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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 4: There Are Others Beyond
Xie Ming Manor was cold and eerie, shrouded in darkness.
The light was dim, filtering through the front door.
The entire Xie Ming Manor felt desolate; I was certain that no one was here.
A solitary incense burner held a burnt-out Incense Stick.
As I entered, I took an incense stick for myself, bowed respectfully, and placed the lit stick into the burner.
The smoke was light and drifted with the wind, but after a moment, it seemed to encounter a great resistance, coalescing into a dense mass in the air.
What is happening? This was a sight I had never encountered before.
Could there be a Spirit here? I wondered to myself. The solidified smoke suddenly darted toward the stone coffin.
It was too strange; I hurried over.
Damn, there lay a person in the coffin—a beautiful woman who was completely still.
This woman looked familiar. Beneath her elegantly arched brows were large eyes that sparkled like crystals—only now, her eyes were tightly shut. A strong sense of loss washed over me as my hand instinctively reached toward her lying in the coffin.
Just as my hand was about to touch her nose, her closed eyes opened. She looked at me without surprise. Her lovely lips curled slightly at the corners, revealing a teasing yet enchanting smile.
"Is it you?"
"I didn't expect it to be you." I was quite surprised, pushing aside my earlier questions and focusing on the girl in front of me, eager to make a good impression. Her voice, her smile, and her demeanor lingered in my mind; seeing her now felt refreshing.
"You are Mi Li?"
She smiled slightly, looking enchanting. "What do you think?" As she spoke, she leaned forward a bit, and I instinctively reached out to help her up, noticing how cold she felt.
"Are you cold?" Without asking for her permission, I took off my jacket and draped it over her shoulders.
"Thank you." She smiled at me again, a smile that was truly infectious. My heart stirred as it felt like we had closed the distance between us just a little more.
The Mi Li I had been thinking about was now so close. But why was she lying in a coffin?
I caught myself glancing at the coffin repeatedly.
She laughed. I noted that this was the third time she had smiled. She must have thought lying in the coffin would scare me, but little did she know that I was Mortician, having grown up around coffins. So her attempt to frighten me had no effect.
She gave a wry smile, realizing her plan had failed miserably.
To avoid turning this good situation into a bad one, I broke the ice and invited her, "Shall we take a walk together?"
She clasped her hands behind her back and nodded modestly. "Sure." Being with a girl I had admired for so long but never had the chance to meet felt like an unthinkable dream come true.
Standing this close to her made me feel strangely unreal, as if I were living in a dream.
"Why aren't you talking?" she asked proactively. Her smile was beautiful, yet there was something unsettling about it that sent shivers down my spine.
"Alright, let's get to know each other again." I extended my hand and introduced myself. "Ma Qi."
"Han Mi." She was beautiful, and her name was beautiful too. I wasn't flattering her; she really was stunning, far more than that Seductive Ghost.
Han Mi, Han Yin—why were their names so similar?
"What is it?" She blinked her big eyes curiously, as if there was something in them. I couldn't quite catch it because I was too excited and nervous.
"What is your relationship with Han Yin?"
"A very distant cousin."
Just as I thought.
I remembered the last time I visited Han Yin; Han Mi had pushed my motorcycle into the field, and in the end, it was her who helped me get it back on the road.
"I really have to thank you for that time."
"Thanks? It's not that simple; you need to show your sincerity."
Han Mi was being a bit cheeky.
Logically, she shouldn't be in the mood to joke around when her cousin had an accident.
And she definitely shouldn't be pretending to be dead lying in a coffin.
"You have a face full of questions; just ask whatever's on your mind." I didn't know where Han Mi was taking me. She walked ahead while I chased after her.
Her clothes fluttered like a fairy as she moved quickly.
I felt a bit humble trailing behind her, determined not to give up.
After winding through several turns for quite a while, she walked ahead, stopping intermittently, while I couldn't relax for even a moment.
Finally, she halted, and I looked up to see an open area ahead.
It seemed lively, with all sorts of things being sold.
"Do you have money?" Han Mi smiled at me.
I checked my pockets; luckily, there were still a few tens left. It was best to have some cash on hand—after all, I didn't want to embarrass myself by making the girl pay on our first outing. I quickly nodded that I had money and handed her a roll of bills that smelled faintly of sweat.
Han Mi gestured for me to buy whatever I wanted.
She was intently watching someone grilling skewers.
In front of the smoky barbecue stall stood a man with a truly unappealing face. He looked like he had been charred by smoke and fire himself—his skin was pitch black except for his eyes, which darted around as he asked, "What do you want to eat?"
There was something off about his voice that made me glance at him again. He seemed completely oblivious to my presence as he continued fiddling with the skewers.
Han Mi sat down with a cheerful smile and extended her delicate hand to order a lot of food. The way she skillfully flipped the items over made my mouth water from the delicious aroma wafting through the air.
I had no idea when this night market came into existence. However, it was rare to find barbecue being sold at this hour.
Soon enough, a fragrant skewer was ready. Han Mi didn’t eat first but handed me several skewers instead, urging, "Go ahead and eat."
"You eat."
"Just eat it if I let you." Her words were a bit harsh, catching me off guard, but I reluctantly took the food.
The barbecue included my favorite grilled chicken wings, crucian carp, and fresh wood ear mushrooms. Just as I was about to indulge, a dirty hand suddenly reached out and snatched it away, running off joyfully. I thought, Damn, isn't that the Beggar I encountered last time?
I remembered his face. The Beggar dared to steal the food right from my hands; he was clearly asking for trouble.
Seeing the barbecue being taken by the Beggar, Han Mi didn't seem too worried. She handed me another plate and said, "It's fine, eat this."
I waved my hand at Han Mi and said, "Wait a moment." Then, like an arrow released from a bow, I charged after the Beggar.
That Beggar really could run.
In the blink of an eye, he vanished.
And I had already strayed far from the bustling market and away from Han Mi.
Just as I thought about turning back, a cold laugh echoed from the shadows, startling me into a shiver.
I focused my gaze.
Damn, it truly was a case of finding something without effort; standing there with a mocking grin was none other than the Beggar who had stolen my food!
I quickly stepped forward, angrily grabbing his filthy, tattered clothes and scolding him, "You lazy Beggar! How dare you steal!"
"Hmph! If it weren't for me stepping in, your life would have been over right there. Instead of thanking me, you're getting mad at those Demon Foods."
"What?"
The Beggar held out the food in his hand for me to see.
In the dim light of the night, I noticed he was gripping a string of skewers that were dark, foul-smelling, and I couldn't tell what they were made of. One of the skewers even had something crawling on it. Upon closer inspection, I realized it was maggots—
Ugh—
I retched violently, expelling everything from my stomach, relieved that I hadn't eaten any of that Demon Food.
I had to thank the Beggar for his timely intervention.
Suddenly, many things became clear.
Today was not my date night.
If I'm not mistaken, I had already spent half the night lying in a coffin.
How could that be?
The Beggar tossed aside a handful of Demon Food and picked his nose, saying, "Your phone's time is wrong—it's off by a whole hour. If you don't believe me, go back and check. Also, there are many shadowless people at Xie Ming Manor. Are you really brave enough to go there?"
I asked, "Beggar, do you know who I am?"
"Who else could you be?" The Beggar widened his eyes dramatically, his arms outstretched as if he were about to fly, shouting, "Sparrow, fly away!"
Wow!
How did he know my nickname?
Just as I was filled with doubt, the Beggar ran away.
I was astonished.
I couldn't make sense of it.
How could I chase after the Beggar when he had already vanished?
This person was quite strange.
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