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墨書 Inktalez
Although my master was not by my side during the New Year, I did not slack off in my training. Especially after encountering the corpse transformation of Chen Ye Ye, I felt increasingly aware of my own weakness. If a powerful Yuan Hun or Li Gui were to appear, I feared I wouldn't even have the ability to protect those I cared about.
I practiced diligently in the mornings and meditated in the evenings, never allowing myself to relax. At thirteen years old, I may not have a clear plan for the future, but I knew that the path ahead would be anything but ordinary.
At first, Er Gouzi and a few others were eager to wake up early and train with me at my house. However, once the novelty wore off, they gradually started to make excuses and avoid coming.
Er Gouzi said, “Ling Feng, why are you torturing yourself like this?”
I smiled and replied, “I have a tendency for self-torture. Did you just find that out?”
In truth, deep down, I was driven by a strong desire to stand out and to ensure that my father would not have to struggle so hard in the future.
Due to my background, our family was almost shunned in the village. People were afraid that associating with us would bring misfortune.
As I grew older, things improved slightly, but Aunt Wang from the village was still reluctant to let her children play with me. Er Gouzi and his friends were also intimidated by my strength…
With what happened with Chen Grandpa, I finally vented some frustration. Now when villagers saw my father, they would raise their thumbs and praise him, saying, “Ling Dajun, your son Ling Feng is truly impressive…”
I finally felt a sense of pride and stood tall…
On the eighteenth day of the lunar month, after the Lantern Festival, the festive atmosphere of the Spring Festival gradually faded. In the cold winter, I was only wearing an undershirt while practicing Luohan Fist in the yard.
After finishing my practice, I stood with my fists at my sides and slowly exhaled. Once my breathing steadied, I raised my hand to wipe away the sweat and called out to my father, “Dad, is breakfast ready? I'm starving…”
Common saying: A half-grown child can impoverish their father.
My dad poked his head out from the kitchen and said, “It’ll be ready soon.”
Taking advantage of this moment, I quickly filled a basin with water and wiped down my body. Occasionally flexing my arms, I looked at my biceps with satisfaction.
Suddenly, a familiar voice came in, "What are you showing off? With that skinny frame of yours, what's there to look at?"
I turned around and saw my Master leaning against the doorframe with one hand, striking a pose with his arms crossed, revealing a row of bright white teeth.
"Master, what brings you here?" I asked happily.
My Master rubbed his bald head and replied, "From the way you're talking, it sounds like you don't want me here?"
I was somewhat speechless and didn't want to argue with him. Regardless of winning or losing, I knew I would end up in the worst situation. After all, he was the Master and I was just the disciple.
"Dad, My Master is here. Add some more dishes," I shouted towards the kitchen.
My dad hurried out to greet him, instructing me to take care of my Master before diving back into the kitchen to get busy.
My Master looked at me with a furrowed brow and suddenly exclaimed, "Why do I feel like something's missing? Where's your Monkey Kid? Did it run away?"
I replied somewhat helplessly, "Me and Fo Zhang are good buddies; it wouldn't run away. It went off into the mountains to play early this morning."
My Master nodded slowly and murmured, "So it planned ahead and abandoned you?"
I couldn't be bothered to argue with him and changed the subject. "Master, if a person dies without a soul, how can their corpse still harm others?"
My Master thought for a moment and said, "Great Thousand World is full of wonders; it's hard for me to explain everything based on just your words. But when a person dies, it's like a lamp going out; the soul must go to the underworld. If it hasn't entered the underworld, it could be due to deep attachments preventing reincarnation or external interference. Throughout history, many have practiced dark arts using spirits."
I nodded in understanding. When I looked up again, I met my Master's gaze. "What's wrong? Have you encountered something?"
So I recounted the whole incident with Chen Grandpa. As my words trailed off, my Master suddenly dashed over to me, ripped open my shirt, and examined the spot where Chen Grandpa had scratched me. There were only faint scratch marks left now, but the area around them had a subtle dark hue.
Then I received a sharp knock on my head. "You fool! Why do you have to be so reckless?"
I held my head and sighed, "How am I being stubborn? If I don't find a way to deal with Chen Ye Ye's corpse, the ones who will suffer are the people in the village."
My master sighed and said, "You certainly have guts, that's for sure..."
He then took out a jade-colored porcelain bottle from his pocket. As soon as he opened the lid, a rich floral fragrance wafted out. He sprinkled some of it on my wound and smoothed it out with his hand.
I felt a bit uncomfortable being touched, instinctively wanting to pull away, but the medicine was miraculous. It felt icy on my wound, instantly relieving the fiery pain that had been there before.
My master tenderly put the porcelain bottle back into his pocket, mumbling, "You’re lucky to have survived. You should know that the poison from corpses is something ordinary people can't handle. Yet here you are, having bled from it without turning into a mindless monster—that's quite a stroke of luck."
I adjusted my clothes and nervously asked, "Master, so I'm okay now, right?"
Just then, there was a flurry of squeaking outside, and a shadow dashed into my arms. I patted Fo Zhang and said, "Where did you run off to this time?"
Seeing my master, Fo Zhang cleverly stood on the table and bowed to him.
My master cracked some sunflower seeds and said with satisfaction, "Your Monkey Kid still has some conscience..."
After bowing, Fo Zhang extended its furry hand and began chattering at my master.
I couldn't help but laugh; I understood exactly what Fo Zhang meant.
A few days ago, Er Gouzi had taken Fo Zhang to pay New Year visits. Every time it bowed, it received sunflower seeds, peanuts, candies, and so on. After going around like that, it had gathered quite a haul. Having tasted the benefits, this Monkey Kid now bowed to everyone in hopes of getting more gifts.
My master's face turned red; he hadn’t expected to be outsmarted by a monkey. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a glass marble-sized bead that was entirely red. As soon as he took it out, it seemed like the temperature in the room rose slightly.
Seeing it was something good, Fo Zhang quickly grabbed it and then handed it to me. All its other treasures were also in my possession.
I didn’t know what this bead was, but whatever my master gave me was surely not an ordinary item. So I took some thread and strung it up to hang around Fo Zhang's neck.
Fo Zhang seemed to be tired from playing, and without eating, he lay down on my lap and fell into a deep sleep.
After breakfast, my master was ready to take me back to Immortal Cave.
My father hesitated for a long time before finally speaking up, "Master, why don't we wait until after lunch to leave?"
The master looked at me and then at my father, nodding in agreement. "Alright then. Who knows when we'll meet again next time."
Parting brought a sense of sorrow, and the lunch we had was tasteless. When my father sent me out the door, I noticed a large crowd gathered outside, with Aunt Chen standing at the front.
Though there were no banners waving, no drums beating, and no firecrackers exploding, the scene still made my eyes well up with tears.
Everyone brought something from their homes, small items that they stuffed into my arms. Though they weren't valuable things, they carried the purest of sentiments.
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