Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
I understood now why Master Ma's resentment was so great; I could guess what would happen next. Master Ma was that three-year-old boy whose mother and sister had both died, leaving him to survive. He was taken in by a Daoist priest.
The priest taught him the Daoist Arts, hoping to help him forget his hatred. However, Master Ma couldn't do it. Even at just three years old, the hatred ran deep within him. So, thirty-three years later, after waiting for his master to die, he might have secretly descended the mountain. In any case, he returned, using Lian's death to orchestrate everything!
I rubbed my chest, feeling a tightness inside.
After a while, my father took a few deep breaths and said, "Alright, Fei, let's change the subject."
I nodded. I could tell my father's attitude toward me was different today; he definitely had something he wanted to discuss.
He hesitated for a moment and then said, "I'll be straightforward, Fei. From now on... um, you shouldn't come home anymore."
"What?" I looked at my father. Although I knew things had been tense since they had Dayu, this was the first time he had directly told me to leave home.
A pang of hurt shot through me. After all, he was my family for twenty years. While we weren't particularly close anymore, he had still been my dad all these years.
"Father, if you don't want me to come home, then I won't. But remember, you raised me for these twenty years; I will definitely repay you in the future."
My father shook his head and patted my arm. "Fei, you... you might be a disaster waiting to happen. It's better if you don't come home. This might also be what your late grandfather wanted."
"Dad, be clear about what you mean," I swallowed hard. It was one thing for my father not to want me around, but I absolutely refused to believe that my grandfather—who had always cared for me—would want this!
My father slapped his forehead and said, "Fine, I'll just tell you. Your grandfather... well, he was a Grave Robber. When I was young, I hardly ever saw him until one day he returned with you as a baby and never left again. Fei, you weren't picked up from the hospital; you were... dug up from a grave by your grandfather."
I had been feeling sad until I heard that I had been dug up from a grave. I froze and stared at my father. "Dad, are you joking? Graves are where dead people are buried!"
Dad shook his head, "I'm not joking, Fei. Your grandfather never told me much about your origins, but one time, after he had a few drinks, he did say this: you were dug up during one of his tomb raiding adventures! It was because he found you that he decided to stop tomb raiding and returned to Shantai Village to live a quiet life as an old farmer."
My lips trembled a few times; I couldn't describe how I felt at that moment.
Dad continued, "I don't believe in gods or ghosts, but I do believe in fate and karma. Just like what happened to Xu Cuihua in our village, which led to Master Ma seeking revenge. Similarly, your grandfather was a grave robber who disturbed others' ancestral graves, and that's why our family has faced continuous misfortunes."
He shook his head, puffing out a few smoke rings as he shifted into a more comfortable position. "Do you know why your mother and I have never had children? I think it's because of your grandfather. He disturbed others' graves, so people cursed the old Song family with extinction! It wasn't until your grandfather died that your mother and I were able to have Dayu. This is fate, karma, retribution!"
I looked at my dad as if I were seeing him for the first time.
He waved his hand dismissively, "That's all in the past. Fei, you can see ghosts now because your grandfather used a method to inject something into your heart. Since then, you've been like other kids. But you're still different; you were dug up from a grave and can see ghosts. Honestly, you might bring bad luck."
Dad spoke quickly now, no longer concerned about my feelings. "You’ve seen it yourself; you’re not like us. Now that you can see ghosts again, you're bound to bring misfortune just like your grandfather did. Your mother and I have Dayu now; Dayu's grades are just as good as yours. We can support this family. I didn’t intend to cut ties with you or talk about this at all, but since you can see ghosts again... I'm scared. So please don’t come home anymore. Just consider it my request to you for all these years I've taken care of you."
My head buzzed with confusion as I instinctively nodded, "Okay, Dad. I... I won't come back anymore."
"Good." Dad extinguished his cigarette and went to bed.
I sat in the room with my mind in chaos, tears streaming down my face uncontrollably. Although my parents hadn’t treated me well before, this was still my home—I had a family! But now… now I didn’t even have that!
For the first time, I realized how much worse off I was than an orphan; my origins were so bizarre and tragic. If it weren't for my grandfather, would I have died in that grave? Why was I buried there in the first place? How did I survive?
Suddenly, I remembered the first time Lian bit me. At that moment when Lian sank her teeth into my neck, my whole body went stiff. Just when I thought I was going to die, it felt like something within my heart suddenly broke free from some kind of restraint! Then I came back to life!
I… I'm not afraid of corpse poison; I can see ghosts just like my dad said. I'm different; maybe I really will bring misfortune to this family!
My mind was foggy as I began to reflect on everything that had happened.
Grandpa found me in a grave. Seeing my pitiful state, he decided to raise me, so he took me back to this mountain village. Because I could see ghosts and often cried out, he didn't know what method to use to seal this ability within my heart.
It wasn't until yesterday that Lian bit me, and at the moment I was about to die, the seal my grandpa had placed on me was lifted.
I… was indeed a bit different.
Thinking of this, I took a deep breath and lay down on the bed, drifting off to sleep.
In my dream, I saw Lian, Master Ma, Xu Bansian, and my grandpa. My grandpa wanted to kill me; he was ominous and a disaster who shouldn’t have raised me. I knelt on the ground begging for mercy, and then I suddenly woke up!
I looked outside; it was just getting light. I got up, grabbed an iron pickaxe, and headed towards Yinpo Forest.
Upon arriving at Yinpo Forest, I found Xu Bansian's corpse. I dug a hole and buried him.
Master Ma's entire body had turned black. Looking at Master Ma's corpse, I felt he was also an unfortunate person. I walked over, dug another hole, and buried him as well.
Master Ma had a bag on his back.
I took the bag off; inside were two pieces of yellow paper covered in dense runes—likely Taoist talismans. Besides these symbols, there was also a thread stained with dark smudges that seemed to be blood.
I knew it must be related to exorcism, so I took it as well.
I buried both Master Ma and Xu Bansian outside Yinpo Forest and bowed my head to Xu Bansian.
The mountain wind blew by; it was surprisingly cold.
I stood up and looked back at Shantai Village, feeling a bit teary. I knew this might be my last time returning here.
I... where is my home? Why was I buried in a grave?
Holding my Iron Pickaxe, I returned home. I realized I hadn't even said goodbye to my parents. With my backpack in hand, I left.
I felt a bit mentally and physically exhausted, my mind foggy. On the train, I didn't want to say a word or think about anything.
The green train heading to Donghai City rattled incessantly, and the noise only added to my frustration.
At that moment, laughter erupted from behind me, followed by a child's voice saying, "Lady, your complexion is dark and your brow is clouded; you’ve been having bad luck lately."
Upon hearing that familiar voice, I turned around quickly. It was the monk I had encountered the last time I went home.
I got up and looked back.
A group of people had gathered around him, and sure enough, the monk known as Abstaining from Lust was standing in the middle. Honestly, if it weren't for what happened in Shantai Village, I would have thought he was a fraud trying to swindle Spicy Strips from people. But now, of course, I didn't think that way anymore.
I walked towards the back.
The monk was clearly reading fortunes for a woman sitting across from him.
The woman shot a glare at the brat but remained silent. The surrounding passengers were chuckling.
At that moment, there weren't many people on the train; many seats were empty. The relaxed environment made everyone appear quite at ease.
"Everyone, please don't laugh. What I'm saying is true. This lady has indeed been plagued by misfortune recently. If you don't believe me, just take a look at her backside; her bad luck stems from sitting in an unclean place, which is why she has red spots there first..."
"Smack!"
The brat was not finished when the woman slapped him across the face.
"Get lost, you little brat! You haven't even grown hair yet, and you're already trying to act like a rogue!" The woman cursed, her heavy makeup and earrings making it clear she was not someone to mess with.
The surrounding passengers laughed even harder, clutching their stomachs in amusement.
The monk was furious. "Who... who is acting like a rogue? I, Buddha, learned from the prestigious Shaolin school. My dharma name is Abstaining from Lust. How could I possibly act like a rogue?"
I couldn't help but laugh as well. It seemed this brat really didn't understand. If it weren't for that woman taking off her clothes to air out her bottom, he wouldn't have been sitting in such an unclean place. I suspected she must have been engaging in some illicit activities in a filthy spot.
Seeing everyone around mocking the brat, I walked over and gave his head a light pat. "Come here, monk. I have something to ask you."
The brat looked up, stunned for a moment when he saw me, then exclaimed in surprise, "You’re actually alive?"
Comment 0 Comment Count