Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Coffin Nail, also known in folklore as "Coffin Nail," is used to ward off evil and protect homes. Once a coffin is nailed with a Coffin Nail, it signifies the separation of Yin and Yang, each going their own way. However, if a used Coffin Nail is driven into a beam of the house, the effect changes.
Xing Ruyi's Grandfather was once a carpenter. It is said that there is a dark art among carpenters: if a used Coffin Nail is nailed into the beam of a household, it can seal off the family's vitality. In a short time, usually within months or up to two years, the household with a Coffin Nail on their beam will face extinction. This is considered a particularly malicious form of sorcery; unless there is deep-seated enmity, ordinary carpenters would not resort to such methods for revenge. If word got out, their career as carpenters would be over.
Holding the Coffin Nail in her hand, Xing Ruyi observed that its shape and style were not modern. Since this was a Temple, specifically a Ruined Temple that held Abby, she couldn't fathom who would use a Coffin Nail as an ordinary nail to affix it to this beam.
Looking up at the ceiling and measuring the position of the Coffin Nail on the beam with her gaze, Xing Ruyi became increasingly certain that this Coffin Nail had been intentionally placed there. Could it be that someone had already calculated the timing?
Before she could find a suitable answer to her questions, Li Mao and A Niu had already helped Old Woman inside. Although Old Woman could not see Abby, she moved directly toward where Abby stood, her speed so quick that even the demon Li Mao struggled to assist her.
“Daughter, is that you? It’s really you, isn’t it? Mother was wrong; I truly was wrong. I shouldn’t have ignored you back then; I should have saved you.”
Abby looked at Old Woman, feeling both slightly excited and confused.
“Miss, can my mother see me?”
“She probably cannot see you; it’s just that mother and daughter share a bond…” Xing Ruyi did not finish that last sentence. She watched as Old Woman's arm passed through Abby's ethereal body, finally freezing in mid-air, her lips murmuring: “Mother knows; mother knows you are here. Even though I cannot see you, I can feel you. Abby, I’m sorry for all the suffering you’ve endured over the years.”
“Mother, Abby isn’t suffering. Abby knows that you have always been protecting me and accompanying me all these years.” Abby raised her hand gently to touch Old Woman's hair strands. Although she was only touching air, her expression softened remarkably: “Mother, you’ve aged! You have white hair now!”
Tears rolled down from the corners of Abby's eyes. The tears of a ghost turned to ash in the wind. The ash fell onto Old Woman's sleeve, forming a shallow spot.
“Mother, Abby is right in front of you; she misses you very much and feels for you. You’ve aged; your hair has turned white.”
“Yes, I’ve aged. Not only has my body aged, but my heart has too. Only when one grows old does one realize that nothing in this world is more important than having children by one’s side. Unfortunately, back then I didn’t understand; I thought as long as I kept the baby in my womb safe, won your father’s favor, and ensured we wouldn’t go hungry or suffer poverty, that would be a good life—a happy life.”
However, upon reflecting carefully, I realized that during those days, my heart was always in suspense, and I never truly felt happiness or joy. Instead, when your father’s business was not so big or prosperous, during the times we often went hungry and cold, having you and A Zhu by my side, talking and chatting with me, was the most comforting. There were also times when you would do some outrageous things that made me angry, causing me to feel both exasperated and unable to help but laugh; those moments became the warmest and most profound memories of my life.
Abby, if there really were a medicine for regret in this world, if everything could start over again, I would give up everything else just to be with you and A Zhu. I want to see you get married, see you have children, and watch you live a peaceful life even without wealth and honor. Unfortunately, what’s done is done; even if I regret it deeply and my heart aches endlessly, it wouldn’t change anything.
“Madam! Madam! I beg you, please save my Abby, save my daughter. She has suffered enough already; don’t torment her any further.”
“Mother, please get up! Don’t worry; the Fox Demon will help Abby.” Seeing the old woman kneeling before her, Xing Ruyi reached out to support her: “The Fox Demon will first help you restore that eye of yours so that you can see Abby one last time before she departs.”
“My daughter’s eyes…”
Abby felt a surge of joy as she focused intently on the old woman’s blind eyes.
“One of them can be healed.”
Xing Ruyi instructed Li Mao to pour the bucket of clean water brought from home onto the clay statue. The thick yellow mud began to crack under the water's soaking, and eventually, some pieces fell off on their own.
Seeing this, A Niu temporarily helped the old woman aside and climbed onto the altar. Carefully, layer by layer, he began to peel away the yellow mud from Abby’s body. The “Bodhisattva” sealed in the yellow mud gradually revealed her true form; it was Abby herself standing on the altar, her eyes wide open, looking ahead with both calmness and reluctance.
The ghostly Abby saw her physical form for the first time; her body trembled slightly as she sighed in relief and bowed towards Xing Ruyi: “Thank you very much!”
“I will have A Niu take your corpse back later. On an auspicious day in a good place, we will lay you to rest so that you may no longer linger in this life.”
“Abby understands; it’s just that I can’t let go of my mother or my sister.”
“Your sister—”
"Your sister is doing well, so you can rest assured and not worry about us." Upon hearing half of Xing Ruyi's words, the Old Woman immediately reacted and interrupted.
She fumbled and tightly grasped Xing Ruyi's hand. "A Zhu's matters will be taken care of by me. You go ahead, Next Life, keep your eyes open, and never look for a mother like me again." Before she finished speaking, tears began to flow down her cheeks.
Abby looked at her mother and gently shook her head.
Abby's physical body had already been pulled out from the yellow mud, and A Niu was carefully cleaning it. Li Mao brought over a handful of sticky yellow mud.
"Is this mud from Abby's face?"
"Don't worry, Shopkeeper, it's all from Miss Abby's face." Li Mao held the mud up to Xing Ruyi. "I've checked it thoroughly; there’s nothing that shouldn’t be there."
Xing Ruyi lightly hummed in response, and Li Mao evenly applied the handful of yellow mud onto the Old Woman's eyelids. At first, the Old Woman showed no reaction, but gradually she could no longer sit still. Her hands tensed up, and tears began to flow from her remaining eye.
"Miss, what happened to my mother?" Abby asked anxiously, but she was just a wisp of a soul and could do nothing.
"Your mother saw what you went through back then; it hurt her heart, so she wants to cry it out. Don't worry, once she has cried, everything will be fine." As soon as Xing Ruyi finished speaking, the eye covered with yellow mud on the Old Woman began to shed tears as well. The tears washed away the yellow mud from her face bit by bit, and the blackened mud fell to the ground, creating shallow pits. Once all the mud covering her eyelids had fallen off, the Old Woman slowly opened her eyes. Without any hesitation, she focused her gaze on Abby.
"Abby!"
"Mother?" Abby tentatively called out and then looked at her joyfully. "You can see Abby now, right?"
"I can see you! I can see you! Mother sees you!" The Old Woman exclaimed as she wiped away her tears vigorously.
The scene of a mother and daughter reuniting after life and death was so touching that it made Xing Ruyi feel somewhat uncomfortable. She exchanged a glance with Li Mao, and the two quietly exited the Ruined Temple. Shortly after, A Niu also came out. Seeing Xing Ruyi, he scratched his head and asked hesitantly, "Did my mother really see my sister?"
"Is that so?"
"What do you mean by 'is that so'?"
"Actually, the ghosts in this world exist only if you believe in them. They are not in front of you but in your heart. Your mother, deep down, feels both guilt and longing for your sister Abby. When the guilt accumulates to a certain extent, and the longing reaches a certain depth, she will be able to see the person she wishes to see." Xing Ruyi turned her gaze to A Niu: "Over the years, have you ever missed your biological parents?"
"I have! But it's not as strong as what my mother feels." A Niu's eyes darkened: "At first, I really missed them, but not because I missed them as people; rather, I missed the days when they were alive and we lived without worries, just focusing on studying and writing. So occasionally, I would dream about them. I dreamed of my mother cooking delicious food for me and my father telling me not to worry about family matters and to study hard for the imperial examination next year so that I could return as a top scholar."
"But later on, I stopped dreaming about them because I was always thinking about how to survive and how not to starve. When I finally had time to calm down and think about my parents, I realized that I couldn't even remember what they looked like. Madam, I'm not a good son, am I? That's why I can't see my parents' ghosts. The reason they don't come looking for me is that they are extremely disappointed in me and don't want to see their son anymore, right?"
"My parents passed away when I was very young, just like you. I have never seen their ghosts either; even their appearances are vague in my memory. So, A Niu, not everyone in this world is so obsessed. We forget because we want them to leave in peace, and they don’t come back to find us because they want us to let go of everything and continue living happily."
"Is that so?" A Niu turned to ask Li Mao.
Li Mao scratched his head: "I can't answer that question because I have no idea where my parents are or what they looked like."
A Niu sighed and looked at Li Mao with sympathy: "So you're also an orphan, even more pitiful than me."
"Yes! I'm also an orphan!" Li Mao touched his nose, feeling quite sorry for himself.
Comment 0 Comment Count