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墨書 Inktalez
Wang Shu and Wang Fu were originally like brothers, but they became enemies due to the mysterious death of the bride, Purple Jade.
In order to seek revenge, Wang Shu found the coffin shop owner, Gu Anniang, and learned a bloodless method of murder from her. He bought a black cat at the market and cruelly buried it alive beneath the main house of the Wang Family. As a result, seven years later, Wang Fu's eldest son also met with a bizarre death.
"How did you know about the transaction between Wang Shu and Gu Anniang? Could it be that after your brother's death, Wang Shu, feeling triumphant, revealed the truth to you?" Xing Ruyi rested her chin on her hand, her gaze fixed on Wang San's face without wavering. As Wang San recounted the entire incident, his emotions fluctuated slightly; it was clear he was serious in his narration, making it unlikely he was fabricating details. This was precisely what intrigued Xing Ruyi.
"Ruyi, you guessed half right. The matter between Wang Shu and Gu Anniang was indeed disclosed to us by Wang Shu himself, but it wasn't out of triumph; rather, it was in his final moments that he spoke sincerely. Perhaps he finally understood that Purple Jade's death had nothing to do with my father and felt guilty, which led him to be honest with us."
Wang San paused briefly.
"I'll start from the beginning. We were unaware of Wang Shu burying the black cat beneath our main house. All we knew was that during those years, there was always something unsettling at home. Ever since my brother became aware of things, he often claimed to see a cat and would hear its cries at night. My father, although he never took any official exams, could still be considered a scholar. Naturally, he didn't take my brother's claims seriously and thought it was just childish nonsense until before my brother's incident."
"But what happened to your brother?"
Wang San nodded: "I don't know the specifics; what I know now is what my parents told me later. Before my brother's incident, he pointed to the spot where the black cat was buried and told my father that he was leaving because the black cat had no offspring and wanted to take him away. My father thought my brother was just ill and talking nonsense since he seemed unwell and had a feverish forehead. He called for a doctor. After taking medicine, my brother fell into a daze and fell asleep while my mother watched over him.
By nightfall, my mother couldn't keep awake and dozed off beside the bed. When she woke up, my brother was gone. She went outside to search for him and found him hanging from a black locust tree. My father was heartbroken and cried for a long time while holding my brother's body, even shouting that he would cut down that black locust tree.
On the night my brother left us, two things happened at home. The first was that in the middle of the night, there were sudden sounds of thunder and lightning without any rain. When we went outside to check, we found that the black locust tree had been forcibly split in half. Later on, my father hired someone to completely chop down the tree; the wood was taken by people from the coffin shop to make a coffin. The second thing was that my father suddenly remembered my brother's nonsensical words and disregarded objections to dig up the ground where the black cat was buried. He discovered the dead cat inside. According to Wang Shu, that black cat had been buried in our home for at least seven years; however, when my father dug it up, it felt as if it had just died—its body still warm—but once exposed to sunlight, it quickly began to rot.
Because my brother's death closely resembled that of Purple Jade from years ago, my father naturally thought of Wang Shu and went to confront him with my brother's coffin. I mentioned earlier that after burying Zisu (Purple Jade), Wang Shu left Luoyang City; later on, he joined the military, achieved merit in battle, and was appointed as a Vanguard General. He only returned home a month before my brother's death and used his power to seize nearly half of our family's property before starting extensive renovations on our current house.
Initially thinking that Wang Shu must have been thriving in life, we were surprised when my father opened Wang Shu's door only to find an old man inside—skin sagging and hunched over—who looked nothing like the imposing Vanguard General from just a month ago; he resembled an ordinary man in his fifties or sixties instead."
"You mean that in just one month’s time, Wang Shu transformed from an upright young Vanguard General into an old man who could barely walk without gasping for breath?"
Wang San nodded: "At first, my father didn't believe it either but upon closer questioning and verification, he confirmed that this person indeed was Wang Shu. Perhaps knowing he didn't have much time left or seeing my father carrying the coffin for questioning filled him with guilt; thus he revealed everything about the incident. My father still held some brotherly feelings towards Wang Shu; upon seeing his current state as retribution for his actions, he chose not to press further but instead took my brother’s coffin back and found a decent place for burial based on feng shui principles. Since my brother had been wronged by someone else’s actions and my father couldn’t bear to pursue Wang Shu for blame, my mother couldn’t stand it anymore and went to the coffin shop intending to confront Gu Anniang directly. However, when she arrived at the shop, it was empty; we still don’t know where Gu Anniang has gone."
"Since that's the case, your family's grievances with Wang Shu should have been resolved; how did later events unfold?"
"Wang San" shook his head and said, "Resolving this? It's not that easy! My father is kind-hearted and values brotherly loyalty, so he can't bear to pursue the matter. That's my father's generosity. But the 'Wang Shu' family may not think the same way. Just after my elder brother was buried, 'Wang Shu' also died. At that time, he had already married and had children. Although the child was too young to remember, the child's mother certainly did, and she blamed everything on our family. Thus, this grudge has continued until now. Oh, the 'Wang Cheng' I mentioned earlier is 'Wang Shu's' son. The one who urinated on the stone in my house is 'Wang Cheng's' son, which means he is also 'Wang Shu's' grandson."
"You still haven't clarified the matter of urinating on the stone."
"Actually, it's not much. Perhaps my brother's departure left some unresolved feelings in my father, or maybe something sinister is at work in our home. My parents' health has been deteriorating, and strange things often happen in our house. One day, while my father was selling calligraphy and paintings on the street, he encountered a Taoist priest. After wandering around our house inside and out, the priest placed a stone and drew symbols on it. Strangely enough, ever since then, our household has been peaceful; although life isn't particularly prosperous, we don't have to worry about food and clothing.
A few days ago, while chatting with someone, my father inadvertently revealed the story about this stone. Somehow it reached 'Wang Cheng's' ears. That kid is just like 'Wang Shu' when he was young—wild and daring with all sorts of mischievous ideas. So, taking advantage of an opportunity, he let his son urinate on our stone as a way to exorcise evil spirits from our family."
"Then did your father feel something strange about his shadow? Did it start after the talisman on that stone was destroyed?"
"Wang San" nodded: "If you hadn't asked me, I wouldn't have realized it. Thinking back carefully, it seems to have started from that night. Because of what 'Wang Cheng's' son did, my father was quite angry; he didn't even eat dinner and went out to work instead. Normally, my father wouldn't sell calligraphy and paintings at night because it's dark and hard to see; it could ruin good works. But out of anger, he set up a stall at night and worked until very late before coming back. My mother and I were worried and afraid that my father might do something bad out of anger, so we didn't dare to sleep.
When my father returned home, he seemed fine at first but shortly after going into his room, he screamed for my mother. I heard his voice and followed him in. Upon entering the room, I saw my father looking terrified as he pointed at his own shadow on the ground as if he had seen a ghost."
"Was your father's shadow really that strange?"
"It was indeed a bit strange! That shadow had a very large head that looked nothing like my father’s. Its limbs were slender and long; at first glance, its fingers resembled bird claws. But later I gathered my courage to take a closer look and thought they looked more like branches—like those of a black locust tree—and even my father's shadow seemed to have layers resembling tree canopies."
"Any monster would not cause trouble without reason; they act based on people's actions. As a common saying goes: if one does not do anything wrong, they won't be startled by knocks at midnight. If there are no ghosts in one's heart, one's eyes will naturally be clear." "Xing Ruyi" said while glancing outside the door. It was already deep into the night; outside was silent as death, and there were no signs of mischief from the old locust tree stump.
Activating her "Ghost Eye," she scanned the courtyard again; although there was some yin energy present, it stemmed from the household itself and had nothing to do with the black cat from years ago. Just as she contemplated whether to take another look at that stone, suddenly came "Wang Fu's" voice from inside: "Ghost! There's a ghost!"
"Xing Ruyi" lifted her skirt and rushed inside immediately; "Wang San" followed closely behind her in a cold sweat. Just as they crossed through an archway, they saw "Wang Fu" rushing out with disheveled hair while shouting: "Don't follow me! Don't follow me!"
Looking down quickly, "Xing Ruyi" understood instantly. She blocked "Wang Fu's" path and poked him sharply between his eyebrows with her finger. "Wang Fu" froze instantly and looked up at "Xing Ruyi," murmuring softly: "'Ruyi'! I saw a ghost!"
"I ask you—have you truly let go of what happened back then?"
"About what happened back then?" Wang Fu's gaze drifted.
"The matter of Purple Jade, and the strange death of Young Master, have you truly let go?"
"The matter of Purple Jade has nothing to do with me!" Wang Fu said, his body going limp as he collapsed onto the ground. "In fact, I knew Purple Jade even earlier than Wang Shu. Purple Jade is around my age, and her family's Tofu Shop was near the private school I attended. We became familiar with each other over time. But back then, I was still young and hadn't developed any feelings, so I was completely unaware of her kindness towards me. By the time I realized it, it was already too late."
"When did you find out?"
"On the night Wang Shu got married. He was generous and very loyal, so he had many brothers. On the night of his wedding, there were toasts and drinks flowing freely. When we were all a bit tipsy, he called me over and asked me to relay a message to Purple Jade that he would be late returning to their room. I didn't think much of it and did as he asked. Outside the newlywed's room, through the door and window, I spoke with Purple Jade. She wasn't happy at that moment; she talked about many things from earlier times, recalling when she first cooked for me.
I remember she made lotus leaf fried rice for me. Of course, this dish was different from what a princess would make; it wasn't that elaborate. It was simply named because it used lotus leaves. It was purely coincidental!"
Wang Fu continued, looking up slightly as his eyes narrowed: "I remember we were both hungry at that time. Purple Jade went to the kitchen to search for something to eat but only found half a bowl of leftover rice. Since there was nothing hot available, she casually picked a lotus leaf from the yard and wrapped the rice in it before placing it in a steamer.
Before long, we could smell the fragrance of the lotus leaves, which made our stomachs growl even more. We looked at each other and laughed. The rice was heated up, but there wasn't much of it. I offered her some; she offered me some back, and neither of us wanted to take the first bite. Purple Jade was clever; she quickly thought of a new idea. She found some tofu scraps and stir-fried them together with the rice and some vegetables, serving them in two pieces of lotus leaves, creating what we thought was delicious lotus leaf fried rice at that time. We sat on the steps in front of Purple Jade's house and enjoyed our meal heartily. Just as we were finishing up, Wang Shu arrived; he had been drawn in by the aroma of the fried rice, and it was because of that dish that he fell for Purple Jade."
"And what about you? Did you like Purple Jade back then?"
"Me? I don't know; maybe I did, but at that time I was completely unaware. Instead, I felt happy for both of them, thinking that I had played a part in bringing Wang Shu and Purple Jade together. It wasn't until that night that Purple Jade told me she had always liked me; the reason she married Wang Shu was that he had bullied her."
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