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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 4 Madam Jiang
Shen Bifan felt an inexplicable familiarity with Ji Zichen, yet she couldn't grasp the source of this feeling. Shen Bifan appeared confused, staring blankly at Ji Zichen.
Lin Chuyu anxiously asked, "Brother Ji, what is going on? Who is this person to you?"
Ji Zichen's voice was somewhat firm and pained as she replied, "She is the daughter of my master; she is my junior sister."
"What!" Lin Chuyu had never expected such an answer.
Shen Bifan's heart tightened, leaving her speechless in shock.
Lin Chuyu looked at Shen Bifan in astonishment. "She is your master's daughter? Why is your master's daughter here?"
As Lin Chuyu continued to question, Ji Zichen had no answers. She said, "You should ask her that question."
At that moment, Shen Bifan suddenly smiled. Her smile was beautiful yet carried a sense of confusion and unease. Shen Bifan said, "What are you talking about? Are you trying to trick me into opening the door for you? I won't fall for it. I don't know you, and I don't have a mother."
Though Shen Bifan spoke defiantly, her mind was filled with questions: "Am I really his junior sister? Why can't I remember anything from the past? If he is lying, why do I feel so familiar with him? Why do I remember the Five Elements Pearl? How do I know his name?"
Seeing that Shen Bifan couldn't recall their past, Ji Zichen scolded angrily, "You may not recognize me, but how could you forget your mother!"
Shen Bifan was left speechless and stunned.
At that moment, the door opened on its own.
A distant and ethereal female voice echoed from within, "Bifan, let them in."
Shen Bifan was taken aback but quickly responded, "Yes."
The enchanting voice continued, "After you send the injured person back to Fangwen Mansion's back mountain, I will be waiting for you both at the residence."
Ji Zichen and Lin Chuyu exchanged glances before stepping through the door.
Inside the gate, a flat avenue stretched straight ahead, flanked by dilapidated houses. Lin Chuyu remarked, "There's a village."
The village was eerily silent, devoid of life, with not a single light to be seen; the only illumination came from the bright moon above.
Lin Chuyu wrinkled her nose. "I can't shake the feeling that there's a musty smell here. It feels lifeless, as if this place has been abandoned."
Ji Zichen gazed into the distance. Although the moonlight was bright, ahead lay a sea of darkness. Ji Zichen felt a chilling gaze upon them. "There are people here—many people watching us."
Though Ji Zichen couldn't see anyone, every window in the houses had holes in the paper, and through each hole, pairs of eerie eyes peered out.
The two exited the village and walked along a path lined with trees. Lin Chuyu asked, "Brother Ji, where did you go after we entered the temple gate?"
Ji Zichen replied honestly, "I fainted and encountered that woman with the Masked Man from last time."
Lin Chuyu gasped. "What is she doing here? What's going on? We clearly entered the temple gate; how could I have fainted in another forest?"
Ji Zichen's brow furrowed. "That wasn't a temple gate; it was the Hundred Lantern Alliance Ring Gap. This is a passage left by the divine beings, similar to that stone from The Divine Alliance Under the Covenant."
Lin Chuyu nodded. "So that's how it is; I understand now."
Concern for Chen San crept into Lin Chuyu's mind as she wondered whether Chen San would be safely returned. She asked, "Did she really send Uncle Chen back?"
Ji Zichen shared his thoughts. "Anyone who can utilize the Hundred Lantern Alliance Ring Gap must possess extraordinary abilities. I believe she won't go back on her word."
Just as Ji Zichen finished speaking, they reached the end of the path, which was blocked by a mansion. Behind the mansion loomed a high cliff wall, and nestled within its hollow was an expansive estate.
Lin Chuyu exclaimed, "What a large place!"
The mansion's doors stood wide open, and without hesitation, Ji Zichen stepped inside. The courtyard within was deep and filled with willow trees; their green branches hung down outside the carved windows. A breeze swept through the courtyard, carrying no sounds of life. The entire estate was as dark and silent as the village.
They made their way to the main hall, where a figure sat in the host's seat. Standing outside the door, they heard a voice chiding them lightly. "Though you came uninvited and it's quite rude, since you are here as guests, I cannot hastily send you away. Now that you're here, why not take a seat?"
Ji Zichen recognized this as the same enchanting voice that had welcomed them earlier. After hesitating for a moment, he stepped inside first while Lin Chuyu hid behind him. Ji Zichen did not take a seat but stood in the center of the hall and said, "The impolite one here is you, or do you prefer to greet guests in darkness?"
The man said, "Since you consider yourself a guest, then put down your weapons. This place does not welcome those who carry arms."
Ji Zichen replied, "I will not put down my weapons unless I feel safe here."
The man pondered for a moment and then called out, "Bifan."
Shen Bifan emerged from a side room and lit an oil lamp. The main hall suddenly became bright. Sitting in the hall was a woman in her forties. Her complexion was slightly pale, and her willow-shaped eyebrows fixed on Ji Zichen as she said, "I am the head of this household; you may call me Madam Jiang."
Seeing that Madam Jiang was unfamiliar to him and older than he was, Ji Zichen felt compelled to be more polite since she did not make things difficult for Chen San. He said, " Madam Jiang, we indeed intruded uninvited; I hope you can forgive us."
Madam Jiang noticed Ji Zichen's courtesy and replied, "You cannot blame yourselves; it is my husband, Nonsense, who allowed you the chance to enter. I heard you are the disciple of that Scoundrel?"
Although Ji Zichen did not know who Madam Jiang referred to as Scoundrel, he only had one master. He frowned and retorted, " Madam Jiang, you speak nonsense!"
Madam Jiang's face twisted into a sneer. "Your temper is very much like that Scoundrel's. How amusing! Is she suffering now?"
Ji Zichen's expression darkened, but he remained silent. His gaze sharpened as he stared at Madam Jiang. "Do you know what has happened to my master?"
Madam Jiang chuckled coldly. "Her hair has turned white; she has been in a deep sleep, hasn't she?"
Ji Zichen's expression changed. "Then you must know what kind of Ruins Poison Gas my master was afflicted with!"
Madam Jiang burst into laughter. "Ruins Poison Gas? Is that what she told you?"
Ji Zichen recalled the past when Shen Bifan was five years old and he was eight. That year, his master had bid farewell to them at Twin Cliffs. His master held Shen Bifan tightly in her arms and said regretfully, "I'm sorry, my dear. I have to leave; although I don't know when I'll return, I promise I will come back. Please forgive me, and take good care of your junior sister, Zichen."
Years later, when Ji Zichen was fifteen, his master returned—not by walking back but being brought back by a carriage. The alliance leader informed Ji Zichen that his master had been poisoned by Ruins Poison Gas.
It was the same dream that Lin Chuyu had glimpsed.
Ji Zichen's master had introduced him to The Divine Alliance Under the Covenant, but most of Ji Zichen's skills were taught by the alliance leader. Out of gratitude, he recognized only this one master, and the alliance leader never insisted that Ji Zichen become his disciple.
Ji Zichen's gaze was filled with sorrow as she said, "Master didn't poison her; that's just the leader's speculation. She was already unconscious before returning to The Divine Alliance Under the Covenant."
Madam Jiang's eyes flicked knowingly toward Shen Bifan, who stood frozen nearby. Suddenly, Madam Jiang remarked, "Aren't you curious why Bifan can't remember anything from the past?"
Ji Zichen's heart trembled. "You know?"
Madam Jiang smiled mysteriously. "Of course I do. I sealed her memories. The past is not something one can escape from, and since it has come knocking at the door..."
Madam Jiang raised her right hand, spreading her fingers wide. "As a guest, let me present you with a grand gift; you now owe me a favor!"
Shen Bifan suddenly clutched her head, letting out a heart-wrenching scream. Ji Zichen shouted in alarm, "Stop!"
With a thud, Shen Bifan collapsed in pain.
Ji Zichen's expression changed dramatically as she rushed forward to kneel beside Shen Bifan, cradling her in her arms. She glared furiously at Madam Jiang. "What have you done!"
Madam Jiang smirked slyly. "I just gave you a grand gift; I unsealed her memories."
Ji Zichen's anger flared even more. "Why did you seal her memories in the first place?"
Madam Jiang bit her lip, looking like a wronged girl. She shot Ji Zichen a fierce sideways glance. "Of course, I was getting back at that Scoundrel. You remember what happened when she was six years old, right?"
How could Ji Zichen forget that incident? It felt as if an unfathomable abyss had opened within her eyes as she recounted, "When Bifan was six, we came to Twin Cliffs. She kept gazing in the direction where Master had left, hoping to see him return. But instead, we encountered a giant rat—bigger than an ox—and Bifan was swallowed by that rat."
"I couldn't save her back then; it was impossible. But there was something I realized: that giant rat was targeting Bifan specifically because it showed no interest in me at all. I understood then that the rat was sent by you!"
Lin Chuyu gasped in shock, her face turning pale. "If your junior sister was swallowed by that giant rat back then, how is she still alive now?"
Madam Jiang chuckled enigmatically. "Who said she was eaten? The giant rat merely held her in its mouth."
Ji Zichen was overwhelmed with countless questions, her emotions spiraling into chaos. "What did my master do to you that made you hate her so much?"
Madam Jiang grinned, seemingly wanting to chew Master Ji Zichen alive. She glanced at Ji Zichen and said, "That's an adult matter; it's not for you to question!"
Madam Jiang called out into the void, "Butler."
The butler entered from outside, in his sixties, with a straight posture and steady steps. "Madam."
Madam Jiang instructed, "Take them downstairs to rest."
"Yes, Madam," the butler replied.
As Madam Jiang rose from her chair, Ji Zichen spoke up, "Wait, I still have many questions to ask you."
Madam Jiang smirked and said, "Why are you in such a hurry? I won't run away, and you won't leave. Are you afraid there won't be enough time? With Bifan's memories unlocked, what you should be thinking about now is how to soothe her emotions, not questioning me."
Ji Zichen watched as Madam Jiang walked away.
Shen Bifan's room was elegant, with a delicate bed and a clean copper mirror. Ji Zichen gently placed Shen Bifan on the bed.
The butler entered again and said, "You’ve come from afar; you must be hungry. The meal is ready; please follow me to dine."
Ji Zichen exchanged a glance with Lin Chuyu. He decided he wouldn't leave until all his questions were answered. Not wanting to trouble the butler, Ji Zichen said, "Thank you for your hospitality; please lead the way."
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