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墨書 Inktalez
As soon as they entered the village, Xing Ruyi and the others felt that the atmosphere was clearly off. It was still early for meals, yet every household had already lit their fires, and there were hardly any people to be seen in the village.
"Fox Demon, don't you think this village seems a bit strange?" Si Niang lifted the curtain of the carriage and glanced outside. Just in time, she saw a villager peering at them through a crack in the door. Their eyes met briefly, but the person hurriedly closed the door.
"It is a bit strange; these villagers seem both curious and fearful of us," Xing Ruyi said, lifting the other side of the curtain. Sure enough, there was another villager quietly observing them through a door crack. When their gazes collided, that person quickly retreated, though the door crack remained slightly open.
"Just now at the village entrance, I saw that Grave Smoke enter the village, but after we came in, it disappeared," Li Mao stopped the carriage. "Based on past experiences, these villagers are probably not afraid of us but rather of that Grave Smoke."
"It's just a Grave Smoke; how much trouble can it cause?" Xing Ruyi said as she stepped down from the carriage. She approached the previous household and peered inside through the door crack. As soon as her eyes got close, she spotted a pair of darting black eyes.
"Did you see clearly?" Xing Ruyi stepped back, crossed her arms, and raised her chin towards the person inside: "I see you have quite a bit of courage; do you dare to open your door and tell us what's going on? Perhaps I can help resolve whatever issues your village is facing."
The person didn't speak, but their face clearly conveyed a message: "You? Just a little girl!"
Xing Ruyi shook her head and took another step back, softly saying a few words: "Your family just held a funeral, right? The deceased was your grandmother, over seventy years old; it could be considered a joyful mourning. However, your coffin isn't very good; it's made of aged paulownia wood. As soon as it was lowered into the grave, it cracked open, and now your grandmother is soaking in water, which is why she's not very happy."
"You... how do you know?" The person was startled and opened the door crack wider.
"Do you want to know how I found out?" Xing Ruyi raised her chin: "First, open the door and let us come in for a sit. We've been jostled around in this carriage for quite some time; my bones feel like they're about to fall apart!"
"Simpleton! Open the door and let our guests in!"
An Old Man with a pipe walked out from one side room. He squinted his eyes and looked at Xing Ruyi through the slightly ajar door before instructing a Young Man to open it.
"Grandfather, is this... okay?" The Young Man hesitated.
"What’s wrong with that? This dead horse can be treated like a living one. Besides, I see this young lady has some real skills; perhaps we really need these esteemed guests to solve our village's problems. Open the door! If anything happens, I'll take responsibility myself."
"You’re right about that, Grandfather! And you—young as you are—still lack the courage and determination of an Old Man!"
"You girl don’t need to flatter me with words. We country folks don’t have anything good to offer you."
"No need for that! We have food and drink with us in the carriage. Would you like to have a jug of Peach Blossom Wine from Li Family Tavern in Luoyang City?"
“Peach Blossom Wine?” The old man lifted his foot and tapped the end of his pipe with his shoe. “This is good wine, and it should be enjoyed by me today! Boy, go get a plate of the pickled radishes we made. Grandpa wants to have a good chat with this girl.”
Xing Ruyi noticed another story was about to unfold and gave Li Mao a knowing glance. Li Mao hurried back to the carriage and brought over a plate of vinegar peanuts and a plate of sauced beef, placing them in front of the old man.
The old man glanced at the food but did not pick up his chopsticks; instead, he continued to puff on his pipe. “Isn’t that girl looking for Common People? What you just discussed with the boy outside was real, wasn’t it?”
“Is it real? You can discern that for yourself,” Xing Ruyi replied, pointing to a room. “This room used to belong to your son and daughter-in-law. Unfortunately, they were not blessed, and they passed away when your grandson was still a minor. To spare you heartache, you turned these two rooms into storage.”
“That’s right! My family has only this few rooms across three generations. The door to that room is open, and there are still things inside that belonged to my son and daughter-in-law. It’s no surprise that there are also farming tools piled up in the corner. But what does that have to do with what you discussed with the boy outside?”
“Don’t rush, old man; let Fox Demon explain slowly.” Xing Ruyi continued, pointing to another house. “This house is where you lived before. First, look at its appearance; it’s newly renovated compared to the old one, indicating it was rebuilt in recent years. The front yard is well-kept, even the flowers and plants have been carefully tended by you. Since this house is where you lived with your late wife, you wouldn’t just move out casually. Even if you did move out, there must be a reason.”
“I’m old now; I fear seeing things that remind me of her!”
“If this were two years ago, perhaps you would have moved out for that reason. But considering your age now and your open-mindedness, I suspect you would prefer staying there to reminisce about her. The reason for moving out isn’t your longing for your wife but rather those mysterious waters.”
Upon hearing this, the old man’s expression changed noticeably.
Xing Ruyi glanced at the elderly woman standing in front of the house, drenched yet pouting her lips, feeling envious of the bond between these rural elders.
When she had just gotten off the carriage, she hadn’t noticed anything different about this courtyard compared to others; she was entirely drawn in by the door that hadn’t closed properly. But when she peered through the gap in the door, she not only saw the boy’s bright black eyes but also noticed the drenched elderly woman standing in his shadow.
From her appearance, it seemed that this elderly woman was closely related to the boy behind the door. When the old man reacted, the elderly woman’s pouty expression only confirmed their familial connection for Xing Ruyi. No wonder there were spirits in this courtyard; there wasn’t even a trace of ghostly energy.
With just a glance from her Ghost Eye, Xing Ruyi understood everything.
She stood up and walked over to that house, gently pushing on the wooden door. It creaked open, releasing a scent reminiscent of leaves rotting into the soil after continuous autumn rain.
“On the second day after the elderly lady was buried, continuous rain began. The rainwater seeped into the fresh soil and flowed into the grave. The coffin was prepared by you many years ago using sycamore wood that you and the elderly lady planted together back then. Unfortunately, sycamore wood isn’t ideal for coffins; after being stored for so many years, it had deteriorated significantly. During burial, rough hands accidentally struck it, causing a large crack through which water could enter.
“I remember it rained continuously for seven or eight days, right? So think about it: during such an extended period, wasn’t her body soaked in muddy water? When someone first passes away, their soul still lingers within their body; their awareness hasn’t completely departed yet. Therefore, being submerged in muddy water must be quite unpleasant.”
The old lady felt wronged, so she came to find you during the time of Seven Soul Returns. As a result, you were sad and upset, and that night you ended up getting drunk. The old lady had no choice but to come every night to complain. And you? You could only see your old companion but couldn't hear what she was saying. Watching her drenched and pitifully looking at you, your heart ached, yet you didn't know what to do. So, you could only hide away.
"That's not right! Since this old lady can enter that room, why can't she enter the room across from it?" Si Niang pointed to the room where Son's wife used to live.
"It's simple, because there is a talisman on that room!" Xing Ruyi casually pointed, and Si Niang and the others immediately saw a faded triangular talisman hanging from a Red String.
"Your Son's wife must have died unexpectedly, right? At that time, your grandson was still young. You were worried that your wife wouldn't let go of this child and would take his soul with her, so you sought this talisman to hang outside this house. That bed must be where your grandson, whom you call Simpleton, used to sleep. As for the name Simpleton, it shouldn't be your grandson's real name; it's a derogatory name given according to rural customs for easier upbringing."
"That's right!" Old Man said with red eyes, glancing at his old companion before lowering his head and rubbing his eye bags against the table leg. "I can indeed see my Wife. She's already halfway into the coffin; what else can't I see? I'm not worried about her taking me away; I just can't rest easy about my Grandson. His mother passed away early, and if I can't see him settle down and start a family, I won't be able to close my eyes in peace."
"Don't worry, the old lady wouldn't want to take her Grandson away either; she hopes you can enjoy more blessings in this world. She comes to find you simply wanting your help to clear the rainwater from her grave so she can leave cleanly and peacefully."
"Wife, I'm sorry for not being able to prepare a good coffin for you in the end. Don't worry; this afternoon I'll have Simpleton tidy up your place. Don't rush to leave; wait a bit longer. Once I settle Simpleton's marriage, I'll come find you so we can go together and look out for each other. With your temperament, I'm worried you'll be bullied over there!"
The old lady's eyes also turned red as she shed a few ghostly tears. She knew that Xing Ruyi could see her and hear her words, so she hurriedly asked her to convey two messages to Old Man. She wasn't in a hurry about her grave; after all, she'd been lying in that muddy water for so long already—what was another month? Compared to herself, she was more concerned about the safety of these two—grandfather and grandson.
"Are you saying that both Old Man and Simpleton have seen that thing? The reason you're staying here isn't solely about the rainwater in your grave but because you're worried that thing will come back to harm them?"
The old lady quickly nodded and then glanced fearfully at a certain spot on the door. Following her gaze, Xing Ruyi indeed found two shallow handprints on the wooden door; they appeared to belong to a woman.
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