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墨書 Inktalez
The old man turned to look at me.
Under the light, his face was covered with dark spots, resembling a pentagram, densely packed and quite repulsive.
However, the old man was surprisingly strong, standing tall with an imposing presence.
"Who are you?" Liang Shengqiu asked with little expression on his face, likely realizing I wasn't here for business. He asked calmly.
I quickly replied, "Grandpa Liang, I'm here to find my family. My grandfather's name is Song Shixin, and his remains were taken by his companions. I want to find my grandfather's bones so that I can pay my respects. That's all I ask—please help me, Grandpa Liang."
My voice sounded quite sorrowful, likely enough to touch someone's heart.
Liang Shengqiu lifted the door and reopened the shop. "How did you find me?" he inquired.
I hurriedly explained, "I've been asking around for a long time. I learned that my grandfather's grave wasn't stolen but moved by his companions. Later, I asked an old man selling cauldrons by the street, and he told me you would know the situation."
Liang Shengqiu nodded. "Song Shixin, Song Shixin... Song Zhi?"
It seemed like something clicked in his mind as he suddenly turned to look at me.
I was puzzled by Liang Shengqiu's reaction and just stared back at him.
Liang Shengqiu said, "Your grandfather's characteristics."
I immediately described some traits of my grandfather.
Liang Shengqiu nodded and sighed. "Song Zhi, Song Shixin... Ha! Ghost, your grandfather is not called Song Shixin. Back in our line of work, he was known as Ghost Hand Yan Zhi. The one who moved his remains should be Fourth Uncle. Come on, I'll take you to find Fourth Uncle."
I couldn't quite grasp the situation, but I knew these people were likely friends of my grandfather from years ago, so I treated them with great respect.
After locking the shop door, Liang Shengqiu led me into the Confucius Temple. Inside, there was a row of connected, low houses; they were quite old and seemed to have been overlooked during the demolition process.
The houses were intertwined, winding in such a way that it was hard to tell which way to go.
Before long, Liang Shengqiu brought me into a villa styled from the Republican Era.
The living room of the villa was quite old-fashioned, yet the various pieces of furniture inside were new and high-tech.
I sat on the sofa, somewhat astonished; I hadn't expected my grandfather's friends to be so well-off.
Not long after, an elderly man shuffled out unsteadily. His face was covered in age spots, and he looked to be at least ninety years old.
The old man looked at me, squinting as he smiled.
I found him rather amiable; at least he didn't have the fierce demeanor that Liang Shengqiu had. Moreover, those marks on Liang Shengqiu's face looked as if they had been tainted by some virus.
"Child, are you the one that Song Zhi picked up?" The old man spoke with a toothless grin, his words escaping through gaps in his mouth.
I nodded and replied, "Great-Grandfather Four, my name is Song Fei. I'm the child my grandfather picked up."
Fourth Uncle chuckled heartily. "You should call me Great-Grandfather according to your generation, but everyone just calls me Fourth Uncle. You can call me Fourth Uncle too."
I quickly responded, "Hello, Fourth Uncle."
Fourth Uncle waved me over. "Come here, child. Let me take a good look at you."
I felt a bit puzzled as to why this old man was so interested in me, but I walked over nonetheless.
Fourth Uncle reached out and touched my face, then he tugged at my ear with his aged hand, and finally gave my bottom a light pat.
I felt quite embarrassed by the old man's antics.
Fourth Uncle grinned widely and said, "Alright, sit down. You're a person, ha ha, you're a person."
Upon hearing this, I felt a wave of frustration. Was this old man touching me just to confirm that I was human? Of course, I was human! What else could I be?
Fourth Uncle turned to Liang Shengqiu and asked, "Qiuzi, do you know this child's background?"
Liang Shengqiu hesitated for a moment, looking at me and then at Fourth Uncle before nodding. "I know a little, but this child..."
Fourth Uncle waved his hand dismissively. "It's fine. The child should be around twenty years old now. At twenty, he's an adult and should know about his own matters."
I became excited at this. I quickly said, "Fourth Uncle, Grandpa Liang, I came here not only to search for my grandfather's remains but also to uncover my own origins. I heard from my dad that I was brought back by my grandfather from the grave, so... I want to know about my own background."
Liang Shengqiu sighed. "Over twenty years ago, it was the golden age of antique collecting. A simple bronze pot could trade for several houses in Nanjing back then. I had dealings with your grandfather; we were both in the treasure hunting business, but we weren't on the same team. I only heard that your grandfather came back holding you, looking a bit off mentally. After staying here for a while, he decided to retire from the business and took you back home to raise you."
I swallowed hard and turned to Fourth Uncle again. I felt that Fourth Uncle must know more; he must have had a closer relationship with my grandfather.
Fourth Uncle lit a cigarette, his hands trembling slightly. After taking a couple of puffs, he continued, "Twenty years ago, I hadn't fully retired yet. Back then, everyone in this area called me Fourth Uncle, and I was happy to be the leader of everyone. At that time, Song Zhi was decisive and bold in his actions; he was indeed a good leader. I was actually quite willing to let him take over my position."
Fourth Uncle squinted his eyes and spoke slowly; I knew he was sharing something important with me.
He continued, "Once, Song Zhi took eight members of his team on a trip to Hubei because they had discovered some promising leads. He excitedly told me that if this went well, he could retire for good; if they found something valuable, it would last them three lifetimes. That time, Song Zhi prepared many things for the journey. However, twenty days later, he returned alone—spiritless and somewhat abnormal—often screaming in fright. He brought nothing back except for a baby: you."
Fourth Uncle's gaze bore into me with a hint of confusion in his aged eyes as he recounted the story. "After calming down a bit, Song Zhi didn't know why he had to hold you all the time to sleep peacefully. If he let you go even for a moment, your grandfather would cry out as if tormented by something. Later on, when he recovered somewhat, he told me that the other seven members had died; those were all skilled tomb raiders capable of taking down so many people at once—they must have encountered something extraordinary."
Fourth Uncle shook his head and extinguished his cigarette. "Afterward, your grandfather didn't want to associate much with others anymore; he divided his assets among the families of those seven men as burial fees before taking you back home."
"Then where... was I dug up from?" I swallowed nervously and asked.
Fourth Uncle shook his head. "I only know it's in Hubei, but I don't know the exact location. However... it should be the Shangzhou Tomb."
"Shangzhou Tomb!" Liang Shengqiu exclaimed, then added, "No wonder Song Zhi was so eager. If he succeeded, he wouldn't have to worry for three lifetimes. The treasures in the Shangzhou Tomb are incredibly valuable."
I felt a bit lost, my ears buzzing. If I really was dug up from a grave, that would mean I had become an ancient monster, living for thousands of years!
Maybe it was discovered near the Grave.
My mind was in chaos.
At that moment, Fourth Uncle said, "A Cai, go and open my safe. There's a Peach Wood Box inside; bring it to me."
"Yes, Grandpa."
A middle-aged man standing by the living room walked upstairs. Shortly after, he came down with a Peach Wood Box and placed it in front of Fourth Uncle.
The Peach Wood Box looked quite old, appearing to be over ten years old.
Fourth Uncle looked at me and said, "Alright, child, this belongs to you now."
"Belongs to... me?" I stared at Fourth Uncle and then took the Peach Wood Box.
Opening the box revealed a dark black pendant inside. I couldn't tell what it was made of; it wasn't wood, jade, or bronze.
It was about the size of a thumb. What did it look like? I couldn't describe it well—there was a circular ring with a figure inside that resembled a person but wasn't quite human. It looked like the upper half of a person with a lower half resembling a fish.
In short, it was a rather bizarre pattern.
I swallowed hard and asked, "Fourth Uncle, what is going on?"
Fourth Uncle sighed, "When your grandfather brought you back, he gave this to me. At that time, he was a bit out of his mind, sometimes clear-headed and sometimes not. He told me that this was something you had in your mouth, and he wanted me to sell it and share the money with others. I didn’t sell it then; instead, I kept it. Later, when your grandfather fully recovered, I told him that this thing belonged to you. If not, it should be kept with you, but your grandfather didn’t agree."
"Why?" I looked at Fourth Uncle in confusion, not understanding why this thing was in my mouth or why my grandfather would have discarded it.
Fourth Uncle smiled slightly, his face lined with wrinkles. "Your grandfather wanted you to be an ordinary child. He wanted you to grow up like a normal kid. You may not understand this, but it is indeed the simplest wish of parents and grandparents: to let their child live a safe and simple life." With that, Fourth Uncle glanced at the middle-aged man standing at the door.
The middle-aged man was likely Fourth Uncle's grandson, but it was clear that he was not an outstanding individual; at least, he did not have the same commanding presence in the Tomb Raiding antiques world as Fourth Uncle.
After sharing all this with me, Fourth Uncle waved his hand. "A Cai, please push me back to my room; I need to sleep. Take good care of our old friends and juniors; I should rest now… I should rest…"
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