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墨書 Inktalez
Survival refers to the poor, while extreme death leads to Vengeful Spirit!
Folk beliefs in Yin and Yang suggest that there are no coincidences in this world, only inevitabilities. Every encounter, no matter how trivial, will inevitably influence future destinies; once a bond is formed, it cannot be broken.
For instance, Xing Ruyi stands before the Vengeful Spirit in the corner. Its skin is pale blue, its face white, and it is covered in yellow earth. Its old clothes are buried beneath the dirt, and its nose is oddly contorted, with one hand pressed against its chest. The features unmistakably resemble those of a deceased person.
"Rest assured, I know everything about your situation. I believe the authorities will handle it fairly, and soon you will be able to White Fox."
Xing Ruyi opened her mouth but did not speak.
The Vengeful Spirit pointed at her, appearing as if it wanted to say something but hesitated.
"You are the victim; you know everything and can testify against the Criminal in front of me. However, there is a separation between Yin and Yang. The underworld has its own rules, just as the living world has its own protocols. My coming here to assist you is already somewhat overstepping boundaries; let the people of the living world handle the rest!"
The Vengeful Spirit shook its head in reluctance.
"What can you do even if you are unwilling? You have already become a Vengeful Spirit. If I had not come personally today, would you have sought revenge yourself? Do you know what would happen to you for harming others as a Vengeful Spirit?"
The Vengeful Spirit opened its mouth but remained silent.
Xing Ruyi took a step closer and noticed that the Vengeful Spirit's tongue had been removed.
"Did they do this to you?" Xing Ruyi asked.
The Vengeful Spirit nodded.
"No wonder you returned for revenge; they took your tongue to prevent you from reporting them in the underworld. These people think far ahead, but unfortunately, the way cases are handled in the underworld is different from that in the living world. Their every action has already been recorded; even if you cannot speak, their eloquence will not help them."
The Vengeful Spirit widened its eyes.
"Do you see this token? It was personally given to me by Lord Cui, who is also known as your Yama King. With this token, I can traverse between Yin and Yang and have the authority to assist in cases in the underworld. Otherwise, do you think a mere Rouge shopkeeper like me could see you or influence the officials of the Yamen?
Now that I am involved in your matter, I will see it through to the end. If the underworld's judgment is unfair, I will stand up for you. So you can leave with peace of mind. If you still feel unsatisfied, just wait in the underworld; by next autumn at most, those who harmed you will be taken away one by one by the Ghost Messenger. At that time, I will fight for your benefit so that you can repay grievances with grievances and avenge your enemies—how does that sound?"
The eyes of the Vengeful Spirit lit up! After a moment of thought, it bowed deeply to Xing Ruyi.
As he got up, two wisps of black smoke darted out in front of him. When the smoke dissipated, a new Ghost Messenger appeared in the room, still wearing an internship badge.
"Greetings, Ruyi!" The person looked up and smiled, appearing somewhat familiar. "Do you not remember? A few days ago, I helped you carry a coffin to the Gu Family's Coffin Shop. Thanks to you, I was able to enter the Underworld smoothly. It was also because of your favor that I was promoted to Ghost Messenger."
"Oh, it's you! No wonder you look familiar," Xing Ruyi recalled. "Why did you give up on Reincarnation? Given your experiences in this life and my connections, even if you can't be rich and powerful in your next life, you could at least live comfortably."
"To be honest, the Judge has said the same thing to me. I must admit, I was tempted. However, having been human in my previous life, I became afraid of it. Now that I have the chance to serve in Yin Si and remember your kindness, I thought it would be good to volunteer as a guiding Ghost Messenger."
"Becoming a Ghost Messenger is indeed a good thing, but from now on, you'll spend most of your time in the shadows," Xing Ruyi said, looking into the Ghost Messenger's eyes. "Since you're new to Yin Si and have yet to see many things, if you ever regret your decision later on, feel free to seek me out. If I'm still around then, perhaps I can help you."
In Yin Si, one day equals three years in the living world, so the ghost understood what Xing Ruyi meant. He bowed deeply and said, "I will remember your words. If you ever need anything in the future, no matter what it is—even if it means risking my own soul—I will do my utmost to assist you."
"Don't be so serious! It's better to live well while you're alive—whether as a human or as a ghost," Xing Ruyi replied with a glance at the time. "It's getting late; take him down now. He has unresolved grievances and lingering resentment. Once you're below, take care of him and make sure no other Vengeful Spirits bully him."
"Rest assured, I will take care of him!" The ghost said as he locked the Vengeful Spirit's neck with chains and led him away into the black smoke.
Xing Ruyi sighed with relief and stepped out of the house. By this time, most of the onlookers had dispersed, and the fox stood quietly in the same spot as when she first arrived.
Above the fox's head was a withered branch with a bird perched on it. The bird seemed somewhat Daoist and was able to converse with him despite the barrier set by the fox.
"Hey! You must be the legendary fox!"
The fox remained silent; her eyes revealed no emotion.
The bird didn't mind at all and continued talking animatedly.
"A few days ago, I flew past an Academy where there was an old man with a white beard full of wrinkles telling stories to some young ones. I found his stories interesting and landed on a window to listen."
The bird continued flapping its wings and circled around the fox: "The story was particularly interesting—it was about a thirsty Crow searching for water everywhere. The Crow spotted a bottle with some water inside it. However, there wasn't much water in the bottle and it was too deep for the Crow to reach.
Just then, a fox came along. The fox pointed at the bottle's opening and then at some stones nearby, saying to the Crow: 'Why are you so foolish? Just drop these stones into the bottle one by one until the water rises high enough for you to drink!'
Upon hearing this advice from the fox, the Crow suddenly understood what to do. It began dropping stones into the bottle one by one; gradually, the water level rose until it was high enough for the Crow to drink. Overjoyed, just as it leaned down to sip from the bottle's opening, the fox leaped up and caught it. In an instant, that newly quenched Crow became a delicious meal for the fox."
I heard about it, so I went to ask the crow if there was any truth to it. In the end, the crow stubbornly refused to admit anything. Since I happened to run into you today, I thought I’d ask— is this true? Is the crow really that foolish?”
The fox shot a displeased glance at the bird. “I don’t know if the crow was eaten by a fox. But if you keep rambling here and disturb my conversation with my wife, you might just end up being eaten yourself!”
The fox emphasized this while deliberately pointing at Xing Ruyi. Xing Ruyi, feeling both amused and helpless, pointed at herself and then pretended to be angry, pouting at the fox.
“So in your eyes, I’m just a glutton!”
“Not at all! My wife is quite picky about her food. It’s just that this bird is different; it’s a dove.”
“A dove!” At this moment, Xing Ruyi also entered the conversation, her eyes sparkling with a smile as she cooperated with the fox. “So this is a dove! I’ve heard of it from Si Niang, but I didn’t know what it tasted like. Let’s do this: if my husband finds it noisy, catch the dove and stew it if it weighs over a pound; if it’s only a few ounces, we’ll fry it.”
“That suggestion from my wife is excellent!” The fox said, casting a sidelong glance at the bird. The bird flapped its wings and flew up to the treetop. “The city is full of tricks; indeed, this bird is better suited for the countryside!”
Xing Ruyi felt slightly embarrassed and touched her nose. She said to the fox, “That sounds so familiar. Didn’t you just ask where its school was? And that story about the crow drinking water—I learned that too, but in my version, there was no fox.”
“What do you mean?”
“Perhaps that old teacher is like me—someone who has crossed over.”
The fox's expression turned serious. “If you meet him, I will go look for him.”
“No need. If this is an old arrangement, we will naturally encounter him. If we don’t meet him, it proves that his existence holds no significance for either of us, just as our existence holds no meaning for him.”
The fox nodded and changed the subject. “Have things here been handled properly?”
“It can now be confirmed that the deceased did not die from an unexpected emergency as claimed by his wife; it was actually a murder case. However, this case has many twists and turns, and there are other underlying issues that need to be investigated by the government office.”
“Is there really more to uncover among common people?” The fox's voice unconsciously rose.
“Though you often walk among humans, you may not truly understand their hearts. This world is far more complex than Qingqiu; human hearts are much harder to fathom than those of foxes.”
“Are you implying that I don’t understand your heart?”
The fox asked seriously.
"I'm working on your case, so please don't interrupt, okay?" Xing Ruyi pouted and shot a glance at the fox. "My heart, although complicated, is in its simplest state in front of you. Yin Chensi, not every mortal wishes to live a complicated life. Meeting you is my fortune, and I cherish it greatly. So please, don't overthink it, alright?"
"I was just teasing you. I may not understand the hearts of others, but I understand yours!" The fox pointed to its own heart. "A fox's heart may not be as complex as yours, nor as large, but this fox's Heart is filled entirely with you."
In this world, even though it is very complex and human hearts are hard to fathom, if one looks with their whole heart, they will surely see clearly and understand. As for what you call the so-called complicated human hearts, it's not that they are complex; rather, it's because they complicate the hearts of others.
"Maybe!" Xing Ruyi blinked her eyes. "What you just said would fit perfectly in the Buddhist Sect."
"Buddhas have their own selfish desires too. The so-called enlightenment of all beings is merely a desire for them to serve and support him. If there truly were Four Great Emptiness—without desires or needs—then why would he require his followers to believe in him and heed his teachings?"
"Unfortunately, people are foolish and only listen to what is useful to them or what they want to hear. So having faith isn't bad at all. The bad ones are those without faith. Just like this Deceased's Wife; if she believed in karma, perhaps she wouldn't have committed the act of Murder against her husband!"
"Does she not believe? I just saw a Vengeful Spirit that seemed to have its tongue cut out. If I am not mistaken, that Vengeful Spirit is the male master of this courtyard!"
"Your fox eyes are indeed impressive; you can see through several walls to discern what's inside?"
"It's not that I'm impressive; it's that the Ghost Messenger knows I'm here and came out to see me." The fox smiled slyly. "This is still considering your Ruyi's presence. Now, what exactly is the truth behind this case? How deep have you waded into the waters of Gu Family Coffin Shop?"
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