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墨書 Inktalez
“Ah, do you really think I’m just a nobody in your eyes?” I retorted.
Tian Tian, seeing my playful demeanor, broke into a smile, “I just don’t want to drag others down with me.”
“We’re friends; your family’s matters are my matters too,” I declared, thumping my chest confidently.
The atmosphere suddenly became awkward. Tian Tian lowered her head, her cheeks flushed, and her hands fidgeted nervously.
Realizing the inappropriateness of my words, I quickly changed the subject and asked, “Auntie, I just heard you mention someone named Wong Tai Sin. Who is he?”
Tian Mu looked puzzled. “Are you doubting Wong Tai Sin? That’s impossible; he’s a revered figure around here. Very effective.”
I wasn’t sure why Tian Tian’s family had such peculiar beliefs.
I tend to dig deep into things; if I have doubts, I can’t even sleep at night.
In the midst of our conversation, I felt a stir in my Dan Tian; Fo Gua was waking up. Overjoyed, I quickly asked, “Fo Gua, Fo Gua, can you help me see what’s wrong with my friend?”
Fo Gua seemed still half-asleep and replied weakly, “I can’t go out yet. Place your hand on your friend; let me see what I can do.”
After thinking for a moment, I turned to Tian Fu and said, “Uncle, if it’s convenient, may I take your pulse? Perhaps we can discover something.”
Tian Fu pondered for a moment and, adopting a ‘nothing to lose’ attitude, extended his hand.
I casually placed my hand on Tian Fu’s wrist and repeated Fo Gua’s words, “You’ve been cursed by someone; it’s a rare type of curse called Mao Fa Jiang. Those afflicted develop an urge to consume animal hides. If they go a day without eating it, they will literally pull their hair out along with their scalp and eat it. If they manage to endure for forty-nine days, they will sprout hair all over their body and die in excruciating pain.”
Upon hearing this, Tian Tian turned pale as a ghost, her eyes wide with fear like a startled deer. “Ling Feng, is… is there still hope for us?”
I didn’t answer her directly but continued explaining, “Although I’m not very knowledgeable about curses, I do know that performing one requires human hair, nails, and birth dates. If any of these are missing, the curse won’t succeed.”
Before I could finish my sentence, Tian Mu was mumbling anxiously to herself, “It can’t be true; it can’t be true. Huang Daxian wouldn’t lie to me…”
Tian Fu comforted his wife by wrapping his arm around her shoulder. "It's okay, it's not your fault. It's just that our family has been out of luck."
However, Tian Mu cried even harder. "Those things were all handed over to Huang Daxian by me."
"Ah..."
"Ah..."
The two exclamations echoed simultaneously. Tian Fu's raised hand eventually fell back down as he let out a long sigh and retreated to a corner to light a cigarette.
Tian Mu seemed to be in a frenzy, constantly tugging at her hair and slapping her own face. Tian Tian held her mother tightly and cried, "Mom, this is all fate. It's not your fault."
I looked at the sobbing Tian family and shouted, "What are you all crying for? I'm here, and there's still a chance to turn this around."
Tian Tian looked at me with tear-filled eyes and asked, "Really?"
"When have I ever lied to you?" I replied with a smile.
The Tian family finally relaxed a bit, but Tian Mu still asked anxiously, "Do you really have a way?"
"Auntie, first tell me about Wong Tai Sin. Tomorrow I need to meet with that Wong Tai Sin," I said.
Tian Mu recalled, "Wong Tai Sin... actually, no one has ever seen him. They say if you have something to ask for, you just need to go outside the city to Zhaoguan and pay your respects with sincerity."
I nodded thoughtfully; it seemed that all the problems stemmed from that Wong Tai Sin. If I wanted to find Wong Tai Sin, a trip to Zhaoguan was necessary.
I asked Tian Mu for the specific route and noted it down in my notebook. When I looked up, I caught sight of Tian Tian's pleading gaze.
"Tian Tian, do you need something from me?"
Tian Tian hesitated before saying, "Ling Feng, I really don't want to drink that stuff anymore. Is there any way you can help me avoid it?"
I asked Fo Gua again, and he said he could suppress it for a few days, but for a complete recovery, it would either require the death of the practitioner or waiting for it to heal on its own.
“With my current level of skill, I can only help suppress it for a short while. To truly heal, we need to find Wong Tai Sin; after all, the one who ties the bell must be the one to untie it,” I explained.
Tian Fu expressed his gratitude, “Having a few days of relief is good enough. We don’t ask for much.”
I placed my hands on the members of the Tian family in turn, and Fo Gua used his limited strength to weaken the hex on them a little.
On the pale wrist, there were long, thin black strands resembling hair that moved through the veins. They were densely packed, almost covering the entire arm.
Since Fo Gua had just awakened and his power was limited, he could only extract a portion of the black strands; the rest had to remain temporarily sealed within the veins.
“Tian Tian, don’t worry. I’ll go to that Zhaoguan tomorrow. Just stay at home and wait for my good news,” I said as I prepared to leave after resolving matters here. Tian Tian accompanied me to the door.
Tian Tian smiled gently and said, “Ling Feng, take care of yourself. Always act within your limits. If you find things are beyond your control, please prioritize your safety.”
I chuckled and replied, “Don’t worry. With me around, it’s going to be a tough time for Wong Tai Sin.”
As I stepped downstairs, I saw Ruo Yu emerging from the shadows like a human-shaped tower. Tian Tian instinctively shrank back a little in fear.
I introduced them, “Tian Tian, this is my good brother Ruo Yu. He’ll accompany me to Zhaoguan tomorrow. Now you can relax.”
Upon hearing he was my friend, Tian Tian politely greeted him, “Ruo Yu, hello!”
Ruo Yu replied in his deep voice, “Hello!”
Tian Tian initially wanted to see me off at the district gate, but once we reached downstairs, I insisted she head home first. After all, it was late at night, and it wasn’t safe for a girl to be out alone.
Ruo Yu and I then wandered around nearby until we found a cheap hotel. The room rate was only 0.
Although the hotel was quite shabby, neither of us rough men minded too much about such things.
The room was located at the very end of a narrow corridor on the second floor. We climbed the creaky wooden stairs, typical of old inns, where rooms lined both sides of the hallway.
An elderly woman, trembling and hunched over, opened the door for us. After handing me the key, she shuffled away.
Although the room was small, it contained two beds pushed against the walls, leaving only a narrow passageway in between.
The energy-saving light overhead flickered intermittently, perhaps due to unstable voltage.
Ruo Yu gave me a knowing glance, and I responded with a wink. We both understood and turned off the lights, settling down to sleep.
I rested my hands behind my head, contemplating the inn's peculiar name—Huangquan Inn.
I couldn't help but wonder if the owner was a bit lacking in common sense; who would dare to stay here with such a name?
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