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墨書 Inktalez
A crescent moon hung in the cold, ink-like night. The fragmented Nightmare was about to unfold in this deep night.
Li Yan, amidst a haze, heard a girl's voice. He opened his eyes and first saw a flicker of fire. The light illuminated the surrounding dark scenery. He squinted and remembered that he seemed to have fainted in a Mountain God Temple not far from the Tomb.
This Mountain God Temple had not been worshipped in a long time. The temple was large but dilapidated, with only two clear spaces beside the Mountain Deity statue where one could take shelter. The ground was covered in dust, and many cobwebs hung in the air.
Li Yan gently moved his body, and the pain in his fingertips made him recall everything that had happened near the Tomb. He looked down at his hands and noticed that his fingers had turned blue.
Injuries were common for Li Yan, and this minor injury on his finger was nothing more than a superficial wound; he didn't think much of it and was even too lazy to bandage it. What worried him slightly was his body; he seemed to have caught a chill or perhaps contracted Tetanus.
Since waking up, the feeling of cold had grown stronger. He couldn't help but hunch his shoulders and cast his gaze back to the fire outside the temple door. By the fire, a girl had appeared at some point. Perhaps she had always been there, but because she wore all black, he hadn't noticed her when he first woke up.
Li Yan cleared his throat lightly, and the girl immediately looked up, glancing into the Mountain God Temple. She was very beautiful, strikingly so, especially her eyes, which were as clear as an oasis in the desert, drawing one in irresistibly. Their eyes met, and the girl smiled as she stood up, holding a large leaf as she approached.
When she reached Li Yan's side, she knelt down slightly and asked softly, "Are you thirsty? Would you like some water?"
Seeing that Li Yan remained silent, merely staring at the leaf in her hand, she hurriedly explained, "The water is clean; I washed the leaf too. You can drink it safely; it won't harm you."
"No! Miss, you misunderstood; that's not what I meant."
Before she brought over the water, Li Yan only felt a dryness and itchiness in his throat but did not feel thirsty. Now that he saw the water, he realized how dry his throat truly was. He licked his lips and wanted to reach out for the leaf. However, waves of cold swept over him; both his injured hand and uninjured hand struggled to lift.
"If you don't mind, I can help you," the girl said as she brought the leaf closer to Li Yan's lips. He looked at her with some discomfort but felt compelled by his condition to reply awkwardly, "Thank you!"
The girl smiled; her smile appeared even more beautiful under the moonlight. For a moment, Li Yan was captivated.
The girl's cheeks flushed red as she quickly lowered her head. Li Yan coughed lightly to cover up his embarrassment and then bowed his head silently to drink. Perhaps it was due to being served in this leaf; the water tasted exceptionally sweet. The cool liquid flowed down his throat, alleviating much of the previous dryness.
"Why are you here?" he asked.
"This place?" The girl pointed at the Mountain God Temple. "This is Mu Xi's home."
"Mu Xi? Is that your name?" Li Yan asked while scanning around the Mountain God Temple again. It hardly looked like a place where anyone could live.
"I know you don't believe me, but this is indeed Mu Xi's home." Mu Xi said as she faced the Mountain Deity statue with her hands clasped together and looked devoutly at it. "Mountain God Grandpa is Mu Xi's family."
Li Yan let out a soft sound.
This place was indeed somewhat remote compared to others, but since the Mountain God Temple stood here, it was clear that there were people living nearby. Mu Xi was probably a girl from a nearby village; only a girl from the vicinity would be bold enough to stay here alone. As for her earlier words, Li Yan did not take them seriously.
"And what about you? Why are you here?" Mu Xi looked into Li Yan's eyes, a faint smile lingering on her lips. "Mountain God Grandpa told me that no one has come to this mountain for a long time. Well, not exactly a long time; someone came recently, but they only stayed for a short while before leaving."
"Were they part of a funeral procession?"
"A funeral procession?" Mu Xi blinked. "I’m not sure if it was a procession, but it was indeed for a burial. They were carrying a coffin, and inside it lay two people—a man and a woman."
"How do you know there were two people in the coffin?"
"Mountain God Grandpa told me!" Mu Xi replied matter-of-factly. She began counting on her fingers. "Mountain God Grandpa also told me that the coffin was very heavy and needed four or five strong young men to carry it. Moreover, the left side was heavier than the right, which means according to the custom of having the man on the left and the woman on the right, this should be a Mandarin Duck Coffin. The man lies on the left, and the woman lies on the right."
The coffin was entirely red, and it had a bright hue reminiscent of safflowers found in the mountains. This indicated that the Mandarin Duck Coffin was also a wedding coffin; the man and woman inside might have been newlyweds or could have been Yin Spouses.
There were traces of ink lines drawn on the coffin, and many red strings were tied around it. These red strings were special; they had been soaked in rooster blood. Some copper coins were also tied to the red strings, which had turned green and rusted over time, indicating that these coins were quite old and likely borrowed from someone else. Therefore, it was certain that the two individuals in this Mandarin Duck Coffin would become vengeful spirits after death.
"Did Mountain God Grandpa tell you all of this?"
If Li Yan had heard these words before today, he would have thought that the other person was either confused or deliberately trying to be mysterious. But at this moment, he listened very attentively.
"Some of it is true, some is not; however, most of it was told to me by Mountain God Grandpa. He particularly enjoys telling stories. He often says that as he gets older, he likes to wander around more. The more places he visits, the more people and events he encounters, leading him to hear many stories. In this mountain, I am the only one who can keep him company while he talks; when he hears stories and can't contain himself, he can only share them with me. After hearing so many tales, I sometimes get confused about which ones I heard myself and which ones were told to me by Mountain God Grandpa."
Li Yan paused for a moment before a faint smile appeared on his lips. "It's fine; what you just said is quite strange but also very interesting. What else do you know about that Mandarin Duck Coffin?"
Mu Xi opened her mouth slightly and quickly glanced at the high Mountain Deity before covering her mouth with her hand. "There’s one more thing, but I can't say it."
"Is it serious?" Li Yan thought about what was in the coffin and recalled that when he opened it, he did not see any red strings or copper coins wrapped around it. Thus, he concluded that what Mu Xi referred to must be related to his Vice General and the man in black.
The person hiding behind the Vice General must have already visited the Tomb and even tampered with the coffin to lure him into their trap. It wasn't surprising that someone in the Military Camp wanted to harm him; what was strange was why they chose such a method.
Thinking too much made his head ache; once his head hurt, all his pain receptors seemed to activate at once—especially his fingers, which hurt so much that he couldn't help but gasp for air in the night breeze.
Mu Xi noticed Li Yan's expression and followed his gaze to his fingers. When she saw his half-peeled fingernail, her complexion changed slightly as she asked, "Have you been to that grave? Did you open the coffin and see the woman lying inside? Did you touch her? Was your nail pulled off by her? What is your relationship with her?"
Mu Xi asked a series of questions. In the past, Li Yan would have either felt annoyed or dismissed the inquiries. However, Mu Xi's gaze was different; especially when she looked at him, he found it impossible to refuse her questions and couldn't bear to leave her eyes unanswered.
"Yes, I have been there. The girl in the coffin was my fiancée. I was just too busy with battles to care for her, and I let her waiting go in vain. As for the other person in the coffin, he was her new husband." Li Yan looked at the half-buried fingernail. Its finger was swollen and had a heavy bluish tint, while the nail appeared very white under the faint moonlight, revealing hidden red lines within.
"I—"
"You know your fiancée married someone else, and you're heartbroken. You wanted to come back and see her, to ask her why she didn't wait a couple more days, right? But when you arrived, you heard the news of their deaths. That's why you secretly went up the mountain and opened their coffins. You just didn't know what was hidden inside them, did you?" Mu Xi asked, touching her face. "But have you ever seen your fiancée?"
"We were betrothed by our parents before we were even born. When we parted ways, we were still young and didn't have a deep impression of each other's appearances." Li Yan sighed deeply. "If we had met, perhaps everything would be different now."
"So you don't know what your fiancée looks like?"
Li Yan nodded. "I did see her once afterward, but that day was chaotic, and she was emotional. I was agitated and didn't look closely. I only remember that when I left that day, I glanced back at her; her makeup was smudged, and her eyes were red and swollen, so I didn't look again."
"What about her in the coffin? Did you ever see her face?"
Li Yan shook his head.
Mu Xi let out a gentle sigh.
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