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墨書 Inktalez
In the Coffin Shop, there were rows of pitch-black coffins. Wang Shu maneuvered through the coffins and finally arrived at a curtain. The curtain was made of hand-dyed fabric from the southern border, adorned with various tragic scenes from Hell. Even Wang Shu, who was usually bold, dared not look too long.
He stood outside the curtain and asked in a hushed voice, "Is Gu Anniang here?"
The curtain moved without wind, and then a delicate hand emerged, its fingers painted red. In the dim light of the Coffin Shop, it looked somewhat eerie.
"Oh, I thought it was someone else; it's our Groom. On this A Moment of Spring Night, what brings you to my Coffin Shop to seek misfortune?" The voice accompanied the hand, and soon a face appeared behind the curtain. The face seemed ordinary, but those eyes were quite captivating.
Gu Anniang, also known as the Coffin Lady, was the mistress of the Coffin Shop. At thirty-five years old, she had grown up in this shop, which had been in her family for generations. She married a man who also dealt in funerals, but unfortunately, he passed away before reaching thirty. Although widows often attract gossip, Gu Anniang's shop remained remarkably quiet; even men who might have had ulterior motives dared not step inside.
Wang Shu was one of the bolder ones. Once, he had bet someone that he would dare to tease Gu Anniang in her shop and took a risk by kissing her cheek when she wasn't paying attention. At that moment, Gu Anniang was momentarily stunned and then stared intently at Wang Shu, making him feel dizzy as if stars were swirling before his eyes. When he woke up later, he found himself lying fully clothed in a dilapidated coffin in a graveyard, with Gu Anniang watching him from beside a grave with an amused expression.
Gu Anniang asked, "Do you dare kiss me again?"
Wang Shu felt fear inside but showed no sign of it on his face; he defiantly replied, "I dare!"
Gu Anniang said, "Then go ahead and kiss me!"
Wang Shu climbed out of the broken coffin without looking around and directly wrapped his arms around Gu Anniang's neck, planting a kiss on her cheek.
That year, Wang Shu was also sixteen. After that kiss, their relationship became complicated—like siblings yet also like lovers. It began with affection but remained within bounds of propriety. Wang Shu and Gu Anniang maintained this ambiguous relationship for three years until he met Purple Jade and finally reined in his restless heart toward Gu Anniang. Surprisingly, Gu Anniang did not mind; instead, she acted as an older sister and prepared a thoughtful wedding gift for Wang Shu.
So when Wang Shu appeared at Gu Anniang's Coffin Shop at this moment, it was understandable why her tone sounded so peculiar.
Wang Shu said nothing but placed a package in Gu Anniang's hands. When she opened it, she found a gold ingot that gleamed under the candlelight.
Gu Anniang gazed at the gold and asked, "What is this for? Is it your hush money for me? Rest assured, regarding our little secret, I wouldn’t dream of letting anyone know."
"I want someone to die quietly," Wang Shu looked into Gu Anniang's eyes and continued, "Purple Jade is dead; she was murdered!"
"What?" Gu Anniang asked in surprise, holding the gold in her hand. "Didn't you just get married yesterday?"
Wang Shu nodded, his eyes red. He recounted everything that had happened on their wedding night to Gu Anniang.
Gu Anniang sighed deeply, "I think the matter with Purple Jade was not done by your brother Wang Fu. You know that you two have always been like brothers, and he is not the kind of person who would act on lust."
Wang Shu turned his face away awkwardly and said, "That's because you don't know the inside story! Purple Jade originally had feelings for Wang Fu. It was me, in a drunken state, who forcefully took advantage of her. Otherwise, given her personality, how could she possibly marry someone like me, a rough man?"
"Does Wang Fu know about this?" Gu Anniang asked.
Wang Shu shook his head. "I'm not sure! All I know is that Purple Jade hanged herself on the Black Locust tree in front of the Wang Family's house. Even if he didn't do it himself, he must be involved somehow. Otherwise, how could my new wife have gone to his home? Gu Anniang, you have to help me!"
Gu Anniang lowered her head, biting her lip, and remained silent for a while.
Wang Shu grew anxious; he stared at Gu Anniang with red eyes and asked hoarsely, "Are you really not willing to help me?"
"It's not that I'm unwilling to help, but this matter is somewhat suspicious. If I don't clarify things first and just jump in to help you, I might end up harming you instead."
"If you refuse to help me, that would truly harm me. Gu Anniang, for the sake of our past friendship, please fulfill one of my wishes. Purple Jade's death is so unclear; I can't swallow this anger!"
"Fine, I'll help you for the sake of our past friendship. But Wang Shu, from now on, let's not have any ties between us. Let's pretend we are strangers who have never met or had any relationship."
"Gu Anniang?"
"Reincarnation has its consequences; everything will have its retribution. The request you just made can only lead me to give you a method. As for whether or not to do it, how to do it, or whom to harm, it has nothing to do with me, Gu Anniang. Also, after we understand this matter, don't come back to my Coffin Shop again. If you agree, I'll tell you the method; if not, you can just stay here. You know my temper well enough as Gu Anniang; so some things shouldn't be too difficult for me." Gu Anniang lowered her head to adjust her clothes and sighed lightly. "Wang Shu, we were once close; you need to understand that my decision now is for the good of both of us."
Wang Shu remained silent and stood quietly behind Gu Anniang. He initially wanted to reach out and embrace her but saw her turn around at that moment. Looking into her eyes that seemed capable of reaching Hell itself, he silently lowered his already raised hand.
"What should I do?"
"It’s simple. You just need to go to the market and buy a cat, preferably one that is already pregnant, a Black Cat, and then bury this cat under the main house of your target."
"And then?"
"Wait! Patiently wait! It will take at least two or three years, or as long as seven or eight years, but eventually, you will see the results you desire."
"Seven or eight years? Does it really have to take that long?"
"What goes around comes around. The actions you take now will come back to you in another form in the future. This is what people often refer to as good deeds bringing good rewards and evil deeds bringing evil rewards. A Black Cat, while still a cat, is a type of spirit cat. If you kill it, it will carry resentment that will come back to haunt you. So after doing this, it’s best for you to stay away from Luoyang City and find a place with heavy negative energy. When the Black Cat cannot find you, it will naturally vent all its resentment on the main family. Once enough resentment accumulates over time, you will get the results you want." Gu Anniang looked up at Wang Shu and said, "What you seek is precisely for someone to die quietly and without a trace. Therefore, this method is the most appropriate and leaves no evidence."
Wang Shu maintained a serious expression and thought for a moment. "Alright, I will do as you say. After I finish this task, I will join the Military Camp; at least it will be seven or eight years before I return."
"The Military Camp? That’s indeed the best place to go. With all the fighting and killing, the negative energy there is quite heavy." Gu Anniang reached out and adjusted Wang Shu's clothing. "Then, on the day you leave, I won’t see you off. Our relationship cannot be seen in public."
"Wait for me! When I come back, I will marry you! Gu Anniang, believe me, I will proudly carry you out of this Coffin Shop!"
Gu Anniang shook her head and pointed at the Tablet on the wooden table. "Fool, have you forgotten? I am already married!"
Wang Shu glanced at the Tablet; unlike ordinary Tablets, this one was made of black and white wood and didn’t even have a specific name on it. Though he felt disdainful in his heart, he said nothing more and gently kissed Gu Anniang on the forehead, saying, "Wait for me!"
Gu Anniang smiled faintly as she watched Wang Shu leave.
In the dim room, a commotion arose amidst the cold atmosphere filled with the stench of decay. From beneath the bed, a figure slowly crawled out. Using the flickering candlelight as guidance, he approached Gu Anniang's side. His half-decayed face bore a strained smile. His cold white teeth chattered as he said, "I’ve troubled you, Wife!"
Gu Anniang shook her head and exhaled toward the corpse. The pure Yang energy she had just received from Wang Shu fell onto the corpse, restoring its previously decayed face back to its original state.
At that moment, if Wang Fu were present, he would immediately recognize that this corpse was the same person he encountered in the alley after drunkenly returning from Wang Shu's home—the witness who had testified for him at the Yamen.
Gu Anniang gently caressed the corpse's face and softly said, "Just wait a little longer; be patient a bit more. Soon we will be together!"
The corpse nodded and said, "The pure Yin blood is already here! The pure Yang energy is also ready! Now, we just need a pure Yang body and a medicinal catalyst."
"Don't worry, I've found everything. The plan is already set. Now we just need to patiently wait!" Gu Anniang gently leaned into the corpse's embrace. "Can you blame me for what happened with him?"
The corpse shook its head. "Don't overthink it. I know you allowed him to do that for my sake. You're tired too; go to sleep!"
Gu Anniang nodded, adjusted her clothes, and lay down on the bed. The corpse looked at her and slowly crawled back down from the bed.
At this moment, if you crouched by the bed and looked inside, you would see the corpse turning its body, eventually lying back to back with Gu Anniang beneath the bedboard. Underneath the bed, there was a coffin, inside which lay the new wife, Purple Jade, who had hanged herself from the Black Locust tree just the day before.
Wang Shu followed Gu Anniang's instructions and bought a pregnant black cat from the market.
He locked the black cat in a cage and fed it with water boiled from human bones for seven days. On the eighth night, he took the black cat out of the cage, bound it tightly with a rope soaked in corpse oil, and stuffed its mouth with talisman paper before secretly bringing it to the Wang family's courtyard.
He walked around the courtyard to ensure that Wang Fu's family was sound asleep before digging a hole next to the main house and burying the black cat in it. Wang Shu was not a coward; otherwise, he wouldn't have spent a night sleeping in a broken coffin and still had the courage to kiss Gu Anniang afterward. However, on this pitch-black night, looking into the black cat's eyes filled him with an unprecedented chill. As he buried the black cat alive, he vaguely heard it emit cries like those of a child. Cold sweat broke out on his forehead as the wind howled past his ears, chilling him to the bone.
He looked at his hands; they trembled slightly. But when he closed his eyes, he seemed to see Purple Jade hanging from the Black Locust tree again. He steeled himself and pressed the black cat firmly into the pit before covering it with dirt. After burying it, worried that Wang Fu's family might notice something amiss, he even stomped on the ground a few times to make it look more level.
After doing all this, he jumped out of Wang Family's courtyard and glanced at the Black Locust tree in front of him, cursing fiercely, "Wang Fu, just wait for your whole family to die!"
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