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墨書 Inktalez
“Li Mao, what is it?”
“Fireflies! It's some fireflies, but these bugs seem a bit strange.” Li Mao held the firefly and walked back to the carriage: “Shopkeeper, look, this one has actually burned my palm.”
Perhaps because Li Mao's words were too strange, even the helper sent by the Hu Residence to assist with the carriage couldn't help but glance at Li Mao's hand. In the center of Li Mao's palm lay a bug that glowed brightly as if lit up, looking quite adorable. This helper also grew up in the countryside and had often caught fireflies as a favorite pastime, but he had never seen such a beautiful firefly before.
“Can I touch this firefly? I've never seen such a beautiful one in my life.”
Before Xing Ruyi and Li Mao could respond, he reached out and grabbed the bug. Suddenly, a flame ignited from Li Mao's palm. Startled, Li Mao quickly let go, but the fire had already spread from the firefly to the helper. The street at midnight echoed with the helper's cries of pain. Li Mao desperately wanted to save him, even willing to use his supernatural abilities, but unfortunately, before he could cast his spell, the helper was reduced to a pile of ashes.
“Shopkeeper, this firefly can actually burn a person to death! What kind of strange firefly is this?” Li Mao looked at the ashes on the ground as snow began to fall around him. The snow grew heavier and denser, quickly covering the ground: “Strange, it doesn't seem like it's going to snow tonight.”
Xing Ruyi lifted the curtain of the carriage and looked toward her Ruyi Rouge shop. Amidst the swirling snow, those originally glowing fireflies had all turned blue; from a distance, they resembled the Eerie Flames that once flickered at Xing Ruyi's fingertips.
“These bugs are not ordinary fireflies; they have another more bizarre name,” Xing Ruyi said as she stepped down from the carriage and stood in the snow. “I once read a book written by tomb raiders that mentioned a type of bug called a Fire Beetle. It looks incredibly beautiful at first glance, but once touched, it can instantly turn a person to dust without leaving even bones behind. That Fire Beetle is indeed more fitting for these fireflies we see now. However, such creatures shouldn't appear here.”
“Are there really such powerful bugs in this world?” Li Mao raised his hand and looked at his palm under the light of the carriage. Although he hadn't been turned to ashes instantly, he still bore a burn mark on his palm. Li Mao knew very well that it wasn't due to any difference in their physical constitution compared to that helper; rather, he had been cautious about these bugs and used his own supernatural powers while capturing them. Otherwise, his fate would likely not have been much better than that of the helper.
Thinking of Yin Yuan still at home made Li Mao increasingly anxious: “Shopkeeper, Young Master is still in the courtyard. When I checked just now, there was no movement at home. He wouldn't have fallen victim to these bugs too, would he?”
Mentioning Yin Yuan made Xing Ruyi's heart tense as well, but deep down she felt that Yin Yuan wouldn't fall victim to these bugs. If these deadly bugs were indeed the Fire Beetles described in that book, they wouldn't appear in her Rouge shop without reason; if they were there for a reason, it meant someone had intentionally brought them here. The lack of activity in the courtyard didn't necessarily mean something had happened to Yin Yuan; rather...
“Li Mao, let's go home and check!”
“Shopkeeper!” Seeing Xing Ruyi take a step forward, Li Mao quickly reached out and pulled her back behind him. “Although you know ghost techniques, these bugs are truly bizarre. You must be cautious to avoid being harmed by these wretched creatures.”
“Don't worry; if these bugs are really what is described in the book as Fire Beetles, I believe I'll be fine.”
As Xing Ruyi spoke, her eyes suddenly changed color and an intense ghostly aura emanated from her body. The fireflies that had been swirling around her Rouge shop suddenly froze mid-air as if they were immobilized.
"The shopkeeper, this bug..."
"The so-called decayed grass turns into fireflies refers to how decayed grass can transform into fireflies, while decayed corpses attract insects. These seemingly strange bugs only grow in certain specific environments, and that specific environment refers to graves. Graves belong to the realm of the dead, and these insects often inhabit tombs, feeding on the living, yet they never ignite the coffins or corpses within the tombs. Do you know why?"
Li Mao shook his head: "I am just a monster with no place to learn such knowledge. What you just said is the first time I've heard it, let alone understand why."
"That's because there is a kind of fire within the corpse," Xing Ruyi stopped and turned to look at Li Mao: "This fire is called Phosphorescence, and it is especially common in graveyards. Take a closer look at the blue flames on these insects and see if they resemble my Eerie Flame."
Li Mao nodded.
"This is because the fire on the insects comes from the same source as my Eerie Flame. My Eerie Flame can instantly turn a living person into ashes, and its initial energy comes from those Phosphorescence, which are commonly referred to as Ghost Fire by the people."
At this point, Xing Ruyi's eyes darkened. At that time, she and the fox were brought to the Golden Tang Dynasty by a strange energy. She was an orphan with no parents or attachments, and with the fox by her side, it didn't matter where they went. However, that place made her feel somewhat familiar in a daze. Later on, when the fox relayed its conversation with an unknown entity, Xing Ruyi learned that when she and the fox first crossed into the Golden Tang Dynasty, they landed in what would later be known as Tang Ming Tang.
She was from Luoyang, born and raised there. Luoyang thousands of years later could not compare to the current Golden Tang Dynasty, and there wasn't even a trace of its former glory; only some scattered ancient-style buildings still told people that this place was once an ancient capital.
She had visited Tang Ming Tang, and although it was a replica, there were still some similarities in appearance that made her feel familiar but unable to recognize it.
She clearly remembered that when she had just awakened, she felt an uncomfortable sensation all over her body, as if being scorched by both ice and fire. The fox told her that at that time she emitted a powerful chill, and even her pupils were blue. After that uncomfortable feeling disappeared, she discovered that her fingertips could ignite fire—an eerie blue flame. It was still the fox who told her that this fire was what people commonly referred to as Ghost Fire, which is also known as Phosphorescence. However, the flame burning at her fingertips was not ordinary Phosphorescence, but rather hellfire from the most mysterious powers of the underworld.
The term ghostly arts originated from this. As for why she possessed such miraculous powers, even the fox couldn't explain it clearly. So during their time in the Golden Tang Dynasty, he had been secretly investigating this matter, even going so far as to take her to ask the Underworld Lord or even Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva; unfortunately, none provided a complete answer.
This powerful force initially meant no harm to her; in fact, it became her capital for navigating through the Golden Tang Dynasty. Gradually, she became indifferent to tracing its origins and lived day by day with the fox, occasionally wandering around the underworld to have tea with the Underworld Lord or chat with that aloof handsome guy, Cui Fujun.
Thinking of the Underworld Lord, Xing Ruyi couldn't help but smile slightly. Initially, she was afraid of this ruler who resided in the underworld; after all, in various paintings and tales, he appeared quite terrifying. However, upon meeting him, she found him stunning—just a delicate-looking young man who preferred wearing white clothes year-round in the dim underworld. Later on, she discovered that this seemingly delicate young man was actually a hidden joker. In his own words, having lived underground for thousands of years without being able to occasionally surface like ordinary ghosts meant he needed to relax and find some fun for fear of going insane. It was precisely because this Underworld Lord was so unpredictable and humorous that he casually gave her a Ghost Card and even brought her into the underworld as an official Ghost Messenger.
Just thinking about how the Underworld Lord looked made Xing Ruyi feel unexpectedly cheerful. She organized her thoughts and led Li Mao into the courtyard. The fireflies in the yard were also suspended in mid-air like those outside. After taking a glance at them, Xing Ruyi headed straight for Yin Yuan's bedroom.
"Yin Yuan, answer your mother; are you alright?"
The bedroom was pitch black, with no sounds coming from within.
"Yin Yuan!" Xing Ruyi pushed open the door, and the bedroom suddenly lit up, revealing many fireflies inside. These fireflies were clearly not like those outside; before they could see who had entered, they rushed over in a swarm.
"Li Mao, watch out!"
Xing Ruyi pulled Li Mao back just as he was about to approach the bed. She then waved her right hand, and a ball of azure flame traced a graceful arc through the air, causing dozens of fireflies to fall to the ground. The stone-paved floor was instantly marked with many black spots.
The remaining insects began to flap their wings violently, producing that strange buzzing sound.
"Shopkeeper, are these bugs insane?"
"They're not insane; they're calling for their companions or their master."
Xing Ruyi struck again, unleashing an even larger flame. As the gust of heat passed through, most of the remaining insects fell as well. Although the few left were still frantically beating their wings, the insects outside maintained a cautious distance and did not rush into the bedroom recklessly.
"How strange!" With Xing Ruyi protecting him, Li Mao felt no fear of being burned by the insects. He turned to glance out the window and then asked curiously, "If they're companions, why don't those outside come in? Could it be that they sense the Shopkeeper is not to be trifled with and are afraid for their lives?"
"The fact that they haven't flown in suggests one thing: their master is nearby. Without receiving orders from their master, they naturally wouldn't dare to act recklessly." Xing Ruyi extinguished the last firefly in the room and walked to the bed, lifting the slightly bulging blanket.
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