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墨書 Inktalez
Living Funeral
I looked at the words, and although I couldn't understand them, I was still taken aback.
Zhang Xun glanced at them a few times and asked me, "Do you understand?"
I shook my head, indicating that I didn't.
Gao Ling said, "Who can understand this? It looks like a ghost's scribble. I should hurry inside; if I wait too long, there won't even be soup left."
Gao Ling seemed a bit anxious at that moment. I replied to Gao Ling, "I'm just afraid that if we go in too early, we might lose our lives." Gao Ling responded, "Fei, can we not scare ourselves like this?"
I said to Gao Ling, "If this place is an ancient tomb of emperors and generals, do you think it would be so easy to get in?"
My words calmed Gao Ling down a bit. Gao Ling then said, "Fei, you have a point. I'll quickly go and stop those idiots before they all end up dead here." After saying that, Gao Ling rushed ahead.
Zhang Xun and I followed closely behind, not daring to delay for too long. However, the deeper we went inside, the more oppressive it felt. I wasn't sure if it was because the place felt suffocating or something else.
Suddenly, I thought of Li Qiang's Hu Qingming. Since only Hu Qingming could recognize these characters, could this place be related to him? I pondered that since Li Qiang knew Hu Qingming, Zhang Xun should know something about him too. I quickly asked Zhang Xun, "Do you know Hu Qingming?"
After I spoke, Zhang Xun replied, "Hu Qingming?"
I nodded. I felt that Zhang Xun did know him. After a brief pause, Zhang Xun didn't answer directly but instead asked me back, "How do you know about him?"
I said it was Li Qiang who told me.
Zhang Xun asked, "What did he say about Hu Qingming?"
I replied, "He said Hu Qingming recognized the characters on the wall."
Zhang Xun said, "Li Qiang is not wrong. Hu Qingming is someone I know, but finding him now is basically impossible."
Zhang Xun was very serious. I asked him, "Why?"
Zhang Xun replied, "Hu Qingming did something wrong back in the day; he might already be dead by now."
I waited for Zhang Xun to continue. He remained silent for a long time before he began to speak again. Hu Qingming had helped someone he shouldn't have, and after doing so, he was repaid with betrayal and imprisoned. However, a lot of time has passed since then; he may have already died.
Zhang Xun could only assume he was dead. If he hadn't died directly, then perhaps Hu Qingming was still alive. Moreover, since Li Qiang couldn't understand those characters, he could seek out Hu Qingming. Given that Li Qiang thought this way, it was clear that Hu Qingming was likely still alive.
I then asked another question: "What exactly is his background?"
Zhang Xun asked if I wanted to know. I nodded, and Zhang Xun said, "Alright, I'll tell you. Hu Qingming is also a legendary figure. He was born into a wealthy family, lived without worry for food and clothing, and was well-read; he basically read every book available. At that time, people regarded him as talented. However, he was treated as mute from birth and didn't speak for eighteen years. When he finally spoke his first sentence after those eighteen years, his father was so shocked that he couldn't form coherent words."
You have to understand that a person who hasn't spoken for eighteen years would likely be incoherent when they finally do speak, but Hu Qingming was different; his words were clear and articulate, completely unlike someone who hadn't spoken for so long.
When Hu Qingming finally spoke, it brought immense joy to his entire family. Originally, Hu Qingming had no faults; both his appearance and talent were exceptional. His essays were simply breathtaking.
Zhang Xun asked me if I knew what his first sentence was.
I replied to Zhang Xun that if I knew that, I wouldn't be stumbling around like a headless chicken now. At this point, Zhang Xun began to tease me with the answer.
Although Zhang Xun had seemed indifferent toward Hu Qingming earlier, there was now a hint of admiration in his tone as he said, "His first sentence was: 'Father, my name must be changed; otherwise, I won't live past seven days.' So his father asked him what it should be changed to, and Hu Qingming replied with three words."
I interjected, "Did he change it to Hu Qingming?"
Zhang Xun confirmed with a sound of agreement and then asked what his original name was and what happened afterward.
Zhang Xun said that the original name remains unknown. However, he survived after that incident; unfortunately, all of his family members died. I listened in shock at the thought of why he survived while his family perished. Zhang Xun quickly answered my confusion: because after Hu Qingming changed his name, on the second night, Wandering Ghosts blocked their door, and all the members of the Hu family met untimely deaths. In the following three days, Hu Qingming buried his family and lost all their wealth. On the seventh night, night watchmen saw Hu Qingming being taken away by Wandering Ghosts.
After hearing this, I was deeply shocked; indeed, Hu Qingming was quite a figure.
I asked, "Did he die later?"
Zhang Xun replied, "No, he didn't die. If he had, there wouldn't be any of the subsequent events. I don't know if you've heard of Zuo Zongtang. Back in the day when Zuo Zongtang subdued Xinjiang, he brought along an army, which was one of the strongest in his entire force."
Of course, I had heard of Zuo Zongtang, a famous general of the Qing Dynasty. I thought to myself, could Hu Qingming really be connected to Zuo Zongtang?
I quickly voiced my doubts, and to my surprise, Zhang Xun confirmed, "Yes, Hu Qingming is indeed related to Zuo Zongtang. All of Hu Qingming's wealth was donated to Zuo Zongtang, and he even provided him with an army."
I wasn't foolish; at that moment, I started to catch on and asked, "Was it the Ghost Soldiers?"
Zhang Xun nodded, "Yes, it was the Ghost Soldiers."
I said, "Could it be those Ghost Soldiers that led to Hu Qingming's downfall?" Zhang Xun affirmed, "Yes, those Ghost Soldiers. Later on, for matters where Zuo Zongtang couldn't deploy his troops, he used this Ghost Soldiers unit instead. In the end, Zuo Zongtang successfully reclaimed Xinjiang."
This all sounded so bizarre to me. I said to Zhang Xun, "You're not joking, are you? None of this is written in the books." After I spoke, Zhang Xun looked at me as if I were foolish and said, "Is everything written in books necessarily true?"
Some secrets are known only to a few people; thus many real secrets are lost along the way and can never be passed on. Just like my story—only a handful know about it. Chen Fei, if you hadn't asked today, I wouldn't have revealed anything about Hu Qingming. Once I'm gone, there will be one less person who knows about him.
Zhang Xun made a valid point. I asked him, "So now it seems that Hu Qingming helped Zuo Zongtang and that's why he died?"
Zhang Xun replied, "No, it's not that he died because he helped Zuo Zongtang. On the contrary, Zuo Zongtang kept him alive. You have to understand that someone like Zuo Zongtang—who commands a powerful army and is decisive in his actions—is even scarier than a ghost; even ghosts would fear him. In the end, with Zuo Zongtang's help, Hu Qingming severed ties with the Ghost Soldiers."
From then on, Hu Qingming became a lonely figure.
I asked, "Is that where it ends?"
Zhang Xun replied, "Not quite. Later on, Hu Qingming helped someone he shouldn't have helped and truly vanished from sight."
I: ...
Is such a legendary figure just gone like that? Why do I always feel that something is off? I asked Zhang Xun, "Who did he help?"
Zhang Xun replied, "I don't know."
Suddenly, I remembered that the fortune teller Hu Qingming was someone beyond the Five Elements and Bagua. At first, I didn't believe it, but now I truly do! Both Xiong Ao and Hu Qingming are not ordinary people, so this Xiao Tongwen must also be extraordinary.
Zhang Xun said, "Chen Fei, finding Hu Qingming is a difficult task. The last news we had was over a hundred years ago."
I asked Zhang Xun, "Was Hu Qingming's last piece of news about helping someone?"
Zhang Xun nodded. Suddenly, I thought: could it be that Hu Qingming's last act of helping someone was because the Ghost Soldiers had entangled him again? Perhaps he sought to help someone in order to sever the ties with the Ghost Soldiers.
Last time, Zuo Zongtang helped him, but after Zuo Zongtang was no longer around, he turned to this person. However, it seems he might not have succeeded in the end. Thinking about it really feels mysterious! Just then, Gao Ling suddenly shouted, "Fei, Brother Zhang, hurry over here!"
Zhang Xun and I quickly reacted. I asked, "What's going on?"
Gao Ling said, "There's something good! Come quickly!"
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