was resolved, I found myself without a goal, and my mind became empty for a moment. I couldn't help but wonder where those two Paper Kings were now and whether they would come to seek revenge on me.
I shook my head to dispel these chaotic thoughts, reminding myself that what was meant to come would eventually come, and thinking too much was pointless. So, I strode forward. In the following days, I passed through several villages, and everything was peaceful. Just to make a living, I learned some fortune-telling and talisman-drawing from the villagers along the way, living a simple and carefree life.
One day, I arrived at an unfamiliar village. It was nearing dusk, and the village was surrounded by mountains. I thought that if I left the village now, I might have to spend the night in the mountains, so I decided to stay in the village for the night and leave after dawn.
Since I had just entered the village and didn't know anyone, and with night approaching, no one came to ask me for fortune-telling or disaster relief. Thus, I couldn't find a place to stay.
I wandered around the village and soon noticed an old house at the other end of the village that caught my eye. This house looked older than any other building in the Village because it was a Wooden House. However, what attracted my attention wasn't just its age; it seemed as if no one lived there. While every household began to light their lamps, that Wooden House across from the village remained dark and desolate, clearly indicating that no one was home.
Thinking this way, I walked towards that house across from the village. As I got closer, my suspicions were confirmed; I could see that wild grass taller than a person had grown all around the house. If it were a house with an owner, how could it allow such tall wild grass to grow around it?
I was excited by my discovery and thought that tonight I could finally avoid sleeping outdoors and wouldn't need to shamelessly ask the fellow villagers for a place to stay. After all, it was an unoccupied house; staying there for one night would be just right.
With this thought in mind, I quickly walked towards the Old Wooden House...
But just then, a voice suddenly came from behind me. An Old Man said, "Young man, where are you planning to go?"
I saw that the old man had clearly chased after me on purpose, so I stopped. I pointed to the lonely Old House across the street and said that I had come from out of town and noticed that the house seemed abandoned, so I planned to stay there for a night. Of course, if the house had an owner, I wouldn't go there.
I said this.
Upon hearing this, the old man immediately stopped me and said, "Young man, that house is not suitable for living. If you have no place to stay, you can come to my house for a night!"
Hearing this, I became curious and asked him what was wrong with that house and why it was not suitable for living.
The old man seemed unwilling to say much about the house. He said, "It's not suitable for living; either leave quickly or come to my house. In any case, if you insist on staying in that house and something happens, don't blame me for not warning you."
At this point, I naturally understood the meaning behind the old man's words; clearly, there was something wrong with that house.
I thought to myself, forget it, I might as well not go there to avoid trouble. But then I reconsidered; after all, I was a half-baked Yin-Yang master. If I encountered a haunted house and was too scared to stay, running away like this would be quite embarrassing, wouldn't it?
To be honest, I didn't care about embarrassing myself. But if word got out about this, it would ruin the reputation of all Yin-Yang masters. How could someone in this profession be afraid of a haunted house? It would sound quite ironic; if this got out, wouldn't it just tell everyone that Yin-Yang masters are nothing but frauds? They claim to exorcise ghosts but run away when they actually encounter one?
Thinking about all this, I told the kind old man that I was a Yin-Yang master and wanted to see what was inside that house.
Upon hearing this, the old man shook his head and sighed several times before he stopped trying to persuade me and left.
As I approached the Haunted House, I realized that it looked even more dilapidated up close. The wooden walls were covered with large cracks, and the Ground was littered with broken tiles that had fallen from the roof. The front door of the house was in disrepair; looking through the doorway into the interior revealed a dark and hollow space.
Seeing the Haunted House in such a state made it clear that no one had lived there for quite some time. Upon entering the house, I found it completely empty. Perhaps because it was getting dark and due to its long abandonment, I couldn't help but feel an eerie chill inside, with gusts of cold wind occasionally swirling around.
Of course, as a Yin-Yang master, I wouldn't be afraid of this. After all, I understand that any uninhabited house for a long time generally lacks Yang energy, so it's normal for the interior to be filled with Yin energy.
In Yin-Yang theory, everything in the world is divided into two extremes: Yin and Yang. Humans represent Yang; therefore, houses with people living in them usually have vitality. Even if no one is present in the house, it still retains some life force. However, in uninhabited houses, over time, the life force left by the previous owner gradually dissipates. To put it bluntly, places where people frequently reside are generally bright and lively, while those that have been empty for a long time tend to feel gloomy. A house without Yang energy leads to the growth of weeds. Generally speaking, if a house has grass growing in it, there is likely a problem; at best, someone in the household may suffer from chronic illness, and at worst, it may no longer be habitable.
Returning to the matter at hand, I decided to settle here temporarily and began inspecting the house. Cobwebs were everywhere, and yellow talismans were affixed above each door frame. In the living room, there was an offering table with an oil lamp on it. When I picked up the lamp and checked it, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it still contained kerosene. This made me very happy; it seemed I wouldn't have to sleep in darkness in this lifeless house tonight.
I hurriedly lit the oil lamp, and gradually the room became a bit brighter. Holding the lamp, I looked around and found that the house was completely empty—there wasn't even a bed to be found. Fortunately, when I arrived, I noticed a lot of dry straw in the field outside, so I went back to gather a bundle of straw and spread it out in the living room as a makeshift sleeping place for the night.
That evening, I sat on the straw and took out some dry rations to eat. Since the old man had warned me that this house was not very clean, I didn't feel sleepy and just sat there dazed on the ground.
As night deepened, a cold wind howled through the broken doorway into the house, causing the flame of the oil lamp to flicker wildly. If I hadn't occasionally shielded it with my hand, it would have been blown out by that night wind.
In such a night, being alone in this dilapidated old house didn't feel good at all; I could feel chills running through my body. Perhaps it was just too eerie an environment?
I sat there for quite some time. After a long day of traveling through the mountains, I started to feel drowsy from sitting too long while staring blankly at the oil lamp beside me. Just then, I suddenly heard footsteps coming from upstairs—"thud thud thud," they echoed continuously...
Since it was a wooden building, the sound was particularly loud and clear. I was immediately startled; any trace of sleepiness vanished! The sound was too strange—this run-down house had clearly been uninhabited for many years; how could there possibly be someone upstairs?
At that moment, I looked up at the loft above me and could distinctly feel that the footsteps were coming from right above my head. Each time there was a sound of walking, I could feel a slight vibration on the loft floor above.
Seeing this, I thought: Could it be that old man really wasn't lying? Is this house truly haunted?
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