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墨書 Inktalez
The series of fierce battles had drained all my strength. Seeing Chang Lili leave felt like a weight had been lifted from my heart. I collapsed onto the ground, gasping for air.
Little did I know that Shen Tao, perhaps spurred by some intense emotion, broke free from the restraints of the monkey and the rat as if he had taken a Dali Pill. He charged at me, grabbing my shoulders and shouting, “You killed Li Li! You owe me my wife! You owe me Li Li!”
My right shoulder was still aching from being dislocated, and Shen Tao’s vigorous shaking made me wince in pain. I turned to the rat and said, “Quickly get Tao Ge off me!”
Seeing my pale face and my right arm hanging limply, the rat hurriedly dragged Shen Tao away and pinned him down. He shouted, “Tao Ge, are you blind? That Li Li’s eyes were hanging down to her chest! How could she be your wife? Would you even want someone like that?”
Only then did Shen Tao stop struggling, collapsing on the ground and sobbing. Anyone would struggle to cope with such a sudden turn of events on their wedding night. What was supposed to be a joyous occasion had ended in chaos.
The fat guy helped me to my feet. “Ling Feng, how are you holding up?”
“Why aren’t you concerned about your Zhen Zhen now?” I teased in response.
The fat guy chuckled awkwardly, though his eyes were still peering into the room. Inside, aside from a few skeletal remains, there was only the stench of rotting flesh.
As he surveyed the scattered debris and the gooey mess on the floor, he couldn’t hold back any longer and vomited.
I glanced at Shen Shu huddled in the corner, clearly frightened. I gestured for the fat guy to help me over. “Uncle, Aunt Wang. Don’t be scared or upset. I have some talismans here that can ward off evil.”
Aunt Wang sobbed, “I knew that vixen was bad luck! Just staying in a few houses with chickens and ducks has led to such devastation…”
Shen Shu took the talismans and shook his head. “Ling Feng, we owe you our thanks this time. Otherwise, who knows what kind of disaster would have befallen our family.”
They were just ordinary folks who had never encountered such horrors before; everyone was terrified out of their wits, especially with the foul smell permeating the house. Clearly, Shen Tao’s home was no longer livable.
Fortunately, the rat lived in an apartment building too, so I instructed him to take Shen Shu’s family back to his place to rest for the night. We would figure out what to do tomorrow.
Then I let the fat guy, who was still feeling queasy, support me as we headed home. The evening breeze carried a hint of chill. After walking a short distance, I turned back to see two red lanterns swaying under the eaves in the wind, resembling the eyes of giant beasts watching us.
“Ling Feng, is that giant eater, the White Mouse, also your subordinate?” the chubby man asked curiously. Fo Zhang used to follow me back, so most of the villagers recognized him.
I nodded and replied, “That’s right, but he eats too much; I can’t afford to keep him.”
“Don’t underestimate Fo Zhang just because he’s small. He’s tough in a fight, just like you,” the chubby man praised, looking at Fo Zhang perched on my shoulder.
In the past, if Fo Zhang had heard someone complimenting him, he would have been overjoyed and danced around. But today, for some reason, he was lazily squinting his eyes and dozing off. I worried that he might have been hurt by Chang Lili, which was why he seemed so listless. I quickly checked him over with my left hand and felt relieved when I found nothing wrong.
By the time I lay down in bed, it was already late at night. I rested my head on one hand, feeling exhausted but unable to sleep. Fo Zhang, however, was blissfully snoring away.
Many questions swirled in my mind that I couldn’t make sense of. For instance, given Chang Lili’s abilities, he could have easily absorbed Shen Tao without any hesitation. Why then did he disguise himself and marry Shen Tao? During our confrontation earlier, Chang Lili mentioned a master; did that imply there was a mysterious figure behind him?
When Chang Lili fled and sought revenge, if it were directed at me, I wouldn’t mind wandering the earth alone. But what about the villagers? Would Chang Lili take out his anger on them? And what about that last bite from Fo Zhang? What had he eaten?
Outside, it was drizzling softly. I stretched lazily and looked out at the darkened sky, unable to tell what time it was. Fo Zhang was still curled up asleep. My stomach growled as I got out of bed.
After a night of rest, my arm had miraculously recovered quite a bit. Aside from being weak, I could manage to dress myself. I looked at my right hand in surprise; wasn’t it supposed to be a serious injury? How could I move it before even reaching twenty-four hours?
Just as I finished getting dressed, my dad pushed the door open and came in. “You’re awake! I’ll go get you some bone soup. Shen Tao is here looking for you; he’s been waiting for a while.”
Shen Tao had heavy dark circles under his eyes, clearly having not rested well last night. He exuded an air of defeat as he sat on a stool smoking a cigarette, the smoke rings swirling in the air.
“Tao Ge, you’re looking for me?” I casually grabbed another stool and sat across from Shen Tao.
Shen Tao stubbed out his cigarette on the ground and said hoarsely, “Ling Feng, I lost my head last night. I shouldn’t have treated you that way. You saved our family’s lives; I came to thank you.”
He pulled an envelope from his suit pocket and handed it to me. As I squeezed it in my hand, I estimated there were several thousand dollars inside. This was the first time in my life I had seen so much money. Although I felt reluctant to accept it, I stuffed the envelope back into Shen Tao’s arms and said, “Tao Ge, what are you doing? We’re from the same village; if I take your money, won’t the villagers scold me?”
Shen Tao thought for a moment and seeing my determined expression put the envelope back into his pocket. He then took out a square card and handed it to me saying, “Ling Feng, this is my business card. If you ever go to H City and run into any trouble, just give me a call.”
I reached out and took the black business card, glancing at it. It read: Eastern Red Trading Company, Sales Manager, Shen Tao.
I tucked the card away and smiled, saying, "Then I won't be polite with Brother Tao. Once I get to H City, I'll trouble you again."
Shen Tao nodded and lit another cigarette. Sighing, he asked, "Ling Feng, tell me the truth. What exactly is Li Li?"
I furrowed my brow, thinking for a moment before replying, "She should be Yuan Ling. Brother Tao, didn't you notice anything unusual during your time with her?"
Shen Tao pondered for a long while, shaking his head as he finished his cigarette. "Li Li may be a bit spoiled, but she's a kind person. I..."
Seeing Shen Tao looking downcast and listless, I comforted him, "There are plenty of fish in the sea. If we can win over Yuan Ling, why would we worry about not finding a good girl?"
Shen Tao gave me a wry smile and said, "Thank you, Ling Feng. When you come to H City in the future, remember to look me up."
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