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墨書 Inktalez
Ruyi Cosmetic Shop
After winding through the Fish Market, they finally arrived at the shop where Ling'er worked. The shop was quite shabby and poorly maintained, with a mix of live and dead fish emitting a strong stench.
Xing Ruyi covered her nose and asked Ling'er, "Is this the place?"
"This is it! I don't know what that Divination Turtle is, but it can't be anything good."
"How do you figure that?" Xing Ruyi leaned in to take a look inside. "This Turtle is supposed to represent longevity and good fortune. If it can talk, that must be a sign of auspiciousness."
"There’s no such thing as auspiciousness in this world. My mother said all of this is just a scam. The bigger the business, the more shady things they do. If they don't have something to reassure themselves, they might even be awakened by their conscience while sleeping at night."
"You are quite the cynical girl," Xing Ruyi said, gently poking Ling'er. "But I think your mother has a point. Still, how do you know this Turtle isn't a good thing?"
"That's obvious."
Ling'er was an adult now, and she was getting worked up. With her hands on her hips, she pointed at the entrance. "Madam, you're not from our Fish Market, so you wouldn't understand. Before catching this talking Turtle, Uncle Wang was known for being hardworking around here. He would go out fishing before dawn and wouldn’t return until after sunset, carrying his lamp that he was reluctant to pour oil into. When he got home, he wouldn’t even wash his face before rushing to handle his fish.
Uncle Wang is nothing like my father. My father is lazy and careless; when he brings back fish, he always mixes them together to sell. Ever since I can remember, my mother has been complaining about him, and after all these years, I haven't seen him improve. Otherwise, how could our lives be so difficult?
Uncle Wang is different; he's diligent and meticulous. The fish he brings back are sorted not only by size but also by weight. There are specific ways to sell different types of fish; even dead fish can be turned into money by Uncle Wang. That's why Uncle Wang is the richest person around here.
But just look at what this shop has become now. Ever since he caught that turtle, Uncle Wang has been listening to others' advice and has been hoping that this talking Turtle would bring him wealth.
At first, it did attract quite a few people to come and watch. But once the Turtle spoke, it was like the Soft-Shelled Turtle from the river had turned into a spirit; many came to see but no one mentioned buying it. Now that the Turtle has been sold, the money from selling it isn’t even enough to cover these losses."
Ling'er pointed at the stinking fish on the ground.
Xing Ruyi nodded and gave Ling'er a thumbs up.
Ling'er tilted her head in surprise.
"Sister, this is a compliment for Ling'er. Ling'er did great just now! Most people in the world are like this, always demanding to get rich overnight, hoping that when they wake up the next morning, silver will fall from the sky and land right in their courtyard."
"That would be wonderful. If silver really could fall, then our parents wouldn't have to work so hard. However, it's better if it doesn't fall. Money that comes without reason can lead to bad things. As long as our family lives peacefully, we can always get by well." Ling'er said as she walked to the door and knocked on the doorframe. "Uncle Wang, it's Ling'er. Ling'er has brought a kind lady over; would you like to see your turtle?"
Ling'er called out several times but received no response, so her brows furrowed slightly as she walked back to Xing Ruyi's side, looking a bit unhappy. "Strange, Uncle Wang has been at the shop these past few days. Aunt Wang went back to her maternal family; someone should be watching the shop. Besides, the shop's door is still open."
"Maybe he went next door to visit."
"Ling'er knows the lady next door; please wait a moment, I'll go check."
With that, Ling'er smiled again and skipped out.
Faintly, Xing Ruyi seemed to hear some sounds. She focused and tilted her ear to listen, only to realize it was a man's low groan. She stood still for a moment before walking into the shop.
The shop was clearly messier inside, but this mess looked like it had been created in a panic. Following the scattered items' arrangement, Xing Ruyi entered a room and witnessed a scene that made her want to laugh but also feel sorry.
A turtle was lying upside down on a middle-aged man's face. One of its claws was reaching down toward the man's throat. Because his mouth was pressed against the turtle's belly, the man couldn't make any sound other than low whimpers.
In this battle between the turtle and the middle-aged man, it was evident that the turtle was at a disadvantage; however, for some reason, the man seemed very afraid of the turtle on his face and lay there without daring to move.
Recalling what Ling'er had said about Uncle Wang being an honest person, Xing Ruyi couldn't bear to see him bullied by the turtle any longer. She stepped forward and grabbed the turtle's shell, lifting it off the middle-aged man.
The turtle stared at Xing Ruyi with its shiny black eyes while the man on the ground continued to cry loudly.
Xing Ruyi felt a bit of a headache, unsure if her unintentional intrusion had ruined this peculiar encounter between man and turtle. She reached out and poked the turtle's head, asking it, "Are you that talking turtle?"
The turtle glanced at Xing Ruyi and instinctively tried to retract its head into its shell. Unfazed, Xing Ruyi extended two fingers and pinched its neck.
"Listen, Uncle Wang has already sold you. The buyer is a fortune teller who specializes in divination turtles. The time is almost here. Even if you shrink into your shell, it won't help because the fortune teller will surely find a way to get you out. What do you think will happen to a turtle without a shell? Will it be cooked into a dish or boiled into soup?"
"Goodbye! I want you to go away!"
The Turtle's four legs flailed in the air, and its mouth opened and closed, surprisingly producing human speech.
"Can you talk?" Xing Ruyi flicked the Turtle's head. "How did you end up inside this Turtle?"
"You—" The Turtle looked at Xing Ruyi, trying hard to widen its turtle eyes.
"What about me?" Xing Ruyi set the Turtle down on the ground and glanced at Uncle Wang, who was still lying there. She asked, "Uncle Wang, are you hurt?"
"Who are you, miss?"
Uncle Wang wiped his tears while looking fearfully at the Turtle by her feet.
"I came with Ling'er. She called for you several times at the door but didn’t get a response, so she went to the neighbors to look for you. I was standing in the yard and thought I heard someone groaning, so I took the liberty of coming in to check. By chance, I found you here, Uncle Wang. Can I have a private chat with this Turtle? Don't worry, Uncle Wang; once we're done talking, I'll return this Turtle."
"No need to return it! No need!" Uncle Wang waved his hands in fright, then realized that he had promised someone to sell this Turtle. He quickly corrected himself, saying, "What I meant was, I know who the lady is. She's the kind Woman that Ling'er just mentioned. Actually, I heard Ling'er calling me. But this beast was lying on my face at that time; even if I wanted to respond, I couldn't open my mouth."
"Beast! Who are you calling a beast!"
The Turtle stretched its neck and opened its mouth as if to bite Uncle Wang's pant leg.
Uncle Wang was so scared that he immediately scooted back against the ground.
"Hey! No scaring people!" Xing Ruyi pressed down on the turtle shell. The Turtle opened its mouth but could only helplessly scratch at the dirt beneath it.
Uncle Wang looked at Xing Ruyi and then at the Turtle on the ground. He let out a heavy sigh and sat up, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead. With a hint of exhaustion, he said, "If the lady wants to ask it something, just take it outside to ask. This thing is not something I can handle. If I hadn't promised that gentleman earlier, I would have given this turtle to you. Now... please wait for that gentleman to arrive and just hand this turtle over to him. Whatever price he offers is fine."
Xing Ruyi smiled, thanked Uncle Wang, and held onto the turtle shell as she took the Turtle to a clear space in front of the shop. By now, it was almost noon, and there were hardly any customers left at the Fish Market. The Shopkeepers were busy preparing meals, which provided an opportunity for Xing Ruyi to converse with the Turtle.
To avoid scaring others, Xing Ruyi chose a relatively secluded corner and placed Turtle on the ground.
"Well, Mr. Turtle?"
"What do you want from me?"
Turtle seemed somewhat reluctant and even a bit annoyed, so he naturally didn't have a good temper toward Xing Ruyi.
"Of course, I want to know why you turned into Turtle." Xing Ruyi squatted down and poked Turtle's head with her hand. "This place has Six Paths, and only those who have done bad deeds in their past lives are punished to fall into the Beast Path. Clearly, you don't belong to that category because you're speaking human language, not turtle language.
I've seen animals that can speak human language before. But this kind is usually referred to as a demon or monster, and it typically takes at least a couple of hundred years of cultivation to achieve that. But you? You have no trace of spiritual power, and your aura is so heavy with malice that it's obvious you're not a practitioner.
Since this is neither a punishment of falling into the Beast Path nor a cultivated spirit Turtle, yet you can speak human language, there’s only one possibility left: your soul has been forcibly stuffed into this Turtle.
Now, being a Turtle isn't all bad; at least it allows for a longer life than most people. If you're lucky, living for thousands of years isn't too difficult. But you happen to be a Divination Turtle. As far as I know, to create this Divination Turtle, one must continuously roast its belly over fire day and night to perfectly remove its shell, ultimately turning it into a divine artifact for divination."
Xing Ruyi tapped on Turtle's shell and said, "What on earth did you do to deserve such punishment?"
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