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墨書 Inktalez
"Hmm..." I vaguely heard a sound, faint yet persistent enough to disturb my sleep.
I slowly opened my eyes and glanced around the vast cave. Upon closer inspection, it seemed that the source of the noise was not within the cave but rather outside.
"You’re awake." Song Lan, who had been quietly conversing with Xiao Xingchen, noticed the movement and turned to look at me. Sensing something unusual in my expression, he asked, "Is something wrong?"
It seemed we had developed an unspoken understanding: ever since the incident with Soul Forging, whenever I rested or fell asleep, Song Lan would automatically stay by my side. It had become a routine by now.
To avoid a repeat of the awkward situation from before, I had taken to holding Fenghua as I fell asleep, preventing myself from accidentally grabbing someone else in a sleepy haze.
Though there were still a few instances where I mistakenly embraced A-Qing, her gentle reminder in my ear—"If you don’t let go, I’ll tell Master Song!"—would instantly wake me up, more effective than any technique used by Anyeah.
Clearly, that experience of being lectured to the point of questioning my life choices had left quite an impression on me.
"It seems like there’s some noise..." I said, still dazed as I grasped Fenghua and got up, wandering toward the sound outside the cave in a dreamlike state.
As soon as I stepped out of the cave, a sudden gust of cold wind swept past me, instantly sharpening my senses.
"Brrr..." It was so cold that I couldn't help but shrink my neck.
"Is something wrong?" Song Lan and the others followed closely behind me as I stepped outside.
I listened intently for a moment—
"Ah, it’s happening again." It was indeed not just my imagination; there was a sound.
From afar came intermittent bursts of noise, resembling something exploding—bangs and crackles echoed through the air.
After listening for a while, Song Lan suddenly understood.
"I see, you mean the sound of firecrackers," he said, a look of nostalgia crossing his face. "It's that time of year again..."
"Firecrackers?" Something seemed to flash through my muddled mind... right, it was firecrackers.
I realized that I hadn't heard that sound in so long, and the distance made it sound somewhat muffled, so it took me a moment to react.
So, it was the townsfolk celebrating the New Year down in the valley.
The New Year had already arrived... It seemed that quite a bit of time had passed since I was thrown into this place!
"Oh, Little Flower might not know," A-Qing said, noticing my dazed expression. She probably thought I, being from another world, didn't understand the customs here, so she explained gently: "It is said that firecrackers were originally set off to scare away the Year Beast that would eat people. Now, people light firecrackers on New Year's Day to celebrate the arrival of the new year."
"I see..." I couldn't be bothered to explain; it was easier to just play dumb.
"And also, with each passing year, you grow a year older. So Little Flower is now sixteen!" A-Qing said with a smile as she patted my head.
I paused for a moment and then chuckled, "It seems that the passage of time really doesn't hold much meaning; it's only been a short while and I've already aged."
"The concept of age is inherently tied to the passage of time. The experiences accumulated over time ultimately lead one to understand the truth of impermanence," Xiao Xingchen remarked with a hint of melancholy. "That said, now we..."
He suddenly stopped mid-sentence, smiling sadly.
I looked at him quietly, unsure of what to say.
I knew that for them, time had indeed come to a standstill, and until the day of their disappearance arrived, nothing would ever change again.
"During this time, the town should be quite lively. Would you like to go see it, Mian Fei?" Song Lan suddenly suggested, as if trying to break the heavy atmosphere.
"Um..." Oh! Is it like the old days of the New Year's market? That sounds quite tempting.
After all, in those distant memories, the so-called New Year had become no different from an ordinary holiday. The only remaining traces of festivity were giving and receiving red envelopes. Family reunion dinners felt just like any other meal, and I couldn't recall when the streets stopped playing familiar festive songs on repeat. Even firecrackers were rarely heard anymore.
However, curiosity aside, just thinking about the bustling crowds... Hmm, that completely discouraged me. Maybe it's best to skip it!
I pondered for a while and finally shook my head.
"Thank you, Daoist Priest, but... I think I'll pass." After all, I've gotten used to being free and unrestrained during this time; facing a crowd has become quite a challenge for me.
"Alright, no pressure," Song Lan said softly as he patted my shoulder, but he couldn't help but add seriously, "But one day, you will have to try to face it."
To this, I couldn't help but smile wryly.
"I sincerely hope that day never comes..."
"Avoiding problems is not a solution. You should know that you can escape for a moment, but not for a lifetime."
"I believe that if there's truly a need to face it, an opportunity will eventually present itself." However, even if tasks were forcibly assigned by the system, there must be some loopholes or shortcuts to get around them. I firmly believed that.
Hearing this, Song Lan shook his head helplessly and lightly tapped my head with his whisk as was his habit.
"Stubborn."
On this day, as usual, I watched Song Lan and the others descend the mountain for their night hunt when I inadvertently blurted out, "Are you going to hunt the Year Beast this time, Daozhang?"
Both Song Lan and Xiao Xingchen were taken aback for a moment before bursting into laughter.
"That's just a legendary beast. Although there are records in literature, no one has ever seen its true form, so whether it actually exists remains uncertain," Song Lan explained.
"If we really encountered it, we would certainly do our utmost to eliminate it and protect the people," Xiao Xingchen said with an amused smile.
"If Daozhang truly drives away the Year Beast, you would undoubtedly gain fame overnight and your reputation would spread far and wide. At that point, a whole crowd would come to Potter's Field seeking your help!" A-Qing exclaimed excitedly.
"Uh…." Just imagining that scenario made my heart tighten. "Daozhang is already quite impressive; there's no need to prove his strength by hunting the Year Beast… Please, just keep a low profile!"
However, A-Qing's words reminded me that such a situation wasn't impossible.
After all, the Yiling area was still quite unsettled, and the common folk in need of exorcism had always relied on wandering Daoists like them or passing cultivators for assistance. If they learned that these individuals were staying here, they would surely come flocking for help!
Sigh! Just thinking about it gives me a headache…
But then again, Potter's Field was somewhat of a taboo place for people; it shouldn't be so easy for anyone to tread upon it, right?
So perhaps I should stop scaring myself…
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