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墨書 Inktalez
Zhong Kui's Diary
What? The Book of Life and Death!
I almost shouted out loud. How could something like this from legends actually appear? And what does that mean about the Greedy Wolf?
"Some things, Kong Xuan isn't very clear about either. Let me tell you!" Jin Manyuan beckoned me to sit on a stone bench in the pavilion.
I sat down, placed the box on the stone table, and focused all my attention on Jin Manyuan.
"The Book of Life and Death is divided into seven volumes, which are essentially seven pages, corresponding one-to-one with the Big Dipper Seven Stars. Do you know which seven stars make up the Big Dipper?" Jin Manyuan asked.
I shook my head.
"The Big Dipper Seven Stars are the Shu Tanlang Star, Xuan Ju Men Star, Jade Lu Xing, Authority of Literary Star, Yuheng Lianzhen Star, Kaiyang Wuqixing, and Yao Guang Po Jun Star." Jin Manyuan explained: "And the seven pages of the Book of Life and Death are named after these seven stars. This page is the Greedy Wolf Scroll."
"And then?" I pointed at the page inside the box: "Isn't this like the Dual Color Ball? You need all seven to be useful together?"
"That's right. Collecting all Seven Pages of the Treasure of Life and Death allows you to summon the Judgment of Life and Death, thereby modifying the Book of Life and Death. You can end someone else's life or extend your own life to eight hundred years." Jin Manyuan sighed. Was it because he was older that he particularly feared death and wanted to gather the Seven Pages of the Treasure of Life and Death to live to eight hundred?
Whether a billionaire or a barefoot poor person, who can escape death? Who isn't afraid of death? Do nobles and high officials not fear death?
"This is something that can be encountered but not sought after. Collecting all Seven Pages of the Treasure of Life and Death is nearly impossible. Who knows where the other six volumes are? In games, there's usually a hint! It could very well be that this is just one page, and the other six pages are merely an elusive legend." I comforted him randomly.
"No, this is not a legend because I know someone who has summoned the Judgment of Life and Death and modified the Book of Life and Death, living to eight hundred years!" Jin Manyuan's eyes sparkled with a strange light.
"Is there really such a person? Do you know him in Star City? Is he famous? Who is he?" I couldn't help but ask out of curiosity.
"That's me! I am that person!" Jin Manyuan said, enunciating each word.
"What?" I was taken aback.
"I am the one who summoned Judgment of Life and Death. I am the one who has lived for eight hundred years," Jin Manyuan said slowly, his tone devoid of any pride or self-satisfaction, instead filled with boredom and loneliness.
"Aren't you only eighty years old?" I asked, recalling that Yang Guo'er had told me that if not for this incident, Jin Manyuan would soon celebrate his eightieth birthday.
"Those who have modified the Book of Life and Death become young again every eighty years, with all bodily functions returning to their peak at twenty. This has happened ten times, ten times! This time, I can truly die!" Jin Manyuan's words seemed to carry an immense sense of relief.
"Old Man Jin, from your tone, it seems you're not pleased?" I was puzzled; was he being pretentious?
"The Book of Life and Death is a very mystical thing. All things in the world exist through Interconnected Threads. For example, this stone table before us may seem unrelated to you, but it could be connected to your life and death," Jin Manyuan said, pointing casually at the stone table without answering my question.
"Well, if you suddenly grab my head and slam it against the stone table, then it would indeed be related to my life and death!" I replied impatiently.
"That might not be impossible, haha. But it can be explained in an even more mystical way. For instance, if we were to fight right now—don't look at me like that; it's just an example. During our fight, if you were to smash this table into pieces. Of course, since you're not my match and I end up severely injuring you and sending you to the hospital—it's just a metaphor; don't look at me like that," Jin Manyuan laughed. "Once the stone table is shattered, it will naturally be treated as garbage. The cleaner will take it away in a garbage truck, and during transit, one piece might accidentally fall off. That piece could cause an accident for the car behind it, resulting in the driver dying on the spot—and that driver could be the chief surgeon about to perform emergency surgery on you!"
Jin Manyuan's explanation left me speechless; it was indeed possible.
"Everything in the world can be interconnected. If you wake up a minute earlier, you might catch a bus where a beautiful woman accidentally steps on your foot and eventually becomes your wife. Everything happens for a reason," Jin Manyuan sighed again, looking at me meaningfully. "And because I modified the Book of Life and Death, I was very happy for the past couple of hundred years. Every eighty years, I would take on a new identity and start anew, living leisurely."
"Right? Isn't that good?"
"You are still young, and there are some feelings you have not yet grasped deeply enough!" Jin Manyuan gazed into the distance, as if recalling countless past events.
"I am indeed a bit inexperienced compared to you," I replied with a smile.
"People have emotions. When you watch your closest friends, your beloved partner, and even your cherished children leave you one by one, and all you can do is repeatedly change your identity and discard the past, you won't understand that feeling." Jin Manyuan sighed again, "The loss of family, friendship, and love happens time and again—ten times! You won't understand."
Though I couldn't fully comprehend his pain, I thought that this kind of life must be extremely difficult.
"When it came to the fifth or sixth time starting over, I tried every possible way to end my life. However, as I mentioned earlier, there seems to be a predetermined fate. Since I have already altered the Book of Life and Death, I cannot die no matter what. Whether I hang myself or jump into a river, something will always happen to pull me back from the brink of death. Instead, I ended up suffering quite a bit." A hint of pain flashed in Jin Manyuan's eyes, as if those memories were too painful to bear.
"It can't be that miraculous, right? Wanting to die but being unable to?" I exclaimed in surprise.
"Hanging always gets discovered, and jumping into a river always leads to being rescued. Suicide fails, and trying to provoke others into killing me doesn't work either. To anger others, I've tried every method possible, but it was futile; at critical moments, something always intervened. I even staged a rebellion; you should know my name—Li Zicheng." Jin Manyuan shook his head but managed to regain a slight smile.
"Long live the King of the Chuang!" I had no words left and gave him a thumbs up in admiration.
"Despite all this, I'm still full of life. In the end, I accepted my fate; thanks to the silver I seized during the rebellion, I've been living without worry." Jin Manyuan chuckled.
No wonder Old Man Jin is so impressive in Star City; if I had a treasure from the King of the Chuang to squander as well, I'd be impressive too.
"Finally coming to an end! Once these few days are over, I can die! I no longer want to live!" Jin Manyuan said with infinite longing.
I didn't know what to say; how could I possibly interject? Should I congratulate him on his impending death?
"By the way, didn't you collect all Seven Pages of the Treasure of Life and Death? Why not continue summoning and modifying?" I suddenly asked.
“After summoning the Judgment of Life and Death, the Seven Pages of the Treasure of Life and Death scattered into the air, and who knows where they flew off to. This Greedy Wolf Scroll was something I unintentionally acquired when I was the King of the Chuang,” Jin Manyuan sighed.
“Uh, can you tell me what’s going on with your Jin Family?” I chuckled awkwardly, changing the subject.
“Honestly, there’s not much to say. When I found out that Jin Zhao was messing around with those things in my room, I had already prepared to play dead and find a place to end this life,” Jin Manyuan shook his head, looking regretful. “I’ve lived ten lifetimes, but in this last one, I feel no attachment. The people of this era have become incredibly strange, placing immense importance on money. Whether it’s Xinghua or Jin Zhao, I don’t understand what they’re after. I’ve left behind so much wealth; is it not enough for them to squander?”
“Old Man Jin, I have a question. Since you’re going to die anyway, why do you need to fake your death and find another place?” I didn’t hold back; after all, he was indifferent to death.
“Because those who have altered the Book of Life and Death will trigger a calamity when their lifespan ends,” Jin Manyuan said seriously.
“Calamity?” I was taken aback. Are you kidding me? If I could beat you, I would have done it already. Calamity? Do you think this is some kind of cultivation story?
“Yes, calamity,” Jin Manyuan said without a hint of joking. “Once the calamity strikes, all life within a hundred meters will be extinguished. No matter what, I don’t want to involve Revitalize the Nation!”
People indeed have emotions; just moments ago he felt no attachment, and now he shows deep affection.
I chuckled lightly, and it seemed Jin Manyuan knew what I was laughing about; his old face turned red as he explained, “Xinghua is too sentimental, especially when it comes to women; he lacks decisiveness. Because of this, he has no interest in business. Who would have thought that now he has become so scheming?”
I sighed along with Jin Manyuan; everything that needed to be known was known, and what shouldn’t be known was also known. Let it be. I closed the box on the table and handed it to Jin Manyuan. “Old man, here you go. I'm taking my leave now; I won’t tell anyone about your matters.”
However, Jin Manyuan didn’t reach out to take it; instead, he smiled and said, “What use is it for me? Keep it for yourself! Perhaps you might be interested in living for eight hundred years.”
Of course, I was interested. But is that even possible? I forced a smile and said, “Old man, aside from that, there are no hints with this thing. How am I supposed to know where the other six scrolls are? Do you want me to post a notice looking for them or search online?”
“As long as you hold the Book of Life and Death, you will automatically sense any other treasures within a hundred miles,” Jin Manyuan said with a smile. “You’re in luck; I know there’s a page of Xuan Scroll in Star City and a volume of Kaiyang Scroll in Moon City.”
The two of them fell into silence, seemingly out of words. Jin Manyuan took out his phone and dialed a number. Once the call connected, he said, "We can almost leave now!"
I looked at Jin Manyuan's phone and suddenly thought, "Old Man Jin, are you that turtle?"
Jin Manyuan laughed heartily, "A thousand-year-old turtle and a ten-thousand-year-old tortoise, I've lived this long; naming myself after a turtle isn't a disgrace, is it?"
Qingfeng Daozhang and Gu Qingyun approached. Old Man Jin waved at me, and the three of us walked straight to the mourning hall. From the expressions on Gu Qingyun and Qingfeng Daozhang's faces, it was clear they were not in the know; at most, they were guessing that Old Man Jin faked his death for some other purpose, perhaps family strife or something similar.
I picked up the box from the table, feeling a bit melancholic. I called Lingfeng to clarify with Gu Qingyun. It turned out there was nothing wrong; Old Man Jin had indeed died of a heart attack due to shock.
It wasn't that I was hiding it from Lingfeng; rather, I had just promised Jin Manyuan that this matter was settled and would not face any further twists. Let him have a definitive end in everyone's hearts.
Unfortunately, twists came again. Early the next morning, I received a call from Yang Guo'er: "Zheng Nan, Uncle Jin has committed suicide! He hanged himself in his house in Jinxiu Jiangnan."
What? Jin Xinghua committed suicide?
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