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墨書 Inktalez
"Dead bodies open their eyes, and the mourners walk away."
This phrase was easy to understand, just its literal meaning. However, I couldn't grasp why they needed to walk away.
As we exited the Main Hall, we noticed a few people scattered outside. Seeing our panicked expressions, they asked what had happened.
I was about to speak when Second Master pulled me back and said, "Something's gone wrong. You all stay out for now." Then he turned to me and asked, "Are you brave enough to go up and call your master?"
At that moment, that face filled my mind. I stared at Second Master and shook my head vigorously, indicating that I was too scared. It was dark outside, and the path down was winding; I wasn't very familiar with it yet. Especially not at night...
Second Master handed me a string of beads and said, "Go on. It's fine." Seeing the looks from those around us, I gritted my teeth, grabbed the flashlight he handed me, and dashed up the mountain.
The village twisted and turned in many directions, but I stubbornly ran toward the mountain without taking any detours. As I ran, I recited the Courage Spell, gradually calming myself down. After about twenty minutes of running, I finally arrived at the temple, panting heavily. At that moment, my master had already gone to bed. I knocked on his door.
He opened the door wearing only shorts and looked at me with a puzzled expression. "Why are you back so late?" he asked.
"Master," I said, "something's happened. Second Master sent me to ask you to come down."
My master seemed to instantly understand what was going on. He quickly slipped into his clothes, grabbed his bag of tools, and said to me, "Let's go check it out," before sprinting off.
Poor me; I had just run up and now had to run back down without even catching my breath. But there was no choice; this way was better—at least I wouldn't have to think about that Twisted Face anymore.
When we reached the Deceased's Home, Second Master was chatting with the people from Vigil. He saw my master and me approaching from a distance and immediately stood up to walk over. He stopped about a hundred meters away from the Vigil group while my master and I halted as well. In a low voice, he began explaining what had happened to my master, interspersed with his own opinions. I thought to myself that no wonder my master hadn't asked how things were when we came down; it turned out Second Master had a much clearer understanding of the situation than I did.
After they finished discussing the matter, they headed toward the Main Hall. I followed behind them, feeling completely unafraid now because with my master around, I wouldn't fear anything—even if the sky fell down. They briefed the Vigil members not to enter yet before my master opened the big door for us to walk inside. At that moment, I felt utterly helpless; all I could do was assist them while knowing very little about what needed to be done.
Once inside, without even turning around, my master instructed me: "Take out a talisman and a small plastic bottle filled with Rice Paste mixed with Cock's Comb Blood." He handed them back to me and said, "Close the door and affix the talisman." I quickly took the items from him, shut the door tightly, and placed the talisman as instructed. Then my master and Second Master rushed toward the Corpse while my master held a compass and began circling around it.
I finished applying the talisman and walked over. At this point, I was no longer afraid of that face because I had two masters with me. No matter how contorted or horrifying it looked, the corpse's eyes were still wide open, though its mouth was now closed. Compared to the first time I removed the cloth, I appeared much calmer, though my complexion had grown increasingly pale.
The Second Master stared at the corpse and asked, "What happened here?"
My master pondered for a moment before asking, "How many days has it been since she passed?"
The Second Master replied, "Just this morning. She hanged herself, discovered before dawn. By then, she had already stopped breathing."
My master said, "So it hasn't been more than twelve hours. The Heaven and Earth Soul has just departed, and the Human Soul is regretting its departure. This indicates a desire to return to the body. The Three Souls have scattered and cannot be gathered again. The fact that she can still open her eyes shows a significant level of regret. Such a strong obsession needs to be handled properly; otherwise, this family will have a hard time moving forward. Do you know why she hanged herself?"
The Second Master replied, "I don't know that. I'm just asking about these matters. Besides, people are usually reluctant to discuss such things."
My master insisted, "We must find out; otherwise, it will be difficult to handle. The person is already gone, but with such deep regret, if we don't take some action, it will be hard for her soul to find peace. Let's go outside and ask the victim." He turned to Zhang Tuozi and said, "Introduce me to the victim. Brat, you stay here and keep an eye on things. If anything happens, come out and call us."
Hearing that last sentence startled me. They wanted me to stay alone in the Main Hall with this terrifying corpse? I didn't think I had that kind of courage yet. I asked if I could go with them.
My master shot me a glance and said sternly, "You've already seen the Spirit God; are you still afraid of a corpse?"
I was at a loss for words; this was not even comparable! But I didn’t dare argue back. I had long regarded every word from my master as a test and expectation for me. Similarly, I didn’t want to disappoint him.
I stammered, "Alright then, hurry up! I'm your only disciple. If you take too long, don’t blame me!"
They both tossed back the same remark: "Really lacking in spirit," before turning and leaving.
After stepping outside, they even locked the door behind them as if afraid I would run away. I felt a surge of frustration but knew they were trying to build my courage. This was a lesson I needed to learn; without courage, there was no way to continue in this line of work.
I comforted myself, thinking that I was somewhat of a Little Taoist. If I were truly scared by a Corpse, then as they said, I would be quite pathetic. I found a Bench and planned to sit down and wait, but then the problem arose.
Should I face it or turn my back to it? Facing it would mean keeping it in my line of sight. Even if I didn’t stare directly at it, my peripheral vision would still catch glimpses. Turning my back felt even worse because it would lead to all sorts of chaotic thoughts.
After much contemplation, I decided to sit facing it. I tried not to look directly at its face, but oddly enough, the more I resisted, the more my gaze involuntarily drifted towards the Corpse's face.
Inside, I felt both fear and curiosity. This complex emotional turmoil was similar to some friends who enjoyed horror films; when the scary music played, they would cover their eyes but leave a small gap to peek through. In the end, they would watch the entire thing.
However, this was entirely different from watching a horror movie. Deep down, I hoped to see the corpse's face move—perhaps open its mouth or blink—but I also feared such movements. Since I couldn’t tear my gaze away, I decided to fixate on that pale face and quietly recite the Courage Spell. Over time, my fear began to diminish.
I must admit that sometimes, the more you anticipate something, the more likely it is to happen. Just when I sensed that its expression should change, it seemed like there was indeed a slight alteration. The reason I hoped for this change was that my master had told me to report any disturbances immediately. That way, I could escape this suffocating space.
The subtle change wasn’t in its eyes but rather in its mouth. After Second Master had closed its mouth, the upper and lower lips were nearly sealed together. However, as I stared for longer, I began to notice that its lips were slowly parting. The movement was so gradual that it was hard to detect at first. To confirm whether its mouth was indeed opening, I approached closer, crouched down, and leaned in to take a better look. When there was a gap of about two or three centimeters between its lips, I finally confirmed that it was indeed opening its mouth. Just as I prepared to stand up and find my master...
It felt like someone pushed me from behind. Since I was crouching and leaning awkwardly towards the Corpse, this gentle shove caused me to lose balance and fall directly onto the Corpse. Although it had only recently passed away and there was still a cup between us, I could feel that the Corpse had already stiffened. It didn’t feel like falling onto a person at all. This left me somewhat bewildered; the Courage Spell seemed ineffective now. I scrambled up and dashed toward the door.
However, when I burst outside, I collided head-on with my master. Fortunately, at that moment, I was still young and not very strong; if it had been now, my master would surely have been knocked over by me—and I'd probably get a beating for it.
My master pulled me up and asked what happened. I simply said: "I got pushed while looking at the Corpse and fell on top of it." My master turned me around by my shoulders and lifted my shirt to check my back. Then he quickly took out a talisman and rubbed something on my back. I knew he was helping me ward off evil spirits.
Once he finished, he handed me another talisman and said three words: "Drink it dissolved."
I took the talisman and went to their kitchen to find water. After drinking it, I felt significantly lighter. When I returned to the Main Hall, my master had already set up an array that I recognized as the Call of Souls. Upon seeing me enter, he instructed me not to look—either turn away or go outside. Confused but obedient, I walked out just as Second Master also stepped out with me.
I moved a chair for Second Master and asked him: "Why doesn’t My Master want me to look? I've always been present before."
"Second Master," he said, "the things I taught you this afternoon were all in vain."
In an instant, I understood. It turned out that my Birth Date and Time clashed with the deceased's, making it inappropriate for me to face and call out to the New Soul directly. Thinking back, I felt rather foolish; at the moment I was pushed down, I should have realized what was happening.
Outside, I took the opportunity to ask Second Master many questions about Yin House Feng Shui. Although Second Master had a temper, he was always patient in answering my queries. During these moments, time seemed to fly by.
After about twenty minutes, my master opened the door and said to Second Master, "It's ready."
Second Master nodded without saying a word and went back inside to continue painting the Mourning Makeup. I wanted to follow him in, but my master pulled me back and said, "This Spirit God, you should avoid. Even though I've sent him away, your Fate clashes with his. It's best not to have close contact."
I asked my master, "What should I do if I encounter a Spirit God whose Fate clashes with mine in the future?"
My master replied, "You're still learning; that's why you have these concerns. Once you become proficient enough to go out on your own, this won't be an issue."
I pondered for a moment and then asked, "Should we wait for Second Master?"
My master said, "Zhang Tuozi isn't staying on the mountain; there's no need to wait for him. If you want to leave with me, let's go. If you don't want to come, I'll leave without you."
Of course, I wanted to go; staying here was pointless. After saying goodbye to Second Master, I turned and followed my master. In that brief moment as I turned around, I saw Second Master painting the Mourning Makeup again; his hunched back appeared even more bent. His serious and meticulous demeanor suggested that nothing had happened just moments before. Perhaps this was Second Master's professionalism—he approached his work with diligence and precision. As I walked away, I glanced back at the gradually disappearing figure of one person and one corpse; their postures created a harmonious scene.
On the way back, I asked my master why she had committed suicide.
My master replied, "Life and death are just a thought away; in reality, it's a small matter. She simply couldn't see things clearly and chose to end her life. But the moment she kicked away the stool, she regretted it; however, it was too late to turn back. Alas. That's how people are—sometimes they try every possible way to escape their problems. Yet when they finally come to understand things, they realize that all that evasion was unnecessary. It's just that her situation was tragic; she understood too late—it became a series of mistakes that couldn't be undone."
I nodded thoughtfully. To me, suicide was an incomprehensible act. If one had the courage to take their own life, why not have the courage to face their problems? Perhaps it really was as my master said: life and death are just a thought away.
Although I am not one for gossip, I still wanted to know the whole story. I asked my master, "What exactly happened?"
He replied, "You’re just a child; even if I told you, you wouldn’t understand. Don’t ask so many questions."
I responded with an "Oh," and then asked, "Is there such a thing as a zombie? You know, like in the shows where they rise up and bite people?"
My master said, "There are zombies, but they are rare. However, those that rise up and bite people are just stories made to scare children."
I acknowledged this with a simple "Got it," and fell silent.
The rest of the journey was quiet. I only remember that as we approached the temple gate, my master sighed and said something profound:
"If you can let everything go, you will find freedom in this world."
These words left a deep impression on my heart. Let us encourage each other in this understanding.
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