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墨書 Inktalez
Living Funeral
At that moment, even the old man's expression changed, but his face showed more fear. He then said to me, "You can't just talk nonsense like that."
I replied, "Isn't it true? If it weren't, how would you know so clearly?"
The old man suddenly stared at me, his gaze sharpening. Finally, he slowly said, "What is a fortune teller? It's because they can predict with uncanny accuracy the events that will happen this year and at this moment."
I was left speechless for a moment.
Could it be that these things were all predicted by the fortune teller? That was simply shocking! I was astonished to the point of disbelief; it was truly terrifying!
The old man continued, "Actually, I didn't believe it at first. After I became an adult, I tried to find the Dragon King Temple, but I could never locate it. Later on, he even sent me dreams, warning me not to tell anyone about these matters. And do you know that I wasn't even afraid when I died?"
I asked, "Was that also predicted by the fortune teller?"
He confirmed, "Yes, he predicted that I would die this year at this time. In my dream, he told me that the day Guanyin Temple collapses would be the day of my demise. However, he has already paved a path for me through the Yin-Yang Dao; after I die, I can be reincarnated."
Listening to the old man made me feel an intense chill! This fortune teller was too twisted! To predict everything—life and death—so thoroughly was simply unbelievable!
At that moment, Gao Ling said, "This must be the guy who predicted my fortune."
Zhang Xu and Nian Chen's expressions also changed.
Zhang Xun asked, "Does this mean he predicted our arrival here?" His tone was calm, but the question sent a shiver down my spine! The old man quickly gave Zhang Xun a definite answer. After hearing that, I couldn't help but gasp in shock. Was this fortune teller even human?
Feeling my emotions stir, I said, "Did he also tell you to say these things to us?"
The old man replied affirmatively. I suddenly felt lost for words. After a pause, I asked him if he could tell us everything he needed to say at once.
"Alright," he said and began recounting his experiences. He had sent me three dreams in total. The first one warned me not to reveal anything about the Dragon King Temple. The second one informed me of several events that were about to happen. The third one was recent; it revealed my date of death and mentioned that a few old friends would come looking for him. He wanted me to inform his old friends of everything I knew. I thought those old friends must be you all. Hearing the phrase "old friends" felt strange; could this fortune teller really consider us as such? It seemed he had everything planned out; I wondered if he had predicted his own fate.
But that wasn't the main point; what mattered was now.
I asked, "Is there more?"
The old man grunted and continued. The Dragon King was indeed a real entity, and he urged you to act wisely, hoping to soothe the Dragon King's emotions. I thought to myself, soothing the Dragon King's emotions? Does that mean we might actually meet him? Furthermore, we needed to resolve the issues in this village. Someone had plotted against the Dragon King Temple, angering the Dragon King. If we didn't settle this matter, he would come looking for us, and we might never see each other again in this lifetime.
The old man stopped there, and I understood what he meant. It seemed this old fellow had gotten himself into trouble and wanted us to help clean up the mess.
I asked, "What if we refuse to help him calm the Dragon King's emotions?"
The old man replied, "You will do what you must. There are some things you will inevitably take on."
I was taken aback...
I said, "But what if I choose not to do it?"
Suddenly, the old man laughed and said, "Sir, you truly have a knack for predicting outcomes. Even your words are perfectly calculated." I frowned and remained silent, waiting for him to continue. The old man said that he wanted me to know that if I understood this statement, he would tell me a story.
"What story?" I inquired.
He began, "During the Zhenguan era, the capital Chang'an suffered from years of drought. The common people prayed daily for rain but to no avail. One day, a sage known as Ghost Valley Master predicted that it would rain at three-quarters past noon; it would rain at three o'clock inside the city and at seven o'clock outside. However, the Golden Horn Dragon King, who controlled the rain, did not believe Ghost Valley Sage's words and bet against him that it wouldn't rain. But when the Golden Horn Dragon King checked his records of wind and rain, he found that Ghost Valley Sage's prediction was accurate. Yet to win the bet, he unilaterally changed the time of the rain, resulting in a deluge that drowned many people. When the Jade Emperor learned of this, he was furious and sentenced him to death. The Golden Horn Dragon King panicked and sought help from Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin. Moved by his past contributions, Li Shimin wanted to spare him from execution. However, the executioner was Wei Zheng, who was known for his strictness. To save the Dragon King, Li Shimin engaged Wei Zheng in a game of chess so that Wei Zheng couldn't leave. Eventually, Wei Zheng fell asleep and dreamt of executing the Dragon King."
After telling this story, the old man left me feeling confused. So I asked him what it meant.
He replied, "Think carefully about it yourself; it's not something a rough person like me can decipher." He added that there was one last thing: once he finished with this matter, he would have to leave.
I urged him on quickly; as a fortune teller, I knew you had lifelong ambitions. So this time he left me with something very important—whether I could obtain it depended on my fortune.
Then he turned to Gao Ling and asked if she had ever had her fortune told by him before. Gao Ling confirmed with a yes! She was straightforward and then added, "Let that old bastard come out himself; I've been listening here for half an hour without understanding anything."
The old man said that even he didn't fully understand what was happening. He then told Gao Ling one last thing: "You are a variable; keep that in mind." With those words spoken, his spirit quickly transformed into transparent light points and vanished.
At that moment, Zhang Xun muttered about variables. We didn't try to stop the old man from disappearing.
Gao Ling cursed under her breath about how ridiculous variables were—was that all there was to it? But I felt things were far from simple. Looking at the statue of the Dragon King before us, it remained completely still; how could anyone tell if this Dragon King was alive?
I asked everyone around me, "Did anyone understand what that old man’s story meant?"
"That story is a Chinese folk tale, passed down for hundreds of years, about Wei Zheng slaying the Dragon King in his dreams," Zhang Xun said.
"I've heard that too," Gao Ling chimed in. "My father told me about it when I was younger."
I might have heard it as well, but I couldn't remember the details clearly. However, this story involves a Dragon King, and now there is a Dragon King Temple here. Could the fortune teller be hinting at something? Is this statue of the Dragon King the Golden Horn Dragon King?
No, folk tales are just that—folk tales. The story of slaying the Dragon King might be entirely fabricated, merely a glorification of Wei Zheng.
I was lost in thought for a few seconds, then shone my flashlight on the statue of the Dragon King. Suddenly, it felt as if the Dragon King was looking back at me. Just then, I realized something; perhaps the fortune teller was warning me by telling me this story.
The Ghost Valley Sage is a fortune teller, but the Dragon King did not heed his words and ultimately met a tragic end. I had just tried to calm the Dragon King's emotions, which could be seen as defying the fortune teller's intentions. Was he telling me this story as a warning?
Thinking this way sent a chill down my spine. I stared at the Dragon King for a long time but couldn't discern anything significant. Still, I felt uneasy.
I couldn't believe he could foresee everything perfectly. And now that he seemed to be plotting against me, was he trying to intimidate me?
"Nian Chen called out to me, pulling my attention back. 'Could that fortune teller be Jiang Changsheng?' I asked.
As soon as I finished speaking, Nian Chen replied, 'Absolutely not Jiang Changsheng.' When I asked why, Nian Chen said, 'Because Jiang Changsheng doesn't do fortune telling.' Just then, I suddenly heard a tremendous roar that shook my eardrums as if they were about to burst."
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