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墨書 Inktalez
I ran for a long time without stopping, the paths in the village winding and confusing. For a moment, I had no idea where I was. The sun above was blazing hot and glaring. I raised my hand to shield myself and leaned against the shadow of a dilapidated house to rest.
I placed my hand on my belly and whispered, "Baby, was that you just now? From now on, you mustn't make any movements in front of them. They are Taoists, and you are a Demon Fetus. I'm afraid they might pose a threat to you. Although they are all good people and my friends, your safety is the most important thing!"
Regardless of whether the baby could hear me or not, I spoke at length. Suddenly, when my fingers brushed against the Soul-Calling Bell on my head, I heard the sound of a bell ringing.
"Why did the Soul-Calling Bell suddenly ring?"
I took it off completely but didn’t hear a second sound. Shaking it yielded no response either. "Could it not be from it?"
"Ding-ling-ling."
A wave of dizziness washed over me.
"Ding-ling-ling."
Just as I felt myself about to collapse, I jolted back to full awareness.
I held the Soul-Calling Bell tightly; there was no mistake—the second sound had come from it, so the first sound must have been from the Soul Bell?
I dashed out of the shadow and stood under the scorching sun.
Today’s sun felt particularly intense, reminiscent of the heat in July and August. I glanced up at it and felt dizzy; my eyes stung painfully, making me quite uncomfortable. Thankfully, I retreated back into the previous shadow, feeling a bit better.
"What is happening to me?"
"You carry heavy Yin energy; the light is harmful to you."
A voice suddenly spoke beside me, but I couldn’t see anyone. The tone was soft and delicate; I couldn't tell if it belonged to a man or woman at first—it felt as if it lingered right next to my ear.
"Who are you?"
The other person remained silent, but I felt a cold hand lift my right hand, gently caressing my fingertips. I was unable to move. "The Twinborn Vine is broken?"
"How do you know?" Suddenly, I recalled that dream, where the same sound of the Soul Bell echoed when that person appeared, and then he gifted me the Twinborn Vine. "Are you the person from my dream?"
I blinked; the scorching sunlight was still in front of me, and the closed door was behind me. My eyes could blink, and my mouth could speak, yet my body remained immobile.
"Do you remember me?" The voice chuckled softly, melodious like a bell. "Do you regret it? What made you stop loving him at that moment? And what makes you regret it so much now?"
"I never stopped loving him, neither then nor now."
I was very clear about this from the beginning, clear enough that the bittersweet feeling when Jun Chong turned away had cut deeply into my heart.
"The Twinborn Vine only breaks if you don't love; if you love, why would it break?"
"I—" I didn't know the answer to that question either. His low laughter whispered in my ear, making me feel dazed. "You did this, didn't you? The item was given by you; you must know how it can break."
"Silly Little One, realizing it only now." A light tap on my head, not too hard.
I felt a surge of anger. "Why did you do this?"
"I wanted to see how much weight you hold in his heart." The voice carried a hint of laughter as I felt a hand touch my belly. A sudden pain and chill coursed through me, and I gasped, only to find that the baby showed no signs of movement.
"Surprised that the baby isn't resisting me?" A cool breeze brushed past my ear. "Because I've put it to sleep!"
"What do you want to do?"
"I want to show you something."
A red string with a golden bell appeared, identical to the Soul-Calling Bell in my hand.
"The Soul Bell! So it's really in your possession."
"Yes! I know you're eager to find it. The Soul Bell can resonate with souls and even control minds, but it has another function specifically for you. Look."
As the crisp sound of the bell rang out, a surge of emotions swept through me, as if my entire being was being squeezed together, leaving me dizzy and on the verge of collapse. I felt as though my very soul was about to be torn apart and scattered.
The Wind Sound lifted my shirt, revealing the Red Spider Lily, which slowly began to bloom under the gentle teasing of my fingertips.
"Wh-why is this happening?"
In the past, the sound of the bell had never caused this flower to bloom, yet now it was opening steadily from its bud. A growing fear ignited in my heart, but I felt powerless to stop it.
Was I really going to die like this?
No, I didn’t want to. I hadn’t seen Jun Chong yet; I didn’t want to die.
"Anxin, look, once this flower fully blooms, your Heart will stop immediately!" The breath close to my earlobe was filled with a chilling delight. "I’ll count to ten. Ten, nine, eight, seven—"
With a loud bang, I felt a force crash against me, a cold sensation enveloping the flower at the tip of my heart. My body was suddenly yanked backward and pulled into the Dilapidated House.
From blinding sunlight to darkness in an instant, my eyes struggled to adjust. I heard a voice filled with murderous intent say, "If you dare touch her, you’re asking for death."
Immediately, objects in the dimly lit Dilapidated House flew up and collided with each other; dust formed a barrier around me. Through the haze, I caught a glimpse of two figures—one black and one red—entangled together like flashes of light or clashing lightning bolts.
"I think you’ll be grateful to me; let’s call it a day."
The Red Figure vanished in an instant. The black figure remained unseen for a moment before floating in mid-air. I noticed the nearby window shift slightly as if he was preparing to leave.
At that moment, I wasn’t sure what compelled me; my hand reached down and grabbed a broken wooden stick from the ground. The jagged end was sharp as I pressed it against my neck and shouted, "If you dare leave, I’ll kill myself!"
The atmosphere instantly grew heavy; silence enveloped us, broken only by the sound of heavy breathing and my heartbeat.
Seeing that he hadn’t reacted for a long time and unable to see clearly in the dim light, I thought he might actually be leaving. Pain shot through my heart as I raised my hand again to stab myself.
"Do you have to hurt yourself before you’re willing to let go?"
Accompanying that sigh was the familiar figure in dark robes. The Three Thousand Black Strands falling around him brought an innate chill. My nose tinged with emotion as I dropped the wooden stick and threw myself into his arms, crying out loud.
"I'm going to kill myself if you leave again." I wiped my tears and snot on his clothes, gripping him tightly, afraid to let go. "I know my words were a bit harsh that day. I don't know why the Twinborn Vine broke, but I truly still love you. I really do."
"I know."
Jun Chong looked at me calmly, and I was taken aback. "You know?"
"Yes."
"Then why are you still leaving?"
Jun Chong's deep eyes flickered slightly as he turned toward the light streaming in from outside, remaining silent for a long time. Suddenly, I let go of him and took a step back to create some distance.
Jun Chong turned to look at me, filled with doubt. I smiled faintly and turned my head away. "I know you've lost your memory, and I shouldn't ask for too much. But Jun Chong, all I really want is for you to stay by my side. I understand you might never love me again, but for me, just being able to see you every day is enough. After all, it was you who pursued me first; I have to ask for something in return."
I held back the tears that threatened to fall, trying to keep my tone light.
I admit I'm not a strong woman, but at least in this moment, I wanted to learn how to be strong—strong enough not to cry.
Jun Chong remained silent for a long time, and his silence only made my heart race more anxiously. Perhaps from the very beginning, I had never truly understood him.
His cold hand slowly lifted my shirt, his fingertips brushing against the nearly blooming Red Spider Lily. Jun Chong let out a slow sigh.
I lowered my head and saw his Three Thousand Black Strands falling in front of me. A gentle pressure pressed down on my head, and his deep voice lingered in my ears. "Wait for me tonight."
I was stunned; when I looked up again, he had already disappeared. "Jun Chong? Jun Chong!"
In the emptiness, no one answered me. Outside, Molin's voice called out to me. I straightened my clothes and walked out.
Molin looked at me with an annoyed expression. "What’s wrong with you? What if something happened while you were wandering around carelessly?"
"What could possibly happen during the day?" I instinctively retorted, then remembered what had just happened. Grabbing Molin's hand, I said, " Molin, I know it's urgent—"
"Urgent about what?"
“Stop urging me,” I found myself unable to voice the whereabouts of the Soul Bell. The thought of that strange person who could entangle me even in broad daylight made me uneasy; surely, they were not an ordinary individual. Could it be that they were using some kind of ghostly power?
“Let’s not rush. Let’s take a look around. I think Big Pie and Fool might turn into Zombies. There must be Zombies lurking here, perhaps plotting something.”
“Where should we look? I don’t know anyone around here. Should we find someone we know?”
“Doesn’t matter, let’s just explore. The ancient tombs could work too.”
“I’m not sure about the tombs, but there is a shrine nearby, though they don’t allow entry.”
Molin grabbed my hand and led me outside. Instinctively, I raised my hand to shield my eyes from the glaring sun. “With such a bright sun, shouldn’t we wait a bit before heading out?”
“Is this sun really that bright?”
“You wouldn’t understand; as a man, you can’t grasp how harmful strong ultraviolet rays can be for us women.” Chitaki suddenly appeared from nowhere, snatching me away from Molin ’s grasp and commanding with an air of superiority, “You go find what you need; I want to bond with my apprentice.”
“Oh.”
Molin didn’t dare to resist in front of Chitaki, which I found quite amusing. He had never been so polite with me. Once he turned to leave, Chitaki produced an umbrella from somewhere and held it over my head, shielding me from the intense sunlight. For some reason, it felt pleasantly cool under the umbrella.
“Let’s go!”
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