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墨書 Inktalez
Living Funeral
The caller ID displayed Brother Li.
I pressed the answer button but didn’t bring the phone to my ear. Instead, I turned to Fu Yan and said I was going to take a call.
Fu Yan nodded in acknowledgment, and I walked about five or six meters away from him before finally putting the phone to my ear.
I asked, "Is it you?" My voice was low, cautious of Fu Yan overhearing.
This situation was already quite Eerie. If too many secrets were revealed to Fu Yan, he might get dragged into it, making things even worse.
Moreover, Fu Yan had a special identity as a police officer. If he investigated me and detained me for eighteen days, that would be a real problem.
After I spoke, Brother Li replied, "It's me." His voice was somewhat calm.
In fact, the idea that Brother Li hadn’t died and had severed his own hand to threaten me was even more difficult to comprehend, unless that hand wasn’t really his at all.
I asked Brother Li, "What do you want to do now?"
Brother Li responded, "I don’t want to do anything. I just want to get back what’s mine."
I asked, "What do you want back?" I lowered my voice significantly. However, after I said this, there was suddenly silence on Brother Li’s end. He let out a chilling laugh that came in gasps, sounding as if he might choke at any moment.
Listening to that laughter made my heart race; it felt unsettling.
Still, I patiently waited for him to finish laughing. Who the hell knew what I was feeling right now? Brother Li felt like a complete psychopath at this moment.
Damn it, unconsciously my breathing became heavier. Once he stopped laughing, he said, "You know what I want back, and you—don’t think about harming me again."
I: ...
"Damn it, when did I ever want to harm him? Brother Li can't really be going crazy, can he?"
"I didn't," I replied.
Brother Li let out a cold laugh and said, "I will continue to investigate that incident from back then."
I asked what incident he was referring to, but the call ended abruptly. I had known too much about Brother Li before, and now he believed I was trying to harm him, even going so far as to cut off his own hand to threaten me.
Wasn't it clear that Brother Li had lost his mind? The sun was high in the sky, yet my heart felt cold and heavy. What the hell was going on? Brother Li must think I was out to get him, which is why he resorted to such drastic measures. Just thinking about it made my skin crawl. I stood there for a moment before letting out a heavy sigh.
Did I have a conspiracy? Did I want to harm someone? But damn it, I needed a reason to weave a plot and kill someone.
But did I have a reason? After all, I had only been at the funeral home for half a month.
Thinking about all this was driving me insane!
At that moment, Fu Yan called out to me. I walked over, and Fu Yan asked who had called me. I steadied my emotions and replied that it was a friend who borrowed money and hadn't paid it back.
Fu Yan asked how much.
"Five thousand," I said. If I didn't say something like this, Fu Yan would definitely start suspecting me. I felt that Fu Yan had the makings of a police officer; he had a keen sense for clues. When he had been staring at me earlier, he might have suspected that I knew something.
It just so happened that I received another call and that I knew Brother Li. With all these factors combined, it was only natural for Fu Yan to suspect that I was in the know.
After my words fell, Fu Yan fell silent for a moment before asking if he could help me.
"No need," I replied. "We still have to be friends in the future; I don't want things to get too tense."
Fu Yan acknowledged this with an "oh" and then told me to get in the car.
Of course, I felt a bit uneasy inside.
"Since the body is missing, you can go back now," Fu Yan said at last.
I nodded, but just as I was about to open the car door and get out, Fu Yan suddenly called out to me, "By the way, if you find any clues, remember to contact me immediately. If he comes looking for you, make sure to give me a call."
I assured him I would.
After I got out of the car, Fu Yan reminded me to keep everything confidential. I thought to myself that he was really nagging, but I replied with a simple "Okay."
Once I watched Fu Yan's car drive away, I let out a long sigh of relief.
At that moment, I truly felt that Fu Yan was a bit dangerous. I hailed a taxi on the street and headed back home, where Gao Ling was still engrossed in her game.
After sitting down, I tried to calm myself and then redialed a number.
However, this time the call didn’t go through.
I sat on the sofa in a daze when Gao Ling's voice came from the room, asking, "Fei, is that you back?"
I snapped back to reality and replied, "Yes."
Gao Ling asked if there were any new developments from the police. I told her there weren't; I just went over to confirm some things.
Gao Ling didn't seem interested in the matter anymore and dropped the subject. Instead, she said, "I just called that brat; she’ll be back soon."
I acknowledged her with a nod. Perhaps I had been too tense earlier because I was drenched in cold sweat, so I decided to take a shower.
After showering, I lay down on my bed to take a nap. As soon as I got comfortable under the covers, I felt drowsy and quickly fell asleep.
When I opened my eyes again, I found the Spirit Tablet resting on top of me.
I tossed aside the Spirit Tablet after touching it, turned on the light, and checked the time on my phone. It was half past eight in the evening.
There was a text message from Gao Ling: "I saw you were still asleep, so I didn't wake you. I'm going out to get some food and will bring you back a portion."
I glanced at it and tossed my phone aside.
Looking again at the Spirit Tablet, I took a deep breath, filled my cheeks with air, and then exhaled. The name Chen Fei on the Spirit Tablet caught my eye, glaringly bright and unsettling.
I didn't touch the Spirit Tablet but called out for the Taoist. However, after calling three or four times, there was still no response.
While the Taoist did not appear, the ghost in red did.
The ghost in red asked me, "Chen Lang, what do you need from the master?"
I replied to her, "I have something here that I want you to take a look at," and then I showed her the Spirit Tablet.
Being a ghost, she surely understood more than I did.
After glancing at it, her expression changed, and she asked me, "Chen Lang, where did you get this tablet? It doesn't seem to be from the Underworld."
"What?" I asked in surprise. Although I knew this Spirit Tablet was eerie enough, hearing that it wasn't from the Underworld made me feel uneasy!
I realized this was a Yin tablet and quickly told the ghost in red, "I got it from Coffin Street."
She said, "This tablet is a Yin tablet. If a name is written on it, it might mean someone has to die in its place."
I: …
"What does that mean?" I asked.
The woman in red paused for a moment before suddenly addressing me, "Chen Lang, have you heard of water ghosts?" I nodded slightly, and she continued, "Chen Lang, it's quite similar to the concept of water ghosts. Water ghosts drag living people into the water and then consume their brains. After that, the living person dies and becomes a water ghost, while the previous water ghost may be reincarnated as a human. However, there are still some differences between this Yin tablet and water ghosts."
I didn’t interrupt her but waited for her to continue.
She didn’t keep me waiting long before she spoke again about the differences of this Yin tablet...
Before she could finish her thought, a Taoist suddenly appeared, which surprised me. The Taoist picked up where the woman in red left off, saying, "The difference with this Yin tablet is that the ghost resides within it. If you die, you will be trapped in this Yin tablet while it gains its freedom. However, it cannot be reincarnated; instead, it will occupy your body."
So that's how it is! I felt a sudden clarity in my mind, though the thought was still terrifying.
The woman in red respectfully called out "Master," and I greeted the Taoist as well. Seeing him appear gave me a sense of reassurance.
I asked the Taoist, "Then why hasn't it attacked me yet?"
The Taoist replied, "That's because the best opportunity hasn't arrived yet. You must understand your Yin-Yang Fate; it is the best substitute for a life."
This was something Zhang Xun had mentioned before, but I had a lingering doubt: this brat had likely been dead for at least several decades. Wouldn't it be too late for him to seek a substitute now?
I quickly dismissed my doubts when the Taoist said, "You are not the first, nor will you be the last."
He then calculated something with his fingers and said to me, "Tonight is the best opportunity."
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