Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Living Funeral
At that moment, my injuries were wrapped in white gauze. I picked up the Yellow Paper Talisman and flipped through a few pages. Before long, Zhang Xun and Du Feng walked in. However, there was no sign of the ghost or the weasel.
I closed the book, and Du Feng said, "This book is a treasure of Wong Tai Sin. I didn't expect it to be willing to give it to you."
I asked, "What about it?" Du Feng replied, "After giving you the book, it died."
I: …
The weasel had just emerged from the coffin, and after only a few words, it was dead. What bad luck! I asked again, "What about the ghost?" Zhang Xun said, "Didn’t it ask you for a Coffin material before? Now it has already gone to sleep in the coffin."
Hearing this from Zhang Xun, I recalled that when the ghost left, it indeed wanted that Coffin material. But if the ghost had taken the Coffin material that originally belonged to the weasel, then what about the weasel? I asked again, and Zhang Xun reassured me, "Don't worry; we have properly buried it."
After hearing this, I felt relieved. However, I realized that Lin Xue would no longer be by my side. With a sigh, Zhang Xun said at that moment, "Chen Fei, today is the Ghost Festival, and it's also the day when the Ghost Gate closes."
I was momentarily taken aback when Zhang Xun said, "Let's go."
Feeling that my body was mostly fine, I got out of bed. Du Feng seemed unaffected as well. As we finally left the pharmacy, Du Feng said, "You're welcome to come play when you have time."
Du Feng's pharmacy was located in a bustling area but appeared somewhat deserted. The facade was antique, with only three characters on the sign: "Traditional Medicine Shop."
I took a glance before leaving with Zhang Xun. Soon we were lost in the crowd. At that moment, Gao Ling called me. It was eight o'clock in the evening. I answered the phone, and Gao Ling asked me, "Fei, I haven't seen you all evening. Where have you been?"
I replied to Gao Ling, saying I had been hanging out with friends.
Gao Ling asked me, "Are you coming back this time?" I replied that I would return right away and hung up the phone.
Zhang Xun and I walked along the road. At this point, Zhang Xun had changed into a new outfit: black pants and a white short-sleeved shirt. His face seemed perpetually pale, as if it lacked blood. I still hadn’t fully recovered either; my body felt somewhat weak. A cold wind blew towards us, causing me to shiver involuntarily.
I asked Gao Ling, "So who is Du Feng?"
Zhang Xun replied, "Ghost Pharmacist."
I recalled those three words; the Taoist had mentioned that Du Feng was the Ghost Pharmacist. This guy was indeed strange, managing to use traditional Chinese medicine to nurture ghosts. I inquired if that was all there was to it, and Zhang Xun simply nodded.
I didn’t press further. After walking a bit, we hailed a cab to head to Gao Ling's home.
We didn’t go upstairs but called Gao Ling down so we could have dinner together. When Gao Ling came down and saw Zhang Xun and me, he paused for a few seconds before asking, "Where have you two been? You look all beat up."
I told Gao Ling that we had just been out for a stroll.
Seeing that I wasn’t going to elaborate, Gao Ling didn’t ask more questions. Once we reached the restaurant, we started ordering food. Gao Ling insisted, "You two need to replenish your strength." He called over the waiter and ordered a lot of dishes, but in the end, we couldn’t finish everything. By the time we left the restaurant, it was nearly ten o'clock.
Gao Ling drove his car and suggested taking us for a spin.
I glanced at Zhang Xun, who nodded in agreement. There wasn’t much else going on at the moment, and after everything we had been through, my mood felt heavy. A drive would help clear my mind. The car windows were rolled down, letting the wind rush in and lifting my spirits a little. At that moment, Lin Xue’s image floated through my mind but ultimately faded away.
I took a deep breath as Gao Ling offered me a cigarette. I declined since Zhang Xun was present. Gao Ling acknowledged this and said he had forgotten about it.
Zhang Fatty had died in Dead Man's Cave, and Brother Li didn’t meet a good end either. I glanced at Zhang Xun and Gao Ling, wondering how these two would fare in the future. The city looked dazzling with its bright lights; it was mesmerizing. After driving for a while, Gao Ling finally stopped the car at a certain spot.
Gao Ling mysteriously asked, "Do you know why we stopped here?" Neither Zhang Xun nor I responded, so Gao Ling continued, "It's because this place is elevated, allowing us to see the entire city's night view."
I crouched down, pulled out a cigarette, and lit it. After taking a puff, Gao Ling also squatted down to smoke. Just then, we heard crying from behind us. However, we couldn't see who was crying because it was a bend in the road, and next to it was an earth slope, suggesting the sound came from behind that slope.
At first, we didn't pay much attention, but the crying grew louder and more sorrowful. Reluctantly, we decided to go around and take a look. After walking a few steps, we saw a flicker of firelight. A few more steps brought us to a scene of a young girl kneeling before a fire pit, crying bitterly as she burned Joss Paper.
After watching for a moment, Gao Ling spoke up, "Miss, the dead cannot come back to life. Please accept my condolences."
The girl ignored Gao Ling's comment, leaving him feeling awkward. I suggested we leave, but at that moment, the girl began to chant softly: "Ghost Festival, Ghost Gate opens, Yin-Yang Dao, living people walk, Ghost Messenger cries, the dead laugh... bring wealth and buy life; the dead laugh, Yin Chai cries..."
She kept repeating her words...
Neither Gao Ling nor Zhang Xun seemed to understand or react differently. At that moment, I noticed many ghostly figures with a bluish hue rising from below—countless spirits floating densely in the air.
Zhang Xun and Gao Ling still hadn't noticed anything unusual. I began to feel uneasy; just as I opened my mouth to warn them, it was already too late. Strangely enough, these spirits did not harm us but instead moved toward the mountain.
From their expressions, it was clear that neither Zhang Xun nor Gao Ling had seen anything. If they had, Gao Ling would have been making a fuss by now. But he remained silent. I stood still for a moment when Gao Ling asked me, "Fei, what's wrong?"
I was momentarily stunned and felt blank-headed. Once I regained my senses, I ran toward where the girl had been. I didn’t call out to Gao Ling or Zhang Xun; something felt like it was about to happen there. When I arrived at that spot, I witnessed an incredible scene.
The girl who had been burning Joss Paper had stopped crying. The spirits that had risen were all descending upon her; she seemed like the center of a black hole absorbing these souls.
The dead laughed; Yin Chai cried...
In that instant, everything clicked into place for me. The spirits floating up seemed to be laughing while the woman had been crying—was she perhaps Yin Chai?
In an instant, all the souls vanished completely, leaving me in shock. The girl stood up and stared at me, and I returned her gaze. She said to me, "We will meet again in the future. Remember me as Ling Yu." As soon as she finished speaking, she disappeared, merging with the night in a heartbeat.
I was left stunned, and at that moment, the fire pit also extinguished.
Gao Ling and Zhang Xun approached me. Gao Ling asked, "What were you doing up there?"
My mind was still unsettled, overwhelmed by what had just happened. It was a complete upheaval of my worldview. I took a deep breath to calm myself.
My face turned pale as I said to them, "Do you remember that girl who was crying so sadly just now?"
Gao Ling replied, "Of course I remember. What about it?"
I continued, "That girl seemed to be Yin Chai." After I said this, both Gao Ling and Zhang Xun looked confused.
I prompted them further, "The dead laugh, while Yin Chai cries... That girl was crying so tragically; don't you think that's strange?"
Gao Ling asked, "Is that all you've got?"
I insisted, "Isn't that enough? I saw many souls enter her body in an instant and disappear."
Comment 0 Comment Count