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墨書 Inktalez
The sounds of crows and birds echoed through the mountains, accompanied by the croaking of frogs. The few hundred meters we had to traverse felt unusually arduous. The ground was not only uneven but also slippery. Everyone was wearing soft-soled sneakers, making it easy to slip on the muddy terrain. Zhang Min and I were walking at the back, and it was clear that she rarely walked on such paths; each step she took was slow and cautious.
I, on the other hand, grew up in a rural area where such paths were everywhere. In fact, the more careful one was, the easier it was to fall; taking bold steps often prevented accidents. I kept encouraging her to walk confidently, assuring her it would be fine. However, she remained hesitant, and as expected, her foot slipped. Zhang Min's right foot wobbled, and she leaned forward as if stepping on a banana peel, about to fall face-first into the mud. I quickly reached out and grabbed her backpack, pulling her back with force. She was stabilized by my grip, but due to my shifted center of gravity, my right foot slipped, and I nearly fell to the ground myself.
With a "thud," I managed to brace myself with my hands behind me just in time to avoid landing in the muddy path. However, the noise caught the attention of Brother Mao and Xiao Yu, who were ahead of us.
"Be careful," Brother Mao said before continuing forward. Xiao Yu scoffed lightly and casually remarked, "Maybe you should just wait for us in the car." I chuckled and replied, "It's fine; don't worry about me." He huffed but continued walking ahead. Zhang Min realized I had fallen while trying to help her and felt guilty, apologizing as she moved to assist me. I waved her off, saying, "No need; it's a small matter. Just be careful when you walk. If you’re not overly cautious, you won’t fall." After this incident, she indeed became bolder in her steps and moved much faster than before. Before long, we arrived at the abandoned Hermitage.
The Hermitage was constructed of wood with sharp angles and edges. I remarked quietly, "What is this..." My voice lacked the confidence I had earlier.
Brother Mao paused outside for a while without inviting anyone in. Since he didn’t speak, I naturally didn’t move inside either; instead, I kept observing my surroundings, hoping to spot any natural gathering places or graves nearby. Unfortunately, visibility was low, and I couldn’t see anything clearly. When I turned around again, I noticed Brother Mao had draped a yellow Robe over himself and donned a talisman. "You don’t even have a Peach Wood Sword? And you call yourself a practitioner?" I didn’t bother explaining anything to him. Instead, I picked up a thick wooden stick nearby and said, "I’ll use this; let’s go inside." With a sigh, Brother Mao turned toward the entrance.
Xiao Yu and Zhang Min closely followed him. Looking at the stick in my hand, I shook my head helplessly. From my Cloth Bag, I took some Cinnabar and smeared it on the end of the stick. Then I pulled out an Exorcism Talisman, wrapping it around where I held the stick and securing it with a short Ink Fight Line, tying three loops with a spiritual knot. Finally, I gripped the stick firmly and strode confidently into the Hermitage.
The entrance was grand but already dilapidated; even the doorframe seemed to have vanished entirely. There was a threshold over thirty centimeters high at the foot of the door. Stepping over it revealed a large hall that must have once served as a place for worship or study for those within the Hermitage. At the back stood a tall wooden platform that appeared empty now but likely once held offerings like statues of deities.
"Thought you ran away," someone joked from behind me. Brother Mao nodded at me without speaking further as he began shining his flashlight around the hall. Zhang Min was busy organizing her backpack when she saw me enter and called out for me to come over.
I walked over and placed my backpack on the table while slinging my Cloth Bag across my shoulder. From our vantage point, we could see a small circular archway in the left diagonal corner—likely an entrance to side rooms—next to another large wooden platform on its right side that led to what might be kitchen or restroom areas.
Soon after exploring the hall thoroughly, Brother Mao returned to where we stood and whispered to us: "I haven’t found any issues yet, but just to be safe, I'll perform a Ritual."
Upon hearing this from Brother Mao, both Xiao Yu and Zhang Min nodded in agreement as did I. I thought that perhaps this Brother Mao was quite cautious; he might even be quite skilled.
Using his flashlight for illumination, Brother Mao opened his large travel bag and pulled out a black pouch filled with offerings like Incense and Paper Money. There was also a small red Cloth Bag, from which some corners of yellow talismans peeked out—clearly a small stack of charms.
He first took out a pair of red candles and lit one of them before placing it in a simple candlestick holder. As he began lighting the other candle unexpectedly, the first one extinguished itself completely without any apparent reason—there was no wind in the room nor did I see anyone breathing near it that could have blown it out; it simply went out on its own.
Brother Mao frowned slightly as if pondering something while Xiao Yu and Zhang Min continued looking around without noticing anything amiss. After lighting one candle in his hand again and placing it on another holder, he prepared to relight the one that had gone out earlier when suddenly that one extinguished again just as he struck his lighter.
This time I saw clearly: that red candle wasn’t snuffed by airflow because its flame hadn’t moved at all—it had diminished slowly until it went out completely as if all oxygen had been consumed around it. This manner of extinguishing confirmed for me that there must be some presence of Spirit God within this house.
"What's going on?" Brother Mao furrowed his brow. Xiao Yu also noticed the candle had gone out, and his emotions began to escalate. I couldn't tell if he was excited or scared. He walked behind Brother Mao and swung the Peach Wood Sword, cursing loudly as he did so. I found myself speechless, as his actions were completely ineffective.
I asked Brother Mao what he intended to do with the Ritual, wondering if he was planning to perform it. Brother Mao replied that it wouldn't hurt to pay some respects first. I suggested he set up the offerings and light the candles to see what would happen.
The territory of a Wandering Soul is quite strong; after wandering outside for so long, it finally finds a place it perceives as home and certainly doesn't want anyone disturbing it. To the Spirit God, red candles are particularly sensitive and are used in almost all Rituals. It's like when a stranger suddenly pulls out a knife in front of you and then takes out an apple, versus pulling out an apple first and then a knife. Although the outcome is the same, the initial impression is completely different.
Hearing my words, Brother Mao nodded and arranged the offerings. He then lit the red candles, and indeed, they did not extinguish again. Zhang Min looked at me in confusion and said, "It really worked." I smiled and nodded, but Xiao Yu chimed in with something that left me both amused and exasperated: "What great luck!"
After setting up the altar for worship, Brother Mao began to mumble softly, saying some good words. The gist was that he hoped to stay for one night without any other intentions and asked for a favor. He recited some specific incantations, all of which were prayers for worship. He spoke slowly, pausing at times, clearly not very familiar with this set of spells.
This is the first update for today; there will be another one after midnight as a bonus for classmates Chen Yuxin and Support Soul Sending.
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