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墨書 Inktalez
On the twenty-ninth day of the twelfth lunar month, I finally had a rare day without training. I got up early and started tidying up my things. In truth, there wasn't much to pack. What could there possibly be in this broken cave? After cleaning the cave once more, I waited outside for my master to return.
Fortunately, my unreliable master finally proved reliable this time, returning to the Immortal Cave around noon. Seeing me standing at the entrance like a stone statue, he chuckled, "What’s with the excitement? It’s just a trip home."
"Master, aren't you coming back home with me for the New Year?" I asked, feeling a bit down. After all these years together, my master had generally treated me well.
With a sideways glance, he replied, "Is it so strange that a master has a home too? Am I supposed to be like that Sun Wukong, popping out from between rocks?"
I scratched my head and laughed. My master rarely talked about his own life, and I had never asked him about it. Thinking about it made me feel like I hadn’t been a very good disciple.
Riding on the paper horse again, we traveled much faster this time; it took less than half a day to arrive.
After finding a nearby grove to stop, my master said, "You can head back now... I'll come to pick you up after the New Year..."
I responded brightly and ran toward the village without looking back. The phrase "eager to return home" perfectly described my feelings at that moment.
Upon reaching the village entrance, I sensed something was off. It was already the twenty-ninth day of the year; normally, the village would be bustling with activity. Why was it so quiet this year?
A chilling atmosphere permeated everywhere.
As I walked home in confusion, I suddenly noticed some white powder on my shoes, stark against the black surface.
Looking up, I realized that every household had sprinkled Bai Shihui at their doorsteps.
A jolt of alarm shot through me; this meant there had been a death in the village.
According to local customs, when someone passed away in a family, their descendants would draw a symbol at each household's entrance using Bai Shihui—a large U shape with a vertical line in the middle. From afar, it resembled a Black Gold Trident.
Listening to the elders, it is said that when the deceased return to their souls, they should not go to the wrong place and frighten the villagers. Moreover, Bai Shihui also has a certain effect in warding off evil spirits.
“Dad, Dad, Dad…”
I ran all the way home, pushing open the door and shouting.
It wasn't until I saw my father adding firewood to the stove in the kitchen that my heart finally settled.
The fiery light reflected on my father's face as he stood there, mouth agape in surprise. After a long moment, he smiled and said, “Ling Feng is back!”
After three years apart, my father was overjoyed to see me again, unsure of how to express his happiness. His rough hands kept rubbing against his clothes as he busied himself with preparing extra dishes for dinner. “Why didn’t you give me a heads-up before coming back?”
Then he looked behind me and asked, “Where’s your master? Why didn’t he come with you?”
I rolled up my sleeves and began to help out. “Master went back home.”
The two of us worked for a while and prepared Braised Pork with Radish, Xian Ya Huang Dou, and stir-fried vegetables…
It was clear that my dad was quite happy. He chuckled as he pulled out some good wine hidden under the bed.
I instinctively grabbed two cups—one for my dad and one for myself—then brought over the wine, pouring some for him before filling my own glass.
My dad looked a bit worried and took my cup away. “You’re still growing; you can’t drink alcohol yet.”
I snatched the cup back and explained, “Master said a man must know how to drink. Besides, I’ve been drinking for three years now. Dad, you might not even be able to hold your liquor better than I can…”
My father finally felt at ease. "The Master’s advice is always for your own good. Since that’s the case, let’s have a couple of drinks tonight."
After a few rounds, my father began to feel a bit tipsy and started to talk more. It seemed that many people were like this; when sober, their words were as precious as gold, but after a few drinks, they became quite chatty.
"Ying, did you see? Our Ling Feng has grown taller and stronger."
"If only you were still here..."
"Ling Feng, remember to listen to your Master when you're out there... Keep your eyes open and be diligent; otherwise, how will anyone teach you real skills?"
...
...
My father mumbled on with his drunken ramblings while I listened quietly. There was something touching about his words in this state.
I looked at my father; he seemed a bit older than when I left.
After tidying up and helping him to bed for some rest, I found that I had no intention of sleeping myself.
Suddenly, it struck me that Fo Zhang had rushed off to Daqingshan and hadn’t returned yet.
Usually, he loved to hang around Immortal Cave with me. It was already nine or ten o'clock; why hadn’t he come back yet?
I pushed open the door and stepped outside. In the shadows, Daqingshan stood only as a silhouette, like a winding giant dragon guarding the village.
I let out a sharp whistle, the piercing sound carrying far into the silent and empty night.
After a long while, I finally heard some movement in the distance, which eased my mind. Fo Zhang could be my source of joy in the Immortal Cave. After three years together, I sometimes even regarded him as a person, like a younger brother.
Yet, I couldn't understand why, after three years, Fo Zhang hadn't grown much at all, except for his round belly. I had asked my master about it, but he didn't know either.
I stood there for a moment longer when a nimble black shadow dashed into my arms, tugging at my collar and chattering excitedly while pointing towards the mountains.
I reached out to pat Fo Zhang's head and noticed he was all messy and had some minor scratches on him. I assumed he had been playing too hard and probably encountered a troop of monkeys in the mountains. Monkeys are territorial; he must have gotten into a fight.
"You little rascal, I told you not to go into the mountains, but you insisted. Look what happened now," I said, poking his head lightly.
Fo Zhang continued to chirp anxiously, a mix of fear and excitement in his voice.
I yawned and pulled him close. "It's winter's night; why aren't you sleeping? Are you looking for ghosts in the mountains?"
Ignoring Fo Zhang's frantic calls, I decided to go back inside and sleep. Seeing that I had no intention of heading to the mountains, Fo Zhang quickly slipped through the narrow gap as I closed the door behind me.
The North Wind howled outside as snowflakes began to fall, soon covering the ground with a thin layer of snow that concealed Bai Shihui beneath it.
I took advantage of the moment and didn’t meditate; instead, I cuddled with Fo Zhang and nestled into the warm blankets.
The bedding smelled of sunshine, clearly indicating that even though I wasn't home, my father had prepared everything well.
Around two o'clock in the morning, just as I was sleeping soundly, I was jolted awake by a cacophony of sounds like gongs and drums. Reaching into my arms, I found no soft fur where I expected it to be.
I suddenly woke up, throwing off the covers only to find the bed empty—there was not a trace of Fo Zhang anywhere.
A sense of foreboding crept into my heart; Fo Zhang had always been a heavy sleeper and had never ventured out in the middle of the night.
Outside, shouts and the sound of hurried footsteps disrupted the stillness of the night…
“There's a ghost…”
“It’s a corpse trick…”
The chaos continued to unfold around me.
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