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墨書 Inktalez
After a night's sleep, I arrived at Mr. Zheng's Convenience Store right on time at three in the morning. Since all the surrounding shops were closed, it was easy to find. Upon entering the store, I heard the familiar ding of the doorbell followed by a crisp and cheerful "Welcome!" from the staff. Mr. Zheng was sitting behind the cash register on the left side as I entered. He quickly stood up and said, "You're quite punctual."
I smiled and replied, "Not yet, right?"
He nodded and asked, "So, what do we do next?"
"I'll take a look around first," I said, and then I walked through the Convenience Store. I spotted the Storage Room he mentioned. After opening it, I found some supplies inside—mostly boxes of drinks and some cleaning tools, along with a chair. The room was small and felt cramped, but it could still hide a person, even allowing someone to sit inside. The door was slightly ajar, providing a direct view of the cash register through the gap. Everything seemed normal as I took out my compass and checked around the store again. Still normal.
By this time, it was already three-thirty. I said to Mr. Zheng, "You go to the Storage Room first; I'll keep watch here." He agreed and left the cash register. I stepped inside the Storage Room, sat on the chair, and placed my compass flat on the counter. Then I casually picked up a magazine to cover half of it, leaving only the compass visible. I closed my eyes to rest and began to wait.
This waiting was utterly dull; I leaned back in my chair and nearly fell asleep. Just as I was about to doze off, a sudden clear "ding" startled me awake. I opened my eyes wide and instinctively echoed the welcome phrase in perfect sync with the voice prompt. I was almost shocked by how deeply immersed I had become in this situation.
Just as Mr. Zheng described, there was no one in front of me—not even a breeze. I quickly glanced at my compass; it was indeed moving slowly inward—not just that but heading toward the Storage Room direction. My heart sank. Mr. Zheng was still inside; would he be scared? My concern wasn't for Mr. Zheng being frightened; it was for whatever entity might scare him away again—that would be troublesome. As I pondered whether to seal off the entrance, I suddenly heard Mr. Zheng shout in alarm before rushing out in a panic toward the cash register area. The already cramped space felt even smaller with him rushing in.
I jumped up not because of what I saw but because if I didn't stand up, his speed would have knocked me over. Staring at him in disbelief, I asked, "What did you see?"
He squeezed into the cash register area, making it feel even more crowded as he exclaimed in shock, "That person—I know them!"
Instantly alert, I reassured him, "That's good; you don't need to be afraid with me here. Did you really see someone?" As I whispered this question, strange rustling sounds began emanating from within the store. I glanced around but saw nothing.
Mr. Zheng replied shakily, "I saw them clearly."
I quickly pulled him up and said, "Look again at what it's doing; don’t just stare into its eyes." Then I handed him a pre-written Courage Spell and instructed him to recite it three times. After he finished chanting, he seemed less frightened and stood up to look deeper into the store.
Since he had seen something earlier, it was possible for him to see it again now while I still hadn’t caught sight of anything myself; thus, my chances were slim too. So instead, I focused on Mr. Zheng's expression, hoping to glean some information from his reaction.
He scanned around before his gaze fixed on one spot—the very place where those rustling sounds originated and where my compass pointed as well. "Mr. Zheng," I asked cautiously, "what do you see it doing?"
Mr. Zheng remained fixated and finally said, "It's cleaning up; it's coming over now—closer and closer."
"I said, 'You don't need to be afraid. Just act like nothing's wrong.'"
Then Mr. Zheng continued to mumble to himself, "It's almost time to go out."
I quickly added, "Thank you. You don't have to come and clean anymore." The only response I received was the beeping sound of the sensor.
After confirming that he had left, and with the compass showing no reaction, I looked at Mr. Zheng, who was still in a daze. I used Hand Seals to tap his crown chakra, and he jolted awake. I said, "He's gone. Gather your thoughts and tell me who he is and how you know him."
After saying that, I stepped away from the cash register. One reason was that it felt a bit cramped with two big men inside. The other reason was that I suddenly realized I was hungry, and this Convenience Store was filled with food. So I had to leave that narrow space.
I grabbed a bread roll and a carton of fresh milk and started eating alone. Just as I took my first bite, Mr. Zheng began to speak. He said, "That person is my fellow townsman, a middle-aged woman with the surname Huang."
It turned out that Sister Huang was a sanitation worker. While the entire city was still asleep, they had already begun their work. Sanitation workers earn relatively low wages, and since this woman happened to be from the same hometown as Mr. Zheng, he needed someone to help clean the store every day. Generally speaking, store employees would do the cleaning themselves. However, Mr. Zheng wanted to do his part to help his fellow townsman a little bit. Additionally, some customers inevitably brought trash outside and littered, which increased the workload for sanitation workers. So they agreed that Sister Huang would come to Mr. Zheng's store every day before her shift to clean up. Mr. Zheng would give her a reward of ten yuan each time. It wasn't too low since the workload wasn't heavy; a quick sweep and mopping would suffice, taking only about ten minutes.
When Sister Huang initially negotiated with Mr. Zheng, he readily paid her three months' worth of rewards upfront—nine hundred yuan in total. However, less than a month after their agreement—just about twenty days—Sister Huang suddenly stopped coming and wasn't working in sanitation anymore either. In the first couple of days, he didn't think much of it, but after about a week passed, he felt deceived and went looking for Sister Huang's colleagues, who were also from his hometown and from the same village as her. That colleague informed him that Sister Huang had died in a car accident two months prior when she returned home. They also mentioned that Sister Huang wasn't that kind of person and offered to help finish her remaining two months of work.
Mr. Zheng said he refused that colleague's offer to complete Sister Huang's work for her, stating that he thought Sister Huang was a wonderful person who always smiled despite how much sweat covered her face; she worked very diligently and carefully with an excellent attitude. He really liked this older sister from his hometown. But misfortune struck, leading to Sister Huang's tragic accident.
I said, "Given what you just told me about this timing and what happened, you should have expected it; how could you still be so scared after seeing it?"
"That's because I never believed there were ghosts in this world," he replied calmly now, as if recounting an unrelated story.
I added, "Three months is almost up; it's been over two months already! And Sister Huang worked for about twenty days before."
"Mr. Zheng, let me finish," he said, pulling open the bottom drawer of the cash register and retrieving a crumpled piece of paper. After glancing at it, he remarked, "There are still three days left." I assumed that the paper was some sort of receipt given to him by Sister Huang.
I replied, "That means Sister Huang has to complete her work in these three days for it to count." Upon hearing this, Mr. Zheng's face lit up as he said, "So after these three days, Sister Huang won't come anymore? Although Sister Huang means well, I still want to run my business properly. If this continues, I won't be able to keep my shop open."
I thought for a moment. Earlier, Mr. Zheng had seen it and even shouted as he rushed out, but it had shown no reaction, merely continuing with its tasks. It seemed to have become an unconscious Spirit God, its actions now merely a manifestation of an unresolved knot in its heart—a thread of Obsession. An unconscious Spirit God has no sense of time. Like a donkey turning a millstone, once its eyes are covered, it only knows to keep going in circles, mechanically performing what it believes is its mission. And unless someone calls for it to stop, it will not cease. Thus, I roughly concluded that if no one intervened in its actions, it would continue indefinitely. It had forgotten how long three months was; everything it did had transformed from that thread of Obsession into a habit—mechanical and unthinking. To me, this was tragic; all for a promise and a sense of responsibility. Not only did it affect others, but it also delayed its own Reincarnation. This was utterly meaningless and particularly unworthy.
I shared my thoughts with Mr. Zheng, who looked somewhat worried and asked, "You should have a way to handle this, right?"
I assured him that I definitely had a method but explained that he could also handle this himself. "Now you need to make a choice: first, I can guide you through the process so you can do it yourself; this way the Reward can be halved and it's quite simple—I believe you can manage it. Second, I can come help you send it off in three days, but the Reward will remain at the original price we agreed upon."
After thinking for a moment, Mr. Zheng asked how he should go about doing it himself. I replied, "It's easy. After Sister Huang finishes cleaning on her last day, you light some candles and burn some Joss Paper as an offering. I'll provide you with some items; just place them in the designated spots."
He asked, "Is it really that simple?"
I confirmed, "Yes, it's that simple. Sister Huang is only acting out of responsibility, and since you are directly responsible for her, it's better for you to handle this than for me to do it. Whether it's out of guilt towards you or gratitude doesn't matter; ultimately, you are her fate and it's best if you untie her knot."
Mr. Zheng agreed and said, "Alright then, tell me the detailed method." I explained the process to him; it was quite straightforward and similar to typical rituals but included a few reminders that Sister Huang had passed away and that she needed to leave now that her tasks were complete.
After finishing my explanation, Mr. Zheng said he would get me the money. I told him there was no rush; he could pay me once everything was settled on his end. When doing such things, sincerity and honesty are crucial—one must not approach them with doubt—and preferably do it alone.
He didn't hesitate and said he would give me the Reward once everything was resolved. I nodded in agreement.
As we chatted on, dawn began to break. I walked out of the shop and headed home. On my way to get my car, I noticed several sanitation workers diligently sweeping the streets as if they were tidying their own yards. They worked the hardest yet received the least in return; a small broom seemed to encompass their entire world—just one broom could support a family.
Waking up early and seizing the darkness, with a broom in hand, I swept away a world.
Four days later, Mr. Zheng called me and said, "Yesterday, I followed your method to pay my respects, and this morning, everything seems fine."
I replied, "It's not just temporary; it's permanent. Sister Huang has already departed. She has fulfilled her responsibilities and completed what she needed to do. For her and for you, this is a release; it’s a win-win situation."
Mr. Zheng told me that he had never believed in ghosts or deities before. Even when he heard others describe them, they were always malevolent spirits. He never expected to encounter one himself. Now that he thinks about it, he realizes that ghosts are not frightening at all; rather, they provoke reflection. It takes a certain responsibility to believe in them, something not everyone can manage.
I chuckled lightly and said, "Well, I actually know that she has become an unconscious Spirit. Whether she completes her tasks or not makes no difference; however, this was her thought as she departed. Out of respect for her intentions, we should let her fulfill her promise. This way, it also serves as an acknowledgment of her sense of responsibility."
Mr. Zheng agreed with me wholeheartedly and quickly transferred the money.
After gathering the nectar from countless flowers, for whom do we toil and sweeten?
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