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墨書 Inktalez
Hu Fang put down what he was holding and said, "Since I draw horror comics, I've looked into supernatural events. I know a few haunted places; it just depends on where you want to go."
I thought for a moment and replied, "It doesn't really matter where we go. Just tell me what places you know, preferably not too far..."
Before I could finish, my phone, which I had tossed aside, rang urgently. I picked it up to see that it was Death Apostle calling. I quickly answered, "Director of Death, what can I do for you..."
On the other end, Death Apostle said, "Don't call me Director of Death; it sounds terrible. Just call me Death Apostle." I chuckled, "But you did open an exhibition hall, so calling you director isn't wrong."
He sounded a bit impatient at my comment. "Alright, call me whatever you like. The main thing is this: I saw some news yesterday that seemed strange, so I had someone investigate it. It turns out this matter is related to you. Have you found any leads on the Soul Sealing Talisman?"
I thought to myself, "What kind of background does Death Apostle have? How did he find out about this connection to me? I need to find a way to pry more information from him..." To avoid revealing my concerns to Death Apostle, I replied, "You really are quite impressive; how did you manage to find out it's me? But I'll be honest with you: this matter has nothing to do with the Soul Sealing Talisman."
Death Apostle sounded somewhat disappointed upon hearing this. "Ah, I suspected that even if it was related to you, it might just be for other reasons."
"Is that why you called me? Just to ask about this?" I asked in confusion. Death Apostle quickly responded, "Oh right! I almost forgot; there's something else I need to tell you. Recently, I've found that the Soul Sealing Talisman might be hidden in a village."
Hearing this left me stunned. I thought, "Could he have discovered something about Baiyan Village?!" I hurriedly pressed for more details while trying to keep my tone calm: "Oh?! Where is that village?"
After a moment of contemplation, Death Apostle said, "How about this: come over now, and I'll explain everything in detail. It's hard to convey everything over the phone." Seeing his insistence, I had no choice but to agree.
After hanging up, I turned to Li Zhisheng, who was sitting on the couch reading. "Death Apostle just called; he might have leads on the Soul Sealing Talisman and wants me to go over. Are you interested in coming along?"
He put down his book and asked, "Sure! When are we going? Right now?" Hu Fang, who was cooking in the kitchen, overheard us and poked her head out. "Where are you going? Out for a meal?! If so, then I'm done cooking!"
I laughed and said, "You only think about eating out! We're going to the exhibition hall; it's not a place you're interested in." Upon hearing this, Hu Fang pouted and withdrew her head.
"From what I gathered from Death Apostle's tone earlier, it seems he wants me to come over right away," I said while turning back to Li Zhisheng. He nodded in agreement.
But then I thought to myself, "I can't just go because he says so..." This hesitation stemmed from the fact that Death Apostle had previously used us for his own purposes; I didn't want to be too obedient to him. However, since it involved a village, I was worried he might have found Baiyan Village.
The Soul Sealing Talisman hidden under the large stone in that village was meant to suppress the Evil Spirits there; how could he just take it away? If it were removed and the seal broken, who knows how many lives would be lost... So I needed to check whether he had indeed discovered Baiyan Village.
"Since he's asking us to come over now, let's go," Li Zhisheng said as he stood up and began getting dressed. I quickly stopped him: "What's the rush? Look at Hu Da Jie; she's still cooking! Can you really leave her alone for lunch? We should at least eat before heading out."
Li Zhisheng looked at me with a serious expression. "You have no idea. Whenever you're not home and I'm having dinner with them, I can never get enough to eat. It's better to eat out. Only when you're around does she hold back a little; otherwise, with my eating speed, I can't compete with her at all."
I gave a wry smile and patted Li Zhisheng on the shoulder. "You've had a tough time." After that, Li Zhisheng glanced at the kitchen and sighed meaningfully.
"Why don't you read for a while? I'll go help her with the cooking. It's not right to always leave her to do it alone." With that, I headed toward the kitchen. Just as I reached the doorway, Hu Fang came out carrying two plates of stir-fried dishes and nearly bumped into me. I quickly steadied her by the waist. "Careful, let me handle this..."
Taking the dishes from her hands and placing them on the table, I rolled up my sleeves and asked, "How many more dishes are there? Let me help." To my surprise, I noticed a faint blush on Hu Fang's cheeks. Flustered by my question, she turned and hurried back into the kitchen without looking back. "It's fine; it'll be ready soon. Don't come in here and make things complicated."
But I insisted on entering the kitchen to lend a hand. However, neither of us spoke much during the process, creating an awkward atmosphere.
Before long, lunch was ready. After we finished eating, it was already past one in the afternoon. The three of us chatted for a bit before I took Li Zhisheng out to catch a taxi to the exhibition hall.
Upon arriving at the exhibition hall, I saw Death Apostle alone in the empty exhibition room fiddling with his exhibits. Noticing he hadn't seen us yet, I called out, "Director Death! Busy?"
Death Apostle turned around and smiled wryly. "Didn't I tell you not to call me that? Come on in..." He led us to the back room. As soon as we sat down, he began speaking. "This time, I had someone investigate the Soul Sealing Talisman, and they found a village that is quite unusual." He pulled out a map from behind the bookshelf.
Unfolding the map, I realized it was just an ordinary city map. He pointed to a blank corner of it. "There's a village here that has no records online or in any documents. However, according to those who investigated it, this village has been around for over a hundred years..."
I pondered for a moment. "Many villages don't have names or records; that's quite normal. Why is this one considered unusual? Also, isn't this map of our city?"
"Exactly! That's why I find it strange," Death Apostle replied. "Think about it: how could a village on the outskirts of a city have no records? According to reports, this village has at least several hundred residents; it's not exactly small."
Hearing this, Li Zhisheng chimed in from the side, "If that's all there is to it, it still doesn't explain why it's considered an unusual village unless something happened there that caught your attention."
Death Apostle gave Li Zhisheng a thumbs up. "You're right! Five years ago, nearly half of the villagers contracted a strange illness. These infected villagers appeared normal during the day but would inexplicably bite those around them at night and then remember nothing by morning. It resembles an ancient form of Evil Sorcery."
At this point, Death Apostle retrieved a thick book from nearby and opened it to point at a line of text: "Yin Li... Its purpose is to taint the souls of good people with violent energy until they transform into Evil Spirits that cannot reincarnate or forcibly push these Evil Spirits into reincarnation as wicked beings who bring calamity to the world."
Upon hearing this, I contemplated deeply. "So you believe there might be someone skilled in using such sorcery in that place, and that person could possibly possess this so-called Soul Sealing Talisman?"
Death Apostle nodded slightly. "It's just a possibility; other explanations can't be ruled out either. Because using such Evil Sorcery isn't limited to humans; it could also involve spirits..."
After pausing for thought, Death Apostle continued, "If it's human-made sorcery, then that person likely knows other forms of Evil Sorcery and would be quite difficult to deal with. But if it's spirits involved, then things could get really troublesome..."
"What do you mean by that?" I asked.
"Let me explain it this way: ghosts would never take the initiative to do such things, as it would deplete their souls. The souls of the living can be repaired, but ghosts cannot. They lack a physical form, so there is nowhere for them to recuperate. Once they are excessively injured, their souls will scatter, and they will disappear from this world forever. Therefore, if this matter involves a ghost, it likely implicates someone who controls ghosts, which leads us to the realm of Yin..."
At this point, the Death Apostle seemed to realize he had let something slip and quickly stopped. "What’s wrong? Yin what?" I frowned.
The Death Apostle stood up, pacing back and forth with his staff, seemingly contemplating whether to share more with me. Meanwhile, Li Zhisheng and I were hesitant to press further for fear that the Death Apostle might refuse to continue. We could only wait patiently as the atmosphere grew tense, punctuated only by the sound of the Death Apostle's staff tapping against the ground.
After a while, he seemed to come to a decision, sighed, and returned to his seat. "Alright then, since I've already let it slip, I might as well tell you directly. What I was thinking about is what you commonly refer to as Yin Onmyoji."
Hearing this term felt somewhat familiar to me, but I didn't know its true origin. I patiently listened as the Death Apostle continued. "To be precise, Yin Onmyoji is merely a general term used in Japan for those who deal with spirits. In China, however, calling them Yin Onmyoji is actually incorrect; this term conflates two opposing professions into one."
"To be accurate, it should be Yin Master and Yang Master. The ones who truly exorcise demons are Yang Masters. Yin Masters specialize in using Evil Sorcery and Evil Spirits for nefarious purposes, engaging in schemes that harm others for profit. Moreover, some highly skilled Yin Masters in Taoist Practice may even use Evil Sorcery before their death to refine themselves into ghostly Yin Masters. This includes the Nine Stars you possess; the reason there are two diagrams of life and death is that one originates from a Yang Master while the other comes from a Yin Master."
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