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墨書 Inktalez
Wei Ning could no longer bear to watch. Shaking her grandfather's hand, she said, "Grandpa, can we help her? That sister..." The scene she had witnessed last night sent a chill down her spine.
"It's not that I don't want to help, it's just... sigh..." Wei Qiuxi sighed deeply. "Alright, let's call your sister Qiqi over. I'll take a look, but I can't guarantee anything..."
Before he finished speaking, Old Man Fang hurried outside to call his granddaughter in. Wei Qiuxi squinted his eyes as he began to feel Qiqi's pulse. After a moment of contemplation, he suddenly focused on Qiqi's hair and asked, "When did you first notice...?" Not wanting to inflict more pain on Qiqi, he refrained from finishing his sentence.
Qiqi kept her head down and remained silent, hiding behind her grandfather. Old Man Fang began to reminisce: "That man couldn't get anything from Qiqi, so he made a harsh threat before leaving, saying that if he couldn't have her, then neither would we. Soon after, red spots began to appear on Qiqi's skin, itching terribly. It only got worse; she scratched until her skin was raw." Old Man Fang glanced at his granddaughter with sorrow as he continued, "A few months later, an old blind man came by claiming he could help alleviate Qiqi's suffering, but she had to become his disciple. When I heard there was hope for Qiqi, I readily agreed. The old man stayed with us for seven days and taught my granddaughter some techniques. Before he left, he gave her a bottle of something to use in her baths—mix it with water and wash herself during the peak of Evil Energy. Ever since then, Qiqi hasn't itched again. But this method is too sinister and merely treats the symptoms without addressing the root cause." As he spoke, Old Man Fang brushed aside the long hair covering the right side of Qiqi's face. At that moment, they finally saw what had been hidden: the entire right side of her face was stitched together with red thread as if multiple patches had been sewn onto it, resembling a grotesque sight.
At this point, Qiqi began to tremble all over, burying her head deeper.
Old Man Fang's eyes turned red as he started to sob softly.
Wei Qiuxi sneered and said, "Using poison to counter poison—what a clever tactic."
Hearing the underlying meaning in Wei Qiuxi's words, Old Man Fang quickly exclaimed, "Please help my Qiqi! I will kneel before you!" He dropped to his knees immediately.
"Old man, there's no need for that," Wei Qiuxi quickly stopped him. "I don't know much either, but I can assure you that both of those people are masters of poison. That old blind man is particularly skilled; however, it seems he's not genuinely trying to help you but rather..."
Then Wei Qiuxi shifted his gaze back to Qiqi and slowly asked, "How long has it been since you last cut your hair?"
Feeling uneasy under his gaze, Qiqi squeezed behind her grandfather. Old Man Fang thought for a moment and suddenly said, "Oh! It seems like it's been ages since I last cut it." He slapped his thigh and murmured, "Right! It's been three years since the incident; I never noticed this before!"
"Come here." Wei Qiuxi beckoned to Qiqi. She glanced at her grandfather before slowly walking over.
Wei Qiuxi ran his hands over Qiqi's face and long hair for a while before suddenly pulling hard. Qiqi let out a sharp scream as her hair was yanked out by the roots. What unfolded before Old Man Fang and Wei Ning left them utterly stunned.
It turned out that countless red worms were writhing on Qiqi's scalp beneath her hair. The sight made Old Man Fang and Wei Ning's skin crawl; Wei Ning even turned away in disgust.
"Just as I suspected—using a shell to nurture poison! What a devious method! Such cruelty!"
Old Man Fang was so frightened that he fell onto the ground. "Please! You must save my Qiqi!"
"Bring me the potion that person left you."
Old Man Fang hurriedly went out and returned with a white porcelain bottle. Wei Qiuxi took out a long transparent needle from his pocket and pierced it into the bottle. After examining it closely and smelling it, he nodded and said, "Indeed—it’s corpse oil!"
"If I'm not mistaken, I estimate that the so-called master you mentioned is not a good person. He is merely using Qiqi because she is an Underworld Wraith, a being of pure yin, making her the most suitable vessel for raising gu. Your master probably has his eyes on Qiqi's body, intending to use it to nurture gu, which is why he taught her some Dao Techniques that are actually just evil arts for raising gu. If I'm right, they might have been in cahoots all along, conspiring to make you believe in this so-called master of Qiqi."
Old Man Fang was terrified and said, "I beg you, Master, please use your powers to save my poor Qiqi."
Wei Qiuxi shook his head and replied, "These gu have not yet taken form, so it would be easy to eliminate them. However, doing so would mean that Qiqi, as the host for the gu, would also perish. Therefore, I am powerless to help."
Old Man Fang quickly knelt down and bowed his head repeatedly. "Please guide me, Master," he implored. Having lived for most of his life and being quite shrewd, he understood that since Wei Qiuxi could see through the situation, he must have a way to resolve it. Perhaps his sincerity was lacking. "As long as it can save Qiqi's life, I am willing to give up everything. Just name your price; even if it means selling my house and possessions, I will comply."
Wei Qiuxi sighed and said, "Old man, it's not that I don't want to help you. It's just... sigh. Here's what I'll do: I'll point you in a direction. Whether you can follow it depends on your fortune."
Old Man Fang immediately bowed his head in gratitude. "Please guide me, Master."
"Go there." Wei Qiuxi pointed westward.
"Where?"
"There."
"Are you sure that's the place?"
Wei Qiuxi nodded and said, "The only person who can resolve this gu issue is likely him alone."
"But..."
"Do you think you still have a choice?"
"Go there? Go there?" Old Man Fang stood up and murmured, "Do we really have to go? Why is Qiqi's life so miserable?" He then embraced Qiqi, tears streaming down his face.
"Sigh." Wei Qiuxi sighed again. "It's not that I don't want to help you; I'm truly ashamed. Besides, I'm also..."
Old Man Fang seemed to lose his spirit and did not hear Wei Qiuxi's words. "Do we really have to go? Is there no other way..."
Although Wei Ning did not know where her grandfather and Old Man Fang were referring to, she could tell from Old Man Fang's tone and the fear on his face that it was not a good place—perhaps even extremely dangerous. Otherwise, Old Man Fang would not have known about such a place but still hesitated to take his granddaughter there.
"Thank you for your guidance," Old Man Fang said blankly as he led his granddaughter out.
After Old Man Fang left, Wei Qiuxi said to Wei Ning, "You should go back by yourself tomorrow. I have some matters to attend to and might return a few days later."
"Why?"
Wei Qiuxi smiled wryly and replied, "I lost someone else's God of Joy. I need to give them an explanation."
"I want to go too."
Wei Qiuxi gently patted Wei Ning's head and said, "This time you shouldn't go. When you get back, make sure to take good care of your mother and study hard. Aim for a decent university in the future."
"No, I want to learn Corpse Driver and parade around with a string of God of Joy. That would be cool."
"Heh. Be obedient, go to sleep, and wake up early for the morning bus back."
"No, I want to be a Corpse Driver and catch ghosts." Wei Ning jumped up, mimicking Wei Qiuxi's gestures of drawing talismans with exaggerated movements.
Moonlight streamed in through the window, illuminating Wei Ning's rosy cheeks. His expression was so peaceful that one could only wonder what beautiful dream he was having. Wei Qiuxi quietly watched his only grandson sleeping beside him, gently stroking his dark hair. After a long while, a single tear fell onto Wei Ning's face. Wei Ning, thinking it was a mosquito, casually wiped it away and mumbled something in his sleep before turning over to continue his sweet dreams.
Yet he would never know that this farewell between grandfather and grandson might be their last encounter.
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