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墨書 Inktalez
I had been listening to my grandfather's stories since I was a child. Many of them were told with such vivid detail that it felt as if I were right there in the moment, sometimes so frightening that I would be too scared to sleep at night.
At this moment, my grandfather closed his eyes slightly, the wine swirling in his head, eager to share more.
"By the way, the story I want to tell you didn't happen in Nanning, but rather in Guangxi. The exact location? I've forgotten," he added. "I heard it from someone else; it's been quite a while since the story took place."
His gaze seemed distant, as if he were lost in memories.
Back then, Chen Yutou set out alone, carrying a box. There were rumors circulating in Guangxi about an extraordinary tomb that had been discovered.
Normally, news of such tomb discoveries wouldn't spread far, but this one was different. Those who entered—whether they were gold panners or tomb raiders, or even the Dirt Scholars from Changsha—had all met their demise inside. Once this news got out, it created quite a stir in the community. Many were eager to try their luck; older veterans saw it as a final adventure, while younger ones hoped to make a name for themselves and gain respect in the field. However, all ended up losing their lives. Thus, this tomb became a coveted prize that no one dared to claim.
Just when everyone felt hopeless, Chen Yutou suddenly appeared. At that time, he was relatively unknown in the industry; no one believed in him and many mocked him instead.
Yet Chen Yutou remained unfazed; he was a person of great composure. One night, he took his box and entered the tomb.
The entrance of the tomb was funnel-shaped—wide at the top and narrow at the bottom. After many had gone down before him, the entrance had become somewhat misshapen.
Before entering, he lit three incense sticks outside and told everyone that if one burned out, they should replace it for him. If all three burned out and he still hadn't come back, it would mean he was dead.
With those words spoken, he skillfully climbed down using a rope. The moon hung low in the sky, half obscured by dark clouds that cast a murky shadow over everything.
Outside, more than ten people waited anxiously. Among them was a geomancer who could read celestial signs and perform divination. He cast his fortune and concluded that there was a nine out of ten chance of death. The crowd was horrified—not because of the high probability of death but because there was still a slim chance of survival.
Sweat broke out on the geomancer's forehead as he looked up at the sky again. The half-moon hung alone amidst scattered stars that flickered faintly through the clouds. Suddenly, one star shone with a red light; the geomancer spat blood and declared, "A bad omen." The strain of interpreting the signs caused him to cough up blood.
His expression fluctuated between hope and despair as he cast another divination. Finally, he slowly uttered four words: "Certain death awaits."
As those words left his lips, everyone else felt their heads buzzing and their hearts racing; they couldn't help but break into a cold sweat for Chen Yutou.
The crowd watched the incense burn, a thin wisp of blue smoke rising gracefully. The white ash had just begun to fall, and the glowing red tip flickered brightly in the night breeze.
Everyone withdrew their gazes, falling into silence.
The first stick of incense burned down under their watchful eyes, as expected, and someone lit a second stick.
In truth, everyone had their own thoughts. When the first stick finished burning, some had already concluded that Chen Yutou was dead inside, while others held a different view.
When the Onmyoji had performed divination for them, without exception, it was a matter of life and death. Yet, surprisingly, there was still a glimmer of hope for Chen Yutou. Although the Onmyoji ultimately dismissed it, it was still better than the fate of others. Thus, some still hoped for Chen Yutou's safe return.
At this point, my grandfather took another sip of his drink.
Worried that he might drink too much, I urged him to take it easy. He waved me off and said, "It's fine; I'm happy today."
Fat Ma noticed my grandfather's cup was empty and quickly refilled it. My grandfather laughed heartily and praised Fat Ma, who beamed with pride.
I tried to stop Fat Ma from pouring more wine for my grandfather, but he reluctantly agreed. Besides, my grandfather's story was getting interesting, so I didn’t want to spoil the mood.
My grandfather cleared his throat a few times and continued, "That night’s weather was strange; it felt eerie and cold. A sudden wind arose but stopped right at our feet. Listen carefully—when I say it stopped at our feet, I mean it halted immediately before retreating again. It was quite bizarre. On top of that, there were fox cries that made everyone feel uneasy."
The second stick of incense quickly burned down to half its length. Each person couldn’t help but take a deep breath; this indicated that Chen Yutou's life might have dwindled by half as well, leaving only half a life remaining inside.
Some began to whisper among themselves. One said, "A nameless child dares to venture down there; it's nothing but seeking death." Another disagreed, saying, "The incense hasn’t burned out yet; it's too early to say anything."
"Then let’s wait and see..." Time slipped away under everyone's gaze as the second stick of incense inevitably burned out, yet there was still no sign from the entrance.
Those who had concluded that Chen Yutou was doomed had already settled down on the ground to smoke. Meanwhile, those who still held hope for him began to feel anxious.
Regardless of their emotions, no one dared to approach the dark entrance even a step closer; it loomed like the grand gate of Yama’s mansion.
When the Third Incense Stick was lit, everyone focused their minds even more, hardly daring to blink. Every moment was counted.
Soon, the Third Incense Stick burned down to a point, and the solitary moon in the sky was obscured by dark clouds. At this moment, everyone held their breath, their eyes fixed on the incense ash that threatened to fall.
Finally, only a red ember remained on the Third Incense Stick, and it seemed on the verge of extinguishing.
At this point, Grandfather paused, as if teasing us with suspense. He took another sip of wine and slowly chewed on a piece of food.
My feelings mirrored those of the crowd waiting outside; we were all eager to know the outcome. Fat Ma was even more anxious, his eyes nearly popping out as he urged, "Old man, hurry up! Is that Chen Yutou dead or alive?"
Grandfather swallowed his last bite and took another sip of wine before placing his chopsticks down. "Just as the Third Incense Stick was about to go out, everyone watched the incense while staring at the entrance."
Suddenly, a chilling wind blew through, extinguishing the Third Incense Stick. At that moment, the entrance remained eerily calm. Just when disappointment settled in among the crowd, a black hand suddenly emerged from the entrance. Instantly, everyone tensed up, their eyes glued to Burrow.
Could this be the killer? As everyone wondered in shock, a second hand appeared, followed closely by a head. The crowd instinctively took a step back; they saw that the head had indistinguishable features and lacked any semblance of individuality.
Some timid individuals were trembling like leaves in the wind.
Suddenly, it seemed someone was gasping for breath as another part of a body emerged from the entrance. By now, everyone had basically concluded it was Chen Yutou; he was alive after all. Yet no one dared to step forward to help him.
And so he crawled out from the tomb by himself and collapsed beside the entrance, gasping for air.
Everyone watched from a distance; no one dared approach. It was then that a steady breathing sound could be heard. Guess what? Chen Yutou actually fell asleep.
The crowd felt uneasy leaving him alone outside. Although he had come out alive from the tomb—an impressive feat—he had now fallen asleep. No matter how capable he was, sleeping out here would make him vulnerable to wolves in the mountains! To prevent him from becoming a corpse in an unfamiliar place, they decided to carry him back inside. While he slept, his reputation had already soared within their circle; everyone knew about Chen Yutou and his remarkable skills. Meanwhile, they all waited for him to wake up so he could share what happened inside the tomb.
However, Chen Yutou seemed oblivious to their concerns and slept for three whole days. When he finally woke up on the third day, he found people crowded around his bed and filling every chair and table nearby.
Everyone wanted to know how Chen Yutou had managed to survive.
Chen Yutou sat up in bed, and before he could say a word, he suddenly felt a wave of nausea. Seeing this, someone rushed over to pat his back and help him breathe easier. Chen Yutou was on the verge of vomiting several times, each time swallowing it back down, his face turning a sickly green.
Finally, in front of everyone's eyes, Chen Yutou expelled a lump of Black Mud from his mouth. As it hit the ground, a wriggling earthworm emerged from the mud, still alive and squirming.
Everyone stared in shock. Not only had he swallowed a lump of mud, but there was also a living creature inside it—something they had never heard of or seen before.
Strangely enough, after flopping around on the ground for a few moments, the earthworm suddenly died before anyone could react.
The crowd gaped in disbelief.
At that moment, Chen Yutou spoke up: "Its mission is complete; its life has come to an end."
Hearing this, everyone finally relaxed. However, they had never heard of such a technique being used in the tomb raiding profession.
Chen Yutou first thanked everyone for their concern and then asked for a few days to rest before answering their questions.
Seeing that he looked unwell, they didn’t press him further and gradually left the room, leaving Chen Yutou alone.
Suddenly, he leaned against the headboard and felt another wave of nausea. He expelled another rush of Black Mud from his mouth. Several more earthworms crawled out from the mud and, unsurprisingly, all perished.
Next, Chen Yutou coughed up a mouthful of black blood. Wiping the corner of his mouth clean, he knew that while others saw his achievements as glorious, only he understood the tremendous cost it had taken. He lay back down on the bed, focusing on recuperating.
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