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墨書 Inktalez
I realized I had misspoken and quickly corrected myself, saying, "I misspoke, it's not Yin Chai, what I meant was that it should be, it’s natural for it to be reluctant to leave, and it should be able to break free." Then I shifted the topic and asked, "How long until the second power outage?"
Manager Li replied, "About an hour or so. What should we do?"
I said, "When the second outage happens, you three go outside to turn off the power switch, and H and I will stay behind. This time we’ll send him off, but H might need to cooperate a bit. Do you have any issues with that?" After saying this, I looked at H.
She nodded seriously and said, "I have no problem with that, but I still want to know how you manage to make me feel completely unafraid."
This was the kind of question I least wanted to answer because she definitely wouldn’t understand my explanation, and it was something that couldn’t be explained. I didn’t even know the principle behind it since it didn’t conform to any logic a normal person could accept.
I replied, "As long as you're not afraid, that's what matters. As for how I do it, don’t ask. You all should take a break for now; when the time is close, we’ll go out. I have some things to take care of right now; you don’t need to worry about me and can focus on your own tasks."
They all returned to their seats with understanding. I needed to start setting up the formation for soul retention. Retaining a soul definitely required Send Soul, which necessitated red candles, incense, Joss Paper, and offerings—these were all essential items meant for the soul's journey. On one hand, they were for our use; on the other hand, they served as a fare for some Yin Chai, referred to as “almsgiving.” Of course, these items could be omitted, but for the soul’s sake, it would be quite inconvenient without them; the journey wouldn’t go smoothly. I placed these offerings under the table. It's worth mentioning that Joss Paper won’t attract ghosts unless burned because they cannot access it. So there’s no need to be overly superstitious about Hell Money; not burning it won’t summon spirits. If that were the case, those shops selling funeral goods would never survive.
Next, I needed to set up a formation that would allow A's soul to enter but not exit—a sort of Binding Formation. This required more precision. For a standard seal, I used Ink Fight Line, Cinnabar Incense Ash, and sealing talismans. These items were sufficient for dealing with ordinary Spirit Gods, especially since A was just a New Soul. Even if there were lingering resentments, they wouldn’t be too strong; after all, A hadn’t committed any wrongs. So I quickly moved past my awkwardness. However, just in case, I made sure everything was done properly before starting the incense and lighting the red candles. The room was instantly enveloped in a yellow glow from the flames; surprisingly enough, performing a Ritual in such a modern office setting felt quite comical.
At that moment, H also raised her head and came over, hiding behind me with her hands covering her eyes while peeking through a gap—like someone eavesdropping. I gestured for silence; she calmed down slightly and held back what she almost shouted because she had clearly seen A's spirit not far away.
Seeing that A still wanted to move forward, I scattered some Grave Soil towards it as a reminder that it was already dead. It couldn’t come closer, but H noticed its intent and began to slowly retreat. I reached out and held her back, signaling her not to step back. I walked up to A and asked briefly, "Do you have anything to say?" It took a moment before responding; after about a minute of silence, it glanced at H then lowered its head and slowly shook it—its meaning was unmistakable: there was nothing it wanted to say.
Indeed, A was an extremely introverted person; even in death, it maintained its usual demeanor. I knew that even if I pressed A now, it would be futile. So I said gently, "Let’s send you on your way together with H."
A looked at H again before nodding slowly. Its movements were very slow as if caught in nostalgia and conflict—helplessness evident in its demeanor. I understood its feelings well enough; however, many things couldn’t be changed—the time for its departure had come tonight without fail.
I pulled H over and instructed her to kneel before the incense and burn Joss Paper. At first, she hesitated, but I said, "You won't lose face by paying respects to someone who once had a crush on you; in fact, it’s something you should do. Burn the paper completely, don’t look up, and group them in threes with the front side facing up."
After hearing my words, she slowly knelt down and began to burn the paper. I turned to A and nodded at him; he nodded back and even managed a smile. Though he wasn't as handsome as I was, his smile was sincere. I thought that sending him off at this moment would be the best farewell for him.
Once H finished burning the Joss Paper, I silently sent A away as well. Watching the flickering flames fill the room, H suddenly collapsed onto the ground and began to cry. I didn’t disturb her; I didn’t know how she felt, but I was certain it wasn’t fear.
I sent a text to Manager Li, signaling him to turn on the lights. After a while, they arrived at the office. The other two girls went to comfort H while I tidied up. Then I told Manager Li that everything was done and that I needed to rest. He handed me a hotel key card and said, "The hotel is right across the street; do you want me to take you?" I replied that it wasn’t necessary, that they needed him here. "Don’t worry, everything is fine now. You all can focus on your work; I'll come by tomorrow morning to collect the payment. Just prepare half of it for now." He nodded and we shook hands. I turned to H and said, "It’s okay now. Since this has happened, face it bravely; running away would be unfair to its lingering feelings for you."
H stood up, nodded vigorously at me, then broke into a smile through her tears.
I turned to leave, not taking a single cloud with me but leaving behind a story.
In my eyes, A was lonely, but his loneliness wasn’t innate; it truly began the moment he fell in love with H. He had been lonely until his departure from this world, but in his final moments, he should have felt happiness.
The path was muddy, petals danced in the air, and the midnight blackout played a melody of lost memories. Unbeknownst to you, did you sense my humble efforts? Good night to everyone.
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